“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day. … Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness…And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace…Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked… And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:11–18.)

   Ok, here is how I apply this to myself. First I have my loins girt about with truth, I know who I am, why I’m here, and where I’m going. I know the truthfulness of the Gospel, and I study my scriptures everyday to increase my knowledge of truth. Next, I have breastplate of righteousness. I always strive to do what is right, if I fail and sin, I can use the infinite gift of the Atonement. By using the atonement in my life, I am able to repent of any and all sins that I commit, therefore striving to be as righteous as I can be! Then I have my feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I prepare myself everyday for what may lie ahead. My feet are always ready and willing to carry me wherever I need to go to fulfill the Lord’s work and to spread forth the gospel of peace.

One of the most important things is the shield of faith! This is so important! With the Shield of Faith, you can fight off the fiery darts of the wicked. I’m ready with my Shield to block anything that may cause my faith to weaken, and as a missionary, I have an even greater target on my back. We all need to fight harder than the adversary, do not let your shield fail!! The last two are the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. The helmet of salvation reminds me to always keep my thoughts clean and pure. If my thoughts are clean and pure, I’ll better be able to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost easier in my life. The sword of the spirit is my only offensive weapon, and it is the only one I need. 

With the whole Armor of God I can fight off any attacks Satan wants to take at me.  but he will always come back for more, so we always need to have the sword handy, you never know when he is going to strike. If our armor is weak, there is an unshielded vulnerable area for attack, and we will be subject to injury or destruction by Satan. Do not give him that chance!!  Through the great principle of repentance you can turn your life about and begin now clothing yourself with the armor of God through study, prayer, and a determination to serve God and keep his commandments.

For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make an appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

While our generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the Earth by flood, there is a major difference this time. It is that God has saved for the final innings some of His strongest children, who will help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly. and that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God.

All through the ages the prophets have looked down corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to come have their eyes on us.

make no mistake about it, you are a marked generation.There has never before been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us. Never before on the face of this Earth have the forces of good and evil been as well-organized.

Now is the great day of Devil’s power, with the greatest mass murderers of all time living among us. But now is also the great day of the Lord’s power, with the greatest number ever of priesthood holders on the Earth. And the showdown is fast approaching!

-President Ezra Taft Benson, February 1987

This statement made by President Benson really stood out to me a lot. It has a lot of power and meaning behind it! always remember, we are the Royal Generation! We all have to potential to become the best of the best! There never before has been so much good on this Earth; the church is restored to the fullest of times, the priesthood is everywhere, the gospel and missionaries are all over the Earth, and we have a modern prophet that receives revelation from God!!! How great and marvelous it is to be alive today, to see the gospel being spread throughout the world, to hear the voice of a modern-day prophet that is the voice-piece of the Lord, to finally be able to know all the answers so many of us have been looking for so long finally answered! This church is true, I know it is true with all my heart, how great it is to be a part of this great work!

But along with all the good, Satan is now working his hardest to turn the hearts of all who will listen; he is smarter and more present than ever, he’s everywhere!!! We need to be always be on our guard, wearing the whole armor of God! Remember the stripling warriors; be valiant and courageous,   don’t give temptation a fighting chance. “… the showdown is fast approaching!” get ready for it, make no mistake about it. Don’t procrastinate it, we need to decide right now that we will give satan no attention whatsoever, “Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.” (2 Ne. 4:28.)

A wise man once told me not to long ago, “Never forget who you are and where you came from… you all are beloved sons and daughters of God! He loves you, He wants you back in His holy arms forever…” (President Jack R. Christianson)  You are a child of a Heavenly King, who loves you. Be true to your divine nature.  ”But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”  (1 Peter 2:9.)

  Never Forget…

Of Noble Gentry Came Your Birth

For Purpose Proud You Came To Earth

Came To Claim Your Rightful Place

To Help God’s Children Win The Race

While it was amazing, it’s a bit hard to take in all at once, That’s why I’m grateful that we all can listen to it again and again online. I hope that you all had the opportunity to listen to at least a part of General Conference, if not, you can always watch, read, or listen to it online at http://lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2011/04?lang=eng. You can also read all the talks in the May issue of the Ensign.

“Here is some info on the type of syndactyly that you had.  The bones in the tips of your fingers were fused together and the ends of your fingers were overlapped. Your hands were very similar to this. (note: this is not a picture of my hands, but it’s very similar to what mine looked like.)

The Plastic Surgeon would only divide one finger at a time on each hand in case there was damage to the blood vessels or veins. If you lost the blood supply to your finger on one side then you still had the other side so it would be OK. You had your first surgery at about 8 months to divide your middle fingers from the others. Then when you were about a year old they separated your baby fingers from your ring fingers. They took skin grafts from the inside of your thighs for both surgeries. So you had to learn to crawl with casts up to your elbows on both arms and learn to walk and balance yourself with casts on both arms.  When you were about three they went back and released some scar tissue. You had your last surgery when you were around ten or eleven to release more scar tissue and increase the space between your fingers. When you were about three you stopped talking and that’s when we started going to a program called DDI VANTAGE Early Intervention Program. They provide services for children who have developmental delays and disabilities by offering a full range of services to meet their individual needs. Your teachers name was Cozzette and she is the one who started using sign language with you so that we could communicate again. Luckily you started talking again.”

I vaguely remember being young and having casts on my hands and having to deal with that. I sort of remember when I quit talking, I’d just keep to myself and not say anything. I’m not sure why exactly I quit talking. I remember during that time going to a few doctors and such. I  remember going to a school just up the street from where we lived and learning sign language there.  I remember spending hours in my Mom’s lap facing a mirror and signing back and forth to each other; mostly fun signs and food signs and such. I remember my older sisters teaching me new words and signing to them when I wanted something. Eventually I opened up and started talking again.  I remember getting the last surgery when I was about 10-11, my mom and my grandma looked at my hands and said that there was some scar tissue on my middle fingers that prevented them from fully flexing. So we went  to the hospital and I had surgery to remove it. I remember going back to school with these huge bandages on my middle fingers, it was really awkward and the kids teased me a bit, I didn’t really care what they said and I laughed along with them. When I went to high school I decided to take ASL (American Sign Language) as my language class.

I never really put it all into perspective until I received my Patriarchal Blessings. It said that I was chosen specifically by my parents in the Pre-Earth Life. Later when I was talking to my parents about it and I realized that I was chosen to be born with this condition, and that it would just be one of the many things I would have to face in this life. I knew and my parents knew that I would be born with syndactyly, but we all accepted that anyways. Me personally I love it, it sets me apart from everybody else, makes me unique and helps me remember that we are all different and special on our own ways. It helps me understand the big picture in life! Who could have guessed at the time that I would later be called as an American Sign Language Missionary in the New York Rochester Mission.

Heavenly Father has a plan and a purpose for each and every one of us. We all have our differences, being different is nothing to be ashamed about.  Who cares what the rest of the world says about you, cause guess what? There not perfect either! Be proud of who you are and what gifts Heavenly Father has given you, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5: 14-16)

Life Is Good

Missionaries like me are handing out copies all over the world, even while you are reading my blog. It’s about the size of a regular paperback book, an inch or so thick. So what is this book? If it’s given out for free, why do so many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints count their Book of Mormon as their most valuable possession? What kind of book can cause so many readers to change their lives, their minds and their hearts? What kind of book can answer life’s seemingly unanswerable questions?

The Book of Mormon is the word of God, like the Bible. Both books contain God’s guidance as revealed to prophets as well as religious accounts of different civilizations. While the Bible is written by and about the people in the land surrounding Israel, and takes place from the creation of the world until shortly after the death of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon contains the history and God’s revelations to the people who lived in the Americas between approximately 600 BC and 400 AD. The prophets in the Book of Mormon recorded God’s dealings with His people, which were compiled by a man named Mormon onto golden plates.

 The Book of Mormon, along with the Bible, testifies that Jesus Christ is our divine Redeemer and that by living according to His gospel we can find peace in this life and eternal happiness in the life to come. The title page states that the Book of Mormon’s purpose is to convince all of us “that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.” It was written to help us develop a true knowledge of Jesus Christ and His mission on earth. The Book of Mormon reaffirms what we learn from the Bible, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth to help us overcome our sins. The people in the Book of Mormon, the Nephites and the Lamanites, recorded their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Many of the prophets who wrote the records that make up the Book of Mormon saw Christ personally. The climax of the book is when Jesus appeared to all the Nephites soon after He was resurrected. He blessed them, taught them his gospel and said,

“Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world” (3 Nephi 11:14).

I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that is was translated by Joseph Smith, by the will of God! You too can know of the truthfulness of the gospel! I testify that these things are true, and in closing I thought is was only fitting to have a personal testimony about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith by none other that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Holland is one of my all-time favorite Apostles, and this testimony that he gives hits me every time, there is no denying his testimony!!! Enjoy!!!

I love the Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley. He is my favorite prophet! All growing up, I would listen to all of his talks, he is such an inspirational man! He talks with such power and such inspiration, he truly was a prophet of the Lord

Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Matthew 22:36-39

Families are ordained of God. They are the most important social unit in time and in eternity.

God has established families to bring happiness to His children, allow them to learn correct principles in a loving atmosphere, and prepare them to return to Him after they die. Because families are ordained of God, they are the most important social unit in time and in eternity.
Marriage (Genesis 2:18) and family ( Genesis 1:28) are central focal points in God’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. Your Heavenly Father wants you to do all you can during your time on Earth to prepare yourself to live in an eternal family.
Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on sound principles, like those that Jesus Christ taught. These principles include faith in Jesus Christ, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. A home established on gospel principles is a place of refuge and safety, where the Spirit of the Lord can abide, blessing family members with peace, joy, and happiness (“ The Family: A Proclamation to the World”).
No marriage or family is perfect. When dealing with challenging relationships, it may help to remember that each person on this earth is a beloved son or daughter of God and has a divine nature and destiny. Learning to love and serve your family members, as Christ taught, will help you become more like your Heavenly Father and will help you prepare to live with Him again in an eternal family.

I know personally how much my family has been blessed by the gospel, and how much the gospel means for my family. Whenever times are tough, i can always turn to my family for love and support. This also makes it easier to find my way back to my Heavenly Father and pray to Him for His guidance and support. I know that this church is true with all my heart, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that Heavenly Father loves and knows each and every one of His children and wants us all to return to live with Him someday. I leave these words in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!