So I have decided to officially turn my blog into my personal journal on the mission. I have asked the sister to keep it up.. we'll see if it even happens. But here is the first major step in preparing for the mish... the talk!!! Yes, I know this is nerdy, but I am quite proud of my talk, so now you get to read it.
I am a child of God
As young children in primary we were taught one of the most basics songs in the songbook. It teaches us many different principles. This song is one of my favorites,
I am a child of God, and he has sent me here.
Has given me an earthly home, with parents kind and dear.
I am a child of God, And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand his words Before it grows to late.
I am a child of God. Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will, I'll live with him once more.
I am a child of God. His promises are sure;
Celestial glory shall be mine, If I can but endure.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do To live with him someday.
In our song we sing that we are children of God. For us to be children of God, it means that God is our Father. In the dictionary it explains that a father is a male being who creates, and raises beings. Before the earth was organized our Heavenly Father created each of our Spirits individually. We progressed as far as we could, but we needed bodies to continue our progression to become perfect. After the earth was created each of us received a body of flesh and bones. We were sent to this earth to continue to grow and to become like our Father in Heaven. Every person here today, and on this earth is a child of our Heavenly Father. As members of the church it is our responsibility to proclaim this truth to those less fortunate to hear it.
The second verse of ‘I am a child of God’ says we need help to understand his words, before it grows too late. Yes, even the adults need help understanding his words sometimes. But adults and children in the church are not the only people that need help. Those not of our faith can find it difficult to understand our values, and commandments. For example, some might find it hard to believe in the Word of Wisdom, some might ask why we need to refrain from hot drinks. It is our part, as members of the church, to explain why we believe what we do.
The third and fourth verses talk about the blessings that we will receive. If we accomplish our Heavenly Father’s will we can live with him once more. Heavenly Father’s will is to have us all return to Him. Notice it isn’t just the righteous, or the people who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but all. Heavenly Father wants every boy, girl, man and woman, whether they have committed the worst sin, or if they have told just one lie. Again, it is in our position as members of the church to preach the Gospel wherever possible.
In a week and a half I will be on my way to Brazil, to teach those down there the Gospel. A couple months after I leave, my brother will head off to Russia, to preach the Gospel there. As missionaries called by the Lord, we are called to specific areas of the world to spread the gospel. Before we head off to the MTC, we will be set apart by the priesthood authority. We will receive the right and privilege to represent the Lord. But with this authority we will be expected to live worthy of our callings. As the Lord’s representative, we will be ‘an example of the believers’. We will need to strive to live according to God’s commandments and keep the covenants we made in the temple; know the scriptures; be courteous, on time, and dependable; follow the missionary standards of conduct; and love the people with whom we serve and work.
The work of bringing others unto Christ is not solely the responsibility of the missionaries. The responsibility is also rested on the shoulders of every member. President Hinckley said, ‘So many of us look upon missionary work as simply tracting. Everyone who is familiar with this work knows there is a better way. That way is through the members of the church. Whenever there is a member who introduces an investigator, there is an immediate support system. The member bears testimony of the truth of the work. He is anxious for the happiness of his investigator friend. He becomes excited as that friend makes progress in learning the gospel.’
The members do the best missionary work. Think about your lives, how many of us have friends who were once active, but have gone inactive? How many of us have friends who are not part of our church? How many of us have family members that are struggling with the gospel concepts, and need our help returning to the fold? If each of us brings our friends, families, and neighbors to the gospel, think of the joy that will bring to your own life. Doctrine and Covenants 18 states, ‘And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me in the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!’
President Eyring has also talked about the importance of member missionaries. He says, “Our ability to touch others with our warning voice matters to all who are covenant disciples of Jesus Christ. 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’ That command and warning of danger was given to those called as missionaries at the start of the Restoration. But the duty to warn our neighbor falls on all of us who have accepted the covenant of baptism. We are to talk with nonmember friends and relatives about the gospel. Our purpose is to invite them to be taught by the full-time missionaries who are called and set apart to teach.”
When we were baptized we entered into the covenant. Since we have the knowledge of the Gospel we need to share it, not only because we want to, but also because we have been commanded to. It is our responsibility to find people to be baptized.
There are many ways we can start becoming member missionaries. We can start by loving everyone, serving them, and being an example to them. Christ has told us, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Christ is one of the best examples of love that we have, although, Christ didn’t have the simple form of love, but charity. Charity is the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection. The pure love of Christ. Christ demonstrated charity in every aspect of his life. He healed many sick and afflicted. He had compassion on the blind, and gave them sight. Christ loved the lepers even though they were outcasts; he went to them and healed them. Even today we are benefiting from Christ’s undying love. Christ went through the most excruciating pain to pay for our sins. His burden was created by our sins, and it was so great that he bled from every pore. Yet, he loved us enough to finish the preparation. He finished out his life by dying for us so that we could return to our Heavenly Father. John 15:13 states, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
If Christ loved us enough to die for us, shouldn’t we love others enough to want them to have the Gospel? I have found that the more I love those I am around, the more I want them to have the truth in their lives. I have found many friends throughout my life that are not members of the church. But because my love for them was so strong, I have tried to bring them to the Gospel. A few years ago I had the opportunity to participate in an orchestra program. One of my conductors was not LDS, neither was his wife. They had a beautiful baby girl, and he would tell you that his greatest love was his family. The last concert we were in together I handed him a Book of Mormon with my testimony of eternal families in the front cover, along with other testimonies of my friends. A few months later I found out that he read the testimonies, but he was still not interested in the church. He did, however, like the idea of having his family forever. Even though he and his wife did not get baptized, I hope that I planted a seed in his heart, so that one day he will meet the missionaries and want to hear more about the Gospel.
Another way we can be member missionaries is by ‘being an example of the believers’. Paul wrote, ‘Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.’ Elder Russell M. Nelson explained, ‘each member can be an example of the believers. Brethren [and Sisters], as followers of Jesus Christ, each of you can live in accord with His teachings. You can have “a pure heart and clean hands”; you can have “the image of God engraven upon your [countenance].” Your good works will be evident to others. The light of the Lord can beam from your eyes.’
If we live what we teach, and believe, people are bound to notice we are different. In a song I learned when I was young it states, “I’m a Mormon, yes I am! So if you want to study a Mormon, I’m a living specimen. Maybe you think I’m just like anybody else you’d see, but trust in my word, you’ll quickly observe I’m different as can be. I’m a Mormon, through and through! And if you think I am peculiar in the things I say and do, remember I know the rules, the “do’s“ and “don’ts” for happy, happy living. I’ve learned to say “I will” or “won’t,” I try to be forgiving. Maybe you’d like me to tell you about the things that I know are true. Then you can be a Mormon too!” Sometimes we are thrown into circumstances where our values are challenged, but if we stand firm and say “no,” others will notice and they will want to know why. People will start asking questions, and we had better be prepared to answer. The Apostle Peter also counseled, “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”’
I have a good friend, she was not raised in the church due to the fact that her family were not members of the church. She went through high school with friends of all religions, but the ones that stuck out the most were the Mormons. After graduation she had her life all planned out. She and her friends would move off to college and enjoy the college experience. But one by one her Mormon friends started leaving on missions. At first she couldn’t believe that these boys would just give up two years of their lives to go to some foreign place and preach the Gospel. It wasn’t until she met more LDS peers that she realized what she was missing. These peers never drank, lived the law of chastity, and all together were a happy bunch of people. She started asking around what they had that she didn’t. A few weeks later the missionaries started discussions with her. About three months after the investigation started she was baptized. She claims now that she would not have been baptized if it had not been for the examples shown to her by her friends.
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the greatest example the world has ever known, and his teachings endure throughout the ages because the precepts he taught were emphasized by the example of his own life. He told us to love, but he showed us how to love. He told us to serve, only after he showed how to serve.
So the next way we can become member missionaries is to prepare in knowledge to do so. We need to study the scriptures daily, so that we can learn what they prophets of old have said. We should also study the ensign, new era, and friend magazines. Our modern day prophets speak to us every six months; we should review those talks so that we can have them on the forefront of our minds. The more we study, the more prepared we will be to explain what we believe in. For the younger children you can learn the articles of faith, memorize them. You never know when you will need them.
These have been ways we can become member missionaries. We can love everybody unconditionally, we can serve them, we can be good examples to our friends and family, and we can also broaden our knowledge of the Gospel. But we should not sit by and wait for missionary opportunities to come to us. We need to be proactive. We need to be searching for opportunities to share the Gospel. Pray for the Holy Ghost to guide you to those that are seeking to know the truth. Pray for the strength you need to open your mouth and bear testimony of the Gospel. After you pray, search for ways to share the Gospel. Heavenly Father isn’t going to put someone right in your path, you must go out and search.
When I think of the word missionaries I think of the word work. Missionaries work all day long: from sun up, to sun down. When they don’t have appointments, they go out and tract. They search for those that are seeking the truth; they don’t sit on the curb waiting for those people to come to them. This is what member missionaries should do also. We don’t have to dedicate every waking hour searching, but we must put forth effort.
After you have found someone to share the gospel with don’t be afraid to do so. I have found myself on many occasions too scared to open my mouth and say what I believe in. I start thinking of what that person might think of me, after I bear witness, or explain what I believe in. Elder Oaks said, “Some members do not actively participate in sharing the Gospel because they don’t feel comfortable starting a religious conversation or they don’t know what to say. These feelings can be overcome as we learn how to introduce the Gospel to our friends and acquaintances in simple, nonthreatening ways.” We must get over our fears and like Elder Oaks said, start small.
The Lord has declared, "The field is white already to harvest." Let us go out and harvest that field. Let us find those people that are prepared to hear and accept the Gospel. Young men, I urge you to go on a mission. Young Ladies, if you feel that you should go on a mission, go! I am a Child of God, and He loves me. That is what I love about this Gospel. My Heavenly Father loves me, Jenna Lee Rounds, and I am His Child. I can’t wait to go spread this truth to the people of Brazil, for I feel that every person needs to know this truth. I can’t wait to dedicate the next 18 months of my life to bringing others unto Christ. I know this Church is true. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet who is leading and guiding our church today. I know that Christ lived, atoned for my sins and died so that I can return to my Heavenly Father. I bear this witness in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I am so excited to go start serving the Lord in less than a week! Even though I am excited I am nervous, and scared. I have no reason to be, but I am!!!
I am a child of God
As young children in primary we were taught one of the most basics songs in the songbook. It teaches us many different principles. This song is one of my favorites,
I am a child of God, and he has sent me here.
Has given me an earthly home, with parents kind and dear.
I am a child of God, And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand his words Before it grows to late.
I am a child of God. Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will, I'll live with him once more.
I am a child of God. His promises are sure;
Celestial glory shall be mine, If I can but endure.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do To live with him someday.
In our song we sing that we are children of God. For us to be children of God, it means that God is our Father. In the dictionary it explains that a father is a male being who creates, and raises beings. Before the earth was organized our Heavenly Father created each of our Spirits individually. We progressed as far as we could, but we needed bodies to continue our progression to become perfect. After the earth was created each of us received a body of flesh and bones. We were sent to this earth to continue to grow and to become like our Father in Heaven. Every person here today, and on this earth is a child of our Heavenly Father. As members of the church it is our responsibility to proclaim this truth to those less fortunate to hear it.
The second verse of ‘I am a child of God’ says we need help to understand his words, before it grows too late. Yes, even the adults need help understanding his words sometimes. But adults and children in the church are not the only people that need help. Those not of our faith can find it difficult to understand our values, and commandments. For example, some might find it hard to believe in the Word of Wisdom, some might ask why we need to refrain from hot drinks. It is our part, as members of the church, to explain why we believe what we do.
The third and fourth verses talk about the blessings that we will receive. If we accomplish our Heavenly Father’s will we can live with him once more. Heavenly Father’s will is to have us all return to Him. Notice it isn’t just the righteous, or the people who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but all. Heavenly Father wants every boy, girl, man and woman, whether they have committed the worst sin, or if they have told just one lie. Again, it is in our position as members of the church to preach the Gospel wherever possible.
In a week and a half I will be on my way to Brazil, to teach those down there the Gospel. A couple months after I leave, my brother will head off to Russia, to preach the Gospel there. As missionaries called by the Lord, we are called to specific areas of the world to spread the gospel. Before we head off to the MTC, we will be set apart by the priesthood authority. We will receive the right and privilege to represent the Lord. But with this authority we will be expected to live worthy of our callings. As the Lord’s representative, we will be ‘an example of the believers’. We will need to strive to live according to God’s commandments and keep the covenants we made in the temple; know the scriptures; be courteous, on time, and dependable; follow the missionary standards of conduct; and love the people with whom we serve and work.
The work of bringing others unto Christ is not solely the responsibility of the missionaries. The responsibility is also rested on the shoulders of every member. President Hinckley said, ‘So many of us look upon missionary work as simply tracting. Everyone who is familiar with this work knows there is a better way. That way is through the members of the church. Whenever there is a member who introduces an investigator, there is an immediate support system. The member bears testimony of the truth of the work. He is anxious for the happiness of his investigator friend. He becomes excited as that friend makes progress in learning the gospel.’
The members do the best missionary work. Think about your lives, how many of us have friends who were once active, but have gone inactive? How many of us have friends who are not part of our church? How many of us have family members that are struggling with the gospel concepts, and need our help returning to the fold? If each of us brings our friends, families, and neighbors to the gospel, think of the joy that will bring to your own life. Doctrine and Covenants 18 states, ‘And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me in the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!’
President Eyring has also talked about the importance of member missionaries. He says, “Our ability to touch others with our warning voice matters to all who are covenant disciples of Jesus Christ. 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’ That command and warning of danger was given to those called as missionaries at the start of the Restoration. But the duty to warn our neighbor falls on all of us who have accepted the covenant of baptism. We are to talk with nonmember friends and relatives about the gospel. Our purpose is to invite them to be taught by the full-time missionaries who are called and set apart to teach.”
When we were baptized we entered into the covenant. Since we have the knowledge of the Gospel we need to share it, not only because we want to, but also because we have been commanded to. It is our responsibility to find people to be baptized.
There are many ways we can start becoming member missionaries. We can start by loving everyone, serving them, and being an example to them. Christ has told us, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Christ is one of the best examples of love that we have, although, Christ didn’t have the simple form of love, but charity. Charity is the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection. The pure love of Christ. Christ demonstrated charity in every aspect of his life. He healed many sick and afflicted. He had compassion on the blind, and gave them sight. Christ loved the lepers even though they were outcasts; he went to them and healed them. Even today we are benefiting from Christ’s undying love. Christ went through the most excruciating pain to pay for our sins. His burden was created by our sins, and it was so great that he bled from every pore. Yet, he loved us enough to finish the preparation. He finished out his life by dying for us so that we could return to our Heavenly Father. John 15:13 states, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
If Christ loved us enough to die for us, shouldn’t we love others enough to want them to have the Gospel? I have found that the more I love those I am around, the more I want them to have the truth in their lives. I have found many friends throughout my life that are not members of the church. But because my love for them was so strong, I have tried to bring them to the Gospel. A few years ago I had the opportunity to participate in an orchestra program. One of my conductors was not LDS, neither was his wife. They had a beautiful baby girl, and he would tell you that his greatest love was his family. The last concert we were in together I handed him a Book of Mormon with my testimony of eternal families in the front cover, along with other testimonies of my friends. A few months later I found out that he read the testimonies, but he was still not interested in the church. He did, however, like the idea of having his family forever. Even though he and his wife did not get baptized, I hope that I planted a seed in his heart, so that one day he will meet the missionaries and want to hear more about the Gospel.
Another way we can be member missionaries is by ‘being an example of the believers’. Paul wrote, ‘Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.’ Elder Russell M. Nelson explained, ‘each member can be an example of the believers. Brethren [and Sisters], as followers of Jesus Christ, each of you can live in accord with His teachings. You can have “a pure heart and clean hands”; you can have “the image of God engraven upon your [countenance].” Your good works will be evident to others. The light of the Lord can beam from your eyes.’
If we live what we teach, and believe, people are bound to notice we are different. In a song I learned when I was young it states, “I’m a Mormon, yes I am! So if you want to study a Mormon, I’m a living specimen. Maybe you think I’m just like anybody else you’d see, but trust in my word, you’ll quickly observe I’m different as can be. I’m a Mormon, through and through! And if you think I am peculiar in the things I say and do, remember I know the rules, the “do’s“ and “don’ts” for happy, happy living. I’ve learned to say “I will” or “won’t,” I try to be forgiving. Maybe you’d like me to tell you about the things that I know are true. Then you can be a Mormon too!” Sometimes we are thrown into circumstances where our values are challenged, but if we stand firm and say “no,” others will notice and they will want to know why. People will start asking questions, and we had better be prepared to answer. The Apostle Peter also counseled, “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”’
I have a good friend, she was not raised in the church due to the fact that her family were not members of the church. She went through high school with friends of all religions, but the ones that stuck out the most were the Mormons. After graduation she had her life all planned out. She and her friends would move off to college and enjoy the college experience. But one by one her Mormon friends started leaving on missions. At first she couldn’t believe that these boys would just give up two years of their lives to go to some foreign place and preach the Gospel. It wasn’t until she met more LDS peers that she realized what she was missing. These peers never drank, lived the law of chastity, and all together were a happy bunch of people. She started asking around what they had that she didn’t. A few weeks later the missionaries started discussions with her. About three months after the investigation started she was baptized. She claims now that she would not have been baptized if it had not been for the examples shown to her by her friends.
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the greatest example the world has ever known, and his teachings endure throughout the ages because the precepts he taught were emphasized by the example of his own life. He told us to love, but he showed us how to love. He told us to serve, only after he showed how to serve.
So the next way we can become member missionaries is to prepare in knowledge to do so. We need to study the scriptures daily, so that we can learn what they prophets of old have said. We should also study the ensign, new era, and friend magazines. Our modern day prophets speak to us every six months; we should review those talks so that we can have them on the forefront of our minds. The more we study, the more prepared we will be to explain what we believe in. For the younger children you can learn the articles of faith, memorize them. You never know when you will need them.
These have been ways we can become member missionaries. We can love everybody unconditionally, we can serve them, we can be good examples to our friends and family, and we can also broaden our knowledge of the Gospel. But we should not sit by and wait for missionary opportunities to come to us. We need to be proactive. We need to be searching for opportunities to share the Gospel. Pray for the Holy Ghost to guide you to those that are seeking to know the truth. Pray for the strength you need to open your mouth and bear testimony of the Gospel. After you pray, search for ways to share the Gospel. Heavenly Father isn’t going to put someone right in your path, you must go out and search.
When I think of the word missionaries I think of the word work. Missionaries work all day long: from sun up, to sun down. When they don’t have appointments, they go out and tract. They search for those that are seeking the truth; they don’t sit on the curb waiting for those people to come to them. This is what member missionaries should do also. We don’t have to dedicate every waking hour searching, but we must put forth effort.
After you have found someone to share the gospel with don’t be afraid to do so. I have found myself on many occasions too scared to open my mouth and say what I believe in. I start thinking of what that person might think of me, after I bear witness, or explain what I believe in. Elder Oaks said, “Some members do not actively participate in sharing the Gospel because they don’t feel comfortable starting a religious conversation or they don’t know what to say. These feelings can be overcome as we learn how to introduce the Gospel to our friends and acquaintances in simple, nonthreatening ways.” We must get over our fears and like Elder Oaks said, start small.
The Lord has declared, "The field is white already to harvest." Let us go out and harvest that field. Let us find those people that are prepared to hear and accept the Gospel. Young men, I urge you to go on a mission. Young Ladies, if you feel that you should go on a mission, go! I am a Child of God, and He loves me. That is what I love about this Gospel. My Heavenly Father loves me, Jenna Lee Rounds, and I am His Child. I can’t wait to go spread this truth to the people of Brazil, for I feel that every person needs to know this truth. I can’t wait to dedicate the next 18 months of my life to bringing others unto Christ. I know this Church is true. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet who is leading and guiding our church today. I know that Christ lived, atoned for my sins and died so that I can return to my Heavenly Father. I bear this witness in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I am so excited to go start serving the Lord in less than a week! Even though I am excited I am nervous, and scared. I have no reason to be, but I am!!!
