I love it when people share their talents.

5 Piano Guys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VqTwnAuHws

Alma 56

 47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the ^aliberty of their ^bfathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their ^cmothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

 48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their ^amothers, saying: We ^bdo not doubt our mothers knew it.

This was the scripture that Kyle Lemmon chose to include in Andrea's Funeral Program.  As I grew to know her through the life sketches by her brother, remembrances by sisters and brother, talk by her father and remarks from her bishop is Las Vegas and Houston, and see her reflection of faith and courage in each of her darling little girls, I realized how she epitomized these poignant verses.  Thank you, Lemmons and Hastings, for honoring Andrea and the Savior so brilliantly!  Love and prayers to you, All.

Got Faith?

"There will always be a need for you to walk to the edge of the light of your knowledge and testimony into the twilight of faith. You will be asked to exercise faith in truths you have not yet come to prove through your own experience or through the sacred witness of the Holy Ghost."
--Elder Richard G. Scott

 Alma 18: 22 Now Ammon being ^awise, yet harmless, he said unto Lamoni: Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee.

 23 And the king answered him, and said: Yea, I ^awill believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with ^bguile.

 24 And Ammon began to speak unto him with ^aboldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?

 25 And he answered, and said unto him: I do not know what that meaneth.

 26 And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a ^aGreat Spirit?

 27 And he said, Yea.

 28 And Ammon said: This is God. And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth?

Ammon teaches Lamoni a missionary lesson so deftly, discerning his thoughts, asking questions to know his current beliefs, and adding upon his understanding of spiritual things.  This interaction is a primer of how to use the Spirit in missionary work.

Love you all!  We are all praying for the families of Andrea and Kyle.

D&C 131: 7 There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All ^aspirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by^bpurer eyes;

 8 We cannot ^asee it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all ^bmatter.

As spirit is more fine or pure we must develop our finer senses to perceive it.  Developing this capacity through obedience to commandments and Christ-like service is both a blessing and valuable skill in missionary work.

Famous Awkward Moments in the Book of Mormon

Alma 18:
14 Therefore Ammon turned himself unto the king, and said unto him: What wilt thou that I should do for thee, O king? And the king answered him not for the space of an ahour, according to their time, for he knew not what he should say unto him.

15 And it came to pass that Ammon said unto him again: What desirest thou of me? But the king answered him not.

16 And it came to pass that Ammon, being filled with the aSpirit of God, therefore he perceived the bthoughts of the king. And he said unto him: Is it because thou hast heard that I defended thy servants and thy flocks, and slew cseven of their brethren with the sling and with the sword, and smote off the arms of others, in order to defend thy flocks and thy servants; behold, is it this that causeth thy marvelings?

As full-time and member missionaries, if we "observe, listen and discern the spirit (Elder Bednar)," we will know what to say as Ammon was able to perceive Lamoni's unspoken thoughts. Accept the sometimes "awkward" silence as a time for discernment of the Spirit.
(a thought for my zone conference 10 minutes)

First Baptism in the Chinese Group in the Alhambra Ward

D&C 88: 

67 And if your eye be ^asingle to my ^bglory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light ^ccomprehendeth all things.

 68 Therefore, ^asanctify yourselves that your ^bminds become^csingle to God, and the days will come that you shall ^dsee him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.

I interviewed Michael Ma, a young man from Hunan, PRC, tonight. He has only been in the U.S. for 7 months and started attending the ESL classes conducted by the Chinese elders in Alhambra 2 months ago.  He started meeting with the elders just 2 weeks ago and has such a strong testimony of God, our Father and Jesus Christ.  He says that he secretly studied the Bible in China and believed it was true.   However, he did not know what to do with his newly found faith until he started meeting with the elders.  He says that he know that the Church was true, because it embodied all the truth that he learned from the Bible, and, now, from the Book of Mormon.  He will be baptized on July 8th in the Alhambra Ward.  How fortunate we are to have not only the living scriptures but also the true Church in our midst.

Companionship study rocketh

Ryan and I just had an awesome personal study/companion study with Josh Newton over here. It was profound! You know, there really is a special spirit that comes when "two or three are gathered together" because God really was "in the midst" of us, just like that scripture says. There's something about sharing what you learned. It motivates and inspires, not only yourself, but those that you share it with. 

- We talked about how much each person can influence the world. Whether acknowledged or gone unnoticed, everyone has an impact on us. 

- There's a balance and beauty in sharing with others the knowledge and experience that you've gained, and learning from those you associate with. [D&C 50: excellent chapter!] 

- When we look for the good, acknowledge, compliment, and let others know about their potential, abilities, and goodness, the spirit testifies that to them, and we pave the way of the Atonement to them, as they realize they can influence, and become better.

- Bear your testimony spontaneously throughout the day. Don't be afraid of it. It opens spiritual communication. Make everywhere you go a spiritual, holy ground. Stand in Holy Places.

Moral of the post: Take time to share your testimony with others; it could just be a one-liner. Also, acknowledge those who influence you for good; let them know about it!

Thanks parentals for teaching us the good principles of the Gospel through your words and examples :)

Meridian Magazine - Sisters, Can You Afford to Keep Working? - Meridian Magazine - LDS, Mormon and Latter-day Saint News and Views

Meridian Magazine - Sisters, Can You Afford to Keep Working? - Meridian Magazine - LDS, Mormon and Latter-day Saint News and Views

Interesting article.  If one is just talking dollars, it doesn't pay to work if your husband makes more than $150,000 per year (not a bad goal for guys to strive for).  Also, it doesn't pay for wives to work unless you are making at least $50,000 per year if you add in all of the added expenses for doing so (not a bad goal for gals to strive for).  One factor that I think the author intentionally left out was the personal/other enrichment and contributions to society one would achieve if working at a significant job.  In my opinion, that significant job would have to far outweigh the significance of the incalculable influence of a mother at home.  I also believe that the choice to work or not outside the home is a personal choice that only women (with the inspired counsel of her husband) can make with the confirmation of the spirit.  In doing so, the purposes of the Lord will be accomplished and the choice will be a blessing to the family and others.  Your thoughts?