Today was a Leadership Training and never before has the Spirit hit me as hard as it did today. Readers from back at home I hope that this will be efficient enough of a story to recognize what makes my life so tenacious. Readers who are seeking out the gospel I hope this gives you a glimpse into the life of a missionary. Today, as I said before was mind boggling! The Spirit was strong and truth was taught. Simplicity was key and learning how we must focus on everything the night before. It was a well meaningful training on the Doctrine of Christ, the Spirit, and how we must and can show our love for those learning of the Gospel!

To start things off I'd like to say how grateful I am for the Doctrine of Christ. How great it is to know without a shadow of my doubt that Christ taught his doctrine "that there there shall be no disputations among you"!(3 Nephi 11:28) It is my hope that as we ponder his Doctrine that we too can recognize his vision for us. I know that as I sat in Leadership training that I truly got a glimpse of what God has in store for me! It's amazing to be able to recognize the vision of God for those that you so dearly want to help come closer to Christ!

With this post however I want to focus more on the Spirit and how it works in us and how it worked in me during these Leadership Trainings! First the Spirit is a still small voice that comes to us in times of need. As I posted in an earlier blog, The Spirit, it is the comforter that acts as a fire to help us out in times of need. It is by the spirit that we may "know the truth of all things"(Moroni 10:5) Now many wonder how we might feel that still small voice, which a great and complex question. It comes to all of us in many different ways and the best way for me to help you understand how it might come to you is to explain how it came to me during the trainings today. Many times it's described as a burning in the bosom, a feeling of peace, a feeling of love, a feeling in general, but to me it comes differently. I can promise you that it will come differently to you as well. The only way to know when it comes though is to listen! As I sat in leadership training I did a lot of listening and pondering on how I could better those around me! Many times did things come to my mind and to my heart that I knew without a shadow of the doubt were things of God. It was simple, but yet so complex on how the spirit worked today. I listened and I received. I can promise that as we all Listen and ask God for our desires that blessings of heaven will be granted unto us! The Spirit Answers us as We LISTEN! I can not explain to you how he will speak to you, but I can tell you that he will speak to you. YOU JUST HAVE TO LISTEN. I know that as I listened today in the training that I was able to connect the dots for myself to really be able to help you out. I know that I am writing this for you, and that as you read this that you can know for yourself that these things are true. Just ask god! However God has always said that from the mouth of 2-3 witnesses shall my word be established so I ask you to read "If you Listen" by Elder Lindsay T. Dil and really contemplate the meaning of his words, "there is a difference between just feeling the Spirit and being able to recognize the Spirit and act upon it." I'd like to close these things with the utmost of love. I love you, I love that you took your time out of the day to read these truths. It is my hope that you recognize the spirit that is within these True Doctrines and that you too will act upon the things that are written! It will be my joy to someday communicate with those that are touched by this and be able to say in person "I love you" I hope that as you read this you have questions and that you can ask me. I am here to help you and it is my hope that I can help you out as much as I possibly can. It is my hope that I may listen to you and with the Holy Spirit be able to communicate with you to be able to bring us all closer to God our loving heavenly Father!

This blog is a blog for you my readers. I can write on and on about what I want to write about, but that won't accomplish nearly as good as writing about what ya'll want to hear about. Please give feedback and let me know what you as my readers want to hear about!?

Charity is the "Pure love of Christ". Just earlier today we had the oppurtunity to help someone move! Although it was a good distance from where we were at the time we never pass up service oppurtunities! Providing service blesses not only us but those that we help! I could go on and on about why I love charity so much but it wouldn't do the justice that this video does!

Someone amazing once said "A bad attitude makes for bad times being bad" It's all in the attitude! The more and more we face trials and are happy the more and more that we can recognize that the opposite of this statement is true as well! "A great attitude makes for bad times being great" Charlee a girl facing cancer at a young age never knew such a thing as being sad in the trials in here life. In the January, 2007 New Era article "A Girl Called "Nine"" Charlee expresses the perfect example on how we should act when hard times hit us. This touching story recounts her tough times battling with cancer. Throughout her trial she never bats an eye of sadness. She is a joy to all those around her no matter what the struggle. I have recognized in my life, and especially right now out on the mission that in order to really show those around me that I love and care for them all it takes is a smile. Smile more, don't worry about the stress in life. In Finding Joy in the Journey, a Talk given by President Monson in the October 2008 general conference, the Prophet expresses the importance of living a grateful attitude in time of stress so perfectly when he says:

This morning as I pondered what to study I picked up an old ensign from February of 2001. Within it the article "Turn Here" caught my attention! A wonderful story on how a mothers prayer saved the life of her son! It reminded me of the story of Alma the younger. Alma's father grieved for the salvation of his son who went about as the "most vilest of sinners!" There was nothing more than a prayer from Alma that changed the life for his son! Parents recognize the importance of prayer in your lives for your children! A prayer to God never seizes to create miracles. Now I couldn't end this blog without relating a story to the children as well. within that same February Ensign was another touching story on prayer. Within the article "Go Check on Wendy" by Darlene Joy Nichols we can recognize the importance of a child's prayer. No matter how young, no matter how small a prayer to God helps us all!

"The Spirit of God, like a fire is burning" Never has such a phrase echoed the purpose of the Spirit more than the first line of The Spirit of God" hymn 2 in the LDS hymnal. "The Spirit of God, LIKE A FIRE IS BURNING" These simple words echoed over and over again establish the purpose of the Spirit to burn like a fire within each of hearts. Hearing this brings me back to the good ol' camp fires on the beach and just really being able to feel the warmth of that burning fire. The Spirit works in the same way within my heart and I love it! It is that comfort to each of us in hard times in our coldest hours, just as the fire is a comfort to us in that cold weather! I encourage each and every one you to take Moroni's promise to heart so that you too can feel that fire burning with in your heart, that comfort to us all in hard times.I hope that you might be able to find the joy that so many others have been able to find! I exhort you to read the Book of Mormon and to ponder it and then to kneel down and pray, ask God the source of all our answers. On the basis you do these things I promise you will feel "The Spirit of God, Like a fire is burning"

While reading this morning in the New Era I came to this article! I'd exhort you to read it and let me know what you think! I realize it isn't Christmas time right now, however I don't think the gift of Charity is something that should just be reserved for Christmas. Moroni 7:45-47 teaches us how important Charity is! It's the pure love of Christ. It will never parish and will always bring happiness into our souls. Allow me to relate this to a story of my own while out here on the mission. For Christmas my parents sent out Toy Story 3 so we could watch it for New Years as our one G rated film (as missionaries in the TNM we were privileged to watch a G rated movie this last new years!)! However since it is not a normal occurrence to be able to watch movies as a missionary I would have had to send the DVD home after I was done. In the couple following weeks I hadn't had the chance or money to send the DVD home and that's when it hit me, instead of keeping it for myself I would give the DVD to a wonderful family with Children. The family I chose to give it to has an autistic child and 2 other younger children both under the age of 12. The joy and happiness on their faces are unmeasurable by any temporal blessing in life. The love they expressed back can not be duplicated it could just simply be described as the pure love of Charity!