The View From the Top

...The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the ^bearth, and ^call things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its ^dmotion, yea, and also all the ^eplanets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator. - Alma 30:44



I grew up in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, states that are known for their majestic mountain ranges. One of my favorite places to be is in these mountains. Everything up there seems so calm and peaceful. I love to sit there and look around and marvel at the beauty that surrounds us. We can look up into the heavens and see all the distant stars and planets. From the mountain top we can see everything for miles and miles on a clear day. We have that ability to see all that God's created for us. All we have to do is look.





I've spent my fair share of time in these mountains and it never ceases to amaze me at what our Heavenly Father created for us. I've had some of my most spiritual experiences while basking in the quiet reverence of the wilds of our country. From the powerful force of constant falling water, to the beauty of a sunset, to the complexcity of a blooming flower, everything in nature tells me that God exists, and that He loves us so much that he created the earth for us to enjoy.



Elder Adams at Lost Creek Cave



  

Sunset in McMinnville, TN





I know that God lives, and that He loves each and everyone of us. All we have to do is take the time to look around, and we can know for ourselves.



Elder Holder enjoying a day in the UT high country



Two Silver Dollars

Sometimes the simplest act has the most profound impact. We may have no idea what someone is going through, but a simple act of kindness can change someone's life for the better.

6 Now ye may suppose that this is ^afoolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by ^bsmall and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

7 And the Lord God doth work by ^ameans to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very ^bsmall means the Lord doth ^cconfound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

Alma 37: 6-7

Elder M. Russell Ballard shared this story to illustrate the Savior's point that by small things great things come to pass.

Oftentimes we are like the young merchant from Boston, who in 1849, as the story goes, was caught up in the fervor of the California gold rush. He sold all of his possessions to seek his fortune in the California rivers, which he was told were filled with gold nuggets so big that one could hardly carry them.

Day after endless day, the young man dipped his pan into the river and came up empty. His only reward was a growing pile of rocks. Discouraged and broke, he was ready to quit until one day an old, experienced prospector said to him, “That’s quite a pile of rocks you are getting there, my boy.”

The young man replied, “There’s no gold here. I’m going back home.”

Walking over to the pile of rocks, the old prospector said, “Oh, there is gold all right. You just have to know where to find it.” He picked two rocks up in his hands and crashed them together. One of the rocks split open, revealing several flecks of gold sparkling in the sunlight.

Noticing a bulging leather pouch fastened to the prospector’s waist, the young man said, “I’m looking for nuggets like the ones in your pouch, not just tiny flecks.”

The old prospector extended his pouch toward the young man, who looked inside, expecting to see several large nuggets. He was stunned to see that the pouch was filled with thousands of flecks of gold.

The old prospector said, “Son, it seems to me you are so busy looking for large nuggets that you’re missing filling your pouch with these precious flecks of gold. The patient accumulation of these little flecks has brought me great wealth.”

I know that as we do small acts of loving service, we will become more like our Savior. We will gain a greater understanding of his love and a greater desire to share His message with others.

Just Keep Playing!

You're probably wondering what in the world a piano has to do with me or missionary work, so here we go.

The piano is one of the hardest instruments to learn, but is one of the most beautiful to listen to. It takes years of practice to be able to play it well, and seldom comes easily to people. For many it is a symbol of frustration and others, a symbol of accomplishment. Most people start playing at a young age, so they can easily learn good playing habits, the positions of all the keys, and how to make simple chords into beautiful songs. So how does this relate to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? President James E. Faust related this story:

This the story of a young piano student. His mother, wishing to encourage him, “bought tickets for a performance of the great Polish pianist, Paderewski. The night of the concert arrived and the mother and son found their seats near the front of the concert hall. While the mother visited with friends, the boy slipped quietly away.

“Suddenly, it was time for the performance to begin and a single spotlight cut through the darkness of the concert hall to illuminate the grand piano on stage. Only then did the audience notice the little boy on the bench, innocently picking out ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.’

“His mother gasped, but before she could move, Paderewski appeared on stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. He whispered to the boy, ‘Don’t quit. Keep playing.’ And then, leaning over, the master reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized.

“In our lives, unpolished though we may be, it is the Master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear, time and time again, ‘Don’t quit. Keep playing.’ And as we do, He augments and supplements until a work of amazing beauty is created. He is right there with all of us, telling us over and over, ‘Keep playing."

God sent His Son to show us the way to return to Him. He is the ultimate Master. When we accept Him into our lives and learn to follow Him, He helps us create something beautiful, the best gift God has to offer. Eternal Life. I am grateful that Jesus Christ is my Master and is teaching me to just Keep Playing.

Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration

This video is an amazing testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the struggles of his life as he brought about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am forever grateful for the faith that he had as a young boy, the strength he showed as a man and the work that he accomplished as a prophet of God. I add my testimony to the millions that have been borne that Joseph Smith was called of God, that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of our Heavenly Father. I know that we have a living prophet today, and that he leads and guides us in the ways of God and Jesus Christ.

The Temple: The House of the Lord

The Temple is a place that we can go to find answers, to find peace, and to learn about our Heavenly Father and His eternal plan for each and every one of us, his children. It is a place where we make sacred covenants, where we can become Eternal Families, and where we can help our ancestors accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

President Thomas S. Monson said this about the blessings of the Temple:

“As we go to the holy house, as we remember the covenants we make therein, we will be able to bear every trial and overcome each temptation. The temple provides purpose for our lives. It brings peace to our souls—not the peace provided by men but the peace promised by the Son of God when He said, ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’”

President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, described additional blessings of attending the temple:

“When members of the Church are troubled or when crucial decisions weigh heavily upon their minds, it is a common thing for them to go to the temple. It is a good place to take our cares. In the temple we can receive spiritual perspective. There, during the time of the temple service, we are ‘out of the world.’
“Sometimes our minds are so beset with problems, and there are so many things clamoring for attention at once that we just cannot think clearly and see clearly. At the temple the dust of distraction seems to settle out, the fog and the haze seem to lift, and we can ‘see’ things that we were not able to see before and find a way through our troubles that we had not previously known.
“The Lord will bless us as we attend to the sacred ordinance work of the temples. Blessings there will not be limited to our temple service. We will be blessed in all of our affairs”

I'm thankful for the opportunity to go to the Temple and learn more about Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. Whenever I am in the Temple, I feel the Spirit so strongly. It has helped my faith and understanding grow so much. I'm so excited to witness people who have been converted go through the temple and make sacred covenants. I'm excited for the day after I return from serving my God that I can enter into the Temple and be sealed for time and all eternity to my family.