Helping others

This is one of the reasons I joined the Church.
The LDS Church is one of the first organizations on the ground providing assistance around the world when disasters strike.

I think it is VERY important to help others and to give back to your local community and country as much as you can. When you give you get.
Our Heavenly Father blesses us many times over when we give to others unselfishly wanting nothing in return.

When we give it is important to do so in a way that no one knows who it is coming from if at all possible because we should not seek or get recognition for giving. Heavenly Father knows what we are doing and that is all that matters. The only reason I put at the top of this blog that I will be donating all profits was to let people know that I am not writing this blog for personal gain.

I encourage anyone who reads this blog to go out today or tomorrow and find someone to help, either financially, or just lending a hand to someone in need.
This world will become a much better place if we all help each other out!


Technorati needs to verify that I am the author of this blog by looking for a unique code. So I am posting this code YAAXJ9Y225W4 on this blog so I can have the blog added to their system. When it is verified I will remove this part of the post.

You lived with God

God is literally the Father of our spirits, and we lived with Him as His spirit children in a premortal existence before we were born on this earth.

Your life did not begin at birth, nor will it end at death. You have a spirit body (sometimes called the soul) and a physical body. Heavenly Father created your spirit, and you lived with Him as a spirit before you received your physical body and were born on earth. This period is called pre-earth life or premortal life.

Throughout your pre-earth life, you were taught the principles and commandments that would lead to happiness, with freedom to choose to grow in intelligence and love of the truth, or not. During this pre-earth life, Jesus Christ, then known as Jehovah was chosen as the Savior and you learned that, through Him, you would be able to overcome the effects of any wrong choices.
God’s purpose—His work and His glory—is to bring to pass the immortality (resurrection) and eternal life (life with God) of His children. He desires every one of His children to find peace in this life and a fullness of joy in His presence after this life. Heavenly Father knew that you could only progress to a certain point without the experience of mortality. In order to become more like Him, you would need to receive a physical body.

God our Father is the creator of our spirits, and we are created in His likeness physically when we are born.
Our mortal life also provides us with an opportunity to:

Gain experience from overcoming trials and temptations.
Learn to walk by faith.
Learn to choose between good and evil.
Thus, our Heavenly Father instituted His plan to help us reach our divine potential.

God has a plan for your life

Such questions as “What is the purpose of life?” or “Why am I here?” can be answered by understanding God’s plan for the happiness of His children.

In the scriptures God's plan is called the plan of salvation, the plan of redemption, the plan of happiness. The plan is centered on the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Throughout time, people have often pondered questions such as “Where did I come from?” “What is my purpose in life?” and “Where will I go after this life?” God has a plan for the happiness of His children: the plan of salvation, which is centered on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As you follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, you will find answers to these questions, gain lasting inner peace in this life, and earn eternal joy after death.

Before you began your life on Earth, you lived with your Heavenly Father as one of His spirit children. Although it was a joyful existence, God knew that you could not continue to progress unless you left Him for a time.

He allowed you to come to Earth, where you would gain a physical body and would have experiences that would help you to learn and grow, fulfilling the purpose of the plan of salvation: to help you become more like your Heavenly Father.

According to the plan, you could not continue to progress continually without the opportunity to enter mortality and receive a physical body. Here on earth you would have experiences that would help you learn and grow, and you would be proven to see if [you would] do all things whatsoever the Lord would command (Abraham 3:25). The purpose of the plan is to help you become more like your Heavenly Father. The fact that you are living on Earth means that you accepted Heavenly Father’s plan and came here wanting to do all you could to receive all He has to offer.

Knowing that we would commit sin in mortality, your loving Heavenly Father provided a Savior, Jesus Christ, who by His sacrifice would make it possible for all people who would comply with His gospel teachings to be forgiven through repentance and return to live with Him. Having a divine nature as a child of God, you can with the assistance and power of Christ, progress to become one day even as He is.

Understanding this eternal perspective can help you find happiness in your life, even amid trials and challenges. As a child of a loving Heavenly Father, you can view your struggles as stepping-stones bringing you closer to Him. As you ask for help and strength in earnest prayer, you can have the assurance that you are not alone. God loves you and will help you as you turn to Him.
God has blessed us with gifts to help us navigate our lives. One of the most precious gifts He has given everyone is the ability and power to make choices. Your Heavenly Father respects your freedom to choose and will never force you to choose what is right, nor will He stop you from being able to make poor choices. He will however, invite and endeavor to entice you ‘to do good continually’ (Moroni 7:13).

He knows that whatever your choice, you are also choosing a consequence. Consequences may appear immediately or may come much later. But choosing good eventually leads to happiness, and wrong choices eventually lead to unhappiness. Heavenly Father allows you to make choices and experience their consequences so you may learn the difference between good and evil. In learning to choose good, you are creating a pattern that will help you become more like your Heavenly Father.

Heavenly Father's Plan of Happiness

God’s plan of salvation and happiness helps you understand the purpose of life and your relationship with Him. Centered on Jesus Christ, God’s plan teaches where you came from, the purpose of life, and what happens when you die.

God’s plan of salvation answers life’s great questions, such as: “Where did I come from?” “What is my purpose in life?” “What happens when I die?”

Where did I come from? Your life did not begin at birth, nor will it end at death. You are made up of a spirit body (sometimes called the soul) and a physical body. Heavenly Father created your spirit body, and you lived with Him before you were born on earth. You knew and loved Him, and He knew and loved you.

What is my purpose in life? Your purpose in leaving God’s presence to come to earth includes obtaining a physical body, gaining experience, and learning to make right choices. God influences you to do good and to follow Him, while Satan tempts you to ignore God and commit sin. When you commit sin, you separate yourself to some degree from God. You cannot overcome sin and its effects without Jesus Christ. He voluntarily suffered for your sins, pains, sicknesses, and sorrows. This payment is called the Atonement. Christ’s atoning sacrifice makes it possible to be forgiven, which brings inner peace and happiness.

What happens when I die? Physical death is a step forward in Heavenly Father’s plan. At death, your spirit will leave your body and go to the spirit world, which is a place of learning and preparation. One of God’s gifts is the Resurrection, the reuniting of the physical body and spirit, made possible by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. After you are resurrected, you will go before God to be judged according to your works and the intents of your heart. If you have believed in Jesus Christ, repented of your sins, and followed His commandments, you will be able to enjoy eternal life in our Heavenly Father’s presence.

A greater knowledge of the plan of salvation has come because of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith. You can know for yourself that these things are true by asking Heavenly Father in prayer.

The Restoration of Truth

God is your Father in Heaven. He knows you personally. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and your Savior. His life and teachings are the way to peace and happiness.

God knows you personally and loves you more than you can comprehend. He wants you to be happy now and always. To accomplish this purpose, Heavenly Father has provided a plan called the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God; His teachings are the way to peace in life and joy for eternity.

As part of His plan, God has followed a simple pattern from the beginning of the world. He chooses a prophet (like Noah or Moses) to teach the gospel and lead the people. Sadly, most of God’s children have disregarded, disobeyed, and rejected His prophets.

As promised, Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life. He established His Church, taught His gospel, and performed many miracles.
Incredibly, even Jesus Christ was rejected. Following His death, many people began to drift away from or distort Christ’s true teachings. As a result, God withdrew His authority to direct the Church that Christ had established.

Our loving Father in Heaven is the “same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (see Hebrews 13:8). As in ancient times, He has followed His simple pattern in our day. He has again established the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth through a prophet. This prophet whom the Lord called to restore God’s truth is named Joseph Smith. The evidence of this Restoration is found in the Book of Mormon, which you can read, ponder, and pray about.

God continues to speak His words and reveal His truth in our day through a living prophet. If you ask your Heavenly Father in prayer, He can confirm the truth of this to you.

How finding the Church has impacted my life

Finding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has changed my life beyond description.
I am so blessed to have found the Lord's true Church on earth!
I used to be selfish and self centered, but now I try my best to dedicate my life to the Lord and his work.

I used to have a void in my life I tried to fill for years with buying things for my car and racing my car every chance I got. Now that I have found the Church I have finally filled the void in my life. Now I am at peace and feel so much more in tune with my life and the Lord.
I love the way the Church helps others every chance they get. I also thought I would have a problem with tithing 10% of my salary to the Church, but once I started doing it I started receiving many more blessings in my life, now I cannot imagine how hard life would be without tithing to the Church and helping others every chance I get.

My life is so much better I wish I had the words to describe how it has had a positive affect on my life.

Jesus Christ: Our Saviour

Our loving Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to show us how to live meaningful and happy lives and experience eternal joy after this life.

Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to live in His presence after this life. His plan, called the gospel of Jesus Christ, will lead you back to Him if you choose to follow it.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. It begins with faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ is believing in Him, trusting Him, and depending on Him. Faith in Jesus Christ leads you to want to change your life for the better. Through repentance, you change those thoughts, desires, habits, and actions that are not in harmony with God’s teachings. Heavenly Father promises that when you repent, He will forgive your sins.

Faith in Jesus Christ and repentance prepare you for baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ taught that everyone must be baptized of water and of the Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Through baptism by one who holds God’s priesthood authority and through receiving the Holy Ghost, you will be spiritually reborn. After baptism, God promises to give you the gift of the Holy Ghost, who will guide, comfort, and help you know and recognize truth.

The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through revelation from God to the Prophet Joseph Smith and other prophets. You can know for yourself that these things are true by asking Heavenly Father in prayer.

How can I know if this is true?

Well here are some ways to find this out for yourself, because everyone has a different way of finding out. It is a personal experience, the Lord does not let everyone know in the same way.


“I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:4

Your Heavenly Father is the source of all truth. He loves you and wants to answer your questions. Therefore, He will help you recognize the truth as you sincerely seek it and ask Him for guidance. You can know if the things you are learning are true if you ask your Heavenly Father in prayer. He desires for you to know the truth, and you can receive an answer from Him through the Holy Ghost. As taught in the Bible, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance” (Galatians 5:22–23). These feelings from the Holy Ghost are personal revelation to you that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is true. You will then need to choose whether you will live in harmony with the knowledge you have received.

As the Savior taught in the Bible, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7). Feelings from the Holy Ghost are personal revelation to you that confirm the truth of the Book of Mormon and the gospel of Jesus Christ as restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

The last prophet of the Book of Mormon, a man named Moroni, gave this remarkable promise to anyone who wants to know whether the Book of Mormon is true: “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4).

You can discover for yourself that what you’ve been learning is true by:
Sincerely praying to your Heavenly Father and asking Him if what you are learning is true.
Continuing to study and give thoughtful consideration to what you are learning.
Listening with your heart for the Holy Ghost to whisper the truth to you.
Following God’s commandments so you can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost.

The Articles of Faith

For my first post I would like to post up the Articles of Faith, these are some of the basic beliefs we have.

The basic beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are summed up in 13 simple statements penned by Joseph Smith as a response to frequent queries on the teachings and doctrines of the Church. These statements are now known as the Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

They are:
1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon this the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.

11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.