Angels

An Angel wonders why she is unknown
The child cries

She rubs tired eyes

Why does she have to wake and sleep alone?

An Angel feels she is losing her wings
As she's thrown down

And pinned to the ground

He says, "No man wants your broken being."

An Angel sobs and cries and asks God why
As mother goes

At the coffins close
Cancer has made her say her last goodbye

An Angel watches her first sons demise

Nails in hands

Hated son of man
But like these Angels, they teach us to rise

     Alma 50:30 "He was angry with [her] and he fell upon her and beat her much." This is the scripture that started this whole train of thought for me. ""If God loves her, why did He allow this to happen?" If God loves these three "angels" why did He allow them to go through so much suffering? If God loves his son, why did He allow His son to be hated and crucified by men? What do you think?

     There can be many reasons to be honest. One reason that I am going to pitch y'alls way is that God knew these ladies could take it. I'll just draw my reasoning from the scripture and the poem. (I'm sorry, I usually try to make this post all kicks and giggles so y'all will have something fun to read to make your day better. And plus us missionaries just writing our testimonies and giving online sermons is kind of boring. So I apologize. If you have problems, take it up with my superiors.) 

     So Angel #1. She's a dear friend of mine and she is a single mother. She is about my age and is trying to go to school, go to church and be a mother. I have a hard time just waking up in the morning, I don't know how she does it. But she does. I have some other friends in her situation and one said this, "You know, dating boys is all nice and dandy. They think I'm cute and want to take it somewhere. Then I let them know I have a kid and I usually don't hear from them again." But still they all push on. It's hard enough feeling Gods love but then to not feel it from most people around you, that has to make feeling loved and wanted even harder. 

     Angel #2 is another close friend of mine. This one I don't want to dive into much detail, but hopefully you can get what I am hinting at in the poem. Just the heart breaker for me was hearing her say, "What if he's right? What if no one wants me now?"

     Angel #3 is someone I have grown up with sense elementary. And in high school her mother got diagnosed with cancer. And when things were going really down hill we as a group of friends decided to have a group prayer and fast for our friends mom. I even dressed up for the occasion. I wore my older brothers prom vest and bow-tie to school. (I looked so fly.) And for one friend we had over 160 kids show up for the prayer. All for one girls mom that not everyone knew. It is sad, yes, but that was one of thee most powerful prayers I was ever apart of. I'm sure a dozen of other blessings came from this trial, but because of this one mom getting cancer, 160 kids in high school were able to feel the spirit of God in their life. To know that there was a God and that He is watching over us all. Her mother did pass away but not before she brought us all closer to God.

     With the second Angel, I was able to see the healing power of the atonement in someones life. To see someone so hurt by another actions. To have something taken away from her that can never be replaced. To have a memory that will never be erased. (OOooh, rhymed, I should write poems) But that she is still moving forward with a head held high. And then to hear her say she was thankful for what happened because she was able to help another go through similar things. To see that God can work miracles even the in darkest of times.

     Then to have the first Angel still pushing forward. Even though she has plenty of reason to give up. I have seen so many people on my mission give up where she's at. I have met kids who don't even know their parents because raising them wasn't in life's agenda. To see one young mother almost leave her child with her mother just cause she didn't want that extra "baggage" in life. And still this single mother is pushing forward. She struggles just like you and me, but she is still moving forward. Being an example to everyone around her that meets her or knows her. An example to never quit. An example of trusting in good days ahead. An example of enduring to the end.
     Finally, the scripture. Long story short, this girl wasn't hanging around with the best crowd. But cause of what happens, she leaves that group and really saves the fall of a nation. (Okay, that is me reading between the lines a bit...really it says if things would have continued in their present course, some bad stuff would have gone down) (My interpretation is better.) (Not saying Gods word aint complete...oh, you get what I mean) Because of what happened to her, something better was able to come out of it. Same with Jesus Christ. He was born basically to be sent to the slaughter house. But, why? John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Because there was a bigger plan at hand. That is why Mary was able to go through what happened with her son. Cause she knew it was going to be worth it. That is why Christ went through what He did, he knew it was going to be worth it. And for these Angels, they're still moving forward hoping that it will be worth it. Isn't that what faith is? Believing in something unseen? (Ether 12:6) So you keep going. Keep dreaming. Keep hoping. "It all works out in the end. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us [He will not forsake you.] If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers." - Gordon B. Hinkley

Night Light

Night Light

I have a night light

For my older brother said,
"My price is just right
It's so very bright
And will save you in your bed

Cause monsters are there

And they wish to have a treat
In the night they stare
Your body they'd share
If they catch you on your feet

Please, please believe me
And buy it before it's too late
Your brother Stanley

He was...family
And he met a gruesome fate."

So I stay in bed
And don't even cry at night
Monsters wont be fed
I wont be dead
Cause monsters fear my night light.

     I am probably the next Robert Frost, or who ever that big famous poet guy was 'cause these post are about as good as they come. No really, don't expect much better than this. Yes, I am really good at rhyming stuff like, "Bee" and "Tree" and not every average missionary can do that. 

     What I am getting at in this poem is the faith that we have as little kids. Shoot, I remember when my brother was little my older brother did something like this. He had him believing he was going to lose his shadow the next day. My little brother was crying he was so sad to lose his shadow. It was pretty stinking funny, but he believed just by word of mouth. Another prank my older brother did to me was I stood on a electrical box outside our house. There had this warning on it and, if I remember right, I was told if I took more than 10 steps I was going to be shocked to death. I got half way across the street and I was at about 7 steps and I, like my little brother, just started crying. I think I would have taken losing my shadow vs. getting shocked to death by a flying evil looking black storm cloud depicted in the picture, but, I believed.
     Why is it when we get older and older we demand more proof? Maybe it's cause people keep pranking us and we actually want to see if we'll lose our shadow or not? It could be a list of things, but knowing isn't faith. "Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen." (Ether 12:6) We try to share the message of the Book of Mormon to a lot of people. "Well, kid. Where are the gold plates? If y'all had them in Salt Lake City maybe I'd believe." How much historical proof is there of the bible? And how many people still believe there is no God? Isn't there proof though that He's real? 

     "I have seen the dead raised. I have seen devils rebuked and removed from people. And I speak in the gift of tongues. Why don't I hear any of this from the Mormon church?" Quoted by a guy who was being very nice and very receptive to the Mormon Missionaries. We don't talk about it because that isn't where your faith should be. Matthew 24 verses 23 and 24 talk about false Christs. "[People] shall shew great signs and wonders, [that even the most faithful] they shall deceive." If I believed in signs and wonders first, shoot I would be following Jared the Subway guy. How did he lose that much weight? Magic.Or maybe he's a prophet called of God? I'm sold. He's a prophet. "Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6) If your faith is in a miracle, what happens if it gets proven wrong? That instead of Jared being a prophet, he just walked off all his fat. Then where is your faith then? Your faith shouldn't be in signs and wonders, even though that does strengthen ones faith, it should be based on the feelings of the Spirit of God. 

     Even Peter the Apostle recognized this. He walked and talked with Jesus Christ, but where did his faith come from? "Blessed art thou, [Peter]: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto the, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matt 16:17) It was by the Spirit of God that he knew Jesus truly was the Christ. So pray about it! Don't ask Jared or Google, ask God. "Become as little children." (Matt:18:3) "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matt 7:7) "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God." (James 1:5)

Star Trek and the Book of Mormon

Star Trek and the Book of Mormon

Captain Kirk says, "Space the final frontier"
Those are the very first words that you hear

Into Darkness replaced The Wrath of Khan
It's good, but plain and simple truths were gone

Big explosions and graphics didn't hurt
And Uhura looked good in that tight skirt

These are the focus of modern day man
If you're a Trekkie, then you're not a fan

The new ones are bad, there could have been more
Lame space movies is what Star Wars is for

No Genesis Project, no Spock in space
Their could have been more, it's such a disgrace

KJV to MWT NIV
They change it so it can be read simply

But truths were lost as with The Wrath of Khan
Until the Book of Mormon came along

Just like how Spock is Captain Kirk's wingman
Just as the Bible with the Book of Mormon

Go boldly where you haven't gone before

If you ask, Mormons will come to your door.

     Well....I got some help on this one. I don't know much about Star Trek. I watch real movies like, Finding Faith in Christ or Prophet of the Restoration. To me, and I know I will probably get shot for this, Star Wars and Star Trek seem the same to me. One has a light sabers and then the other...well....it's different? I had my companion Elder Lake help me craft up this post. For, "I live in sin" according to Elder Lake. But the point we are trying to get at, is the more you water things down, the more you are to lose.
     Think about when we were kids and we would play the telephone game. Where you're in a line and one person starts the message and then whispers it in the ear of their neighbor. Then the neighboring kid whispers it in their neighbor's ears. And this process is repeated until the line runs out of kids or it gets back to the person who started it. The starting message could have been something simple like, "Elder Goodrich is thee best missionary every." And then as it gets passed through the line, the message gets distorted from the original message. "Elder Goodrich is a missionary." Then it reaches a kid like me who purposefully goes out of his way to ruin it. "Elder Goodrich is single and ladies feel free to write him."  And when the final message is re-said, it's different from the start. It has some of the same stuff like, "Elder Goodrich" but then it messed up the "best missionary ever" and inserted "feel free to write him." Things have been added and taken away from what was said. 

     This is how it is with the Bible. It is ancient journals that testifies of Jesus Christ. The original scripts were translated, then those were translated, then those were translated and some plain and simple truths were lost in the translations. Look at all the different versions of the Bible we have now! It has the same message of Jesus Christ, but it is missing simple things that help testify of Jesus Christ! This is where the Book of Mormon comes into play. It has been translated by the power of God, once. No other ear has been whispered into like in the child's game of telephone. It's the original message of, "Elder Goodrich is thee best missionary ever." Told once, told completely and told simply.
     The Book of Mormon and the Bible go hand in hand like Spock and Kirk. They are playing for the same team. They have the same goals. They are on the same ship saving the universe. They are different people, with unique view points on the same thing. It's like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They tell the same story slightly differently cause they are different people and see with different eyes. Isiah testified of Jesus the way he did, and so did Nephi. The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ just as much as the Bible. Same Jesus, same atonement, same God. Just told by different people."The mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." (2 Cor 13:1) This isn't a foreign practice, it's not a new thought. It is how it's always been. There is God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. There are the 12 apostles. There are all the prophets. Shoot, when God made Adam, "Now wait...something isn't quite right. :T Lets see. Lets put him back under and make another one." (Gen 2:18,22) Just like this poem, Elder Lake helped me make it. We are two different people working for the same goal, as is the Book of Mormon and the Bible. (:
     Do you not have a Book of Mormon or are confused at what this wanna be Trekkie nerd just said? Well, here's a place where you can learn more. (: mormon.org
Don't like reading? Here's a video A Book of Mormon Story

Tomorrow

Tomorrow

We sat and planned

Devised and schemed

And thought this sounded nice

We found the how

The time is now

To start this new device

The work must go forth

We must suffer on

And teach of Jesus Christ

Will someone do

Maybe it's you

It's a small sacrifice

No, not me

I cannot today

For I have big plans in store

Maybe then

I'm not so sure when

That's what tomorrows are for.

(The picture is of me waiting for a kitten to come out from under the fence. He was cute and worth the wait. Which kind of goes along with the subject of waiting to act...)

     So now this one we are all guilty of. I often times do it with food in the microwave. I hear the dinger go off and it's all the way up stairs. "Well, this episode is almost done (clearly on Netflix) I'll get it when this one is done." Then the next day I go to reheat some left overs and boom! There it is. Sometimes I just leave it, re-heat it and enjoy. One less step really. Oh don't be astonished. Y'all do things like this too. :P
     I am also very guilty of doing this with missionary work. "Well, I am kind of hungry and I do need to go to the bathroom...so...lets go tracting after." And then, boom, didn't do it. Please don't tell my mission president that. For all he knows, I'm one of the best missionaries there is. And let's keep it that way. This also happens at missionary meetings, where some missionary comes up with a new way to teach people, or a revolutionary way to knock on doors. And, "I'll do it next time."
     Turn to Genesis 1:1. Now, don't get lost doing this heavy task. If you need some help, call the missionaries, they can help you. (: (Preferably me, we need people to teach. The other sets of missionaries will be fine. They can knock doors.) "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Now, if I was in charge of making the heavens and the earth. "Well...I am busy watching the game on my love sack cloud, and I did just create light (vs 3). So....I can do it tomorrow. I have like 5 more days I can make all the earth! It's nbd." Now, we can see why I'm not God! haha. 

     So instead of tomorrow, what can you do today? Can you make light? No, you're not God. Stop thinking that. But what can you do? Missionaries are always begging and pleading with members to help them find someone to teach. Shoot, we don't even need that. Do the members have anyone they don't like and they want us to bug them? Is there any fences we can paint? Elder Sawyer did that one a lot. We are free, quality labor. Why not put us to work? What can you help them do today? What can you personally do? Clean up your room? (Now my mom would have loved me to do that before I left. But, I'm gone now so not my problem.) Shovel the side walks? (Thats for my people out in utah. For the people out here in florida, rake the yard.) What about sharing the word of God? "Well, I see them every day. I can invite them to church tomorrow." 

     No no no. You can not be thinking: "This missionary is a missionary. He doesn't know what it's like to be a member and have a life, job, family and the Superbowl to watch." Please. I actually got sent home early and I was there for about 9 months. And I know what the missionaries ask is kind of a lot. One of my friends challenged me to give 5 book of mormons out. Another demanded me to give someone for the missionaries to teach. And....I didn't do that, but let me tell you what I did do. Long story short, at my place of employment there were a lot of exceedingly fair and beautiful (See 1 Nephi 13:15) daughters of God that came in, and I might have talked with a lot of them. However, I don't know how many times religious matters came up. A lot of these ladies had stopped going to church for this reason and that. I would say things like, "You gotta get your act together! God is great!" Which now thinking about it, is probably why a lot of them didn't ever call me back...:T But, there was one girl I talked to about this a lot. I challenged her to do simple things like, reading her patriarchal blessing. One day she came in and said this, "After talking with you I decided to call my bishop...I might get excommunicated for what I have done, but I know I am on the right track and I want to get my life back in order." I didn't see her get baptized, I didn't invite her to take the missionary lessons, I just talked to her and invited her to act. I didn't say I would do it tomorrow. I did it today. (Well, not today. Today is like 9 months sense I did this but you get my point.) So what can you do today? Instead of tomorrow or sometime down the road, do it today. (: Please?

Don't like what I say? An Apostle of the Lord can say it better. (:

Choose This Day