Goodbye Clarksville

I can't stand goodbyes. They get me everytime. This is a picture of me leaving my family at the curb at the MTC. Probably one of the hardest goodbyes I've ever had to say. I was leaving the people that I love and have spent my whole life with, for two years to serve the Lord. I never thought that the strong feelings I felt as I left my family would ever come back again. Haha oh was I wrong...I get those same feelings everytime I leave an area. I had spent 7 months of my mission up there in good ole Clarksville and leaving that place on Tuesday was like leaving my family all over again. It killed me as I went over to a few of the members' homes and said goodbye for the last time. I know that I will be back to visit in the future and I cannot wait for that day, but for the last time as a missionary, I said goodbye to those people that I have grown to love. I truly felt like I belonged in that ward. I felt the trust between us and the members of the ward flourished greatly. I felt a pure love for those members. Not only because of our same faith or beliefs, and not only because they were awesome people, but because almost every single man in that ward family was fighting for our freedom. Fighting for our great country so that we have the oppurtunity to live the Gospel that we know is true. I have never been so grateful for the soldiers until I spent my time in Clarksville. I had grown to love not just the Mormon soldiers, but the other soldiers as well (soon to be Mormon..) It was tough for me to leave Clarksville because I loved it. Now if it was tough for me to leave Clarksville, I can't imagine the pain and the sadness of our Heavenly Father when He said goodbye to all of us for a short time. Before we came here, we lived with Him and we were taught by Him. He taught us the Gospel and taught us the things that we need to do to be happy. He sent us here so that we can become more like Him. He loves us, and that's why he said goodbye to us for a short time. I know that one day, we will return to see Him again. I also know that one day, I will return to Clarksville and have a joyous homecoming there.
I Stand All Amazed...at the love of our Heavenly Father

Reflections of Christ

http://youtu.be/Wf8ZYz-opxk

This video is touching. I felt the Spirit so strong as I watched it. I felt like with Him I can do all things and I know that that is true. The feelings of love, peace, and joy that you will feel as you watch this is the Holy Ghost telling all of us the Jesus is the Christ. I testify that He is. Not only did He suffer for our sins, but he felt all of our pains and sicknesses. He has felt all of that for us so that we don't have to. Those feelings of guilt and shame and worthlessness that come directly from the devil himself, have already been felt by our Savior so that we can take those burdens to His feet. His yoke truly is easy and His burden is light. I know of these things myself because I have taken my burdens and sins to the feet of the Savior. I witness that those feelings that I had of guilt and shame are totally gone. I cannot begin to describe how much that has blessed my life. I love Him. I cannot wait to hug Him and give Him my thanks for everything.

I Stand All Amazed....at Jesus The Christ.

The Bridge

This is the turntable bridge here in Clarksville over the large Cumberland river

Every missionary remembers his "Trainer." A trainer is a new missionary's very first companion. The trainer shows the new missionary the "ropes" of how to be a good missionary. Mine was named Elder Tim Simmons. Boy, did we have our share of experiences together! Getting bottles thrown at us, getting yelled at, seeing people accept committments, seeing people deny the blessings of the gospel, watching fourth of July fireworks on our balcony, having air freshener fights during comp study, serving together, teaching together, laughing together, crying together, testifying together and many more good times we had together. I love Elder Simmons. He taught me the things that I needed to know to be a good missionary. I was his companion for 3 months and then Elder Simmons went home to St. George, Utah to be with his family. He is now engaged. Before he left, he let me write down this poem that he has. This poem has powerful effects on whoever reads it. I do warn all of you, you will feel the Spirit of the Lord as you read the poem below.

The Bridge
"There once was a big turntable bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river parallel with the banks allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge But at certain times each day a train would come along, and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river allowing the train to cross with passage wide enough for a train to cross.

A small watchman sat in a tiny shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, be looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight, and caught sight of the train's light. He stooped to the controls and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position for the train to cross, and moved the lever to lock the bridge into position, but to his horror, he found the locking control didn't work. If the bridge was not locked securely into position, it would wobble back and forth and when the train came onto it, it would cause the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people onboard.

He left the bridge, turned across the river, and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a lever which he could use to operate the lock manually. He would have to hold the lever back firmly as the train passed. He could hear the rumble of the train now, and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on this man's strength
Then, coming across the bridge from the direction of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold...

'Daddy, where are you?' his four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child: 'Run!' but the train was too close; the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left the lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety, but realized he could not get back to the lever in time, Either the people on the train or his little son must die.

He took just a moment to make his decision.....The train sped swiftly and safely on its way, and no one aboard was aware of the tiny, broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the on-rushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of a sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed. They didn't see him walking home more slowly than he ever walked to tell his wife how he had sacrificed their son.

Now if you can comprehend the emotions which went through this man's heart, you can begin to understand the feelings of your Heavenly Father when he sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son died? And how does He feel when we speed along life without giving a thought to what was done for us through Jesus? When was the last time you thanked Him for the sacrifice of His Son?"

I know that Heavenly Father loves all of us very much. It saddens me when we talk to people who do not have a belief in God. I try to see them as God sees them. I know that He loves them, because I know that He loves me. I try to see them as He would, and we try talking to them as He would have us do. I am very grateful for the knowledge we have of our Heavenly Father. He is there. I know He is there because I feel the Holy Ghost when I speak about Him, and especially when I talk to Him. I love Him and I love His Son. His Only Begotten Son. His perfect Son. His only Son that made it possible for us to return to live with Him again. May we all remember more often the Ultimate Sacrifice that has been paid for us, and as we do this, I know that our relationship with our loving Heavenly Father will grow.
I Stand All Amazed...at the love of our God.

Jesus Wipes Away Tears

I was sitting here at the computer desk a few weeks ago and Sister Logan's bible opened right up to Revelation 21:4.."And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;.." She has a note written on the side of that verse and it leads to Isaiah 25:8.."He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces;.." As I read those two scriptures I thought about an experience I had a few years ago. I was about 14 and I was just doing the things a normal 14 year old Mormon kid does...still playing with Legos, going to Church on Sunday, playing roller hockey with my buddies everyday after school...yall know how it is. Dad was on a business trip...a very long one, and Mom was stuck with us for the time that Dad was gone. One night we were all in bed and I couldn't for the life of me fall asleep. It was pretty late, and upstairs I heard someone sniffling and talking. I needed a glass of water anyway, so I got outta bed and quietly walked up the stairs. I got to the top of the stairs and looked down the hallway to my parents bedroom. I peered around the corner, and saw the lamp beside my Mom's bed on, and my Mama kneeling beside her bed praying. She was sobbing and in her hands she was holding a Zip-Loc bag with some of Dad's clothes in it. Seeing that sight tore me up inside. It still does today as I remember it. Here was a woman that I love and adore with all that I have, here was a woman that does everything to help us without complaining once, here was a woman that put up with all the crap that I gave her as her hyper child, here was a woman that was filled with compassion and charity for all men, here was a woman that IS my superhero, and there she was helplessly sobbing. I walked down the hallway and into the doorway. My Mom looked up at me and said, thru bright red eyes and thru sobs, "His clothes smell like Zip-Loc!" Side note...Mama has this thing about smells. Like before I left to the MTC we were sitting in In-n-Out burger and she was next to me just smelling me. I still love her though. Un side note...At that moment I could've either laughed my head off or do what I needed to do. I kneeled down beside the bed and just held my Mom in my arms. We cried together for a while. As I look back on that memory, I learned many things that night. One thing I learned is that our Savior wipes away our tears. He gives us hope and reassurance when we are in dire need of it. He comforts us like He promised He would in John 14:18. He heals us just like He did in the Book of Mormon to some of the Nephites. He loves us. He wiped the tears away from our faces that night. He really does do what He promises He will do. I testify that He lives. He loves us so much that He has provided a way for us to be comforted. He will never leave us alone. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. I love Him.

I Stand All Amazed...at the perfect, sinless, and amazing Jesus Christ.

Hugging the Savior

12 May 2010

This was one of the hardest days of my life... 

Brylee

Brackin

Brooke

Mama

Dad

On this day, I hugged my life away. (Yes that just rhymed and yes I just thought of that...) I hugged away everything. My family, my "old life", my buddies, my education, my Lake Powell, my everything. I hugged away all that, because I love Jesus Christ. This was the day when I entered into the Missionary Training Center (MTC) to become a missionary and to serve my Savior. I had no idea what I was getting into. I didn't know what to expect, how things are ran, or what I needed to learn, but I did know that it was my duty to serve. I did know that I needed to be an example. I did know that I would have no friends at home anyway because they are all going on missions haha. I did know that I loved our Redeemer, so I left. Of many things that I have learned, here is one: this whole mission thing isn't about me! Its not about Elder Stringam at all. Its about the Lord and being in His service. Its about serving the people down here in TN. Its about loving the people that we come in contact with. Its about learning how to hug the Savior. In life, we face good times and bad times. We face hard times and easy times. I've learned that as you serve with someone, thru the bad and the good, you get to know them better and you see that you have grown to love that person. As a missionary, you are with your companions 24/7. All day, every day. Every second of every day. As yall can imagine, this can get quite annoying at times! But its taught me about service and love. Not only have I grown to love the people that I have served with, but I have learned how to love the Savior. As I have served with Him, I've learned how much I love Him. I can't explain all that he went thru on our behalf or how he went thru it, all I know is He did do it. And I love Him for it. I'm so grateful for this oppurtunity that I get to be serving with Him. I cannot wait for the day when I can hug the Savior and tell Him thank you for what He has done for me. I hope all of us can do better in serving our Savior and in the back of our minds, always have the picture of us hugging Him.

I Stand All Amazed...at our Savior Jesus Christ.





Watch Your Step!

http://lds.org/pages/watch-your-step?lang=eng

Elder Holland's talk is stirring. When he speaks, he follows the Spirit and that's why you hang on every word that leaves his mouth. How often do we "watch our steps"? How often to we justify sin or gratify our pride? How often do we give place for the enemy of our souls? It doesn't have to be with just pornography, it could be with anything. All it takes is one small step the wrong way and then it becomes an addiction. Lying, immorality, drinking, smoking, etc. These are not from God! These are from the enemy of our souls! That's what Satan wants us to do. He wants us to be addicted to something and try to take away our agency because we are dependent upon that substance. I think I have posted this video before, but Elder Ballard explains perfectly what we must do to rid ourselves of an addiction if we didn't "watch our step" and we fell into the wrong way: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry8-YIwnEcU

I testify that all of us can be freed of any addiction thru the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He has felt that pain, guilt, and sorrow. He's felt the times where we have felt alone. He's felt the temptations and the enticings that we face on a daily basis. He has suffered all that for us, so why should we have to suffer it as well? Put it away, leave no place for the enemy of your soul to harrow you up to depression and anguish! As Nephi says, "Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul. Do not anger again becasue of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions. Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation." (2 Nephi 4:28-30) Let us all no longer droop in sin and let us cry unto the Lord and Rejoice.
I Stand All Amazed....at the Healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

America the Beautiful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzs52OzgWOs (Here is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing this song)

During our church service today, we as a congregation sang "America the Beautiful." I felt the Spirit so strong as I thought about our great country. It was very special because as we sang it, I was sitting next to the son of the Bishop. We blessed the sacrament together today and as we sang up on the stand, I looked over and there were tears streaming down his face. Not only was this young man proud to be an American, but there was something else behind those tears. I can only imagine the hard times and pain that he had to go thru as he saw his father go off to war mulitple times. I wish I could relate to him somehow. To have the emotional stress of being without your Dad during your growing years is pretty tough, but to have the thought of him being shot at and being in harm's way everyday while he is gone is stress that I don't think I could handle. In admiration and respect, I sat next to this young man today in our service and sang this song with a grateful heart. I am so very grateful for the military men and women who protect us each day. My heart is full of thanks and gratitude for all that they go thru. One of those soldiers was Elder Logan: (He is a few years older now than he was in this picture...haha. But only a few!)

I am grateful for his service, and even more grateful for the Man of God that he is. I look up to Elder Logan a lot. He is a man of wisdom and knowledge, and he loves and respects others; especially his sweet wife. I am very grateful for this country. I'm grateful for all the freedoms that we enjoy including, boating on gorgeous Lake Powell:

I can't say it any better than Toby Keith, I am proud to be an American! Here is a tribute to all the soldiers fighting for our freedom. I am so thankful for my brothers and sisters out there doing this for all of us. I am proud to be an American!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZf619DIpo

I am in awe at how the Lord works. He knew that there needed to be a free nation in order to restore the Gospel and He has given us just that. I love Him. And I know that He has given us this land to enjoy and to remember Him. (How can someone look at the picture of Lake Powell above and not think of Him?)
I Stand All Amazed...at our country, our freedom, and the sacrifices made for us to enjoy them.