#SharetheGift: A Challenge

On Sunday I taught the lesson in our Relief Society. I had been strongly feeling for months that I needed to teach on a certain topic. My month to teach was nearing and then I found out I would no longer be able to attend that Sunday due to a baby blessing.  It was strange but I actually felt a little torn.  It was my sisters first baby and I definitely needed and wanted to be there but because I felt the urgency in my message I had feelings of uncertainty about not sharing the message I was supposed to in a timely manner. However, I knew that I needed to be there with my family and I was.  Over the next month my lesson morphed into something I wasn't aware it would become and I believe it was the exact message that I was meant to share with the Relief Society and Young Women of our ward (women that are 12 years and older). With the help of several who were willing to share their testimonies and experiences the Spirit was very strong and the direction the lesson took was guided heavily by the direction of the Holy Ghost.

On Sunday I felt nervous to teach, as usual, but I also felt a feeling of calm that doesn't always accompany my lessons. During fast and testimony meeting I kept feeling pushed to stand and share just a glimpse of my lesson with the entire ward.  I pushed it aside for a time rationalizing that I was already doing something "scary" or that made me nervous in Relief Society and that that was enough.  It most certainly was not because I felt pushed again and again and I stood. And now here I am again as I have felt prompted to share the message I was guided to share Sunday here on my stagnant blog. I hope that someone will come along and read and join in and #sharethegift this season.

First watch this beautiful video:

Birth of our Savior
 Years ago a babe was born in a manger; A baby that came to bring His Father's children back to Him.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

He lived as a perfect example and died to save us all. Jesus Christ made it possible for all of us to have salvation. "He is the Christ. He is Christmas. He is the Gift." He came to Earth to do his Father's work, "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39)".  In turn, as members of the church we have been given a 3 fold mission to help in the work of saving souls.We are to Perfect the Saints, Redeem the Dead, and Proclaim the Gospel.  Each of these directs us to share the gift of our Savior Jesus Christ.  What greater gift to give our brothers and sisters then to guide them back to their Father by sharing with them the Gift of Christ. President Ezra Taft Benson asked this question, “what can we possibly give to the Lord this Christmastime?” I suggest that the greatest gift we could give Him is one of His children; A child of God who has not yet received fully the Gift of Christ.

Now go and #SharetheGift by following the directions below:

Choose a Goal to Help in the work of Saving Souls
Choose a prepared goal below or create your own to fit one of the three sections. Select your goal prayerfully and with the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Your goal may not be what you expect. Listen to the Spirit and God will direct you to know how and to whom you might share the Gift of Christ.

Perfect the Saints (You, Your Family, and Your Ward Family)
Potential Goal - If you are not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make a goal to learn more about our Faith. (Chat with Missionaries Online, Request a free Book of Mormon and read it, or Read more at Mormon.org.)

Elder Bednar said, "When we invite you to attend church with us or to learn with the full-time missionaries, we are not trying to sell you a product. As members of the Church, we do not receive prizes or bonus points in a heavenly contest. We are not seeking simply to increase the numerical size of the Church. And most importantly, we are not attempting to coerce you to believe as we do. We are inviting you to hear the restored truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ so you can study, ponder, pray, and come to know for yourself if the things we are sharing with you are true."

Potential Goal - Make a personal goal to hold a current temple recommend. 

President Monson encouraged, “If you have not yet been to the temple or if you have been but currently do not qualify for a recommend, there is no more important goal for you to work toward than being worthy to go to the temple. Your sacrifice may be bringing your life into compliance with what is required to receive a recommend, perhaps by forsaking long-held habits which disqualify you. It may be having the faith and the discipline to pay your tithing. Whatever it is, qualify to enter the temple of God. Secure a temple recommend and regard it as a precious possession, for such it is.”

Redeem the Dead (Your Ancestors and Others Who have Passed on)
Potential Goals: - Work on your family history, find a name, and take it to the temple.
- Attend the temple more often to redeem the dead.

Elder Scott said, “Any work you do in the temple is time well spent, but receiving ordinances vicariously for one of your own ancestors will make the time in the temple more sacred, and even greater blessings will be received. The First Presidency has declared, “Our preeminent obligation is to seek out and identify our own ancestors.”

Proclaim the Gospel (Everyone)
Potential Goals: - Share the gospel (Bear testimony, give a Book of Mormon, share a Mormon message, etc.) - Extend an invitation to a neighbor, co-worker, acquaintance, friend, or family member. (Invite to Church, missionary discussions, an activity, Family Home Evening, etc)

President Eyring warned, “Well, the danger may be hard to see, but it is real, both for them and for us. For instance, at some moment in the world to come, everyone you met in this life will know what you know now. They will know that the only way to live forever in association with our families and in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, is to choose to enter into the gate by baptism at the hands of those with authority from God. They will know that the only way families can be together forever is to accept and keep sacred covenants offered in the temples of God on this earth. They will know that you knew. And they will remember whether you offered them what someone had offered you. It’s easy to say, “The time isn’t right.” But there is danger in procrastination."

Unified Deadline
If possible, set March 1st as your deadline to reach your goal. That gives you 12 weeks in your efforts. Also try to make the goal you choose be something that is attainable, something that can be completed. (Ex. make your goal to go x number of times to the temple per month not just to go to the temple more often or to find a name to take to the temple not simply to just do family history.) As we are all working and praying to fulfill our goals I know the Lord will bless us in our unified efforts.

Share and Learn Together
To create a little accountability to learn and grow from each other the sisters in our ward will be reporting back with their experiences and testimonies in a follow up lesson on March 1st.   If you'd like to join in and take this challenge with us you can come back to this post on or before March 1st and share your experience in the comments.  If you would like to be held further accountable to carry out your goal or simply to share your experience you may email your typed experience/testimony to becominglds@gmail.com and put “March Lesson” as your subject. If you send it to my email your giving me permission to share your experience in my Relief Society lesson on March 1st.

For God so loved the world and so loved you and you and you and every single one of us. He gave His son. He is the Christ. He is Christmas. He is the Gift. Share the Gift.

I Finally Did It!

Yep, that's right I created my profile on Mormon.org.  I am not quite done, I don't think. I think I will head back and answer a few more questions and add a few more stories, but it is there.  And yes, this means my identity will be revealed, well at least a picture.  Oooo, aaaaah!  I know, I know, not that big of a deal but I have been pretty private thus far.  This is a little weird for me.  So enjoy!  Now join me and create a profile of your own, you never know who it might help. 

Create a Profile, Be a Missionary

The Church is changing mormon.org and there will be some new features. They are urging members to "create your missionary profile—an exciting new way to share the gospel". They were hoping to be up to 1,000 profiles by the end of May and I am not sure if they made it or not but I am sure they would love more people to join in.

Here is what the site has to say about this new feature:

"Mormons come from diverse backgrounds and experiences who all share a deep commitment to Jesus Christ and to each other. The new Mormon.org is designed for visitors to learn more about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Each profile is a collection of stories and testimonies from Mormons. Participation is optional, but you must be a member of the Church to create a profile. The profiles will be made public this summer when the new site will launch. English-only profiles will be available this year; other languages will follow after."

Check it out and creat your profile. I am excited to see the final product when it comes out.

Mormon Missionaries

"You've seen them around. Maybe they've even knocked on your door. Have you ever wondered who they are and what they're doing? Find the answers in this video."



You can also watch other Mormons Made Simple Videos here.

Let Us Raise Our Voice of Warning

My heart has been filled lately. It has been filled with a greater desire to be missionary minded. My hope is that my missionary mindedness will not just be missionary thoughts but will be transfered into missionary actions.

I have had some great opportunities lately that have come in very simple ways. As simple as fullfilling my role as a visiting teacher or knocking on a strangers door to deliver a birthday card.

About a week ago I read the First Presidency message given by President Eyring in the January Ensign and felt a fire lit underneath me to get up and work. As I read it, it hit me in an extremely powerful way and I felt the great urgency and the great obligation that I have to follow through.

I now want to share some of the powerful words from this vital message.

If You Know You Should Warn
"Here is the charge given to each of the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: “Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor” (D&C 88:81)."

There is Danger in Not Warning
"The Lord would not use the word warn if there was no danger. Yet not many people we know sense it. They have learned to ignore the increasing evidence that society is unraveling and that their lives and family lack the peace they once thought was possible. That willingness to ignore the signs of danger can make it easy for you to think: “Why should I speak to anyone about the gospel who seems content? What danger is there to them or to me if I do or say nothing?”

Well, the danger may be hard to see, but it is real, both for them and for us. For instance, at some moment in the world to come, everyone you met in this life will know what you know now. They will know that the only way to live forever in association with our families and in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, is to choose to enter into the gate by baptism at the hands of those with authority from God. They will know that the only way families can be together forever is to accept and keep sacred covenants offered in the temples of God on this earth. They will know that you knew. And they will remember whether you offered them what someone had offered you. It’s easy to say, “The time isn’t right.” But there is danger in procrastination."

The Keys to Missionary Work
"I can still remember my mother speaking softly to me one Saturday afternoon when, as a little boy, I asked her for permission to do something I thought was perfectly reasonable and which she knew was dangerous. I still am amazed at the power she was granted, I believe from the Lord, to turn me around with so few words. As I remember them, they were: “Oh, I suppose you could do that. But the choice is yours.” The only warning was in the emphasis she put on the words could and choice. Yet that was enough for me.

Her power to warn with so few words sprang from three things I knew about her. First, I knew she loved me. Second, I knew she had faced similar situations and had been blessed by making the right choice. And third, she had conveyed to me her sure testimony that the choice I had to make was so important that the Lord would tell me what to do if I asked Him. Love, example, and testimony: those were keys that day, and they have been whenever I have been blessed to hear and then heed the warning of a servant of the Lord.

I testify that only accepting and living the restored gospel of Jesus Christ brings the peace the Lord promised in this life and the hope of eternal life in the world to come. I testify that we have been given the privilege and the obligation to offer the truth and the choices which lead to those blessings to our Heavenly Father’s children, who are our brothers and our sisters. Jesus is the Christ, He lives, and this is His work."

These are only a few selections of this powerful talk and I urge you to read it in it's entirety.

We can and we must show a greater love to our neighbors, our colleagues, and our families and friends. We can and we must be good examples. We can and we must share our testimonies of the truth. We know what other's do not know. We have been warned. We have the truth. We have testimonies.

I urge us all today to find the courage within ourselves to share what we know with someone who has not yet been warned or who has forgotten the warning they had once received. I challege us all to pray for opportunites to share the gospel, to have the courage to bear our testimonies, and to stop procrastinating the sharing of this urgent message.

Let us go knock on our neighbor's door, mention the gospel to a co-worker, or share our testimonies with our loved ones. As I felt when I read this article I hope we can all feel and act on the urgency and the obligation of this charge.

Let Us Raise Our Voice of Warning!

I'd love to hear your wonderful missionary experiences or thoughts on different ways we can reach out and share the gospel.