Holly Gundersen
Book of Mormon
Elder Bednar once said, “The
book of Mormon is the greatest single tool which God has given us the convert
the world.” Furthermore, the restoration volume of scripture is the keystone of
our religion and is essential in bringing souls to the savior.” The book of Mormon
is crucial in spreading the gospel and truly is the keystone of our faith.
I
know that God has a divine plan for each and every one of us as Thomas S. Monson
really hit home in our April 2016 conference just yesterday. He said that we
need to follow the path and we need to and set goals for ourselves in order to
reach these paths. He even talked about Alice in Wonderland, how she didn’t
know where she was and so when she comes to the cat he states, “Do you know
where your going?”, to which she reply’s she doesn’t, so the cat says, “then it
doesn’t matter.” Alice then says something of the nature that she knew where
she wanted to go. This is how we need to be, we need to have a destination on
our GPS set in stone throughout our entire journey or else we will get lost
along the way. When we do this as Gary E. Stevenson related in his talk this
conference we find keys to getting home. This is like us because Heaven is our
home. It does matter where we are going because if we are going to hell, I
would like to know about it. When we don’t
know where were going or in another sense what we essentially are “getting” in
life, we don’t how terrible something is going to be, so we don’t work for what
we could potentially aspire to be, and even further than that if we don’t know
what we will gain in the end we won’t know why we should try harder. That is
why it is so crucial that we know who we are and why we are here and where we
need to go. President Uchtdorf even further led us to these truths yesterday
when he declared that we needn’t bend, twist, break our metal, but truly find
out what that metal is made out of. If we know who we are and where we came
from then it is a lot easier to figure out where we are going, something of which
Alice had partially forgotten and thus leads us to recognize why it was so hard
for her to figure out where she was, although thankfully she still knows where
she wants to go. When we know where we are going we furthermore do the things
necessary to get back to the kingdom. Thomas S. Monson declared that we need to,”choose
the harder right, not the easier wrong”. Furthermore, many times choosing the
right is the harder thing to do, but the easier thing once done deceases the
temptations which no longer becomes a burden of our minds and souls. Utchdorf
even declared this when he said, “the light of truth will enlighten our minds
and we will start to see obedience as a beautiful thing rather than a burden.”
Thomas S. Monson furthermore stated that our decisions make the decisions whether
or not we reach our goals. In my decision to serve a mission, I have
continually sought out guidance and answers as to whether or not I should serve
my mission and God particularly asking guidance through conference. Throughout
this process there have been so many setbacks and questionings of my heart that
led me to not knowing if I wanted to serve a mission. The reason I will, is
because God was telling me go, and the reason I was in conflict, was because
Satan was tempting me to say no.
One
example of one of my many internal conflicts was that I am a type 1 diabetic. I
have diabetes and therefore must always have a constant supply of insulin to
keep my body safe from my sugar levels shooting sky high and my bodily
functions from completely shutting down. When I went to my endochronologist
appointment in Idaho Falls about three weeks ago I was told by the endochronologist
that I would not and could not go on a mission to anywhere else other than the
United States and Canada. At first this news came as no surprise to me but
through a series of Satan’s constant whisperings in my head eventually I came
to the realization that a complete and utter defiance had arisen first from my
mind but then eventually to my soul and heart. In this defiance was the
confusion that God wasn’t watching over my mission call and wouldn’t decide
where I personally needed to go because of the fact that there was a plain and
simple rule that I could not go to anywhere other than the USA and Canada. I
have always felt such a connection with people, children, and elderly people
all around the world and the fact that I could not go to this place because of
my disease and improper medical care made me question if any mission state-side
would be where I needed to go in life. Also fears of leaving my family, friends
and parents crept into my soul and spun around my head often. Thirdly, I really
wondered if I could do all the strenuous labor that the mission entailed
physically and mentally. On top of this all the stress of school and finals was
piled onto this and the decision being made was one of the hardest things I
have had to face in my life until Thomas S. Monson declared in conference
yesterday, “Choose the harder right, not the easier wrong”. I had been praying
to receive an answer or strength that I would be able to receive an answer
concerning conference this weekend and I certainly got it yesterday! I know
that we can be loved and saved through the prophets that are on the earth today
by their words that can inspire us daily if we let them. It’s such a glorious
thing, in 1 Nephi 2:22 it says, “for by the Spirit are all things made known
unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the
flesh.” Because of these foreordained prophets of the lord I have been made
able to make the decision to serve a mission and have been strengthened by the
lord to have a willing desire and to be able to see what is truly important in
my life and what will help me. I have also been blessed in the burdens of life have
seemed to clear and the pathway has shone bright unto me. Although the right
path is harder, the greater the trial, the more glorious the triumph as the
saying goes. Furthermore, and lastly it was said yesterday that never has the
great and spacious building been so large, filled, and loud. It is our job in
this generation to work for what God has intended us to do and fulfill the
blessings of Ephraim which are spreading the gospel to the four corners of the
earth. I could not be more excited to do this and am so happy to do this and
God’s plan for me.
