Be.....Alright.

If you don't know this by now, you probably should- One of my favorite quotes ever is, "Come What May and Love it." Elder Joseph B. Worthlin said this a few years ago, and for the course of most of my mission it has became a motto for me. 

I have found though that it's really easier said then done. I find it's really easy to spout it off when others are having a hard time, or if I am just jokingly saying it when something small happens... But when the time comes to really put this phrase into place... That's when I find myself struggling with the application. 

So the real question is... Why I am I telling you all this.... Well for one, I am needing some creative ideas for my blog, this one not being one of them, and second of all.... I felt like someone out there needs to hear this today. Today there is someone that needs to know that everything will be alright, today there is someone whose heart is saddened, and who feels broken, and to you... Whoever you are... "Come What May, and Love it." It might sound harsh at first, but it seems like for every good day there is a bad, for everyday of sunshine there is a period of night, for every Friday of Crucifixion there is a Sunday of Resurrection, and for every valley there is a mountain. Somedays this motto of "Come What May" is the only hope of getting through the hardships..

So how do we find this attitude??.... Well in on of my favorite hymns (I Believe in Christ, 134), it reads- I Believe in Christ, So Come What May. That's how we find it, through faith in Jesus Christ. . . Life somehow becomes so much easier as we put our faith and trust in the Lord, and Savior. Its as if these troubles MELT from us, and we feel the warmth of the light, and Spirit again. 

So for you, whoever you are... Take your time to read the scriptures, and to pray. These are two ways of developing this attitude of conversion. I know that you can make it through, and that everything will Be Alright.

Be Prayerful!!!

Let me ask you this, Have you ever felt that no one is around that really wants to listen?? Or maybe, You feel that the pain of things is about to break you... I have learned that we just have to surrender, and fall to our knees. My sister recently sent me an amazing plaque that says, "When Life Knocks you to your Knees, You're in the perfect position to Pray." This is true. I have been knocked to my knees many times, and the only way that I have been able to find the strength to get up is to pray for help... "Prayer is the Passport to Peace." Life is hard, and when we turn our hearts and mind to our Father in Heaven, He will give us the strength to overcome that trial that lies before us. I had been praying for some help in different areas, and I felt that God hadn't been hearing my prayers, then one day I was searching for something to blog on and I found this....

This was sent as an answer to that prayer.. I know that if our Heavenly Father could speak to us face to face during our trials, he would most definitely tell us something like this! :) He is always trying to make us into something better then what we are, and that is what I learned that day. What a blessing it was for me that day, and I hope that someone out there will find the same answer and peace this brought to me. I love prayer, and I know that, "When life gets to hard to stand, (We must) Kneel!" :)

Be Devout!!!

1. Come, thou Fount of every blessing, 
 tune my heart to sing thy grace; 
 streams of mercy, never ceasing, 
 call for songs of loudest praise. 
 Teach me some melodious sonnet, 
 sung by flaming tongues above. 
 Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, 
 mount of thy redeeming love. 

2. Here I raise mine Ebenezer; 
 hither by thy help I'm come; 
 and I hope, by thy good pleasure, 
 safely to arrive at home. 
 Jesus sought me when a stranger, 
 wandering from the fold of God; 
 he, to rescue me from danger, 
 interposed his precious blood. 

3. O to grace how great a debtor 
 daily I'm constrained to be! 
 Let thy goodness, like a fetter, 
 bind my wandering heart to thee. 
 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, 
 prone to leave the God I love; 
 here's my heart, O take and seal it, 
 seal it for thy courts above. 

My companion, Elder Horner, and I decided to sing

this musical piece today for a meeting that we

had with all the other missionaries. I was really 

paying attention to all of the lyrics and there was 

one line that really stood out to me.... Which one 

Speaks to you??? 

Well the one that hit home for me

is the line that reads, "Take my heart, O take and

seal it, seal it for thy courts above." I love these 

words! What greater gift can we give God then to give 

him our will, and heart. I know that if we can really 

apply this song to our lives we will one day live 

with him again. What an amazing day that will be. 

We all may have those days' that we feel that line,  

"Prone to wonder, Lord, I feel it, prone

to leave the God I love..." I know that I have felt this. 

And if you really focus on giving your whole heart to him

and ALWAYS remember him, you can overcome those

feelings. You are human, and so am I. I have found in my 

life that I can overcome all things in Christ! :) 

I am truly blessed to have this testimony!! 

Blessed...

To start off, the most important thing I can say is this... I have the greatest friends in the world. The last few days I've realized how important it is to be close to people who have strong faith in The Gospel. I've learned life lessons through their testimonies and have found a greater love for my Savior by their doings. The quote, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care" really rings true for me this week. I have so much to say, and really don't know how to say everything at this time. I guess I can do this, and bear you my testimony. I don't know that I've yet done this on my blog, but here it is-

I have testimony of this Restored Gospel. I have the strongest love for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for all that He has done for me. The perfect example He has set for me is something that I reflect on time and time again. I know that the only real way to find happiness in life is to follow Him and to strive to become as He is. I know and understand that it's our choice to do so, all He can do is simple invite. I have a testimony of the Atonement. It's not until you're at the lowest points in your life that you begin to understand the great love that the Lord has for you. I would not be able to go throughout my day without the knowledge and understanding of Chirst's sacrifice. It brings me comfort to know that He suffered all things that I go through. He lives and He knows and loves all of us individually. I'm forever thankful.

I have a testimony of Eternal Families. I love my family so much. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of them and what they have done for me. My testimony was first planted by my wonderful parents, who love the Lord and have devoted their lives to the Gospel. It's because of them and the things that they taught me in my youth, that I have had the opportunity to become the man I am today. I love them so much, and I'm so grateful to be able to live with them forever. The blessing of my family is something that will never end. The rest of my family is much the same as my parents, they are wonderful people who strive to live more like our Savior. I know that because of the sealing power of the Priesthood we can all live together in the eternities.

I too have a testimony of friends, Good and Bad. I know that as we surround ourselves with people who strive to live the Gospel, we can find in our own testimonies growth. The things that I've learned from my friends' examples and knowledge has been life changing in my life and will never be forgotten. I have some of the greatest friends. I've been blessed. I know that those people we surround ourselves with, are who we become like. It's happened to me in both scenarios, good and bad.

I have a testimony of the power of The Book of Mormon, the reality of The Restoration, and  magnificent calling of The Prophet, Joseph Smith. I know that The Book of Mormon is scripture, and that it can change your life, like mine, if you but let it. The power and goodness of this book is something that I have recently been touched by, and that has changed my life forever. I know that its true, and will forever defend my love for it. I am grateful for the Restoration of the Gospel and Joseph Smith's hand in so doing. I know that many scriptures were fulfilled because of his heroic courage. I know that because of him we are able to again be blessed by the fullness of The Gospel in which Jesus Christ taught.

I'm truly grateful for the time I have had to be a missionary. I love this Gospel so much and I would give anything to help someone receive these things that I hold so dear to my heart. I would be so selfish if I didn't share the things that I've been taught in my life. I'm forever grateful for my "Missionaries" (Mom & Dad, Family, and Friends) who taught me about the Gospel by their examples and through their testimonies.  I know that these things that I have written are in fact true. I hope that in someway your testimony of the Lord, Jesus Christ has been strengthened upon reading these words. I love him greatly, and I thank our Heavenly Father each day for the blessing of this Gospel.

"Who R U?..." (Day 16)

There are so many people around me that are inspiring. My mom, dad, sister, brother, brother-in-law, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. There are missionaries I look up to, people I try to be like, sports stars, musicians, and many more.. Let's just say, whatever you do... someone is always watching you. :)

I look up to so many people and hope to one day be as great as many. There is a few though that stand prominent at the top of my list that I didn't mention... Some that the normal people would forget about, these are:

-The Prophet; Thomas S. Monson-

One of my favorite quotes said by him is this..
"We tend to become like those whom we admire."

And at the top of the list is....

Christ is the perfect example and the greatest inspiration to me.

 I long to be more like him each day and hope that through my faith I'll be strengthened to do so. I'm so grateful for men and women who live good lives. They are the ones that make me want to be a better person! :)

"I am still learning." -Michelangelo

1. Let the Holy Spirit guide;
Let him teach us what is true.
He will testify of Christ,
Light our minds with heaven's view.

2. Let the Holy Spirit guard;
Let his whisper govern choice.
He will lead us safely home
If we listen to his voice.

3. Let the Spirit heal our hearts
Thru his quiet, gentle pow'r.
May we purify our lives
To receive him hour by hour.

The reason I post these lyrics, is because I need to do a better job at letting the "Holy Spirit Guide" me. This morning I lost something because I didn't head the promptings that I recieved. I had the thought, "I should leave this in the car", but instead of going with it, I thought, "It will be much safer in my pocket".  I'm pretty upset with myself, that I didn't pay more attention, and that I relied on my own knowledge.. I was totally wrong, and now I'm paying for it. During the course of my morning I realized that it had fallen out. I have no clue where it's at... I hope the Lord will give me another chance, and guide me this evening as I go in search of finding my lost item! One thing that I do want to say is that, "The Lord is in the Details of Our Lives." No matter how big or how small, he's aware of everything, and anything. As we rely on him, and follow him, we'll be so blessed. He really does know it all, and I myself, need to do better at following his council.

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

I've been thinking about this the last few days... I think that this quote really rings true to a lot of people (including myself) at times, because of the world and it's spotlight on fame, we have everyone thinking that they need to become something other then what they are. Maybe a sports star, or the most popular head cheerleader.. Have you ever thought of you needing to be on student council, the most muscular guy, or the smartest girl in the class? What about becoming the President of the U.S.A, or the girl on the cover of some magazine..? The list goes on and on..

The first thing that came to mind was- if you really want something, you have to work for it. Richard G. Scott said this, "We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day." Also I found this quote that applies, "We tend to live up to our expectations".

I want to say this as well, the world constantly tries to make us into something we're not, and it's all part of Satan's plan to get us unfocused on the things that matter most. The question is then, what does it take to make it big in the world and to fill that sense of accomplishment? Well I know that the greatest example that we have to look toward is our Savior. President Hinckley gave us some awesome attributes to focus on that will help us to be great people, and indeed more like Jesus Christ.  

 "It takes courage to grow up and be who you really are"... and the greatest person you can become is that like Christ.. :)

Words... Of Wisdom :)

It was battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
Hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"

"Three dollars once, three dollars twice,
Going for three". . . but no!
From the room far back a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet,
As sweet as an angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its bow.
"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand.
What changed its worth?" Swift came the reply:
"The touch of the Master's hand."
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Much like the old violin.

A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on,
He's going once, and going twice -
He's going - and almost gone!
But the MASTER comes, and the foolish crowd,
Never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul, and the change that's wrought
By the touch of the MASTER'S hand.

A picture of something you love

Why do you love the SCRIPTURES??? :)

Day 09

- A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most -

All of the aspects of human existence, brought about by the fall, Jesus Christ absorbed into himself, and he experienced vicariously in Gethsemane all the private griefs, the heartaches, all the physical pains and handicaps. All the emotional burdens and depressions of the human family. He knows the loneliness of those who don't fit in, or who aren't handsome or pretty, he knows what it's like to choose up teams and be the last one chosen, he knows the anguish of parents whose children go wrong, he knows the heartache of the abused child or spouse, he knows their things personally and intimately because he lived them in that Gethsemane, experienced having personally lived a perfect life he then chose to live our imperfect lives in the meridian of time the center of eternity, he lived a billion, billion lifetimes of sin, disease, pain, and sorrow, God has no magic wand in which he waves bad things into non-existence the sins he remits he remits by making them his own.

DAY 4!!

So this one is kinda interesting... :) haha It's suppose to be a picture of your night! Well.. :) I'm going to pretend that I did this yesterday.. and tell you about Sunday Night!! :)

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday The Nashville Tribute Band performed right here in Tennessee for us! It was such an amazing experience to hear these beautiful songs, and also to feel the Spirit. The band has 2 (with 1 coming out soon.. AUGUST 4th, 2011) Albums. These songs testify to us of the Prophet, Joseph Smith; The trek of the Pioneers to Utah; and the newest of the 3, the great oppurtunity to be a MISSIONARY!!

Below are the lyrics to my favorite song!!!

HE WALKED A MILE IN MY SHOES

Written by Jason Deere

He lived 2000 years ago…I believe
So how could he truly know me
Though the son of God, my life, my friend
Still it’s hard for me to comprehend
And I wonder

      How could He know the heartache I feel
      When He lived a perfect life
      From Gesthemene to Calvary
      Was it really for me that He died
      Then the Spirit whispers
      These words ringing true
      From the garden to the cross
      He walked a mile in my shoes

Down on His knees in the garden that night
With tear-stained eyes
He lived each moment of our lives
Every fear and insecurity
That I’ve ever known
My every fallen moment, He has atoned
Still I wonder

       How could He know the heartache I feel
      When He lived a perfect life
      From Gesthemene to Calvary
      Was it really for me that He died
      Then the Spirit whispers
      These words ringing true
      From the garden to the cross
      He walked a mile in my shoes

"Never be afraid to sit awhile and think." ~Lorraine Hansberry

Today, I was looking through some art and found this beautiful and magnificent painting.

In this small, yet powerful piece of art, we find the light of hope in the darkest of our trials.

  

Through the Atonement, we are able to be free from not just our sins, but from our pains, afflictions, temptations, and sicknesses! We find this in Alma 7:11-12.

 "11-And he shall go forth, suffering pains and ^aafflictions and ^btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ^ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12-And he will take upon him ^adeath, that he may ^bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to ^csuccor his people according to their infirmities."

Click RIGHT HERE to find more info. about Christ!!

I find so much joy in thinking about this concept. Often times we, as Disciples of Christ (in our MANY denominations), lose sight of the main thing that binds us all together, and that is the LOVE that our Redeemer has for us. :) So right now, I ask that you stop and think of what Christ's suffering in the Garden means to you. I hope that it brings you the same JOY it did me!! :) I would love to hear your thoughts on this!! So leave some comments! :)

"What a MESS!!!"

As missionaries we get a day off from our usual routine of spreading The Gospel, this is called our preparation day! On one of our P-Days we decided that we wanted to make some sweet tie dye shirts. We went to the Wal-Mart there in Franklin, and got our supplies. Well if you know the process of making a tie-dye shirt, you know it’s VERY messy! So first of all you take your article of clothing and fold it. Next you have to soak the shirts (or whatever you’re dying) in a solution for 5-15 minutes. After you do this, then comes the fun! You’re instructed to “MAKE A MESS”! haha SO you pour on as much dye as you want. Usually the more dye, the cooler the shirt! After that you have to let it sit for a while, and then you wash it. (Washing it takes forever!! Thanks Sister Austin & Winder!!) :) The shirt is beautiful now and you get to enjoy!

So you’re probably wondering why I’m even bringing this up. I was thinking about it this morning and tie-dye is so much like life! How do you think it compares??? :) I need your response!

THE TAG!!!

So this picture describes me to the fullest and really shows to the world what I am!! I love this picture.

SO this is my missionary nametag!!  You might notice my name, “Elder Lund”. You might recall that Elder isn’t my first name (but it means someone who’s set apart to spread the gospel)... That’s not the point. It only says, “LUND”, this represents years and years of what my family has worked for, and what they have made that name become. I hope that makes sense. I don’t just wear, “Garrett” on my chest, I truly represent generations of wonderful people. I love my family more than anything else (CHECK OUT MY FAMILY POST).  I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I, in anyway, was to dishonor THEIR name. Your name should mean everything to you. It represents your values and who you are as a person.  I’m humbled greatly by my call to represent such a wonderful group of people!

Next, you’ll not just notice the name of the Church I represent, but most importantly, the name of the Savior, Jesus Christ. My family, this past week, sent me a few things and one of them was a cool card. On the front it has a picture of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and it says, “My Missionary Commission”. On the backside it reads, “I am called of God. My authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Master and he has chosen me to represent him. To stand in his place, to say and do what he himself would say and do if he personally were ministering to the very people to whom he has sent me. My voice is his voice, and my acts are his acts; my words are his words and my doctrine his doctrine. My commission is to do what he wants done. To say what he wants said. To be a living modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of his great and marvelous latter-day work.”