Lesson 7 3 Nephi 12-17

This week was a great week of read in 3 Nephi. We had a amazing gathering on Thursday night. We had our lead student show us some wonder video presentations for LDS.org to help bring the spirit to our meeting. Our Directed Study was great. My assignment was to suppose someone who is not a member of Church asks you what John 10:16 means. Using what you learn from 3 Nephi 15–16, what you would say to that person. Include in your paragraph your testimony of how you know the Book of Mormon is true. After I read the scriptures, I prayed silently to receive some revelation of the meaning. I presented that I would answer to anyone that asked that I believe that both John and 3 Nephi have similar messages. Heavenly Father knew how important was that everyone get the message that we all need to be of the same fold and have the same Shepard. The fold is symbolic of our church wards today where we are always accepting new people into them including members, converts, and investigators. Our folds need to be and are ever growing with our acceptance of people seeking to worship Heavenly Father, who is our Shepard. I would share my story of conversion to the Gospel. I love new converts because when I converted I was so full of the Spirit that I wanted to share my joy with anyone that would listen. As a new convert, I had an obvious glow or brightness due to my new found testimony of the Gospel. As I remember being a newly baptized member of the Church, I shared with vigor my love for things I knew to be true. This new vigor seemed to be to much for my non-member family to grasp and i was accused of pushing my religion on them. That caused me to reflect and come to the realization that I was not "pushing" my religion but rather I was sharing with vigor the new love that I had found. It was just this afternoon that I was able to have a discussion about my experience in class with my wife, Cyndi. Cyndi shared with me that she felt that Heaven Father was telling us two things with these missionary scriptures. First, She says Heavenly Father was saying that their are other "sheep" outside our fold that need to be brought to the the fold because we are of one fold. Secondly, that Heavenly Father gave this counsel to people on different continents and that the message was the same. Cyndi and I discussed the great love and wisdom of Heaven Father; to know these two books would be used to show his message is the same and he shared throughout the world that we are of one fold and one Shepard.

Lesson 5 toughest Week in Pathways

Hi, Everyone! What a crazy week for me as I read in Helaman 12, I was reminded of how men fall pry to Satan in the pride cycle. In verse 4 it says O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world! I really felt Satan working hard this week to stop the great things we are trying to accomplish in the Pathways program. I had a hard week studying in both my classes this week, I felt very much like giving up because I was not understanding all my studies. I did press forward studying and prayed to be able to attend my Thursday gathering. At the weekly gathering I receive strength from my classmates to keep striving to complete this program even when things get tough. I learned right at the beginning of our gathering that some of my classmates also had a bad week and decided to drop out of the program. The news that some dropped out was crushing to me because of one gentleman who had help me keep focused to finish last semester. I shared with the class that its crazy how Satan attacks us like he attacked Lamanites and the Nephites. When Satan sees that we are making progress to keep our lives, our hearts, and minds toward the things of God. Satan steps up his evil game to tear at the good works and have us focus on the vain things of the world. I hope and pray I have a better week with the next lesson and I am stepping up my game to beat Satan at his.