A Blood Donor Saved My Life

As I was taking the sacrament today and thinking about what the water represented, I had a quick flashback to the previous week. One of my favorite students, we will call her Becca, was wearing a t-shirt that caught my eye because it said "A Blood Donor Saved My Life". And I thought to myself, "Did she have a surgery or something? How did she almost die?" So I asked her, "Did a blood donor really save your life Becca? She just kind of looked at me embarrassed and said "not really". Well, a second later I looked at the shirt again and realized that the red cross was actually a Christian cross and then it all made sense.
As much as I am not a fan of taking sacred things like Christ's atonement and tying them to pop culture and commercializing...I am glad that the phrase "a blood donor saved my life" popped into my head as I partook of the sacrament today. I have come to realize that Christ really has saved my life in millions of ways both big and small. His blood really has sanctified me. I am grateful for the opportunity to become clean again after making mistakes, I am grateful for the strength that Christ affords. I am thankful for scriptures that teach me that He knows MY very own sufferings intimately the way that no one else could.

The Book of Mormon

I was reading through a study journal of sorts that I created for myself while on the mission and I came across a quote by Elder Marion G. Romney. As you read it, pay attention to the neat blessings that come from reading the Book of Mormon.

"I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, the spirit of that book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart."

Who doesn't want a home with more reverence and respect and less contention? I sure do, and I have decided to read the Book of Mormon more prayerfully. I love the Book of Mormon for so many reasons. I believe it is the most powerful conversion tool and I believe that because of my own experience with it. My testimony of Jesus Christ and of His restored gospel were gained after I came to know that the Book of Mormon was true.

I recall my first Christmas in Argentina, we went to a small hospital and sang to the patients. This was a considerably poor hospital and through the horrible conditions and the tragic reasons many of them were there that Christmas Eve; I saw peace in their faces. I watched as some Elders handed out Book of Mormons to any who would receive them and I was struck powerfully by the fact that there was no gift more precious that we could have given them that Christmas.