The Anchor of Hope

Sometimes life can be like a ship at sea. The rain is pouring, the wind is blowing, and the night is getting darker and darker. It can be so easy to get lost, confused, and distracted. I interact with people every day that are lost because they have no real purpose or direction to their life. Many people try to find identity through work, school, or other activities; and other people wonder why it is even worth it to try. The world needs an anchor, and that anchor comes through Hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Hope can sometimes be viewed as wishy washy belief, but there is a difference between every day hope, and hope in the gospel. "I hope it doesn't rain today" is much different than "I have hope that God loves me and will answer my prayers". In that sense, hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill his promises to you. It truly can become our anchor. Hope provides direction and purpose to life. So how do we obtain hope? We must increase our faith and our personal righteousness. We can do that by learning about and living the principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Everyone needs this anchor for the soul.

Learn more about how you can have hope by going to mormon.org.

Watch an Apostle of Jesus Christ talk about the importance of hope here.

What is a Mormon?

Many people ask... what is a Mormon? How is your church different? Why are you so passionate about your beliefs? Why don't you drink alchohol or smoke ciggarettes? How is the Book of Mormon different than the Bible? Are you Christian? Why do you go to church for 3 hours every Sunday? Why are you spending 2 years of your life on a church mission?

There are answers to every one of these questions, but I would like to give the most basic answer that I know. What does it mean to be a Mormon? We follow Jesus Christ! He is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Example, and our King. "We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ" (2 Nephi 25:26). Everything we do is centered on the Savior. He lived a perfect life, so he could become the perfect example for us. That is why we call our church after His name; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. So, why do we follow Christ's example? Nephi, a Book of Mormon Prophet, says it best, "And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved... Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope , and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward feasting upton the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:16,20)

Learn more about why Mormons follow Jesus Christ at mormon.org.

Thinking about Repentence...

We all make mistakes. No matter how hard we try, there will be times that we fall short. I was thinking about that this morning as I was studying my scriptures. I came across a scripture in the Book of Mormon, and realized how important repentence is. Alma, a prophet of God, is teaching members of God's church in a land called Gideon and he is speaking of God and says,"And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God... and it shall be at the last day, that he who is filthy shall remain in his filthiness." (Alma 7:21) So, why is this an issue? Why can't we be unclean? Picture this... You just get home from a soccer game. It was rainy, it was muddy, and you are dripping dirty water. You walk into a beautiful home with elaborate white carpet and furniture. Everything is perfectly clean. Are you going to feel comfortable? Of course not. And it is the same with the kingdom of God.
So, how do we become clean? There is only one way, and that is to repent. Repentence is not optional, it is a commandment! Through Isaih the prophet, the Lord gives us a promise "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow". (Isiah 1:18) It is through repentence and the great sacrafice of the Savior that our red bright sins can be washed clean.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to change and to repent. I have made mistakes in my life, in fact, I probably make them daily, but I know that if I sincerely try to become better and repent, I can receive forgiveness. I have felt God's love in my life as I have made these changes. It is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us. I love Him.
Learn more about repentence at mormon.org

The first post

Hello! My name is Elder Marcus Hunt and I am currently a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Our church has been doing missionary work for a LONG time. We have followed the direction that Christ gave to his Apostles to "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." It is amazing work!

Since the Church of Jesus Christ was Restored in 1830, we have basically been doing missionary work the same as we did back then. An average day for me consists of inviting people to hear the gospel by knocking on their doors, talking to them in the streets and in stores, and teaching families in their homes. Not much has changed since 1830, but, as of a couple of days ago, that is beginning to change. I, along with five other young missionaries, have been selected to bring missionary work to the 21st century. We will be using facebook, blogger, and other internet resources to reach people in a way that we couldn't have done before.

Am I excited? Yes. Do I know what I'm doing? No. I am glad to be apart of this big step in helping people come close to the Savior, because that is what it's all about. It doesn't really matter to me whether I can talk to someone on their doorstep, in the streets, in their homes, or on facebook... as long as I am able to share how the gospel of Jesus Christ has helped me in my life, I will be happy.