Testimony Tuesday

With the recent addition to our family, I have been pondering a lot about family, agency, and the love of our Heavenly Father and Savior. As I gaze at this beautiful little infant, I am amazed at the miracle of procreation and that our Heavenly Father has entrusted one of his children to me to care for and to teach. I feel so much love for her and for each of my children, that...at times, I could almost burst. I have a testimony that our Heavenly Father loves us very much. He loves us so perfectly and unconditionally that he allows us to use our agency, to make mistakes allowing us to grow and learn from them.

This isn't a picture of one of the sights but it's all

I have in the pictures I've taken

About 14 years ago my family and I had the opportunity to go on a really long trip together. This was a result of my brother getting married to a wonderful woman from Missouri and they were having a wedding reception in her hometown. So we took the chance to drive there and stop at some of the sites along the way. Most of them were historic church sites like Far West, Liberty Jail, Winter Quarters, Kirtland, Nauvoo and Carthage Jail. I was 17 or 18 at the time and I think this trip really solidified my testimony of the Pioneers, Joseph Smith and helped me make the final decision to go on a mission. As my family and I visited the sites I could feel the power and determination of the saints and their desire to follow the Saviour’s example and live his teachings. I couldn’t help but feel spirit as I sat on the bed in the upper room of Carthage Jail and listen to “A poor wayfaring man of grief” as the Senior Missionary told us of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph. I was inspired by the bond that Hyrum and Joseph shared and knew that even in death they are brothers. As I walked the streets of Nauvoo and I visited the site of the not as yet reconstructed Temple I felt the peace that many of the saints surly felt at times while living there.

I returned from this trip with a stronger determination to follow in the foot steps of the pioneers and move forward in my progression towards eternal life and I was resolved to do my best to follow the Savior and his servants the prophets.