Last week for Family Home Evening, we wrote a few cards to people back in Fresno. The next day I walked down to our post office and took some shots on the way.
Zillah Post Office
Seventh-Day Church
A few months ago I mentioned to Phillip that though I don't consider myself a good artist, I do enjoy drawing. Phillip, having a great memory, surprised me with a sketch book before we moved. I told my mom the story and she handed down to me some of my Grandpa Mayhue's pencils and her set of chalk. For my first sketch, I used the Seventh-Day church and added some stained glass.
Sunflower (Sketch #2):
Next to the post office is this deserted old stone building:
I haven't been able to find any information on it, but it is pretty.
It's the sketch I'm working on now.
This is another church I might work on next.:
On the 17th, Phillip and I gave our first talks and I got a calling...details to come. :)
Here are my talks from when we left and when we got here. There is a bunch of mumbling and verbal filler that isn't here, but you'll get the gist of it.
052911And my talk from moving here:
Br. Swann asked us to speak on one our favorite talks from General Conference. Being the rebellious person I am, I refused to narrow it down to just one and instead chose four.
I would like to start by paraphrasing President Eyring began his address at the Young Women’s Broadcast:
“My beloved (brothers and) sisters, you are the bright hope of the Lord’s Church. My purpose (today) is to help you believe that is so. If that belief can become a deep testimony from God, it will shape your daily and hourly choices. And then from what might appear to you to be small choices, the Lord will lead you to the happiness you want. Through your choices He will be able to bless countless others.
Your choice to be with us (today) is an example of choices that matter…Of all the other things you could have chosen to do, you chose to be with us. You did that because of your beliefs. You are a believer in the gospel of Jesus Christ. You believe enough to come here…and have enough faith to hope that something you will hear or feel will move you toward a better life. You felt in your heart that following Jesus Christ was the way to greater happiness.
Now, you may not have recognized that as a conscious choice of any great importance. You may have felt drawn to be with us by friends or family. You may have simply responded to the kindness of someone who invited you to come. But even if you did not notice it, you felt at least a faint echo of the invitation of the Savior: “Come, follow me.” “
142 years ago, President Brigham Young formed what we now call the Young Women’s Organization because, he said, “There is need for the young daughters of Israel to get a living testimony of the truth.”
President Joseph Fielding Smith taught that a testimony “is a convincing knowledge given by revelation to [a person] who humbly seeks the truth.” He said of testimony and the Holy Ghost, who brings that revelation, “Its convincing power is so great that there can be no doubt left in the mind when the Spirit has spoken. It is the only way that a person can truly know that Jesus is the Christ and that his gospel is true.”
Elder Cecil O. Samuelson Jr taught us in General Conference who is entitled to receive a testimony. He said, “Everyone who is willing to pay the price—meaning keeping the commandments—may have a testimony. “Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear” (D&C 1:11). A fundamental reason for the Restoration of the gospel is so “every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world; that faith also might increase in the earth” (D&C 1:20–21).”
Everyone is entitled to receive revelation for themselves and we can receive that revelation thru promptings from the Holy Ghost. After we are baptized by one in authority, we are then able to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I once had the difference between the two explained to me this way: Imagine you are walking through a forest on a dark, stormy night. It is so dark outside that you cannot see your hand in front of your face. You may know where you need to go, but you cannot see the path in front of you. Every once in awhile, there is a flash of lightning that lights the path. You run a few steps ahead, but eventually the light goes away. Before we are baptized, we have short promptings from the Holy Ghost that tell us what we need to do. We might feel promptings to visit someone or a prompting that what we are hearing is true. But that feeling only lasts for a short time. After we are baptized, it is like we are given a flashlight to guide our way thru the storm.
President Eyring said “Testimony will come to you in pieces as parts of the whole truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ are confirmed. For instance, as you read and ponder the Book of Mormon, verses you have read before will appear new to you and bring new ideas. Your testimony will grow in breadth and in depth as the Holy Ghost confirms that they are true. Your living testimony will expand as you study, pray, and ponder in the scriptures.”
In Alma, 32 we read that our testimonies grow the same way a seed grows into a plant. Our testimonies must start with a “particle of faith” and a desire for it to grow. Once that seed is planted and growing, we must continue to nurture it. President Eyring said again, “Frequent and heartfelt prayers of faith are crucial and needed nutrients. Obedience to the truth you have received will keep the testimony alive and strengthen it. Obedience to the commandments is part of the nourishment you must provide for your testimony.
So, back to the analogy in the woods, the flashlight we are given has batteries that charge with shaking it. If we just use the flashlight and don’t shake it, eventually we will no longer have light. In the same way, if we don’t continue to pray and live obediently to the commandments, the strength of the power of the Holy Ghost will lessen in our lives. But, as we live righteously, we are charging our flashlights. And as we continue to follow the promptings we receive, our testimonies continue to grow until our faith becomes certain knowledge.
The Book of Mormon tells us how we can obtain the necessary revelation, and what are the fundamental steps to achieve: “Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
“And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”
Having a testimony and continuing to live the gospel does not guarantee a life without trial. In fact, I believe that having a testimony and living the gospel guarantees that your life will have trials. Because of this, I would like to focus the rest of my time on the talks given by Paul V. Johnson and Kent F. Richards of the Seventy
Elder Johnson said, “Earth life includes tests, trials, and tribulations, and some of the trials we face in life can be excruciating. Whether it be illness, betrayal, temptations, loss of a loved one, natural disasters, or some other ordeal, affliction is part of our mortal experience. Many have wondered why we must face difficult challenges. We know that one reason is to provide a trial of our faith to see if we will do all the Lord has commanded. Fortunately this earth life is the perfect setting to face—and pass—these tests.
But these trials are not just to test us. They are vitally important to the process of putting on the divine nature. If we handle these afflictions properly, they will be consecrated for our gain.”
Elder Orson F. Whitney said: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. … All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.”
Phillip and I have been in this ward for 3 ½ years. During this time we have made many close friends and as many of you know, Phillip and I will be moving to Washington State in a week and a half. While this is nowhere close to the hardest trial we have had to face; leaving our home, family and friends will be a huge change for our family. Not to mention packing all of our stuff while we still have to manage to live in the home, this is still a trial. We love everyone here and I feel that I understand, in a VERY SMALL way, what the pioneers must have felt packing all of their belongings over and over again, leaving behind loved ones along the way. I know, our wagon is slightly larger than the pioneers had, we have the marvelous invention of Facebook that will allow us to keep in touch with all of you, and we will have a home waiting for us when we get there, but we will still miss all of your smiling faces. Without naming names, you have each made a huge impact on our lives and we will miss you.
Elder Richards said “I have pondered about the purpose of pain. None of us is immune from experiencing pain. I have seen people cope with it very differently. Some turn away from God in anger, and others allow their suffering to bring them closer to God.” …Much of our suffering is not necessarily our fault. Unexpected events, contradicting or disappointing circumstances, interrupting illness, and even death surround us and penetrate our mortal experience. Additionally, we may suffer afflictions because of the actions of others. Lehi noted that Jacob had “suffered … much sorrow, because of the rudeness of [his] brethren.” Opposition is part of Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness. We all encounter enough to bring us to an awareness of our Father’s love and of our need for the Savior’s help.
“The Savior is not a silent observer. He Himself knows personally and infinitely the pain we face.”
Elder Johnson said, “In the midst of problems, it is nearly impossible to see that the coming blessings far outweigh the pain, humiliation, or heartbreak we may be experiencing at the time. “No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” 13 The Apostle Paul taught, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” 14 It is interesting that Paul uses the term “light affliction.” This comes from a person who was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and who experienced many other trials. 15 I doubt many of us would label our afflictions light. Yet in comparison to the blessings and growth we ultimately receive, both in this life and in eternity, our afflictions truly are light.”
2 Nephi 9:21 “He suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children.”
He is the one we can turn to in our pain
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” 6
Elder Richards said: “Sometimes in the depth of pain, we are tempted to ask, “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?” 7 I testify the answer is yes, there is a physician. The Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all these conditions and purposes of mortality.”
Once, as a missionary, I suffered a nasty bike accident. Yes, Elder Julian, you are not the only one who has crashed a bike. While I was having my wounds bandaged, my companion said something that has always stuck with me. She said, Whenever we look at the scars we get, we should remember that the Greatest of us all had scars from His mission, and He CHOSE to keep them.”
Elder Johnson also said, “As the Savior’s mortal ministry came to a close, He experienced the most difficult trial of all time—the incredible suffering in Gethsemane and on Golgotha. This preceded the glorious Resurrection and the promise that all our suffering will someday be done away. His suffering was a prerequisite to the empty tomb that Easter morning and to our future immortality and eternal life.
Sometimes we want to have growth without challenges and to develop strength without any struggle. But growth cannot come by taking the easy way. We clearly understand that an athlete who resists rigorous training will never become a world-class athlete. We must be careful that we don’t resent the very things that help us put on the divine nature.
Not one of the trials and tribulations we face is beyond our limits, because we have access to help from the Lord. We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us. 16
I would like to close with a song by Laura Story:
We pray for blessings, We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
When friends betray us, When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise
071711
There are many warning signs and labels in the world today. Some warning labels, like you might find on a hair dryer, warn us of serious injury or even death. Signs found at a railroad crossing aren’t as specific, but we still know know, if the red lights are flashing, and the guard rails are up, that we should not try to cross the tracks.
In the same way, our Heavenly Father has given us warning signs. Some come in the way of impressions and some thru his servants, the prophets.
Joseph Fielding Smith, 10th President of the Church, gave this warning in 1953:
“We are living in a very troubled world, and I am going to talk plainly: we are living in a world that has discarded God or is rapidly doing so. We are living in a world where the Christian ministers of various denominations have been frightened by the philosophies of men and, therefore, because they lack the Spirit of the Lord, have tried to modify the scriptures, or the meaning of the scriptures, so that they can make them harmonize with the false theories so prevalent in the world today, theories which are in absolute conflict with divine revelation; and yet these people, afraid, dominated by the influence of false philosophy, are modifying the doctrines to make them conform to these theories and ideas which are godless in their foundation. We cannot afford to do that. …”
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: As we look about us, we see many who are practicing deception. We hear of prominent officials who have lied about their secret acts. We learn of honored sports heroes who have lied about gambling on the outcome of their games or using drugs to enhance their performance. We see less well-known persons engaging in evil acts in secret they would never do in public. Perhaps they think no one will ever know. But God always knows. And He has repeatedly warned that the time will come when “[our] iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and [our] secret acts shall be revealed” (D&C 1:3)
In a world of so much deception and sin, how can we keep safe?
Elder Carlos E. Asay of the Seventy gave the following ideas:
“1. Avoid those who would tear down your faith. …
“2. Keep the commandments. …
“3. Follow the living prophets. …
“4. Do not contend or debate over points of doctrine. [See 3 Nephi 11:29.]
“5. Search the scriptures. …
“6. Do not be swayed or diverted from the mission of the Church. …
“7. Pray for your enemies. …
“8. Practice ‘pure religion.’ [See James 1:27 and Alma 1:30.] …
“9. Remember that there may be many questions for which we have no answers and that some things have to be accepted simply on faith”
Another way is to protect ourselves is by follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
Everyone is entitled to receive revelation for themselves and we can receive that revelation thru promptings from the Holy Ghost. After we are baptized by one in authority, we are then able to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I once had the difference between the two explained to me this way: Imagine you are walking through a forest on a dark, stormy night. It is so dark outside that you cannot see your hand in front of your face. You may know where you need to go, but you cannot see the path in front of you. Every once in awhile, there is a flash of lightning that lights the path. You run a few steps ahead, but eventually the light goes away. Before we are baptized, we have short promptings from the Holy Ghost that tell us what we need to do. We might feel promptings to visit someone or a prompting that what we are hearing is true. But that feeling only lasts for a short time. After we are baptized, it is like we are given a flashlight to guide our way thru the storm.
This morning we were able to witness Megan receiving this theoretical flashlight.
The flashlight we are given has batteries that charge with shaking it. If we just use the flashlight and don’t shake it, eventually we will no longer have light. In the same way, if we don’t continue to pray and live obediently to the commandments, the strength of the power of the Holy Ghost will lessen in our lives. But, as we live righteously, we are charging our flashlights. And as we continue to follow the promptings we receive, our testimonies continue to grow until our faith becomes certain knowledge.
Elder Neal Anderson shared the following:
““I’d like to tell you of an experience of a faithful Latter-day Saint who is a good friend of mine. I’ll refer to him only as “my friend” for reasons you will understand.
Working as a special agent for the FBI, my friend investigated organized crime groups transporting illegal drugs into the United States.
On one occasion, he and another agent approached an apartment where they believed a known drug dealer was distributing cocaine. My friend describes what happened:
“We knocked on the door of the drug dealer. The suspect opened the door, and upon seeing us, tried to block our view. But it was too late; we could see the cocaine on his table.
“A man and a woman who were at the table immediately began removing the cocaine. We had to prevent them from destroying the evidence, so I quickly pushed the drug suspect who was blocking the door to the side. As I pushed him, my eyes met his. Strangely, he did not appear angry or afraid. He was smiling at me.
“His eyes and disarming smile gave me the impression that he was harmless, so I quickly left him and started to move toward the table. The suspect was now behind me. At that instant, I had the distinct, powerful impression come into my mind: ‘Beware of the evil behind the smiling eyes.’
“I immediately turned back toward the suspect. His hand was in his large front pocket. Instinctively I grabbed his hand and pulled it from his pocket. Only then did I see, clutched in his hand, the semiautomatic pistol ready to fire. A flurry of activity followed, and I disarmed the man.”
Later, in another case, the drug dealer was convicted of murder and boasted that he would have also killed my friend had he not turned around at that very moment.”
We know that good comes from God; evil comes from the devil. They are not, however, equal forces that are fighting each other in the universe. At the head of all that is good is the Christ—He who is the Only Begotten of the Father, who created our world and numerous others. Our Redeemer is a resurrected and perfect being. I know He lives.
The devil, on the other hand, “persuadeth men to do evil.” “He [has] fallen from heaven … [has] become miserable forever,” and now works “that all men might be miserable like unto himself.” He is a liar and a loser.
The power of the Savior and the power of the devil are not truly comparable. On this planet, however, evil has been allowed a position of influence to give us the chance to choose between good and evil. The scripture says: “God gave unto man that he should act for himself. [And] man could not act for himself … [unless] he was enticed by … one or the other.”
The choice between good and evil is at the very heart of our experience on earth. In the final review of our lives, it will not really matter if we were rich or poor, if we were athletic or not, if we had friends or were often forgotten.
We can work, study, laugh and have fun, dance, sing, and enjoy many different experiences. These are a wonderful part of life, but they are not central to why we are here. The opportunity to choose good over evil is precisely why we are here.
Not one of us would say, “I want to choose evil.” We all want to choose the right. However, the choice of good over evil is not always easy, because evil frequently lurks behind smiling eyes. Listen to these warnings:
“Take heed … that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God.”
“Ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you.”
“Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you.”
The message is: Beware of the evil behind the smiling eyes!”
Joseph Fielding Smith said:
“but search the scriptures that you may not be deceived by false theories and practices and doctrines so prevalent in the world today. If you will do this, if you will have in your hearts the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord which every member of the Church has a right to have, the companionship of the Holy Ghost, you will not be led astray by the theories of men because the Spirit of the Lord will tell you they are false, and you will have the spirit of discernment that you may understand. …
Now, if you understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, it will make you free. If your softball, your volleyball, your basketball, your foot racing, your dancing, your other entertainments are devoid of the Spirit of the Lord, they will be of no value to you. Let everything be done in the spirit of prayer and in faith. I think that is the case—maybe it is unnecessary for me to say it—but so let it be. Do everything with an eye single unto the glory of God, and let us teach to build up and strengthen ourselves and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Search the scriptures that you may not be deceived by false theories and practices and doctrines so prevalent in the world today.”
As we search the scriptures and go throughout life, we will face many challenges. Our Heavenly Father wants us to return to live with him, but we must keep His commandments and follow his warning signs to do so.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:
Satan’s methods of deception are enticing: music, movies and other media, and the glitter of a good time. When Satan’s lies succeed in deceiving us, we become vulnerable to his power. … Satan also seeks to deceive us about right and wrong and persuade us that there is no such thing as sin. This detour typically starts off with what seems to be only a small departure: “Just try it once. One beer or one cigarette or one porno movie won’t hurt.” What all of these departures have in common is that each of them is addictive. Addiction is a condition in which we surrender part of our power of choice. When we do that we give the devil power over us.
“Be not deceived,” the Apostle Paul taught. “God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Gal. 6:7–8).
Elder Oaks: “In other words, if we indulge in drugs or pornography or other evils that the Apostle called sowing to the flesh, eternal law dictates that we harvest corruption rather than life eternal. That is the justice of God, and mercy cannot rob justice. If an eternal law is broken, the punishment affixed to that law must be suffered. Some of this can be satisfied by the Savior’s Atonement, but the merciful cleansing of a soiled sinner comes only after repentance (see Alma 42:22–25), which for some sins is a prolonged and painful process. Otherwise, “he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption” (Alma 34:16).
Fortunately, repentance is possible. For the most serious sins we need to confess to our bishop and seek his loving help. For other sins it may be sufficient for us to confess to the Lord and to whomever we have wronged. Most lying is of this sort. If you have deceived someone, resolve now to stop carrying the burden. Make it right and get on with your life.”
Presiding Bishop H. David Burton taught: “One of [Satan’s] insidious strategies is to progressively soften our senses regarding what is right and wrong. Satan would have us convinced that it is fashionable to lie and cheat. He encourages us to view pornography by suggesting that it prepares us for the real world. He would have us believe that immorality is an attractive way of life and that obedience to the commandments of our Father in Heaven is old-fashioned. Satan constantly bombards us with deceptive propaganda desirably packaged and carefully disguised” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1993, 60; or Ensign, May 1993, 46).
President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught us in the April 1983 conference: “Latter-day Saints are not obedient because they are compelled to be obedient. They are obedient because they know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God. … We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see.”
Look for the warning labels, turn to the scriptures and to the words of the prophets, follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost and I know that the Lord will bless your paths and help keep you safe.
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