Things of my soul

I've committed myself to not hit the backspace key, whatever I say will be said. I've tried keeping journals and I do ok for a while but it never lasts. Hopefully this lasts longer! My mom was quite enthused by the idea of me starting a blog, she said it would be a great way to keep people updated on my mission (which is coming up, stay tuned) and even if nobody reads it I think it'll make me feel better just to say things that I feel like saying and throwing them out to the ether.

This weekend was conference and more than ever the Brethren know what we need to hear and they are not afraid to say it. I've been thinking a lot lately about missionary work and how we can teach those around us. My testimony has been greatly increased over the conference weekend but it is not even close to enough to keep my testimony in a pretty box to be looked at from time to time, I need to share it with the world! For two solid years that's all I will be doing and even when I get back I will continue to do so, hopefully without ceasing.

My ultimate goal is the same as every single other person's: to be happy! Lucky for me I know how to achieve it, and if I don't do what is necessary to attain true happiness the fault falls to no one but myself. Christ has shown us the way, He truly is the Light and the Life of the world. His light cuts through the mists of darkness to reveal the one and only path. We can look for happiness anywhere we please, but Christ has already decided where we will find it. We have in our possession everything we need to return to His presence, it is now entirely our decision whether we follow the path that has been revealed or fall away to forbidden paths and lose ourselves to Satan.

I have a lot to say but I don't always know how to say it. I hope as time goes on that I will be better able to articulate my thoughts sufficiently to organize them into comprehensible words that can be carried by this medium to those who wish to read them.

I love music and I want to learn to bear my testimony effectively through it. I want more than anything to inspire myself to do good continually, and hopefully to influence others to do good as well. I am so looking forward to serving a mission for the Lord. I know without a doubt that the work we pursue is right and true, and I want to increase my faith and trust in Him through selfless service. I know it will be a difficult challenge but without trials and difficulty our progress would be stagnant and absolutely nothing worthy would ever be accomplished. This is how I know I want to better myself and cut away all impurities in my soul to eventually be perfected in Christ, even though I know that cannot come to pass until the next life. The gospel makes me happy, even if I don't always remember it. This is where I need to be and I know that I am preparing to do what the Lord wishes me to do. There is power in that knowledge!

If you are not familiar with the teachings of the Book of Mormon, I would strongly encourage you to acquire a copy and study it. I know that if you truly wish to learn from it you will receive a witness of Christ and that through prayer and His holy spirit you can and will come to know of the truth of the things written there for yourself.

Time is not our friend, how much longer do we really have? As is written in Alma, we do not have time to procrastinate our repentance. The gospel of Christ is so simple, there are only four basic principles we must follow: To have faith in Christ, to repent and be baptized by the proper authority, to keep the commandments, and to endure to the end. If you think about it, how far is the end anyway? The saddest words ever said or written are the words, "what might have been?" PLEASE!! There is no time to waste! There is so much work to be done before the night is ushered in! Do not leave yourself with regrets.

Last conference President Uchtdorf gave a talk titled 'The Love of God' and in it he stated that from the time of Adam until now, the deepest miseries have come from the love of the wrong things, and the most profound and lasting joys come from the love of good things, and that the greatest of all good things is God. The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart might mind and strength, and if we do this everything else will fall into place. Our lives will be filled with joy and we will have peace in our hearts, even in a world that is increasingly vicious and restless. Nothing can make us happier than following Christ, we as a nation and as God's children would do well to remember that.