Having a testimony can bless your life!

Science tells us that our bodies are constantly changing.
Not just growing up and getting older
The cells in our bodies are constantly dying and breaking down & regrowing.
An obvious example... Our skin flakes off and new skin takes it's place.
Our hair falls out and sometimes I'm told it grow back.
What's taking place on the outside of our bodies is also happening inside.
Cells are constantly growing and replacing old cells, organs, and tissues.
Some scientist say that every cell in our body is completely different every 7 years.
Meaning that every cell in my body is completely different than the ones I had seven years ago.
So we're always changing!

Why's this important?
Central to my testimony is this idea that we can change!
That we can become better.
Now I not talking on a physical sense I'm talking in a spiritual sense.
This idea that I can be BETTER tomorrow than I ever will be today!!!
That I can change.
Unlike my physical body that is susceptible to disease and age
My spirit can be more in tune, stronger, more powerful, fresher, and more beautiful TOMORROW than today.
My weak things can be made strong
That I can rebuild myself better...
Better said... that through the atonement. GOD can rebuild me better.
And I can be changed

My topic is "How having a testimony can bless your life"
In all honestly I was taken back
Can a testimony Bless my life???
There was a time when having a testimony meant
I had a list of things I couldn't and shouldn't do
It meant preparing and going on a mission when everyone else had no worries.
Having a testimony doesn't mean we will be excluded from hard stages in life.
It just means that a testimony can help us get through the hard times
We're all in a stage of life.
Maybe you're trying to find your testimony and who you really are.
Maybe you just got kicked out of a singles ward
And you've found yourself at a married ward try to figure out what you have in common with others.
Maybe you are married and that's hard
Or maybe you're married and you haven't been able to have kids... I can't imagine how tough that must be
Or maybe you have kids... and that's tough
Or you're trying to get on your feet for the first, second, or third time.
This whole economy has thrown a wrench in your plans.
Maybe it's your health or sickness
or coping with the loss of a loved one.
There are many tough stages in life and they're not easy

I want to share my testimony
It's simple, it has 2 parts
1) God loves us, he guides and leads through inspired leaders
2) The gift of the Holy Ghost is real. We can all feel it! and it's truly a gift!!

I've done some stupid things in life.
But one thing I've always done well was read the BofM
Ever since I can remember I've read at least a verse nearly every day.
When I was about 16 This idea came to my mind that it really didn't matter what I did.
That somewhere there was a book that said if I failed or succeeding life
and God already knew what was going tot happen to me so it didn't matter what I did.
I was in my room alone and I was reading
I read a scripture
and felt I should read it again.
I reread it 5-6 times not really knowing what it was saying.
But I knew it was talking to me
2 Nephi 10:23
23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are
free to act for yourselves--to choose the way of everlasting
death or the way of eternal life.
This scripture told me that I had the choice!
That I could choose!
And more importantly.
Craig... cheer up your heart!!
God loves you
He and knows you!
and my choices DO matter

I've got 3 short stories to help illustrate my testimony

1)
I went on my mission to help people!
To help them change their lives!
Not just get baptized, hit a wall, and leave the church.
I was hoping for generations to be changed and blessed.
These people feel the spirit and work sooo hard to change their lives and be baptized.
They get baptized... and then what???
That what is the Temple.
You always hear about people that sell everything they've got, go to the temple, and they're blessed.
Well, most people in Paraguay could have sold everything they had and still not have had enough to get to a Temple.
It broke my heart!
I wanted to help them soo bad.
I didn't know what to do
I'll never forget President Hinckley talking about looking at a blueprints of Temple and having a clear impression how they could be modified
Made smaller, easier to build, and maintain
and therefore make more all around the world
I will never forget the feeling of being in a little old stake center in Paraguay when a temple there was announced!!
Everyone was hugging each other, laughing, and crying.
I remember feeling this overwhelming peace.
It was so strong I could feel it around me
I knew that God knew these people!
He knew how poor they were
He knew their struggles
He knew their prayers
And he knew that the opportunity would not be there unless it was brought to them
he had an answer.
It taught me a huge lesson.
I'm grateful for the spirit I felt
But more importantly
I'm grateful for an inspired leader that was prompted and listened
and touched the lives of millions.

2)
Arlindo Alvarez was an incredible newly returned missionary
he was the missionary we all hoped to be
He wanted to come over and work with us every day!
He had the fire of an amazing missionary!!
He had the spirit and would help us teach anyone we could find.
I quickly became aware of 2 things.
1) He was the type of missionary we all wanted to be and we all hope each other are! he had the spirit with him
2) He came home to nothing
Unlike most of us who come home to proud parents, friends and family. Lots of support, jobs, and school
He had nothing waiting for him
In fact, his father was mad he had left and NOT gotten a deadend job working in the fields.
His jr high level education wasn't going to get him a job.
I love this guy!
He was a huge blessing to our area!
I quickly saw this road block he was at
Unfortunately, I got transferred and I saw him about a year later.
When I did I could see life had beaten the missionary out of him.
He hadn't been able to find decent work
He met the wrong crowds
and was struggling to get on his feet.
I remember my heart being broken
The poor kid didn't have a chance!
I'll never forget a priesthood session a year later where our inspired leader President Hinckley talked about the Perpetual Educational fund
and how it could bless the lives of people like Arlindo
My testimony was strengthened
I felt the spirit tell me that God knew Arlindo
He loved him and wanted to bless him!
God know us!
He knows the struggles we're going through
And if we listen to the spirit there will be an answer
Maybe the answer doesn't exist yet but the answer will come

3)
A personal note

I grew up with the best family!
I had parents that loved and supported me in everything I did
My mother is a saint and with 6 kids never missing anything
My dad taught church institute and I think that's part of the reason why growing up he was the happiest person I've ever met
He never walked in the door without putting his hands high above his head and saying
Yay, look who's hear!
I said I said Yay look who's here?
and he'd keep saying it till we noticed him and said hi dad.
Sometimes he'd come home late and we'd all be in bed... trying so hard to sleep
and we'd hear him come in and do his yay.
for some reason being in bed motivated us a little more and we'd yell yay daddy's here.
We'd hear mom say something like don't wake them up I just put them down.
but dad would have to open our doors and peak in.
He'd play a game like take our picture
he'd say 1, 2, 3 smile
and flick the light on and off like a flash take our picture
and tell us how we looked.
nothing was better than his tucking us in
he'd rip your blanket off throw it in the air and say
hi'a hi'a hi'a
A day doesn't go by without my mom fixing food for others.

I was in a fast and testimony meeting in Rexburg Idaho
My Tender sweet little potato farmer bishop Swendamen was at the stand.
He said he felt strongly to share some special stories of his parents
He told us how much he loved them
and then invited us all to go home and tell our parents how much we love them
I felt the spirit so strong!
I was touched by his message
So when I got home I called my parents and told them I loved them like I did every week
how much I loved them
but then I told them how grateful I was for all they had done for me
It was different, tender and more sweet than I every had done before
especially with my dad
That was the last time I got to speak with my dad.
He passed a away a couple days later
I'm so grateful for an inspired leader that listened
I'm so grateful for the spirit I felt
It told me that God knew me
He knew I had a tough road ahead
He knew I needed to talk with my Dad one last time

I shared these special stories with you as part of my testimony.
Knowing that some might just look at them as nothing more than stories
Nothing more that coincidences in life.
I look at them more as blessing
and as some of the tender mercies from God.
If I had not been in tune, If I had not listened, If I had not tried...
they may not be anything more than stories.
And so it is with blessings

Brothers and Sisters
The Gospel can change us
It can make us better!
He truly can turn a
MESS into a MESSAGE, a TEST into a TESTimony, a TRIal into a TRIumph, and a VICTim into a VICTory.
I'm grateful for inspired leaders
I'm grateful for the spirit in my life that can guide me
We truly can prosper in the land!
We can and are blessed!

I pray that we can be all get our lives in order
I pray that we can get better in tune with the spirit
That we can go to the Temple often
That we can live this year in a way in which we can al be blessed and prosper in the land.