Our People

Have you ever been to mormon.org before? If not... you need to check it out. Mormon.org has an amazing part of the website called "Our People". There are videos that profile various members of the Church. Every person in the world goes through different struggles, different trials and afflictions, mormons not excluded. I really think the description on mormon.org says it best: "While our backgrounds and experiences are diverse, we share a deep commitment to Jesus Christ, to each other, and our neighbors. Watch these stories of faith in the everyday lives of Mormons."

I'd like to include three of my favorite videos of people that have trials, big and small, and how they have overcome them.

Reine Rob Allan

Watch these videos and let me know what you thought about them! Do you have a favorite video of your own? Is there someone you have found on mormon.org that you have been able to relate to?

It was Red and Yellow and Purple and Brown and Blue!

I love the story of Joseph of Egypt. Perhaps it is because I was raised on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. (I'm able to name all of the colors on his coat, try me.) But, above that, Joseph's story is rich with indications of the Lord's love for us.

Image Source

We know the story. Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers. They hated him because he was his father's favorite. They hated him because he was a prophet of the Lord. Even though Joseph was a slave, the Lord still blessed him, he became ruler of Potiphar's house. Potiphar's wife then falsely accused Joseph and he was imprisoned. "But the Lord was with Joseph" (Genesis 39:21). Joseph was still in prison, he was still enduring hardships, God didn't take away his afflictions, but the Lord was with him.

Later, after Joseph is made ruler of all Egypt, he talks to his brothers about his experiences. Even though his brothers technically sold him to be a slave, he explains to them, "So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God" (Genesis 45:8). What a man Joseph was. He continually knew the Lord was aware of him, the Lord was with him. He trusted God and his divine plan.

Sometimes life just doesn't work out how we want it. We may come to the point in our life where we say, "O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?"(D&C 121:1). We must remember, we must always remember that God promises, "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;"(D&C 121:7). He promises "if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" (D&C 122:7-8)

God has a divine plan for each of us. He knows each of us individually. He is our father and he loves us more than we can imagine. He is there for us. Turn to him.

More can be learned about God's plan for us here.

Prophet of the Restoration

This morning our mission had the amazing opportunity of seeing the new movie, Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration. It was really powerful, and honestly, made me reflect on this man, Joseph Smith.

Joseph Smith was about 14 years old when he became concerned about the welfare of his soul. Pretty deep for a 14 year old, right? At that age all I was thinking about was running and cute boys. Joseph's faith was great and deep. He read in the Bible, James1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." He knew that he must do as the Bible directs and ask of God. The sacred experience Joseph had because of that prayer has changed the world. He was called as a prophet of God, just as God has called prophets throughout time.

I'm so grateful that Joseph had that faith to pray. That through his life he never denied what he saw, he never took it back. Later in life Joseph said regarding his experience, "I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it".

Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Through him God was able to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth. He endured many hardships in life and ultimately died for this truth. I know this because I have done as James directs and asked God. If we are willing to learn these things, God will tell us, all of us.

"Shall we not go on in so great a cause?"

Another introduction of sorts...

Missionary work is the most amazing kind of work out there. I promise you this. You may be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or a chef at the local Mickey Ds, or a begger on the corner of Temple Square, or a professor at a university… but I promise you, missionary work is the best work out there, and as a full time missionary we don’t even get paid. “Wait… what? You are doing this for 1 ½ years straight and you don’t get paid?” Indeed… no paycheck received here. All volunteer.
Why? Why would someone dedicate 1 ½ years of prime dating time to do this work? Well, the truth is God lives. He loves us. He has restored His Gospel and Church to the earth by once again calling a living prophet to the. This knowledge makes me happy and I want this pure joy to be spread to everyone, everywhere. I echo Nephi when he said “And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.” So, I am working for that.
If you have any questions about these teachings, please, please ask. Please. As a full time missionary I have plenty of time to look up answers. Also, the helpful links on the side to both mormon.org and lds.org allows you to search out answers.

Reading for the next couple of days: 2 Nephi 33

To Begin

Hello! I'm a missionary. My name is Sister Harris. Hm, I have written blogs before, but never something as important as this. And, why, you may ask, is this important? Because, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is important! It's real and it's true. I have this amazing task of being able to write a blog. Of being able to share my experiences as a missionary... to share answers I have found to questions about the Gospel, to share how the Holy Ghost has influenced people I interact with...
Hm, this is going to be great. This is great. To begin, I am Sister Harris, I am a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am blessed to have been called to the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission, I get to teach people from all over the world about Jesus Christ.

Dear world... welcome to my blog.