This Sunday we had a lesson about the history of the bible and how the King James Version of the bible came about. It was really interesting and one of my favorite history lessons I've ever had! One thing I found extremely interesting is that William Tindale said this quote to a preacher who was questioning Tindale's translation of the New Testament:

If it were not for Tindale's translation, a plowboy names Joseph Smith would have never read the proper scriptures and may not have been inspired to go have the vision in the Sacred Grove. I find so many things about the history of our gospel so interesting. There was so much preparation and work that Heavenly Father had to put into getting the Book of Mormon available for our mordern times.

Hill Cumorah

Yesterday in seminary we had the honor of having Bishop Bradford as our teacher and we read the the chapter where the Nephites got completely wiped out for being unrighteous. The battle took place on hill Cumorah and I thought it was really interesting to read because I'm going to go to the hill Cumorah this summer. It's amazing all of the things that happened there and I am really excited to go visit! My job in the family has recently been to do some research on the places we are going to visit this June and I've been quite blessed with being able to find amazing scriptures on all the places I'm going. I give family home evenings on the research and scriptures I find and it's a lot of fun and I'm glad I get to do all of this, it helps deepen my understanding of the gospel! These are my favorite scriptures and the ones that really stood out to me in Mormon chapter 6.

Trek part 1

Last weekend I went on a trek and boy oh boy it was amazing!!! So much spirit and love was felt in those two days I think I'll be good for the next six months! I'm just gonna briefly describe my trek in this first post and really go into details on it later. It was so interesting to feel how it felt to be a pioneer, to grow close to 9 people if never met before, and to form really strong bonds between my friends. I loved every aspect of trek, that does include sleeping on rocks under the stars and waking up to a big black spider the size of a nickle about 10 inches away from my face. I can honestly say that I love my ma and pa, the Hursts, they were hilarious and amazing and I honestly feel like it was a blessing a got them. They made the experience so awesome for everyone including a 3 week old convert we had in our family! He didn't know much about our church history but he definitely was touched but all the hardships and struggles we learned about at each stop of our trek. It was only 2 days long but there is about a weeks worth of things to talk about. Every experience I had nearly brought me to tears and some managed to make me cry like a baby, it was wonderful and everyday since I got home I wished I could return to trek. I'm so thankful for the leaders who put it on and how strong many testimonies got because of those two days.

Conversion

Today in seminary we read 4 Nephi and we spoke abou how important conversion is. 

I love the quote sister McGruder gave us today because it really wraps up the whole meaning of conversion. There are few things that can impact a true conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but one of them is pride. At the beginning of 4 Nephi it discussed how happy the nephites and lamenites were after they had all been baptized and were living righteously. Quickly the lamenites began to be prideful and they lost all of their faith and started new churches and began criticizing the nephites and their beliefs. The nephites when quite a while before being effected but they began to be prideful too. When pride filled their hearts, the spirit left and contentions began in the land and there was unhappiness. I was really relating that to modern times and how there are few people who aren't prideful and are true members of the church. Not much has changed since the Lamenites began to be prideful and it's really sad but knowing how terrible pride is, it helps me remember to keep pride out of my heart and remember to love all of Gods children. "Pride is the great enemy of unitiy".

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! I love this holiday, especially recently since my testimony has become so strong. I've learned to really understand and appreciate the gospel, Christ, and everything we are taught. I went on trek this last weekend and the spirit I felt there while simulating the pioneer experience was absolutely outstanding. I'm gonna dedicate a few blogposts purely to my experiences on trek but I feel very blessed to have gone on trek before Easter. The gospel makes me so happy and with out the atonement , I would not be in the same spiritual place that I am right now. Nothing could make me happier than the power of the gospel and if I was instructed by the prophet to go to Zion, I know with all my heart that I would go. I'm so thankful for Jesus Christs coming to the earth and I'm so thankful for his resurrection. I love being a Latter-Day Saint with all of my heart and if I was given the choice to live my life a different way, I wouldn't. 

I love this quote from conference because it's so true. When I'm feeling spiritually strong and my testimony is strong, I feel love for all of Gods children. Love is such an essential part of the gospel and I'm so thankful for the love I feel all that I have in my life.

3 Nephi 28

Today in seminary we learned about Jesus's 12 disciples and what they desired of Jesus before he left earth. Nine of them wanted to live a normal length life and die at 72 to return to live with Jesus Christ again. Three others decided to live on earth forever to help the rest of humanity. We don't know for sure if they're still on earth, but I truly believe that those 3 Nephites still wander the earth and help people in need. As we discussed this topic in seminary I got a strong feeling in my heart that they are still on earth and it makes me feel very comforted to feel that strongly on the subject. It not only makes me want to be kinder to strangers I meet daily but it makes me want to do more service and love others more fully and all around be a better person.

Focus Your Life On Jesus Christ

In seminary yesterday we read 3 Nephi chapter 27 and it was Jesus telling the people what to call the church. He instructed us to call the church in His name and to pray in His name. Essentially we should do everything we do in His name considering when we are baptized we take His name upon us. It's so hard to remember all day that we have taken Jesus's name upon us because sometimes we will do things with out thinking and things we will regret. That's why Jesus died or us, so we can repent and hopefully better ourselves everyday to remember that we represent Jesus Christ in all we do. Wether strangers know it or not, it's important that in your heart you know that you're being a good representation of Jesus Christ and truly taking His name upon you in all you do.

D&C 110

Today I had a neat experience in seminary, a blessing if you will! My family and me are going on a trip this summer and we've been discussing various family home evenings we could have that teach us about the locations we are going. One of the locations is the Kirtland temple and my mom wanted me to give family home evening on it tonight. So I go to seminary today and my teacher tells us to go to D&C 110 to read a few verses, coincidently that verse is about an amazing vision that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had IN the Kirtland temple!! So I share this scripture with my family and it was a very spiritual discussion. The scripture is absolutely beautiful, miraculous and testimony strengthening and I highly recommend reading it. However, I'm not blogging about the scripture, I am blogging about the fact that u went to seminary this morning with no intentions of reading anything on the Kirtland temple e cause we are in 3 Nephi. It was such a cool little blessing that I found the perfect thing I needed to hear before going to the Kirtland temple. Had I not read that scripture, I wouldn't know the amazing experiences that have taken place in that temple. Going to seminary or other church meetings really can be a blessing in our lives and experiences like the one I had today really strengthen my testimony in the little things we do for church everyday. I love the gospel and I have total faith in every meeting we have been asked to attend and I enjoy attending them all.

Strengthen your tent!

3Nephi 22:2: Enlarge the platform of thy tent, and let them strengthen forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes;

Today we had a short lesson on explaining the importance of strengthening our tent, the tent being The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You don't realize it but there are little things everyone can do to help strengthen your stake! Sister McGruder told us to think of some thing we can do by ourselves to strengthen our stake. Because I am a youth and I have many stake activities, i have a lot of opportunities to be more friendly and make myself seem more approachable to meet new people. And usually at youth conference and girl camp we have a testimony meeting at the end and I've only bated my testimony once at girls camp. I think if I start baring my testimony more regularly it could really help me and inspire some of the other girls in my ward to go up too! As for expanding my tent, I hope to go on a mission at some point in my life. Being able to share the gospel is such a different an amazing feeling, I would love to be able I go off with no other distractions and just expand the Lords tent! 

Holy Ghost

Today in seminary we spoke about 3rd Nephi 20 and how the people were preparing themselves for he sent fathers return! We discussed how we would prepared if we were out in that position an we knew Jesus Christ was coming to visit. We read that the people were trying to really get into touch with the holy ghost my praying and mentally preparing. We discussed that the Holy Ghost isa separate being from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. And the Holy Ghost also a personage of spirit where as Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father have bodies. I really love learning little things like this, of course I knew these thing but i really appreciate the reassurance and how much my thoughts are provoked. These little topics are really fun to think about and help me understand deeper, the topic of the Holy Ghost. 

Bloggy-blog-blog

At the begining of seminary today, sis McGruder put up three statemtents on the wall:

• Pray before church to understand what im going to be taught.
• Ponder what you've been taught in church
• Pray about what you've been taught so that it's easier for you to apply it to your own life.

She then asked us to write down one thing that we do that makes the most impact on what we learn at church and afterwords, write down what we don't do as often or don't get as much  out of and how we can change that. I decided that the thing i get the most out of would be pondering what I am taught at church because of my blog. My blog has caused me to really reflect on my day to think about the things I was taught at seminary and how that effected my day. I am really thankful that I started my blog because I love having to make myself think about the things that were meaningful to me. I know i enjoy myself at seminary but it's a different thing when you have to express those emotions to other people and this blog has made it much easier for me. I am able to make my thoughts and feelings more clear in my own head and hopefully clear enough to explain to others! Pondering the things I am taught at church has really helped strengthen my spirit.

I then thought about what i could do more and i realized that when I'm saying my prayers, i generally dont include seminary in my prayers. I am going to really try to remember to pray about seminary and the things I am taught and how i receive them! I have feeling that it could really influence my experience at seminary and make it even better than it already it.

I hope that i cause you to think of these things as well, it's really important to me to inspire people through my blog :)

3 Nephi chapter 11

So we read an amazing chapter in the Book of Mormon today and it was really unique because it was a chapter of only Jesus Christ speaking after his resurrection. I feel like anything I say won't do justice to how wonderful this scripture is, and I highly recommend you read it for yourself. We had to do a worksheet that kind of broke down the first half of the scripture and helped me think more of my personal goals and my testimony so ill post some of the questions at the end of this so you can read this chapter and hopefully answer the questions in your journal! The feeling I got while reading these scriptures was just so unique and I seriously felt the trueness of the gospel and the importance of reading the Book of Mormon. Sis McGruder instructed us to write, "Jesus Christ invites me to receive a personal testimony that he is my savior" next to verse 15. That is the verse that he tells the people he is visiting to "thrust their hands into his side, and feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet." After the people had done so their reaction was " [they] did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come... They did cry out with one accord saying; hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him." Those verses are just beautiful, you can feel the amount of love and trust they have in Christ and I can't help but think about how we would react if this had happened now days. It would be amazing to see all of your friends and family rejoice so purely and lovingly about the return of their savior. This scripture has strengthened my testimony very much and I hope that you are compelled to read it too.

1. 3 Nephi 11:11-12

    •which of the saviors statements in this scripture is most meaningful to you?

    •why is it important that Jesus has always been submissive to Heavenly Fathers will?

2. 3 Nephi 11:13-15

     •the people went to the savior one by one until they had all gone forth. Considering there were about 2,500 people in the multitude, what does this teach us about how the savior feels about each one of us?

3.   •how do you think it would have affected you to be able to touch the wounds the savior received while atoning for your sins?

4. Consider writing "Jesus Christ invite me to receive personal testimony that he is my savior" in the margin of 3Nephi 11:11-15
     •what exercises have led you to gain your own testimony that Jesus Christ is your savior?
     •what do you think the savior would like you to do to strengthen your testimony?
     •when have you felt that the savior knows you and has blessed you individually?