Doctrine of Christ Part 3

Today we will hopefully conclude the mini-series on the Doctrine of Christ, also known as 3 Nephi 27:13-22. I am very thankful to Elder Rasmussen who suggested this for a topic for me to blog on, since I have learned a lot in the process. So far I have covered verses 13-16. I will now commence with verse 17.

"And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father." Now, this sounds like a pretty harsh verse. It's basically commenting that some people will not make it. That some will die out, will not be faithful, and will miss out of the glories of Heaven. It reminds me a bit of the parable of the sower of the seeds, found in Matthew 13. Let me highlight verses 20-23, "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful." This is a sad reality of life. Not everyone who hears the word of the Lord, who accepts it into their life, will remain faithful, and will make it to the end. This is because we are all given agency, or the ability to choose for ourselves what to do. Agency is both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because it means that we are not forced to do anything that we don't want to do. It is a curse because we may not always choose the right thing to do, and then we have to deal with the consequences.

Let me just clarify that the verses I have just mentioned do not mean that we have to remain perfect in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. No, because that would be impossible to do, at least not in this life. What it is requiring of us, as Christians, is to do our very best to remain faithful to the different covenants that we have entered into, to follow the commandments that the Lord has asked us to do, and to repent whenever we mess up. Repentance is always available for us, so that we can clean our slate and move closer to God. It is part of that wonderful gift of the Atonement when Christ suffered and died for all our sins. Through his Atonement, we can be forgiven for the wrongs we commit, and can bring us back into the fold of God.

Verses 18-19, "And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men. And for this cause he fulfilleth the words which he hath given, and he lieth not, but fulfilleth his words. And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." Here Christ is talking about how by having people endure to the end, or by keeping true to what they have committed to do, to the best of their ability, it is fulfilling his Words that He has spoken. Many times in the Bible God or Christ has mentioned how no unclean thing can enter into their presence. It is only by the washing and cleansing of the person, through the acceptance of the Atonement, repentance, faith, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end that we can proceed on. The washing of garments in blood is also mentioned numerous times in the Scriptures. A verse which does a good job of showing both the washing of garments and enduring to the end is found in Revelation 7:14, "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." This is the opportunity that all of us have, if we would but remain faithful until the end.

Verse 20, "Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day." This verse is part of the reason why missionary work is so important. Think back to the verse known as the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, "And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." After Christ ascended to Heaven, He came back to visit some of his disciples and give them some more instruction before He went on to fulfill more of his duties. He urged them about the importance of teaching and preaching the Word of God to all the ends of the earth. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we find that extremely important. This is part of the reason why so many willing and worthy teenage boys and girls sacrifice 18-24 months of their lives committed to gathering in those people who are ready to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that if it wasn't for two amazing missionaries, Elder Colvin and Elder O'Laughlin, I wouldn't be here today. And we don't have to do missionary work just by wearing a black nametag, we can do it through small and simple measures to. For examples of how to do that, please look up the talk, "The Missionary Next Door" by Diana Hoelscher.

Verses 21-22, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day." Christ is giving us a huge challenge at the end. He wants us to do and act the way that He acts, to do the things that He does. He knows that it will be difficult, and that we will struggle at times, but he does provide a way for which we can do it. It's through the help and the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we can do this. Remember, that we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

Christ is our Savior. He has given us the comforter, also known as the Holy Spirit, to be a witness of truth, and to give us peace when we need it. He has asked each and everyone of us to help bring in his fold. To bring others to the wonderful truth of the Gospel. We must do our very best to be an example to others. Think of all the joy and love that has entered your life since you received the gospel. Now, wouldn't it be a shame if that joy couldn't enter your friend's or loved one's life just because you were too nervous to share? Be bold, be courageous, and know that the Lord is on your side. He will help you, and stand beside you, no matter what. I testify to all of my readers, that the things I have been writing are true. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Doctrine of Christ: Part 2

So, continuing on from last week. We're in 3 Nephi 27:16, "And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world." Now, how does a person come to arrive at this point? First off, they need to have faith, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in who He is, what He did, and what He is still doing. That his mission was to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  (Moses 1:39). To bring a Savior into the world, to atone for all the sins of mankind. Faith comes to people at different points in their lives, and in many different ways. For me, my faith grew in leaps and bounds. I had the knowledge, after the first lesson with the missionaries, that what they were teaching to me was truth, which is why I signed up for all of my lessons and baptism after the first lesson. That was an act of faith, showing my belief on their knowledge, and the Holy Spirit guiding me through the entire process.

After faith comes repentance. Repentance is a lot more than just saying sorry for something wrong that you have done to another person. It's more than just the guilt or shame you may feel. It's apologizing, making amends, and then resolving to not do the action again. When Elder O'Laughlin and Elder Colvin were teaching me, they used this phrase, "admit, be sorry, confess, correct, and don't do it again". We need to confess of our sins to God in prayer. We need to bring our problems to Him, because He can turn our sins from scarlet, to become as white as snow. That is a true miracle in and of itself. Through Christ's pure blood, our sins are washed away. How incredible is that?

Next is baptism. Now, I previously wrote on baptism sometime last year, dealing with some of the specifics on baptism. Baptism is an essential part of us becoming what we need to become, in order to re-enter God's presence, after our life ends here on earth. Also, baptism is not complete unless we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost from the laying on of hands. The Holy Ghost acts as a guide, a comforter, and a witness of truth.

Once we're done with all of that, we should be good, right? We don't need to do anything else.... Well, that's not entirely true. Well, that's not true at all. We need to "endure to the end". That means we hold true to the covenants (obligations) that we have made, so that God will hold up His end of the covenant. We need to follow the Word of God, keep the commandments, and the words of the prophets. We also need to do our part in helping to bring others to Christ. That doesn't mean that we should be necessarily knocking on people's doors daily, but by acting how God would, be keeping true to what we believe, and being a great example, we can influence others for good.

Let me take some time out, for a moment, and just let these past few paragraphs sink in. Heavenly Father made us, and this world, through His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ knew from the beginning that He would be the way for which people could return to live with the Father. He willingly came into this world to be born, grow, lead, be killed, and resurrected, all for us. All because of His great love for us. He gave up His life, willingly, so that we could live eternally. That is such an amazing gift. And this gift is for us to take. We are not coerced into it. It is up to us. But if we do accept, then it will change our lives forever. And it will change us for the better. By following Christ, and living the commandments, and following in the necessary priesthood ordinances and covenants, we do grow closer to God. I have a testimony of that. From starting out with my good friend introducing me to the church, to the missionaries discussion, to my absolutely wonderful baptism, to my receiving my endowment, and all the other things in-between, my testimony, my knowledge, and my love of God and Christ has grown and deepened. And this is something that no one can ever take away from me. I hope that you all will be able to develop the same for yourself.

Next week, we will continue on!

The Doctrine of Christ

I'm going to take a slight pause from posting about my Elder Bednar challenge for a week, or so, as I gather more information from the Book of Mormon dealing with conversion and seeking for truth in my regular readings. I asked one of the elders serving in my ward what I should post about this week. I told him the different topics I have covered so far, and he suggested that I post about a section of the Book of Mormon called, "The Doctrine of Christ". This is located in 3 Nephi 27: 13-22. There is a lot of information in these verses, and I will do my best to do the subject justice.

Let me start off on giving some background information on what has been happening in 3 Nephi. The Nephites learned about how the Son of God was going to be born in Bethlehem, and the approximate time, by the arrival of a new star in the sky. They witnessed the terrible weather that surrounded the Savior's crucifixion. They were told that Christ would visit them, in the Americas, after He had returned to heaven. Christ reappeared and visited the Nephites, beginning in chapter 11. 

We now jump ahead to chapter 27, verse 13, "Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you - that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me." These are the words which Jesus Christ spoke to the Nephites. He was proclaiming why He was sent into the world, to do the will of His Father. His Father is God, which makes Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God. And He was sent to Earth to proclaim the gospel. Now, what is the gospel? According to the Bible Dictionary, "the word gospel means good news. The good news is that Jesus Christ has made a perfect atonement for mankind that will redeem all mankind from the grave and reward each individual according to his/her works" (pg 682). Jesus Christ came to earth to be that perfect sacrifice. It's up to us to determine whether or not we will accept that gift.

Verse 14, "And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil-". 

Christ knew from the beginning that He would be sent to the earth to die. It was part of the plan, before He and His Father created the world. Through this choice, of being the perfect sacrifice, the only blameless, sinless, being to ever walk the face of the earth, could he cover the sins of all mankind. By becoming the sacrifice for all of mankind, Christ hoped to draw people towards him. That by His example, people may investigate what He was preaching and teaching, so that He could change their lives for the better. 

When Christ was crucified, men lifted his body onto the cross to die. Since he gave his life as this sacrifice, we now have the opportunity to live, and to use the atonement fully. Part of the way we can use the atonement, is by drawing to God whenever we are in times of need. When Christ was on the cross, suffering pure agony, He not only felt all the sins of the world, He also experienced all our pain, our sorrows, everything. Christ knows exactly how we feel in all situations, because He felt it too. He's been through it all. He's felt rejected, unloved, pushed aside, abandoned, humiliated, ashamed, you name it, He's been there. And He has made it through. Because He has made it through, we can take comfort in the fact that we can persevere as well. Doctrine and Covenants 19:18, "Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore..." He felt everything.

When we have the times of greatest need, when we are suffering, or in a great trial, that is when we need to turn to God. God will lift us up and support us. He might not always take the trial away from us, but He will provide the strength we need to get through the trial at hand.

After death and resurrection, comes the final judgment. That is when each person will be held responsible for all the choices, actions, deeds, basically how they have lived their lives. Christ will be our judge. Verse 15, "And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works." More of the same idea as before. I know it sounds a bit ominous, I mean, nobody is perfect. If I were to stand before Christ today, He could find countless things that I have done wrong that should keep me from entering heaven. 

However....verse 16, "And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world." This verse tells exactly what we must do. We must repent of our sins and be baptized. I feel like this is a good place to end for now...but don't worry! I will come back to address this topic, beginning here, in next week's post, continuing on in the Doctrine of Christ. (And for those of you who were hoping to read more about conversion and seeking truth in the Book of Mormon, I'm still working on that as well, and all will be written on, in subsequent weeks).

And if someone wants a copy of the Book of Mormon, you can get it free by calling 1-888-537-2200.

Week One of My Challenge

Week One of my Book of Mormon Challenge, 

Topic: Conversion and Seeking for Truth

Before I delve into my blue highlighted regions of what I learned about so far on Conversion and Seeking Truth, I need to give a bit of background information of the people who will be discussed in 1 Nephi. Lehi was a prophet in Jerusalem, who prophesied of the destruction of the Israelites, about their Babylonian captivity, and about many other things as well. 1 Nephi follows his family through their different happenings in life. Other important people in his family are Sariah, his wife, and his sons: Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. I have listed the sons in their birth order. At a point, the family will interact with King Laban, who is a wicked man, hoarding an important record from some of the Israelites. This is their story.

In the first verse, Nephi tells the reader that he has a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God. The only way that he could have been able to learn about this is through listening to God. God will, eventually, speak directly to Nephi, and begin to guide him, and his family. Nephi had been learning from the example of his father Lehi (also a prophet), from what he had learned from the Scriptures, and through prayer. In a likewise manner, we today can learn about the "goodness and mysteries of God" by reading Scriptures, praying, and listening to the Prophet of God.

In Verse 3, Nephi states, "And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge." I believe that Nephi put this verse in their for our generation, to let us know that he wrote about true events that happened in our history. That he didn't make these things up, but rather, that they were inspired of God.

Verses 5 and 6 tell of Lehi praying on behalf of his people, and that God answered him. "There came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him." The description of God's presence as a pillar of fire has been used countless times, starting in Genesis, and now in 1 Nephi. Lehi was seeking truth, and because of his faithfulness, the Lord answered and appeared to him. Lehi is given a book to read (verses 11 and 12), which is similar to the book mentioned in Ezekiel 2 and Revelation 5. When Lehi reads this book, he is filled with the Spirit of the Lord. In subsequent verses, we learn that the book, "manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world" (verse 19). Lehi will give many prophecies later on in 1 Nephi about the Messiah and his role in human race. Nephi concludes the first chapter by saying that, "But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." When we follow God, and what He asks of us, we are his chosen people.

In chapter 2, Lehi follows the guidance of the Lord, and they depart from Jerusalem. In verses 16 and 17, "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers. And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit. And it came to pass that he believed my words." I really love these two verses. It shows the great desires of an average guy, wanting to know more of God, pouring his heart out to the Lord, and the Lord answering his faithful disciple. The mysteries of God are for our understanding and knowledge, if we would but only seek them.

1 Nephi 3:3, "For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass." Here we learn that the King had a copy of the record of the Jews and there history. This is akin to some of the scrolls which were used to make the Bible. Since King Laban was a corrupt man, these records were probably not going to be used in the best manner, and the Lord sent Laman, Lemuel, and Nephi to go obtain the records. These records, just like our Scriptures today, were very important so that everyone could learn of the Lord, and follow His ways. They are the ultimate source of truth and knowledge. 

In 1 Nephi 4:16, Nephi mentions that the law was engraven on the plates of brass. (This law is similar to the Old Testament law). After some adventures, Nephi obtains the records. 1 Nephi 5:10, "and after they had given thanks unto the God of Israel, my father, Lehi, took the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, and he did search them from the beginning." This reminds me a lot of when King Josiah (from the Old Testament) found the law of God after the Israelites had been in a period of apostasy. In both instances, the people gave thanks to the Lord for his Word, and then, searched the Word diligently, hoping to learn all they could. These plates of brass, contained in both the Old Testament, and in the Book of Mormon, "should never perish; neither should they be dimmed any more by time" (1 Nephi 5:19).

In chapter 6, Nephi tells some of the reasons why God commissioned him to write of their history on plates. The most important reason is found in verse 4, "for the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved." Shouldn't that be the purpose of all of us?

Chapter 7 tells of how another family that joined Lehi's scoffed at what they were telling, and how it took both different family members, and sometimes visits from celestial beings, to soften their hearts. Chapter 8 has the first mentioning of the vision of the tree of life (which gets explained in a later chapter). Needless to say, the rod of iron, that will be described is referring to the Word of God, which makes this next verse even more meaningful, "But, 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" (1 Nephi 8:30). So should we be fervently reading and seeking truth from the Word of God.

Chapter 9 describes how Nephi made two different sets of plates, according to God's purpose. At the end of Chapter 10, Nephi seeks the Lord for the knowledge that God had shown his father. He wanted to know the meaning of the visions that Lehi had seen, and Nephi knew that this knowledge would come to pass through the Holy Ghost. So, he prayed that he would be enlightened. "For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to comes; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round"  (1 Nephi 10:19).

Well, that's as far as I made it during this first week. I just wanted to end this post by giving a great thanks to all of my readers out there. I like to check my stats periodically, and I've learned some interesting things. For example, there have been many people from the Ukraine reading my blog. Also, others from China, Maldives, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Canada, and other places, to name a few. If you are one of my international readers, I was wondering if you would be willing to leave a comment at the end of this post, telling me where you are from, and how you found my blog. I think that would be really amazing to hear these stories.

Also, if anyone has any questions for me about my conversion, about the church, or any suggestions for topics that you would like me to address, please let me know. This blog is not meant to be for me, but rather, to help bring others to Christ. If there is a topic that can help lead someone to Christ, I would be honored to talk about it.

My latest challenge

I love challenges! This cause me to push myself harder and to stretch myself in ways that I never thought was possible before. They motivate and inspire me. One of the challenges that I did a couple of months ago was to read the Book of Mormon and the New Testament in 40 Days and 40 Nights. It took me a little bit longer than 40/40, but I did finish it! It was incredible! I got to see how much those two sets of Scriptures mesh together. When I would be reading a passage in the Book of Mormon, frequently, it would correspond with my daily reading from the New Testament.

Today, I had the opportunity to attend Mission Prep Class at my ward because the YW President was out of town. The topic of discussion for today was "How to study Scriptures effectively". Bishop challenged the students to try different ways, to push themselves, and to approach studying in a variety of manners. He encouraged me, albeit indirectly, to take him up on a challenge that he had presented to the YW during Girl's Camp this summer. Bishop had challenged the YW and their leaders to read through the Book of Mormon with a topic in mind. Whenever the topic/question gets answered, to mark the references. At the end, he suggested writing a one page summary on what we had learned. I'm going to do his challenge, just a bit differently.

Bishop had suggested the topic of conversion. I'm going to broaden that subject a bit. I'll be looking for conversion and seeking for the truth. I know that many, if not all, people seek for truth, in one form or another. I'd really like to see how the Book of Mormon addresses these subjects, and the knowledge that I glean from it. As I work on this project, I will do my best to post about it, either weekly or every other week (since I'm still in med school, and studying for boards, etc). But, that is my challenge.

Anyone up for joining me?

Lessons learned from the West

From the week of December 28, 2013 through January 4, 2014, I had the amazing opportunity to travel and visit many families in a short period of time. I really love to travel, to see more of the beautiful world that God, through Jesus Christ, made, to learn about people from different walks of life, and to appreciate all that a place has to offer.

I was only able to do this trip because of all the time and effort that I had placed in friendships with those who have served here, in Erie, PA. You can ask almost any of the missionaries here, and they all know that I love to go out and help teach with them. I know how instrumental it was to me, to learn about the Restored Gospel and all the joy that it has brought into my life since then. So, after some of my missionary friends finish their missions, I keep in contact with them, and then (like I did recently) I visit them.

I learned that my body can be stretched to the limits. The Friday before I fly to Salt Lake City, I drove from Nashua, NH to Erie, PA, and then to Pittsburgh, PA. I then had to retire to bed early, in order to wake up ridiculously early (~3am) so I could drop off my car, and then fly out at 7am. I was extremely excited because I hadn't been out West since 2006, and definitely not since I joined the Church and made all the amazing friends that I have now in my life. I arrived into SLC around 11am, and my friend Taylor picked me up from the airport. I hadn't seen him for about one year, so it was amazing to see him again. It was so surreal seeing someone post mission who had been instrumental in my conversion. (Taylor Reese had done my baptismal interview about 15 months ago). You make friends with these wonderful missionaries, and then, if you are lucky, you get the awesome experience to see them again in their real life. I was lucky many times over. :)

I then drove to Clearfield, UT to visit Josh Beames' family. His mom, Teri Beames, has been a great influence on my life and has helped me many times when I have struggled. I consider her an extension of my family. I got to meet all of the siblings and tour the outside of the Ogden temple that was getting remodeled, and visited a few stores in the region. I absolutely love the Beames family!

Outside of the Ogden, UT temple.

The amazing Beames family!

I then headed over to Provo, UT to meet up with Linny and Clark Allsop. Linny is Elder Colvin's sister (one of the influential missionaries who initially taught me the gospel). She is pregnant right now and is due in May. We had a fun time, playing board games and then watching a movie. It was good to see his sister again and finally met her husband (who I had been joking didn't exist until then). We had a great time. I stayed up until 11pm MST (1am EST), so I was awake for 22 hours. I became a little crazy at the end, and a little incoherent as well.

Linny and Clark Allsop

The next morning I drove to Draper, UT to meet up with Taylor and his family and go to church. His family was super nice, fed me lunch, and then Taylor did a superb job showing me around SLC. Before then, we headed to see the Draper temple. (I find it so cool that there are so many temples in a short distance. Our nearest temple is 3 hrs away, and that makes it harder to worship as frequently as I would like). Taylor showed me temple square and all it had to offer. We had an absolute blast!

Taylor and I outside of the Draper temple

Taylor and I outside of the SLC temple

That evening I drove and met up with one of Shana Butler's siblings living in Provo, who was willing to put me up for a few nights. That was extremely kind and thoughtful of her, especially since she had never met me before. The next day I met up with another one of Shana's siblings, Adam, who I had been in communication with for awhile. We got to see the Bountiful temple and then he showed me a bit of SLC as well. (It is the place to be, anyway!) That evening I learned a new card game, called The Great Dalmuty.

Bountiful Temple

We had the amazing opportunity to do a live session in the SLC temple the following day. Adam and I got to go, and if any member has never done a live session before, I would highly recommend going. Doing a live one gives a completely different take on the entire endowment session, and allows for the people who are participating to give their own takes on what is happening as well. I absolutely loved it, and wish I could do sessions like that more often. Then, I really wanted to see the Provo temple, and the MTC since all my amazing friends had trained there. Unfortunately, I couldn't actually go into the MTC, but I got to see some young missionaries around there, which was quite the thrill.

Adam and I by the Provo temple

That same day I went to Kanosh, UT to meet up with the Crabb family. Tyler had served in North East, PA, and I had previously taught with him and Mark Meier many times. We got to go shooting! Now, I had never shot a gun before, and it was wicked intimidating to do it initially, but so much fun. (A bunch of my guy friends now joke with me, wondering when I'll buy my own gun). I wasn't the best at it, but I'm no longer scared of doing it. I can now defend myself! That evening we blew up firecrackers, which is something that you can do easily in the middle of nowhere.

Me and Tyler in Kanosh, UT

The following day I drove to Mesa, AZ. It took about 8 hours, and I had to drive through some of the most beautiful landscape that I have ever seen. The mountains are breathtakingly gorgeous out there. And since there was hardly any radio reception there, I got to do a lot of thinking. I met up with Daniel Anderson. We went for dinner, hot tub, and card games. The next day we went hiking with his best friend (after attempting running) and ate at In N Out for the first time ever. Later on that day I took Daniel to the temple. It was his first time going since he had received his own endowment prior to starting his mission in PA. I loved going with him and sharing in that experience.

Daniel and I at the top of the hiking trail

I then went to see the Colvins again (which are like my second family), and got to spend a day and a half with them. I got to go to the temple with Andrea, and talk to her for such a long time in the Celestial room. It was very knowledgeable and inspiring.

After this trip, I learned that I am planning on doing my residency out West. I love it there soo much! I was able to fully be myself, and experience wonderful opportunities there. I have always loved to travel, and I am now going to try very hard to get myself out there. I know that if God wants me there, He will provide a way. This means that I am, and have currently scheduled, both medical exams, both the COMLEX and the USMLE. It is going to be tough, but worth it. I only have a year and a half left before I become a doctor. I still can't believe that I'm here, learning, pushing myself to the limits, and learning so much about the gospel. This has been the hardest, and yet, most rewarding year and a half of my life. I wouldn't change a thing. :)

My road to the Temple

I've been wanting to do this post for awhile. I had a wonderful opportunity on December 7, 2013 to go to the Palmyra, NY temple to receive my endowment. There was a lot of hard work and preparation that went into me being ready to go, and I'd like to share some of the aspects of that, some of my thoughts and feelings in the temple, and again, why temples are so important.

I was raised in a Christian home. That was very crucial to my being where I am today. I was taught some of the basics of the gospel: how the world was created, the ministry of Jesus Christ, and his atoning sacrifice among many other topics. I was encouraged to read the Bible and to search and understand the truth for myself. I did various mission trips in my youth, spreading the gospel to people in Rhode Island, Panama, and Poland. All the time my understanding of the Bible was growing. I even attended a Christian undergraduate institute, Messiah College, which started to push the limits of my knowledge. I was exposed to so many different denominations and interpretations of the same principles. While it was very enlightening, it was also quite confusing.

For example, I knew that it was important to pray, and I had learned that you could pray in any manner. I just never really understood the purpose of it, and found it quite boring. Another aspect was heaven. I had learned that heaven was this place where you lived forever, and ever, and ever. That thought frightened me. Like how the last verse in "Amazing Grace" goes, "When we've been there, ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun. We've no less days, to sing God's praise, then when we've first begun." I actually used to get sick to my stomach whenever I thought of that. I was scared of the aspect of something never ending.

All of this changed when I went off to medical school. I changed cities, changed friend groups, and changed churches. I was trying to figure out where I fit in, what exactly I believed. I had watched my life start to change in ways that I didn't like. My standards were being questioned, tweaked, altered, and in some cases, dropped completely. I did not like the way my life was headed. Thankfully, one of my friends decided to invite me to go to his Church, then to answer questions, give me a copy of the Book of Mormon, and always to be there for me. I was learning so much from going to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was incredible! Never before had I come in with so many different questions, had them all answered, and even ones that I had never before considered. I was learning about prayer, how it's part of a two-way communication with our Heavenly Father who really does lead, guide, and direct our lives. I was learning that in heaven, families can be together forever. That marriage is supposed to be eternal, and not just end after death. Those last two items are only feasible with the temple.

As I started meeting with the missionaries, I began to learn some very important eternal truths. I learned that faith is an action word. Alma 32:21, "And now as I said concerning faith-faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." Faith is more than just having a hope in something, but then also doing something about it to get it accomplished. 

Faith is one of the first tenets of the gospel. Specifically, having a faith in God and His most perfect Son who was sent to atone for our sins. After this faith and knowledge, this should change the way we act and the things which we do. This leads to repentance.

According to the Bible dictionary: "the Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world." Repentance is more than just feeling bad for the wrong which was done, it's being willing to change the way you were living your life, leave the sins behind, and start following the Savior.

Alma 5:26, "And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"

The next step is baptism. Baptism needs to happen via immersion and by someone who is holding the priesthood. Only someone with the proper authority can do this. This authority is given by the laying on of hands. And the priesthood holders can trace their line of authority back to Jesus Christ, who first organized the priesthood. Baptism then needs to be sealed by receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. There's a good explanation of this in Acts.

Acts 19:1-6, "And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues and prophesied."

This is a good example of what I was mentioning earlier. When Paul met up with some followers, he learned that their baptism hadn't been complete because they hadn't received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, they were baptized again, this time in Jesus' name, and then received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. This is why when someone from another church joins The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, they need to be baptized again and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands (just like how it was done in biblical times).

The next step is called enduring to the end. Just because someone has gone through all these steps does not mean that their task is done. They need to keep true to the covenants they have made and follow the commandments and words of the prophets. Part of this includes the temple.

On all LDS temples there is written, "Holiness to the Lord, House of the Lord." In the temple, worthy church members can receive special revelation and guidance. We are also taught truths in the temple, things that help us return to live with Heavenly Father again. We have to be worthy to enter the temple. Many times in the Scriptures God has said that He cannot live in filthy temples. There are certain standards that we live: obeying the Word of Wisdom, the commandments, the Law of Chastity, the Law of Tithing, being honest with others, and other things like that.

To enter the temple to receive my endowment I did different things. I attended a temple prep class and read an excellent book called, "Your Endowment" by Mark A. Shields. However, I'm not sure if anything could have fully prepared me for this, since it was such an amazing experience. "Endowment-Comes from a Latin word that means the conferral or bestowal of a gift. The "heavenly gift" spoken of in the scriptures may be a reference to this definition (4 Nephi 1:3; Ether 12:8). Our endowment is the gift from God that enables us to return to His presence" (page 19). During the endowment we learn about creation and also how to return to the presence of God. We are clothed in garments, which are clothing we wear closest to our skin to help us remember the sacred covenants that we have made. Just like other religions have different items to signify religious aspects, we do the same. We don't talk about these things, not because we are ashamed, or because they are secret, but because they are sacred. If you want to read a little bit more about the garments, click here.

Throughout the entire ceremony, I learned a lot. I don't remember everything now, nor will I, unless I return frequently and do the saving work for others who have passed on. One thing I do know is that everything that we did in the temple was scripturally based. Nothing was strange. I also know that I really enjoyed feeling the peace that comes along with the Spirit testifying of the truth of the different aspects of the temple. Temples are where heaven and earth meet, and I have a testimony of that.

I would encourage members to do what is needed in your life so that you can enter the temple, and learn from God. For non-members, I would encourage you to go see the outside of a temple nearby. Walk around, and take in the feelings that are associated. Also, go to a temple open-house. These do exist. After a temple is completed, it is open to the public, for free, for about a month. Anybody can go in and look through all the rooms. There is nothing hidden. After that period of time, it becomes dedicated and then only members can enter. There is an open house for the Gilbert, AZ temple from mid-January to mid-February of 2014, and the Philadelphia temple is due to be completed in 2016. To learn more about temples, visit the church's site.

Where I received my endowment: Palmyra NY Temple.