Seeking Happiness and Joy

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. The other two members of the Godhead are God the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. As is taught in the New Testament in the 14th Chapter of John, Jesus would not leave us comfortless after He left the mortal realm. He would send us the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, to "teach [us] all things, and bring all things to [our] remembrance". The Holy Ghost plays many vital roles in our lives. He is a Comforter, bringing the love and strength of the other members of the Godhead to any one of us who stands in need of comfort. He is a Guide, teaching us all things and helping us to discern good from evil. He is a Revelator, testifying of truth and aiding us in our quest for personal revelation (the power to know for ourselves). As is taught in the Book of Mormon in the 10th chapter of Moroni "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things ar...

I was fortunate to be born into a family of Mormon parents. My mother is a convert. She was taught by the missionaries when she was a freshman in college. She knew that what they taught was truth (because of answers to prayers and personal revelation) and chose to be baptized. She later met my father, who was raised in the Mormon Church in a family who had been members for a few generations. They were married in the Washington, D.C. Temple. Membership in the Mormon Church is important to my parents. They taught be about the Godhead: God the Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Ghost. They taught me from the scriptures. They shared with me their testimonies of the gospel. They took me to my church meetings when I was young and encouraged me to go as I grew older. As I grew and learned from them, I sought to find out for myself if the things they were teaching me and the things I was learning at Church was true. I have prayed and asked God about specific commandments, precepts, and principles ...

My 5th grade students and I are reading Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. I have never read this book prior to this reading with my students. We are enjoying it and learning a lot from it. The book starts with a tribe of people living on an island far from other civilization. A ship full of men comes to shore one day. These men want to hunt seal on this island. The captain of the ship makes a deal with the chief of the tribe as to how the hunted seals will be shared. When the men have hunted and gathered sufficient seals for significant profit, they begin loading the ship to leave. Although a certain amount of seals and other goods were promised, they shortchange the island tribe. This offense results in a bloody fight between the islanders and the seaman. Many die from each group. One of the dead is the chief of the tribe. The seaman leave. Although numerous members of the tribe remain, the chores must be redivided amongst those that are left. The women are a...

I've read the Book of Mormon and know that it is true. It contains the words of God as received by prophecy. Living the principles outlined in the Book of Mormon has brought so much happiness to my life--a happiness I have never found elsewhere. Reading the Book of Mormon has helped me develop a stronger relationship with my Savior Jesus Christ. It testifies of His life and His teachings. I treasure up His word.

I want you to ponder this statement from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and determine in your mind what commandment he is referring to. Elder Holland said, "I submit to you, [this] may be one of the Savior's commandments that is, even in the hearts of otherwise faithful Latter-day Saints, almost universally disobeyed; and yet I wonder whether our resistance to this invitation could be any more grievous to the Lord's merciful heart." 1 With this statement, Elder Holland was referring to a commandment found in John. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. ...Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." 2 Elder Holland said in that same talk, "The Lord has probably spoken enough such comforting words to supply the whole universe, it would seem, and yet we see all around us unhappy Latter-day Saints, worried Latter-day Saints, and gloomy Latter-day Saints into whose troubled hearts not one of these innumerable consoling words seems to be...

A dear sister shared the most beautiful tribute to motherhood today at church. I will do my best to record the words she spoke. Sister Harker said, A few weeks ago, my youngest daughter had her first baby. My emotions were very close to the surface. I repeated over and over that I couldn't believe my baby was having a baby. After the baby's birth, the nurse was doing what she's supposed to do: scrubbing and cleaning and pricking. Ellie was doing what a newborn is supposed to do: crying at the top of her lungs. I decided to reach out and touch Ellie's hand in hopes of making her first few minutes of life more comforting. Ellie wrapped her little hand around one of my fingers. Holding hands is one of the greatest ways we connect with one another. As I thought about these hands, I reflected on the hands of my mother. She used her hands to hold me and comfort me as a baby. She held my hand as I experienced the new things in life. She used her hands to clap for me a...

I just finished my student teaching in a fifth grade class on Friday. It was an amazing experience full of highs and lows. One of the highlights occurred toward the end. I had been asked to cover lunch playground duty for an entire week. The students are on a staggered lunch schedule. The fifth graders go first and the kindgergartners don't finish their recess until 30 minutes after the fifth graders have gone inside. My mentor teacher and I worked out a plan so that she would teach while I was still outside. On the very last day of the week, I noticed the students were still outside 10 minutes after their bell had rung. I let them in the classroom on my way out front to watch the kindergartners. I didn't know what to do. I was obligated to tend to the kindergartners. Their playground is in the front of the school with the greatest potential for harm. I couldn't be late, but I didn't want to leave my class unattended. I considered asking a teacher across th...