Can you Speak?

Wow, it seems like we recently spoke in church. This past week we were asked if we could speak again. Like always Randy and I learned way more than I am sure those around us learned. Kinsey spoke and Jordan bore his testimony. I was glad the kids had the courage to speak in sacrament meeting.

Randy's Talk

Over these past 33 years of my life, I have learned that life is not always easy, that life isn’t always fair. Life isn’t always joyful, peaceful, pleasant and full of happiness. I have learned in my very short 33 years that life can be difficult, full of trials, temptations, death, sadness, pain, illness, hardship, adversity, poverty, danger, misfortune, agony, and the list goes on and on. There are bumps along this road which we call mortality, and I’ve often heard people ask why? How many times did the pioneers ask if we have such a loving God, why is he letting us suffer so much? If we are his chosen people why is it that we are facing all the hardships while everyone else seems to have very little trials? How many times do you hear those same questions today out in the world? How often do you think that yourself? Recently one of my children asked that very question. Why does Heavenly Father let bad things happen?
This is no easy path. As we move forward in the path we gain new appreciation for the faith and endurance of those who have gone before us. Nevertheless, when life is especially difficult, we may struggle when it seems our prayers are not being heard or we are being tested beyond our personal capacity to endure.
Elder Robert D Hales stated:
“Our challenges, including those we create by our own decisions, are part of our test in mortality. Let me assure you that your situation is not beyond the reach of our Savior. Through Him, every struggle can be for our experience and our good. Each temptation we overcome is to strengthen us, not destroy us. The Lord will never allow us to suffer beyond what we can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13).
“We must remember that the adversary knows us extremely well. He knows where, when, and how to tempt us. If we are obedient to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we can learn to recognize the adversary’s enticements. Before we yield to temptation, we must learn to say with unflinching resolve, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan’”
Becoming a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints is the easy part. As members of the church we have taken that first step. Being baptized and accepting the gospel. Now comes the hard part, as members of the church we have taken upon us the understanding that we are to ‘endure to the end’. Now what exactly does that mean? Enduring to the End? We have all heard that term before and we all think we know what it means right? So what are we doing it about it?

Dieter F. Uchtdorf 2nd counselor in the first presidency of the church stated:
“The scriptures teach us that once we have received the ordinances of baptism and confirmation, our task then is to 'endure to the end' (2 Nephi 31:20). . . .
"Enduring to the end, or remaining faithful to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout our life, is a fundamental requirement for salvation in the kingdom of God. This belief distinguishes Latter-day Saints from many other Christian denominations that teach that salvation is given to all who simply believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ. The Lord clearly declared, 'If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God' (D&C 14:7). "Therefore, enduring to the end is not just a matter of passively tolerating life's difficult circumstances or 'hanging in there.' Ours is an active religion, helping God's children along the strait and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day. Viewed from this perspective, enduring to the end is exalting and glorious, not grim and gloomy. This is a joyful religion, one of hope, strength, and deliverance. 'Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy' (2 Nephi 2:25). "Enduring to the end is a process filling every minute of our life, every hour, every day, from sunrise to sunrise. It is accomplished through personal discipline following the commandments of God."
I was reminded a while back of what a lousy gymnast I am. Now I know what you all are thinking.. that with this physic of mine how could I not be a good gymnast? We were at a gym with all sorts of trampolines, bouncy floors, bars, and balance beams, all the things you would see in a gymnasium for gymnastics .. well as I waited for my son Jordan to get his shoes on, I walked over to the balance beam, hoisted myself up and place my stomach on the balance beam and lifted my feet off the ground…you can see where this is going. All of the sudden I’m flat on my back, with the world spinning around me seeing the balance beam above me thinking its going to fall on top of me. It wasn’t until saw my wife laughing hysterically off to the side that I realize what had happened. I had flipped over top of it somehow and making a loud bang as I hit the floor causing a huge seen. Of course I grabbed our stuff and high tailed it out of there. Point is, is that it is not that difficult to get on the beam, but staying on the beam takes a bit more work, a lot of practice. Similarly being a member of the church or becoming a member of the church isn’t that difficult but, enduring to the end or staying on the beam could be much more difficult and takes some practice, self discipline and endurance.

I recall a story I once heard about a prospector searching for gold.
For months upon months this man went about prospecting for gold in the hills. Somehow he just knew that he would strike gold.
Everyday he got up early in the morning and walked to the hills in search of his "fortune". He dug and dug with his simple tools. He found some gold here and there. But never anything to write home about.

The story goes that he finally gave up digging because he was convinced that he could not find the "mother load" he was searching for.

Hearing this, another prospector came to him and offered to buy all his tools. The man agreed and sold all his tools for whatever money he could get for them.

This prospector then went on to hire a land surveyor, an engineer and geologist, all whom combined their knowledge and went to work on the mine where the first man had been digging without results.

It is told that upon studying the area and the mine, the men discovered that the first man had been literally three feet from where the real gold deposit was. Literally 3 FEET! The poor prospector who had given up was so close to the gold, he could reach out and touch it. But there was no way he could know this because he gave up too soon, and he did not have the proper tools for the job.

When he heard about the discovery, the man could do nothing but wonder what might have been.
Looking at this spiritually, Could you imagine yourself coming up 3 feet short in an eternal perspective…. So close you could reach out and touch the spiritual treasure that we are all striving for, and can only wonder what might have been. I certainly couldn’t. Therefore if we can continue on the path of righteousness, I know that we can reach that end goal and find the treasure that awaits us, if we only endure to the end,
When I think of the phrase enduring to the end I often times automatically think of a marathon runner. The endurance that that runner has to have to make it 26.2 miles to me is incredible. I know if Bro Kirkwood were here he may not think that it is much of a big deal, but to me running that far nonstop definitely is quite an amazing thing. It shows the courage, drive and determination of that individual. Now what if that same courage, drive and determination that was put into that marathon, we were able to put into our daily lives as members of the church? And if that same endurance were used in our spiritual marathon.
During a conference address Robert D Hales related the following story.
"In 1968 a marathon runner by the name of John Stephen Akhwari represented Tanzania in an international competition. 'A little over an hour after [the winner] had crossed the finish line, John Stephen Akhwari . . . approached the stadium, the last man to complete the journey. [Though suffering from fatigue, leg cramps, dehydration, and disorientation,] a voice called from within to go on, and so he went on. Afterwards, it was written, "Today we have seen a young African runner who symbolizes the finest in human spirit, a performance that gives meaning to the word courage." For some, the only reward is a personal one. [There are no medals, only] the knowledge that they finished what they set out to do. When asked why he would complete a race he could never win, Akhwari replied, 'My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; my country sent me to finish the race.' "He knew who he was—an athlete representing the country of Tanzania. He knew his purpose—to finish the race. He knew that he had to endure to the finish, so that he could honorably return home to Tanzania. Our mission in life is much the same. We were not sent by Father in Heaven just to be born. We were sent to endure and return to Him with honor."

Life is a marathon, not a sprint. We may all be able to sprint a short distance, 100 yards, 40 yards, or if you’re like me 10 feet before complete and utter exhaustion sets in, but what about that spiritual marathon? We can all spend 3 hours for the week spiritually here in church, but what about the rest of our week, our month, year or our complete mortal existence? What are we doing in working towards that spiritual marathon in our lives?

But what if that spiritual marathon is just too difficult for us? What if the trials have been just too great to bare, the balance beam is too narrow for us to balance on and we fall off, that 3 feet of earth between us and that treasure was just too difficult, then what?
Show Statue
This statue has become one of my favorite works of art. It is a statue of the Savior carrying this young man whom I see as me. When we can’t go any further and are completely exhausted from our trials and tribulations, he is there to carry us onward.

Elder Dallin H Oaks stated:
The Atonement of Jesus Christ and the healing it offers do much more than provide the opportunity for repentance from sins. The Atonement also gives us the strength to endure 'pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind,' because our Savior also took upon Him 'the pains and the sicknesses of his people' (Alma 7:11). Brothers and sisters, if your faith and prayers and the power of the priesthood do not heal you from an affliction, the power of the Atonement will surely give you the strength to bear the burden."
I know this to be true. I have seen this in my own life and have witnessed this in the lives of others. I know Christ suffered the pains and sorrows for us.
2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 7 reads,
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
Brothers and sisters Mortal trials are nothing as contrasted with eternal glory.
In the name of Jesus Christ Amen

Nicole's Talk
I am so blessed to have such wonderful children who teach me so much through their strong testimonies. I have so much gratitude for their primary teachers who have loved them, cared for them and helped them to understand important gospel principles.
I would like to start with a quote from the book, The purpose driven life, by Rick Warren
“The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this (earth), you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.
The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point – ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like, What do I want to be? What should I do with my life?...But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose.”
In Job 12:10 it says, “In whose hand is the soul of every living thing and the breath of all mankind?” In verse 9 it suggests that every soul and every living thing and the breath of mankind is in the hand of the Lord.
Rick Warren explains that the easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to look at the owner’s manual. Have you ever tried working something new and you can’t do it. Then you look at the owner’s manual and it becomes easy to understand? This same thing can happen for us when we are deciding what to do with our lives. Have you ever been having a super busy or very bad day? Then you decide to pray to Heavenly Father for help and the moment of prayer brings an instant change into a successful day. We can speculate what we think our life is about or we can pray, ask our Heavenly Father and receive revelation from our creator for our purpose in life. Life is really about living for God not for ourselves.
I was asked to speak on How Sacrifice brings forth blessings. To sacrifice is to give to the Lord whatever he requires to further his work.
I know that our willingness to sacrifice is evidence of our devotion to God. We should always remember our purpose is to please God not people.
Ask yourself this question, What do you need to sacrifice that keeps you from living God’s purpose?
I have a friend who has very sick children. She has really had a run of sickness in her home. Her 4yr old got the chicken pox and gave her 6 yr old the shingles. This gave her oldest daughter the chicken pox. Who then gave their 18 month old daughter the chicken pox. No big deal right? Well, the oldest daughter has a blood disorder and ended up really sick in the hospital. The 18 month old ended up having terrible chicken pox worse than you can imagine they were everywhere and after three weeks of dealing with no sleep and terrible pain the chicken pox weren’t seeming to let off. My friend was tired of praying she had reached a breaking point and had nothing more to offer to the Lord. She began to feel frustrated that the Lord wasn’t helping heal her child. She decided she was going to turn from the Lord and no longer offer prayers for her children. After all, she thought that it wasn’t doing anything for her children anyway. At the same moment she had this thought that this was a trial of her faith and that at this time she was being tested. She expressed it was a moment of choice. She could pray or she could deny the Lord’s help. She knelt down at that moment and prayed with her family. That evening was the first in the 3 week period that her 18 mo old slept during the night. Although she slept through the night she was still very sick. She ended up being hospitalized only to find she, like her sister had a rare blood disorder and that her body does not make antibodies. It is a miracle she is still alive. Her body had no ability to heal itself. The Lord blessed this little girl tremendously and it wasn’t until the hospital stay that the miracles which were happening were realized. My friend explained to me that her sacrifice of Prayer and acknowledgement that the Lord had power that difficult night, were a clear blessing of her daughters health. I know sacrifice brings forth blessings, even in our days!
When Adam was placed on the Earth he was expected as well as his posterity to offer sacrifices. He was to offer his firstlings of his flocks. The animal offered, had to be perfect. This was to remind them that Jesus Christ the first born of our Father was going to come to the Earth and would be perfect in every way and he was going to offer himself as a sacrifice of our sins.
Jesus did come and offer himself as a sacrifice and because of this everyone can be saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Christ’s atonement marked the end of sacrificing by the shedding of blood. This was replaced by the Sacrament, which is meant to be a weekly reminder of the Savior’s great sacrifice.
Even though sacrifice by the shedding of blood has ended, Heavenly Father still asks us to Sacrifice. In 3 Nephi 9: 19 it reads, “And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood.” Then verse 20 reads, “Ye shall offer a sacrifice unto me.” Then it tells us what that sacrifice should be, “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” This means we are to offer deep sorrow for our sins as we humble ourselves and repent of them.
In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus tells the story of the Prodigal son. It is about a man who has two sons. The younger son asks his father to give him his portion of the family estate as an early inheritance. Once received, the son promptly sets off on a long journey to a distant land and begins to waste his fortune on wild living. When the money runs out, a severe famine hits the country and the son finds himself in dire circumstances. He takes a job feeding pigs. He is so destitute that he even longs to eat the food assigned to the pigs.
The young man finally comes to his senses, remembering his father. In humility, he recognizes his foolishness, decides to return to his father and ask for forgiveness and mercy. The father who had been watching and waiting, receives his son back with open arms of compassion. He is overjoyed by the return of his lost son! Immediately the father turns to his servants and asks them to prepare a giant feast in celebration.
Meanwhile, the older son is not one bit happy when he comes in from working the fields and discovers a party going on to celebrate his younger brother's return. The father tries to dissuade the older brother from his jealous rage explaining, "You are always with me, and everything I have is yours."
The older son is self-righteousness and has forgotten to rejoice when a sinner returns to God. Bitterness and resentment keeps the older son from forgiving his younger brother. It blinds him to the treasure he freely enjoys through constant relationship with the father.
Who are you in this story? Are you a prodigal or a servant? Are you the rebellious son, lost and far from God? Are you the self-righteous servant, no longer capable of rejoicing when a sinner returns to God? Maybe you've hit rock-bottom, come to your senses and decided to run to the Lord’s open arms of compassion and mercy? Or are you one of the servants in the household, rejoicing with the father when a lost son finds his way home?
The prodigal son felt sorrow for his sins and was willing to humble himself and sacrifice his pride and used the atonement to repent and come back to his Father.
Ask yourself again, What do you need to sacrifice that keeps you from living God’s purpose?
After learning I was talking on sacrifices I began writing down sacrifices I make and then the blessings they bring forth written next to the sacrifice. For instance, Paying our tithing is a sacrifice of our money and it brings the blessings of church buildings and temples to us. Many of us might even know of a story about how paying tithing brought miracles.
I then remembered how I once learned that an expectation is never good because if the expectation is met you find contentment. But, If it is not met then you become disappointed.
Although many blessings are received, we should never have an expectation for anything in return for our sacrifice. Our sacrifice should be offered because of our love to the Lord.
I realized while preparing this talk that The Lord and our Savior have already offered their sacrifice and receiving eternal life is our blessing. Any extra blessings we receive are just that, BLESSINGS. It is only through sacrifice that we can become worthy to live in the presence of God and enjoy eternal life. We have to be willing to sacrifice everything to become worthy to live in the presence of the Lord. The Lord is aware of our sacrifices.
As each of our testimonies grow we are able to make greater sacrifices to the Lord. This brings us closer to inheriting everlasting life.
In Doctrine and Covenants 64:23, the Lord says, “Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the son of man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice.”
What examples of sacrifice have you observed in the lives of people you know?
I found some examples of sacrifices on LDS.org. These are true examples.
A member of the church in Germany saved his tithing for years until someone with priesthood authority could come and accept it.
A group of Saints in South Africa rode for 3 days, standing up, to be able to hear and see the prophet of the Lord.
At an area conference in Mexico, members of the church slept on the ground and fasted during the days of the conference. They had used all their money just to get to the conference and had nothing left for food and shelter.
One family sold their car to get the money they wanted to contribute to a temple building fund.
Another family sold their home to get money to go to the temple.
In one branch, the youth gave freely and willingly of their time to care for the young children while their parents helped build the meetinghouse.
Many Young men and women give up or postpone good job opportunities, education, or sports, to serve as missionaries.
We are lucky to be raised in the promised land. Have you ever thought that you were blessed to live here so you could have the opportunities to share the gospel with those in less fortunate circumstances. Everything we have is given to us by the Lord. We should be willing to sacrifice by becoming missionaries and teaching people about eternal life.
A place in our Heavenly Father’s kingdom is worth any sacrifice we have to make.
2 Corinthians 4: 17 it reads, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Our mortal trials are nothing compared to eternal glory.
This past week Randy suggested it was time for our couple prayer. I was already lying in bed. When we pray together we usually always hold hands and kneel. Because I had already been laying down I just grabbed his hand and waited for him to start praying. It was silent…then after a few moments Randy said to me with a lift in my hand. Kneel up. I responded…I am too tired I am sure the Lord understands. He insisted I kneel up and explained that to sacrifice my comfort to kneel in prayer at night shows respect to my Heavenly Father. I realized at that moment the importance of that small sacrifice while thanking the Lord for all I have been given.
Rick Warren suggests that Life should be about “letting God use you for his purposes. Not your using him for your own purpose.” We must repent with a broken heart so we can move forward with the spirit to direct us in our lives. We should kneel in prayer daily asking the Lord what we can sacrifice and how we can help to build the kingdom of God.
It is Only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we can become worthy to live in the presence of God. Only through our individual sacrifice can we enjoy eternal life. We may not be asked to sacrifice all things. But, we should be willing to sacrifice everything to become worthy to live in the presence of the Lord.
I would like to bear my testimony. I know that Heavenly Father is aware of each of us individually. I also know that our savior lives. I have felt his strengthening love in my life and cannot deny it. I know that he sacrificed for us and carried our sorrow so if we repent with a sincere heart we can return to living with blessings of the spirit in our lives. I am excited about my desires to continue to work at aligning my life with what the Lord would have me do. I am especially grateful for the opportunity I have to use the atonement in my life daily and know that I have more to learn to understand fully the Sacrifice made and the blessings rceived through the atonement. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Kinsey's Talk
I have been asked to speak on Pioneers. The first thing I thought of was walking around Lagoon. Now why does that have anything to do with Pioneers? This is because at Lagoon, there is a Pioneer Village. No one in my family wanted to look through the village except me. My family sacrificed a ride to walk in the village, we all ended up enjoying it. One thing we all noticed was that in those days no one smiled for their pictures. I don’t know why. I guess in those days it made them look like strong or something. . I don’t know. But, what I do know is that Heavenly Father gave them the courage and strength for everything they did. I know that the Pioneers believed in Jesus and so do I!

Jordan's testimony was about How he loves his body and his spirit. He said that Jesus loves his body and primary is good for his spirit. He also bore his testimony on how much he loves Heavenly Father.