Good Bye and Hello

As we end the summer sessions of school and begin the fall semester, we have many students moving out of the apartments and MANY moving in.  We probably have about 105 new members coming into our ward.  Which means there will be about 50 that are either coming back after being away all summer or who are staying.  I have really grown to love all of these kids.  It's amazing how that works.  As I see so many leave, I am sad and hate the thought of never hearing from them again.  Although I really hope that isn't the case, reality tells me that it will be the case with some.  As they leave I tell them to not forget us.  As I thought about this recently, I had an amazing and better understanding of Jesus Christ and how he has asked us to "always remember Him."  He called his disciples to meet with Him when He knew that His time on this mortal earth was about to come to an end.  He instituted the sacrament as an ordinance where we could physically do something that would help us to never forget the things He did for us, to help us remember his atoning sacrifice.

Matthew 26: 17 ¶Now the first day of the feast of ^aunleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the ^bpassover?

 18 And he said, Go into the city ^ato such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My ^btime is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.

 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the ^apassover.

 20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.

26 ¶And as they were eating, Jesus took ^abread, ^band blessed it,and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my ^cbody.

 27 And he took the ^acup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ^bDrink ye all of it;

 28 ^aFor this is my ^bblood of the new ^ctestament, which is shed for many for the ^dremission of sins

Luke 22:19 ¶And he took ^abread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my ^bbody which is ^cgiven for you: this do in ^dremembrance of me.

 20 Likewise also the ^acup after supper, saying, This cup is the new ^btestament in my blood, which is shed for you.

1 Corinthians 11: 23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took ^abread:

 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in^aremembrance of me.

 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Jesus Christ gave His life for us!  He atoned for our sins and took on all our sorrows and pains so that we wouldn't have to bear them on our own.  The pain was so great that He bled from every pore.  What a great and incomprehensible sacrifice.  And so He asks from us is to "always remember Him."  Don't forget what He did for every living soul.  

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we partake of the sacrament every Sunday.  It is a sacred time where we renew our baptismal covenants and promise to not only remember what Jesus did for us but we promise to take His name upon us and to keep His commandments.

So next Sunday, when I sing the sacrament hymn and I listen to the sacrament prayers, I will remember Jesus Christ.  I will strive to take His name upon me and keep His commandments.  Is that really so much to ask?  Not after what He did for us.

To my dear friends in the 251st ward, I will also try to remember them and hope they will remember me.  And as they remember me, I hope they will ALWAYS REMEMBER that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice.  He loves each of us.  That is so evident by what He did for us.  We are members of His church.  What a great honor that is and what a great responsibility.  Good bye my dear friends.  Best of Luck and God be with you.  Hello my new friends.  I can't wait to get to know you!

DATING ADVISE

So a couple of nights ago I was talking to a young man in our ward who has been dating a young woman in our ward throughout the summer.  I think I can say he is in love with her.  I’ve watched them and have to agree with many that they are a great match.  He told me she is “his twin.”  Here’s the problem, she is leaving to go back to her home in California because she was not accepted to attend BYU in the fall or winter and she has been accepted into a program back home into a field she’s been trying to get into.  He is going to BYU and has checked into transferring to a school in CA but his credits will not transfer.  Neither want to have a long distance relationship and neither one wants this to be the end.  WHAT A DELEMA!

So they have this problem and don’t know what to do.  And no one can tell them what to do, but some advise can never hurt.  In our  religion, we truly believe that God helps us make these important decisions by promptings from the Holy Ghost and from advice from others.  We also believe that we are “instruments in God’s hands” (see Alma17: 9,11) and He uses us to help others.  With that said, I felt impressed to offer some advise to this great young man.

This is the email I sent to him:

"As I walked this morning I listened to a talk by Russell M. Ballard from the April 2012 conference.  There were some things he said that I thought related to you and K as you try to figure out what to do now.  There's a lot that doesn't but you still ought to read or listen to it.  

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/that-the-lost-may-be-found?lang=eng

Some things to think about (quotes from his talk):

When people make family and religious commitments to gospel principles, they begin to do better spiritually and often temporally as well.

the most important cause of our lifetime is our families. If we will devote ourselves to this cause, we will improve every other aspect of our lives and will become, as a people and as a church, an example and a beacon for all peoples of the earth.

may I suggest that we prioritize. Put everything you do outside the home in subjection to and in support of what happens inside your home.

Remove any of your fear with faith. Trust the power of God to guide you.

To you who are not yet married, pay careful attention to finding your eternal companion…..

And to you young women, I would add that you must also not lose sight of this responsibility. No career can bring you as much fulfillment as rearing a family. And when you are my age, you will realize this even more.

As you seek to live the gospel and doctrine of Christ, the Holy Ghost will guide you and your family. You will have a spiritual GPS to tell you always where you are and where you are going.

Me again to my friend…I can't tell you what to do.  You can't tell K what to do, but I will say, if she is the "one" for you or rather if she is the one you would love to be with forever, then don't lose her.  Don't let her go.  Find a way to make this work.  (Is there a different school around here that she can get the same degree? etc.) Trust the Lord.  Remember to do the things that Pres. Mullen (our Stake President) has counseled us:  read your scriptures daily, pray daily, attend the temple, follow the for strength of youth pamphlet, and act and don't be acted upon.  The Lord will bless you for your efforts.  He loves you and He wants you to be happy and He will guide you and help you.  Seek His inspiration."