The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

As many, or most of you, know I am a member of a church that means more to me than almost everything else. I have a very strong love for this worlds Savior and I know God still helps us, cares for us and has a plan for all of us. Something that has helped me in knowing these things and feeling what I do for this church are the testimonies of the people I love and are closest to me. Seeing what they will go through and sacrifice to go out in the world and teach others about the true gospel of Jesus Christ is how I know it’s true.

I’m very lucky to have friends out on missions because that way, once a week, I get to read their testimonies and hear about their experiences out on the field. This week my “cousin” TJ, who I care about very much, wrote an email about what he is going through. He, like his mother and younger brother, is suffering from something called Lyme disease and right now it is pretty bad and he is in a lot of pain which is keeping him from being able to be out preaching the word of God which he was sent out to do. But instead of complaining about it, he has managed to turn it around and have it strengthen his testimony and I just had to share a little of what he wrote so that you can understand the example he is to me:

The mission is totally different than what I thought it would be. I thought I would be an impervious machine of baptism, and that God would take away my limitations so that I could do what I wanted to do in the way I wanted to do it, to experience what it's like to feel completely normal and work hard without the trials of a physical ailment. But that was a very selfish desire that is simply not God's plan for me... I am not a machine, I am a Son of God, a servant of Him set apart for the salvation of souls. That’s a whole heck of a lot better than a machine. I am a fallen man striving to experience the gospel and atonement of Jesus Christ in my own life, I am relatable. I can mourn with those who mourn, comfort those who stand in need of comfort, rescue the lost, bring light to the dark. I Chose a mortal existence with the rest of my brothers and sisters, I raised my hand for every flaw and fallacy that I am. And to wish to be above that is to reject my calling. I am not impervious, I am Man. I am the atonement at work, both the cleansing and enabling power of the atonement, every single day. And that is what the Lord needs, not some Robot that has no flaw. He wants me, a living, breathing product of the Atonement of our Savior. If there is anything I have learned it is this…A refiner’s fire is better than the complacency of machined perfection! Truly, that was Satan's plan, God wants a refined tool crafted by the Masters hand, not a cookie cutter, machine processed tool, stamped out and sent to work only to dull at the first sign of a hard day’s work. He wants the BLACKSMITH'S hammer to fall, afflictions purifying flame, and temptations billows. A work proven, tested and tried! That's what I want to be, and if this is the necessary process, then lock and load and saddle up cause this ain’t no 440 stainless you’re dealin’ with, my goals are much higher than that!! So add some weight to that cowards hammer, get that snake a bigger billow, and put some fuel on that wussy's fire! I don’t really know what else to write about this week, or even if this is just a young man’s rant.

Me and TJ at Winter Formal in 2007


Me and TJ on my sumer vacation in 2010.