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Monday, February 3, 2014

Isidiro Zapata

I had no idea that on this Wednesday in how much my life would change. The backdoor to the house led straight to the kitchen. I walked inn and my mom surprise me by being in the kitchen usually she would be in the living room or in her room in the back of the house sewing. This time it seemed as though she was waiting for me.

I went to hug my mom and gave her a kiss and said, “Hi mom how are you?” She did not say anything at all she just looked at me then told me she needed to talked to me about some thing. I said okay mom what do you want to talk about what came next change my life.

My mom got up from the table and told me to sit down. I went and sat down then all she said was “You have three day’s to find another place to live!” wait what? She did not say that much “You have three day’s to find another place to live and that’s it” then my mom turned her back to me and started to walk out of the kitchen.

I was speechless. I had no idea what was going on. I went and caught my mom in the hallway and said “Mom what is going on you need to tell me?” Her reply “I do not need to tell you anything, three day’s or I do not know what you are going to do but you are no longer living here!” she then turned from me and walked down the hallway to her bedroom then she slam the door shut.

“Three day’s I kept repeating to myself” What did I do? That also ran through my mind. I was doing great in school, I had a part time job, I did not do drugs or drink or in a gang. I have three day’s three days! They were shock, at first and did not believe me, but I finally was able to have them believe me I never lied to them before. Kevin said to me to stay the night and then they would take me home and talk to my mom and get things straighten out.

Kevin and Susan picked me up at work. We drove to my mom’s house and we almost passed it. The drive way was empty. My step dad’s truck was no, where and neither was the company van. I told Kevin to go back a few houses and I said I live there and I could not believe what I saw. Just two day’s ago this house was alive and now it was like a gravy yard dead. Kevin was like “You do not live here no one lives here”? I started to argue with him saying “I know where I live”

Kevin then got out of the car and told me to wait. We can see him go up to the windows and try and look in, he tried to open the door but it was lock and the front windows I got out and checked to. We, both gave up and went back to the car, I walked slowly back to the car I did not speak to Kevin and he did not speak to me either.

People that should protect you and always be there for you had left me. Kevin did not know what to say neither did his wife. I asked to no one “Where did they go and why did they leave me why I was a good kid!” I kept asking to no one.

I stayed with Kevin and his wife for a month and they did what they could. I left and became homeless at 15. Holidays, birthdays came and went for seven years. Then it happens I ran into my family but it was all accidental.

It was a Saturday and I was on the other side of town. I was on Second Street and Manuel. There was a Kmart so I thought I would check it out. I had not been in a Kmart since I was a little kid. I was just walking around minding my own business then as though I heard a shotgun go off I heard a scream. I can still hear the scream and the sobbing. It drew everyone’s attention a few employee’s came around to see what was going on.
It was a little girl who screamed and started sobbing it was my little sister Sarah. In a second she was on top of me sobbing uncontrollably. Sarah wrapped her arms around me and as she sobbed she said, “They told me you were Dead!!!” she kept on repeating it over and over again. I could not believe what she had just said. I looked up and saw my mom and step dad frozen in time. They went and tried to pull Sarah away from me. They could it she kept on saying, “They told me you were dead!” as she sobbed. Sarah even slapped my mom’s hand away from her.

I end up taking them out to lunch. My sister would not let me go. I had a hard time in forgiving my mom and step dad for what they did. Abandoning her son, I was homeless and worse of all telling their own daughter that her brother was dead!!!

With the help of the Church I have learned to truly forgive my mom. I know the truth and understand forgiveness. I can now look at my mom and tell her I love her and truly mean it. It is because of the Grace of God.
Remember, there is nothing you cannot forgive. I am so thankful for your Grace and Love and knowing the Truth. You can only grow in Grace when you are being taught the Truth and at the LDS Church they teach the TRUTH.

THIS IS ALL TRUE AND I WISH IT WAS IT!!!!!!

"Growing Old with You" by Camille Ramos

I was walking near the medicine building and i was amazed and thrilled on what i saw! This couple walking hand in hand together. I was touched on how well they are taking good care of each other despite the hardships they are facing. I guess they are at the age of late 60's or early 70's.

A question came into my mind as i watched them pass by the building. First is, how long it has been when they get married? Second, are they members of the church? Third, how did they manage to stay together despite of adversaries they are facing? Fourth, what did they do for their marriage to lasts this far? Questions! Questions! A lot of questions!

Well, what i'm trying to say is, even if they were a Mormon
or not, they surely treasure their marriage a lot, and that's what our Heavenly Father wants us to do when we all get married. Let's disregard the first two questions (cause those couple can only answer those questions).

Let's proceed to the third one instead, as what was written in Doctrine and Covenants section 42 verse 45 : Thou shalt live together in love. I can testify to you brothers and sisters that, LOVE is one of the fundamental things needed for marriage to last. Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Secondly, for men, though shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else. (D&C 42:22) and 25 Husbands, love your wives (Ephesians 5:25). Third, for women, We should, submit ourselves unto our own husbands, as unto the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22). These things can help build a strong and lasting marriage. But how can a marriage be eternal? A man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage] (D&C 131:2).

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it. I know that God has a perfect timing for our love story to happen. All we need to do is to wait patiently and submit all things unto him. He knows exactly what we want, but he is the only one who knows exactly what is best for us. May we find happiness and contentment as we journey in this life and do our best to fulfill the best love story God is preparing for us. We take part to have the greatest love story of all and to have an everlasting marriage. May we be like unto this old couple, they can do all things cause of the love they have for each other and for the commitment they made a long years ago. Good luck for all of us single saints may we find the man/woman whom God prepares for us and may we all Grow old together with whom we choose to be with...

Unconditional Love

Pushing through the doors, my eyes caught my pillows on opposite positions on my bed as well as the blankets almost touching the ground. Also, my shoes on different locations the same mess I made before I left to work. I fixed, put them on the right places and piled my pillows then folded the blanket. I changed my violet lacy blouse and skinny jeans with more comfortable clothes like short and shirt then lay to my bed. On my single-sized bed covered with a perfectly knitted dark purple quilt, all I could hear is the dazzling sound of the fan opposite to my head which is clipped on the wooden slats at the end of the bed frame and feeling my tired back on the softness of the quilt. I could feel the rush of air from the fan staring at me that reminds me of my exhausted day. I closed my eyes gradually and my family member’s faces flashed on me, especially my mother. I remembered the time when I was in Primary, my mother would choose the perfect Sunday’s best dress and I put them on. I would cling on her arms as we walk to the church which is a few blocks away from our home. In the sacrament hall, my eyes was nailed on our opposite row- a picture of a happy family who sang hymns. The father held the hymnbook and shares it to his family, encircled his arms to them as if protecting them from any sudden accident. I’ve never seen my father in such manner, but my mother did. Tears ran my cheeks. My parents were married for almost 20 years now; in those past years up until now I don’t have any idea with their love story. How and when they met, how and when things started were some basic questions but so hard to answer. I heard some theories and stories from one of my close Aunt but that doesn’t prove anything. The reason why I really wanted to know how things started to them because I want to know why my mother married my father that cause not only to her but to me and my siblings a lot of trouble and hatred to the world. I’ve heard that my mother is a youth leader and a teacher in Primary. She is an active, smart, and kind young woman in the church with a perfect circle of friends. My father, on the other side, had different beliefs. As far as I could tell today they were two completely different people. My mother is a gentle one but my father is the wild-track. She is an innocent, patient and loving woman while he is a proud, aggressive, selfish and an immature man. I don’t know how they find each other. Based on my aunt’s story, my mother married my father to run away from the past, to keep out from my grandfather who happens to have the same attitude as my father but too bad for her, the future is even worst. I remember once, my father would arrived home drunk, swaying while walking and involve in a lot of trouble. He’s getting into my nerves. We lived in that kind of life. All my life, I would scream, cry out loud and even treating him in the most disrespectful way I could have done. My mother and I stopped attending the church when I was, I thought, 10 years old. I don’t know what happen or how things went out but I know that there’s a deeper reason behind that. Until I was 13 years old, when two sister missionaries knocked on our door and smiled gracefully then invited us again to the church. When I went to Church again, this time all alone, I could see familiar faces from the Primary class then now to the Youth class. I was so shy that time that I would attend the Primary class instead the youth class. I could laugh as hard as I remember those things but everything changes when I met some friends in the youth class and began attending the church activity. I joined many youth conferences and I could say that my youth years were fulfilling. Even though, my classmates in high school would say that my life is boring and odd but still they’re not sure of it cause time will guarantee it. Through the gospel in my life, I fully understand why this was the life that was given to me. How things didn't turned out to be exactly what I want it to be. Also, the answer to why my mother chose to stay besides my father in his very crucial situation. I wiped my tears out. I understand why my mother keeps on understanding my father over and over again. I know why mother keeps on holding on to my father’s way of living. She wants us to teach how to love unconditionally in a virtues way. She wants us to help others not because we had pity on them but because we love them. My mother showed me how to be like the Savior when some Priest brought to Him the woman who committed adultery. The priests told Him that the woman should be slain because she disobeys the commandments. I love how the Savior responded in the situation. He draw something on the sand and pick up a stone then turned to the people and said, “If any of you is not sinned let her cast a stone first to her.” One by one they left. They left because they know that they were a sinner once. Leaving the Savior facing to the woman and said, “Woman, where are they persecutors?” The woman answered with teary eyes, “No man Lord.” The Lord then said,” Neither do I therefore go, repent and sin no more!” It’s very amazing how the Savior easily forgets and forgives those who repent sincerely. Through reading the scripture, I was able to learn how to love my father besides of his actions because I also make mistakes that’s offensive and loving to accept the flaws that he had. My mother means so much to me. She’s my life and I don’t know what my world would be without her and also without the gospel in my life that she imparts to me. My father is a great man as he is because through him I know how to say No! to liquors, cigarettes, and drugs firmly. I knew how to weigh things. And, because of him, I knew how to look out for the consequences in every choice that we made. He is an inspiration while tracking these roads. My family is my everything. Through writing this article, I am confident that we as an imperfect family can be made perfect through the Savior in our lives. I love them so much and also the Savior who has given me this knowledge and wisdom to live in this earth full of consciousness and doubts. I love the church who feed me with nourishing food to conquer the trials and temptations in life. I wiped my tears again that continually flowing to my pillow. I closed my eyes completely and fall fast asleep.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

January's Posts of 2014

Friday, January 31, 2014

The Good, The Bad, and The Lopez

"Hello, my friends, hello."
-Neil Diamond

Hello there new reader, or is it still you old buddy? "Nope it's me again. Looks like you're branching out huh?" Right? I was invited to help out on this nifty blog of niftyness! "I'm almost positive that's not a word..." Yep... same dear reader... "So, with this new blog, looks like you're gonna have to introduce yourself again." Yea, it seems introductions are once again in order.

Default epic missionary
picture!

Hello there dear reader, I am known by many as Elder Alejandro Lopez. But you can call me Elder Lopez for short. Oh, and Elder is not my first name, but you probably already knew that. I am currently serving in the B-E-A-UTIFUL mission of Jacksonville, Florida. Now that sounds interesting enough but get this, ask where I live. Go ahead I'll wait.... "Ok, where do yo-" ORLANDO, FLORIDA! Oh yes, I am serving in a mission just above my home mission. Crazy huh? "That's... well actually yea." Crazier still? Didn't go to the Missionary Training Center. "Mind. Blown." Chyea. "Well alright there Mr. Fancy, I bet everyone is wondering just what your gonna be blogging about. Well, I guess it'd be what you HAVE been blogging about." Oh! Right.

See, in my youth, ~~I had more free time than I was proud of~~ I watched A LOT of movies.(Oh, and cartoons too, LOVED cartoons) However, my parents would only let us watch Disney movies on Sundays, so my brother and I became really good at relating movies to the gospel in an effort to watch them (it never worked...) but as I grew older, I began to realize that much like the scriptures, which were written a long, long time ago, in a land far, far away, they can be related to our days and so, why can't pop culture? So stay for a while, take off your shoes if you so desire, and let's share a laugh while we learn about the gospel through, tv, music and... well, other media! Oh! and don't hesitate to leave a suggestion of what you wanna read about next! Also, if you would like to see the water from the source, as they say, "no one says that..." Well... Click here anyway!

Hello good people.

Hello good people.My name is Brian Phiri.I'm from Zimbabwe,a beautiful country located in the southern part of Africa.I'm aged 27,and I'm thrilled to join a vibrant group of bloggers.I'm a returned Missionary in the Zimbabwe Harare Mission.
I love rugby and travelling,reading helps me adapt some new challenges,and I have a deep passion for music.....especially Opera.
The gospel has brought a lot of meaning to my life...It brought peace and joy to me,and it has always been a pleasure for me to share it with those not of my faith.I'm looking forward to learning lots from you all

Brian

January 29, 2014

This past week has been nice. The best thing is that the Oakland temple opened this week from two weeks of renovations. They have been doing many interior updates recently.
I began working on the Wednesday day shift as an ordinance worker because Trevor wanted to serve with me in the Temple. He served with me last summer, and both of us has been trained in all the ordinances in the Temple except those that we are not authorized to perform. I felt so happy to finally get back into the work at the Temple. I was asked to baptize about ten people as the first thing. These people were the relatives of a sister. I have not baptized someone in a long time, so I needed extra instruction to perform them. Trevor stood as a witness, and he confirmed the people as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, giving them the gift of the Holy Ghost.
One thing that taught me the reality of the people behind the names was a special experience. I served as a witness in the sealing rooms, and the sealer referred to the people as names. This is a common mistake. I always heard of a Ken Hicken in the records of the Temple as an ordinance worker, but I never seen him. Ever since I began working as an ordinance worker a couple years ago, I never knew if he existed, thinking that the name may be an outdated record; however, near the end of the day shift, someone asked me whether I knew Ken Hicken, telling me that he works the evening shift. I asked around for him. I did not see him until we were just about to leave. He asked me if I heard about the bad news. We had no idea what he was talking about, so we must have been it. We found out how were related. I said we come from the heritage of Patriarch Thomas Hicken, and he said that comes from the lineage of Orson, the brother of Patriarch Thomas Hicken. I can home from the temple telling my father about this special experience, and he said that I should have said that I came from John Robert's line. John Robert is the son of Patriarch Thomas Hicken. I testify that there is a resurrection of all men because Christ is the Savior of man, for he suffered death. Since he was half mortal, he rose from death with his Godly attribute of eternal life, obtaining his immortal soul. The people, who have died, which people have performed ordinances for, will most likely visit you with the great family joy that I felt meeting Ken Hicken.
I was able to jump right into serving in the initiatory after baptisms for the dead that I performed. I have not participated in administering the initiatory ordinances for a many months, but I trusted a blessing that the temple president gave me, when I was first ordained that I will not have problems memorizing the words of the ordinance. It was so joyous for me to get to work again. I definitely felt the spirit and the love of God, serving in the initiatory. The words of the ordinance speak of great blessings. Communing in the temple as a worker with the patrons and the fellow volunteers is bliss, for the ordinances, covenants, and communions is truly of God unto the salvation of souls by their faith in Jesus, the Christ.
I have expressed before that the Oakland temple is in need of Temple worthy volunteers. I have not heard the excuses of the many people, who are capable for this service, but I testify that all things required of man of God is not impossible for them to do. I invite all who read this and are worthy of Temple service to go to the temple, and see if your service is needed. If it is, make your available for this service, for the Gospel and the establishment of Zion is dependent on the faith of man. These verses from Joseph Smith - History are true. I quote from the first chapter.

"36 After telling me these things, he [Moroni, the son of Mormon, as resurrected being in an Earthly visitation of Joseph Smith] commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. He first quoted part of the third chapter of Malachi; and he quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy, though with a little variation from the way it reads in our Bibles. Instead of quoting the first verse as it reads in our books, he quoted it thus:
37 For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
38 And again, he quoted the fifth verse thus: Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
39 He also quoted the next verse differently: And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming."

I testify that only by the humility and faith of man can God "plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the heart of the children [can] turn to their fathers. If it [is] not so, the whole earth [will] be utterly wasted at his coming." The Plan of Salvation requires our faith for the work of God to be achieved. "The whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming," if men do not receive the spirit of Elijah. I further testify by the witness of the Holy Ghost that Elijah and many other prophets came to the Prophet Joseph Smith as resurrected beings in visitation restoring the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth as the dispensation of the fulness of times in these Latter-day Saints compensed. You can read of this account in Doctrine and Covenants section 110.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

My Eternal Perspective

by Aellen Ross

They say life is from B to D it's from birth to death. So life starts from the day we were born until the day we die... but between B to D is C. what is C? It's a choice.. what happens to our life depends on the choices we make.. but if our choice is one more C which is christ, we can extend the "D up to E" and that's eternal life..
heavenly father and jesus christ had given us agency, the ability to choose right from wrong and to act for ourselves. but!! according to our faithfulness, we can receive the companionship of the holy ghost to enlighten and guide us in our lives and to lead us to eternal life and i know God always plans the best things for us,sometimes we feel being left out but actually God is saving the better one than what we actually asked for.
so lets do our part as a children of GOD, if not now when? If not us who?
striving to attaine my eternal prespective.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Prove All Things, Parts 1 & 2

Check out my last two blog posts, the series "Prove All Things."

See my blog at WakeUpAndDoSomethingMore.blogspot.com!

Prove All Things, Part 1

Many people missionaries come in contact with want us to give them evidence and proof that we are right. They want us to show them the church is true in the scriptures rather than accepting the Holy Ghost into their lives. We can't prove that the scriptures or our beliefs are true. Only the Holy Ghost can do that.

"For flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee"

Even if we could prove everything, God still expects us to have faith. If we don't have faith, it
doesn't matter how much we can prove. Hebrews 11:1 says: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Christ set the example for us on how to know spiritual truths in Matthew 16:15-17.

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Just as Peter knew Jesus Christ was the Son of God by the power of the Holy Ghost rather than seeing His flesh and blood, Christ expects us to receive spiritual knowledge by the power of the Holy Ghost rather than physical evidence that something is true.

To read more, CLICK HERE!

Prove All Things, Part 2

Heavenly Father expects you to do
your homework before He throws
you an answer to your prayer.

In my last blog post, I explained how we must ask God through prayer to know spiritual truths. In this post I will show what we must do on our part in order to be ready to receive the answer.

God always hears and answers our prayers. Sometimes the answer is no. For instance: "Dear God. I would really like to have a couple thousand dollars to go on a cruise with my buddies. I also want a new car. And a pay raise. I also would like to be able to fly or turn invisible. Besides that, thanks for everything you do. Amen!"

How willing is God going to be to answer that prayer and give you the things you wanted? The answer to that prayer would most likely be "no" if it didn't bounce off the ceiling on the way to Him.

If you said that prayer and didn't get the stuff you wanted, does that mean God doesn't exist? Does that mean He doesn't care about you? Of course not! God expects us to "do our homework" before He gives us answers.

To read more, CLICK HERE!

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Gilbert Temple Open House Pictures and Baptisms!

we've had such a fun week going to the Gilbert Temple this week and we still have tons more reservations

we love these members, she is from Colombia an he is mexican, they are so fun!

these are the other members that are super cool, she is from Peru and so is he. We went with a lady that doesnt come to church very often and her daughter her name is lisa :)

We went to the temple yesterday with Roxane and her family except her son, they felt the spirit so strong especially in the celestial room. Asuncion the youngest asked who that was at the top of the temple,

"the angel moroni the one who appeared to joseph smith"

"Does that mean anything"

"yes, but i am not sure"

that is how i picture angles in heaven, all in white, in heaven, in two columns, blowing their trumps ans Christ coming down in the middle"

" have you seen that picture before?"

"no. Ive just imagined it that way ever since i was a little girl, ans i was one of those angels!"

i love her!

we soon went into the chapel when, they all saw that exact picture and felt so much joy, it was a super cool experience.

these two cutiepies have a baptisimal date for two saturdays from now, hteir mother is so spiritual and she loves the church, before she has even sought a priesthood blessing from some brethren and she has so much faith and so did her daughter at the hospital at the time did. when she asked her daughter after she recieved the blessing how she felt, she said she felt more relazed and suddenly could move her limbs better. She has had many great examples of members of the church in her life that she trusted they were servants of God.

this is my favorite picture of our resurrected Lord

i love this family to death!! they are the most prepared people for the gospel. before we left the hosue she had us offer a prayer!! cool right??! and she wanted us to bless the food before we ate! and she dresses modestly and so do her daughters, she is such a good example to them.

here are the baptism of Blanca and JAnet!

1st this was us at their baptismal interview..

these are all her lovely children at the service.. it was hard getting them in the picture, but its ok i bribed them with donuts ;)

these are some of the wonderful sisters in our branch that were their supporting them!! i love these women!

children of God :' )

Meet Tyler Smith

I'm thrilled to contribute to a blog like this that combines the efforts of so many saints from around the world! I live in Provo, UT, and I work for +The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm a pretty casual blogger, which means that my personal blog covers all kinds of topics, ranging from my evil pet crab to my latest technology obsession, to my faith. My most popular post is basically an invitation to watch general conference.

My favorite thing about the internet is meeting interesting people. Please take a moment to say hello on Google+ if you get a chance. I'd love to meet you.

I love photography, and I pretty much only take pictures with my mobile phone. That means that most of my pictures don't turn out, but occasionally I have success! I've recently started to cook--an adventure, to be sure. But it sure beats the incessant eating out and horrible diet that plague so many single adults. I'm determined to live a healthier life! Perhaps my nerdiest hobby is being obsessed with Google and all of its new ideas and products. Of course, I am fascinated by the possibilities the internet creates for sharing the gospel, which is why projects like this pique my interest. I look forward to reading!