Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

   Here in Franklin yesterday, we did not have a very good day. I have been wondering why the day was not so great. No big reason has stuck out in my mind of why our day was a drag, besides the fact that I think we let the little things bother us.
   Growing up, when I would make a fuss over something, I would occasionally hear my mother telling me old sayings like "Don't sweat the small stuff", or "Don't cry over spilt milk".
   I wonder how many of us take the time to notice an awesome sunset like this one to the left. Sometimes we may be so concerned about the hustle and bustle of regular life, that we don't even pay attention to things like this.
   It is neat how we can always make a choice to focus on the positive and be happy or we can always think about the things that aren't going exactly how we would like. I'm sure we all know people who never seem to be doing very well, and we all know people who never seem to be doing bad. Is it that some people are just lucky and have easy lives? I don't think so. I think that it mostly depends on our attitude.
   I don't know about the rest of ya'll, but I sure want to be one of those people who always seem to be doing well. Its great though, because we just have to decide to! Amen.

Car Keys and Prayer

Hey everybody, Elder Wursten here. I'm sure ya'll have heard tons of stories about how someone lost some car keys, then prayed, and then found them. But here is a really good one. Maybe I just think its really good because it happened to me.
   So there I was in K-Town, Utah. I was in a rush to take off for somewhere, but I couldn't find the darn keys to my car. So, what do you think I did? You're right! I took the spare key and drove off.
   A couple of days later, I was wondering to myself, I wonder where those keys went. I'm tired of using the spare key because it doesn't have that remote thing that unlocks the car. So I look and look and I just can't find 'em. So then its time to tell my father about my the dilemma. He tells me, "You had better find them, because that remote thing on the key chain costs a lot of money, and you will have to pay for a new one if you can't find them."
   "Oh darn", I say to myself. I had better find those keys because I sure don't want to buy a new remote thing. It was time to tell Heavenly Father about the pickle I was in. I'm sure it was just a simple prayer, but that's all right, He answered it!
   My mind traced back to about 3 days earlier when my dad and I were trying to fix something on the car. I vaguely remembered setting the keys on the back of it. The thought came to me to ride down on my bike down the road and take a gander to see if I could spot the keys. So off my dad and I went on our bikes.
   We ride a little ways and start to go down the hill nearby my home, when what do you know, I spot the some keys in the gutter! I go over and sure enough, there they are with the remote still intact and still working!
   I do know that God answers sincere prayers and that we can turn to Him wherever, whenever.

What are we doing with our time?

    Most of you probably know that LDS missionaries aren't allowed to watch TV, play video games, or watch movies. We only have certain music we can listen to, certain books we can read, and certain church movies we can watch. Since I have been striving to obey these rules for almost 21 months now, I can now understand from a different perspective the precious time that is wasted by doing these things.
   I know for sure that Satan is behind a lot of it, because if he can get us to read a pointless romance novel for instance, it may take away from time we could be reading a book about something good we could learn. If we watch a certain TV show everyday, it will take away mounds of time we could be spending with family and friends. If we listen to that darn rock n' roll all the time, we may not be allowing ourselves to receive important promptings from the Holy Ghost.
   I, like most people am of course guilty of wasting time doing some things when I could spend that time doing better things. I wonder how I would be if I didn't spend so much time watching "The Andy Griffith Show" growing up, and instead used that time to read worth while books. I wonder if I would be more in tune with the Spirit if I had listened to some "Mozart" or "Beethoven" instead of listening to "Weezer" or "Counting Crows" all the time.
  This time we have on Earth is a really short. I hope we don't waste it doing by doing things that will not do anyone any good. So after you're done reading this blog post, turn off the computer and go do something worth while!

That's What's Up

   This is a picture of some locusts. They come around in bunches every 13 years. They make loud noises too.
   Anyway, this picture doesn't have much to do with what this blog post is about. I just thought I should put it up here.
   Do any of you get annoyed that you're not as intelligent as you would like to be? I do. I sometimes just don't feel like I am very smart, but I am sure grateful that God doesn't require us to be smart to know truth.
    Some scriptures in the Bible help me feel better for not having more going on in my noggin.
  
Here are a few examples in 1 Corinthians 2.
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirt of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  

   I am sure grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who is willing to give us knowledge through the Holy Spirit. I don't understand why some things are the way they are, but I do understand how I can receive Spiritual knowledge from Heavenly Father. Because of this, I know that the Church of Jesus Christ has been brought back through Joseph Smith. I do know that the Book of  Mormon is the Word of God. I know what I need to do to return to live with God again. PTL! (that means Praise the Lord).    
   

 
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Tribute to Mother

   This Sunday, as many of ya'll may know, is Mother's Day. This holiday is an exciting one for missionaries too because it is one of the two days in the year that we get to call our family on the phone.
   Anywho, I was blessed enough to have a great mother. One thing my mom taught me growing up was the importance of honesty and keeping the commandments.   
   There was this one time when I was younger when my friend and I were playing with our sling shots. We were having a jolly ole time, until I took a bad shot and the rock hit my neighbors veinel fence and made a whole in it. I got way scared. When I got home, my guilt got the best of me and I told my mom what happened. She told me I needed to go and apologize to our neighbor, so I did. I was so nervous, but my friends and I went and we apologized. The man wasn't too happy, but afterwards I felt a lot better for being honest.
   This whole in the fence situation probably is the biggest deal in the whole world, and its for sure not the worst thing I've done, but I am sure grateful for my mother teaching me of the importance of being honest.
   My mom never really forced me to make good decisions, but because of her love for me, I wanted to always choose the right.
   Happy Mother's day mom and to all the mother's out there!

Back in Business

   Alright, I'm back. Sorry about that everyone. I all of a sudden got really tired of blogs. They seem really repetitive and I was running out of ideas on how to make my blog worth while. I still am not sure if I've figured it out, but I will keep trying new things. If any of ya'll have suggestions, please let me know! I hope this blog will help people to come closer to Christ. I just don't want it to be boring or repetitive.
   Anywho, below is a picture of the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. As much as I would like to tell some non-believers that these plates are the real deal, no, they are just a replica.
   You might ask yourself, "How could I believe in a story like that of Joseph Smith?" It might seem kind of strange the way the Church of Jesus Christ was restored, but so do so many of the stories in the Bible. God still does work miracles today. I sure do know that. The truth is, it doesn't really matter how God brought the Book of Mormon forth. God can do whatever He wants. What matters is that we continually nourish the seed of testimony. We must read it and pray and completely rely on God and His answers through the Holy Ghost. Then we must act.

Translating: Elder Wursten
Scribe: Elder Cawley

Nashville Tennessee Temple

I decided to put a picture of the Nashville Tennessee Temple on here because it is a really cool picture and temples are so important. After getting this picture on here, I thought, "That's a pretty cool picture, but now what do I say about it? A good majority of the people looking at this page probably know about the temple already, and I don't really want to try and explain what happens in the temple to just a handful of people, when they can go to (this website) and get a better explanation of what temples are used for.

In short though, temples are sacred building where special ordinances, such as eternal marriages are performed. If you have questions, feel free to ask me. Temples are the best! I love being a Latter-Day Saint. If you are not LDS, go onto that website above and learn about Temples and the Restoration of Jesus Christ's church. If you are LDS, go to the Temple!