My companion, Sister Carlson, told me an amazing saying about missions. She said, "Missions are not the best two years OF your life, they are the best two years FOR your life." Or in my case, substitute "two years" for "eighteen months." How true this is.
Missions are so amazing because they prepare you for life and eternal life. We dedicate eighteen months or two years of our life serving others and inviting them to come closer to Christ. We do this by teaching them and helping them understand how to follow Jesus Christ and how to return to live with Heavenly Father. Our purpose as missionaries is "to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." By helping others with this purpose, we ourselves become more converted to the Lord and more converted to this gospel.
I love serving others! As it says in the Book of Mormon, "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17). I know that as we serve others we truly are serving God. Not only will serving others bring us so much joy, but it also makes Heavenly Father proud of us and He will bless us. I have never felt so happy as I have while I have been out on a mission serving others everyday all day. Serving and sharing this gospel with others is how we can find true happiness in this life.
Mission are the best two years (or eighteen months) for your life because they teach you how to follow Christ, what truly matters, how to serve others, how to pray, how to keep the faith in hard times, and they strengthen your testimony and your conversion to this gospel. If you are thinking about going on a mission...GO! This has been the best decision I have made so far in my life. Missionary work is hard but SO worth it!
I took this picture in one of the most sacred places in the world. I am so grateful to be on a mission and to be able to testify, to everyone who can hear my voice, of the sacred events that happened here. This is the Sacred Grove and is located in New York. This is where Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. This is where he was called to be a prophet and was called to restore Christ's true church again upon the earth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am so lucky because I have been called by a prophet of God to serve my mission where this amazing event took place. I would like to talk about Joseph Smith and the significance of this event to our Church and to the world.
When Joseph Smith was 14 years old, he was living with his family near Palmyra, New York. During this time in New York there was "an unusual excitement on the subject of religion." There was so many churches and so many preachers declaring their church was right. Joseph, although only a young man, was very concerned at which church was true. That is so much like today. There are so many different churches all professing to be the true church but all their doctrines were contradictory. How do we know which church is the right one? Joseph said that "so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong." He wanted to find the true church so he could follow Jesus Christ but he was unsure at which church it was and how he could find out.
One day, Joseph was reading the Bible, trying to find his answer. How amazing this action of Joseph's was. If we have a question, turn to the scriptures. Read, search, and ponder the scriptures, both the Book of Mormon and the Bible, to answers the questions of our souls. Because when he searched the scriptures he found his answer. He read James 1:5 which states, "If any of you lack wisdom, let his ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." If we lack wisdom, or have a question, we need to ask God in prayer with faith and He WILL answer us. Joseph realized "that [he] must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else [he] must do as James directs, that is, ask of God." The only source of truth is Heavenly Father. To find an answer to a question or to find truth, we need to ask God in sincere prayer. Joseph Smith decided to do just this and to ask God which church was true and which he should join.
In the spring of 1820, Joseph Smith headed out into a grove of trees behind his home. He then kneeled down and uttered a sincere, heartfelt, and vocal prayer in which he prayed to Heavenly Father and asked Him his question: which church was true. In response to his prayer, Joseph Smith recounts, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me....When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other--This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in answer to his prayer. Joseph asked Them which church was right so he could join them. His question was answered "that [he] must join none of them, for they were all wrong." Joseph was told that none of the churches on the earth were the correct church of Christ.
At this time, Joseph Smith was called to be the new prophet in our days and was called to restore the true church of Christ back upon the earth. Just as in times of old when prophets were called upon the earth, God again called another prophet in our times. He was called to restore the church that Christ established while He was on the earth. In the ensuing years, Joseph fulfilled his calling by bringing forth the Book of Mormon and restoring Christ's true church again upon the earth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Why is my picture significant? Because it was taken in the same place where Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It is the place where Joseph had his prayer answered and where he was called to be a prophet and to restore the true church again upon the earth. This place, the Sacred Grove, is so amazing and I love going into it. Whenever I enter the Grove, I feel peace, comfort, and tranquility. I know this is because this forest is special. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have been there. I know this is true. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet. I am so grateful for him and all he has done to bring forth and restore the church of Christ. All who can come to the Sacred Grove! It is one of the most amazing places in the world! It is in Palmyra, New York and I know if you come with an open and sincere heart, you will be able feel the amazing spirit that is here. COME TO THE SACRED GROVE!!!! I also know that if we pray to God in sincerity and faith and ask Him a question, He will answer us just as He answered Joseph Smith's humble prayer. I am so grateful to be serving my mission here where I get to be by the Sacred Grove for 18 months of my life!
Faith in Jesus Christ is the most basic and fundamental principle of the gospel of Christ. Faith is the foundation to becoming a disciple of Christ, the power behind miracles, the answer to finding true happiness, and the mode by which we can return to live with our Heavenly Father and our families for eternity.
What is faith?
In Alma 32:21 (Book of Mormon) it states, "And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which as not seen, which are true."
And in Hebrews 11:1 (New Testament) it states, "Now faith is the substance [meaning assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Faith is a belief in something that is true. It is not a knowledge, but a belief. We don't need to see Jesus Christ to have faith, all we need to do is believe in Him.
After
Jesus was resurrected, He appeared to His apostles. Some of His
apostles did not believe He was the resurrected Jesus Christ until they
saw Him face to face. Jesus was talking to one such apostle who did not
believe until they saw Him, stating, "Thomas, because thou hast seen
me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet
have believed" (John 20:29). We do not need to see Jesus to have faith
in Him. Although I have not seen Jesus Christ, I know He is my Savior
and Redeemer. I know that through Him all things are possible. I love
my Savior.
What do we have faith in?
Elder Dallin H. Oaks (an Apostle) has said, "Faith does not exist in itself. Faith requires an object. It must be faith in something or someone." We cannot just have faith. We need to have faith in Jesus Christ. We need to believe in Him. We need to trust and follow Him and His teachings. We need to accept His will, do what He wants us to, and believe that His path for us will lead us to where we need to be and who we need to become. We need to believe He atoned and died for us and that through Him and His Atonement, we can be forgiven of our sins and someday return to live with Heavenly Father. We need to accept His doctrine and follow it, believing it will lead us to true happiness in this life and to Heavenly Father in eternal happiness.
I believe in Jesus Christ. I have faith in Him. I know that through Him and His teachings I will be able to find true joy, happiness, and peace in this life. I know that through His Atonement I can be forgiven of my sins and become clean. I know that I can one day return to live with Heavenly Father with my family for eternity if I believe and follow Jesus Christ. I have faith that by following Jesus Christ, I will become a better person and will become who Heavenly Father needs me to be. I have faith in Jesus Christ.
Why is faith so important?
It is important to have faith because it is the foundation of everything. It is the first step towards salvation, towards returning home to live with Heavenly Father after this life. In the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 3:12 is states, "For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ." Faith is the first step on our progression towards eternal life (living with God and our families for eternity). It is so important to have and continually strengthen our faith.
Not only does faith bring salvation, but it is also through faith and repentance that our sins can be forgiven. Enos is a prophet in the Book of Mormon who has guilt for some sins he has committed. He was feeling weighed down and so he decides to pray and ask God for forgiveness. In response to his sincere, heartfelt prayer, "there came a voice unto [him], saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed" (Enos 1:5). After he was forgiven, Enos asked the Lord how he was forgiven. In response, "[the Lord] said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen...wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole" (Enos 1:6-8). Because of his faith, Enos was forgiven of his sins. This promise is all throughout the New Testament, too. Jesus Christ heals and forgives the sins of others because of their faith. Through faith and repentance we can be forgiven of our sins.
Faith also brings miracles. In the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 7:12, it states, "Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful unto Him." Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can do all things that the Lord needs us to do. This promise is also repeated in Moroni 7:33 which states, "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." Through faith in Jesus Christ, all things are possible.
Faith is a powerful principle. Through faith we can begin on the path towards salvation. Through faith, and repentance, we can be forgiven of our sins. Through faith we can perform miracles all according to the Lord's will.
What does faith us lead to?
Faith leads us to action. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (an apostle) stated, "For our faith to make a difference, we must act. We must do all that is in our power to change passive belief into active faith, for truly 'faith, if it hath not works, is dead'" (James 2:17). We need to act on our faith. Faith is manifest by the actions we have. It is not possible to have true faith in Jesus Christ and perform negative actions. We need to show Jesus Christ, through our actions, our faith in Him. Such actions may include: scripture study, prayer, service, obedience to the commandments, loving our neighbor, and many more actions.
How do we have and increase our faith?
In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Alma gives an amazing lesson on faith. He exhorts us to have faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel. He says, "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words" (Alma 32:27). In order to obtain faith, we first need to desire it. Desire leads to action. After we have desire, we "experiment upon" the word of God by following it. We read and ponder the scriptures, pray to Heavenly Father, serve others, and obey all of God's commandments. As we do these things continually, our faith will grow.
Faith!
I strive everyday to increase my faith in Jesus Christ. Because without faith in Jesus Christ, I can do nothing. My faith in Him brings me joy, peace, happiness, comfort, and confidence. My faith in Him helps me become a better person and missionary. My faith in Him gives me the courage and strength to follow Him and His gospel. I love my Savior. I know He lives and He loves me. I know that through faith in Jesus Christ all things are possible. I know that with faith in Christ I can be forgiven of sins and mistakes and return to live with Heavenly Father. Faith in Jesus Christ is the fundamental principle of the gospel of Christ. I would invite all to try and strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ because I know it will bless our lives immensely.
To learn more on faith, click here and read Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's talk "Shall He Find Faith on the Earth." It is an amazing talk and helped me structure my post on faith in Jesus Christ.
