Change

I have a new pet peeve. This is something that I have been told a lot recently and it really bothers me. Ok are you ready? I have been told many times that I can't change, that there are just qualities that I have, that aren't good, that are so imbedded in me that I can't change them.

Have you ever been told that you can't change? That there is no hope for you? Well I am here to tell you that it isn't true. Everyone can change, everyone has the ability to change. Through Jesus Christ we can take our weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

If that isn't change I don't know what is? Now I am not saying that change is easy or that it will happen overnight. But I do strongly believe that anyone can take a bad trait, a weakness, and make it into a strength, you just have to have enough faith. With Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ anything is possible. This is truth and don't let anyone tell you that it isn't.

Run Run Run

Once upon a time in High School I took a PE class. For the most part it wasn't too bad. We did fun things like badmitton, and volleyball, and swimming. Then we had to take these tests like how many sit-ups we could do and how long we could jump with a jump rope. Most of them weren't that bad but the worst one was the mile. To get a decent grade for the mile you had to run it in 8 minutes. Now I think the fastest I have ever run a mile was in maybe 9 minutes and that was when I was in really good shape. So here I am having to run the mile knowing that the best grade I could get on it was a D. Knowing this I could have just given up and walked the mile. I mean if I was going to get a bad grade I better not kill myself. But instead I decided that I would run the whole thing. It wasn't easy but I felt that I had tried my best and even though I didn't get a great grade I still knew that I had given it my all.

You know that really is all that Jesus expects us to do. He knows that life is hard and that there are certain things that we don't want to do. But if we really try and give our all then He will make up the rest. He will take our D and turn it into a A+. He wants us to succeed but we have to do our part as well.  "For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." (2 Nephi 25:23) So go ahead and run that mile, go and keep the commandments, go and follow God. It won't be easy but it is possible and Jesus will help us.

I'm Rich!

The other day Sister Ricks and I went gold panning with a person that we are teaching. While panning I found a piece of gold about the size of one of the two shone above. I automatically exclaimed, "I'm rich!" We then weighed the gold to see how much it was worth. I was pretty excited. Never had I earned that much money over doing something so basic as washing dirt out of a gold pan. Then I was asked where my true riches lie. They aren't worldly wealth or what man say are important. So what are our true riches?

Faith



Family



Friends









2+2=350

Just this past week a member from one of our wards passed away. He was a very liked person and well known throughout the community. I had only met him once before he died but anytime anyone talked about him I could feel the goodness of his character. I don't think that there was one person that he didn't touch personally while he was alive. So, needless to say that at his funeral there wasn't a spare room. The chapel, the overflow, the gym, and the stage were all full and many people were standing. Those that had prepared the food for the meal were a little anxious. They were told only to prepare food enough for about 180 people. Well they started to express their doubts after the funeral service and were told that most people won't go to the grave side and most won't stay for the meal.

Break for a second. Remember in the Bible the story of Christ feeding the multitudes? A multitude had joined together to listen to Jesus Christ preach. The time had gotten away from everyone and the Apostles saw that the time was growing late and started to feel a little anxious for the people because they didn't have food for them. But Jesus, in His love, sends the Apostles out to find food and a miracle occurs. In Mark chapter 6 we follow the rest of the story.

"He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men."

This is where the miracle occured just like it had with Jesus Christ. More than the 180 people that they had prepared came to the meal. They said a prayer over the food that it would multiply just like it had when Christ blessed the loaves and the fishes. People were pilling food upon their plates thinking there would be enough. The women that were serving were constantly saying a prayer that there would be enough food and there was. Over 350 people were fed on the food that should have fed only 180. What a modern day miracle! The wonderful thing to notice is that all they had to do was to ask and then have faith that the food would multiply.

This is true in our lives as well. Miracles can and will happen we just have to have the faith  and believe and they will happen.  "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 to him." (1 Nephi 7:12)