Praise To The Man

Sorry, it's been awhile since I last posted on here, but I just didn't have anything I felt was "post worthy" news, until tonight. Tonight was the start of a new quarter for institute, and this quarter we are studying the Latter-Day Prophets. We're going in order, so you should be able to guess who we studied tonight- Joseph Smith.

In 6th grade, I decided to start reading the series by Gerald Lund, The Work and the Glory. For those of you who don't know, it's a 9 volume series that covers the history of the church from about 1828 until the saints arrive in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Since 6th grade, I have read that series 4 times through. I know, I know, who has that much time and why on earth would you want to read the same thing 4 times through? Hey, why do they counsel us to always read and re-read the scriptures?? Ok, not quite the same thing, but still, I learned new things everytime I read. And, although there isn't necessarily any doctrine in those books that Elder Lund wrote, it gives a powerful account of the Prophets life, testimony, persecutions, struggles, triumphs, etc. I began gaining a very real testimony of that dear Prophet of old as I read through those books.

Then, in 7th and 8th grade, we had the opportunity to travel back to St Louis, MO to watch Jennifer play in the National Soccer Tournament for Dixie State College. While we were there we were able to travel to Nauvoo and Carthage and see all the sites there. As I walked down those streets in Nauvoo and as I sat on the bed in the jailers bedroom and listened to the account of Willard Richards, John Taylor, Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith, I had a strong, powerful witness that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that he truly did restore the church through Jesus Christ to this earth for us.

I then had the opportunity in my freshman year of high school to study the Doctrine and Covenants in Seminary. It was then and there that I started falling in love with Church History and our heritage. I soaked it up. I think it might even be safe to say that had there been a time machine or some way to transport me to another time, I would have immediately entered in a date from between 1830-1844 so I could meet the Prophet Joseph and live in that time. :) And, as I was falling in love with this time period I was also strengthening my testimony of that great man.

Now, here I sit, 20 (almost 21! :)) my testimony becoming stronger with every passing day of this great man. His life is one to truly be remembered, celebrated and revered. I will forever be grateful for the faith he had at 14 years old to walk into that grove of trees and ask our dear Father in Heaven to direct him which way he should go. I will also always be grateful to him that he never denied that testimony and in the end, sealed it with his blood. He bore such powerful testimony of the life of the Savior and of His divinity and never wavered in his faith. "Praise to the man who communed with Jehova, Jesus annointed that Prophet and seer. . . Praise to his memory, he died as a martyr; honored and blest be his ever great name."

So, that's how I ended my night tonight; adding to my testimony of that wonderful man who ". . . lived great and died great in the sight of God and his people. . ." Praise to the man.