The importance of Family Finances

Over the last few months of being in a family finances class I have come to realize and be grateful for several things that I was taught and learned as a child.

The first is the importance of tithing.  When I was young I made 3 dollars of allowance and the first thing that my mom would have me do is put 30 cents into my piggy bank for tithing.  Ever since a young age I knew that money was not mine but give to God for him to choose what to do with.

The other thing that I was grateful that I learned as a young kid was the power that comes through saving.  The first 10 percent of our money we give to God and the rest is for us to be righteous stewards over.  It is a blessing from God that we have anything at all.  At a young age I learned to save to do things worthwhile with our money.  When I was young I would save my money all year and then spend it to go on a week long trip visiting my cousins in Oregon.  Those experiences are some of my favorite from my childhood.

I also learned from my Father about living within our means.  My dad was never one to go out and buy the newest and baddest toys.  Did we have some nice things... sure, but my dad used his money as a blessing to us and did so without needing the most expensive accessories.

The point...  because of appropriate examples and lessons the greed of money has never been a part of my life.  Money has been a chance for us to have worthwhile experience and is a cherry on the cake so to speak and not the cake at all.  

TAIWAN TRIP

Well i had the chance to go to taiwan which I always dreamed I could do!!!   It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life.  It was absolutely beautiful there.  The landscape was amazing with beautiful mountains, plants, ocean views, and beaches.

The food was UNBELIEVABLE!!!  Anything that you could think of eating was there!  I ate snake soup, snake egg juice, ostrich, chicken butt, pork blood patty on a stick, stinky tofu (honestly not that good ha), squash/taro/red bean dessert, oyster omlets, bubble milk tea (best in the world), taiwan beef noodles (also best in the world), and much much more!  Street venders fill the streets there and there isn't a single street that you could find some amazing food to purchase!!

The main reason that i went in the first place though is for the people that mean so much to me!  I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father and for Jesus Christ and there gospel for so many reasons, but one that was very evident last week was that of how his gospel allowed me to make eternal friends across the world!  The gospel brought us together and will always keep us connected!!  The relationships that I have built with Chen WangChuan, and Wu GuanXian are built upon principles of love, Christ like Service, forgiveness, Faith, Laughter, and Hard Work.  You know, it is through the relationships that i built with these 2 that I realized what kind of family I would build one day!  A family built upon those same values of respect that allows everyone the chance to reach a higher and new potential!!  I am so grateful for good friends and that God placed 2 wonderful Taiwanese brothers in my life!  They have forever changed me and will forever be a part of me!

Not only was i blessed to be with them but i was blessed to meet other wonderful people, and disciples of Christ!  People who had given up all that they had to follow our Savior and to live the life that he would live even in the hardest of conditions!!  I felt so strengthened being around these humble and pure friends.  I felt the desire to grow and to be better!  The desire to leave false practices and traditions behind to become closer to my Savior!

我爱台湾

I LOVE TAIWAN

HE is RISEN

                   This Easter I recall many Easter experiences that I had on my mission!  Easter was always one of my favorite times to be a missionary, when I could run on the streets all day proclaiming that he has risen!  The Son of God has broke the bands of death, He has conquered the grave, He has brought Salvation unto the children of men!                                                
  

          I love the hope of Easter!  Easter puts behind all thoughts of doubt, disbelief, disspare, fear, uncertainty, anxiety, and hate and brings thoughts of light, hope, love, knowledge, purity, virtue, certainty, and Faith!  Easter is the day to behind us anything that might be troubling us in our lives and turn it over to Christ!  He has taken upon him all things that if we will but yolk ourselves to him, he will make our burdens light, give us strength and courage to overcome!  Just as Christ on this Easter Sunday long ago left the empty tomb in glory never to return again so should we be willing to leave behind us the tombs of sin, tombs of fear, and never return again but be willing to move on in glory of progression!  I am so grateful for the knowledge that i have of my Savior and that I can know that he lives today as well as 2000 years ago!  I know that He is my Savior and the Son of the Living God!  I know that He was the only one capable of performing the Atonement and the only one capable of rescuing us from the effects of the Fall!

This Easter I have the desire to have more Faith, to share more light, and whether symbolically or spiritually bring others to see the empty tomb of Christ and testify to them with all humility and Joy

 HE IS RISEN

easter.mormon.org

One Memorable Car Ride Home... Because of Him!!

I was driving in the car on the way back from Provo.  Car rides make me think.  Make me hope.  Make me wonder.  I often like to pray while i'm in the car and i have a long ways to drive.  A time where it is just me and God and everyone else is on the outside.  I feel that I can really concentrate and express what I want to my Heavenly Father.

As I drove home I was reminded of the video that is online right now #Because of Him. I was thinking about all the things that I am able to do because of him!  I am able to grow and change and overcome habits. I am able to live and breath and enjoy the world.  I can move, hike, run, and swim.  I can dream as big as I want and know that it is possible.  I can replace fear with faith and worries with excitement.  I can love and be loved.  I can feel and i can see.  I can create thoughts and ideas of my own and learn from the thoughts and ideas of others.  I can be calm in the eye of the storm and i can be firm to defend the truths I know.  I can pray to the God of my soul and feel of his healing responses.  I can overcome all that is placed in my path, All Because of Him.  

One very firm and important thing that came to my mind was that Because of him I could be a missionary and go to the greatest mission on earth with the greatest people on earth.  I loved being a missionary and i so loved the people.  As i recalled the events that took place in the sacred place, I was so grateful that because of Him I could have been there.  I am humbled to tears that because of Him I could meet some of my Greatest Friends, people I would be willing to give my life for, that because of Him they and I could change to be more like Him, that because of Him we have a chance to be Eternal Friends and to return to live with God one day.  Oh how I love those I served on my mission,  and it is All Because of Him.  

I will always remember that tearful carride home....Because of him!