Lifelong journey following our Savior

"Discipleship is a lifelong journey following our Savior. Along our metaphorical path from Bethlehem to Golgotha, we will have many opportunities to abandon our journey. At times it will seem that the path requires more than we had wished for. But we must have the courage to follow our Redeemer, even when our cross seems too heavy to bear.

With every step we take following the Son of God, we may be reminded that we are not perfect yet. But let us be steadfast and constant disciples. Let us not give up. Let us be true to our covenants. Let us never lose sight of our Advocate and Redeemer as we walk toward Him, one imperfect step after another."

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"Four Titles"
April 2013

Living the Gospel Joyful

We need to accept that the commandments of God aren’t just a long list of good ideas. They aren’t “life hacks” from an Internet blog or motivational quotes from a Pinterest board. They are divine counsel, based on eternal truths, given to bring “peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.

Part of our challenge is, I think, that we imagine that God has all of His blessings locked in a huge cloud up in heaven, refusing to give them to us unless we comply with some strict, paternalistic requirements He has set up. But the commandments aren’t like that at all. In reality, Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us. It is our fear, doubt, and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us.

His commandments are the loving instructions and the divine help for us to close the umbrella so we can receive the shower of heavenly blessings.

-Elder Dieter F. Utchdorf 

"Living the Gospel Joyful"

Every worthy adult to carry a current temple recommend

I will never forget a sauna-hot day in the lush rain forest of southeastern Nigeria. My husband and I had traveled to one of the most remote locations in our mission so he could conduct temple recommend interviews with members in the Ikot Eyo district. Some in this growing district had been Church members less than two years. All the members lived 3,000 miles away from the nearest temple in Johannesburg, South Africa. None had received their temple endowment. These members knew the appointed day each month we would come to their district, but even we didn't know the exact hour we would arrive; nor could we call, for telephones were rare in that part of West Africa. So these committed African Saints gathered early in the morning to wait all day if necessary for their temple recommend interviews. When we arrived, I noticed among those waiting in the searing heat were two Relief Society sisters dressed in bold-patterned wrappers, white blouses, and the traditional African head-ties. Many hours later, after all the interviews were completed, as my husband and I drove back along that sandy jungle trail, we were stunned when we saw these two sisters still walking. We realized they had trekked from their village—a distance of 18 miles round trip—just to obtain a temple recommend they knew they would never have the privilege of using. These Nigerian Saints believed the counsel of President Howard W. Hunter: "It would please the Lord for every adult member to be worthy of—and to carry—a current temple recommend, even if proximity to a temple does not allow immediate or frequent use of it." In her hand, carefully wrapped in a clean handkerchief, each sister carried her precious temple recommend. I carry their examples of faith carefully wrapped in my heart. 

These women made a sacrifice by simply being obedient. We don’t know the end of this story, but we are taught in Alma 37:6, “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass;” Sacrifices can be caused by circumstances out of our control. If proper priorities are set, it can diminish the impact of the sacrifice


(Sister Anne C. Pingree, Saturday Morning Session, October 2003)

Lesson 9: Is Teaching for Me?

I have come to learn that becoming a teacher is pretty difficult.  There are 20-30 different students that all have different levels and abilities that you need to take into factor and some of the students you would like to go further and others you need to hold back on and help them catch up with the rest of the class. I feel like being a teacher is like spinning multiple plates on balancing sticks at once. I have wanted to be a teacher for years and have done it in my parents classrooms and this semester has just invigorated me to becoming a teacher as well and I am really excited to enter the teaching world. I would say Ive already done volunteer work in the classroom before this class so I wouldnt attribute my decision to this class, but just the service placement has helped in general and I encourage all students to try it before they decide to move forward. I guess my next steps are starting the major next semester and I will be volunteering in the classroom for three weeks I believe, so I will continue my hours in the classroom until I graduate I believe. 

Christ at the Helm

As Elder Dallin H. Oaks has taught us: “It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

True obedience, therefore, is giving ourselves entirely to Him and allowing Him to chart our course both in calm waters and in troubled ones, understanding that He can make more of us than we could ever make of ourselves.


-Von G. Keetch
"Blessed and Happy Are Those Who Keep the Commandments of God"
Oct 2015

Blog Entry #8 Assignment

This blog or portfolio that we are creating with our thoughts and notes written on them is really helpful and effective to help me develop my teaching skills. I had forgotten some of the things or views that I had expressed and love that they are here at my disposal anytime I want. I just wish some of the video and audio assignments that we turned in were all handed in through our blogs that we I can review them years later to either motivate me to be better or laugh and think how foolish I was at the time. I have no idea how on target I am, but I think I am doing good with the teachings and hope that I will be proud of how good I was in this class to help me get a leg up in the teaching industry. Yeah I think having this blog has really helped me dig deeper and understand and apply my service hours and try to see if they were effective and what I want to incorporate and not incorporate into my future career. I think the biggest development I see from my first to last blog post is that there is more than one way to teach. As teachers we are handed a book that has the required teaching criteria's and that we need to present it to students to be able to pass off state testing that occurs at the end of the years. This class has taught me that class doesn't have to be boring and we can be adventurous and explore new and different styles of teaching to help the students learn better than the boring lectures that we've all experienced in our classes at one point in time or the other.

Charity the Pure Love of Christ

1 Nephi 19:9 And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.


Ether 12:33 And again, I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world, that thou mightest take it again to prepare a place for the children of men.

34 And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father.