Now the joy of (Tova) was so great even that (she) was full; yea, (she) was swallowed up in the joy of (her) God, even to the exhausting of (her) strength; ...
Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.
A very important man in the church was Joseph Smith jr. He was the man who organized the church after the Apostasy, when it had left the earth.
Here is a movie about him. It brings up major times in his life, and shows how hard he worked to build up God's Church.
I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, and that he led His church in righteousness. I know that he had trials, but he still pressed on, and was able to find comfort in his faith.
I am very grateful for all he did.
One
Young Women group in Oklahoma sought Heavenly Father in prayer to
determine how to best include a new Beehive who was deaf. They worked
hard to be His instruments and His hands (quite literally) in helping
this young woman. A miracle swept over their entire ward as they became
the angels that would bear up Alexis, the new Beehive.
Alexis
said: “I was nervous and excited to start Young Women. Mom always comes
with me to sign for me because I am deaf. After the opening prayer and
song, Sister Hoskin, my Young Women president, said, ‘Alexis, we have a
gift for you.’ Then all the girls stood up and started signing
something. I knew it was special. Later I learned it was the Young Women
theme. All the girls in our ward had learned it to surprise me.
“I
know Heavenly Father loves me because of wonderful people here on earth
that show me love, especially the girls in my Young Women [class] and
my Young Women leaders who sign for me and help me learn the gospel”
(letter to Young Women general presidency).
Sister Hoskin, the Young Women president, had prayed diligently to know how to help Alexis. She wrote:
“I
had been the Young Women president in my ward for only one week when I
began to worry about one of my upcoming Beehives. Alexis is hearing
impaired, and I worried about how I could help her fit in and show her
that she was one of us. After being troubled for many days and after
many prayers, I woke in the middle of the night from a dream where I saw
my group of young women standing together, doing the Young Women theme
in sign language. I knew the answer to my prayers.
“It
was a big challenge. It took hours—one entire night of Mutual, then
weekly practices before we were ready. When Alexis’s birthday came,
everyone was excited and nervous about our surprise. I pulled Alexis and
her mom in front of the girls and said (signing to Alexis), ‘We have a
gift for you. Now you are one of us.’ Then we stood and repeated the
theme and did it in sign language. The Spirit was so strong, and there
weren’t many voices because we were all crying, but the girls did a
beautiful job. Alexis was beaming. She knew she was one of us.
“We
learned that Heavenly Father loves all of us and that there are times
we will be His voice and His hands to help others feel that love. We
learned that serving brings the greatest joy. I learned the importance
of following promptings, even when it involves a lot of work and seems
improbable” (letter to Young Women general presidency).
Imagine
how through the years Alexis’s mother has prayed for her daughter,
having all the same hopes and dreams for her that each mother has for
her daughter. She said:
“As
the mother of a handicapped daughter, I am used to doing a little extra
to help things work out for her. Because she is deaf, I am often at her
side interpreting for her. You can imagine the feelings that flooded
through me as the young women all began to sign the Young Women theme
for her. As I stood there watching with tears in my eyes, the verse that
ran through my mind was from Matthew 25:40 [Matt. 25:40]: ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’
“The
remarkable love and service these young women have shown just began on
that day. Many of them have given of their time and effort to learn sign
language and now help with interpreting at church for Alexis. My
prayers for Alexis have always been that she would be happy, be
progressing, and know that she is loved.
“As
a parent, my testimony of the Savior has been strengthened as I have
seen the service and love of these girls and their leaders. At times,
our concern for our daughter has been a heavy burden, but it has been
made lighter by the actions of these faithful young women and their wise
leaders.”
This
mother had prayed for the Lord’s help, and now through the help of
others, angels on earth, she saw all things working together for the
good of her daughter.
Other
young women in this ward told how they grew in giving this service. The
Laurel class president related that learning the theme in sign language
was hard work, but they felt the Spirit helping them in this effort.
She said, “We did not rush through the theme just to say it like usual.
We thought about the words and signed it for someone else so that [she]
could know the words too, and that made me happy to know that she could
understand our theme and know that she was a daughter of God too.”
Even
the young men got involved. They learned how to sign “Will you dance
with me?” in preparation for an upcoming dance at a ward Mutual
activity. Consequently, Alexis danced every dance. The priests learned
to sign the sacrament prayers for her. The spirit of love enveloped the entire ward
(-Susan B Tanner, "All Things shall Work Together for Your Good", April 2004)
One of the most comforting beliefs in the LDS church is that families can live together FOREVER!! If you are sealed in the temple, and stay faithful to each other and to God then you can be together even after you die.
These are a few stories about people who have found comfort, and grown through this belief:
While
Catherine and Kimball Herrod and their four young children, ages nine
months to seven years, were driving home from a family dinner at their
grandparents’ place, a double wheel from a huge semitruck on the
opposite side of the freeway suddenly sprang loose, flew across the
median, and pounded into the driver’s side of the family van. Kimball,
the driver, husband, and father, was severely injured and unconscious.
Catherine somehow guided the car to the shoulder and called for
emergency help. While she watched the paramedics work on her husband and
two older children, she sat in a police car with her two little ones on
her lap and prayed vocally, “Heavenly Father, we know that Thou hast
the power to heal Kimball if it is Thy will, but if not, we have faith
that somehow Thou wilt sustain us through this.” Kimball was
life-flighted to the hospital, but he did not make it there alive.
After
the children were treated for cuts, bruises, and other minor injuries,
dismissed from the hospital, and safely home in bed, Catherine returned
to the hospital to say her final earthly good-bye to her husband. As
difficult as it was, she declared to her parents, who were with her, “I
know that Kimball and I are sealed by our temple covenants, and we will
be together again someday.” In the most terrible trial of a young
mother’s life, her covenants sustained her.
At
the funeral, we were reminded of the power of covenants to sustain us
in moments of distress and grief. As we joined in the closing song, we
all heard above the crowd the voice of Taylor, the five-year-old son,
loudly singing, “Families Can Be Together Forever” (Hymns, no.
300). It was joyous for the congregation to know that a child had been
taught of the sealing covenants that would bind him to his father and
mother. --Susan B Tanner (former YW's president)
I know that we can live forever with our families. I know that I can be with my little brother again, and remember him, know him, and love him.
"I wish every young woman assembled here tonight would know and
understand that your beauty—your “shine”—does not lie in makeup, gooey
cream, or the latest clothing or hairstyles. It lies in your personal
purity." -Elaine S Dalton
What does it take to get beauty? Elaine S Dalton tells us in this video, "Deep Beauty"
Jenny Philips said it, too. In her song "Beauty Is" she shares that "beauty is found in the girl that believes in the power of her divinity."
You can show your beauty by the quiet things you do, but in the end, you will be noticed; and now you will be admired by those whose admiration counts
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, we believe in the power of prayer. But we pray a little differently than most other churches, as shown in this story:
Watoy paused under the colorful Filipino flag outside his school before heading inside.
“Good morning, class,” his teacher said. “It’s time for our morning prayer.”
All around,
Watoy’s friends each touched their foreheads, chests, and shoulders to
form the shape of a cross. Then they recited the prayer they always said
at the beginning of class. As usual, Watoy didn’t join them. Instead,
he closed his eyes, bowed his head, and said his own silent prayer. He
prayed about different things each time, the way he was taught to pray
at home and in Primary.
When he finished and looked up, he saw that his teacher was watching him with a confused expression on her face.
“May I talk to you after school?” she said.
Watoy swallowed and nodded. Was he in trouble?
When classes had ended for the day, Watoy’s teacher walked over to him.
“I see that you never cross yourself or recite our morning prayer,” she said. “Will you please tell me why?”
Watoy breathed a sigh of relief. His teacher wasn’t upset, just curious! He thought about how to answer.
“Well,” he
began, “in my church, when we pray, we talk to Heavenly Father about
many different things. And the cross reminds us of when Jesus died. But
Jesus is not dead. He lives!”
His teacher thought about this for a moment and then nodded slowly.
“Thank you for sharing this with me,” she said.
As Watoy walked to football practice, he felt warm and good inside. He liked teaching others about Jesus Christ. (Friend Mar. 2013)
You have a Heavenly Father who loves you and knows your needs. As His
child, you have the opportunity to communicate with Him through prayer.
He does hear and answer prayers. Through prayer, you can receive divine guidance, strength, and
blessings from Him daily. Prayer can help you draw closer to God,
receive comfort in troubling times, and know right from wrong. While on earth, Jesus Christ taught that we should pray to the Father in His name (see John 16:23-24) Prayer should begin by addressing Heavenly Father and end with the statement "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
When praying, speak openly and honestly with God. Express
gratitude and thanksgiving for your blessings, acknowledge your love for
Him, and ask for help, protection, and direction according to your
needs. Prayer is not complicated. You can pray anytime, anywhere—out
loud or silently—with perfect confidence that God will hear you
My mom had a thought the other day about expressing gratitude at the beginning of the day. She's read this book called the "Jackrabbit Factor", and it talks about expressing gratitude for what we want to get as if we have it now. She'd always thought of gratitude as a finishing thing, like "I'm gratiful I did that, now I'm done." But now she feels as if it's a motivation.
Someone else learned a lesson in prayer from their mother:
One of the important lessons my mother taught me by her example
was about praying with a plan. She said it was important to pray that
Heavenly Father would guide me. But I should also do my part by having a
plan to help my prayer be answered.
One day when I
was about six years old, I learned what that meant. I had earned a
nickel, so I decided to buy some candy. On my way to the store, I
started flipping my shiny nickel in the air. On its way down, I missed
catching it, and it fell into some tall grass. My nickel completely
disappeared.
I felt very
bad, and I decided to pray. I knew Heavenly Father would help me find
the nickel. As I finished my prayer, I thought about what my mother had
taught me. What plan could I make to help with my prayer?
Suddenly I had a
great idea. I would go home and get another nickel. Then I would come
back to the exact spot where I had lost my nickel. If I flipped the
second nickel in the same way, I thought Heavenly Father could help me
find my lost nickel.
I ran home and
borrowed another nickel. Then I went back to the spot where I had been
before. I flipped the second nickel, this time watching carefully to see
where it landed. When I looked down, I saw both nickels lying side by
side. I knew that Heavenly Father had helped me.
Heavenly
Father loves me, and He loves you. When you have problems in your life,
remember to pray and also to think about what plan you will have after
your prayer. Heavenly Father will always guide you (-Carl B Cook, Friend Apr. 2013) I know that prayer can change people's lives. Prayer can help us through trials, and can also help us communicate with Heavenly Father to show our gratitude and happiness.
Maybe you have a testimony of something, maybe you don't. But the important thing is to acknowledge what you DO believe. Then try your best to get what you don't have.
Have you ever heard the old saying that people who get lost tend to walk in circles?
Jan L.
Souman, a German psychologist, wanted to determine scientifically if
this was true. He took participants of an experiment to a large forest
area and to the Sahara desert and used a global positioning system to
track where they went. They had no compass or any other device.
Instructions to them were simple: walk in a straight line in the
direction indicated.
Dr. Souman
later described what happened. “[Some] of them walked on a cloudy day,
with the sun hidden behind the clouds [and with no reference points in
view]. … [They] all walked in circles, with [several] of them repeatedly
crossing their own path without noticing it.” Other participants walked
while the sun was shining, with faraway reference points in view.
“These … followed an almost perfectly straight course"
Without visible landmarks, human beings tend to walk in circles.
(Quoted by Eder Uchtdorf, Jan L. Souman and others, “Walking Straight into Circles,” Current Biology vol. 19 [Sept. 29, 2009], 1538–42)
There is a story in the Book of Mormon about the Tree of Life. It is a story that gives you a metaphor. There is a dark wasteland, with a narrow path going through it. Along this path there is a rod that people can grab, like a railing. Both the path and the rod lead to a BEAUTIFUL Tree, with DELICIOUS Fruit! But, as people came walking down the path, they soon encountered a dark mist, that blinded them. There was also a river close by, a filthy river.
As the people are walking through the wasteland, some get onto the path and some of those on the path hold onto the rod. As they are walking on the path, (and those walking OFF the path, as well) they come into the mist of darkness. Many who are on the path lose their way and wander off, unless they're holding onto the rod. Some might stumble across the path, and grab onto the rod. Maybe some of the people holding the rod call out to friends, and strangers to come and join them. Some of the people wandering around drown in the river.
The people holding the rod finally come to the Tree of Life, and eat the fruit. Some are happy there, and stay at the tree, forever happy with the fruit. Some look around, and see something that makes them ashamed to be at the tree. They see a HUGE building full of people. This building is floating in the air, and the people inside are dressed in very stylish clothes. They are also laughing, laughing at the people who are at the tree. The people who are ashamed leave the tree, and try to get to the building, but many are drowned in the process.
What does this big metaphor mean? (there's this cool part int he Book of Mormon where Nephi asks the same thing, and an angel appears, and shows him different scenes from the future, and Nephi figures it out, but I'll just tell you :))
The dark wasteland is the world. I think that there are some beautiful parts of the world, but compared to heaven... I'm sure is seems to be a wasteland.
As we travel through the world, some find the path, which is the way to happiness. The rod represents the Gospel ("The Iron Rod is the Word of God"). The people on the path had a better chance of staying on the path if they knew the gospel/held on to the rod. The river is worldliness. Some people get lost (or drowned) in it. The tree is the Love of God, and Eternal Life
The people who make it to the tree,who actually BELIEVE the gospel stay at the tree, and are happy there. But some people look into the building, which represents the pride of the world. They look at these popular people, and they want to be like them more than they want to be with God, and so they leave the tree (and maybe they gradually do it, just a little step at a time), but they will most likely just get drowned in worldliness.
But is that the end? Are there only a few who get to make it to the tree?
No.
Because there is a one-man rescue party that can go away from the path and rescue those who are lost. It's Christ, and he sacrificed himself to bring people back.
Here is a video showing people who were drowning in worldliness before they found the gospel.
This life can have purpose and can have joy, but it's sooo much easier to find lasting joy when you are on the path.
After All We Can Do
By Robbie Pierce
I had been in that hole for a very long time-
In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.
The shaft was above me; I saw it quite clear,
But there's no way I ever could reach it from here.
I could not remember the world way up there,
So I lost every hope and gave in to despair.
I knew nothing but darkness, the floor, and the wall.
Then from off in the distance I heard someone call:
"Get up! Get ready! There's nothing the matter!
Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder!"
This was a thought that had not crossed my mind,
I started to stack all the stones I could find.
When I ran out of stones, then old sticks were my goal,
For some way or another I'd climb from that hole.
I soon had a ladder that stood very tall,
And I thought, I'll soon leave this place once and for all!
I climbed up my ladder, a difficult chore,
For from lifting those boulders, my shoulders were sore.
I climbed up the ladder, but soon had to stop,
For my ladder stopped short, some ten feet from the top.
I went back down my ladder and felt all around,
But there were no more boulders, nor sticks to be found.
I sat down in the darkness and started to cry.
I'd done all I could do, and I gave my best try.
But in spite of my work, in this hole I must die.
And all I could do was to sit and think, Why?
Was my ladder too short? Was my hole much too deep?
Then from way up on high came a voice: "Do not weep."
And then faith, hope, and love entered into my chest
As the voice calmly told me that I'd done my best.
He said, You have worked hard, and your labor's been rough,
But the ladder you've built is at last tall enough.
So do not despair there is reason to hope,
Just climb up my ladder; I'll throw down my rope.
I climbed up my ladder, then climbed up the cored.
When I got to the top of it, there stood the Lord.
I've never been happier; my struggle was done.
I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son.
I fell to the ground as His feet I did kiss.
I cried, "Lord, can I ever repay Thee for this?"
He looked all about. There were holes in the ground.
They had people inside, and were seen all around.
There were thousands of holes that were damp dark and deep.
Then the Lord looked at me, and He said: "Feed my sheep,"
And He went on his way to save other lost souls.
So I got right to work, calling down to the holes,
"Get up! Get ready! There is nothing the matter!
Take rocks, and take sticks, and build up a fine ladder!"
It now was my calling to spread the good word,
The most glorious message that man ever heard:
That there's one who is coming to save one and all,
And we need to be ready when He gives the call.
He'll pull us all out of the holes that we're in
And save all our souls from cold, death, and from sin.
So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:
Just climb up your ladder; He'll throw down His rope.
Our merciful and long-suffering Lord is ever ready to help. His “arm is lengthened out all the day long” (2 Ne. 28:32), and even if His arm goes ungrasped, it was unarguably there! -Neal A Maxwell
This is a cool video talking more about God, and His mercy and forgiveness towards us.
A classic story about mercy is Jonah. He had a second chance to go to Nineveh, and the Ninevites had a chance to repent.
Here is a fun song from the "Jonah; Veggie Tales" movie:
First, here's a story told by Pres. Thomas S Monson:
In
about March 1946, less than a year after the end of the war, Ezra Taft
Benson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, accompanied by
Frederick W. Babbel, was assigned a special postwar tour of Europe for
the express purpose of meeting with the Saints, assessing their needs,
and providing assistance to them. Elder Benson and Brother Babbel later
recounted, from a testimony they heard, the experience of a Church
member who found herself in an area no longer controlled by the
government under which she had resided.
She
and her husband had lived an idyllic life in East Prussia. Then had
come the second great world war within their lifetimes. Her beloved
young husband was killed during the final days of the frightful battles
in their homeland, leaving her alone to care for their four children.
The
occupying forces determined that the Germans in East Prussia must go to
Western Germany to seek a new home. The woman was German, and so it was
necessary for her to go. The journey was over a thousand miles (1,600
km), and she had no way to accomplish it but on foot. She was allowed to
take only such bare necessities as she could load into her small
wooden-wheeled wagon. Besides her children and these meager possessions,
she took with her a strong faith in God and in the gospel as revealed
to the latter-day prophet Joseph Smith.
She
and the children began the journey in late summer. Having neither food
nor money among her few possessions, she was forced to gather a daily
subsistence from the fields and forests along the way. She was
constantly faced with dangers from panic-stricken refugees and
plundering troops.
As
the days turned into weeks and the weeks to months, the temperatures
dropped below freezing. Each day, she stumbled over the frozen ground,
her smallest child—a baby—in her arms. Her three other children
struggled along behind her, with the oldest—seven years old—pulling the
tiny wooden wagon containing their belongings. Ragged and torn burlap
was wrapped around their feet, providing the only protection for them,
since their shoes had long since disintegrated. Their thin, tattered
jackets covered their thin, tattered clothing, providing their only
protection against the cold.
Soon
the snows came, and the days and nights became a nightmare. In the
evenings she and the children would try to find some kind of shelter—a
barn or a shed—and would huddle together for warmth, with a few thin
blankets from the wagon on top of them.
She constantly struggled to force from her mind overwhelming fears that they would perish before reaching their destination.
And
then one morning the unthinkable happened. As she awakened, she felt a
chill in her heart. The tiny form of her three-year-old daughter was
cold and still, and she realized that death had claimed the child.
Though overwhelmed with grief, she knew that she must take the other
children and travel on. First, however, she used the only implement she
had—a tablespoon—to dig a grave in the frozen ground for her tiny,
precious child.
Death,
however, was to be her companion again and again on the journey. Her
seven-year-old son died, either from starvation or from freezing or
both. Again her only shovel was the tablespoon, and again she dug hour
after hour to lay his mortal remains gently into the earth. Next, her
five-year-old son died, and again she used her tablespoon as a shovel.
Her
despair was all consuming. She had only her tiny baby daughter left,
and the poor thing was failing. Finally, as she was reaching the end of
her journey, the baby died in her arms. The spoon was gone now, so hour
after hour she dug a grave in the frozen earth with her bare fingers.
Her grief became unbearable. How could she possibly be kneeling in the
snow at the graveside of her last child? She had lost her husband and
all her children. She had given up her earthly goods, her home, and even
her homeland.
In
this moment of overwhelming sorrow and complete bewilderment, she felt
her heart would literally break. In despair she contemplated how she
might end her own life, as so many of her fellow countrymen were doing.
How easy it would be to jump off a nearby bridge, she thought, or to
throw herself in front of an oncoming train.
And
then, as these thoughts assailed her, something within her said, “Get
down on your knees and pray.” She ignored the prompting until she could
resist it no longer. She knelt and prayed more fervently than she had in
her entire life:
“Dear
Heavenly Father, I do not know how I can go on. I have nothing
left—except my faith in Thee. I feel, Father, amidst the desolation of
my soul, an overwhelming gratitude
for the atoning sacrifice of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. I cannot express
adequately my love for Him. I know that because He suffered and died, I
shall live again with my family; that because He broke the chains of
death, I shall see my children again and will have the joy of raising
them. Though I do not at this moment wish to live, I will do so, that we
may be reunited as a family and return—together—to Thee.”
When
she finally reached her destination of Karlsruhe, Germany, she was
emaciated. Brother Babbel said that her face was a purple-gray, her eyes
red and swollen, her joints protruding. She was literally in the
advanced stages of starvation. In a Church meeting shortly thereafter,
she bore a glorious testimony, stating that of all the ailing people in
her saddened land, she was one of the happiest because she knew that God
lived, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died and was resurrected
so that we might live again. She testified that she knew if she
continued faithful and true to the end, she would be reunited with those
she had lost and would be saved in the celestial kingdom of God.8
From
the holy scriptures we read, “Behold, the righteous, the saints of the
Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in [Him], they who have
endured the crosses of the world, … they shall inherit the kingdom of
God, … and their joy shall be full forever.”
I know that through the Atonement and by knowing about the Plan of Salvation our sufferings can be understood, and maybe a little more appreciated.
