Jeny

Also, I would advise you to read the Book of Mormon, I assume that the missionaries gave you one? Pray about it...ask G-d if it is true, take these questions you have to the lord, ask G-d if Joseph Smith was a prophet...don't take my word for it...Don't take anybodies word for it...go to the lord and trust him to not steer you wrong.

Because he knew he was going to his death when he left Nauvoo, he had the means to run, he had the means to kill the jailer and free himself and his friends...he chose not to. That was because he had peace about his own death, he knew that G-d was in control of even his own mortality. He was a prophet and he prophesied his own death...in fact...he knew BEFORE the destruction of that printing press that he was not long for this Earth, he told his closest friends that he would die soon, he knew it was coming.

Thank you!!! Right now I am reading a new book I just got today: Rough Stone Rolling...and I have about three other books I am into right now, plus my scripture reading, so it may be a while before I get to it...but again, thanks for the link!!!!

Just start by asking the questions in your heart. If you are truly interested in learning and not up here as a troll, you will find us friendly and helpful. Ask away, my friend! And welcome aboard!!/smile.gif Also...check out the official church web site: http://www.lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg

I try to do that...but I end up getting into the "extra" every month! I am a disabled, single mother of two teenagers with bottomless pits that they call stomics...I struggle to keep food in my house, much less food storage!! I DO have plenty of wheat and lentils, because the kids refuse to eat them is the only reason they are still in my storage!!! G-d help them if we ever DO need to live on them...I could...they just may starve...at least that is what I keep telling them...they won't hear me, of course, and still refuse to eat lentils...I have gotten my son turned on to fried wheat...but my daughter won't touch it!! Meh!

I would be vey interested in that book you speak of...do you have a link to it on-line? Welcome to our site...BTY!!!!

We are Newbie friendly...but please try to understand, I am not excusing the actions of the mods on that other board...but there are a lot of wolves in sheep's clothing out here in computer land...and it gets frustrating to those of us who love this gosple and are sick of people who are just out here to tear down the things we hold sacred....please give us a chance to answer your questions and welcome you into our fold. We are striving to have a good, clean, fun, and friendly site here for members and investigators, and friendly non-members alike...we are NOT interested in people who only wish to cause strife and contention...this site is a place for fellowship and honest answers to honest questions. Welcome!!!! Yediyd

I have that MADB board in my favorites, but I haven't really checked it out, yet...I like my first site: ldstalk...and I am going to put energy into this site...that is enough for now, I am a single mother, too...I have responsibilities off the computer....for now...two is plenty for me.

Why does this post not show up? It looks as though there is only one response...the one from giuseppe?

What's a webmaster, and how can they help? I'm just a newby up here, but I love to write...I'm in!!!

Thank you for those links!!! I LOVE our Temples!! That is one thing I love so much about our church...I feel so close to G-d in the Temple!!!

I'm still kind of new to all the ins and outs of church history, so I don't know much about the rlds...but I like that link...now I can compare them...

You are forgiven, Giuseppe...but I am watching you!!!/wink.gif

Memories are more important than things and they can cross the Vail...You never see a hearse pulling a U-haul!!! I created memories with my kids by taking them to a dandelion field every mother's day and taking pictures in the dandelions...I never allow my kids to call them weeds...They are as pretty as a rose and hardier, too!!!

I posted my testimony there...now I want to post it here... The Mortal Test A spirit I was, a mortal to be... The father came and spoke to me. You've kept, my child, your first estate and now it's time to delegate... A mother to give you mortal birth a body and a place on Earth. I know you'd like your mother, "kind" but I have something else in mind. You see, my child, it's easy to be in a holy family that pleases me. What's not so easy and takes more grit is to be placed with parents that are unfit. A childhood filled with fear and unrest, you must endure and pass the test. As you struggle through confusion and pain Your efforts to find me again will not be in vain. I love you and I'll guide you back if you will withstand Satan's attack. Your progression greatly will be multiplied and I'll be there waiting on the other side... with rewards beyond you wildest dream because you took the path extreme. The Earth will be your proving ground but Heaven is where you will be crowned. You will receive rewards so sweet, just toss them all at Jesus' feet. You will then be allowed to look upon my face and once again receive your heavenly mother's embrace. I know you can do this, I have no doubt because you're a spirit Divine and devout. I've planned this life and task to do because I have great confidence in you. (1 Corinthians 10:13) I know G-d won't give me anything that I can't handle... I just wish He didn't trust me so much!!!!! My Testimony I was inspired to write this poem during our Stake Conference in November of 2004. I had been reading LDS poetry from a book that I had borrowed from the church library and I had this feeling of frustration that all the LDS poetry that I had read so far kept painting this "rosy" picture of happy childhoods and "goodly" parents and how the heroin's had to find their own testimonies. I thought to myself, why doesn't anybody write about not being born into this church, yet finding their testimony? I was thinking these thoughts while listening to Conference when the Lord whispered into my heart..."Why don't YOU write that poem?" I wrote it that night after Conference. My childhood was not pretty. I was raised in several "homes" and foster homes. Both my parents were alcoholics...in fact, they met at an AA meeting! Both of them had several failed marriages and relationships which resulted in various children. I have siblings, step-siblings and half-siblings, some of whom I've never met, even to this day. Others I was raised with on and off at different times and various circumstances. To say the least...it was a confusing, chaotic, and unstable childhood. Through all the chaos and confusion, there was one consistent thing in my life- that was the AV 1611 King James version of the Holy Bible. My father, (believe it or not) was a southern Baptist preacher! He would preach about the love of Christ and the peace which passeth all understanding, but my father never knew peace, nor did he have a clue about the meaning of the word "love." (I struggle with the meaning of it myself) As my siblings all turned to drugs, alcohol, sex or insanity as an escape from the torment of our lives, I turned to the Bible. I started memorizing it at an early age. By the time I was 16 years old, I was carrying my Bible with me to school every day and quoting whole chapters. When I was 26 years old, I quoted the first 14 chapters of Matthew on a TV show called,"The Parade Of Miracles". It was broadcast from a church called The People's Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas. I didn't know Christ or His love, but I wanted to know him. I longed to know him. As I poured over my scriptures, I found reference to Christ in every chapter I could from both the Old and the New Testaments. I wrote poems, read books (many books),about Christ, New Testament times and Old Testament times. As I matured into adulthood, I started "church hopping", checking out many different churches and religions, each one claiming to have the only truth. Each one claimed that they were the the true church, and with each new church, I came away feeling empty. Finally, after my marriage failed and I started raising my two children alone, I decided to give up on church altogether. Although I could quote scripture better than most preachers I knew, I still lacked an understanding of who Christ was. I knew about him, but I didn't know him. My problem was 18 inches long. There are 18 inches between your head and your heart. I had Christ's words in my head, but they had not reached my heart. If I missed Heaven...it was going to be by 18 inches! Then, one night I happened to see a commercial for a free Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ. Wow! It had never occurred to me that the Book of Mormon was a "Testament of Jesus Christ." I had the Old Testament and the New Testament, what was this? A third Testament? I had never heard of such a thing! Maybe that was the missing piece! I grabbed my phone and dialed the number! When the person on the other end asked if I would like someone to visit me, as well as receive my free copy of the Book of Mormon, I said," yes!" I had my first visit in February 2004. G-d bless those missionaries! I sure gave them a run for their money! I knew we were in the "last days", and the the Bible says,"Yea, let G-d be true, but every man a liar" (Romans 3:4). I did not trust them; I knew many false prophets would arise in the last days, but I gave them my word that I would not make any decisions until I had read the Book of Mormon. A funny thing happened as I started reading the Book of Mormon-I recognized my beloved Bible on every page! It didn't start in First Nephi,either...it started with the introduction to the Book of Mormon and then the testimonies of the witnesses. I recognized G-d's numbers, His "set" way of organization; I started pulling out G-d's numbers-3,8,12-from the very first pages and I knew that this book was lining up with my Bible. As I read on, I decided that the Book of Mormon was either written by G-d or by Satan, but it could not have been written by any man! The wisdom was too deep. It lined up too well with the Bible, on so many levels. I knew that it was just not possible for man to have written this book. As I realized this, at first, I feared in my heart that the Book of Mormon was a counterfeit. Was this the strong delusion sent by Satan in the last days that my Bible had warned me about? Were these missionaries the false prophets that I knew would arise in the last days? I was sure in my heart that the Book of Mormon was a supernatural book, but to which end? I also knew that "ol' smutty face" was a master of imitation and forgery. If anybody could make a "copy" of the Bible, yet twist it, he could! But the missionaries kept telling me to pray about it, and ask G-d if it was the truth. Satan wouldn't advise me to ask G-d about anything! The Bible says in Isaiah 55:11 that G-d's word will not return void and it didn't. I had not memorized all that scripture for naught. There was only one conclusion I could make about the Book of Mormon. My Bible came back to me and testified to me as I read each page of the Book of Mormon. The Holy Spirit was there too, and so were the missionaries...patiently putting up with my endless questions. I swam through a sea of confusion, but G-d knew my heart and he guided me back to him. Praise G-d!!! I've finally found the true church of Jesus Christ, and I can testify from my very soul that the Book of Mormon is the truth. It changed my life and it is the final piece to the puzzle of my life. The pieces have come together and I finally have the whole truth. I finally know Christ...REALLY know him, and I have felt his love for REAL this time. I'm home...at last!!! Yediyd.....a Hebrew word. It means: beloved friend.

This is the hardest concept for me to grasp in this church. I am a single mother...do not have the priesthood in my home and I unclear as to how it works...I am a Sunday school teacher, so I don't get much of a chance to learn about this in relief society or Sunday school. I know that each time I have heard it taught, I have had trouble understanding the whole concept and why G-d doesn't let me have that power as long as I have faith in him. I don't have a man in my home, and what makes men better than women that we are not given this power?

I have a feeling that I know the answer to this question, but I will go ahead and ask it anyway...was Jesus the savior for all the worlds or just this one? I know that G-d told Abraham to not worry about the other worlds so, my answer is probably similer to that answer that G-d gave Abraham, but I am curious. What do you all think?

Actually, I was warned to stay away from the Internet forums...but I believe that this site has the potential to be a good site. We just need to work together to help keep it a healthy place for fellow Mormons to hang out. I love coming on-line and finding brothers and sisters in Christ...I don't get much fellowship in the real world as I don't have a car and most of the members of my ward do not live close and they have their own lives. I do get to hang out with them sometimes, though. I went shopping with a nice lady in my ward today and we discussed the unpleasant experience I ran into on-line with anti's...I am feeling much better now after talking to her. She has a strong testimony of this church. That is what I need...fellowship with good strong, faithful members...I think I will like this site, after all!!/smile.gif

I believe that the death of JS PROOVES the truth of his being a prophet...He could have run, he could have used the gun that he had hidden on him and he never had to have allowed himself to be arrested...He didn't run, he didn't kill the jailer...he could have continued on to the salt lake valley...he didn't have to come back across the river. I believe that JS was not perfect...but he was G-d's man. He was a prophet of G-d. And his death was proof to me of his character.

I believe that Jesus was married and that it was his wedding at Cana...That is why his mother came to HIM about the wine. When he said, "mine hour is not yet come" he was telling her that it wasn't time for him to reveal who he REALLY was. He preformed the miracle because it was his wedding. I have no proof of these thoughts, but they make sense to me as I understand Celestial law. Also, when Mary came to him at the sepulchre...she wanted to hug him...he wouldn't let her touch him then...she was his wife. I believe that in my heart...Again, not doctrine...but I still believe it in my heart.

I have a favorite Quote that I have in the margin of James chapter 3... If the tongue was not kept behind two gates and doused with water 24 hours a day...it would burn our heads off!!!/rolleyes.gif I love James chapter 3. It is one of my memory chapters!!/tongue.gif

I have an interesting story about how I was able to build upon my faith...I will cut and paste it here... A Faith Project Named, Fred. I would like to tell you a story about a plant named, Fred. This is a true story; mind you, one that has blessed my life and many other's lives with whom I have shared it. It all started back in 1986, I was walking down the street thinking to myself about the subject of faith. That week in church, I had heard my pastor preach about faith being a muscle that gets stronger as you exercise it. He talked about body builders and how they have to tear their muscles a tiny bit during each work out in order to build upon them. He admonished his congregation to get a faith project. Just like a body builder, we needed to exercise our muscle (faith) in order to build upon it. I was thinking about this sermon and my own lack of faith, as I was walking along. By and by, I happened upon a pile of rubbish at the side of the street. Thrown into that pile was a dead plant, well, almost dead...there was one green leaf, still barely clinging to life amid all the other withered and brown ones. As I walked past the plant, I thought to myself..." Yeah, I know the feeling!" I was feeling withered, brown, and cast aside at the moment myself. I continued on, past the plant and pile of rubbish, when the thought struck me..."Everybody needs a second chance!" I stopped, went back and plucked the one living leaf off of the dying plant. I took it home with me, placed it in a glass of water, named it,"Fred" and started praying for it! Silly, you say? Perhaps, but I needed tangible proof that my heavenly father answers prayer, so...each time I would bow my head to pray...after I would send my entreaties heaven ward, as an afterthought, I would say,"...and by the way God, bless Fred! I'd like to see that plant grow and my faith along with it." You see, each time God answers our prayers; our faith grows that much stronger. Since God has his own timing for answers to prayers, and since I am a person not known for an abundance of patients, I decided that I needed to see tangible proof of an answer to my prayers. Fred became my "faith project". He soon sprouted roots, and I put him into soil. I watched him grow and grow! My Fred plant grew to over 6 feet tall, and I gave many of my friends and family cuttings off of him (or her, since she had so many babies!). Now, as I write this story about Fred, it's May 27th,2007. 21 years have come and gone since I first started praying for one solitary leaf named,"Fred". In that time, I have become a convert to the LDS church; Fred actually played a significant roll in that conversion... ...The sister missionaries were over to my house, I was still investigating the church at the time. The topic of faith came up. I suggested that the ladies get a "faith project", I then explained the story about Fred. Later that night, I was reading in the Book of Mormon that they had given me. I read Alma chapter 32 for the first time. I couldn't believe it! I had been quoting the Book of Mormon and didn't even know it! I had spent years searching for the truth before I ever thought to investigate the Mormon church. I had memorized 33 chapters of the Bible by this time and the Bible says, "My words shall not return void" (Isaiah 55:11). They didn't, and even though I had never read the Book of Mormon, I had the word of God hidden in my heart and I was quoting it without even knowing it when I was explaining to the ladies about the seed of faith being like a plant. I was so excited after I read Alma 32; I called the ladies immediately, got their answering machine, and preceded to leave them a very excited message. I knew in my heart that the Book of Mormon WAS the truth; it HAD to be, because I was quoting what I already had in my heart from previous Bible exposure. I did not have Fred anymore because my estranged husband had put my beloved plant on the curb while my children and I were in a battered woman's shelter. As I said, I had given pieces of Fred to my family and friends over the years, but I had no idea if any of them still had their Fred plants. So, the next day, I decided to surprise the ladies with a shaflera (that was the kind or plant Fred was). I looked in several stores, but was unsuccessful at finding that particular plant. I went home discouraged. Later that week, I was at my sister's house (I don't go there very often) and I noticed a 4-foot "Fred" plant in her living room! I exclaimed, "Juanita, where did you get that plant!?" She said, "Don't you remember? You gave it to me; it's a baby off of Fred." I didn't remember giving her a cutting, but I asked her if I could have 5 cuttings off of her plant. She gave them to me and I in turn gave each of the ladies one (I kept 3 for myself). Those first missionaries finished their missions and went home taking their Fred plants with them. I later received a letter from one of them along with pictures telling me how she used the story of Fred as a lesson in her study group! I gave the other two cuttings (besides the one I kept for myself) to the new missionaries; one of those plants is still in the apartment of the sister missionaries. My cutting grew into a nice plant, which I have since given several cuttings off of to various church members and other missionaries. Pieces of Fred are in California, Utah, West Virginia, Canada, and even in Tonga! After 21 years, several moves, even my husband's attempt at destroying him, Fred lives on and is still blessing the lives of everyone who comes into contact with him! This all started with one leaf that I decided to pray for! This is a testament to the power of prayer AND the power of God! PRAISE GOD!!!!!!

I just found a link to an inspired version of the Bible...What do you guys think of this? http://www.centerplace.org/hs/iv/default.htm

I'm a "new" convert of three years. What kept me faith full as Satan attacked and I started to get discouraged was the sense of family that I felt in my ward. I was shown the love and I felt it. there was the night that the relief society ladies all gathered outside of my balcony window with candles in their hands singing songs of encouragement. and the time the I heard a knock on my door, when I answered it, nobody was there, but there were six bags of groceries sitting there. Or the time that we opened our door to fond our whole door completely covered in crape paper and balloons and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY sign above it. Or when I was in the hospital with pneumonia...The ladies cleaned my whole house including the microwave, fridge and toilets...then plastered paper hearts all over my walls all through the house with verses and encouraging sayings. Then when I got home...they brought over meals and the priesthood brought the sacrament to ME the first two weeks that I couldn't go to church!! That's not to mention the time I had mt heart attack or the many other instances, just tonight...I just got home from the Hill Cumora Pageant, I live an hour away from the Hill...I have no car, I have been a member 3 yrs, this is the sixth time I've seen the Pageant...someone ALWAYS offers to take us!!! There were time when I felt like giving up, It would have been a lot easier if the ladies in the relief society would have left me alone!! I even told them that one Sunday!! I said, sometimes I wish you ladies DIDN'T love me so much!! It's hard to fall away when I am so darned MISSED when I don't come to church!!! ...I LOVE my ward:)