Parable of the Missionary Tag

Continually seeking to come prepared
With a growing testimony warm to share
The Elder searched, pondered, and prayed
And thought of the life changes he had made

But...not an impression would start
Questioning, he put a hand to his heart
Truly he believed he was called to teach
Yet...there was something more just out of reach

Looking down and feeling sad
He chanced to look at his tag
No longer did he go by his first name
Given after a relative with the same

Here it read- Elder... a position of respect
He stared knowing there was more to reflect
A thought came, then, as a parable
Of how to teach the first principle

His name and priesthood were in white
Surrounded by the black of night
And this was truly how he felt
Tears of gratitude freely spilt

He was on a mission to stand out
And do the Lord's work as he went about
Giving hope to those seeking in darkness
The joy he felt...for another to harness

Then recognizing the true source
Of this new parable...of course
For it was written in bold and ever bright
There, as though holding him up...was JESUS CHRIST

Based on the parable I heard at our special
Green Valley Stake conference
with Elder L. Tom Perry present

I wrote the poem then asked the missionaries if they new his name. One day there was a knock at my door and Elder Spreckle said I have something for you. The name tag! Elder Orgill, the author of the poem had been transferred to my ward!

It came to him out of a challenge-
each missionary was to ponder and come up with a
parable from their lives.

In the above picture, he is on the left.

With God's Love- I Move Along

With God's love, I move along
Happily filled with light and song
Like the great tailed grackle, ever in trill
For I feel what stirs my heart newly to thrill

Like this bird, I wish to raise up my voice
And share that another might rejoice
Of what I have found, all may possess
Narrowly...On the path known for progress



I have found the name of the bird I call "the vacation bird".
The great tail grackle- click on title to go to site and hear the bird sing its
song- a loud series of harsh rattles interspersed with whistling notes and other noises. When I hear it... I feel like I'm on vacation- freed from stress and happy.


http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great-tailed_Grackle/sounds

Lift Up Your Voice

Lift up your voice
As one with a trump
Preach of what is choice
The Lord will triumph!

There are people
Prepared for the Word
Go preach the gospel
That it might be heard

Go two by two
And teach of God's plan
Chosen, called... that's you
With light that is grand

Pondering D&C 34
THE
DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS
OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
SECTION 34
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Orson Pratt, at Fayette, New York, November 4, 1830. HC 1: 127–128. Brother Pratt was nineteen years old at the time. He had been converted and baptized when he first heard the preaching of the restored gospel by his older brother, Parley P. Pratt, six weeks before. This revelation was received in the Peter Whitmer, Sen., home.
1–4, The faithful become the sons of God through the atonement; 5–9, Preaching of the gospel prepares the way for the Second Coming; 10–12, Prophecy comes by the power of the Holy Ghost.
1 My son Orson, hearken and hear and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer;
2 The alight and the life of the world, a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not;
3 Who so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God. Wherefore you are my son;
4 And blessed are you because you have believed;
5 And more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my gospel—
6 To lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for his second coming.
7 For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory.
8 And it shall be a great day at the time of my coming, for all nations shall tremble.
9 But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood; and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the wicked.
10 Wherefore, lift up your voice and spare not, for the Lord God hath spoken; therefore prophesy, and it shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
11 And if you are faithful, behold, I am with you until I come—
12 And verily, verily, I say unto you, I come quickly. I am your Lord and your Redeemer. Even so. Amen.

A Single Candle in the Night Provided the Light that I Might Teach

A single candle in the night
Provided the light that I might teach
Deep in Africa I gained insight
Of how far the gospel now does reach

In this humble home far away
To a people lacking so much
I brought God's riches...we did pray
Words brightened, hearts were touched

Accepting the message...are the meek
Soon to rise up as a tender seed
Having found heavenly treasure man's to seek
Truly, what more could a home need?

Passing on a single candle...
For sight to ponder in the night
How, the word of God... given to handle
Brightly warms us with love and light

Called to Serve in Africa
click on title to go directly
http://calledtoserveinafrica.wordpress.com/

"Street contacting in Botswana usually proved to be a fairly effective way to find more people to teach, and a good part of our teaching took place in the evening. It got dark early in Botswana at this time of year, since they had no daylight savings time, and many homes were without electricity. When this was the case, we would teach either by candle-light or paraffin lamp.
There’s a unique feeling that comes of sharing the gospel by fire-light. Perhaps it is because throughout history this was how the gospel was taught. Electric lighting is a new invention. In Christ’s time, and even in Joseph Smith’s time, the gospel would have been taught by fire or lamp."


"I remember being filled with a sense of wonder while teaching in those circumstances. Here I was, in one of the most remote areas of the world, speaking to complete strangers, teaching the most important message in the whole world by the light of a single candle; without electricity, without the conveniences we have in America, and in some cases to people without formal education. Yet these beautiful people were receiving the most important lesson in the history of the world – the message of Jesus Christ.
Stricken by such poverty that they couldn’t even afford to send their children to school, yet those who accepted the gospel had more than the richest and most schooled people in the world who don’t accept it. These people were a testimony to the fact that if you have the gospel and live by it, you have all you need."

The Power of the Spirit Conveys Truth

The power of the Spirit conveys truth
As pieces of thoughts and feelings unfold
Oft it is after a trial of  faith
That the seeker discovers riches of gold

Thus, for that pivotal moment to arrive
There must be humility, thought, and prayer
One's heartfelt desire through faith comes alive
As through the spirit one works to prepare

An example shines bright from days long ago
As the younger brother, Nephi, would not give up
To achieve the impossible, he came to know
That trusting the light of faith can be enough!

After exhausting all of his strength
He knew he could not get the plates alone
He did as he was supposed to and did not complain
But sought for God's power to be made more known

For He is mightier and wiser than the earth
Now this family could journey and go forth
Knowing that they truly had a purpose of worth
And they held to their genealogy and God's word

God gives the impossible command
And then prepares a way
When we've naught but faith to stand
His power then displays

pondering Elder L. Tom Perry's visit to our stake

untold
adjective: of an incalculable amount

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things Moro. 10:4–5

Nephi 4:

1 And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?
2 Therefore let us go up; let us be Strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Bea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea.
3 Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.
4 Now when I had spoken these words, they were yet wroth, and did still continue to murmur; nevertheless they did follow me up until we came without the walls of Jerusalem.
5 And it was by night; and I caused that they should hide themselves without the walls. And after they had hid themselves, I, Nephi, crept into the city and went forth towards the house of Laban.
6 And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.
7 Nevertheless I went forth, and as I came near unto the house of Laban I beheld a man, and he had fallen to the earth before me, for he was drunken with wine.
8 And when I came to him I found that it was Laban.
9 And I beheld his sword, and I drew it forth from the sheath thereof; and the hilt thereof was of pure gold, and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade thereof was of the most precious steel.
10 And it came to pass that I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him.
11 And the Spirit said unto me again: Behold the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands. Yea, and I also knew that he had sought to take away mine own life; yea, and he would not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord; and he also had taken away our property.
12 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me again: Slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands;
13 Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.
14 And now, when I, Nephi, had heard these words, I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the Land of promise.
15 Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law.
16 And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass.
17 And again, I knew that the Lord had delivered Laban into my hands for this cause—that I might obtain the records according to his commandments.
18 Therefore I did obey the voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword.
19 And after I had smitten off his head with his own sword, I took the garments of Laban and put them upon mine own body; yea, even every whit; and I did gird on his armor about my loins.
20 And after I had done this, I went forth unto the treasury of Laban. And as I went forth towards the treasury of Laban, behold, I saw the servant of Laban who had the keys of the treasury. And I commanded him in the voice of Laban, that he should go with me into the treasury.

The Apostle Spoke and Testified

The Apostle spoke and testified
And I was richly taught
Having been spiritually edified
I am now deep in thought

Never have I felt so much my part
In the gathering in of the fold
How this warms and thrills my heart
Unto courage to preach as one bold

pondering the blessings of having an
Apostle Elder L. Tom Perry- come to my stake in Zion...

No Apology

No apology will come from me
For what I feel and believe
Concerning this country that I love
I know it's been formed by God above

That being said, I sense a call
For myself as well as our nation
To rise up with energy and give our all
For what's been the brightest hope since its formation

We need renewal... and all are invited
Not just for ourselves but for the world
Through a new commitment to being united
May the common cause of liberty be unfurled

Thoughts from
No Apology- the Case for American Greatness
Mitt Romney
St. Martin's Press