Praise the name of Jesus, the Most High God! Though I am now  a youth leader of the greatest youth group I have ever had the privilege to be a part of, I would like to take the time and share my testimony of what I experienced in my youth when I first began to go to Church at the age of 18 nine years ago.

When I was 17 years old the goodness of God led me to repentance in such an awesome way. God pulled me right out from the midst of a very wicked generation. Many people do not even have a clue of what God delivered me from! God really saved me, and transformed me by the renewing of my mind. God changed me within, and without in such a way that people that knew me when I was in sin do not even recognize me at all. I am not the same person I used to be. I don’t think the way I used to think, and I don’t talk the way I used to talk. I don’t hang out with the people I used to hang out with. I don’t listen to same music that I used to listen to. I don’t even dress the way I used to dress. I don’t treat people the same way I used to treat people. You want to know the best thing about it? I LOVE THE CHANGE THAT GOD BROUGHT IN MY LIFE, AND I WANT MORE OF IT!

I sold EVERYTHING I had in the world so that I could obtain the truth of God. I lost all my so-called friends. The more God began to help me mortify the sinful deeds of the carnal mind, the more the people I used have fellowship began to disown me, but how they treated me never discouraged me to allow God to restore the conviction of sin back into my conscience. The more I read the Scriptures I found that just about everything I was doing was a sin in God’s eyes. I had to remove the jewelry from my hands and neck because I knew that it was all vanity! The more truth I found, the more truth I searched for. I actually searched for things to get rid of in my life that did not glorify God, and it felt good unto my soul. The people that I used to hang out with did not have that testimony, the more they hung around me they got uncomfortable unto the point that they had cut me off. They had to cut me off because I was not going to allow them to continue to tempt me to smoke weed, get drunk, chase after women, steal, cuss, or lie anymore. God pulled me off the streets, and I lost everything I thought I had. I literally did not have ANY FRIENDS. All I had was a God that I did not know much about but required me to give up ALL MY SINS.

I was so messed up! I used to be the worst out of all the people I hung out with on the streets, and many of them looked up to me, and followed the bad example I had set for them. I was addicted to smoking weed, getting drunk, cursing, lying, and all manner of lust of the flesh. So I searched hard in the Scriptures to find a way to reverse the curse I was in, but all I knew was that I had to repent of everything that God hates, and not to have any secret sins in my life because there is no such thing as a secret unto God (He knows everything). I was only 17 years old at the time. All I had was my Bible and God.

I tried searching for a Church to start attending so I could ask questions and be taught, but had no clue how to find the right Church. There was so many churches out there that I asked God, “Why did I have to be alive now? Why couldn’t I have been alive when you started the Church? If I lived back then it would be very easy to find the true Church.” Then I said unto God, “Trying to find a true Church is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.” I requested one thing of God, “If there is such thing as a true Church, let me find it.” I had no clue that God was going to answer my request to find a true Church. He did not answer immediately but He lead me to HIS CHURCH in His timing, and I had to go through a lot of hay (counterfeit churches) in order to find it (but I will save that for another time).

(To be continued…)

This question was brought up in church, last Sunday. When I heard the question, ideas poured into my head: friends, a relationship with the Lord, family, just about anything. I proceeded to try to find a way to sum things up, but something special came to mind: free will.

As I thought about the idea, it quickly became my choice. Now, I shall explain why I choose to be thankful for free will.

Along with life, the first thing our Lord has given us was free will. He gave us the ability to have deep thoughts, imagine all sorts of things, and not only make choices, but have motivation for making those choices. We can comprehend complex mathematics, like trigonometry and calculus. We can create huge adventures with only our minds, and we can place those adventures in books, acting, games, and all sorts of things. And we can choose to give a gift to another with love.

Countless things have been created as a result of free will. We have our challenges and our triumphs. We have best friends who we have a strong relationship with. We have our happy times, our sad times, times that we wish would last forever, times we wish would last only a second. Literally everything around you is the result of someone’s free will. That orange tree you loved picking from ever since you moved in, the computer you’re using to read this, the shopping mall that you enjoy going to so often, all a result of man’s free will.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for free will, not only because it was one of the first gifts the Lord has given us, but also because from it came countless other gifts. And lastly, with free will, I can choose to thank God for free will with joy.

After graduation from college, I spent a year working as an accountant in Paso Robles, CA.  My family was extremely disappointed in my decision to become a pastor and things were a bit tense between us during that year.  But in the summer of 1990, I moved back to Southern California to attend Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.

I loved my years in seminary.  I was surrounded by a great group of people…made some incredible friendships, and grew by leaps and bounds in my faith.  I worked at 3 different churches during those years as a youth pastor and as a pastoral intern.  One of the best experiences I had during that time was preaching my first sermon.  I was working at a church not far from where I grew up so I invited my parents to come to church and hear my first sermon.  Despite all of their anger and disappointment at my new career path, that day changed everything.  At the end of the service, my dad walked up to me with a tear in his eye.  He said, “I now know that you are doing what you are supposed to do.”  Wow!  From that day forward, there was never any more tension between us because of the direction I have chosen to go in my life.

During my time at Biola, I met my wife, Lynne.  She was from Olympia, WA and was getting a degree in teaching.  We dated and got engaged within 6 months and then got married 7 months later.  It was a whirlwind romance!  Lynne graduated and began teaching while I finished my Master’s degree.  We traveled regularly to Washington to visit her family and I fell in love with the Northwest.  We both felt that we wanted to move to the Northwest when I graduated and we prayed that I would get a future position there.

Near the end of my schooling, our lives hit a bump in the road:  Lynne’s gay brother in Seattle was diagnosed with AIDS.  This was the early 90’s and AIDS medications were not what they are now.  So for the next 10 months, we watched from a distance as AIDS ate away at his life.  I was to graduate right before Christmas in 1993.  By Thanksgiving of that year, we knew his time was short.  Lynne and I traveled to Seattle to see him one last time and to say “goodbye”.  Gregg had wasted away to almost nothing and looked like a skeleton in his bed.  It was an incredibly bittersweet time.  Two weeks later, just a week before my graduation, Gregg passed away.  I got excused from my final exams and we traveled to Seattle for the funeral.  I have many stories that I can tell about those 10 months at the end of Gregg’s life…suffice it to say, that time impacted me greatly…and still does to this day.

After the funeral, we flew back to California in time for my graduation.  In December of 1993, I was proud to receive my Master’s of Divinity, surrounded by family and friends.

Now that I was done with school, what was next?  Where would God take us for ministry?  In so many ways, the adventure was just beginning!

I’ve been walking with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior since August 2007. Ok, some of you may even be squinting as you read that first line. I know so, because that’s how I was. Not only did I hate hearing friends talk “Christianese” but I also made it very obvious that Jesus was not someone you wanted to talk to me about.

I was baptized Catholic, I went to a Catholic school from grade school to college. I knew the prayers, the whole shabang, and I remember going to our university’s church for confession and to pray specially during exam week, but somehow, even if I was doing what almost everyone around me did, it just didn’t make sense to me. I’d have so many questions but I didn’t care to ask.

My parents were sorta religious, meaning, we went to church as a family on Sundays (but I’d often sleep and my mom would just wake me up after the homily). My dad even had a season where he’d go to church on Wednesday nights…. until one evening when he came home and said that he doesn’t want to go to church anymore. I think they started talking about politics in church and that was what put dad off.  Since then, we no longer went to hear mass, which quite honestly was a relief, `coz sleeping in church didn’t really make sense anyway — and again, I really didn’t get a lot of the things we were doing.

After college, the picture didn’t really get any prettier, however, it got extremely colorful.  I’d rather have you guys watch the rest of the story here.

As 700 Club Asia put it:

She experienced a different, exhilarating kind of freedom with New Age practices, or so she thought. See how Owie Burns made a remarkable breakthrough. Also, witness her battle against oppressive spirits, right inside The 700 Club Asia studios!

We have had some powerful meetings since arriving home from the USA, both here and elsewhere…….one very significant healing (a lady with a fractured and fused back being healed, able to now bend over and put her hands flat on the floor, has had no pain whatsover since the team prayed with her, her depression lifted and things are leaping out at her from the bible) and people being overwhelmed, taken into visions, seeing angels working alongside us as believers, several teenagers being touched powerfully by God……two (as yet unsaved) people being powerfully impacted by the Spirit, one who came into the meeting and fell to his knees under the weight of God’s Presence as we ministered to him, the other one healed. Something is shifting right now….be hungry and thirsty for God’s presence and watch this space for more updates!

Schedule/ cases

Case-Robert Manuel Malmonia
Declaring- Graciela Carmen Buscaglia
Kidnapped- January 17, 1977

Case- Eduardo Carrera
Declaring- Carola Marta Carrera (sister of victim)
Kidnapped- Abril 4, 1977

Case- Martin Zukernik
Declaring- Nora Olga Robles
Kidnapped- June 10, 1976

“This is very difficult for me, I do not know if I have the power,” declared the first witness. Graciela Carmen Buscaglia declared in the Federal Court of La Plata on behalf of her ex-partner RobertManuel Malmonia. Malmonia disappeared in the afternoon on January 17th, as he was leaving his place of work, the Provincial Bank of Los Hornos.

Buscaglia explained that she had meet Roberto- originally from Miramar- in the School of Veternarianism at the University of La Plata during 1974. The two had both been members of the militant University Peronist group and after a short time had become a couple.The two shared an apartment. It should be mentioned however, that at the time of Roberto´s kidnapping both of them had abandoned their militant activities.

In the afternoons Roberto normally would have left the bank around six o’clock in the afternoon, but on this particular day he never returned. ” I thought perhaps he had gone to an asado and just not informed me. We waited as the night pasted, 8 o´clock, 9 o´clock, 10 o´clock, 12 o´clock. Until six in the morning I waited with my mother, looking out the window,” said Buscaglia.

As the disappereance of her boyfriend became apparent, Buscaglia did not know what to do. She called the bank where Roberto worked, and they told her everything had been normal, Roberto had worked and left as any normal day. Next she called Robertos father to inform him of what had happened. He then proceeded to file a writ of Habeas Corpus for Roberto on March 11, 1977.

After some months had passed Buscaglia ran into an old militant friend on the corner of diagonal 80 who told her, ” I believe that Roberto is in Buenos Aires, alive.” For Graciela, this confirmed that Roberto had been tortured, but that he was somehow still alive. Still to date however, Roberto remains to be one of the 30,000 people still missing.

Two losses, one pain

Carola Marta Carrera, of Triple A, who had already dealt with the kidnapping of her brother Roberto in July 1975, at the time a militant for a humanist organization, was to experience not 18 months later the disappearance of her other brother Eduardo.

Eduardo was a student of Physical Education at the University of La Plata, as well as involved in the University Peronist militant group, at the time of his dissapearance on Abril 4, 1977. Carola, explained that she had learned the exact date of Eduardo thanks to the information given to her by Eduardo´s girlfriend Andrea Calvo. Calvo had also explained that Eduardo had been kidnapped the same say he was to receive his paycheck. She also explained that Eduardo had suspected that someone at his place of work was trying to get him in trouble,which was why the couple had gone into hiding.

Eduardo had been living with two friends, when the house was raided by ” masked personnel who had come from a Falcon,” explained the declarant.

Eduardo and Andrea had been living together in the neighbrhood Almargo, but due to the amount of political violence and repression in the area, they were forced to live seperately. Andrea was kidnapped soon after Eduardo.

In regards to Zukernik

The third testimony was given by Nora Olga Robles, on behalf of Martin Zukernik. Martin Noberto Zukernik was kidnapped at night on the 10th of June 1976 from his house, where he lived with his mother and other siblings.

Martin had been working in a Lingerie factory, while also finishing his 15th year of secondary school at the Escuela Revolucion de Mayo when he was kidnapped and disappeared. According to the declarent ” it is likely that the Martin was detained leaving the school or while in route to his home from school.

While Marin never arrived home, a number of personnel dressed as civilians arrived at the Zukernik home.

“In the Cementario de Moron, many children were killed”

Before the finally testimony, Chicha Mariani, spoke a few words regarding the testimony.

After Chicha spoke, Liliana Beatriz Listorf began her testimony, exclaiming, ” My mother kidnapped me.”

I’m very grateful to have the Gospel in my life. I know it is the way to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I know Heavenly Father really does watch over us, and that He loves us. I know He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so that through him, we could one day return to the presence of our Father.

I am so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It causes me to marvel at what all it means – that he didn’t just suffer for our sins, but that he suffered for our illnesses, worries, struggles and other things as well. I am so very grateful to know there is someone there who knows what I go through.

I know that through the prophet Joseph Smith, Jesus Christ restored his Gospel to the earth. I know that modern prophets guide and lead the Church, relying upon the Spirit for guidance and direction. I know, and am very glad, that God’s plan for us allows us to have our families for all eternity and not just until we die.

Jesus Christ lives and is my personal Savior. His Father, the Father of my spirit, sent His Only Begotten Son to die for me and you and everyone else because He loves us individually more than we can possibly comprehend. Both God the Father and Jesus Christ want more than anything for us to succeed. I know that They love me personally. I know that They look out for me. I know that They exist. They live as Perfect Beings in a perfect world, and I long to join them!

I testify that Thomas S. Monson is God’s living prophet on earth today. I know that He speaks God’s words. I know that, as I follow the counsel of the prophet, I am protected and blessed. I have been blessed in the past for obeying his counsel, and I will continue to obey because I know that he speaks God’s words to us. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet as well. I do not doubt that He saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in a grove of trees in 1820. I do not doubt that he received countless other visions and revelations to guide the church. I testify that commandments such as the law of tithing come from God, and by following them, I am blessed more than I can comprehend.

I also know that the Book of Mormon is true scripture. Each day that I read the Book of Mormon I receive guidance and am happier. My life is easier because I begin my day with prayer and the Book of Mormon. The prophets of the Book of Mormon really lived and really did many miracles by the power of God as they claim they did. Christ did appear to the Nephite nation, and He will someday return to earth again! My greatest desire is to be able to stand with Him at that day. I am determined to live my life so that I can!

Finally, I know that, when sealed in one of God’s dedicated temples by the proper authority of the sealing power of the priesthood, families have the potential to be eternal, but covenants made in the temple must be kept. Living with my family for eternity in God’s kingdom is possible. Everything we do is about families. Family is the purpose of this life, and it is the purpose of the life to come. I do everything I do so that I can become like my Heavenly Father and raise an eternal family with a worthy priesthood holder as my eternal companion.

So for prayer walking on friday night, we decided to try some “treasure hunt evangelism”…
To introduce the night, i shared some teaching and testimonies on it by Bill Johnson.
We spent a few minutes praying and then listening to God for some clues of locations, names, descriptions of people, etc (words of knowledge leading us to people that God wanted us to find and speak to)….We compared clues and some of our clues matched, so we all took our “treasure maps” out into the town centre toward some of the locations on our map…. well the first person we ran into was a young guy wearing every description that mike had on his map, and when we showed him the map and shared with him what God had shown us, he was so blown away that he ran around town telling all of his friends what happened – that was pretty funny! Shirelle, who was quite skeptical about this treasure hunt concept at the start, ended up being quite blown away herself as she found a young girl with all her clues and got to pray with her leaving her so touched n impacted – man, you should have seen her face after!! and God kept showing off to her as she also found the policeman named Andy, as was on her map and he was also quite amazed.

Well… me and sara both had the Pub as our location clue and I was to look for someone named John & Harry (and for some strange reason I kept getting the word “junior” next to Harry’s name. Steve also got John on his map, but I still thought ”yeh right like I’m gonna find a ‘Harry’, its not at all a common name and what’s with the word junior??” so as we’re supposed to, I just stopped questioning it all and just wrote it down to see what might happen! So after wondering the streets, we went into the pub for a drink, it was really quiet, theres probably about 8 guys there…? and as we’re ordering our drinks, we got chatting away with about 3 guys next to us… turns out the guy I was talking to was “the treasure on my map” – his name was John!! So I explained to him that we were on a treasure hunt and that he was the guy described on my map! well he was really blown away…so when I showed him the map, he freaked out and was just really open to hear what God had to say! He then asked me, “who’s the other guy on your map, Harry?” and so I said, “well I haven’t found him yet”, he then said “well actually Harry is my son, my first son!” …so I said, “well that explains why I got the word ‘junior’ next to Harry’s name!!” and he said “yeh, harry’s my junior, thats my harry” ….so there in the pub, John shared with me the things going on in his life and with him and his son and had a quick pray about it all, right there at the bar! totally locked into this conversation and unaware of the pub surrounding, he just kept saying “I’m so blown away that this has happened, usually I’d be hanging onto my drink, but I’v forgotten about it, right now I just wanna hear more, tell me more about this God stuff”…and also “i feel like i need to say sorry to God and really talk to someone about this, it’s really got me thinking!” …so him and his friend are both gonna come to the pub ministry that some of our guys are starting up next month!! The owner Peter, of another pub down the road is opening his pub up for prayer and testimonies….more details on that one later…. but awesome stuff happening here
Praise Jesus…..we are so encouraged and excited about what more could possibly happen?!! Even at Bar n Bus thursday night, 2 guys came for prayer and wanted to change their lives and brought their situations to God and asking him to help them give up weed. Pray for them too please!! thanks. Praise Jesus!!

I’m thinking of doing a series of guest posts on my blog.  I wanted to have several different perspectives on people’s definitions and experiences with the hand of God – however you felt like elaborating on it.

Is anyone interested?  How has the hand of the Lord been moving in your life?  I know this blog almost has a ‘niche’ for the supernatural and testimonies, but I had this idea and wondered how it would ‘fly’.  I’m thinking of writing having the posts under the main heading “The Hand of God” with whatever you want to title it as the sub-title. “The Hand of God: My experience with God” or something like that.

I was thinking of doing it starting in two weeks time – give you all time to come up with something in the spirit (or should that be Spirit ) of the blog. Respond if you are interested! I’ll add every single one I get, so it might go beyond a week , but in the spirit of community, it will get more people who visit here to interact more – and we will all learn about God and each other!

Psa 100:1-5 NASB

A Psalm for Thanksgiving. Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
(2)Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.
(3)Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
(4)Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
(5)For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? 

I’ve been rolling that around in my head the past week or so.  There are so many things like family, friends, my home, my husband, good health, enough money. These are all very special but they aren’t the most important things.

I have to reach back 35 years to grab onto the one thing I’m the most thankful for.  My life as I had planned it had vaporized. There I was a desperate, helpless, wretched person.  I had hit bottom.  

 I had lost my job, my new car, and everything that was dear to me.  Material things were all gone.  I only had a few pieces of clothing left to my name.  I did have a roof over my head, but that even leaked. I didn’t have any direction in my life.  I was very ill and didn’t know what was causing all those spells where I’d become so afraid that I thought I would fall down and die, which made me even more afraid. 

I was afraid I was going crazy. Fear had taken control of me.  My body was wracked with anxiety.  I’d think about all the unusual symptoms I had, like when my heart would race, and I’d feel dizzy and out of control.  I knew it wasn’t normal, but I didn’t know what it was.  The fear of the unknown haunted me daily.  How much longer could I hang on? 

I had tried to find the answers.  I tried to hid my fears in alcohol. Yes, it did take the edge of panic off, but it was only a temporary fix.  The fear would return the next day.  At one point I turned to astrology.  I plotted my horoscope and tried to find something good to look forward to.  That didn’t do it. 

I was afraid of telling a doctor how I really felt and avoided them like the plague.  I was sure if I told the truth they would lock me away somewhere and throw away the key.  If I did confess a bit of my maladies to the doctor I’d get a prescription for some kind of medication.  I was afraid of that too.  When I tried it, I got bad side effects and so I’d quit it.  I was getting nowhere fast.  I felt like I merely existed, dredging through each long miserable day. 

By this time I was at home all the time.  I listened to the radio for company and somehow found a Christian station.  I listened to it with interest for several months.  I heard the gospel message given a number of times and was curious, but that was all.  I tried to read a Bible but couldn’t understand it.

One day as I sat on the couch I glanced over at the coffee table and noticed a Sunday school paper someone had sent me in the mail.  Out of boredom I picked it up and read.  There was a true account of a man who was a Christian.  He had turned his back on God at some point and things in his life went steadily downhill.  He lost his wife, his family, his home and job.  He had hit bottom.  I could identify with some of that!  Then, this man woke up one day and realized how he had turned his back on God.  So, he repented of his sinful ways, confessed to God, and came back to him.  It wasn’t long and his life was turned around.

Hum!   I wondered, is that what I’m doing wrong.  That article really got my attention.  My eyes were opened and I realized for the first time that I needed God in my life too.  I had tried so many years to control everything, to figure the angles, and come out on top.  It was hard and didn’t work. I knew in my heart that I too was a sinner and that I needed someone bigger than myself.

I prayed and talked to God.  I told Him I knew His Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth to die for our sins.  That we are all sinners, and that I was certainly one.  I asked His forgiveness and said I’d change my ways.  I told Him that I also knew that Jesus rose again from the grave and was alive in Heaven with Him now.  I asked God to allow Jesus to come into my life and in fact take the reins of my life as I could not do it any more.  I simply gave up, stepped down off the throne of my life and let Jesus take that place as Lord.

So, there you have it.  That day in my life is what I’m the most thankful for.  The day that changed my life.  I became a brand new person on the inside.  I was adopted into God’s family and received the Holy Spirit to live in me to help me with my life.  What a glorious day that was!  God in His mercy reached down to me, a wayward sinner, and took me in His arms and gave me a second chance at life.   I’ll be grateful for eternity!

I just want to add that things haven’t been all rosie since that day.  I’ve had my trials and disappointments.  I’ve been ill a lot of the time, but my Lord has gone with me through everything and I can give Him all the glory and honor for getting me through it all.  Without Him I shudder to think where I would be right now.

I’d like to hear what you are most thankful for this year.

Just got word yesterday… I woman we prayed for is being healed of terminal bowel cancer. 11-17-09 the doctors said “she only has a couple of days to live”. Those poor boys don’t know a thing… nothing’s terminal, those are man’s words not God’s. The cancer has suddenly stopped and they moved her out of the terminal ward… she’s no longer dying, they say. Stay tuned…

I have a testimony that Joseph Smith was the first prophet of the latter-day Church. I have a testimony that he, under the direction of the Lord, ushered in the restoration of the Gospel.

I have not always known this. In fact, for a while in my life, this has been the weakest part of my testimony.

My testimony of Joseph Smith has grown over time – line upon line. The first time I felt my testimony for him strengthen was after I completely read the Book of Mormon. I knew that the Book of Mormon was true. Because I knew of its truth, I realized, in turn, that I knew Joseph Smith had been a prophet. Even now, this knowledge is the strongest part of my testimony of the prophet.

I continued to read and believe in the Book of Mormon, and for a while that was the life-line for my testimony in Joseph Smith. Even though my testimony of Joseph Smith wasn’t overly strong, I felt assured that over time, I would come to have a better testimony of the young prophet.

When I was in college, a good friend was called to serve a mission to the Nauvoo Temple – Visitor’s Center mission. I had the blessing and opportunity to write to her often. It was always thrilling to get her letters and read what was happening on her mission. She often bore testimony of Joseph Smith. Her testimony bolstered mine. I received one letter in particular – it was after an event she had attended – where some people had ridden their bikes from Liberty Jail to Carthage Jail – where the Prophet was martyred. She bore her testimony of that place. She Spirit carried her testimony to my heart.

Shortly after these letters, my testimony of Joseph Smith was strengthened during a trip to Palmyra, New York. I toured the temple and other sites. Finally, I visited the sacred Grove. While at the Sacred Grove, I felt so much reverence. I realized that the trees and plants there, too, had witnessed the First Vision. I knew that I was on sacred, holy ground. A feeling of peace came over me.

After visiting the grove, I attended the pageant. At the pageant, the MC explained that the Spirit would speak the truth of the gospel message to us. He explained that this is not a loud voice, but it is reverent. He explained that the Spirit would give a “quiet reassurance” that the gospel message was true. I was excited! That quiet reassurance accurately described the feeling I had in the grove.

At that point, I realized that I had a testimony of Joseph Smith for much longer than I thought. I realized that the quiet assurance from the Lord was the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the truth – that it was just as powerful as a visit from heavenly Beings. I had received testimony of the man who had communed with Jehovah.

My love for the prophet has grown over the years. I cannot imagine my life without the gospel. I cannot imagine my life without the Book of Mormon. Everything I am today is because of my choice to believe in the Church, the very organization that Joseph Smith restored to the Earth. My life has been good. I have been blessed. I am able to enjoy the teachings of Joseph Smith and many other prophets who have succeeded him. I have been able to enjoy the blessings of the temple. I have been able to enjoy being a Saint living on the earth in these latter days.

I know that the blessings of which I partake are a direct consequence of the work and sacrifices made by Joseph Smith and the early saints. Although I ultimately owe my salvation to Jesus Christ, I know that it is Joseph Smith who has enabled me to know the message of the Savior.

A few of my brothers and sisters in Christ, along with myself have been praying for a guy that had triple bypass surgery after a heart attack, a perforated colon, kidneys and liver shut down, internal bleeding, on life support and unconscious. On November 17th the doctors gave him 72 hours to live. Word just came in, healed… conscious, no bleeding, liver improving, blood count good. They expect him to make a full recovery, though we knew that when the doctors said that he wouldn’t make it. Healing is always God’s will.

last friday when i got into the shower, i did something i don’t normally do. i looked where i walked. and i didn’t take this step. what did i do then? well i just stared. at the tiled floor. and i looked at it for seconds and.. well, nothing. it was just the floor. i continued looking though. didn’t take another step. and then i saw on the floor-a centipede! killed it and washed it down. thank You Lord for Your protection.. i was talking to a friend that very morning about how i think that having some visible protection from someone tangible was nice for a change. was praying for dad’s protection the other day. guess i’d started to forget how great God is.. and how faithful He is at protecting His children. today was a reminder. thank You Lord.. like i said that morning-”Haha Lord-i get the point! =D”

Here is the grad video from our November graduation held at the Yarrow MB Church.  This video contains images of Curtis & Warren throughout their year at the Chilliwack Men’s Centre.