bored...

So I am home in Blackfoot...I love it here, I'm just super bored!!

I've been home alone most of the day...finished my homework...watched Glee...and played the Wii and I am still SUPER bored!! Oh well it is the story of my life haha!!

My sister leaves on Thursday so we don't have much longer together...:(...but it was good to be with her and for her to come visit. I'm going to miss her!!

I really miss my best friend Dani...she is the greatest and when I get back we are going to hang out :) I'm excited!!!

I'm ready for school to be over and to go to Europe!! Also, to start my internship...if I get one!! Haha...

That's it for now...sorry this was super random but this is what happens when I am super bored!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!!

So...here is my first post just about life...

I guess this is a good time to do it to because a lot has happened to me in the past week!!

First -- my boyfriend of two years and I broke up. It has been really hard but I'm doing ok. This is my first breakup and I'm pretty sure it won't be my last. I would just like to tell my family and friends that I love them so much because they have done so much for me!! I have the greatest support system in the world...literally THE WORLD!!! :) If you don't believe me keep reading...

My sister--and best friend--Madison Marie Burke is the greatest person in the whole world. She currently lives in K-town Germany (I can't spell the name of where she REALLY lives so K-town will do) When I called her after the breakup, she just talked me through everything! She was there to make me laugh and realize that everything would be alright. And then guess what she did...she booked a flight for America so she could come be with me!! :) I feel like the most loved person ever!! She got here on Monday February 22 and is leaving on March 4. This is going to be the greatest almost 2 weeks ever!!
Second -- this weekend my sister, brother, sister-in-law, beautiful niece, and I will all be driving up to Blackfoot, Idaho to watch my little brother Mike in the Idaho State Wrestling Tournament!! He is amazing and we are going to support him!! He is 17 and a junior at the Snake River High School. I'm so excited!!

Now I will do the traditional...this is my family part haha!! I apologize that every picture I have of people I am in :) we just look good haha :)

My Daddy!! He is the greatest father anyone could ever ask for! He takes care of us and has taught me so much! I owe him so much and am so glad to have him in my life!!
My Mommy!! We are twins...or so we are told :) She is the hardest working, most loving person in the whole world! She does so much for us and sacrifices things that she wants and needs so that we are happy!! She is the greatest and I love her so much!!My brother John!! He is currently in the ARMY and is training somewhere in California...I know I'm so informed haha... He is a great brother and loves to have fun!! I haven't really ever been very close to him because we are far apart age wise but I do love him and I'm so proud of him for the things he is doing.
My brother Grant and his cute little family!! Grant and his beautiful wife Lyndi have the most adorable little girl, Abby Aurora!! They are so much fun to be around and you can talk to them about anything!!My sister Madison and her husband Sir Squill...haha William!! Madi and Will are the world travelers in the family. They currently live in K-town Germany, where Will is stationed (he is also in the ARMY). They are really far away and I hate it but are always here to talk to and to help out.
My brother Peter!! He is currently serving a mission in Taipei Taiwan. He left on August 19, 2009. We are most definitely the fighters in the family...with each other mostly. He is so much fun to be around and he is the one that gets us all laughing.
My younger brother Mike!! He is without a doubt the funniest kid in the whole world!! He is always making everyone laugh and always includes everyone!! He is the nicest kid ever and everyone knows it!!
My family is amazing!!!!!!! I'm sorry that this is super long and I probably bored you to tears but I have to share the things I love with my friends...and it's my love for my family! They are the greatest blessing I have ever been given and I can't thank my Heavenly Father enough for the opportunity I have to have them in my life everyday!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Project Woot Woot!!

For this week's project, I interviewed Julius Fares from my class. I asked him what he learned from class and studying the scriptures. He said the following;

"The biggest thing I have learned from our studies is that God sends us trials so that we learn and grow and to make sure that we remember to go to Him for help. Also, I've learned that when trials come, no matter how hard they may be and how much we do not understand, if we push through will all of our courage, determination, and with humility, the Lord will help and bless us."

This interview has really helped me. I realize these things for myself, and sometimes it is hard to realize that others feel the exact same way!! Also, hearing from Julius how the scriptures have helped him and helped his testimony grow, has helped my testimony grow!! He helped me realize that I need to have God in my life...not only when I am going through a trial...but everyday. He is there to help us everyday and He will bless us the more we come to Him and the more we live His gospel and commandments as best we can. I have noticed that Julius is taking the things he is learning from class into his life...he always has such amazing insight into the lessons and it is so amazing for me to hear how he takes the scriptures into his life.

I must emphasize again how important I think it is to share the gospel with those around us...whether they are members of this church or not, we must share our testimonies!! We can impact the lives of those around us if we forget our fears of rejection and embarrassment and tell them the things we know, believe and love!!

Blessed be thy name!!

For class today I read 3 Nephi 11-14. I am 100% sure that I have found my new favorite scriptures!!

Ch. 11 -- CHRIST IS IN THE AMERICAS!! What a wonderful thing it is to KNOW that our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ walked on this continent and preached to the people!! As I read this chapter, I felt the Spirit tell me that what I was reading was true!! Tears come to my eyes to think about Christ telling these ancient people of His crucifixion and the fact that He did it for us!! What a glorious event that was!! To feel the prints in His hands, feet, and side--what an amazing experience and testimony builder! It breaks my heart to think that I was a part of the pain that He suffered...but at the same time He lifts me up because He loved me enough to suffer for me!! I owe so much to Him and I don't think I can ever repay Him!! I truly love Him and believe in His words!!

Ch. 12 -- Christ gives His new law in this chapter. I find it interesting that is is so simple but we have a hard time with it! Love your enemies and pray for them, turn the other cheek, don't turn those away that need your help...so simple and easy when you think about it, but we all struggle with this concept...especially me!! It is so hard to love those that have been cruel to me...it still hurts to think of all of the things that were done to me by those people. But I know that if I forgive them and live as Christ commands in this chapter, that I will be happier.

Ch. 13 -- This chapter really hit me because the Lord tells the people to serve others and pray and fast...but to do all of those things in secret-not for people to see. Sometimes I feel that as members of the Church we do this. Not so much to other members but to non members. We show them how 'righteous' we are because we pray and we fast and we attend Church every Sunday and we are modest. All of these things are important and we should live like these things are true...but we should not flaunt this things. At school, I see it...and it honestly makes me sad to say that I believe the same things as those people.

Ch. 14 -- Yesterday in my other religion class...we discussed the topic of pride and to cast the beam and mote out of your eyes. It is an interesting topic to discuss and think about. If we open our eyes and do not judge others on their weaknesses and their faults, we will be happier and closer to our Heavenly Father. We do not always know why people act the way they do or why they say the things they say...they may have situations that they are dealing with that we have no idea about and our judgmental views and words do not help. We need to act as Christ would and remember that everyone is our brother or sister and that we are all God's children!!

I love these chapters and realize now that they are my favorite!! The things written in these few chapters are probably the most important things that we can ever read about!! Christ visiting and testifying of His existence and of His law...what else do we need!!?? If we believe in Christ and follow His example, we will be blessed and we will be happier in our own lives and can improve the lives of those around us. I honestly believe these things and will try harder in my own life to live this way...as I believe we all must!!

3 Nephi 6-10

For today's class, I read 3 Nephi 6-10. It is interesting to read these chapters because they are similar to others in the Book of Mormon. The Nephites, for the most part, are righteous. They become wicked and Prophets preach repentance unto them. Secret combinations are formed to take out the prophets and the righteous people. The one thing that is different, is that Samuel's prophecy of the coming of Christ is fulfilled.

Ch. 6 -- At the beginning of this chapter, it seems there is hope for the Nephites! They are righteous and building the Kingdom of God...but they become prideful and wicked. Because of their wickedness, prophets preach to the people. It is incredible to think of these people and their situation. They have prophets preaching to them and obvious signs that there is a God and that he will bless them if they are righteous, yet they do not obey and they do not believe.

Ch. 7 -- This chapter amazes me...these once righteous people are now more wicked than ever before. They are planning murder and betrayal of the people of the Lord. There are some righteous people still and they are separated from the wicked people. Nephi is preaching repentance to the people and many are being baptized. It just amazes me how fast the people can go from being righteous and being blessed by God to being wicked and cursing God...

Ch. 8 -- In this chapter the people are waiting for the signs of which Samuel prophesied. Once the prophecy is fulfilled and the earth quakes and many cities are destroyed, the people recognize that they should have repented. We should take this lesson in to our lives!! Are we just going to sit around and wait for terrible things to happen because of our wickedness, or are we going to prepare for the future by living our best today and repenting when we have done wrong??

Ch. 9 -- Christ's voice is heard through the darkness in this chapter. He proclaims His existence and all of the things that He has done. It is important to realize that even though in our day we do not hear His voice through the darkness that we can feel His power and His love through our trials and our darkest times in our lives. He is always there for us and will help us through if we live righteously and as He would have us live.

Ch. 10 -- In this chapter, the darkness is lifted and the more righteous are the only people that are spared. They begin to change their lives and live more righteously. I love that after all of the sorrow and pain that the people have gone through, that they realize their faults and repent of them. They recognize that God has spared them and that they owe everything to Him. We need to remember that this applies to us in our lives. God will not forget us and will always provide if we tell Him of our trials and the help that we need. He loves each of us in a unique way and will do anything to see us happy. All we need to do to receive those blessings is pattern our lives after Christ and repent when we have done wrong.

Weekly Project...

For this week's project, I listened to a talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland entitled, "Remember Lot's Wife". I decided to listen to this talk because it is about repentance, which is a major point taught throughout these chapters.

In this talk, Elder Holland teaches of the 'sin' of living in the past. This is a major part of repentance. Once we have repented, we much move forward with our lives. We cannot dwell on what was and what happened...we need to move forward and learn from the past. Elder Holland says that we must look back on the past, "for the embers of learning but not for the ashes."
This talk applies to the chapters we are reading because the people were living as they always had...in the past. The Lamanites especially, were living how they did because of their fathers and the things that they did. It is so important that we live our own lives and live for the future and not in the past. Also, it is important to repent with our whole heart and not look back longing for the things that were like Lot's wife looked back on Soddom and Gamorha.

I shared my thoughts and feelings with a co-worker. It helped me even more because we shared experiences about how sometimes we have looked back on the past and somehow longed to change what happened to not have felt what we felt. Also, we realized that the things that had happened were beneficial and that we can learn from those things. My co-worker exclaimed how important it is to not look back on the things that happened. He said that it helped him grow stronger in the church and his testimony grew because he learned from his mistakes and knew better, the love that the Lord has for him.

3 Nephi 1-5

For class today, I read 3 Nephi 1-5. I wrote it down and have only had time to put it up right now!!

Chapter1- In this chapter...CHRIST IS BORN!!! :) It is so amazing to me that these people were told the signs straight from prophets and they saw the signs but still didn't believe!! It is so ridiculous that Satan had such a hold on their hearts that they wouldn't even believe the signs of the coming of our Savior!! I know that we have signs all around us today telling us of the second coming of Christ to the earth! I know that if we will follow the signs and warnings from our prophets that we can and will stand blameless before Him when He comes.
Chapter 2- In this chapter, the Nephites and Lamanites join together for a common cause: to fight the Gadianton robbers. Many are converted and they fight for freedom, for those whom they love, and for truth. It is just like today!! We can join with those that believe the same things as we do, whether it is the gospel or other things, and we can fight for what we believe in! It is so important that we fight for the things we know are true so that we may stand before God in the last day knowing that we did the right things and that we tried our hardest.
Chapter 3- I LOVE LACHONEUS!!! He is the coolest guy ever! In this chapter the Gadianton robbers are attacking the people and trying to take their lands and become rulers over them. Lachoneus refuses to give up the land to the robbers and tells the people to stand and fight for what they believe is right and to not falter. He is such an example! We will encounter many intolerable things in our lives and I know that if we stand with the same faith as Lachoneus, that we will be unstoppable and we will always be a good example to those around us.
Chapter 4- Because of the faith of the Nephites and their righteous rulers, they beat the Gadianton robbers. It is important to remember that we can do the same thing!! We are at war with Satan and his followers. We need to stand firm before him and know that God is on our side and that with His help we can overcome the feeble attempts of Satan to overtake us.
Chapter 5- Repentance...it is a main point in this chapter and in the whole Book of Mormon. I have never realized how big it actually is. It is so important that we realize that all we have is from God and that all He asks of us is that we try our hardest and repent when we have sinned. That is all He asks of us!! To me, it seems like we owe Him a lot more than just that! We need to live everyday to the best of our ability! We need to try our hardest to follow His commandments and repent when we have done wrong! He is so loving and He cares for us so much! We need to try our hardest to please Him!!

Helaman 13-16

So for Monday class (we had it yesterday) I read Helaman 13-16. I wrote down my feelings and thoughts but haven't had time to put it up until right now!! So here I go!

I found these chapters very interesting and they helped my testimony grow!! I am doing a presentation today for these chapters. I have decided to make a powerpoint and sort of play jeopardy. I have made up some questions from the specific things I learned from these chapters.

Chapter 13- When Samuel is preaching to the Nephites while he is on the wall, I always thought that he just preached about the coming of Christ, I never realized that he didn't do that until later. I thought it was very interesting that the first thing he tells them is that they are being wicked and the Lord is growing angry with them. I know that he started out that way in order to prepare them for them most important thing they would ever hear about or witness...the coming of Christ.
Chapter 14- Another thing I never realized was that Samuel tells the people how many years will pass before Christ comes!! It is so awesome that he knew and that he could tell the people exactly. FIVE YEARS!!! If we knew exactly how many years it will be until Christ came to earth I'm sure that we would all repent of the things we have done and live our lives righteously while we waited for him to come...these people didn't. It is so sad to think that these people were so wicked that they wouldn't listen to an obvious man of God as he proclaimed one of the most important events to ever happen to our earth.
Chapter 15- After Samuel preaches of Christ and the signs of his birth and death, he goes right back to telling the people they need to repent. He also tells them of the things that will happen to them if they do not repent. It is so obvious how important it is that we repent and take advantage of the wonderful gift that Christ gave us...His life and the Atonement. If we do not use the Atonement and the blessings that come from it, Christ suffered and died for nothing. Do we want to have that on our conscience?? I know that I don't...
Chapter 16- Ok...I feel like a bad person for having always thought this, but I have always thought that after Samuel finished preaching to the people, that they were ALL mad at him and they ALL began to shoot him and throw things at him...I WAS SO WRONG!! It makes my day that many people believed his words and immediately searched for Nephi to repent and be baptized. The Lord's power and His prophets are so powerful and it is just so wonderful to see His truth being taught and how it converts people. This is a perfect example of what we can do in our own lives...we can be missionaries to those around us and help them feel the joy that we feel.

Journey of Faith

For this week's project, I watched the movie Journey of Faith. This is an AMAZING movie!!! I'm really not that into documentaries but this was fantastic!! I loved hearing the perspectives of these professionals on what happened during the Book of Mormon time. I found it so fascinating that we are almost certain where things took place and what the people could have been experiencing.

I watched this movie with my boyfriend Taylor for FHE. It was a really good experience because we discussed the things we had heard and our own impressions from reading the Book of Mormon and watching this movie and listening to the prophets. It was really good for both of us to see where the things we had read about took place.

This movie really helped me put into perspective the things that these ancient peoples went through. It was wonderful to be able to listen to the opinions of the archaeologists and doctors about their findings and how they fit in with the Book of Mormon. It strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon because it made it seem more real. I know that this book is from God for our day and for our salvation...and it was just so wonderful to be able to visualize where these things took place. I love this book and the wonderful things it teaches me and those whom I love. I know that the men that wrote it were inspired of God and that Joseph Smith did translate it through the power of God. I hope that we can all continue to read this wonderful book and continue to build our lives around it and the gospel. I know that if we do we will be happier and we will be able to please our Heavenly Father and continue to grow closer to Him and His son Jesus Christ.

Follow the prophet

For class today I read Helaman 7-12. I know that I'm supposed to write something I learned from each chapter...and I will...but I'm not going to write it like I have been.

In these chapters I have learned greater respect for the prophets of old and for our modern day prophets. Now don't get me wrong, I have always respected them, but from reading this I have a better understanding of all that they have gone through for our benefit. These chapters set up the foundation for the next couple chapters and the story of Samuel the Lamanite. It is so important to realize that these wonderful men of God go through so much for us and for our generations. Even in the Book of Mormon time...the things that they taught and experienced and preached to their people were for our benefit and well being!!

In all of these chapters, the prophet is preaching to the people to repent. Is this not what we hear from our Prophet every conference and in all talks by the general authorities?? It is important to heed the words of the prophets because they are God's chosen servants and are preaching His will to us.

In chapter 9 of Helaman, Nephi tells the people that he is a righteous man of God and he tells them that a murder will take place. He gives them all of the details and how and where they will find the man. He also tells them who the murderer is. He does this knowing that the spirit of the Lord is telling him. He tells the people that he only knows this because of the Lord's spirit. Because of his exceeding faith and his virtue, the people believe him after they have seen that he tells the truth. In the rest of the chapters, amazing things like this take place...as a witness to the people of the power of God and of the truth the prophet speaks.

For class today we read Helaman 1-6...

1-In this chapter, the Nephites are trying to get a new chief judge. Pahoran is chosen and murdered. The wickedness of the Nephite people is beginning to grow. The Lamanites are getting closer and closer to Zarahemla to attack them. Helaman tells of the destruction of the whole Nephite civilization. This chapter is important in our lives because it is a direct example of what will happen if we become wicked...total and utter destruction.

2- In this chapter, we first hear of Gadianton and his band of robbers. Gadianton makes a deal with Kishkumen, the man who killed Pahoran, that if Kishkumen killed Helaman and helped Gaianton become chief judge, that he would give them powerful positions. I find it interesting that wicked people try to take down righteous people not realizing that the righteous have a higher power with them. The Lord protected Helaman by allowing his servant to become a spy and figure out the wicked intentions of these men. It is just another example of the Lord being in our lives and providing safety for us!! Although we do not have a servant to save our lives, we do have the Holy Ghost!! He lets us know when we are pleasing our Heavenly Father and also lets us know when we are not!! It is such a blessing to have this wonderful spirit in our lives!!

3- In this chapter, the Nephites are wicked but begin to be righteous. Helaman is their chief judge and he has two sons. The righteous Nephites begin to grow the church. They are prosperous for many years. There are a couple verses in this chapter that say exactly what I found interesting ... chapter 3:27-29. It is so true!! If we call upon the Lord with a sincere heart and in humility, He will be there!! Also, if we follow His commandments we will have joy and peace in our lives.

4-This chapter is a great chapter!! The Lamanites are joined by Nephite dissenters and go to war against the Nephites. The Nephites are pushed back into the Land Bountiful and the Lamanites take over all of the Nephite land. The Nephites wonder why the Lord has allowed this to happen and they realize that it is their own fault. They remember the words of their fathers and the prophets. They feel sorrow for not following God's commandments and thus bringing destruction upon themselves. I love that they realize this for themselves!! I mean it is really sad that they even forgot and that they saw so much destruction because of their wickedness, but it is a good step that they are recognizing their wickedness and are now trying to fix it...it is just sad that it took them so long. If we take a look at our own lives, have we recognized our wickedness before it was too late?? I hope that we have and that we are either on our way back to the straight and narrow or are there and continuing towards the light of Christ.

5- What touched me the most about this chapter was Nephi and Lehi's commitment to pattern their lives after those whom they were named. I think this is so important for us to remember!! Whether we were named after someone or not...we need to live our lives in such a way that people will want to name their children after us and that those children will want to live as righteously as we did!! I just think that this is such a great example of love and righteousness and of good parents...that they taught their children of the lives and righteousness of their ancestors!!

6- In this chapter, a twist happens!! The Lamanites have become more righteous than the Nephites!! It is interesting but it makes sense...the Nephites have always had the truth and have taken it for granted. This is what happens if we take for granted the wonderful truth that is the gospel! Everything we have in our lives is given to us by our Heavenly Father and we are indebted to Him for eternity! We literally owe Him everything! We CANNOT take for granted that which He has given us! Our ingratitude will cause our souls pain and we cannot progress! I understand that we all struggle ... we are mortal, it is expected, but every night, at the end of our busy and stressful days, if we will take a moment to get on our knees and thank our Heavenly Father for the blessings we were given that day, and for the blessings He continually gives us, and ask for His forgiveness, we will continue our journey back home to Him and our Savior and those who love us!!

I'm learning!!

For this week's project, I will be discussing how the things I am learning have brought me closer to Christ.

I would like to start off by saying that just being at BYU has brought me closer to Christ!! The spirit is here on campus and you can honestly feel it as you go from class to class or even just walking on to campus!! It is amazing that being at college can help me grow closer to Christ but it has!!
Taking Book of Mormon class at college is an honor for me! I have never really read the scriptures to try and better my life or to better understand them...I did it more because that is what was expected of me! It is such a testimony builder to me to have these great teachers and students share their knowledge and testimonies with me!! I love hearing what others have felt and learned from their own scriptures study! I haven't always been as good at reading my scriptures as I should be and I know that I have felt the void in my life because of that. I have learned so much thus far from being here and from this class that it is mind boggling to me!!
This class has brought me closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ than I ever thought it could!! I am recognizing more and more the wonderful gifts that I have been given by my Heavenly Father, and I am realizing how much I need Him in my life!! Without Him and the knowledge that I have, I would be lost!!
Being in this class and having this gospel in my life is such a blessing to me and I am honored to have the opportunity to come here for an education and to better my knowledge of this gospel and the Book of Mormon.

I shared this essay with a person at work and it is amazing to me that we all learn and feel similar!! I learned that as members of the church, we are all battling the same trials and conflicts and we are all in need of our Heavenly Father!! It is important to me, now more than ever, to realize that everyone needs help and is going through the same things as I am and that we can help each other through our trials.

War - What is it good for?? The teaching of our generation :)

Well for class today we read Alma 58-63. This is the end of Alma and also the end of this war between the Lamanites and Nephites.

58- In this chapter, the Nephites are trying to take back the city of Manti. They expect to get help from other armies but only get food. They poor out their hearts unto the Lord and ask for His help. Because of their faith and sincerity the Lord helps them. He calms their hearts and gives them peace. I love this chapter because of this reason!! The people realized that they could not do it without the Lord's help so they poor their hearts out to Him! The Lord will always be there with us when we ask.

59- I LOVE MORONI!! In this chapter, his people are attacked and he tries to get aid for them. He gets upset at the government because they really won't do anything. What I love about Moroni is the fact that he will not stop protecting his people!! He is such a righteous man and cares for his people so much!! He incorporates the spirit of the Lord into all of his decisions and does what the Lord wants for His people. It is so important that we all try to be like Moroni because we can help those around us or even just make our lives better!!

60- Again, in this chapter, Moroni is fighting for his people!! He tries to get help for them from the government and the other people around him. It is so important that as we go throughout this life that we keep the Lord in it and also that we get help from those around us that we trust and love because they will always be there to help answer questions or help us in anything we need.

61- In this chapter, Pahoran writes to Moroni and explains that the government is being corrupted and is turning against Pahoran. Pahoran asks for Moroni's help. What I love most about this chapter is that Pahoran says that with God's help they can do anything. It is so important to remember that because we come in contact with people all the time that try to tear the church down. We also have many trials in our lives that cause us heartaches. I love that we have a Heavenly Father that is watching and that loves us so much!! He is always there to help us if only we will use His help.

62- Moroni and his armies march to the aid of Pahoran in this chapter. It is important to recognize that peace is established and the people immediately begin to rebuild the church and they minister to the people. If we all keep the Lord and this church in our lives like this we can be happy and have peace in our lives!! Even though we might be going through some difficult things the Lord will always be here to help us.

63- In the last chapter, Moroni hands the army off to his son Moronihah and the Lamanites continue to attack. In this chapter the Lamanites are defeated and retreat to their own lands. It is the same lesson in all of the chapters in the Book of Mormon, if you have the Lord's help, you can conquer your enemies and overcome any trial that faces you.

I love reading the scriptures!! This is the greatest part of college and I am so happy that I get the opportunity to have a class dedicated to learning the lessons and processes of the Book of Mormon!!

For class today we had to read Alma 52-57...

52 -- In this chapter, the Nephites and Lamanites are preparing for war. This is not an uncommon concept or story in the Book of Mormon...almost every chapter is about war and how the Lord's people triumph because they heed His warnings and listen to His servants. We can take this concept into our lives everyday... We are, in a way, at war - the adversary is waging wars against us everyday!! We need to stand our ground and have the Lord in our lives everyday to fight off the evil that is trying to tear us down.

53 -- In this chapter, the Nephites are losing the battles because they aren't asking the Lord for help...many Nephites are falling away from the church. Just like I said earlier...WE ARE AT WAR!! If we do not have the Lord in our lives, we will falter and the adversary will tear us down! We will be as miserable and unhappy as he is and that is exactly what he wants!! We cannot let this happen!!

54 -- In this chapter Moroni writes an epistle to Ammoron, the new king of the Lamanites. In plain terms, Moroni tells Ammoron that if they don't give back the prisoners, repent, and end the war, the wrath of God will be brought down upon them. I love this part!! Moroni is a man of God and he has the spirit with him in everything he does!! He does the Lord's will but protects his people at the same time! I just love how amazing he is and how amazing this message is!! It is so true that if we do not repent and come back into the church and unto the Lord, that we will fall under His wrath for the things which we have done.

55 -- This next chapter has one of my favorite stories in it!! Moroni is the most amazing person ever!! He receives a letter back from Ammoron saying that they will not release the prisoners. Moroni was super mad so he finds some of his men that are descendants of Laman. He finds one man, who incidentally is named Laman, and sends him to the Lamanites camp with a group of men and loads of wine. The Lamanite guards think they are Lamanites so they welcome them and drink the wine. The wine was really strong, I'm pretty sure they spiked it :), and the guards became super drunk and "fell asleep". While the guards were asleep (it is night time also) weapons were brought to the prisoners inside the camp. When the Lamanites woke up the next morning they were surrounded on the outside by the Nephites and the Nephites on the inside all had weapons...what a GREAT wake up call!! I love this story because it just shows how God helps His people in their time of need!! He is always there when we need Him and He WILL help us!

56 -- HELAMAN'S STRIPLING WARRIORS!! That is all that needs to be said about this chapter!! Ok well I'm going to say more but ... :). Everyone knows the story of the 2000 stripling warriors so I don't need to explain there. How absolutely amazing is this story?? The faith that they had was so amazing!! I would never be able to do what these amazing men did!! And the most wonderful part about it is that their faith along with their parent's faith saved all of their lives...they trusted God and knew that He would bless them...AND HE DID...LIKE HE ALWAYS DOES!!

57 -- This chapter continues the story of Helaman's warriors and how valiant they are. It is just so amazing to me that these young men went into battle to fight for what they believed in without having any previous fighting experience. They were just so faithful and strong that they trusted the Lord to help them in their time of need. If we all live our lives like the stripling warriors, putting our full trust in God and letting His spirit guide our decisions, we will lead much happier lives and will be great examples to those around us.

The greatest thing that I am realizing from reading the Book of Mormon and writing this journal/blog, is that my testimony is growing and I'm not as afraid to share my testimony and thoughts and feelings with those whom I love... :) This is the most amazing feeling and experience ever...