Thinkin' about the Weather

WHABOOMMMMMMMM!! <------ That is the sound I have been hearing quite a few times the past few days.

If any of you have been watching the news, you will know that Tennessee has been getting some pretty interesting weather lately. Lightning, high winds, rain, tornadoes...Its been an interesting few days. Last Tuesday, I was with my 2 companions and one of the other missionaries in the mission. We had gone to bed to a reasonable light rain, and it didn't look like much of a storm was going to happen.

Well, I guess I was wrong. About 1 a.m., I woke up to the tornado sirens going off. In my apartment, I sleep on the couch right next to the window. I poked my head up to see what was going on, and it didn't look very bad outside so I just closed the blinds and tried to go back to sleep. 10 minutes later, the sirens went off again and I opened the blinds and looked outside. It looked like the movie "Twister." Wind blowing, trees trying to hang on, and lots and lots of rain. So I yelled at my companions to wake up and we ran into the bathroom, brought in the mattress, and sat in the bathtub. Right about that time, the power decided to go out. So it was dead silent... and we could still hear everything beating on the apartment building.

We were joking around before-hand about how if we saw a tornado or got caught in a tornado, how cool it would be. But right there, at that time, I started to shake really badly. Yeah, heck yeah, I was scared senseless. Every time I hear the wind blow after, I can still feel my self getting a little bit edgy. But anyways, as we sat there, listening to what sounded like the world getting destroyed, something told me just to say a little prayer and that everything would be alright. And so we did. We said a prayer, and it turned out to be alright. A cool lightning storm occured after, and it took a little while for everyone to get to sleep again, but things were alright.

I was reminded of a storm last year that happened in May 2010. I was in Kentucky at the time, but Nashville got hit bad. It was the worst flood recorded, and it took out a lot of homes. Even a few people were killed.

A lot of people ask themselves why God allows things like this to happen. Why is Mother Nature allowed to roam free sometimes? To be honest, I don't know. I do know, however, that God has a plan for us - a plan that we accepted before we came to this Earth. I also do know that God has a purpose for everything, and He loves his children. Sometimes when we experience trials, it makes us more willing to listen to what our Heavenly Father wants us to listen to.

Our trials make us stronger and more willing to help others out. Think of a story you have heard when someone has helped someone else out in the midst of a crisis. How has that person been uplifted, and how in turn were YOU uplifted as you listen to that story?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, shared the following story:

"On August 15, 2007, Peru suffered a massive earthquake that all but destroyed the coastal cities of Pisco and Chincha. Like many other Church leaders and members, Wenceslao Conde, the president of the Balconcito Branch of the Church in Chincha, immediately set about helping others whose homes were damaged.

"Four days after the earthquake, Elder Marcus B. Nash of the Seventy was in Chincha helping to coordinate the Church’s relief efforts there and met President Conde. As they talked about the destruction that had occurred and what was being done to help the victims, President Conde’s wife, Pamela, approached carrying one of her small children. Elder Nash asked Sister Conde how her children were. With a smile, she replied that through the goodness of God they were all safe and well. He asked about the Condes’ home.

“It’s gone,” she said simply.

“What about your belongings?” he inquired.

“Everything was buried in the rubble of our home,” Sister Conde replied.

“And yet,” Elder Nash noted, “you are smiling as we talk.”

“Yes,” she said, “I have prayed and I am at peace. We have all we need. We have each other, we have our children, we are sealed in the temple, we have this marvelous Church, and we have the Lord. We can build again with the Lord’s help.” "

I know that Heavenly Father loves each one of us. I know that he wants us to learn from everything - even if it isn't the most convenient or fun to have to go through it. Its something we all go through - and the best we can do is to go forward with it.

I'm laughing to myself as I am typing this, because I can hear another major storm right above my head right now. We had a tornado strike less than a mile from my aparment 2 nights ago. I slept right through it, thankfully. We have had massive amounts of rain (including the rain we're getting right now) and it sounds like many things are flooding. As I sit here, all I can think about is the many blessings that I have received, and how I can count on those to get me through the storms of life.

So bring on the rain....

Thinkin' about Easter

As I ponder on the Easter Season, I am so grateful of the knowledge that I have to know that the Savior, Jesus Christ, lives and loves me. I hope that you feel the same as we ponder on His life this weekend. I want to just post several videos to help us all know that He does live and that He speaks through His prophets to us today.

1. President Monson tells the story of Arthur Patton, a boy who died in WWII.

2. The Savior Himself suffered these things for all.

3. President Hinckley testifies of the Resurrection.

4. Elder Holland in the Garden of Gethsemane

5. The Loneliest walk ever taken.

6. The Perfect Knowledge of an Apostle of the Lord: Elder Bruce R. McConkie

Thinkin' about The Resurrection

In the Spirit of Easter, I just wanted to take this moment and remember the Savior Jesus Christ. I testify that He lives, and that he died and suffered for us. Because of that, we are able to live with our Heavenly Father again.

I also testify that He lives TODAY. He leads and directs His Church, and He loves all of His children. The Resurrection is proof that He lives today and forever, in a perfected body and because of that, we can do the same. All of us.

Thinkin' of the Heroes

Right now, I'm serving in Clarksville, Tennessee - right next to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky - home to the 101st Airborne Division (The Screaming Eagles.) I was psyched even before my mission when I found out the Ft. Campbell was even in my mission boundaries. Like many others, I had watched with awe and admiration the inspiring 10-part miniseries "Band of Brothers", produced by the movie-making business' biggest names, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. The show tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said of this company:

"Some years ago, Stephen Ambrose wrote a book describing the experience of a company of paratroopers during World War II.¹ The army was developing a new kind of warfare the world had not seen before. They were training men to parachute out of planes—often behind enemy lines and at immense personal peril—to attack, and to meet strategic objectives critical to the overall success of the war effort.

"Easy Company of the 506th regiment, 101st Airborne Division, was one of those groups. Formed from volunteers, the 140 men began their training in 1942. They had been told that their training would be harder than any other in the military. In fact, it was so challenging that two out of three men couldn’t make it and either dropped out or were assigned to a regular army unit.

"The night before D day, Easy Company parachuted behind enemy lines. Their assignment was to take out a battery of artillery guns. But in the chaos of the drop, only 12 of the 140 men were in position to carry out the mission. Nevertheless, they knew that if they didn’t take out those guns, the Allied soldiers storming Utah Beach would suffer heavy casualties from the artillery.

Major Richard Winters
(Played by actor Damian Lewis)

"To make matters worse, the guns were manned and defended by more than 50 elite enemy paratroopers who had dug a series of trenches about the battery, heavily fortifying it against any kind of assault.

"In one of the most well-executed and heroic operations of the war, 12 men of Easy Company assaulted the position, routed the enemy, and destroyed the artillery guns.

"In later action, Easy Company took part in the ill-fated Operation Market Garden, facing enemy forces in Holland and Belgium. Later they were among the forces that held Bastogne against encircling enemy panzer units during the Battle of the Bulge.

"By the time the war ended, the highly decorated Easy Company had taken heavy, heavy casualties. Forty-eight of its members had died."

Major Richard Winters

I'm really touched by the stories of these men. Major Richard Winters and the men who followed him were the cream of the crop of the Army. They did it for their country, and they did it for their freedom. Richard Winters is one of the heroes of my life. I never met the man, but yet he stood for something that I really wanted to know about. He was a man of faith, and a man of courage.

Why do people do this? Why do they go and risk their lives, their time, possibly at some times their freedom? I don't really know. It takes some kind of inner faith in something better. Something pushes them to do what they need to so that they can protect their lives and their families.

In the Book of Mormon, there were others who did this same thing. Their names aren't known for each specific person, but together they are known as "The Stripling Warriors." They were led by a man named Captain Moroni, and they were led by their faith in the Holy One of Israel - the Savior, Jesus Christ. They knew that with faith in Him, and by keeping the commandments and doing the things they knew were right and true, they would be protected.

And they were. Elder Wirthlin went on to say:

"Captain Moroni lived during a time when evil men were conspiring to destroy the liberty and lives of his countrymen. How did he rally the people of his day? He rent his coat and wrote upon it, “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children” (Alma 46:12). Moroni knew the power of a great cause.

The Stripling Warriors

"Helaman, the oldest son of the prophet Alma, led the stripling warriors. As you remember, Helaman was the one Alma entrusted with the sacred records. I suppose Helaman was more of a scholar than a warrior. But he lived in a time of conflict and war, and when the 2,000 sons of converted Lamanites took up their weapons of war, they asked that Helaman be their leader. Every student of the Book of Mormon knows their story. These young men had great faith. They were obedient. “They never had fought, yet they did not fear death” (Alma 56:47). Their confidence in the Lord was unshakeable: “Behold our God is with us,” they said, “and he will not suffer that we should fall” (Alma 56:46).

After many battles, although every one of them had received wounds, not one soul of them perished (see Alma 57:21, 25).

"These young men knew why they were fighting. They understood the nature of their sacrifice. Helaman wrote that “they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives” (Alma 56:47). They knew the value of a great cause."

Heroes are the ones who will give their lives for liberty and justice. But there are other heroes who do every day things. The two top heroes in my life are my parents, Brad and Shawna. They both have taught me the right way, and to help me do the things I know are right. I know that there are many others who have touched my life in many ways. Each of these people leave a lasting impact on my life, and I know that all of you have your own heroes in your life. Take time to recognize and thank these people.

One other hero of mine is the Savior Jesus Christ. I don't know if that is the most appropriate term to refer to the Savior, but it is true. He died so that I could live eternally in the presence of Heavenly Father. Its the best thing that has ever happened in the history of mankind.

To my parents? Thank you. To Major Winters? Thank you for your heroism. To all the others who have touched my life in various ways? Thank you.

Now to one of the biggest heroes of all time - The Prophet Joseph Smith. He is the one who gave his entire life and even died to protect the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ on the Earth today. Through Joseph Smith, the Lord gave the Gospel back to the world, in all of its beauty and originality. Without the Prophet Joseph, we would not have the wonderful truths we have now. So to honor Joseph, the Nashville Tribute band wrote this song to their hero.

Thinkin' about The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is the keystone to our religion. Have you ever seen a keystone? A keystone is what they use in an arch. It is what holds both sides of the arch together. Without it, the whole thing would just crumble. It would be gone without a trace.

 

 

 

 

Its the same thing with the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is what holds the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints together. I really like the Book of Mormon. To be honest, its way hard for me to read it sometimes, especially if I have been tired or just had a bad day, or whatever it is. But I can tell you the power that comes from reading the book. Its just so cool to know that because of that book, and because of the love of Jesus Christ, we can know that the Church is true. I know it, because I have read it, and I have prayed about it. There is no way that it isn't true.

 

There's a really cool movie called the Testaments. It tells the life of Jesus Christ in both Jerusalem and the American continents. (Kind of a cheesy movie.) There is one part at the end of that movie (and, go figure, kind of the key part of the Book of Mormon) when Jesus Christ appears to the people in the Americas, fulfilling a LOT of prophecies about his coming.

 

That part just tears me apart. Now, I'm not a big crying type of person, but for some reason I just get so teared up while he's talking to those people. I think it is because I wonder what it would be like to have been one of the blessed people to have been there when He was there. Could you imagine? I try to and I am just so glad that we have a record of that happening. Heavenly Father loves all of his children, and he made it possible for all of them to be able to receive the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Of course Christ loves each and every one of us, as well. That is why He blessed everyone and visited everyone. Even Christ Himself said "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring. And they shall hear my voice, and their shall be one fold, and one shepherd."

 

I really promise that the Book of Mormon is true. You as well, can know. I promise it will bless your life. It will bring happiness you never knew existed. One more thing - the Book of Mormon is either true, or it isn't. There is no middle ground. It is just up to you to decide whether or not you want to put it to the test. Read it and pray about it. That is the only thing you can do.

 

 

 

 

Thinkin' about Healing Waters

I love the promise that people make when they get baptized. They promise to follow Jesus Christ all of their lives. It  is the coolest decision a person can make to follow the example of the Savior and follow him into the waters of baptism by one holding the priesthood authority of God. I invite all of you to consider the blessings this will add into your life. I love the Gospel and how it blesses my life.

Baptism will cleanse you of all sin that has happened before hand. It will give you the chance to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is a chance to bury your old self and to bring your new life to a start. And the Lord will always bless you for that decision that you make. I promise He will. I have seen that in my life.

Thinkin' about a Better Way

                                           God

                                         Husband                                                                     Wife

Lately, we have had the the task of trying to keep a few families together as some couples have not been able to "keep their marriage together." It has been one of the harder tasks for me, considering I haven't been  married yet.

I take my example from my own parents. My parents were both in their 30's when they were married, and I came along a couple of years later. I was followed by my sister and brother, and today we make a great family. I love my family a ton. I love it because my parents were sealed in the temple, which means we can be together forever.

The Baker Family - August 2009

Families are the support and strength of living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are here to help and learn from each other. Its the best thing in the world when I am having a problem to get the help I need from my family.

To those who are struggling... put the Gospel in your life and put those things that you are struggling with to the side. Don't destroy your family because of selfishness or mis-trust. If you need help, visit www.mormon.org and request the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We can help, and we want to help. There is a better way to help your marriage other than divorce.

I know how much my family has helped me and brought happiness into my life. I know how it will help your life. The diagram at the top of this page shows the when you come closer to God, you will come closer to your spouse. He will bless your family. I know this to be true.