Testimony

How can I give this Christmas season

December 9, 2013 by D. Gardner Leave a Comment

As I approach this Christmas season, I look around and I see and know of many in need. My son is serving as a missionary in Mexico; One of his friends is in Africa, and even here in Salt Lake City I see and know of people in need. My son’s friend in Ghana Africa tells us about the people there that don’t have food in there houses, or clean water to drink. I think he feels uncomfortable because he had grown up not realizing people had lived like that when he grew up in a place where we enjoy so much abundance. I see and know of people in need right here in my city. There are the homeless and the panhandlers I see every day. I know of people suffering from Alcoholism and drug addiction. I know of people suffering from loneliness and depression. My first thought is, “I wish I had more money so I could do something that would help them.”

I have been thinking about this subject over the past couple of months as my son, and his Friend have been serving as missionaries in countries where people enjoy so little. Then yesterday in church I remembered something that had happened to me in my own life that may be the answer. One of my companions, when I was a missionary, was from Papua New Guinea, another one of those places where they don’t enjoy many luxuries. Jimi Kairi remembers him, his mother, his brothers and his sisters going without food because his father would spend the little money he earned on Alcohol. One day an older couple, who were missionaries from the US, invited Jimi’s sisters to primary. Primary is the meeting for children in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The girls enjoyed primary and told their brothers and sisters about it. The whole family was taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. The family, including the parents made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ and joined his church. Jimi said that this made a tremendous difference in his life because his father stopped drinking alcohol. And used that money to buy food for his family. Jimi said they were never hungry again.

In America, and throughout the first world, we don’t have a famine of food like many areas of the world, but there does seem to be a famine of happiness and peace. Some places have a famine of all three things. This I do know. If people make a commitment to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, they will stop the famines in their lives. Making a commitment to follow Jesus Christ does not stop life from being difficult, it will not bring you worldly possessions, but it will bring us happiness and peace to our lives. Some may argue the teachings of Jesus are old fashioned and explain they don’t need the binding chains of Christianity to make them happy. I say let them try, maybe they can find happiness. But I can make you a guaranty. If you make a commitment to follow Jesus Christ, it will make you happy and bring happiness to your life.

So at this season of giving and throughout the year. Even when I have no money to give. I can give others hope for happiness and peace.

Think about the basic teachings of Jesus Christ. If all people would follow these principles, it is easy to see that the world would be a better place.

Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Do not lie. Do not Steal. Do not Kill. Do not sleep around.

And a couple from the modern era. Do not take substances into your body that are dangerous and addictive. Eat healthy

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple and easy to understand. It is almost impossible to argue if all people would do those things then the world would be a better place.

My admonition to all the young men serving missions in these areas of famine; Remember, the message you carry will have more effect for good in the lives of people you talk to, than any amount of money, food, water or electricity could ever have.

Temple Days

October 18, 2013 by D. Gardner Leave a Comment

Guess who we saw at the temple today?

For the past couple of years I have attempted to be a regular temple attender. I had had several tough years during and after going back to school to get my bachelors. So I thought I would try and tempt the lord to give me some blessings from regular temple attendance. The first thing that happened was I got laid off, from a pretty lame job. Then I ended up in St. George teaching a couple of classes at the college. That was fun, but it wasn’t what I really needed to be doing to provide for my family. About 6 months after getting laid off, I was blessed with a good job. I still believe it was Emerson’s praying that really got me the job. But, I will blame some of it on the temple attendance.

Some time in the first quarter of 2012, my cousin Martin and his family were sealed in the temple. So I asked him if he wanted to be my temple buddy and help keep me motivated to go regularly. So he agreed and we have been going ever since. We had been going to the Jordan River temple on Tuesdays because we could go before 6AM, but only on Tuesdays. Then the schedule changed at the Jordan River Temple because of the new movie. We realized we could go to the 6AM session at the Salt Lake temple and the timing for work would be about the same. So about a month ago we started attending the Salt Lake Temple.

Our second time in the Salt Lake Temple there was a lady, with a group of friends, that looked really familiar and then I realized it was a lady I had seen speak at General Conference last April, April of 2013. Martin even remembered her name, Sister Elaine Dalton. That was kind of fun to see a prominent member of the church in the temple.

This week we changed the day from Tuesday to Wednesday because of a thing I had going at work. While in the waiting room I recognized one of the Ladies from Sister Dalton group walking in, and sure enough there was Sister Dalton followed shortly behind. What a coincidence seeing her again. Then after the session Martin and went to the name desk to pick up the family names we had just completed. We notice Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Eyring stading about 40 feet away in front of the stained glass panel in the main section of the entrance to the temple. There were a couple of security people close by. We asked the young women at the names desk how often things like this happened. She said “I have been working here over a year. And this is the first time I have seen anything like this. They are doing temple president training.” When I turned around I also saw Elder Cook. As we walked back to Martin’s work, were our cars were parked. We talked about other times we had seen and met general authorities of the church.

Just before reaching the car I got a text from Richard Coffy, A fiend of mine from South Carolina, who is now working in Salt Lake. The text said “What are you doing in City Creek?” I texted back that my cousin and I were just getting out of the temple. He said he was surprised to look out the bus window and see me walking across the street.

Seeing all of these people is just one of the blessings I am getting from regular temple attendance.

Testimony

March 16, 2011 by D. Gardner Leave a Comment

What do I believe? and do I tell others what I believe?

I’ve read from several different authors that telling stories is one of the most effective ways to help people remember your points, in this case my beliefs.

What are my stories that help me remember my beliefs and help me explain to others what I believe?

They may have gotten that idea from the Bible, or maybe just the example of Jesus Christ. Christ use parables with great skill to teach and help people remember those teachings.

Yesterday was the beginning a conference for my local congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The theme was taken from Doctrine and Covenants 62:3 which states;

Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you.

I thought about this passage as the meeting progressed and I listened to people testify of their beliefs. I asked myself the question, “What do I believe?”

Kurt Larson, on of the congregations leadership, brought up another scripture from Peter 3:15 which states;

“..be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you..”

After hearing this I thought, ” I have stories that I use to help explain what I believe.” I also thought as an added measure I should probably write these down here in my journal.

As these stories come to mind I will write them down hear in my journal.

The first experience I had that changed my life and my belief occurred as I was in the mission training center in Provo as I was getting ready to serve in the Micronesia Guam Mission. I was just barely 19 but I had been participating in the the Church of Jesus Christ most of my life. I was baptized at 8, and ordained to the various offices in the priesthood as I got older. And while I believed there was a God, Jesus was the Savior of the World, and they had sent prophets to testify of him, I was not sure what the foundation of that belief was.

Then one day as we were being taught to be effective missionaries, the instructor asked us if we could identify the Spirit of the Lord, or in other words the Holy Ghost, as it testified of truth. The instructor then explained the influence of the spirit was always present in the training center. He then asked us to sit silent and think about how each of us felt. I remember realizing I was, and had been from the time I entered the training center,I felt really happy, I felt excited and I also felt a great sense of peace and calm. He explained that is the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives letting us know what we are doing is right and this same influence will let us know what is right and true.

I then realized I had had this feeling many times during my life. As I was in sacred places, as I was helping people, as I was doing good thing. I had felt this happiness, peace and calm. I then realized this was the influence of the Spirit of the Lord in my life.

Since then I have had many other experience were the Spirit has touched my life. Sometimes through my own experiences and sometimes through the experiences others have shared with me.

John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance”

One experience that has had a profound experience in my life was on my mission. I was assigned to serve in the Chuuk Lagoon(formerly called Truk). We had to learn the local language to communicate with the people. I have been out over a year and was able to communicate fairly well with the people. I was however learning new words all the time. One day we were teaching a family and discussing tithing and I was asked something I did not know how to answer. The phrase, or word, for tithing used in the scriptures was “eu n engon” And so that is the word I used when teaching the principle. Eu is one. and Engon is ten. But the “n” in the middle I was not so sure what that was about. But i used it and hoped people would understand. Well during the discussion the father of the family asked “Met wewen Eu N Engon.” Without hesitation I started to speak, but the speaking was not me. I said “Eu N Engon awewen Eu me nein Engon.” Directly translated I had said “Tithing means one among ten” Which makes so much sense in their language. He was nodding his head in understanding and I was almost overcome because of the spiritual experience I had just had.