Faith, Hope, Charity

Everything that is of any substance or meaning in this life is tied to one or all the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. Everything in my life that has meant anything to me has been experiences that left me with Stronger Faith, Renewed Hope, and a Deeper Sense of Charity. One of the greatest examples of this miracle is the oppurtunity I had to serve my Savior on the beautiful Island of Taiwan. Before I left, I knew that I was applying Faith to go. But, more importantly I recognized that the Faith of so many others is what had brought me to there.
It was on my mission that I realized the Faith of all of you TRULY was the wind beneath my wings.
I know that Faith is Power. I testify that Faith is Real. Faith is True. I am so grateful to so many for the influence of their faith in my life! Thank you to all.
It is because of all of these my dear friends that I had the Faith to finish my mission, the Faith to come home, the Faith to keep going, the Faith to TRULY live here and now in My Foreign Home.

“We must walk by Faith rather than by Sight.” - Preach My Gospel

My Foreign Home +
















Recently, I’ve found myself-
In a land I’ve never been.
I love this place. I’m here to serve-
In a home that’s quite foreign.

I left that which I called my house-
That place where I fit in.
My tongue has changed. My knees are worn-
In this home once so foreign.

I worried that I’d lose a lot
But, oh, what I have gained!
I understand! I’m who I am.
It’s the past that feels foreign.

What did I do? How was my life-
That one I left behind?
I can’t go back. I’ve come to far-
In this foreign land of mine.

I wonder what the days will bring
When, again, I’m on my own.
Will I go back? Will I be me-
In my future foreign home?

Then something whispers to my heart-
“There’s more for you to win.
You’ve lived before. You’ll live anew-
In another home foreign.”

Hope and Faith then come to me-
As something so surreal.
This knowledge sweet. It seems so right.
This earth has a foreign feel.

I am so grateful for this place –
The now in which I roam.
I’ve come to see what’s really true
Thanks to this, My Foreign Home.

A Noteworthy Lesson

I was sitting there wide-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to learn the ways of missionary work. You could still see the creases on my white shirt that revealed I’d just pulled it out that morning and put it on. It was my first real meeting of my first full day of my mission. It had come! I was a missionary. I’ll never forget the feeling I had in that meeting and the power I felt in joining my voice with other missionaries as I for the first time gave myself over to a hymn and truly sung, “Called to Serve”.
It was during that meeting that I heard a phrase that has forever changed the way I look at reading, writing, and all literature in general. In reference to the importance of taking notes that older Brother very passionately said, “Elders, realize that when you put your pen to paper and write down the feelings and impressions you have – you are bringing Heaven to earth. “ Naturally, I wrote that down. I captured that bit of Heaven, immediately.
I’ve thought many times about the TRUTHFULNESS of that phrase. When you put your ideas to paper you take a concept, something that is inherently spiritual and give birth to its reality. Whether it’s the ink spilling and then staining the page in various lines or chunks of graphite sticking to the paper, you make it tangible, substantial, and real.
Before this last week I thought of the ability “to bring heaven to earth” as a given. I hadn’t ever tried to conceive what a world without unlimited college-ruled paper and Bic pens would be like. In going to the Special Collections section of the Library this past week I finally realized what a blessing even the ability to write my thoughts on paper are. It TRULY is a gift to be able to write.
About half a century ago there were still men who would dedicate multiple years and even decades of their lives to the writing of a single bible. Can you imagine? That quad I carry around was printed and put together in a matter of days by machines. What would it be like to write the bible?
Man has instinctively sought the ability to record that which is important. Whether it be a cave wall, clay, a stone, an animal skin, plates, a scroll, a dried papyrus, a book, a piece of paper, or a blog – writing is a human need.
I, for one, am so grateful for the scribes of the past. A world without men who are willing to write would be a world unwilling to learn, grow, and improve. Writing is the process of turning blood into ink. The import of this art will forever affect the lives of mankind. To write is to believe. To record is to grow. To inscribe is to inspire.

Paul's sharpest letter

As we all ran quickly from the scene of the crime, we heard the old lady yell at us, “You troublemakers!” Once again all my little cronies and I had successfully snagged some fresh corn from behind the old lady’s house. We ate it and thrived on the mischievous high of getting away with yet another prank. Or so we thought. Sure enough, that mean old lady called our mothers and in a rage reported our wrongdoings. We were busted.
Paul found himself in a situation somewhat similar when writing the Galatians. Troublemakers had come among them preaching their own version of the doctrine of Christ. In sheer anger, Paul writes perhaps the ‘sharpest’ letter of his life. It was for good reason. Just like the old lady – he was right. And the troublemakers were wrong.
Now that I’m older, I’ve learned that self-gratification and self-aggrandizement at the expense of others in ANY shape or form is never right. The blasphemy of reassurance through comparison poisons the soul. We are not MORE special. When we realize we are special in His eyes because of who we are – then and only then are we able to find true contentment.
The “troublemakers” in Galatia weren’t stealing corn. They were robbing others of something of infinite value. They stole the confidence of those seeking Christ. Through their ideas they declared that they were not worthy of the Lord’s atonement. Ironically, this very pain-instilling action had been suffered for by the very Master they claimed to know. Paul’s anger runs deep because of his deep knowledge of the converting power of the Savior Resurrected. He knew personally that the Savior could change ANY man. Paul, having received this witness, knew of the Atonement’s vast importance.
Thankfully, a sin as grievous as those of the young ruffians stealing from the old lady or the crime committed by the troublemakers of Galatia are wrongs we know little of and never make. WRONG! Every time we judge those around us we are in some small way saying, “The Atonement can’t change that person.”
Truth: The power of the Atonement is real. And it is accessible by the boy, the man, the Jew, the Gentile, and any who seek it.