I am a Missionary

Missionary: Someone sent on a mission.

The word mission makes me think of soldiers. Soldiers go on special missions to accomplish objectives for their country. Wherever they go, they represent their country and their conduct reflects upon their country. I am not in the military, but six months ago I volunteered to go on a mission. My assignment and objective was to be a representative of Jesus Christ wherever I was sent. My conduct would reflect my belief in Him and help others recognize His love for us. 

I try to represent Him by doing the kinds of things He would do.What kinds of things would Jesus do? The scriptures say, " [He] went about doing good" (Acts chapter 10 verse 38). So, I try to do the same.

The past few weeks over Christmas I have had the chance to see a lot of good done. I have helped as well as simply observed. For instance,  the other missionaries and I loaded truckloads of garbage from a young family's backyard and took it to the dump for no charge. Now, those kids have a nice backyard to play in! Families from our church have provided food and presents for me and my companion to deliver to the unfortunate. Others have donated money and time to help us in our work. I have felt Christ's love for others this Christmas. I have felt it by sharing it and watching others do the same. It is extremely satisfying to know that, at least for this Christmas, I can say -  mission accomplished.

Some of the missionaries here in Santa Rosa!

My Newest Friend

Today I took a trip. I woke up early this morning and barely managed to get dressed before hitting the road. My companion and I (I am accompanied by another missionary, called a companion, at all times for safety) did not drive our car this morning. We were given a ride by a wonderful, older woman whom I will call Sister S.

Sister S. is small. She looks frail, her back is bunched up around her shoulders, and her face is wizened. Her hair is sprayed carefully into a wispy bun that looks like it could float right off of her head! Though tiny and thin, her appearance is deceiving. She is a ball of energy! Her bright blue eyes shine out of her carefully made up face. This morning she was prompt, her clothes were pressed and starched, and regardless of the early hour her intellect was quick and funny.

We talked for two hours. She and I had a remarkable amount in common. She loves history. As we shared our wishes to see castles and artifacts, we found that I liked ancient languages while she likes archeology. I could see it in my mind: me as a young Indiana Jones and Sister S. as my partner in discoveries! I told her this and she laughed, but agreed it would be fun.

We talked about our families and childhoods. Neither one of us likes swimming too awfully much, but we both like the beach. She likes homemade bread, and so do I. We both think it would be a lot of fun, or at least educational, to work on a farm. Just to try it! And we were able to have a healthy conversation about the finer points of hot chocolate consumption (very important in any relationship, right?)

I took mental notes on her life, trying to keep all of the pieces that might apply to mine. She laughed at my stories and shared more of hers. I was happy to find someone with similar interests. She has lived more life than I have, but I hope I live mine as well as she has lived hers.

I guess that is what friends are for. Did you know that Christ calls us His friends?

"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." (St. John chapter 15 verse 15)

Champion good! Make friends! Be grateful for the friends you have! Be a friend! Look at Christ as a friend!

Yay for friends!

My Dad

In my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) we talk about Heavenly Father or God, all of the time. Usually I skip over the father part and just think of Him as God. But lately, I have been trying to think of Him as more of a father, or my Heavenly Dad.

Depending on who you are, you have a dad that you like, a dad that you do not like, a step-dad, a father figure, many dads, or no dad at all. Maybe you are a dad! Whatever kind of dad you have had (or have not had) or are, that person influences how you feel about dads and what a dad should be and do. My dad has certainly effected my feelings about dads. Regardless of who that dad-person is for you, a good dad can teach us more about our Heavenly Father, or Heavenly Dad. That is where my dad comes in.

I am lucky to have a really good dad. He likes to sing. He is not a bad dancer. He likes fishing. He likes to play sports. He cannot spell. He dabbles in cooking and he is always around his family if he is not at work. He works as a physical therapist and specializes in working with the elderly. He likes telling us his patients' WWII stories. He loves those wrinkled up, full of attitude and wisdom, and often crazy elderly people. He buys my mom flowers, makes her breakfast sometimes, sings her goofy renditions of Elvis songs, and always kisses her when he gets home. He is a little tight with money, but he gets over it, especially if there are roller coasters or steam trains involved. He takes us all to church and he prays and reads his scriptures everyday. He is patriotic. He hates asparagus, but loves raisins.

My dad is great. He is definitely a good dad. So if we use my dad as an example, let's see how a Heavenly Father might behave towards His kids, us! (Try this with examples from your dad-person. It is better that way.)

He is the type of Heavenly Dad who would go running with me every morning for three months to help me get ready for my four mile race.

He is the type of Heavenly Dad who sits me down and makes me practice my piano songs because it is good for me.

He teaches me to use power tools.

If He is anything like my dad then when I come down the stairs all dolled up for a date He says "Well, it looks like I need to go get my gun!"

If He is like my dad He laughs so hard that tears come from his eyes!

If He is anything like my dad, then He loves me no matter what and helps me be my best self.

I like that. Heavenly Father is God, yes, but He is my Heavenly Dad too.

"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection [trained, disciplined] unto the Father of spirits, and live?" (Hebrews chapter 12 verse 9)

Champion good! Get closer to your Heavenly Dad!

My dad and a steam train in Tennessee

Art Speaks!

Art is a wonderful thing. It is like body language. You do not need to speak to communicate a thought or a feeling. In body language you can nod, wink, stick out your tongue, wince or raise an eyebrow and others will know what you are thinking! Like body language, art is silent, but it expresses so much, entire stories, without any sound at all.  Though silent, it still speaks.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is going to the crèche festival. In Virginia my family and I would go to the Washington D.C. Mormon Temple Visitor's Center crèche festival. It displayed hundreds of crèches (scenes of Christ's birth) from around the world. (If you want to read the story of Christ's birth it is found in Matthew 1:18-25; Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38; and Luke 2:1-20 in the Holy Bible). Each individual crèche is beautiful. They are very different from each other. Some are glass, some are paper, some are wood. Some are fancy and some are simple but all help me imagine what the first moments of Christ's life were like.

Last week I went to the crèche festival held in Santa Rosa, California. Here are some of the pieces I liked the best. I hope they speak to you about Christ's life.

Merry Christmas everyone! Champion good! Enjoy crèche art!

 

My Star Wall

One of my favorite things is the night sky filled with stars. You know the very first scene in Disney's Aladdin where the narrator throws a handful of sand into the air and the sand comes to life, sparkling and whizzing around only to take it's place as the stars in the night sky? Or in the television series Dr. Who where he looks up at the stars and tells Rose that there are billions and billions of worlds? I feel like that when I look at the stars. I also love Van Gogh's painting Starry Night for the same reason. It perfectly captures how I feel about the night sky. There are billions of worlds! People and places and things I cannot even imagine! It speaks to me. The stars are practically alive! But at the same time, you can be still, contemplate, feel peace, eternity, and glory just by looking up. I love that. When God made the stars even He was pleased and "... saw that it was good" (Genesis chapter 1 verse 18).

I could spend hours looking at the stars. Because I like them so much, I try to re-create the night sky with glow in the dark plastic stars in my bedroom. I have probably seventy-five stars, moons, galaxies, planets, and comets that I take great pride in arranging on my bedroom wall. I try to arrange them, not in designs, but as the actual stars appear. It is harder than it sounds! It is a poor substitute, but I still get a lot of joy from having them glow over me in the night. I call the finished product my "little universe" or my star wall. Unlike the real night sky, my star wall stars only glows if I shine a light on them first. Therefore, every night I shine a light on them before I go to bed. I call this ritual "charging my universe."  Once my universe is charged, I turn off the lights and voila! The whole wall is a glitter! It is fantastic!

God is God because the things He does and the things He creates are perfect. They are awe inspiring and motivate all mankind to do good. We are His children. He tries to teach us how to do the things He does. Fortunately, star creation is not a requirement here on earth. But just like I try to follow God's pattern of stars on my wall, we should try to follow other patterns He gives. Christ demonstrates all of these patterns: caring for the poor, the sick, the widowed, worshiping on the sabbath, studying and teaching from the scriptures, forgiving others, etc. Even though our efforts to replicate God's patterns in our life may be small, plastic, and require charging, we can still feel joy. If we are following God's design in our lives then we will get the same joy in the results or "creations" that God does in His. That is the point! God has given us this tiny life of our own to learn how to do His works and receive joy from them. The stars, as amazing as they are, were not the crowning achievement or the purpose of God's creations. It was us! and we should find joy in our work, or, in trying to be like God. David is impressed by this fact in Psalms chapter 8 verses 3-6, 9:

"When I consider thy heavens, the work of they fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man,  that thou visitest him? For thou has made him a little lower than the angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:... O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!"

Champion good! Follow God's patterns! Receive joy!

Walnut Lessons

This will be short. It is pretty simple, but I think the message is worth it.

People are stubborn and hard headed. I know I am! We think we are something special. We talk back, ignore advice, and get cocky. It is hard to work with someone who thinks that they are always right. They get so darn inflexible they won't learn anything! This reminds me of walnuts because walnuts are very hard to crack. 

 Luckily, God is a master walnut crack-er. He can get through our stubborn habits and bring out the good in us. Everyone has a delicious, rich soul with perspectives and talents to contribute to the cookie dough of eternity. God knows that, so He has the patience to work through our hard headedness and bring out the best in us. That is nice, don't you think?

Champion good! Let God bring out the best in you so you can be part of His recipes!

Mmmmmmm cookies!

 



Shhhhhhhh! Sleeping

I had not really thought about it before, but God has designed us to sleep. We are not designed to sleep all of the time, but we are designed for it!   



Think of it! First, you are struck by a yawn attack. Then you start losing control of everything. Your eyes droop, your head nods, you loose track of conversations, and have less and less preference between a mattress, a couch, or a floor! The need for sleep is part of having a physical body. So, if God wanted to us to come to earth and learn how to use a physical body, he must have wanted us to learn how to sleep!

Check this out:

"...Retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary: arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated" (Doctrine and Covenants chapter 88 verse 124).

Everyone has different sleeping needs (or wants! "Arise early"is either a joy or a drudgery for most.), but one thing remains constant: we have to take good care of ourselves. God knew that. Good sleep is not just good advice for the care of our bodies. It is good for our spirits too. We are refreshed and invigorated. We are kinder, happier, and more likely to heed God's influence if we are awake enough to feel it.

Here is one of my favorite scriptures:

"Counsel with Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day" (The Book of Mormon, Alma chapter 37 verse 37).

Champion good! Sleep well!

"Mmmmmm, Just Right!" Contentment

What is it like to be perfectly happy? I do not know. But, I do know what it is like to be happily content. I think that is as close to being perfectly happy as I can get. I love it! When I think about what I want from life, I do not think about what makes me "happy" as much as I think about what makes me content.

Here are some things that remind me of what it is like to be happily contented:

You know how you feel right after a good laugh? Or after being tickled? There is a relaxed, happy feeling of relief and peace. You feel great! I think that is contentment.

You know how you feel when you hold a brand new baby who is sleeping and all snuggled up in a blanket? You feel awe and an ennobling responsibility towards that tiny little person. I think that is contentment.

You know how it feels when you look at a family or group of friends all talking and being happy without even trying? That is how it feels to be content.

You know how you feel when you look across a river or a valley or a sunrise? Content! You feel content! Man! So many tiny things (FREE things) make me feel content! I am so lucky!

Since I have been out doing missionary work, I have come across lots of people who do not believe me when I try to explain that church and God bring greater happiness. They do not comprehend what "being with God again" means for them. It made me wonder what I got out of church and God too. I went for a week or two trying to figure out what was in my life because of church and God. Why would I work and struggle for something that did not give me anything in return? It does give me something in return. It gives me contentment. I have been content on a very deep level because of what the gospel teaches me. Baby-holding or sunrise contentment do not even begin to compare with how I feel because of my obedience to the gospel. It reminds me of the lyric "Still waters run deep." My contentment runs deep. It cannot be easily disturbed because it is a permanent fixture as long as I am obedient to God. I know the gospel of Christ is true because nothing else in this world makes me feel the same.

Books!

I love books! When I step into a library I feel like I can fly. I feel limitless. There is no end to what I can read!

Because I love books, I have a handful of happy memories associated with books.

When I was very young we didn't have a television. We lived in a town so small, that we did not even have a library close by! Instead, we had a library truck that came to the neighborhood every week. I remember the stacks and stacks of books that my brothers and I would check out. Once inside the house, we would all pile onto the big chair in our front room, where my older brother would read to us. AWESOME!

When I was eleven I tackled the Lord of the Rings series. I was determined to be as good at reading as my older brother. He said they were hard, so I took the challenge. I packed up the first book in the trilogy and a chocolate bar and headed  out to my backyard swing to read. Over the next couple of days the trilogy took me from friendly countryside to enchanted forests, to a grim dank cave with an enormous spider, to the battlefield with elves and dwarfs, and finally safely back to the countryside! Sometimes the story was so real and intense that I turned the page without even licking the chocolate off of my fingers first! By the end of the book I looked up at the sky and said "Wow! That was amazing!" I felt all the thrill of the adventure, but never even left my swing!

I think that I love books so much because my parents started me young. They read to me and taught me to read. They took me to the library and let me pick out my own books. We read as a family or I saw them read by themselves. Of course, we also read the scriptures (the Bible and the Book of Mormon) together.

Did you know that the scriptures tell us to read books? I love that!

"...Study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books..." (Doctrine and Covenants 90:15)

"...Seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom: yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom..." (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118)

So there you have it. Champion good! Read books!

Home and Family

Yesterday I was in bed sick. I had time all day, between coughing, sleeping, and blowing my nose, to think about anything and everything. It was a change from the go-go-go of my regular schedule. As the minutes and hours ticked past, I found a theme in my thoughts: home.

My home in Virginia

Normally while doing missionary work here in California, I try to avoid thoughts of home. Virginia is a long ways from California. Thinking about it takes my attention off of my work and sometimes makes me homesick. But that is not what happened yesterday.

No matter where I am, home is with me. I am on the other side of the country, but I still remember what it looks like, what it sounds like, and what it feels like to be at home with my family. It's my favorite! The cozy, familiar, whirl of home life feels safe and happy. I want to feel like that all the time everywhere! The cool thing is that I can.

God is part of my  family. He is my Heavenly Father. The familiar, safe, and happy feelings I associate with home on earth is exactly how I am starting to feel around God. That is totally awesome. That is the way it is supposed to work. The closer we come to God, the more at home we feel. We can have the happy, cozy, whirl of home everywhere we go. We can feel happy and safe.

"Heaven is a continuation of the ideal home" (Preach My Gospel, p. 85).

Champion good! Make home heaven; and make heaven your home!

Dear Readers!

Sad news. I have had to remove all of the fabulous pictures from my blog. Apparently, you cannot use other people's pictures (even if you link them) because it is a copyright risk. I have decided to not risk it!

The good news is that I am going to try and include pictures that either I take or draw in future postings. Of course, this will be risky in its own right. However, I think it's worth it!

Lightsabers and Jedi

I only have a few moments to write today. Missionary works keeps you busy! Today I will discuss lightsabers and Jedi.

  Star Wars is one of my favorite things! The boy with the lightsaber is Luke Skywalker. The older man is Obi-Wan Kanobi. In Star Wars there is a power called the Force. If you are in tune with it you can control the things around you. You can tell what will happen before it happens, you can overcome any obstacle, defeat any enemy, and accomplish the impossible. The Jedi learn how to master the force and protect the universe from injustice and tyranny.

Lightsabers are the preferred weapon of the Jedi. It can deflect photon blasters, cut through metal plated armor, and definitely kill droids and other weird universe creatures when needed. However, you have to be able to use the force to be able to wield a lightsaber well.
Qui Gon Jinn is a Jedi master. He trained Obi-Wan Kanobi. Obi-Wan went on to train Luke Skywalker who eventually saved the universe from the evil empire.

All of us are unpracticed, brand new Jedi. We have no idea how to use the Force, lightsabers or other powerful tools that God gives us. For instance, forgiveness is a powerful tool, but I still need lots of practice in using it before I am a master.

Luckily, God gives us Jedi masters to teach us how to use the Force and tools. Christ is the Jedi master of all Jedi masters. He knows how to use the Force perfectly. If I watch His example and learn to wield the lightsaber of honesty and the Force of truth, then I can be a Jedi and help protect the universe from injustice and tyranny.

Champion good! May the Force be with you! Save the universe!

Climbing Trees

I love climbing. Trees in particular are my favorite thing to climb. When I am up above everything else, I feel closer to God and godly thoughts.

In a tree I leave behind other people, my phone, my shoes, my studies, everything. My heart is the only thing I take with me into a tree. I like that.

God only cares about my heart anyway.

The feeling of being separated from those things, of being high enough to commune with God, can be felt on the ground too. I feel that way when I separate myself from the unimportant or inappropriate. I try to surround myself with people and things that help me to feel closer to God and higher in thought. When I do that, I can feel God with me and I can feel like my heart is something that God is proud of.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55: 9-10)

Champion good and climb higher!

Hair!

Curly hair is a very misunderstood thing.

I have curly hair. I used to  keep it long and braided. However, I have come to see the light! All that changed was that I learned how to take care of them.
The first thing I had to learn was that frizz has potential. Frizz is a curl about to happen. Frizz turns into beautiful, springy, shiny, attractive curls!

Frizz frizz frizz = potential!

Where did I learn this? I got a fabulous book from the library. It was called Curly Girl: The Handbook. It tells you how to wash, condition, cut, style, and dry curly hair. It even specifies what to do between different kinds of curly! Wow! I was so excited to find this book! It answered all of my questions!

I immediately put what I learned into action. I could see the changes in my hair after the first day. It was curlier, it was less frizzy, and my hair stayed prettier longer. I could even sleep on it without it changing!

Our lives are a lot like hair. Frizz and frustration happen. All we need are the instructions for how to turn the frizzy problems of life into gorgeous curls of righteous responses. If we follow the instructions, we can look at the hair-do of our lives and say "I did a great job! Look at my hair! I didn't know I could look so good!"

As far as my "hair-do of life" I get fabulous instruction from two books. The Bible and the Book of Mormon. I know that every frizzy life out there can see the same kind of improvements in their life as I have seen in mine. Try it!

Champion good! Turn your frizz into a curl!



 Favorites! You'll love them!

Feel the Burn!

I like exercising! It makes me feel less uptight and more confident. My favorite way to exercise is to play soccer. Here's a picture of my new soccer ball!

However, sports are not the only way to exercise. Walking around, climbing trees, house cleaning, gardening, anything that makes you sweat, breathe, or makes your heart pump is exercise! I like to give myself credit for the hard work I do even though we do not always think of it as exercise!

Exercise is best when it is fun.  Kids have the exercise formula down pat. Play, but play hard! When you're done, flop down and talk about what a great job you did in the game. Then, think of yourself as a champion for the rest of the day! You do not even realize the work out you have had once you are thinking about all of the fun you had!

Champion good! Play hard!

House Cleaning

Cleaning. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, it is a constant requirement. It is hard work! But it pays off.

Hmmmm that is a messy table.....

When it happens, the microwave does not have cheese and spaghetti splatters on the walls. The air does not smell like warmed over garbage. The floor does not have greasy footprints or sticky patches. When you clean, your house becomes a place where you want to be! It smells nice, it looks nice, and it feels nice to be at home!

Hard core freezer defrosting.

Repentance is like house cleaning. It is a constant requirement. When it happens, it means we feel nicer being us! We do not have cluttered guilty consciences, sticky, greasy habits, and smelly regrets. We feel brighter, fresher, and more joyful. We are nicer to be around and we are happier being us!

Like Peter says "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts chapter 3 verse 19)

Champion good! Scrub yourself! (spiritually speaking :)

Favorite foods!

Food is wonderful! It makes me happy and it is something that I think about all of the time. I like to eat it, I like to cook it, and I like to share it.

Food!

Some of my favorite foods are fancy: for instance lasagna, clam chowder, and Navajo tacos. Some of them are spicy, some of them are sweet, and some of them sour. But, one of my all time favorite foods is bread, butter, and jam (with a glass of milk!)

Bread is simple. Butter is simple. And jam is simple. Yet, I can eat it over and over and never get tired of it. If I ever have a surprise visit from a friend and they get hungry, I make bread and jam! It never fails.

More food!

In the scriptures Christ eats food with all kinds of people. He gets made fun of for eating with the "un-cool" crowd (Matthew chapter 9 verse 11). He does a little bit of cooking (John chapter 21 verses 9-13).  He even helps feed the hungry when he performs the miracle of the loaves and fishes (Matthew chapter 15 verses 32-38).

Food is a great tool for champion-ing good. Give it away, share it, sit by people and talk with them while you both eat. Do not be stingy with your food or your food time. Use it to help people and share what you have even if you do not have much. Just in case you are not confident in your cooking skills, never fear! Bread and jam hits the spot every time!

Champion good! Eat food!

 I made this! (chicken and dumplings)

Happy, Wet Dog

God works in mysterious ways. Last week I had a very very bad day; and God sent a dog to change it.

In Fairfield, California there is a library. Behind the library is a walking path and a peaceful, clear pond. The pond has a flock of ducks, some geese as well as some beautiful trees and a little footbridge.

While my friend was inside the library I decided to step out to the pond to have some time to myself. I was all dressed up in my newest black dress. My hair was nice, my makeup was nice, and I looked gorgeous. But truthfully, I felt terrible. I was overwhelmed, tired, lonely, and did not know what to do.

In the peace of the duck pond I decided to pray. I prayed out loud with tears slowly rolling down my face and my voice choking up. I thought that if I prayed, God would just take away my feelings. But by the time I ended my prayer nothing had changed.

I stood by the pond. I got out my phone and started to flip it over and over in my hands. Tears dripped down my face into the grass.

Then I heard a splash. Looking up, I saw a man tossing sticks into the pond for his big, black dog. The dog leapt after the stick sending the ducks into a flurry. Joyfully he splashed back to his owner with the stick, drenching the man's legs and flip flops.

Then, the dog caught sight of me. Abandoning his game of fetch, he bounded over to me! His tongue was lolling out of his grinning mouth, his fur was sopping wet, and he came right to me and snuggled up to my legs. My shiny, black high heels were swimming in doggie-pond water. But I did not care! He was so happy to see me! He paced and jumped around me grinning and trying to play. Then he planted all four of his feet and... SHOOK!

...all over my perfect new dress, my perfect hair, and my perfect makeup. And I laughed! I laughed so hard and so fully I'm sure the whole library turned to see what was happening! I laughed and laughed and laughed!

Of course the owner sprinted to my rescue and was perfectly apologetic. He was so sorry his dog had ruined my clothes and interrupted what I was doing. He strictly took the dog by the collar and marched him to the other side of the pond.

I watched them, laughing as they marched away. Then I realized that I felt completely different from the moment before. My feelings had lightened. My tears had dried (although my dress and shoes were still wet.) I looked at the pond and at the sky and smiled upward.

God hears prayers and he answers them. Perhaps your time of need will not be at a pond in a fancy dress. Nevertheless, your prayer can be just as swiftly and thoroughly answered as mine was with a happy, wet dog. 

Pray often! Champion good!

Drink

Water is one of my favorite things. Most of our planet is covered in water! Most importantly, our lives depend on water. Because of its importance water has become a powerful symbol. It represents renewal, refreshment, and purity.

Spiritual truth is like water. When we find it, our spirits recognize it. They are renewed, refreshed, and purified by it. We want more.

God is the source of all spiritual truth. His Son, Jesus Christ, taught the truth. He also gives the truth to special witnesses called prophets. Prophets are provided to teach the truth to us. To be champions of goodness and righteousness, we must drink deeply from the fountain of truth. We can do this by reading the scriptures and listening to the prophets.

" Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." (The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 22:3)

Drink deeply and win the prize! Champion good!

Champion Good

When I think of champions I think of Olympic champions and battle heroes.            

In the Olympics, the best athletes in the world gather. They are competing to win medals. Three awards are given at the Olympics. Bronze medals, silver medals, and gold medals. Winning the gold is a astonishing achievement and earns you world-wide recognition. It takes a lot of training and dedication to receive this.
In battle, if a warrior shows exceptional bravery, strength, endurance, or strategy he is honored by his nation. Usually he is given an award such as a medal or priceless gift. He may advance in rank, be given money, or (in historical times) be offered a princess to marry! Soldiers train vigorously, follow orders, work with their comrades, and put their nation before themselves.

Champions start like everyone else. But they become more.

God expects each of us to become more than we are. He wants us to achieve His "gold medal" of eternal life and to put His cause before ourselves. He wants us to be champions of what is righteous, godly, and good.

We should work to champion the cause of God.