1 Nephi 9-10

Here it is again in verse 6 of chapter 9...

"But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of his words. And thus it is. Amen"

See? Another one letting us know that the path has already been prepared! We just need to suck it up and DO IT and stop complaining! I feel like a lot of these chapters have to do with Faith.. Maybe that's just something I've noticed because faith is one thing I am trying to work on. I need to have more faith that things will work out the way they need to and in the time they are supposed to. I can't let myself get too worked up about certain things, like school, family, or my nonexistent dating life.. It'll all come in time.. I just need to continue to try doing the right things and it'll come.. It'll come. I just need to develop faith and PATIENCE.

I also love verse 18 in chapter 10. It does remind you that the Gospel is the same everywhere. When I was in Brazil, I didn't understand the language all the time, but I knew what was happening at church, I knew the routines and the scriptures, and the hymns. It's amazing how vast our church is. It's so easy to forget that this is a worldwide church! With so many different people and cultures, yet the foundation of the gospel is the same everywhere. I LOVE it!! So much. It definitely is a comfort to have that one constant in life, especially when everything else may seem like a mess!

PS: I think the "dwelt in a tent" thing does just mean that Lehi was living in a tent, but I think, to me, the world "dwelt" means for a long time, almost like settled.. So they were in tents, in the wilderness for a long time before Nephi was told to build the ship.

1 Nephi 9-10

I think that chapter 18 is so comforting.

18 For he is the ^asame yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.

There is something very comforting in the fact that no matter where I am, how old I become, or anything like that He will continue to be a constant in my life and that will never change. And in addition, if i do something stupid or whatever I will always be able to repent and be able to be with Him again someday. This also gives me hope, especially with my children. I know that they will make mistakes, i know that they wont be perfect (forever at least), but i know that they will be able to repent and be with Him someday and in essence with me again. I am so thankful for the atonement in my life, I know that by myself I will never be clean enough to return to my Heavenly Father, but because of what Jesus did for you and for me we will be able to return home someday. I am eternally thankful for what He did and I feel so bless to have that knowledge and testimony!

p.s. Whats up with the "dwelt in a tent" thing... i wonder if it was a temple, church, or just where he worshiped?

1 Nephi 7-8

I love Lehi's dream so much. Though it also scares me... Sometimes I wonder how close I am to the rod, and how close I am to the mists or the great and spacious building. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing good enough. Do you feel that way? I'm sure we all do. You have always been an amazing example of staying close to the iron rod and striving to do what is right. You know, I think that if it wasn't for you, I might not be where I am today emotionally and spiritually. You were always encouraging me to read scriptures with you and go to the temple with you and say prayers together. AND I am so glad you were able to look past your first impression of me, because I know how bad it was. I know that the Lord put you in my life for many reasons, and I know you will be a part of my life for a long time still...

WOW. That was cheesy.

I loved this scripture when Nephi is reprimanding his brothers for their behavior. It's verse 12 in chapter 7: "Yeah, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him." It does seem really easy to forget all of our little blessings!! I always forget to just be grateful for the small stuff, especially when I am having a rough day. I forget a lot. I need to be better about remembering.

Keep clinging to the iron rod Ash! You are still an example to me in SO many ways, even tho you are so far away. And you can definitely count on me coming to visit sometime!! Wish I could come tomorrow :)

Sometimes, is it the best to be so forgiving Ash? I feel like because I am so forgiving and I try to not let things bug me, I get taken advantage of.. Not really now, but you know, like with Laura for example. How many times have I forgiven her and the same thing happens? I didn't even go to her wedding... because she stopped talking to me! I could have shown up, but I was the one who decided not to.. Is that little of me? Should I have been the bigger person? I don't know.. I think there is just so much I can take you know? I know that Christ and Heavenly Father forgive a repeated sin over and over again... It's hard to though. It's hard to forgive and forget over and over again. I do hold grudges, but I just don't let them show. You are always more open about how you are feeling and THAT is something I admire about you!!

Also, I think triplets would be awesome and I know you could handle it.

1 Nephi 7-8

First of all Nephi again shows his awesome skills... he is not only strong:) but faithful, obedient, AND NOW forgiving!!! I think it is amazing how fast Nephi forgives his brothers after all they try to do to him! Meaghan you kind of remind me of Nephi in this way, you have always been the most forgiving person i know. This is a talent i would LOVE to get better at. I have a tendency to hold grudges, first impressions, and even rumors against people. I have a hard time letting go of my earthly emotions and forgiving people. This is totally bad of my because when i make a mistake or something i expect to be forgiven faster than i would in the same situation. This month i am going to make a special effort to try and be more forgiving so that i can build a testimony and habit out of it! I will let you know how that goes as I try this out this coming month:)

Plus Meaghan... you see how easy Laman and Lemuel found wives and they were kind of horrible people:) haha just kidding... but wouldnt it be nice to have the Lord just tell you who to marry! I used to wish that till i met Brock:) It will happen soon... no worries:) LOVE YOU!

Finally a little side note...I think it must be an amazing thing to have dreams so vivid from the Lord. I had a dream that i was preggers with triplets the other night... hope this isnt in my future:) If so... I hope the Lord gives me the strength to do that:)

1 Nephi 5-6

You know what I always want to know? I want to know what is written in these "other records". OR even better, what they are not allowed to write.. You know how it will say sometimes "I cannot write these things now, for it is forbidden" or something to that point... I want to know what the Lord told them... I know that someday we will find out, which I am super excited about. It makes me curious to learn more you know?

What I really liked in these chapters, is that they mention several times that they searched the records. Lehi searched them from the beginning, and he and Nephi found them to be desirable and of great worth. How true is that? Recently, I have found myself turning to the scriptures to find the meaning of little words, like "companion" or "cheer". I know I should have been doing that all along, but I find that when I am reading about, or trying to learn about a certain topic, the scriptures always should be my number one source. They are of great worth to us,and like Nephi says in chapter 6, he's not writing to please the people of the world, but the people who are not of the world. I want to be a person who is not "of the world". I am grateful that we are blessed to have these resources to learn and grow.

I am also grateful for the temple. I need to go more. My goal is to go every week again, like we used to, but I get so caught up in everything that it's not at the front of my mind like it should be.

I like how Nephi brags about his stature too. He must have been one heck of a stud for sure!! :)

1 Nephi 5-6

I think that the main thing that really stuck out to me in these two chapters was the word GENEALOGY... well and the fact that Sariah doubted Lehi.

I think genealogy is amazing. I love knowing where I came from and who I will be connected with throughout eternity. My favorite thing that I get to do, dealing with genealogy, is temple work for those who passed away before receiving the gospel. The thing is I don't live right next door to a temple anymore... its actually like a 2 hour drive to get to one for me now. This makes me kind of sad because it will be a huge trial for me. But anyway I love doing temple work for my ancestors because i feel like i am filling a void in their lives and my own. I get such a peaceful feeling when i enter the temple for my own family. I feel as tho they are there with me and are so thankful for my service. I love that I can have an active role in my ancestors life, it truly is amazing.

Now on to doubting wife Sariah... I am not going to lie, i guarantee that I would be doing the SAME THING. I think just moving out of your home with nothing but some tents and clothes would be hard enough. But then to have my sons be sent back to where we just left into a life threatening mission, it would be very hard to stay so supportive. This whole thing really reminds me of my own recent experience. I mean, I just moved very far away from all the friends and family that I have lived close to for the past 6-7 years. I am now in a strange place where I don't know a lot of people and ever since we have been here one or all of us has been sick. So sometimes I get scared and nervous but honestly I know that this is where we are supposed to be. The thing I try to do so that I can forget my fears and doubts is to truly count my many blessings and trust in Brock and the Lord. I know that with them by my side I can do anything! PLUS I keep reminding myself that friends and family will come visit me... I hope:)

-Ash

1 Nephi 3-4

First of all in chapter three it amazes me how Laman and Lemuel (and others in our time) can be so close to the gospel and just straight up ignore it and all the blessings that come with following our Heavenly Fathers plan. I mean really they had a prophet for a Dad, a couple brothers that were super awesome and had great faith, and angels coming down to see them. AND STILL they couldn't get it in their thick heads what they needed to do to be truly happy!

Second, I think it is totally awesome how Nephi just has so much faith, after bribery didn't work he was able to put the task fully in the lords hands. I think it takes an amazing man with great faith to fully trust in the lord and do whatever he asks of you. Nephi already was asked to go and get the plates which was a hard and trying task in itself but then he was asked to get rid of Laband by killing him. I honestly don't know if I am so faithful. I like to think that whatever the Lord throws my way I am up to the task and will do whatever I need to to be with Him again! I hope that stands true for the rest of my life.

Third, I think its kind of awesome how Nephi always brags about his strength and his large stature:)

Lastly, Meaghan you know you are the most awesomest friend ever!

1 Nephi 3-4

I'm sorry I did yesterday's, and today's a little late. Basically, I wanted to focus on verse 7 a bit. I know it's like one of the most quoted, or cited scriptures in the BOM probably, but it kinda is near and dear to my heart a bit. It's the one where Nephi says "I know the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them". I have something in my patriarchal blessing that is pretty similar to this, so I think it's pretty cool. I know that we have talked about this before, but in my blessing, it tells me that I will have many challenges in my life. But then it goes on to say "They were known to your Heavenly Father before you ever came here to the earth. And the way has been prepared that you might see yourself through all of them and that each one will be a blessing to you. Each one will help you to grow and strengthen your testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each one will bring you closer to Him."

So it's not exactly the same wording, but I think the meaning is the same. Heavenly Father knows what we can handle and He won't give us anything that will push us over the limit, though I know we both know that it feels that way sometimes. I know that you have gone through a whole lot, but I think that it has really made you stronger and made you an even more amazing mother than ever. And I know that some of my challenges thus far has shaped me into who I am right now.. I try to look at my trials as opportunities to grow, even though, as you well know, I fight against it a lot sometimes. I need to be better at that.

SIDENOTE: I found this little note in my scrips..."Friends are those who stand by us in times of lonliess or potential despair."- Jeffrey R. Holland. You are my number 1 friend Ash! For reals. Even though I kinda am a sucky friend sometimes!! I miss you tons you know. I'm glad we are doing this! Love you!

1 Nephi 1-2

So while reading these chapters, I was really awed by how much faith Lehi had. Can you imagine what it would be like to have these vivid dreams given by the Lord? Dreams of their home and city being destroyed, dreams of direction, dreams of seeing the Savior and speaking with him? How amazing would that be for one? To actually get to speak to the Savior, even through a dream would be the most amazing thing to experience. The amount of faith it must have taken for Lehi to leave his home, and go out to the wilderness, to the middle of nowhere I can't even imagine having. How hard would it be to follow someone who couldn't "PROVE" that these things were true? I know obviously that it takes faith to follow what the Prophet and apostles tell us today, but they aren't asking us to leave our homes, our friends, our lives to go to a new unknown place. I could only wish to have the amount of faith that Lehi had.

Laman and Lemuel make me SO angry. In chapter 2, verse 9, Lehi encourages Laman to be like the river, or in verse 10 he asks Lemuel to be like the valley. I CAN imagine Lehi's frustration in seeing his sons go in another direction. It's funny how when Lehi talks to them, they tremble and quake. What does that mean? Does it mean that they feel something? like the Spirit? What does confound mean exactly? Did they just do what he commanded them, just for a short time, because they were scared of Lehi, or because they were scared of the Lord? I feel the exact same way as you do Ash, when you want to shake your siblings, or whoever it may be. Sometimes I don't get why they are the way they are. Hannah told me the other day that she wanted a new niece or nephew and so I should get married. I told her it wasn't that easy and she said "sure it is, you're momo. just lower your standards and you'll actually be happy". Really? Lower my standards? I know what I want. I know I need a man to take me to the temple. I know I need the Priesthood in my family. I know she isn't happy with her choices, yet she tells me to do the same thing? It doesn't make any sense does it? It is hard to see people fall when they have the truth right in front of them, and it's SO SO easy to live. I don't get it, but you are right. Pray is really all we can do, and we just have to have faith that our prayers will someday be answered, even though it might not be in our wanted time frames.

1 Nephi:1-2

18 But, behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being ^agrieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for them.

This verse really stuck out to me. I feel like there are a lot of times that in life and especially in this world where you see people or family doing things that are not inline with the gospel. And like Nephi the only thing we can do is pray for them. My natural instinct is to grab them and shake them till the just do what is right but really everyone has their own free agency and sometimes all we can do is pray for those and hope that they will find their way back. I think Nephi is a great example of just having amazing faith. I love how he never gives up on his brothers and is always praying for them. I have a great testimony of prayer and know that it really does work.

-Ash

The Challenge

Ok so we are going to read the Book of Mormon before the end of the year. We will be reading two chapters a day and then we will post our thoughts, ideas, or inspiration we get from those chapters. The reason why we are doing this is because it will keep us connected as friends and also help us to grow spiritually while we study the scriptures instead of just read them.