Are you worth dying for????

I have been thinking about this song a lot and it has been stuck in my head for the past three weeks. I didn't know if it meant something to me or am I supposed to write a blog about it. Well I got my answer.  
You might be the wife, waiting up at night, you might be the man, struggling to provide, feeling like it's hopeless.
Maybe you're the son, who chose a broken road, maybe you're the girl, thinking you'll end up alone praying God can you hear me? Oh God are you listening? 
Am I more than flesh and bone? Am I really something beautiful? Yeah, I wanna believe, I wanna believe that I'm not just some wandering soul that you don't see and you don't know Yeah I wanna believe, Jesus help me believe that I  Am someone worth dying for.  
I know you've heard the truth that God has set you free but you think you're the one that grace could never reach so you just keep asking, what everybody's asking
You're worth it, you can't earn it yeah the Cross has proven that you're sacred and blameless your life has purpose 
You are more than flesh and bone can't you see you're something beautiful yeah you gotta believe, you gotta believe He wants you to see, He wants you to see that you're not just some wandering soul that can't be seen and can't be known yeah you gotta believe, you gotta believe that you are someone worth dying for

You're someone worth dying for you're someone worth dying for!

Sometimes we feel like we are worthless. We have no point to life. Some of us may be asking ourselves "Are we someone worth dying for?" To be honest I have asked that to myself. Even before I got baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but I am here to say YES! You are someone worth dying for. You are something beautiful. Heavenly Father has a plan for EVERY SINGLE PERSON on this earth. Just like it says in John 3:16- For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. I know this is true and I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Marriage!!!!

“When I got home that night as ...my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife’s divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me… she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office…. jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind…I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead. My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push through with the divorce.— At least, in the eyes of our son—- I’m a loving husband….

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves.

So find time to be your spouse’s friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don’t share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

By: Parwan Banu

Are YOU intune with your voice????

   Since I was a toddler I always loved to sing. When I got to 7th grade I had my chance to show people my talent. But when I audition for choir, the choir director said to me, "Boy how on earth do you have that voice yet your just in the 7th grade?" I said "I don't know. It just comes natural to me." Today I am a Tenor 1 in the Community Choir in the Flathead Valley called the Crown of the Continent Choir and in the Headwaters Ensemble. I am a leader in both of the choirs because I am in tune with my voice. But sometimes I lose my in tunableness with the spirit and the gospel and I know I'm not the only one that does lose sight of it.

    Everyone is busy with their career in life and they get so caught up with their work they lose their sight or "In tune" with Heavenly Father. But how we can ALL come back to that surety that we are in tune with our Heavenly Father and his gospel is to take a step back from your busy schedule and take a breather. Sit down and pick up your scriptures, or go on the Internet and look up your favorite Mormon Message and get that sense of peace and surety that you have been missing in your life. I know this to be true.
 

Trials! Pains or Blessings????

     When we came to this earth Heavenly Father told us we would go through trials. Sometimes they are going to be small ones like friends mocking you about your religion or they can be BIG ones like a family death or a friends death. No matter the size of the trial Heavenly Father will never leave us to deal with it on our own. He will also NEVER give us to big of a trail for us not to handle.
     Let me tell you my own experience of the trials I have been going through. This whole year I have been going through one crap storm after another. We got news that my grandma is literally on her death bed, friends mocking me about my religion (LDS) and about me going on a full time mission. I don't know how to pay for my mission/bills/tithing and on top of that 2 months ago I got word that 1 of my friends that I have known since I was like 2 died. One died in Pakistan. I didn't know what to do. I thought I lost a little bit of my faith and testimony. So I asked for a blessing of strength and comfort and it helped so much then 2 weeks after that I heard that a friend I knew when I was like 1 died in a car accident. It didn't hit me as much until I went to the Billings Temple then I couldn't take it so I talked to the missionary that baptized me Elder Miner and he gave me this scripture:
D&C 98:11-14
And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God.

  For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.

  And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal.

Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy.

So after reading these verses it hit me, these trials are just Heavenly Father just proving me to be worthy because he gave me a commandment that I must obey and that he will try me even unto death that I may be found worthy. How amazing is that. So just remember brothers and sisters that when you are going through trials, sure they are pains in your life but it's only Heavenly Father proving you worthy. One last thing. I love this song and it talks about blessings from trials. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Conclusion of the Articles of Faith!!!!

Hope you guys enjoyed my blog the past couple of months about the Articles of Faith. Maybe now you have a better understanding in what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believes in. Lets go through them one last time.

1) We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2) We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3)We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4) We believe that the first principles and ^aordinances of the Gospel are: first, ^bFaith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5) We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.


6) We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7) We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8)We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.


9)We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10) We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.


11) We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12) We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.


13) We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.


I know these 13 articles of Faith to be true. I know that the book of Mormon to be true and the Bible to be true and Both to be the word of God. I know that God called a Prophet to restore his fullness of his gospel and that Prophet was Joseph Smith and that he has called a Modern day Prophet today who is Thomas S. Monson and he is here to guide us and keep us on that straight and narrow path to get back to Heavenly Father. I say these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

AOF 13 of 13!!!!!

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

For the last article of Faith WE as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are an example of this Article. We are honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous and in doing good to all men. These are all attributes of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. We are trying to become more Christ like by being these things. We know who are trying to be more Christ like when they try there hardest to be honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous and doing good to all men. If they really want to be more Christ like they will be these things and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

AOF 12 of 13!!!!!

 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

This is pretty much self-explanatory. We believe in keeping the laws to the best of our abilities,and not break them like some people do! We should do everything that we can do as a human being to uphold the laws of the land and from our government. We should support everything that the government does until it goes against God's rules and judgment. As we follow the laws of the land and the people that lead us and are obedient to them thus, we will have more freedom. Also as we follow and be obedient to the commandments that God has commanded us to follow we will have more freedom then ever before and be so blessed.

AOF 11 of 13!!!!!

We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

I love this article because it talks about my favorite Amendment. FREEDOM OF RELIGION, and its the only Article that doesn't have "WE BELIEVE" so its the special one. This Concept is very simple. Anyone can worship how, when and where ever you want to. We don't try to shovel feed you our religion or at least we aren't supposed to. Everyone has the right to their own religion and this Article says it perfectly. That's why so many people came to America because they had that right of freedom of religion!!! Now since God gave us our free agency, wouldn't the church that claims to be the true church of Christ respect that agency that God gave to all mankind? I know this church is true and I know that God gave us the right or Agency to freedom of Religion. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today and he will not lead us astray. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

AOF 10 of 13!!!!

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

WOW! There is so much in this article. This is such an amazing concept to go over but we don't have that much time to go in depth in this small blog post but it is talking about missionary work and the second coming. Lets take this piece by piece shall we.

First "We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and the restoration of the Ten tribes." In the Bible it talks about the 12 tribes of Israel and how they were all together but further into the Bible, they were split into the North and South. The 10 tribes also  known as Ephraim went North and the 2 tribes known as Judah and Benjamin stayed in the South. The Bible prophecies have been fulfilled and the 10 tribes and the 2 tribes were scattered and destroyed. In later years, we find out that the tribe of Judah was let back into Israel and now is the major tribe today. The tribes were scattered ALL across the world and it is our job as missionaries to find them and bring them back and to restore the 10 tribes.

Second "We believe that Zion (The new Jerusalem) will be built upon the American Continent;" This is from Modern Revelation. It simply means that Zion or the New Jerusalem is going to be built on the American Continent. The Prophet Joseph Smith said that Zion will be built in Independence Missouri.

Third "We believe that Christ will reign personally upon the earth;" What an AMAZING day that will be. To see our lord Jesus THE Christ come down and reign his world. His presence will be felt so strongly that everyone on this earth will bow down before him and praise him and follow him.

Fourth "We believe that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory." The earth will be so awesome to live on! Everything will be perfect! The earth will literally be resurrected and be perfect once more. That day is coming up pretty quick.

I can not wait for the GREAT and DREADFUL day of the Lord to come! Hopefully by the time that day comes everyone will think it will be a GREAT day but for few it wont. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

AOF!!!! 9 of 13

We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

   This Article of Faith is the most important Article in all of the church. It's talking about Revelation but not only the past but also the present and the future. I love what Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the twelve apostles says in the 2011 April General Conference. He says: "Revelation is communication from God to His children on the earth and one of the great blessings associated with the gift and constant companionship of the Holy Ghost." How true this sentence is. By having the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in our lives, we can have revelation.

     If you think of it the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price are all revelation. The Bible and Book of Mormon are past time revelation but Doctrine and Covenants are present and future Revelation. Brigham Young said that the book of scriptures that were in front of him were nothing compared to the Living Prophet that we have today.

  As you can see, the prophets of old are important but the living day prophets are vital in today's society. The knowledge and revelation that we gain from the Modern day Prophets is more vital to us than any other scripture we read. Therefore we need to heed and follow the council of the modern day Prophet who is Thomas Spencer Monson and I know he will not lead us astray. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

AOF!!!! 8 of 13

We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

So what this Article is saying is that the Bible is to be the Word of God and the most correct translation is the King James version of the Bible. We also believe that the Book of Mormon is to also the Word of God hence "Another testament of Jesus Christ."

In Ezekiel 37:16-22 it reads:

Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.

So what these scriptures are saying is that the Stick of Judah is the Bible and the Stick of Joseph is the Book of Mormon. Our Heavenly Father said he will make these to sticks (Nations) come together as one and they shall have one King and they shall not be divided as two kingdoms anymore. Thus forth comes the Bible and the Book of Mormon as one book and that book is the Word of God.

I testify that this is true and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

AOF!!!! 7 of 13

We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

I love talking about this Article of Faith because of last Sunday I was talking to President Clark on the phone about this Article and he said "Kenny you probably didn't know this but you have all these gifts." So this may sound confusing to you guys that are non-members so let me break it down for you. We believe in the GIFT OF TONGUES. This is referring to mostly missionaries, when they go on their mission they have the opportunity to learn a language. That's when we say the gift of tongues, we are saying Heavenly Father has given a gift to learn another tongue.The GIFT OF INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES is along the same lines you can not speak the language but you can understand them and translate it into English for yourself and companion.


1 Sam 10:10- And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.
The GIFT OF PROPHECY and REVELATION is like an inspirational thing. Men who have a testimony of our savior Jesus Christ has the gift of prophecy. If a man has the gift of Prophecy then this man has the gift of Revelation.  
"Now if any man has the testimony of Jesus, has he not the spirit of prophecy? And if he has the spirit of prophecy, I ask, is he not a prophet? And if a prophet, will he not receive revelation? And any man that does not receive revelation for himself must be damned, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. For Christ says, ask and you shall receive; and if he happens to receive anything, I ask, will it not be a revelation? And if any man has not the testimony of Jesus or the spirit of God, he is none of his, namely Christ’s. And if not his, he must be damned." Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith.
“No man is a minister of Jesus Christ without being a Prophet. No man can be a minister of Jesus Christ except he has the testimony of Jesus; and this is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10
The gift of Visions can be best described when Lehi has a vision of the tree of life. In 1st Nephi 8:18-33 it reads:
 18And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit.

 19And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.

 20And I also beheld a trait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world.

 21And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood.

 22And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree.

 23And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost.

 24And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.

 25And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.

 26And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.

 27And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.

 28And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.

 29And now I, Nephi, do not speak all the words of my father.

 30But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.

 31And he also saw other multitudes feeling their way towards that great and spacious building.

 32And it came to pass that many were drowned in the depths of the fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.

 33And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.

This is Lehi's vision of what would happen in the future. 

The gift of Healing is pretty much the priesthood. We the brethren that have the Holy Priesthood have the Gift of Healing. We have the opportunity to give blessings to heal the sick and afflicted, to comfort the people that need comfort and etc.

I testify to you that these gifts are true and they are from Heavenly Father and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

AOF!!!! 6 of 13

We believe in the same ^aorganization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, ^bprophets, ^cpastors, ^dteachers, ^eevangelists, and so forth. 


So this Article Of Faith is pretty plain Jane. Lets break it down. We believe in the Same organization that existed in the Primitive Church. This is saying that we follow the same structure as when Jesus Christ was on the earth. Now this can get confusing because a lot of you have heard of a Pastor or an evangelist. The second part is Namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth. The English language has change since the times of Jesus Christ. In the church today we have the modern day prophet who is Thomas Spencer Monson and his Apostles. So the name hasn't changed for them but pastor and evangelists have. A Bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is like a Pastor in a Baptist church and an evangelist is a patriarch in the LDS church. One way you can find out that this church is the same one that Jesus Christ created on the earth in his time is to pray about it. With a broken heart and a contrite spirit, the Holy Ghost will manifest his power and give you the answer that you truly seek. If we don't follow what Paul wrote in his epistle to the Ephesians and if we just find something that feels good, we will not find something that is right. And I say these things in the Sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.  

AOF!!!! 5 of 13

We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

When Jesus Christ was on the earth he had what is known today as the Priesthood. Now the priesthood has 2 parts to it. The Aaronic Priesthood or the "Lesser" priesthood. The duties of this priesthood are:
1) Deacon: Worthy brethren may receive the Aaronic Priesthood and be ordained deacons when they are at least 12 years old. The deacons duties are to pass the sacrament, assist the bishop in temporal things, watch over the church and warn,expound, exhort and teach, fellowship quorum members and other young men.
2) Teacher: Worthy brethren may be ordained teachers when they are at least 14 years old. A teacher has all the responsibilities of a deacon. He also has the following responsibilities: watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen them, see that there is no iniquity in the church, neither hardness with each other, neither lying, backbiting, nor evil speaking, see that the church meet together often, and also see that all the members do their duty.
3) Priest: Worthy brethren may be ordained priests when they are at least 16 years old. A priest has all the responsibilities of a deacon and teacher. He also has the following responsibilities: preach, teach, expound, exhort, … and visit the house of each member, and exhort them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties, When authorized by the bishop, he performs baptisms, confers the Aaronic Priesthood, and ordains deacons, teachers, and priest, He may administer the sacrament by officiating at the sacrament table and offering the sacrament prayers when authorized.
4) Bishop: The bishop is the presiding high priest in the ward. He is also the president of the priests quorum

In the leadership of the priests quorum, the bishop serves with two assistants, both of whom are priests. Although the bishop delegates many responsibilities to his assistants, he serves personally and actively as quorum president. He promotes a spirit of love and unity in the quorum. He regularly attends and presides over quorum presidency meetings and Sunday quorum meetings. He participates in quorum service and activities. In his absence, he designates one of his assistants to assume quorum leadership responsibilities. When a bishop is released, his assistants are also released.

The bishop interviews young men who are preparing to be ordained to the office of priest.

The second part of the Priesthood is the Melchezidek priesthood. The duties that come with this priesthood are as followed: 

The offices in the Melchizedek Priesthood are elder, high priest, patriarch, Seventy, and Apostle. Each priesthood office has rights and responsibilities of service, including authority to administer priesthood ordinances.  

1) Elder: Worthy brethren may receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and be ordained elders when they are at least 18 years old. Elders also hold the authority of deacons, teachers, and priests.
2) High Priest: Brethren are ordained high priests when they are called to a stake presidency, high council, or bishopric or when otherwise determined by the stake president. The rights and responsibilities of high priests are to preside and to hold all the authority of elders.

     During Jesus ministry, he gave the holy priesthood to his 12 disciples. After his death the 12 disciples kept teaching the glorious word with the sacred priesthood until all of them were murdered and the holy and sacred priesthood was taken from the earth until a young boy named Joseph Smith restored the gospel. By restoring the fullness of the gospel to the earth again he also restored the priesthood. John the Baptist who baptized Jesus Christ gave the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery ( A scribe for Joseph when he was translating the Book of Mormon) and a month later, Peter, James and John descended from Heaven to earth and bestowed the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph Smith. 
    Brother's and sister's and I would like to testify today that the Priesthood is true and it has been brought back to earth in this last dispensation by a prophet called from Heavenly Father himself, Joseph Smith. I can not tell how much the priesthood has blessed my life in just this one short year of being a member. It's brought so much joy and peace into my family and the people around me and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

AOF!!!! 4 of 13

"We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."

     So lets say you are a tea bag. The bag is you and the icky tea leaves and stuff is the world (Sin). Now, you must have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in other words you must trust in him with all your heart that he is the Lord Jesus Christ and he dies for us to live. Second is repenting of your sins. Us as missionaries, when we come teach you of this Magnificent gospel, we are really preparing you for you to repent of all your sins.
     Now when you have repented of all your sins it is time for baptism. Lets go back to the tea bag. When you are baptized you are washed away from all your sins like the tea bag. We get rid of the icky tea leaves and stuff in the bag and we are pure. But the you the tea bag still look dingy. The last principle and ordinance in the Laying on of hands for the gift of the holy Ghost. After you are baptized the next day on Sunday, during Sacrament meeting, there is a confirmation. During the confirmation, the person that got baptized the day before which is you the tea bag, comes up on the stand and with the proper authority, you receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Now you are pure kinda a like you are reborn into this world again with a clean slate.

     I know from first hand account that this is true. Almost a year ago on June 19th, 2010 I was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I still remember the feeling when I walked into the room where it was held. Seeing all my friends from my seminary class, my parents who are not members crying because the were so proud of me. When I walked into the water I felt something come over me. A burning sensation you could say. In the scriptures in often says "Being baptized in fire and with the Holy Ghost" well in that moment I finally understood why they said that because I felt it. I felt like I was reborn when I came up from the water. It's the most amazing feeling I have ever had (Besides taking first place in State for Vocal Performance).
    The next day was my confirmation and when they called me up, I looked at Elder Miner and Elder Lanham (The ones who baptized me) and I couldn't keep a straight face because I was so excited to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. When they put there hands on my head (Elder Miner, Elder Lanham, Brother Nestagard, Brother Allred) I could imagine the Holy Ghost getting a running start and when they said Amen I felt the Holy Ghost enter me. Brother's and Sister's there is no other feeling in the WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD that can top that feeling i had almost a year ago. I say these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

AOF!!! 3 of 13

We believe that through the ^aAtonement of Christ, all ^bmankind may be ^csaved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

This is the 3rd Article of Faith. Now it sounds pretty plain and simple but it's than you can imagine. From the Atonement of Jesus Christ everyone can and may be saved. Through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. Now if you are a investigator and wondering what the laws and ordinances are let me name them off.

Laws:
The law of tithing-You give 10% of your earnings to the church and that 10% goes to getting new Book of Mormons, helping people in the church in time of need, mission funds etc.
The law of Chasity- It simply means that you save sexual relationships after marriage. Marriage is sacred and it is supposed to be between a man and a women. Do not interact in homosexual relationships and pornography.

The 10 commandments- Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit to adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet.

I know that if live these commandments through out your life you will be richly blessed in all that you do.

Ordinances: 

Baptism- You get baptized which means you are fully emerged and it is a remission of sins and you will feel reborn. Or at least that's how I felt.
Temple: Baptism's for the dead which mean you get baptized for that person. Temple marriage. Sealing which means you will be sealed to your spouse for all and eternity. Or you can get sealed to your whole family for all and eternity.

I promise you if you live those laws I listed up there and you live them worthily, you can get a temple recommend and you can go into the temple and do Baptism's for the dead, or get married in the temple or get sealed in the temple to your spouse and or family for all and eternity. I testify that these things I say are true and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.