Missing Children

     Recently there has been a lot of commotion here in Decatur County Tennessee. Some may have heard the sad news of the Kidnapping of Holly Bobo. Friends, family and strangers alike have joined together in a search to bring her home again. I can only immagine the worry that must be in the hearts of her loved ones, and I pray that she comes home safe!
     This is an incident that has caused some reflection and pondering on my part. I love trying to relate things to the gospel, and this is an epic topic to do it with. God is our loving Father in heaven. presently we are absent from his presence. He knew that sending us here to earth was going to be a struggle for each of us and that the opposition and trials each of us would face would sometimes cause grief, sorrow and pain. He loves all of his children so much that he allows us to exercise our freedom of choice. Some of these choices may not always be the best, but we learn from the mistakes of ourselves and the mistakes of others.
     This is one of those time where people may ask themselves the question, "why does God allow bad things happen to good people" well, in the Book of Mormon, another testiment of Jesus Christ, we can find answers to this question and other questions of the soul. the following link will take you to a chapter that has always given me comfort in my times of need and suffering :  http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2?lang=eng it is about a father teaching his sons why these things occour and how everything that is unfair in this life will be made right by the Atoning Sacrafice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
     Another point I would like to cover. Parents who may have lost a child by any cause, I'm sure, fear for their child. That is the way of a loving parent. They wonder about all the many things that could happen. I testify that God is the exact same way. As I said earlier, we are currently absent from his presence. And although he knows all things, he litterally fears for us and our well being. He knows the many diverse paths one can take in mortality and he, just as Holly's Parents, wants us to return. But out of his love he has provided a safe haven where we can be protected from all the things of the world. That place is church, A place where we and feel the arms of a loving God encompass us and protect us from harms way.
     I am greatful for the Knowledge we have of our father in heaven. I know that he watches out for us, and to the Bobo family, I know he has you all cuped in his hands wanting to give you the comfort that you stand in need of at this time. May we all meet together at the feet of Jesus one day! :) 

Blessings from Heaven

     Throughout the holy scriptures there are many instances where people have received blessings from heaven. and even today we see the hand of the savior in our individual lives. Since 2009 when I was set apart as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, until this present day, I have seen many mighty miracles take place assuring me that the Lord is at my side assisting me in this work. It sure is neat! Just the other day one of my dear friends named Daniel received a testimony of the great message that we have the privelage to share. The night it happened, my phone rang at 1:00 am with Daniel on the other end. When the answer to his prayer (weather or not the book of mormon was true and weather or not Joseph Smith was a prophet) was answered it came to him with such great force that he wanted to get baptized right then! What a wonderful experience that was for him. I love being ablle to see paople make changes in their lives, and I love seeing people receive answers to their prayers. It's just one of those great blessings that God our Father wants to bestow uponn us.
     There are also many unseen blessings that often go unseen at first. Back when I was serving in Mcminnville Tennessee My companion and I were taking the time each night to write down three things that we were thankful for and put them into a jar. At times it was hard to think of what to write, but over time the jar was filled and soon began to overflow. At the end of our time together we read a bunch of those little slips of paper. There were so many blessings to be thankful for. As we did this, I began to think of my life as a jar. Though sometimes its hard to recognize the blessings that have been given to us, eventually there will come a time when we realize that our lives are truely overflowing. My prayer is that we can all take the time to count our blessings and remember where thay came from. :)