My Talk

So I went to post my talk last Sunday and Bobby had deleted it on accident so I am just going to give you a summary. So here it goes.

About Us...
Bobby and I met when we were 15 when our wards were split to make a new one that we both ended up in. The first week in our new ward Bobby walked in and the only thing I saw was his face, and that was because he had an ugly black eye. He came in and told a story about how he got in a fight at a concert and the other guy had to be taken to the hospital. I later found out that there was no fight and he got hit in the eye by a stage diver at a, get this, Gravity Kills concert. Well a few months later it was my birthday, I was turning 16 and was having a date party. All of my girl friends were older and were bringing a guy and I was going to do the same. That is until my date got grounded and could not come. This all happened the morning of my party and I was just going to go by myself. I was ok with it. I new all my friends dates and would have had a good enough time, but my sister would not let this happen so she called Bobby's mom to find out if he wanted to come. She volunteered him to go because he was still on his way home from a scout camp out. She told us to just come get him he would be ready. So here I am shy already and coming to pick up a guy that said he got in a fight at a concert, and he has no idea we were coming. I had no idea if he was going to be mean or nice or what. We went ice skating and he had never been but did not let that stop my fun. He just put on the skates and pretended he was a pro. We fell a lot but laughed a ton. And that is when I feel in love with his sense of humor and him. We dated after that for about 4 months because we did not want to get to serious. We remained really good friends and he was always there for me when I needed him. Bobby went on a mission in 2000-2002. He served in Birmingham, England. About a year after he got home we started dating and then we were married in 2004. Benjamin joined our family shortly after that in Nov. of 2005 and then Jacob came even faster and was born in Aug. 2006.

We were asked to speak on covenants today and when I first heard our topic I was ecstatic. I was thinking that it would be so easy for me to speak about. I am no stranger to covenants. I have been baptized and have gone through the temple. I am sealed to my husband. Easy right. No not so easy. But I finally decided to speak about my own experiences with covenants and share my experiences and why I choose to follow them and why I chose to make them in the first place.

I remember growing up there were things that were always expected of me. I along with my siblings were to do chores, go to school, we were expected to do our best. Those same standards were set for our church activities and attendance. We were expected to get up and go to church with no complaints, we read scriptures and said prayers as a family, and were challenged to do the same on a personal basis. My mom taught us well and so when I had my interview to be baptized with our Bishop I can remember it like it was yesterday. I remember that the choice to be baptized was completely mine. My mom was not there coaching me. she had sent me in there the best prepared I could be and was hoping that I would make the right choice but could not make it for me. I choose to be baptized because I knew that the church was true, and I knew that this would get me to where I wanted to be and this was the first step to return to our Father in heaven.

It wasn't until years later that I realized that this was not the first step and this was not the first decision I had to make on my own. A long time Ago I was standing in the pre-exsistance and had to choose to follow Jesus Christ or Satan. I choose on that day to Follow our Savior and thus I chose to come to Earth and do the same here. We all made that same choice. It is evident because we are all here on Earth. Whether or not we were born into the church or have since become a member or mission started in the pre-earth life.

So I was baptized and choose to become a member of the church and made promises with our Heavenly Father and in return I got the gift of the Holy Ghost.

I reviewed the covenants we make at baptism and used the book Chances are you will be exhaulted for that. Just review that sacrament prayers for the same review.

I went on to talk about Temple Covenants.

Elder Russell M. Nelson said this regarding the Endowment:
"In the Temple we receive an endowment, which is literally speaking a gift. We need to understand the spiritual significance of it and the importance of keeping the sacred covenants and obligations we make in receiving this gift. Each temple ordinance is not just a ritual to go through; it is an act of solemn promising. The temple endowment was given by revelation. Thus, it is best understood by revelation, vigorously sought with a pure heart. President Young explained that your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, and gain your eternal exaltation."

this is an amazing promise that we make. The part that stands out the most for me in this quote in where it says, "vigorously sought with a pure heart."
I was reading through this talk on my way home from St. George with my Litle sister and we were talking about this part of my talk and she made a great point that I am going to share with you. We read in D&C 82:10 I the lord am bound when ye do what I say... The Lord is bound top keep his end of the deal but so are we. We are bound to keep those promises we made and if we are not doing that vigorously and with a pure heart then how are we to expect Heavenly Father to do the same. Luckily we have a Father in heaven who knows us. He knows our weaknesses and he knows our hearts. He knows when we are doing all we can and when we are just sliding by. He knows when our hearts are in it and when they are not.

I have been very aware and have always had a great appreciation for the temple covenants
from a very young age. My family being sealed has been the biggest blessing in my life. My father and older brother were taken from us when I was just three years old. My mom taught from then on the importance of being a "forever family", is what she would call us. She told us that we would have our turn with them. And I know that is true and as my family grows and as Bobby and I have been blessed with children I am even more grateful for this blessing. I am so grateful that Bobby and I were doing the right things and were married in the temple. I am so grateful that Bobby was worthy to take me there and continues to take me back. so that we can be a forever family as well.

I know that it mat seem hard and for some of you I know the feeling is that you are not doing enough. But you need to trust in the lord. because you have and are continuing to make the right choices you will be blessed.


Sorry if this is a jumble of thoughts I tried to get all I could back.