Today, I Am Thankful to be a Mother

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/this-beautiful-short-film-shows-exactly-what-it-is-that-a-st?sub=2762456_1995761

She Live in You

http://www.faithit.com/this-mom-hears-the-strong-heartbeat-of-her-daughter-one-last-time-and-it-left-these-new-anchors-in-tears/

Church Talk From July 13th, 2013

For those of you who may not fully understand the two year oldeeze that Chaz just delivered, might I re-quote him as I begin my talk. Chaz told us that Pioneer Children sang as they walked and walked and walked. He also stated that he is thankful for pioneer children. I too, am thankful for pioneer children, as well as their parents and even their posterity that sacrificed so much and set a path for the future generations to greatly benefit from the trials they endured.

I am particularly grateful for one well known pioneer who is my Great, Great, Great Grandmother on my Father’s maternal side. I borrow the following description of her from an April 2011 talk from Steven E Snow. “ In 1851, Mary Murray Murdoch joined the church in Scotland as a widow at age 67. A small woman at 4 feet seven inches tall and barely 90 lbs, she bore eight children, six of whom lived to maturity. Because of her size, her children and grandchildren affectionately called her Wee Granny.

Her son, John Murdoch and his wife joined the church and left for Utah in 1852 with their 2 small children. In spite of his family’s own hardships, four years later John sent his Mother the necessary funds so she might join the family in Salt Lake City. With a hope much greater than her small size, Mary began the arduous journey west at age 73.

After a safe passage across the Atlantic, she ultimately joined the ill fated Martin Handcart Company. On July 28^th these handcart pioneers began the journey west. The suffering of this company is well known. Of the 576 members of the party, almost ¼ died before they reached Utah. More would have perished if not for the rescue effort organized by President Brigham Young, who sent wagons and supplies to find the stranded snowbound saints.

Mary Murdoch died on October 2^nd, 1856, near Chimney Rock, Nebraska. Here, she succumbed to fatigue, exposure, and the hardships of the journey. Her frail body simply gave out under the physical hardships the saints encountered. As she lay clinging to life, her thoughts were of her family in Utah. The last words of this faithful pioneer woman were ‘Tell John I died with my face toward Zion’”.

We all have others in our family line that sacrificed abundantly that we might be where we are today. What can we do to pay back the sacrifices of these individuals, as well as pave a road of spiritual strength and faith for our children and grandchildren to travel upon?

Oftentimes a focus lies on what is different between us and our pioneer ancestors. When considering their life, and looking at our own lives today, one can imagine that this would be a very easy thing to do.  After all, the differences are quite obvious. From styles, to schedules, to technology, things have changed SO MUCH since the pioneers settled this valley. But, it is the similarities, that if followed, will allow us to further this great work here upon the Earth, as well as set a path of righteousness and example in which our predecessors can follow.

The conversion the early saints had to the cause of building the kingdom here upon this Earth allowed them to make an obvious choice to devote all they had to building the kingdom of Heaven here upon this Earth. The toll taken on them in this tremendous sacrifice seems like more than we could possibly bear today.  As they physically sacrificed virtually everything, including their own lives in some circumstances, their faith grew. As their faith grew, additional physical demands were called upon them, and this cycle continued, as the early saints were uprooted constantly and recalled to leave everything they knew in great hopes of establishing this, the beautiful Zion, which sometimes I am certain seemed so far away, maybe even unreachable to some. Yet, as they went on, the journey continued, their faith grew, and they evolved into being saints fully converted to this gospel.  With PRAYING LIPS, CONVERTED HEARTS, SERVING HANDS, AND FOOTSTEPS OF FAITH they gave everything they had to set the path for the future and prepare this Earth for the fullness of the gospel to be delivered upon the earth in preparation for the eventual return of the coming of the Savior. Are we really that different? Do we not want for future generations what they had in mind for their children, and even for us? Are we committed to having PRAYING LIPS, CONVERTED  HEARTS, SERVING HANDS, AND FOOTSTEPS OF FAITH to set the path for the future and prepare this Earth for the fullness of the gospel to be delivered upon the Earth in preparation for the eventual return of the coming of the Savior? As we focus on these shared similarities, it is my testimony that the hearts of the children will be turned to their Fathers, and that we will be able to be molded into what Heavenly Father and the Savior need us to be.

The simple yet intimate act of prayer is the very action that brought all of this to pass. As a simple 14 year old farm boy prayed to his Heavenly Father in a grove of trees, something miraculous and I’m sure unimaginable to the deliverer of this prayer unfolded. Pioneer saints followed in this simple act calling miracle upon miracle from Heaven as they invited the infinite power of their Heavenly Father to lead the course of their life.

In speaking of the power of prayer, President Wilford Woodruff offers this promise to us: “When we pray in Faith, we prepare ourselves to receive the blessings Heavenly Father has in store for us”.  This promise was made know to him in the following event:

“In March 1835, while serving his first mission, Wilford Woodruff had to travel through rivers and swamps in the southeastern United States. To traverse the swamps, he and his companion cut down a tree and made it into a canoe. They rowed safely for about 150 miles before abandoning the canoe and walking. President Woodruff later recalled that they took a road that ‘lay through swamps, and was covered with mud and water most of the way, for one hundred and seventy miles. We walked forty miles in a day through mud and water knee deep. On the 24^th of March, after traveling some 10 miles through mud, I was taken lame with a sharp pain in my knee. I sat down on a log.’

At this point in the journey, his companion who had become weary of the work and had decided to return home, left him there, sitting on a log in an alligator swamp. Undaunted, Wilford Woodruff turned to the Lord. He said ‘I knelt down in the mud and prayed, and the Lord healed me, and I went on my way rejoicing.’

Heavenly Father has blessings in store for all of us. He waits with open hands and open heart, willing to give all he has to us his children. Living righteously and then exercising the power of prayer will allow the powers of Heaven to be opened to each of us.  As we are blessed, might we also be reminded of the obligation we have to our Father to thank him for those received blessings.

While working as a Nurse in Labor and Delivery, I was blessed with the privilege of observing such a trait in a very faithful family. This Mother was born with a heart condition that was fixed with temporary measures that allowed her to still have children. Permanent fixation of this problem would have prevented the Mother from ever being able to carry a pregnancy to a viable delivery. While the Doctors knew this was a temporary fix, the goal had been met, and had allowed this Mother to bring 5 beautiful healthy children into her family. Early last year, the health of the Mother’s heart took a turn for the worst. Knowing that this would probably be the point at which she would receive the permanent fix for her condition she visited her cardiologist. Upon this visit, the Mother found out she was expecting her 6^th child. With the health of her heart declining daily, this Mother was put on strict bedrest. While the pregnancy was risky, the delivery had a very real possibility of being life threatening to this Mother.

I met this Mother and the rest of this family on the day of her delivery. The usual crowds were almost tripled as specialists were present for this birth in case things turned for the worst. The whole room was taken up with machinery that measured the Mother’s internal blood pressure through the entire course of Labor. While the Mother could not lay completely flat, a C Section was not an option. Neither option was ideal, and this Mother’s life as well as the life of her unborn baby lay in the balance.

I was humbled to witness an absolute miracle, as a beautiful baby girl, and her Mother safely made it through this tremendously risky event. I knew from the beginning of the process that there was something special about this family. As a Labor and Delivery Nurse, you are often secondly dubbed as the first family photo taker. As we were done snapping photos for this family, the Father and Mother both thanked those involved for the delivery of their child. After doing so, they asked if we would bow our heads  in a prayer of thanks with them for the miraculous outcome gifted to this Eternal Family from their Father in Heaven. As I listened to his prayer, I was humbled. This family had been through so much that day. Yet at the immediate conclusion of this event, a prayer of thanks was readily offered. This event greatly humbled me, and through this, I made a promise to myself and my Heavenly Father to try a little harder to be a little better and to be prayerful in all things.

Praying lips will bring blessings to our life, and help us to have the things we need to fulfill Heavenly Father’s will for each of us.      

Converted hearts allowed the pioneers to move forward at times when an unconverted heart would have simply given up. What does it mean to be converted to the Gospel?  The Bible Dictionary explains that conversion consists of changing one’s views in a conscious acceptance of the Will of God. If followed by continued faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism in water for the remission of sins, and the reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, conversion will become complete, and will change a natural man into a sanctified, born again, purified person-a new creature in Christ Jesus. Complete conversion comes after many trials and much testing.”

Life for our ancestors was full of many trials and much testing. According to the description of conversion, we learn that these trials enable us to have a heart converted to the Lord. Likewise, we also have much trials and testing. While the manner in which Heavenly Father teaches us may differ from past generations, the lessons learned are similar. Likewise, our level of conversion can be similar if we allow those experiences to change us for the better. To truly become a new creature in Christ Jesus.

It was true conversion that called forward those willing to come forward and create a better life for their children, grandchildren, and eventually, for us. Changing one’s views in a conscious acceptance of the will of God happened when the pioneers were asked to leave once again established cities to move on until Heavenly Father declared otherwise. For us, true conversion may come as the daily trials of life place lessons deep into our heart, and change our very nature. Although many of us would not choose the path that gifts conversion to our soul, we would readily accept the changed person we become through such trials.

With converted hearts, we will move forward, ready to accomplish those things that Heavenly Father has in store for us.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has a worldwide reputation of helping others in need. Having Serving Hands is something we are well known for. It has before been stated that at times, 2 groups of people have came to the rescue of those in need after natural disasters. Those 2 groups of people were the members of the LDS Church and The Mormons.

This example is one the pioneers exemplified with near perfection.  Having a common cause amongst all of them: sharing, sacrificing, and seeing to the welfare of all with whom they were surrounded came with an impressing level of ease.

As their leader, Brigham Young once said: “Let us have compassion upon each other, and let the strong tenderly nurse the weak into strength, and let those who can see guide the blind until they can see the way for themselves”.

The common welfare among the saints would be a trait that we would be wise to strive to look upon and exemplify in our own lives. We will be more readily able to accomplish this as we move forward in our lives with serving hands. Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us perfectly. But, he is not here to physically lift us, wipe away tears, or kiss skinned knees. This is where our responsibility comes in.

One of my very favorite quotes is from Former Prophet President Spencer W. Kimball. He states: “God does watch over us and does notice us, but it is usually through someone else that he meets our needs”. It is my personal testimony that as we have this desire to lift our brothers and sisters, our Heavenly Father will take a vested interest in finding those opportunities to allow us to serve his children and him.

In October of last year, Elder M Russell Ballard delivered a challenge to each of us in his conference address. He stated: “ In your morning prayer each new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an opportunity to serve one of his precious children. Then go throughout the day with your heart full of faith and love, looking for someone to help. If you do this, your spiritual sensitivities will be enlarged and you will discover opportunities to serve that you never before realized were possible”.

Our little family took this challenge to heart, and I feel confident in speaking for all of us when I say it has truly changed our lives. Each of us have had sacred moments with the spirit through the last 9 months that have strengthened our testimonies. Most importantly, we have been gifted a little glimpse at seeing Heavenly Father’s children the way he and Our Savior see each of us.

As I have prayed for this, I have oftentimes felt the Holy Ghost whisper to me a confirmation when I had helped the person Heavenly Father intended for me to reach out to. On a particular day, I was at work, and went outside to check in a patient. The person I was checking in was a 7 year old girl who had came to our facility to be looked at for ear pain and hearing loss. Her Mother was very concerned. Her daughter was autistic, and already struggled a little to stay up with what she needed to in school. But, her Mother stated that recently she had failed a hearing test, and was starting to become known, or maybe even labeled for ignoring her teachers, and not following directions.

After the Dr. assessed this little girl, he came up to me, and stated that we needed to flush this little girl’s ears out. He said that they were so clogged that he couldn’t see into the ear drum to examine any further. This type of problem isn’t unusual. However, it generally doesn’t cause such extreme hearing loss in such a young child. I went in, explained what I was going to do to the Mother and a very reluctant patient and went to work. You can imagine the surprise from all present, when a few minutes into the job, the oval cotton piece a Q tip surfaced. The mother had no idea her daughter had done this, and the daughter’s autism prevented her from having the ability to explain this to her Mother. After that retrieval, I began flushing the other ear. And, you guessed it, within a couple of minutes another oval cotton piece of a Q tip flushed out of the girl’s ear. At this moment, the little girl exclaimed “Mommy, I can hear you”!

As I walked out of the room, a somewhat amusing experience transformed into a very sweet experience as the Holy Ghost manifested to me that this was the daughter of God that I received the privilege of helping that day. To some, this may seem small. But to a little girl who hadn’t heard precisely for several months, a worried mom, and a Heavenly Father who rejoices in the smallest of our rejoicings, moments such as these can turn into sweet spiritual experiences.

Having serving hands will bring us closer to our Savior and our Heavenly Father.

Finally, let us all be diligent in walking each day with footsteps of faith.

You can’t speak of, or merely even think of the pioneers without one word coming to mind: Faith! In a 1997 Conference address, Elder Oaks explains this admirable trait in the following manner: “The foremost quality of our pioneers was faith. With faith in God, they did what every pioneer does-they stepped forward into the unknown: a new religion, a new land, a new way of doing things. With faith in their leaders and in one another, they stood fast against formidable opposition. When their leader said, “This is the right place,” they trusted, and they stayed. When other leaders said, “Do it this way”, they followed in faith.

Faith has many elements encompassed into one ideal. While some aspects of our faith may come so natural, we hardly consider it, other parts of our faith may be things that we will continue to try to perfect throughout our sojourn here on Earth. As I read the words to this well known primary song, think of the many gifts wrapped up in this package known as faith:

Faith is knowing the sun will rise, lighting each new day

Faith is knowing the Lord will hear my prayers each time I pray

Faith is like a little seed: if planted, it will grow

Faith is a swelling within my heart

When I do right, I know

 

Faith is knowing I lived with God before my mortal birth

Faith is knowing I can return when my life ends on Earth

Faith is trust in God above;

In Christ who showed the way

Faith is strengthened; I feel it grow

Whenever I obey

 

I think most of us have mastered having faith that the sun will rise tomorrow. In fact, I can confidently say, that most people in the world have an element of faith in which they are not even aware, in having a basic belief (or hope), that the sun will rise, and all of God’s creations will be well.

 

What about knowing that Heavenly Father answers our prayers? Or knowing that we can trust in him in all things in our life? On paper, and in a primary song, this sounds simple. Yet, oftentimes when we live our lives, pressures and doubt can get the best of us.

 

There are 3 basic things that have helped me that I believe can help us all in strengthening our faith. This first lesson comes from a 2009 April conference address from Elder Kevin W Pearson. He tells us “Faith and fear cannot coexist”. Sometimes it seems natural or at least easy to let the fears of the world, or even our own life’s unknowns get the best of us. Let us remember to replace that fear with faith that as we are obedient, we can have perfect peace n knowing that our Heavenly Father has a most perfect plan for each of his children whom he knows perfectly.

 

Secondly, is an admonition directly from the Savior in Matthew 18:3. This reads: “And said, verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven”. How perfect is the faith of a little child? They are not concerned in the slightest with things of this world.

 

One day about a year ago, I had an errand to run early in the morning. I was very stressed and hurried as I needed to get home to get my 2 older kids to school. I had Chaz with me. I quickly grabbed Chaz, and took him in with me to run the errand. As I came out, I noticed that it had began snowing. I was very worried about making it home safely, and on time for other obligations. Yet, as I snapped Chaz’s car seat into place, he wasn’t at all bothered by what was going on around him. His state wouldn’t allow him to be. All he knew about life at this point was that I was his Mother and I would take care of him. When we break it down so simply, is there anything else to be known in life other than that we have a Father and that he WILL take care of us as we are obedient?

 

Finally, our faith will become perfected as we center each fiber of the development of our faith on the atonement of the Savior. When we contemplate the wholeness of what the atonement can signify for each of us, it makes every other particle of faith development fall into place. As we cast all of our burdens and cares of the world to him who already paid a tremendous price for each of us, each step we take will be a footstep of faith closer to the Savior and our Heavenly Father will grow, and we will change in ways we may have never thought possible.

I would like to close with the words of General Relief Society President Linda K Burton: “We, with you, bear witness of the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our testimonies, like yours, have been written in our hearts as we have faced assorted soul stretching challenges and adversities. Without an understanding of Heavenly Father’s perfect plan of happiness and the Savior’s atonement as the central feature of that plan, these challenges could seem unfair. We all share in the trials of life together. But in faithful hearts is written: ‘All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ’.

 

 

 

 

Blessings In Adversity

Mostly because I am exhausted with the details of this story, I am going to rely on 2 Facebook posts to help explain this experience. I want to remember the details of this experience because I feel like Heavenly Father had a hand in caring for K'Lynn through this:

Hard day at our house ysterday. I took the advice given by others and "slept' on it for a night. I'm actually more upset today. With K'Lynn's permission I share with you to first of all clear up rumors, but more importantly to let you know that I believe this could happen to any teenager via the internet.
I found out yesterday from a very concerned and dear teacher of K'Lynn's that K'Lynn was rec...eiving annonymous messages for a good portion of the summer via the internet. Some contained labels so graphic that K'Lynn wouldn't tell me what they said. She was told multiple times over this summer (from someone annonymous) that she was worthless and should kill herself. She was dared that if she did not get 100 likes she had to kill herself.
I hope the people who did this realize that hidden behind their annonymous identity is their conscience, and at least 2 existing people (themselves and their Heavenly Father) who know that they said such hurtful horrible things to someone. K'Lynn is a strong kid, and although I wished so bad she would have told me, I appreciate that she is mature enough and has enough groundwork of who she is that she didn't take it to heart too much (although I'm sure it was HORRIBLE for her). I shutter to think if these kids had said such things to some other individual that was vulnerable or already having such feelings.
K'Lynn has chosen completely on her own to be transferred to another school today. She is a beautiful young lady, and no club, organization, or school for that matter is worth surrounding her with annonymous individuals who would tear her down in such ways. Her case was assigned to an officer at the school. When I called to speak with him, I was interceded by the principle with another much smaller issue that lead me to believe that this would not be handled in a way that was conducive to K'Lynn's overall well being.
My hope in sharing this is to bring to light what can happen to kids via the internet, and hope that maybe K'Lynn sharing that this happened to her may bring others who may be struggling with something similiar to the attention of an adult who cares about them and can get them the help they may need.

 

Second Facebook Post (Just a few days after K'Lynn switched schools):

How highly appropriate that this is the first post I have gotten from Highland High School's page......The more I have chatted with people, the more I realize it was a small miracle that K'Lynn was able to make this change at a time where r...egistration capability and room in classes have become very limited. It is a testimony builder to me that when you are trying your best to do what's right that Heavenly Father takes care of you, makes your weaknesses your strengths, and allows your afflictions to be for your good, and even uses them to bless us further.

“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be yourself. ”
Alan Alda (born 1936);
actor, director, screenwriter

STOP.......

Heard about this today, and it stopped me in my tracks........I have been soooooooo busy, that my life has been about ME, ME, and ME lately........This regrounded me, and helped me to realize that even in our extreme busy times (maybe ESPECIALLY in our busy times), we need to serve, uplift, be aware, and mourn with those who mourn. My prayers of peace are with this sweet family. Thank you for RE-reminding me.....
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=25091500

It Wasn't Really So

Jayci is my niece. Grandma Turner is her Grandma. When Jayci says my name, it lovingly comes out as "Ancha". Here's what Jayci said to me today:
"Look Ancha those are popcorn trees. But guess what? They are really flowers, not popcorn. Grandma Turner is going to be SO SAD (to find that out)"
How cute is that??????? Made me laugh. Cute Girl!!!!
This is on my spiritual blog because the innocence of children can teach us so much about faith. Also, I think that we can learn some things as we think about the fact that things aren't always as they appear. Finally, relishing in the blessing that little children are from our Heavenly Father is humbling, and makes me happy! That's all! :)

I Found Me

When we get Chaz out of the car, we always greet him by saying "I found you". One day, to our amusement and suprise, before we could greet Chaz, he greeted us with an enthusiastic "I Found Me?" Way too cute! It still makes me laugh each and every time. Have you found you? Do you know who you really are? Do you know what you are capabale of, and how much you are loved? Elder Uchtdorf reminds us of our potential, of who we really are in this uplifting message.......

"http://www.youtube.com/embed/wiiadnMvm20"

Boys Made of Clay

This was taken from the Facebook Page: Mitchell's Journey. A beautiful reminder of how we are all molded to be what Heavenly Father needs us to be, with some experiences being much easier than others:

BOYS MADE OF CLAY
The night before Mitchell passed away we sensed that time was running out. As the sky quickly darkened the air grew eerily cold … and with each breath we felt a heavy, somber feeling grow within our hearts. That abyss th...at was inching to devour our son had its mouth stretched wide and was beginning to take away my son.

We were preparing to cuddle with Mitch in his room and read him stories and comfort him when we received a call from his best friend and next-door neighbor who wanted to see if he could play. Unaware that Mitchell was already slipping away and was coming in and out of consciousness (mostly out), we asked this young boy if we could speak to his mother … which we did … and described what was happening. We quickly learned that Luke wanted to come over and say goodbye to our baby, his best buddy.

What I then witnessed in the quite of Mitchell’s room was the most tender interaction between two young boys I have ever seen. It was a sacred exchange between two boys made of clay – each being shaped by experience, hardship, sacrifice and love.

Lying on the bed was our young boy much too young to die, standing next to him another young boy holding his hand, bearing his young soul … much too young to say goodbye. It was not my place to ask God why such heavy things were required by hands of these two innocent souls. Rather I began to ponder deeply and pray in my heart to understand what we were meant to learn from this hardship. These aren't the only two children to experience this, and they won’t be the last. But they were our kids … and we love them so. And it hurt so very much to see.

This young boy, who had loved Mitch like a brother and faithfully served him with all his heart told Mitchell how much he meant to him, that because of Mitch he learned what it meant to be a true friend and that he would never forget him. Luke struggled to hold back the tears, his voice was broken with emotion, as Mitchell lay unable to move or speak as he listened to tender words of affection and friendship. My wife and I wept as we witnessed love and friendship in its purest form.

I knew that Luke, Mitchell’s faithful little friend, was breaking inside. I hugged him and told him how much my wife and I loved and appreciated him. I told him that I was sure if Mitchell were awake he would tell Luke that he loved him like a brother and that he appreciated how he was always there to help him when his muscles were too weak, and to cheer him up when he was sad. I told Luke that he taught Mitchell and his parents what it meant to be your “brother’s keeper” and that we were so grateful to him.

Later that evening I couldn't help but think of that tender experience between these two young boys who were forced to grow up much too fast. I pondered the meaning of human suffering and the difficult experiences we are sometimes required to endure. I have learned to appreciate an old Jewish proverb that basically states "Don't pray for lighter burdens, pray for a stronger back". It would seem that in all religious texts, no matter your religion, God makes no apology for pain and suffering. In fact, I have come to understand there is a sacred relationship between suffering and spirituality, if we learn to listen and endure it well.

I admit the burden of losing my precious son has my knees trembling and hands shaking and my soul in tremendous pain. There exists no word in the human language to describe this pain. It is simply, utterly, bewilderingly heavy. But, like all suffering, the sting of that pain can make way to a deeper compassion toward others, a greater capacity to love, a stronger desire to reach toward God and understand His purposes.

The truth is we are [all of us] no different than these two little boys. We are all made of clay. And with each choice we make, each reaction to events in our life, we carve out something beautiful or something hideous – something that loves or hates. We need only look at our own life experience to know this is true … we have all seen some let the clay in their hearts harden and become brittle or unmovable. Others allow the tears of suffering to keep their clay soft and pliable.

Today my clay is soggy. But the tears will eventually dry and I will do all that I can to remain pliable.

He Hears Every Prayer

A while back, I had a powerful experience concerning prayer. We were in a rush to head to the Festival of Trees (yes, it was a while ago). Anyhow, we were hurrying into the car, and I realized I hadn't said my prayers inside the house. Assuming Kandace most likely had not said her prayers either, I told her that we both needed to bow our heads and say a prayer before we left.
This obviously meant that we were both saying our prayers at the same time. I have often wondered how our prayers are answered. How Heavenly Father hears EVERY SINGLE PRAYER. I have oftentimes before, tried to rationalize this in a manner that made sense to me. I have before envisioned us each having our Guardian Angels, who take notes from our prayers, and pass them on to Heavenly Father in councils set up for us.
On this particular day (in the middle of my prayer), I was thinking about this again, as Kandace and I were praying at the exact same time. If we were both praying, how many other people in the WHOLE WORLD were praying at that time? How could he possibly hear and answer all of them individually? As I said my prayers, I pictured a type of email service, that in some miraculous way (not exactly understood by us mortal humans), transpired these messages back to our Heavenly Father.
At this very moment, the Holy Ghost stopped me from this thought, and a very sweet witness came to me. The spirit bore witness to me that Heavenly Father does hear and answer our prayers individually, and at the time they are offered. This voice manifested to me stating: "I hear every prayer as it is offered. It is in a way that you can't understand right now, but I hear every word you say to me". I then felt overcome with emotion, as I realized the love my Heavenly Father must have for me (and all of us), to care about me so much to communicate with me that he is hearing my words and knowing the intents and feelings of my heart. When we talk to our parents, we do not leave messages on a voice mail, and get answered through gifts in the mail from them. We talk to them, and they talk back, blessing us with their love and presence. Certainly, a perfect Father in Heaven has a magnified perfected plan for his children, and his communication with us.

Josh's Church Talk from Jan. 13th, 2013

As the Savior instructed His newly called apostles here on the American Continent, one of the first things He did was institute the sacrament.  He spoke of the importance of partaking of the sacrament and its significance in bringing souls closer to Him.  He taught them the importance of worthiness as far as the sacrament was concerned and how no man was to eat or drink of it unworthily.  Towards of the end of His counsel to them in 3 Nephi chapter 18, He speaks of those who may leave the church and how we should treat them.  He teaches them and all of us this, in verse 18.  Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your synagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent and come unto me with full purpose of heart…”

There will be times in all of our lives when we may fall short of the mark that we, as well as our Heavenly Father have set.  We would be foolish to think that we could go even one day and do everything that Heavenly Father has asked of us.  Because He, our Heavenly Father, knew that we would fall short, He gave us a Savior to atone for our sins and make repentance possible for us.  We know and have testimonies of this truth.  If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be here today.  There are those of our brothers and sisters who have experienced adversities in their lives and for whatever reason have turned from the church.  It is our obligation to love them despite their human weaknesses and welcome them back into the fold of God.  In order for us to be able to help them back, we have to have firm testimonies and faith in our Father, in the Savior and in our Heavenly Father’s plan for us. 

This can prove to be a difficult thing, especially as we ourselves face adversities and have to rely on the Savior to see us through.  There are 4 scriptures that I would like to share that illustrate to me how we can have faith in adversity and rely on the Savior to allow us to help others come back.

The first is contained in the 9^th chapter of Mark in the New Testament. In the first of this chapter the Savior is transfigured and then performs miracles. As the Savior and His Disciples descended from the mountain they beheld a great multitude that had gathered. There were scribes questioning the multitude. When the Savior reached the multitude it says in verse 15, “And straightway all the people, when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed, and running to Him saluted him.”

These people knew who He was and were seeking Him for the miracles that they had heard He was able to perform, and were thankful now for the opportunity they had to be in His presence.. One of the crowd, who diligently sought the Savior, was a man carrying with him his son. It says that the young man was found possessed with a dumb spirit. I imagine in my mind, this humble father carrying his son a great distance to be healed by the Savior. It says in verse 18 that this spirit, “teareth him: and he foameth and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away.”

In verse 21, the Savior asked the boy’s father, “How long is it ago since this came unto him?”, the father replied, “of a child”. I can’t imagine being this father. He had to watch his son almost drown and be burned in fires, all sorts of horrible things happened to this young man, and it seemed that no one could help him.

I also can’t help but think of the adversities that may have been placed upon this man from those whom he may have called his friends, or ward members.  It is sometimes easier for us to pass judgments on people like this man, than it is for us to offer to help.  You can almost bet that there were those who pointed the finger of scorn in the direction of this man and his family because of his son.  This is a tragedy that is simply unnecessary and can be totally avoided by loving ward members and neighbors who simply live their lives the way the Savior lived His.  Wanting everyone to enjoy the blessings of the gospel, of exaltation and eternal life.

When I think of adversity, this man definitely found himself in the middle of it. He needed help and so he brought his son to be healed by the Savior. Before He healed the young man the Savior told the father in verse 23, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

The Savior was teaching all of us a great truth. If we can just believe, anything is possible. When we are in the midst of any bit of adversity, this is a difficult thing to remember. The words spoken by the young man’s father have echoed in my mind over and over again. His reply to the Savior is in verse 24, he said, “and straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” This humble father knew that there was hope to be found in the Savior, he just needed a reason to believe. I see in my mind a man who deep down wanted to believe, he just didn’t know how. Through his tears he pled with the Savior, as we all should, yea Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.

The end of this story is a happy one, the Savior rebuked the spirit and healed the child. He did so because the father of the child exercised his faith in the Savior and His matchless power. The power of the hope this man had ultimately led to the healing of his child. The Savior had the power to heal this young child, just as He has the power to heal all of us. Brothers and sisters, I know that if we can truly rely on the Savior, He will help us in our times of unbelief. We will feel Him near us, we will know that we are encircled about in the arms of His safety and the arms of His love. I testify to you, that there is no better place to be than in His arms.

I believe that we all knew that our lives here on this earth would not be easy. We knew after all, that we were coming to this earth to be tested and tried and to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. Adversity is certainly a great portion of that test, but I believe it is how we deal with those adverse times that prove who we really are. Adversity comes to each of us in different ways, we may look at some and think that their lives are easy. That nothing bad ever happens to them. I promise you that they do, it is how they choose to deal with adversity that makes it seem as though there is none. We all face the adversity of temptation, the death of those for whom we love, some have to deal with poverty, the betrayal of friends and even family, physical or mental disability, the list could grow on for pages. As we rely on the merits of the Savior through this adversity, we will come forth as conquerors. Our faith in the Savior and His infinite atonement will be strengthened as will our resolve to do the will of our Father in Heaven.

We know why we are tested, and it certainly is on account of our obedience or lack thereof to the commandments of God. We read accounts in the scriptures of nations being cursed for their blatant disobedience to the will of God. Certainly our poor choices can bring about unnecessary adversities. A quick poll of those who find themselves in our prison system would reveal that very few of them are really happy, and are pleased with the choices they have made to end up where they are.

On the other side of this sit those who are righteous, who are doing everything within their power to live the commandments of God, yet they find themselves living lives of challenge. There may be times in their lives where they feel betrayed, even abandoned by God. We know that just because we are doing our best to be obedient, doesn’t mean we won’t still be tested and tried. There are numerous accounts in the scriptures that teach this principle. One of the most common is the account of Job in the Old Testament. I would like to share my two favorites. The first is found in the 9^th chapter of John.

In the first verse it says that Jesus and His disciples happen upon a man who has been blind since his birth. I think we can all agree that blindness is definitely an adversity. In the second verse the disciples ask the Savior a question about this man’s blindness, they ask “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” They thought that sin had to be the reason for his disability. I wonder if they anticipated the response of the Savior. In the third verse He said, “neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

I love this response. Neither of them have sinned. The man was blind so that he world would know of the power of God and also the Savior’s ability to fulfill the will of His Father. When I think of how many people have read the Bible and have read of this man’s story, there is no doubt that the works of God have been made manifest through this man’s disability. They will know that the Savior had power to heal, to take away the adversities of man. That God is mindful of us and has provided a way for us to be happy, to be healed from our adversities, from the mortal effects of this world and finally be able to return to His presence.

This story differs from the first in that the Savior didn’t ask this man if he had faith, He had him prove it. He made a concoction of spit and clay and it says in verse 6 that He anointed the man’s eyes with the clay and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. In verse 7 it says that the man went and washed and came forth seeing. He exercised his faith in the Savior and was healed of a lifelong blindness.

As it was with this man, so it is with us. We have adversities also, to help others understand the power of God. As we faithfully endure the trials of life, we can come to the aid of those whom we love. We can help them as they face similar trials. We can put our arms around them and lift them up, just as the Savior did for this man. Through our love and faith, the world should know the works and power of God.  As we live faithful and obedient lives, others may come to know the Savior and the power of God through our examples and through our testimonies. Our hands to lift become the Savior’s hands. Our hands to bless also become His hands. Our words of comfort may be His words as we say those things that the Spirit directs.

Brothers and sisters, the Savior has the power to heal each of us from our blindness, just as He did this man. Our blindness is not the physical blindness experienced by this man, but may be spiritual. It is difficult to see with our spiritual eyes, when our mortal eyes tell us to give up, but through humble pleadings to our Father in Heaven, come gentle reminders that He is there. That He knows of the difficult circumstances in which we sometimes find ourselves. And finally, that the difficulties are but for a short time and are thankfully not eternal. This principle is powerfully taught to us in the 121^st Section of the Doctrine and Covenants.

This section speaks of the difficulties in which Joseph Smith found himself in Liberty jail in Liberty Missouri. The Prophet Joseph and others spent the winter in this cruel jail, referred to by Elder Maxwell as the prison/temple. Certainly the situation in which they found themselves, created feelings for them similar to those that many, if not all, of us have felt, alone. I think Elder Maxwell’s calling Liberty a prison/temple is very profound. It surely was a prison. They endured unthinkable things. The constant threat of being poisoned, spending the cold winter in a dungeon without heat. The ceiling was so low that some of them could not stand upright. They had to listen to the prison guards say unspeakable things. They were deprived of some of life’s necessities while they were there. Yet some profound revelations came to the Prophet Joseph as he endured those conditions, thus the definition of prison/temple.

I think that all of us can relate to the Prophet’s feelings as he opened this section. In verse 1 he cries out, “O God, where are thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place.” I know I have uttered words similar to these. Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God, felt alone. Surely if the prophet of God felt alone, we are all going to feel that way at some point in our lives. He then wanted to know how long the suffering would last, how long? The last thing he asks is in verse 6, he asks the Lord to remember them. Does this sound at all familiar to any of you?

We may go through difficult adversities where we do feel alone, where we may ask the Lord, do you remember me? His answer to the prophet Joseph is the same as His answer to all of us, of course He does. He said in verses 7 and 8, “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversities and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all they foes.” These words are sure to bring instant comfort to all of us. First, our afflictions definitely aren’t going last forever, second, if we endure them well, we will find ourselves back in the presence of God. It is there that we will enjoy the blessings of exaltation and eternal life.

The promise made by the Savior was that, not only does He remember us, we aren’t alone. He is right there next to us, just as He has always been and will always be. We are neither alone, nor forgotten. No matter how justified we may feel in those feelings, they simply are not so.

This is something that was taught by the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 49 and repeated by Nephi in 1 Nephi 21. The Savior poses this question in the 15^th verse of chapter 49 of Isaiah, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?” He then answers the question by saying, “yea, they may forget, but I will not forget thee.” He continues in verse 16 to say, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; yea thy walls are continually before me.”

The answer is plain and simple, just as it was for Joseph Smith, for Job, for the blind man spoken of by John and for all of us, we are not forgotten. It is impossible. The Savior has us graven in a very literal sense upon the palms of His hands. We are continually before His face. Through the marks that He carries when He was brutally crucified upon the cross of Calvary. He know us, He bares the marks of our sins, our pains, our sicknesses, and every pain of body that we would ever feel. He knows how to succor us because of those marks, we are not, nor ever will be alone nor forgotten, it just is not possible.

Brothers and Sisters we have been purchased by the blood of a God, one Jesus Christ, the literal Son of the very Father of Heaven and earth. He knows us and loves us perfectly. As we have occasion in our lives to ask the same question that Joseph Smith asked, O God, where art thou? My promise to you is that you will receive the same answer, you’ll know that He is there. As you have occasion to pray to Him for a miracle, may your response be the same as was the young man’s father spoken of in Mark, yea Lord, help thou mine unbelief.

My promise to you is that as you bear with dignity the adversities that will fall upon you, because they certainly will come. As you let the Savior heal your heart of that which ails it and breaks it, there will be that sweet comforting assurance spoken of by Isaiah, that you are not forgotten, nor ever will be.