Boom! Crack!

Elder Griffiths and Elder Hicken doing a car inspection at zone conference.

I was riding home with my companion at about 9:00 at night along a dark street. I had lights on my bike and I thought I was paying attention but when I looked up I saw someone riding their bike right at me. I was going pretty fast and we slammed into one another. I remember a lot of tumbling and smacking my head on the ground (thank goodness for helmets). There was a pain in my knee but other than that I was fine. It's interesting because I remember hitting the ground in more places than just my knee so I know that the Lord was protecting me. Over the course of a few days my knee returned to normal.

The man I crashed into was fairly unhurt as well. He only had a slight pain in his jaw and since he was drunk the pain didn't faze him at all. He just got up and walk away with his bike. We offered to help him but he said no thanks and left.

After standing for a moment and trying to gather my thoughts, I looked at my bike. It was pretty beat up. Thankfully there's a member in the ward who works on bicycles and he's trying to find me a new one so that I don't have to use my "loaner" bike. It's super hard to pedal and really works my legs. However, I know that the Lord has blessed and protected me. I also know that as long as we are doing what we should, and are trying to be good sons and daughters of God, we will be blessed in our efforts. The Lord promised us that He will consecrate our afflictions for our gain (2 Nephi 2:2). Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 says, "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." That is all we need to do and we will always have God on our side.

The People in Your Neighborhood

Vacuum apartment weekly. Check. Thanks, Elder Hicken.

My area actually covers three cities: Port Richey, New Port Richey, and Hudson. All three cities are virtually the same. Each one has some well-to-do people and some not-so-well-to-do people.

The Lord is blessing this area though. We can see it every day as we talk to people on the streets and knock on people's doors. I love how devoted a lot of these people are to their religion. My companion and I always say, "Any church is better than no church."

There are certain areas we go to if we're looking to have a funny or interesting experience. There are always certain streets where we meet people who "have visions" or "are the second coming of Christ." You know, normal things like that. Most recently we met a man who says that he believes the only way to pray is to get high on mushrooms so you can connect to God.

With this in mind, I would like to bear my testimony on prayer. A couple days ago we prayed that we would find someone to teach if we walked around for 10 minutes. We went out and then found someone. Simple as that. Prayer works. If you don't believe it, try it. If you've tried it and it didn't work, try it again and be patient. God always answers our prayers if we 1) have a righteous desire, 2) ask in faith, and 3) believe that we will receive. Go give it a shot and I promise you there will be a miraculous result. Have a good week everyone. 

Tap into the Power

Skype session with Elder Griffiths on Mother's Day

Scriptures have incredible power. I've been paying a lot of attention lately to 2 Nephi 29. The Book of Mormon in tandem with the Bible establishes the divinity of Christ and the truthfulness of His restored gospel.

God's words change lives. Period. End of story. If you don't believe me, I challenge you to test the words of God and see if they do not bring greater light, truth, and happiness to your life. The scriptures teach us our individual worth and show us the path to our heavenly destination.

In the mornings, missionaries study the scriptures for two hours. When we take it seriously and prayerfully, we are armed with power and the Holy Ghost and can testify with greater strength and conviction. Now, when I feel spiritually exhausted, or like I am lacking in spiritual power, I turn to the scriptures to help provide me with the stamina I need to do the work I'm on this earth to do.

I know that as each of us writes the scriptures in our hearts, that we can receive the ability to endure through life, and endure it well. My final thought and comment to you all: READ YOUR SCRIPTURES.

Keep Knocking

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)

I believe I've somewhat touched on the subject of "God is our loving Heavenly Father" already in this blog. However, it's something that has been on my mind for the past little while so I will go into it in more depth.

God is our loving Heavenly Father. Life is depressing if we don't understand and accept this fact. "... God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son..." (John 3:16). We must understand that not a single child of God will be forgotten or forsaken. Everyone will receive the chance to hear the gospel because God loves us.

As I've tried to understand this concept more deeply, my studies have brought me to the laws of mercy and justice. God must be just. When we break a commandment there must be a punishment. No unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God so all it takes is one sin and we're cut off from our Father in Heaven. However, because He loves us, that is not the end. Through the Savior's atonement, mercy can abound. We can repent and be with our Father again. That's all He wants. It's His work and His glory (see Moses 1:39). 

I see His love for His children every day. He anxiously awaits our return. He's waiting at the door. All we have to do is knock (see Matthew 7:7).