My Talk on Charity

Good afternoon brothers and sisters. I am very grateful to have this opportunity to stand before you today and share a message and my testimony before I leave. Today I have been asked to speak on a topic that is both easily explained and easily understood. However, putting this principle into action is perhaps one of the greatest challenges in our daily lives, and one that we cannot hope to perfect in this lifetime. The topic I will be speaking about is the pure love of Christ, which we refer to as “charity”.

                 Charity is given as a commandment to every one of us. In 2 Nephi chapter 26 verse 30, Nephi says “Wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men shall have charity, which charity is love.”… Jesus, having been asked which of the commandments was the greatest, tells the Pharisees, “Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” It is interesting that out of the many commandments Heavenly Father has given us, all of them can be summarized by these two.  This ought to impress upon us the importance God has placed on love. It is a characteristic that we are expected to develop throughout our lives.  The Youth of the ward should recognize the following verse from 1 Timothy chapter 4, which was our Young men/young women’s theme in 2009. Paul says, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” How important this charge is to each of us as latter-day Saints, to be an example of the believers by showing charity. It is not enough for us to be examples by simply living the Mormon lifestyle if we are neglecting to pay heed to the most important aspect of Christ’s ministry; love and service toward our fellow men.  In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, Paul says, “Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”  This scripture shows us that there is no replacement for charity. We could possess an understanding of all things and have perfect faith, but it would avail us nothing if we neglect to serve and love each other.

So how do we as latter-day Saints live a life of charity? President Thomas S. Monson defines charity as “love in action.” This means we can be charitable simply by living our lives as Jesus lived His. Jesus served his fellow men; healed them, blessed them, taught them. He loved his enemies, did good to them that hated him, blessed them that cursed him. To those who smote his cheek he offered the other. He forgave them. He suffered to satisfy the demands of justice, taking upon himself the sins and afflictions of the world. And finally, he died that we might live again. Now most of us are not presented daily with the opportunity to heal someone, to raise someone from the dead, or to die for someone. Obviously none of us could do for others what Christ did for us, but we can serve others by the same love that Christ served us… We can gain a better understanding of how to do that by reading verse 45 of Moroni chapter 8. It says,

“45) And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

The first characteristic Moroni mentions is suffering long. I find it funny that long-suffering is at the top of the list, as it is definitely the area I could improve most on. Living with my 3 brothers has surely been a challenge at times. Many times my limits have been pushed and my patience has been tried, and I regret to say that many times my patience has failed. It occurs to me that I can learn a lot about long-suffering from my parents, who have had to put up with me these long nineteen years. They put up with my crying as a baby, my selfishness as a teenager, my crying as a high schooler…that last one was a joke. But despite the aggravation I caused them, my parents continued to forgive me. They knew I was still learning, and today they know that I am still learning. This continual patience of my parents is a perfect example of charity, a perfect demonstration of Christ-like love. Christ sees us make mistakes constantly, and most often sees us make the same mistake many times. How frustrating it should be for Him, to watch us continually do that which we know is wrong, make decisions based on our carnal and worldly desires, and deny that which we know is true. But Christ doesn’t get angry with us. He knows we are learning. He helps us know that what we’ve done is wrong, and then waits patiently for us to approach him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. What an example He is, and I am so grateful for the power of repentance and for the long-suffering and patience of Christ. As I serve a mission I hope to be able to develop my sense of long-suffering further. In the small zone I will be serving in I will have the opportunity to have the same companions multiple times. Two of my five future companions will be entering the MTC with me, and I imagine the importance of patience will be clear almost immediately as we get to know each other and discover each other’s quirks and habits. As latter-day Saints it is important that we gain a sense of long-suffering within our families, within our neighborhoods, within our ward, and even within our nation. Within our families, we can be sympathetic to each other’s situations. Parents can work to understand that we as the youth are completely clueless. We may know the clothing that’s in style, but other than that we’re basically stupid. And to the youth, we should learn to be more patient with our parents. They think they know what we’re going through, so let’s just let them keep thinking that. Haha, just kidding. I’m pretty sure they do. Within our neighborhoods and ward we can be less easily offended. I try to not take it personally when our neighbors mow their lawns at 1 in the afternoon while I’m still trying to sleep. Long-suffering toward our neighbors means walking in their shoes, trying to understand why they do what they do, then using this to let it go… In the nation we can be sympathetic to those with different viewpoints. No, we don’t have to agree with them or support their causes. But we should certainly not treat them with disrespect and name-calling because they have a slightly different perspective…We can gain greater patience and long-suffering toward our fellow men by keeping ourselves in a more spiritual state of mind. This can be accomplished by keeping a prayer in our hearts, reading the scriptures, serving others, and going to the temple often.

The second characteristic Moroni mentions is kindness. Of course, kindness means treating others with the respect we would wanted to be treated with. Another important aspect of this quality is being non-judgmental.  I’m sure we all remember the bumper sticker President Uchtdorf quoted during the last general conference: “don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.” It goes without saying that nobody here is perfect. Most of us try very hard to hide those imperfections, and some are good at it. Sometimes our imperfections and mistakes become known. But just because one person’s imperfections become public does not place us above them. It certainly gives us no right to judge them. In fact, in many cases even discussing someone else’s situation can do damage. To quote President Monson, “needed is the charity which refuses to find satisfaction in hearing or in repeating the reports of misfortunes that come to others.” … To be non-judgmental is to be Christ-like. When an adulterer was brought before Jesus, her sin was known by everyone. But what did Christ say? “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” To quote Mother Theresa: “if you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

Next, Moroni says, “charity is not puffed up.” I’m not going to get into pride too much, because there’s so much to cover; but I do want to share a quick story that comes to mind whenever I think of being puffed up. This is a true story shared by my roommate at BYU about his parents when they moved to Utah shortly after being married. They were not members. Shortly after settling in, one of their neighbors came over to their house with a cake. My roommate’s parents invited her in, and she graciously welcomed them to the ward and gave them the cake. It was then that they mentioned to her that they were not members. The woman picked up the cake, and left the house without a word. Because of this experience it took them almost 10 years to accept the gospel; one can’t help but think they would have accepted it much sooner had their first impression been of a Christ-like people. Membership in this church does not give us superiority over others. Christ loves all his children equally. Though we have more knowledge concerning God and the Plan of Salvation than non-members, this knowledge should not be flaunted or used to boast, even among ourselves.

Next, Moroni says that charity “seeketh not her own.” This means that our work should be focused around others. “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.” In 2 Nephi chapter 26 verses 30 and 31, it says, “Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish. But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.”…Our labors should be to build up the kingdom and serve one another, not to collect the rewards ourselves.

                The next characteristic of Charity I would like to talk about is rejoicing in truth. This gospel makes known unto us glorious truths that we ought to rejoice in every day. As youth of the church we sometimes forget or fail to fully comprehend the beauty of God’s plan; it is important to be an example of faith by openly expressing gratitude for the knowledge we have.  How great it is to know that families are eternal, that we can inherit the kingdom of heaven. How amazing it is that Christ atoned for us so that we can repent when we have committed sin. How unique it is to have the power of the priesthood in our homes, the gift of the Holy Ghost in our members, a living prophet at the head to guide us. 

 It is in these truths that I rejoice and now leave for two years to share... My reason for serving a mission used to stem from obligation, as I think it does for many young men. But at some point in the last few years I gained a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, and with this conviction comes the desire to share these truths. I am so grateful at this time to know the truths of the gospel, to have a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon, and to have this opportunity to serve as a missionary. I am truly humbled to act as God’s servant and messenger, and I look forward to declaring the good news.

I’d like to share one final scripture before I close. The scripture is Alma 7:24, and it says, “And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.” Brothers and sisters, as we try our hardest to have the pure love of Christ with us, our desire to serve each other will grow with it. I would like to bear my testimony of the sacredness of this commandment; to love one another, to serve one another, to suffer long, to envy not; to believe, hope, and endure all things. If we live our lives with the same love Christ did, it shall be well with us. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

               

Sáluhjálparáætlunin

As some of you know, I have been participating in a "drawing challenge" on Facebook, wherein I am given a topic to draw every day for 30 days. It has been hard! Not only is it hard to draw the actual pictures, but it's difficult to decide what to draw too. The other day the topic was "inspiration". First off, I didn't know if that meant to draw something by inspiration, or to draw the thing that inspires me! It's incredibly non-specific. So I chose the latter choice, and then came the task of discovering what inspires me. I was texting a friend, and she told me to find out what makes things meaningful to me, and the answer came immediately. I was in a car at the time, and I looked around and realized that nothing I was seeing really meant anything to me. Money, work, school, it's all temporal. The only thing in the car that meant anything to me was my dad who was driving, my mom in the passenger seat, and my brother in the seat next to me. Then I thought to my future. I know I will go through my share of trials as we all must, but even the trials are meaningless when compared to the blessings of having an eternal family of my own. I am willing to go through years of school and an entire life of work to support my family because they are the way to true happiness and exaltation! Thinking about this made me remember the perfection of the Plan of Salvation, and in turn, the love Heavenly Father has for us.

When we learn about the Plan of Salvation we learn so much about where we came from and where we are going that it is easy to forget that we are living it right now, and that the things we do here are essential to it. Over the past year or so my eyes have really been opened as I have reached the age where I am making decisions that will affect me forever. Some that come to mind are receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood and going to the Temple to receive my endowments. It really makes me realize that within the next 3-5 years I could be making one of the biggest decisions of my existence, and that is to get married in the Temple! We always say that Heavenly Father sent us here to get bodies, but I'm pretty sure finding an eternal companion was #2 on His list!

So when I drew the Plan of Salvation for the the drawing challenge I kept it really simple, and that was on purpose (really, it wasn't laziness). It's a reminder to myself that the Plan of Salvation is simple. The "endure to the end" is to remind me that the path back to our Father is as straightforward as accepting the gospel, repenting, being baptized, and enduring to the end. Basically we just need to be like Jesus! Heavenly Father created the plan because He loves us, and He wants us to do what He asks and return to Him more than anything!

Called to Serve á Íslandi

Most people don't know what to think when I tell them I'm serving in Iceland, which I don't blame them for. Even I hardly know what to expect. Everything I know has been gathered by discussing my call with my Icelandic teacher, Mark, by speaking with my classmates, Michelle and Rex, and communicating with my awesome Icelandic pennavin (penpal) Jaddi.

Alright, so the first stop will obviously be at the Provo MTC, where I will report on August 22. There I will meet the two other missionaries going to Iceland. I already know one of them, his name is Rex. He was in my Icelandic class first semester, and he is really cool. I'm really excited he's coming. Since we are in the Denmark Mission, we will spend a lot of time with the Danish-speaking missionaries too, which I think will be awesome. I'm actually really looking forward to the MTC, even though I will be spending 8 weeks there. Eight weeks of intense scripture study and language study just seems appealing to me right now. On my way to Iceland I will stop in Copenhagen to meet the Mission President. It is likely that I'll spend one or two days there, which I am seriously excited about, because I love to see new places. Then comes the flight into the airport in Keflavík, Iceland. Finally I will meet my first companion and trainer, and the work will begin. There are three areas in Iceland, and they are all pretty close to each other. There are two missionaries in Reykjavík (ray-kyah-veek), two in Garðabær (Gar-the-bire), and two in Selfoss. Selfoss has its own branch, but I think the members in Reykjavík and Garðabær meet at the same chapel. There are about 150 members in the Reykjavík area.

As for the land itself...Iceland (Ísland) is known as the land of fire and ice. Fire because of the large amounts of geothermic and volcanic activity. Ice because...well, because it's north-ish. The days in summer are long, with light lingering even until midnight. The average summer temperature is 50 degrees F, which is my favorite temperature. In winter the sunlight is limited to a few hours every day, and the average temperature is 30 degrees. But I think I'll handle that fine.
Iceland is a land of glaciers, volcanoes, canyons, and waterfalls. This is a picture of Skogafoss, a waterfall on the southern coast of the island.

Iceland is rich in Scandinavian history, and there are many statues of famous vikings to be found throughout the country. Iceland is also well known for its sagas, which relate the tales of various vikings from 900 to 1200 AD. I feel very privileged to be called to teach the gospel in such a special, unique place. I can't wait to start the adventure that will change my life, and I can't wait to share my testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the Gospel with the people of Iceland.

How the Lord guided me to the Icelandic Language

I have been called to serve the Lord for two years in the Denmark Copenhagen mission! And what’s more, I am one of the six Danish missionaries assigned to learn Icelandic, so I will actually be spending those two years entirely in Iceland.

Now that I have received my call I reflect often on the Lord’s decision to send me there and how he has prepared me in advance. Many probably feel I was called to Iceland because of my background in the Icelandic language. I do not believe this is the case. I firmly believe that I was inspired to learn Icelandic so that I could serve more effectively in the call the Lord would extend to me. With this in mind it is interesting to reflect on how the Lord led me to the strange path of learning the Icelandic language, a path followed by only seven other BYU students. I am not tuned enough to the Spirit to have followed this path on my own, so it was necessary for the Lord to lead me to it over time. The following short account of events that led me to that Icelandic class on October seventh is somewhat embarrassing, but thus it is.

It started in seventh grade, on the last day of school. My math teacher showed us a documentary. Not a documentary about Iceland, mind you, but a documentary about a man named Aron Ralston. You are all familiar with the story of Aron, the man who became trapped and cut off his own arm to free himself. The documentary made me interested in his story, and in 2010 I read his book. If it were not for these two events I would never have gone and seen the movie 127 Hours in November, 2010. The final scene of this movie features a song by a certain Scandinavian band, and I’ll bet you can guess which one. Yup, that was the first time I heard Sigur Rós.

From here I slowly became more and more obsessed with this Icelandic band. In addition to the music I found myself particularly attracted to the language spoken, and this is what led me to that class in October, 2011. No, it was not because I wanted to know what they were saying (the internet can do that), it was because I liked the way Icelandic sounded and I became particularly interested in the history of the language and its ties to Old English.

After starting to attend the class, I began a rigorous study of the language outside of class, one which involved elaborate flashcards and extensive study of grammar and pronunciation. I knew I had other stuff I should be doing, but it should come as no surprise to any of you that I chose the language over American Heritage, even though it was one of the most useless, not to mention difficult, languages in the world. I know I had no excuse, even now that I am assigned to learn it, but I can’t help but feel like my zeal was inspired, so as to prepare me for the call I would receive months later.

Now I find myself starting to grasp the complexities of the language, and it is already seeming more finite and within reach. By the time I enter the MTC in August I think I will have a solid grip on the language and be that much more prepared to use it to teach the gospel.

I think it's important to remember that the Lord knows what will come, and will prepare us for it through His own ways. We need to trust his methods and follow our spiritual promptings, because this is how He brings about His great purposes. Thanks for reading! My next post will be about the mission itself, so come back later!

Finding Beauty in the Desert

I just learned our family might go to Canyonlands next week, and I'm super stoked. Hopefully it actually happens. Canyonlands is close-ish to Moab Utah; it is divided into 3 distinct "districts" by the Colorado River and Green River (can you see the districts in the picture?). The 3 districts are: the Island in the Sky, the Maze, and the Needles. We always go to the Needles.

Canyonlands is one of my favorite places in this whole world. I imagine most of you don't understand my obsession with Southern Utah. Well, it can hardly be explained without being experienced, but I'll try my best. The rocks are redish-orange. The whole land seems brighter because of this. Giant canyons and cliffs dominate the landscape, casting contrasting shadows every which way. It feels like a different planet. Large arches can be found hiding around bends, and rocks take strange shapes and colors. And always you can feel the spirits of the natives who lived there thousands of years ago, especially when you gaze at the pictographs they have etched into the canyon walls. In these remote canyons the air is light, but the silence heavy. I would be scared of wandering into this area alone for fear of being crushed by the silence and solitude that can be found there.

As beautiful as the landscape is, the thing that makes the area special for me is the experiences I get to have with my family. One of my favorite things in the world is sharing the beauty of nature with those close to me. The red rock seems to bind friendships and build relationships like nothing else I've experienced. It's kind of inexplicable how it works. Teamwork and camaraderie are at their maximum strength when we seperate ourselves from the responsibilities of life's demands and immerse ourselves in nature.

My favorite place within Canyonlands is a place called Chesler Park. The slickrock road that leads there begins about 2 hours from the nearest city, and the area itself can only be accessed after intense 4-wheeling over this rocky road for about 3 hours. Though access is difficult, the beauty is worth it. Giant red and white sandstone spires raise a hundred feet into the air like lighthouses, and surrounding the bases are mazes of canyons and cracks which can be explored without end.

The first time I visited Canyonlands was when I was in my mom's womb. No wonder it's such a big part of me, haha. Below is a picture of me and my brothers at Chesler Park last year. I'm stoked that I get to continue travelling there often, even after 18 years. Though I hope to travel abroad in my adulthood, Canyonlands will always be my home base.

Hey, thanks for taking the time to visit. I've never had a blog before, so I will do my best to keep you from dying of boredom. I won't be posting memes or jokes, as much as I like those; you can find those anywhere. My main objective is to get some creativity flowing, hopefully allowing topics to be discussed in an insightful manner. Nýr Dagur (pronounced 'Near Dahg-ur') is Icelandic for  "New Day." I don't know why certain phrases and aphorisms strike me more powerfully when said in a different language, but I suspect it's because they make me reconsider the meaning. When someone says "tomorrow is another day", our brains tend to log it away because we have heard that saying a thousand times. But when I think, "Morgunninn er nýr dagur", I am forced to rethink what it means. Yes, it translates to the same thing, but this time my brain has actually thought it through. It makes more of an impression that way. Anyway, if I think of anything interesting to write about I will post it here. Thanks for reading!