Our Heavenly Father has gifted us with two wonderful blessings, being a husband or wife, and being a parent. Whether it is by the gift of a child to each other or through the loving action of adoption or circumstance it is a calling that will live with you for time and eternity. We are given the wondrous blessings of having the restored Gospel to help us enjoy and get the most pleasure of being a parent and having a loving family. 

Family and the Priesthood

What a blessing it is to have the Priesthood in our lives. It is the responsibility of a priesthood holder to help protect, enrich, and provide for his family the same blessing that was bestowed upon him when becoming a priest. This also is shared with other families that may not have a priesthood holder in the household. By living through Gospel principles, and everlasting covenants the family benefits both spiritually and emotionally. It is said, “Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.” (Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 18:21). To this I understand the expression that “a family that prays together, stays together”.

Devotion to the Lord and Our Family

Our families should be cherished like pure spring water from the mountains and streams. They are our most cherished gifts from our Heavenly Father and we must ensure that there is stability of mind, body, and soul. Devoted parents are the key to salvation for your children and generations to come. Our first steps should always be steps taken on the path of righteousness. Through this our families can find joy and happiness even in the most troubled moments of our lives, love is the answer.

Be the Best at Your Callings

When we are given a calling it should become second nature to do our best in what is put before you. Whether it is a calling from our Church or a calling from our Heavenly Father we should always do our best to help others and ourselves. Our family responsibilities are the most important and blessed calling that is bestowed upon us. Showing love to one another will reflect upon our children the importance of showing and sharing love. Working together also instills a good foundation for our children to build their own families upon. “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (New Testament, John 13:34). Sometimes we find it difficult to love unconditionally because of our past hurts and instances. If we remember and follow Our Savior's example of love, even in these modern times when it seems difficult, we can feel and share his love.

Forever Families

In one of my favorite children's hymns there is a line that says, “Families can be together forever, through Heavenly Father’s plan”. If we look at Our Father’s Plan of Salvation by understanding the Creation, the Fall, the Atonement, and living the principles of the Gospel, we can have family relationships that will last for all time and eternity. What a wonderful feeling that can only warm your heart with joy and love. We have been blessed with an opportunity to come closer to or Heavenly Father and Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ by reading and pondering the Holy Bible and the companion Book of Mormon to open the spiritual doors to everlasting life and happiness. I hope that you enjoyed reading this as much as I have sharing this with you. I was inspired by the writings of President Boyd K. Packer.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that with the visitation of God the Father and Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith Jr. in 1820, the fullness of the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth, after an era of apostasy that followed the deaths of Christ and His disciples. In the years following this sacred revelation, known as the "First Vision", many other gifts and powers were restored to mankind as well,  an important one among them being the priesthood.
(More about Mormonism and Christianity at http://www.mormontopics.org/eng/christ)


What is the priesthood? The priesthood is the privilege, authority, and duty to act on behalf of God. It is offered to all worthy men in the Church. The priesthood is utilized in many different capacities.
Are there different types of priesthood? There are two branches of the priesthood in the LDS Church: the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood. The Aaronic Priesthood is sometimes referred to as the "Lesser" Priesthood, not because it is less important, but because it is a preparatory priesthood for the Melchizedek, or "Higher" Priesthood. Those holding the Aaronic Priesthood have the authority to prepare, bless, and pass the sacrament, and baptize those joining the Church. They have the responsibility to ensure the sanctity and reverence of the Church, and to be peacemakers.
When a man receives the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood (usually in his late teens) he does not lose the Aaronic Priesthood. Melchizedek Priesthood holders hold the Aaronic Priesthood as well, and are given more duties and authority. The Melchizedek Priesthood authorizes a man to confer the Holy Ghost upon a member after baptism. They may give special blessings to heal the sick and afflicted, give other men the power of the priesthood, perform many ordinances in the temple and even seal husbands and wives, parents and children for all eternity, allowing righteous families to be together forever.
Who benefits from the priesthood? The priesthood is a sacred gift from God, which benefits everyone, not just the men who hold and use it, but also the men and women they serve. The priesthood is God's way of preparing mankind to become something more, strive for something greater, and to exercise our will by submitting to His and putting all faith in Him.

Care to learn more?

by friend and guest-writer, Frank Ouimette
(This article was inspired by a talk given by Apostle Boyd K. Packer at General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in October 1975)

When the Lord was here, He said:

JOHN 14: 6
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
He also said:
JOHN 11: 25-26
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die…"

ACTS 4: 12
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

Baptism is a rigid requirement required by the Lord Himself. You must believe in Him and be baptized.
He was perfect but still had to obey the law to fulfill all righteousness and to set the example for all mankind.
Being baptized means to be "buried," or immersed in the water, symbolizing His death and burial, and coming out of the water as a symbol of the resurrection.

In the act of baptism, you are taking upon you the name of Christ. He said:

MATTHEW 7: 14
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

There are many billions of people who lived on the earth at a time when the Restored Gospel was here. Many lived in places and times where they never knew of any gospel or even the word baptism.
The Lord wants to give every soul the chance to accept Him and the gospel, here or in the spirit world.
It came as a commandment from Him, because of its important, to tell His Apostles to take the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people back in His day.
By revelation, He gave the same commandment is to His Church in these days to spread the restored Gospel to the earth so that people will know that it is essential to be baptized.
We now have the fullness of the Restored Gospel on the earth, which is the combination of the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
The commandment to search after our dead and do proxy work for them is still in effect.
Because they are dead, we that are living, having bodies, which they don’t, can do the proxy baptisms for them along with other ordinances that are required.
They still have their free agency in the Spirit World, and can accept or reject any ordinances we do for them. It is their decision even now.
Proxy work is doing something for someone else that they cannot do for themselves.
This is what Jesus Christ did in suffering for our sins and performing the Atonement for us, and breaking the bonds of death and opening up the chance for each of us to be resurrected as He was.
Back when this talk was given there were 21,000 missionaries, today there are over 55,000 and that number is increasing fast.
Whatever records we cannot find today or by the Second Coming, will be done in the Millennium.
The connecting of the generations of the human family will be the main work during that time.
Records that were lost or people born and died without records will be revealed then.
This being completed, we will ALL stand before him at Final Judgment in resurrected bodies.

by Benjamin Sokol

“I cannot with composure tell you how I feel about the Atonement. It touches the deepest emotion of gratitude and obligation. My soul reaches after Him who wrought it, this Christ, our Savior of whom I am a witness. I testify of Him. He is our Lord, our Redeemer, our advocate with the Father. He ransomed us with His blood.

Humbly I lay claim upon the atonement of Christ. I find no shame in kneeling down in worship of our Father and His son. For agency is mine, and this I choose to do!”

-Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
From a May 1988 address to the Church.

Jesus Christ loves all of us very much. He knew that we would all make mistakes, and He knew that no one who makes mistakes can enter the presence of God. This presented a problem as justice and mercy contradict one other; how can the price for sin be paid when God shows us mercy? 

Jesus, in order to satisfy both justice and mercy, atoned for our sins at the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross. He felt all the suffering, the hatred, and the sins of every person who ever lived, and would yet live. He did not want to do this, because He knew this would be extremely difficult and extremely painful, but because He was the only perfect being that ever walked the earth, and He loved each and every one of us, He chose to do His Father’s will, and bore the pain, showing infinite mercy to us imperfect beings. 

Through His atonement, and our obedience and diligence, we can be with our Heavenly Father again. Though Christ did atone for our sins, our ticket to Heaven is not automatically stamped. This is where justice comes in. We have to do our part, which is baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and repentance. We will continue to make mistakes, and unless we repent, we will be held accountable for them. We have what is called “agency”: the ability to choose our actions. There will be consequences, both good and bad, for the actions we choose. We will have to face those consequences. But through our diligence, our continual repentance, and our faith, the pain will be lessened. That doesn’t mean that we won’t face hard trials in our life. We all will. Trials by definition are just that: trying. The outcome will greatly depend on how we approach our trials and how we deal with them. 

If we work hard, and strive to be righteous, then we will be able to live with our Father in Heaven, and be able to inherit his Kingdom.

By Benjamin Bragg
God isn't nearly as cold and distant as some would make Him out to be. His love for you isn't just some vague, impersonal thing where He generally likes humanity because He created the world, the way an artist might like his painting. He loves each and every person on an individual level. He's the Father of our spirits, and He takes that title seriously.
As gifted speaker, Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in an October 2009 address:

“No Father would send His children off to a distant, dangerous land for a lifetime of testing where Lucifer was known to roam free without first providing them with a personal power of protection. He would also supply them with means to communicate with Him from Father to child and from child to Father. Every child of our Father sent to earth is provided with the Spirit of Christ, or the Light of Christ. We are, none of us, left here alone without hope of guidance and redemption.”

Like any loving father, He wants to hear from us. You can talk to Him any time you want by praying to Him in the name of His son, Jesus Christ. It doesn't always have to be to ask for something or be about something of grave importance, either. You don't have to worry about wasting His time. Pray to thank God for something good that came your way. Pray for help calming down before that upcoming final. Pray to tell Him all of the lousy things that happened to you today and ask for relief. Whatever you say to Him, He'll be listening intently. Furthermore, He'll answer you!
Precisely how and when God will answer your prayers is uncertain. He may have the Holy Ghost speak peace to your soul. He might have the Holy Ghost call an important fact to remembrance or dissuade you from making an unwise decision. He might put you in a position to accomplish your goals, or He might send another of His children your way to help shoulder your load. He might even reveal some hidden gems of truth and wisdom to you, illuminating your path, allowing you to see a bit of what He sees. What's certain is that He will answer you and the answer will come in the time and manner that is best for you.
There are myriad ways that God answers prayers, so at times it might be difficult to tell whether something is a message from God, your own imagination, or from the devil. Here's a good test to differentiate between the two:
Look at what you think you're being told. Does it persuade you to do good and serve your fellow man, or is it telling you to be selfish at the expense of others? If it's telling you to do good, then there's a good chance that it was from God. Even if it wasn't actually from Him and you follow it, you still ended up doing a good thing, so no worries!
If you think you're being told to do something wrong that would hurt yourself or others, then there's just about zero chance that that bit was a communication from God. For example, being a loving God, your Heavenly Father wouldn't send you an angel telling you to burn down orphanages on Christmas eve, so you could quite readily dismiss such an ambassador as not coming from the Lord.

“For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God” (Moroni 7:16).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a special authority known as the Priesthood. Many unfamiliar with the LDS Church may wonder what this authority allows a Priesthood holder to do.

First you have to know what the Priesthood is. The Priesthood is the authority of man to act with the power of God. There are two levels, the Melchizedek and Aaronic. I will only talk about the Aaronic Priesthood in this though. There are different names for it. The Priesthood of Aaron is also known as the “Lesser Priesthood.” This is due to the Melchizedek having more authority in spiritual matters. It’s known as the “Levitical Priesthood” due to Aaron being one of the sons of the Levi lineage. A last name it’s known by is the “Preparatory Priesthood.” This is due to it being a predecessor of the Melchizedek Priesthood. It allows you to practice the duties of the Lesser Priesthood to prepare you grasp the power and duties of the Higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood. Most often, however, it is just called the Aaronic Priesthood.

There are three offices of the Aaronic Priesthood. There’s a deacon, a teacher, and a priest. Each of these successive offices adds more duties and assignments to a priesthood holder. A man can obtain the priesthood at the age of 12, starting as a deacon, and gaining experience as he moves from deacon, to teacher, to priest.

“The offices are a part of the priesthood, but the priesthood is greater than any of the offices within it...The priesthood is yours forever unless you disqualify yourself through transgression.”

The transgressions referred to in this are the greater sins, not the small daily mistakes we all make, but serious transgressions that require fervent repentance.

Gifted speaker, Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once said in an April 2009 address:
“You have been ordained to an office in the priesthood of God and given divine authority that is not and cannot be held by the kings and magistrates and great men of this earth unless they humble themselves and enter through the gate that leads to life eternal. “

The priesthood is a gift from God of the greatest kind. It shows that He trusts us as His children, to allow us to act in His name, and do what he would do, continuously striving to build up His kingdom. As a holder of the priesthood myself, I am truly amazed and grateful that the Lord would allow me to act in His name. He is my rock and my redeemer, and I hope to make Him proud by exercising this Holy power to the greatest of my abilities.

Some of you may think, “It’s too late for us to repent.”, or that it’s too late to find the right person. This is not true. Others may feel that it’s too hard to quit their habit, and/or repent. This is false as well. Then others may feel that they aren't good enough, that they can’t keep up to the best of the best. This is also incorrect. As President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Boyd K. Packer states, “We cannot always expect to succeed, but we should try the best we can...Some needlessly carry a heavy burden of guilt which could be removed through confession and repentance.” There are different remedies for each of these. For quitting and repenting of a habit I’ll give another quote from President Packer:

“Some worry endlessly over missions that were missed, or marriages that did not turn out, or babies that did not arrive, or children that seem lost, or dreams unfulfilled, or because age limits what they can do. I do not think it pleases the Lord when we worry because we think we never do enough or that what we do is never good enough.”

We can always try. Each try we give should be our best effort, our whole self. For the matter of saying that it’s too hard, there’s a scripture In the New Testament that brings the answer into sharp focus. As stated in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “…God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Confession of sins to God, to ourselves, and to those we may have wronged, will help. It’s hard to do sometimes, but it is the first step of repentance and becoming whole once more. Just push yourself in each of your righteous endeavors. Push yourself to be rid of bad habits, to take on good ones. Push yourself to be a better son, daughter, sibling, parent, etc. Push yourself to be all that God knows you can be, and to the greatest of your potential. Be patient with yourself, but don't settle for anything less than your very best.

You can learn more at Mormon.org/chat by chatting live with real missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

   The sensation of human guilt is as universal as it is varied. All of us have experienced at least some form of shame, guilt, embarrassment, or self-directed anger which tells us quite bluntly that our behavior fell below our standards. Guilt affects each of us in a similar way; we feel to some degree that we did something wrong, and we regret getting into these circumstances. But as each person is unique, so is each sin, and therefore each episode of guilt. So many nuances and subtle emotions can mingle with each episode, creating an experience that is simultaneously unique and all-too-common.
   This emotion, which is never pleasant, can be a very useful tool. A healthy dose of guilt causes us to recognize that we can do better, that our actions were unacceptable, that there is room for improvement, and motivates us to fix the situation. But used to excess by an over-critical mind, unnecessary guilt shifts the focus of shame from one's actions to one's overall worth as a human-being.

“Some anxiety and depression is caused by physical disorders, but much (perhaps most) of it is not pain of the body but of the spirit. Spiritual pain resulting from guilt can be replaced with peace of mind.
In contrast to the hard words condemning sin, listen to the calming, healing words of mercy, which balance the harsher words of justice.”
-President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

As Elder Packer's quote implies, the duty we have been given by Jesus Christ to “forgive all men” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10) applies not only to others, but also to ourselves.
   We all learn pretty early-on in life that other people are not perfect, and that we shouldn't expect perfection. But pretty often, we take a bit longer to learn that we shouldn't expect perfection from ourselves. It is commendable to reach for perfection, and to try every day to get a little closer, but when we set the bar at perfect, and view everything that falls short as failure, we're bound to get quite disappointed with ourselves.
As any athlete knows, the key to success is practice and persistence and dedication over a long period of time. It is much easier to climb a staircase or a ladder than it is to jump directly from the ground to the same height. No high jumper has ever gone directly from the couch to a nine-foot vertical jump at the Olympics. This would be a marvelous overall goal for anyone to think of setting, but a goal that lofty would need to be comprised of many smaller goals to become a reality. “First, I'll work on routine and get that down. Then, I'll work to clear five feet. Then, I'll try to clear five feet and three inches, etc., etc.”
   A beginning jumper shouldn't be discouraged that he can't immediately jump over a house, and similarly, we shouldn't be discouraged just because we have some way to go on the road to spiritual and moral perfection. It's not something that happens right away, but something that comes little by little as we continually work for it.

   God has said that if we wish to live with Him once more, we need to be perfect, but He knows that we can't possibly do that on our own. As mortal beings, we are naturally weak and undisciplined. It is not only expected that we will mess up throughout our lives, but inevitable. So how can God expect perfection from children He knows are incapable of it? 
   It is with this in mind, that our Heavenly Father sent is Son, Jesus Christ to live among us. As God's Son, Christ had the capability to fully temper and control the natural urges and temptations that His mortal body would experience. Having absolutely no sin of His own, Christ gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, and also for our pains, infirmities, and yes, our guilt. He felt all of it. He experienced every bit of suffering that human family had, did, and would ever experience. And why? This was the price paid to allow us an out from our sins.    
   Thanks to this atonement made by Jesus Christ, our Savior, if we do everything we can to fix the situation presented by our misdoings, and gratefully acknowledge the miraculous sacrifice that Christ made, we can fully repent. And as far as God is concerned, the sin never happened. We are as clean and pure as the day we were born. This is how we achieve perfection, through Christ.
   As we earnestly repent of our sins and misdeeds, and look upon Christ, we are given the wonderful gift of a clean conscience. There is no point to carry the shame with us once we have been forgiven by our loving Heavenly Father. It is time to forgive ourselves, and jettison any self-hate from our souls. God doesn't count it against us anymore. Why should we?

In case you haven't heard, we live in a quickly changing, ever-moving world. Things that were unheard-of even five years ago have become the reality of today. With such rapidly-evolving technology and wildfire shifts in culture, it can surely be taxing, if not exhausting to adjust to the times or figure out how to guard against the new threats that face you and your family. While the progression of technology and culture is not inherently evil, it does change the environment we live in, giving us much greater capacity for good, but at the same time more capacity for evil. Technology is a tool, a neutral device, that can be used by good and evil alike. The most common fear one hears in the midst of all this change, is "How on earth can I raise a child in this environment?"
Though I am far from being married, let alone having kids, I do have fears of my own. If this is what I have to deal with, what awaits my future children? I believe these are all legitimate fears to express, and we are right to ask these questions. It shows we care, that we want our progeny to succeed. But its important to face these issues with a cool head. After all, we are not alone to face the challenges of life, and God would not put us in a hopeless situation. For every problem or threat, there is a solution or protection. Here are some pointers, gleaned from a wonderful address given by Mormon Apostle, Boyd K. Packer, in the April 2004 LDS General Conference:
Recognize the severity of the situation
It's vital that we take our blinders off, and realize how corrupt the world actually is. I certainly don't mean that we should be cynical or paranoid, viewing everything around us as an attack on our standards, as this just fosters more fear, and is a blindness of its own. But it is important to realize that many of the behaviors and actions we see so widely exhibited these days are just not acceptable, however appealing they may start to seem. We live in a time of societal stress, when violence seems almost commonplace, sex is a casual matter, and the respect we owe our fellow human beings is lacking to say the least. These are things that are just not right, and they are attitudes that need to change. Knowing the state of things doesn't have to cripple us with fear, or force us to give up because resisting the flow is just too hard. But it can teach us what to expect, and how to prepare.
Prepare early
As any survivalist will tell you, the key to lasting in a hostile environment is preparation. When one goes camping, one needs to think ahead, bring the right equipment and learn the right skills to face any situation that confronts you in the wilderness. So it goes with life. If we want our children to grow up to be wholesome, productive, members of the human race, we need to equip them with knowledge of how the world works, what they'll face out there, and how to resist society's indulgences. Again, a caveat: we don't need to expose kids early and all at once to the atrocities and permissiveness of the world at large. It is something that should happen gradually, step by step over a person's whole life. We need to learn right from wrong and how to choose the right before we learn all the ways a person could go wrong. Rather we should show the many ways a person could do right, encouraging exploration of the good. We don't have to know every way a person could be evil, just that there is a clear and bold line between evil and good, which Satan tries to blur. Keep a cool head, and trust in God to guide you in all things.
Avoid unnecessary infection.
There are accounts of a story of a mother who noticed how an apparent outbreak of chicken pox among the neighborhood children was taking place. She realized that her children were likely to be infected, and with the best intentions, she sought to get it over with quickly. She sent all of her children to play with the neighbor children and sure enough, the disease spread quickly. To the mother's horror, however, a doctor showed up on the scene and declared that the illness was not in fact chicken pox, but smallpox. 
There is much to be learned from this story in a spiritual/moral sense. Our children do need to learn a thing or two about evil, but we can't expose them to all manner of moral disease and expect there to be no consequence. We can inoculate against these ills by educating ourselves and our children of what is acceptable and what is not. We can talk and learn in the safe environment of our homes how to avoid certain mistakes. If we know something is harmful, it is only common sense to avoid it. You don't have to commit a sin to know that its wrong.

When we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, prepare for what is to come, and strive for cleanliness and purity, we will be more than able to raise kind, loving, wholesome children, even in the midst of a toxic world.

 

Looking back it how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed my life, its no wonder I want to share it with others. That's why i became a missionary. What better way to give this precious gift to those I love? But it's a tricky gift to give.  Not everyone appreciates it, or sees it as loving gesture it ought to be.
Too often, I believe, people view proselytism as something sinister; a propaganda campaign launched to get people to believe the way you do, or a grab for power. But when done with the right spirit and intent, this couldn't be further from the truth. As LDS Apostle, Boyd K. Packer said in his October 1974 talk, "Where Much is Given, Much is Required", "Today it is my hope to inform those who are not yet members of the Church, and at once to remind all of us who are members of the Church, of our responsibility to share the gospel."
I have seen friends and acquaintances become insulted when someone discusses their religious views. "Why are they shoving that in my face?" They might think, "Don't they love me the way I am? Why is it so important to them that I don't worship the way they do?"
If you have ever felt this way, I'd like to offer an analogy for why your friend might try to share his religious views with you. Picture this:
You're hiking through the mountains with your friends.  You reach a point where the path diverges in several directions. You each decide to explore a different path and meet back later.  As you walk down your own path, you notice that the path is a little rocky. Several times you nearly roll your ankle, but you move on, confident.  The trail leads you to a metal railing that seems to stretch off into the distance. You grab onto the railing to steady yourself, and resume your hike, which is  long and tough. After going a great distance, the railing ends and  you've arrived at the most beautiful tree you've ever seen. Large and majestic, its boughs spread out in all directions, festooned with delicious-looking fruit that seems to glow.  You approach a branch of this spectacular tree and pluck some fruit from it. As you take a bite, you realize that this is without a doubt the most delicious thing you have ever tasted. Your whole body sings as your taste-buds process this exquisite flavor.
Where are your friends? They must taste this! You run back to the fork where you all split up to find them waiting for you. You know how amazing this fruit is, and you know your friends will feel the same if they came back with you to the tree.
When a friend with the right spirit talks with you about Church, this is exactly how they feel. They know how wonderful this Gospel is, and how happy it makes them, and they want to share that with you. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have a right and duty to share what I have been given. Because I have been given so much from my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I have a personal obligation to help others find the same. It would be selfish of me to horde something I know my friends, sisters, brothers, will love. I proudly consider myself a trail guide, and want to do all in my power to point you in the right direction, so you and yours can have a taste of this delicious fruit. You'll have to work for it, but I promise its worth it. After all, where much is given, much is required.