Reflections Then and Now: Experience the Master Teacher Part One and Pictures of the last SIX months

***July 2004: Messenger: President Pulispher's Message: Experience - The Master Teacher - pt1
On three occasions when I have taught the Plan of Salvation I was asked, "If we lived with God in the pre-existence why in the world would we ever leave, what could be better than living with God?" First, we had to come to earth to gain our body to continue our progression. Beyond that, the question can be answered in one word, EXPERIENCE! We had to leave and come to an earth to learn some things that can be learned in no other way. " . . . and he, Jesus Christ, said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell: And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them:" Abraham 3:24-25 The proving in that verse is not proving ourselves to God, He already knows us and what our potential is. I believe we came to prove to ourselves who and what we are. That proof will come in what we learn and how we grow from our experiences.
After listing all the potential things that could happen to the prophet Joseph Smith, most of which we would consider pretty bad, he was told, "Know thou, my son, that all these thing shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." Doctrine and Covenants 122:7 Which tells me, no matter what the experience we can grow from it.
Lets talk about the value of experience. Sister Wilkinson has a friend back home that had to give a talk on missionary work. She told Sister Wilkinson, "I don't know what to talk about." Why didn't she know what to talk about? She had never had the experience of finding and seeing a Cornelius come into the Church. She could read in Doctrine and Covenants 18:15, ". . . how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!" But, she never had experienced that joy. Take a few minutes and reflect on your joy of seeing Cornelius come into the church. That joy can only come through the experience. Oh the joy of serving in the Micronesia Guam Mission. Experience - The Master Teacher.

12 January 2014

Here, we are. We are still here.

Here's a pictorial highlight of the ending of 2013