Consider the Lilies

I sure hope everyone has recovered at least a little bit from the different policy changes from General Conference. I think now we know what we need to do and how we need to do it. For me, school is coming to an end and we'll being going into summer. I certainly have a lot to think about this summer and have definitely been stressed from the plans that need to be made and the things that need to be done. In the words of Elder Christofferson, "Sometimes thinking to hard in ahead is damaging... We need to take each day one at a time."

With so many activities to accomplish, as I am sure all of you know, it is hard to stay focused and stay enthusiastic during these busy times. Am I going to have a job? Am I going to be able to pay for school? The list of questions that pass through our brains could be endless. This is why we have scriptures to know what type of words Jesus would say to us if we came with these questions. The twelve apostles came to Christ with these questions when He called them to be traveling disciples and witnesses of the Messiah. Where shall we sleep? Where shall we eat? How can we take all of our clothes with us? Christ's response to them is found in Matthew 6:28 "And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin..." Do the beautiful flowers that grow ever ask, "Where am I going to receive water? What if the Sun doesn't come out?" If the the flowers never have to ask, why should we? Especially when we do what our Heavenly Parents say, we will be provided everything that we will need. I felt extreme gratitude this week as I saw the hand of the Lord in my life. As He provided me employment, as He gave me my daily bread for a while, I am at peace that even when trials come, God loves His Children. Even though, like any good parents, He wants to see us provide for ourselves, He will always extend the hand when we need it. 

I hope this will touch at least one of you.

Devan Alder    

What A Week!

I sure hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! I loved this week! 1) Because, as I said last time, thinking about the Savior an entire week with what He did that week 2018 years ago is absolutely amazing! 2) General Conference was absolutely wonderful with a myriad of changes and revelation!

This week, I have been pondering a lot about Easter this week and what it means to me. A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity of participating in a mock Passover (Mormon style). It was a wonderful experience and as I ponder on the Sacrament, Easter, and the Atonement, each mean so much more to me as I put them in the context of the Passover service that was done anciently and still done by Jews and Mormons who want to. Let me demonstrate what I mean, Exodus 12:8 "And they shall eat the flesh [of the lamb] in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it." Since Jesus Christ, Himself, gave this law, it is no wonder the wonderful symbolism. Imagine putting a spoon of horseradish into your mouth, representing the bitter herbs, then the bread, and finally a small glass of grape juice (it was wine then). The foreshadowing of this simple process is amazing. When you feel disgusted and pained by the bitter herbs, then you take some bread and that disgust is absorbed in the bread and it no longer bothers you. After, you drink of red juice and are left a sweet taste on your tongue. The bitter herbs are sins. The bread of life absorbs all the effects of that nasty sin that you just partaken of. Then, so that we feel better, we drink of His blood and we are left feeling sweet. This symbol is so helpful for me to realize the important of the Sacrament and how I should view it. Without this experience, I may have not known such and experience and how it connects with the gospel. Try is sometime and you will see and feel why the Lord instituted the Passover and appreciate the Sacrament each week. I know as I learn more, I can feel more of that sweet taste of the Christ's redeeming blood.

Have a wonderful week!

Devan Alder

Barabbas

Happy Good Friday!

What a wonderful day to be writing! It can also be quite a solemn day for many. I have been so happy to focus this entire week to the last week of the Lord's mortal life. That is one of my favorite parts of Easter as well as, now that I have done a mock one, the Passover. Yesterday, we celebrated the Last Supper or Passover that Jesus Christ had with his apostles. Today, we commemorate the terrible pains that Christ suffered in the garden of Gethsemane as He started the Atonement for each and everyone of us. His suffering continued this morning as He was brought before the Gentile rulers to be accused by His peers, the Pharisees and scribes. There is one scene that I would like to share that we all know but has found new meaning for me recently. Matthew 27:21 "The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas." Barabbas as described in the scriptures was a robber, liar, and murderer. Most of us could say that we dislike Barabbas very much for all of his sins and for being let go when the Perfect Son could have been. Our teacher shared with us a thought that he received while pondering these verses. "Don't judge Barabbas, because Barabbas is you" We are the liars, the cheaters, the imperfect Barabbas that will be and have been released in stead of Jesus. We got released so not a single one of us has to suffer on the cross. As many sins that we have, we will not pay the price that we probably should because we are those who have been released. How much more appreciation that I feel when I finally put myself into the story. There is true power when we follow the example of Nephi and liken all scriptures unto ourselves. That is what I have learned this week. Scriptures are more than just old words on a page. They are lessons for each of us that we need daily. How power the scriptures are when we place ourself into them.

I hope this helps someone!

Devan Alder

John R. Moyle

I know that I'm posting this a lot earlier than I usually do and I know I should probably wait to write this so more people will notice it and actually read it but, I can't help but write it down right after my religion class today. I feel too grateful and full of the Spirit to not put this down in writing.
Today in class we talked about two events that are usually not discussed in grand detail: Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and cleansing of the temple on Palm Sunday. I would not do the class justice if I did not address both.
Matthew 21:9 "And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest."
I love how each story, no matter how long or short, becomes instantly beautiful when we are placed in the story. Where could we be placed in this story? Could we not be one of the disciples behind Jesus as we see the multitudes gathering to meet Jesus as He, like King Solomon, arrives to Jerusalem to be crowned King? Could we not be one in Jerusalem that finally sees Christ coming to take His throne as He will during the Second Coming, as we cry and shout: "Hosanna"? Or could we not be the donkey carrying Jesus on that very long, and steep journey from outside of Jerusalem till the temple? Do we ever feel like a donkey, wild and scared, on a very steep upward journey? May we ever let Jesus be the one to guide us the entire time and never be afraid.
Matthew 21:12,14 "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of them that sold doves... And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them."
It is very obvious that these money exchangers were doing so unfairly just because it was Passover and more people would be coming to the temple. Those who sold doves knew as well so they rose the prices. These devilish acts of greed and want represent the devil. Notice that no one opposed Jesus as he cleared them out of the temple. No one returned for the money or goods. These devils ran when true light came in. There is no need to fear the devil, as President Benson said, because he will always step down in the face of Light.
Also, how symbolic does this story become when we read Paul saying, "Know ye not that ye are temples of Lord?" Try as we might, we can not clear out all the evil that is found inside our temple. Only Jesus Christ has the power to clear out our entire temple of evil doers. He alone will also heal our blind and lame spots that reside in the temple as well.
If you can not tell, our 50 minute class was full of insight and information. To end the lesson, Brother Griffin said this: "I know that this is a lot of info and I do not want anyone to get lost in all the small details but take it as their story. So, in order to do that, I will tell a story." He continued to tell the story of my ancestor John Rowe Moyle. His story is of sacrifice and sanctification. As a stone mason, working on the temple of Salt Lake, he would walk from Alpine to Salt Lake each week. A journey, that I can tell each of you, is not easy even with roads and sidewalks. Until one day, he was tending a sick cow who kicked him in the leg. That leg was sawed off and it took a while for John to heal. John would not give up because of this. He carved his own wooden leg and learned to walk with it. Most of us would have just stayed home but, John, when back to his work on the temple walking on that wooden leg. We did not have time to discuss how this related to the scriptures above but I sure felt it. I sure walked that same path as John did and felt his triumphal entry into the Salt Lake Valley each week as John overcame all greed and evil inside his temple. I felt it as John was miraculously healed enough to continue his work on the temple of Lord. Luckily, his legacy is carved on the Temple, "Holiness to the Lord".
When will I ride into Jerusalem? When will I let Christ guide me to the temple? When will I let Christ clean me of all evil and heal all blind and lame parts of me? What legacy will I leave behind?

I sure love this gospel. I know that the Lord is watching over us every single day. He may not give us daily reminders as big as this one was for me, everyday. But He is our Father who loves us and wants to see us succeed.

For this I am ever grateful for my family, past, present, and future.

Have a wonderful week!

Devan Alder

When We Are Lost

Good week to all you friends, family, and people who stumble across this blog! (I figure you can say good week like you would say good morning or good day, right?)
This has certainly been a wonderful week for me and I have enjoyed the ups and downs and especially I have enjoyed the lessons learned.
In class this week we studied the Lord's parables in the book of Luke. Let me share a couple verse from them: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost...", "Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lost one piece...", and "And he said, A certain man had two sons..." Luke 15:4, 8, 11. Of course these verses are not the whole parable and I hope that you know the rest of each parable especially of the prodigal son. We know very well the beautiful lesson of repentance that each one of these parables teach and I am so grateful for the while range of application that parables in general have. May I offer another application of these parables that I learned this week. Take a look at the ratio of each parable as well as the manner of finding what is lost. According to the lost sheep, one out of hundred of the sheep (could we not say one of us) gets lost just by distraction. The lost coin says that one out of ten of us will be lost due to neglect of the owner. The prodigal son tells us that one of two of us will act out in rebellion against the father. What a beautiful metaphor when we find ourselves getting lost. We can always ask which of the three was the reason that we got lost. There is also the lesson on how we should treat people who get lost for each of these three reasons. When one is lost like a wandering sheep, we actively go find them and bring them back. When one is lost due to neglect, we sweep the entire house to make sure every corner is clean and the coin can be found. When the son acts out of rebellion against you or God, let him be. Let him come home on his own terms and repentance and, love him and celebrate him when he comes home. What would have happened if the father of the Prodigal son when searching for him like the lost sheep or the coin? Would the son not have attacked out in a more rebellious matter and maybe not have come back home? There are gems of truth that can be found in the scriptures and sometimes it can be very hard to find different perspectives in the scriptures on your own. That is why we are a church and are willing to listen to every principle taught by the spirit.

I hope this helps with one spiritual aspect in your life!

Devan Alder

Blessing of Throwing Up

Yes, I know this is not the most spiritual title you have seen from me but, it got you to click on the link so: Mission Accomplished!

Happy Sabbath! I hope everyone had a wonderful spiritual time at church, or whatever your Sunday activities were. I felt the spirit today and really enjoyed all that I learned. Let's start with a scripture! (Don't worry the throwing up story will come right after)

This week we studied the parables of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. My favorite was from Matthew 25:14-15 "For the Kingdom of Heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey."

I loved what my teacher asked right as we finished reading this: "Now if you were to read this with 21st Century "political correctness", how would you respond?" Well any of us would say that the man was being unfair and did not give the same amount of talents to each of the servants. As wonderful as the fight of freedom is, I believe this scriptures teaches us that we are all free but we are not all the same. That is the way we are because "to every man [was given] according to his several ability". It is very easy to think of 'talents' as gifts or hobbies but this talent was actual weight. What if the first man was given 5 trials and the second 2 trials and the last one was only given 1 trial? Would that change the story? That means the first two servants went out and received more trials and then entered into the kingdom of God. The last servant received one talent because that was his ability and the Lord knew that he could handle it but he went and hid and called his master a "hard man" for giving him one talent. How often do we think the Lord is a "hard man" for giving us "talents" and expecting us to receive more? How often do we think that Lord gave us this talents because He knows that we can handle them and multiply them? With just a little change of perspective, we can take our trials and talents and make them into what the Lord attended. The secret is being grateful for a God would did not make us all the same. 

Now the Blessing of Throwing Up really has nothing to do with the scripture above except that sometimes we just need to change our perspective and that God cares and knows every small detail of our lives. Let's just say I got sick this week, we can debate the causes of getting sick but I'll leave it at that. I woke up early Friday morning terribly sick with a strong pain in my stomach (which parallels to the time I got sick from pizza on my mission) which kept me from having the strength to get up and move around. I knew I would have to miss class that day but I also had a test to take that very day, so sometime I would have to get up. Soon before my first class, I asked my roommate, Benson, to give me a priesthood blessing. The blessing was wonderful but as he was speaking, what I thought was the spirit at first, turned into the sweats that you get right before you throw up. He ended with "Amen" and I ran to the bathroom... Without explicit details, it was not very fun. As most know, after throwing up, you feel a lot better! I was able to go to my classes that day, take my test, and feel almost completely better the next day. The Lord knew what I needed to do that day and to me, the blessing, the throwing up, enabled me to do so. Small, strange, and gross miracle but it was a miracle nonetheless. I love the Lord and know that He loves you. He knows every small detail and if you do it His way, He will always provide.

Lots of Love,

Devan Alder 

All You Have

Another week down and ready for the new week!

I'm so glad that people like you are still looking at my blog, usually 140 of you! I'm humbled that you would take the time to read this. I know that most of the time you will read what I write and think, "That was nice". But my hope is that you will keep persistent and one day read something from here and think, "That's what I needed". That won't happen every time but I sure do love when the Spirit works through us in order to lift each other up. Writer and reader alike benefit with the touch of a master!

This week I dove into Matthew 14. This short chapter is full of sadness and great fulfillment. It begins with the devastating news of the plot and completion of the death of John the Baptist. Not only was it hard to lose a beloved family member, John was the Elias, the one to go before Jesus in all things. With John gone and preparing the way in the spirit world, Jesus would be soon to follow. It is easy to miss Jesus' reaction to this news. Matt 14:13 "When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart..." Yes, Christ was part mortal and thus needed some alone time in such a tragedy. He would receive no solitude at this time: "... and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities."
In a moment of sadness, Jesus was confronted with a mass of at least 5,000 people. We all know the story of the five loaves and two fishes. Have we ever considered that Christ performed this miracle while His mind was full of sadness from the the death of John? Have we ever tried to sympathize with our elder brother?
Have we ever wondered where the bread and fish came from? We read that the apostles, when asked to go get something to eat for the multitude, found one "lad" who had come prepared for this trek and had five loaves of bread and two fishes for the journey. I had never thought till this week: what kind of faith did that lad have to give all the food he had at the time to the Lord. Sometimes I have thought, "well it was the Lord", but it is not always that simple. The lad had no idea what he would get back in return. I love this beautiful imagery. "Jesus didn't ask the lad to feed the 5,000, all He asked from the lad was give Him all that he had" Christ doesn't ask you or me to feed 5,000, to solve all problems, to reach perfection tomorrow; He asks us to give Him all that we have, that's it, and He will take it and multiply it.
I believe it is easy to feel alone. I believe it is easy to feel unprepared. I believe it is easy to feel like we are not enough. But, if we take a step back and realize God's plan for us, if we realize that all we need to give the Lord is our heart, all of those negative feelings of fear and disappointment will be replaced by confidence and faith.
Is it hard to give up your 5 loaves and 2 fishes? Of course it is! Give it up though, and watch how many thousands you will feed!

-Devan Alder

   

Lord, If Thou Wilt

Hey friends (or if you happened to stumble upon this blog and don't know who I am, hello to you as well)

I hope you had a wonderful week as I did. I also hope that this blog isn't surrealistic and every time you read this you don't think: "Oh Devan just has a perfect spiritual life and never has a hard day in his life" Although I only highlight was I have learned during the week.  My life, just as well as yours, has ups and downs. There are hardships and disappointments. There are trials and roadblocks. I am positive that each of us are struggling in someway or another. What makes us different is what we do with each difficult moment and how we move foreword letting the Lord direct us.
Sometimes all we think we need is a miracle to make everything better. If I could just have this one thing in my life, all would be well, right? All of us could think of one thing that they wished they could have in their life or some event that they wish would happen right now. Have miracles ceased among the children of men? Of course not! We see left and right miracles that happen in others' lives but, why does that not happen to me? A scripture in Matthew this week helped me learn the principle of miracles, how they work and how I should seek them.
Matthew 8:2 "And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean"
Now let me provide some context for this verse because I love it. This is right after Christ finishes His Sermon on the Mount. He has just taught His fellow Jews the real power and meaning behind the Law of Moses that most have not even thought about. So you can imagine Jesus walking off the mountain with this "multitude" behind him. All of the sudden, a leper appears and is walking towards them. Now, we all like to think if a diseased person walked toward us, we would have the compassion necessary to ask what they need. The truth is, most of us would probably feel disgust with an approaching leper that could possibly infect you. Not to mention the tradition of the Jews that if you touched a leper, you had to cleanse yourself in the temple not soon after. So traditionally and maybe just common sense says, "Do not touch the leper". You can almost feel the crowd behind Jesus gasp as He reaches out to heal this leper.
The point that I would like to make is in the words of the leper and how this shows us what we can really ask Jesus when we want a miracle. The truth is that many of our prayers remain unanswered and there is no way of knowing if we will ever receive our miracle. So what can we do? "Lord" we can worship. We can give thanks to the person that gave us life. We can worship the person that allowed us to become cleansed from sin and have the power to overcome it. "If thou wilt" As hard as it is too accept, we must be ready to not receive a miracle. His thoughts are not our thoughts; His timing is not our timing. "Thou canst make me clean" Despite of receiving a miracle or not, we must have full faith and full hope that whatever the miracle that the Lord can perform it. We must stray away from thinking that miracles just happen to other people. They can happen to us because we have faith that nothing is impossible with the Lord.
What does this mean for us today? When we kneel down to ask for a miracle, we can think of the begging leper. We can be full of faith that the Lord can perform this miracle but at the same time accept if we are not granted such a miracle. By so doing, our faith is increased in the glorious plan of our Heavenly Father. He is the master architect and maybe someday we will be a tool in His vast work.

I apologize that this was a little longer. I hope it brightens your day!

-Devan Alder

 

Strength in Prayer

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines!
This week was wonderful! It was filled to the brim with work and activities which can make it exciting and stressful at the same time. Sometimes, since we all get busy, the activities pile up and we seem to want to take a break or rest for a little bit. Of course rest is necessary and I do not think resting is bad but, sometimes it's a distraction, right? I certainly felt that many times this week. One particular night I was feeling tired and knew that I still needed to study for and take a test before the night was over. I studied for a small time and found myself not concentrating because I was so exhausted from the day's activities. The thought came to my mind: "Just rest for a little and then you can take your test." This was tempting but then another thought entered my mind, "You haven't studied the scriptures today." The spirit was right; I hadn't studied yet. I grabbed my Book of Mormon and started to read and suddenly I had enough energy to complete the task at hand!
The scripture that we studied this week in class came to my mind: "Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6. This means, at least to me, that if our focus is on doing the right, the Lord will fill that desire. I am well aware that the Spirit can tell you to take a nap, so take it! But managing my time that day was what I was searching for and the Lord helped me. He can help each of us if our daily focus is on Him and on the Kingdom. As we strive to do what is right, we will be filled. Filled doesn't mean that we will be happy all the time. It means satisfied that the Lord approves of what we are doing. I sure do love this gospel and pray that I may serve even better.

Devan Alder 

Hearts of the Fathers and Sons

Was this week a good week? Yes, it was an amazing week and I can hardly wait to get it down on "paper". I hope I can contain my excitement for all the many wonderful things that happened this week and this is an enjoyable reading experience and not just a waste of time for those who happen to  click here. I almost do not know where to start.
Saturday morning I had the pleasure to attend the temple with immediate and extended family. After our time their, this scripture came to my mind, which I am sure comes to many minds when they attend the temple. Malachi 4:6 "And he call turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" This gorgeous scripture, for those who don't know, is about how that in these times before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, all of us have the duty to look back at our ancestors and remember them. This remembrance can help us to be better people now because of what and who they were. This also means that we can help them by doing saving ordinances on their behalf. We can also turn our hearts to our children (present or future, depending where you are in life) and strive to serve them or vis versa with children serving their parents. There is a special spirit around this type of service and this is what I felt in the temple. Although it may be personal what occurs in the temple, this must be written down. I felt a warm spirit being baptized by my father and right after baptizing him and addressing him as "Brother". Later, I baptized my dear cousin whose mother's name (my aunt) is Charlotte. The last person's name that my cousin was baptized for was named "Charlotte Haslam". The spirit testified to me that this work was true and that every person has significance in the sight of God. He knows us and loves us each individually and He loves us as families. The perspective that we gain looking back at our ancestors can be helpful in our every day-life decisions. There is no better feeling than being in a family.
I am well aware that no one has a perfect family but I believe we have many families. Just today, I gathered with my Stake Family at our Stake Conference. We laughed and cried together as we learned from the spirit that no matter who we are or where we are at, the Lord expects us to be lights to this world and grow brighter and brighter. We learned the only way we get ourself into trouble is through our thoughts and that the only way to get ourselves OUT of trouble is through our thoughts.

Life is rough, but it was meant to be that way and we were never supposed to do it alone.

Love you and more importantly Heavenly Father loves you.
-Devan Alder

Obedience equals happiness

If you haven't seen in the past couple posts, this year's theme for me is obedience. As I study the scriptures this year, I come across common themes that the Lord is really wants me to hear. This is week's personal study brought me to study Ephesians chapter six. One of the footnotes took me to 2 Corinthians 10:5 which says:"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ..." I really loved this scripture as soon as I read it. I believe this is a wonderful parallel with our premortal life. It was Satan that tried to exalt himself over God the Father. Jesus Christ was the one that gave the glory to His Father. Satan was then cast down and out of the presence of the Premortal world. As so should be the thoughts that we have. If we find a thought that is raising itself above the Lord, it should be cast out. If a thought is bringing glory to God, keep it and cherish it. What a wonderful way to fight against temptations of this world. The root of temptation is thought and if we can "Look unto [him], doubt not, fear not", we can overcome the root of sin. I personally believe this is why the prophets have told us to read the Book of Mormon everyday so that we may have control of our thoughts. 

You've got to love the gospel and the scriptures. 

Have a wonderful week!  

Willing to Keep the Commandments

I guess I need to apologize for not posting this last week. It just skipped my mind but I did post something, just not on Facebook. 

Well I certainly had a wonderful week! Personally I learned that spirituality is like a motivational force; the more you have, the more you can do!

I was reading and studying this week about Adam and Eve (I'm pretty sure that most of the church has been studying this around the same time). I came across Moses 5:6 "And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me." We have heard this scripture a lot in the church as an object lesson for obedience. I also believe that that this is a principle that we all experience during our life times. There is always one, or some, commandments that are either tedious to keep or come with no apparent reason behind the commandment. This is happened to me but, I always find comfort knowing that in the future (most likely not by an angel) we will find out the "why" we are keeping that particular commandment. It is nice to note that in the scripture is says, "after many days". I may not know the reason I should keep a commandment but, if I do, I will find out in the near future and receive blessings for keeping it. Does not this lesson remind you of John 7:17? If I want to know if a teaching is from God, all I need to do is act and I will know by the Holy Ghost that it is from God. I hope we may all keep the small commandments so we can see the big blessings that follow.

Have a wonderful week!

Devan Alder

Just Do It

No this isn't an advertisement for Nike. Although, anything can happen on the internet right? So Nike if you see this and feel gracious enough to pay me- I probably won't refuse. All joking aside, this week has been a great one. We've got a new prophet, we've got more traveling brethren now, and priests and laurels can do more in the temple. I've certainly been uplifted from daily scripture study and weekly "Monson study". This semester, I've decided to study the talks of former Prophet Thomas S. Monson. I started with his most earlier talks to hear the well known phrases like: "When we are on the Lord's errand, we have a right to His help" and "whom the Lord calls, He qualifies". I have testimony of our prophet but I guess it's time to receive a personal witness.
This week in my religion class, we were of course talking about the role of Jesus Christ before He came to this earth. Since the beginning, we were taught "the gospel of Jesus Christ". We do not know all that we learned but we get a taste from the scriptures we read. Like 3 Nephi 27:21: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even shall ye do". It is evident that this gospel is to have faith, repent, be baptized in His name, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. I believe that this verse also means that we were taught what we were to do in the church long before we came to this earth. We received our "first lessons" before coming to this earth and I believe that this gospel was one of the big topics that were taught. When we are struggling with a decision, action, or trial, we can look to our beginnings with comfort. We "know the things that [we] must do in [His] church". We already know and all we need to do is find our connection with Our Savior to find the answer or comfort. All we have to do is "do it". Where do we find the power to do so though? As prophets of old and new have declared, we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ to give us power beyond our ability to "just do it". This is easier said than done but it's possible through Him.

I hope and prayer that all may continue to have spiritual filled weeks.

Devan Alder

Mission Over?

I'm not sure why it took me this long to figure this out but, the mission didn't end when I was released as a missionary. Was not Christ a missionary after He left this Earth? Being a missionary is just a volunteer of time in order to grow spiritually while bring others along the journey. Why does it have to stop? I still have spiritual experiences weekly! Why not continue to Light The World? I've decided to keep my weekly letter of spirituality going for myself and those who may need it. Most of my experiences happen in my religious classes studying the scriptures but hopefully that won't be the end of my experiences.

This past week, I began to study Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Gospel. I have a wonderful professor who allows the spirit to be present every class. We opened up to Moses 1 to talk about the differences between God, Satan, and us in this chapter. The irony is that this was the topic in last week's Sunday School. My first thought was: "What more can I take from this chapter?" That thought was turned on its head immediately. My favorite verse was Moses 1:21 "And now Satan began to tremble, and the earth shook; and Moses received strength, and called upon God saying: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan." There is much to learn from this one verse. I first thought that the only way to beat Satan was through Jesus Christ. Although that is true, there is more to the story. Moses had just seen God and had a wonderful spiritual experience. Of course, Satan comes tempting right after a spiritual high. Moses resists three times saying "depart, Satan" but he never leaves. On the fourth try, Moses uses the name of Jesus Christ and Satan finally departs. The lesson for life is that God never intended that we beat Satan alone. Of course we need courage on our own part. We need to show our strength in the side of adversity but, the plan never meant for us to fight alone. We must always call upon the Lord when we are tempted. Without Him, we may tire and give up fighting the fiery darts but, He is there. "Where shall I find Him? Where shall I seek? He is here and now. Jesus YOUR Savior" I definitely needed this scripture this week. I hope you do too.





Devan Alder

God be with you till we meet again Ecuador

I have been saying bye to a lot of people recently (what a surprise right?) and a lot of times I have been speechless. That is the only way I can describe how I am feeling right now. Speechless. Humbled. Grateful. Ready. Happy. Sad. Inspired. 

In the pictures you will see a couple of the many good bye pictures. With missionaries, members. It is amazing how quick people get so close to each other in a matter of weeks. (for example EFY) I feel like other role of the Holy Ghost is unify people, their thoughts, actions. Until two very different people end up getting along very well. Why? Becuase that´s the Lord´s will for us. And it is VERY hard to let those people go. I didn´t know that written behind the words in D&C 4 it says: "and faith, hope, charity, and love, with an eye single to the glory to God, (will bring you and your heart so close to those that you serve that it will so hard to let them go) I love these people. They are so loving and it doesn´t matter if I am really wierd or don´t speak like they do, they listen. And when they feel the Spirit, they change their lives. They are challenged as we all are. But this is a special place with so many special people. I am not sure if it is for my accent but I now consider myself part Ecuadorian. "Ama la vida" 

I apologize for not writing a lot. I hope all those who can come on Sunday( I don´t have the address but maybe my parents can send y´all the info) so I can give you a BIG HUG for all you have done for me. It is more than you know. Many people will probably ask what was the most important lesson from the mission. There is A LOT that I can respond but maybe it comes down to this: " I am a disciple of Jesus Christ" and that means that EVERYDAY I can change my very being to become more and more like Him. He lives. He loves us (especially His daughters) and He wants us to come back to our Heavenly Home. The best part is we don´t have to do it alone. We have Christ pushing with us. I also have my eternally sealed family in South Jordan pushing with me as well. 

Thank you and see you (not all of you) soon! 

Elder Devan Alder (I hope this isn´t the last time I will be able to use this name)

The Recipe of a Champion

No, Sushi isn´t the recipe that I was talking about, even though is really good and I´m pretty sure eating sushi everyday would transform anyone into a champion but no it´s a different recipe. 

The recipe that I am talking about is found in the 8th chapter of Preach My Gospel. And it something that has been engraven on my heart working here in Ecuador for two years. It says there that a good goal is one that is reasonable, specfic, and that we are committed to achieve the goal. (Elder Ballard helped me understand a lot about goals during conference) But the recipe of a Champion are put a little better in the words of my dear companion Elder Vieyra, "A Champion gives ALL that he can, and then, a little more" You have to love old companions that become assistants that call you every now and then to invite you to "give a little more" one last time. 

I have mixed emotions coming to the last week of my mission. I want to smile, laugh, rejoice, sing, cry, and above all I want to give a little more. This week has to be the best week of my mission. As our mission President taught us (did I already mention this?) this is the time to seal alllll the work that we have done. I´m excited to seal it. I´m ready to run as fast as I can and THEN a little more. We already have so many things planned. We have divisions with the zone leaders and the assistants. Baptism on saturday (your prayers would be more than helpful) and I think I will be having my last interview with President here soon! What a rush! What an honor! "what a lamb!" (anyone remember that?) 

But as the famous conversation between Ammon and Aaron, "wow cool it Elder Alder, don´t let it go to your head!" Don´t worry, Elder Bednar in January taught every single missionary that ALL success is GRANTED by the Lord. Always. Forever. 

His is my light. His is the light to all the world and thanks to Him, my mission has been absolutely wonderful and it doesn´t end here!

Thank you for all your support! See you sooner than I think!

Elder Devan Alder

Back in Time

What a week! I really don´t know how to describe in words how I´ve felt this week! I certianly can´t keep up with all that is going on! 

Let´s describe the title first.

About a year ago (maybe more), after the visit of Elder Rasband, we had a little good-bye for President Torres with the Whole mission in a certain stake center in our mission. In that Stake Center, we heard some powerful last testimonies of some of the elders and sisters that would be ending their mission soon. It was a powerful meeting. The testimonies were strong and you could tell they were dedicated missionaries. And in our heart (well at lest mine), the meeting left a feeling of: "I hope I can work hard my entire mission to be able to have a testimony as strong as their´s"

Well, in that same stake center, this last Friday, I had my last Multi-Zone Conference with President Moreno and his dear wife. And I gave my "last testimony"... Sad right? (I´m sorry, I know it´s happy for the whole world, and myself included, to be able to come home, but as a missionary, it´s really quite the saddest thing) I did my best and I hope my dear missionaries here could feel the spirit. The best part was having old companions there crying with you, that helped. I couldn´t help but cry the whole confernece especially as we sang "I stand all amazed", that was the hardest song I have had to sing without crying in a loooong time!

Yeah, crying over at least for right now! Time to get to the track again and run as hard as I can! "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life" I hope to be able to say this with true intent and with faith and actions to be able to help someone! There are still people here and as President talk us this week, Every sector and the work we do there will be recorded above, so make it count! 

I am so grateful for every prayer and letter that y´all have given me. It really helps and you (and I really) have no idea what kind of effect it has on a missionary. I hope and pray that I can understand and apply the teachings of Elder Utchdorf when he said "The most important calling in the world is the one that you have right now" 

I love you all! Keep it up!

Elder Devan Alder

It's July???

Even though it hasn´t felt that long, you can tell that it has been almost two years when a member family that you met and taught at the start of your mission, goes to live in Utah for some reasons that you didn´t have a chance to talk with  them about. And that family lives in Utah for a year and a half, they meet your family, eat ecuadorian dinner with them, enjoy the utah snow, and then in your last sector they come back to ecuador saying "Hey! we were just in Utah, we saw and talked with your family". 

The Sanchez family! What a crazy experience! I didn´t even think I was going to see them again! What a great love I felt to see them again and it also made me feel like I have been here on the mission a little longer than I thought! 

I really don´t like talking about the "lasts" but this was my last fast and testimony Sunday on the mission and I actually felt super sad. I love bearing my testimony and I couldn´t let the oportunity pass! I felt the spirit super strong and I am so glad for every chance I have to say what I believe!

This week we decieded to look for new investigators in a new way! We printed out the branch Directory and we went searching! One great experience from that was when we visited a 30 year old man that was baptized when he was 11 years old. He sure thought that the church had forgotten about him but they haven´t. We just happen to go to his house the birthday of his daughter or otherwise, because of work, we would never find him. We shared a scripture of how the Lord prepares the way for ALL His children to find the truth. We testified that his wife and children would come to know the gospel through him in this time. It was a great lesson and as I gave the closing prayer, I couldn´t help but feel God´s love as I heard the husband cry.

I almost forgot to mention  (which explains one of the pictures) This week we went on a 5 hour split with James from Idaho. How is this possible?? There is a charity foundation here in Ecuador called FAOM (Not sure if that is how you spell it but that´s how it sounds) It´s baiscally only members but it is also filled with people who served here in Ecuador 25 years ago. SO a big group of Utahns, Californians, and Idaho people came here with their dentist, house builder, nurse parents to help all the children  and kids getting ready for their missions! We  got to sing for them as a Guayquil mission and President spoke to them. I really loved one of his words: he turned to us and said "I have a lot of missionaries that have asked me what a succesful missionary does and looks like. Well look at FAOM and their families. These are succesful missionaries"

If I want all that I have done here count for something, I have to stay faithful forever! (isn´t that true with our baptismal covenant)

It´s so marvelous to be out here. I would say that you are all missing out. But in reality, no matter where you are. In a place where everyone is a member or accross the seas where no one isn´t, as baptized disciples of Christ we can looking and find people that will listen to the light of Christ they have inside of them and BOOM you are a missionary. The first seconds are hard  but as you open your mouth to say "hello" suddenly everything becomes easy.

Love you all! 

Elder Devan Alder

The rest of the pictures is our little district in the Mall de Sur. I will sadly not be eating Wendys in Ecuador right now. James and I. And the Sanchez family, they have changed a lot! 

Just keep swimming

Good Afternoon!!! I´m so used to saying that to everyone on the street and they still look at me weird. I think it´s a sign of the future, hahaha

This week was wonderful, I love Guayquil. One because the fruit is ALWAYS fresh! Two, the members are strong to the bone and sometimes it just takes a hello to help us remember who we are and to what we are called to do. We organized one day to preach with our branch president almost the whole day and it was quite amazing. Our branch president is 24 years old, returned missionary and he has two little girls.. (talk about a "get to it" kind of guy) He is so amazing and almost all of our investigators that he met got really excited to go to church and participate in all the church has to offer. Branch Presidents have power! 

On wednesday we had a special Training with just our zone and the two assitants (Elder Vieyra my old companion is now AP congrants!!!) I couldn´t help but smile the entire time and I really felt the spirit so strong! One of the things that I am learning and teasuring is the phrase from the scriptures "Tresure the words of Life" The most important hour of my day is Personal study, without a doubt. And any other second I get a chance to read the General Confernce talks or read from the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, I feel energized with Spirit  and I am ready for a days work! It´s a powerful phrase.

We also had a Trip to Hawaii this week! (And we didn´t even say "Aloha" Sorry grandma and grandpa) But is was a great activity! as you can see there are A LOT of people that came. The fun part was that it was about the 3 kingdoms of glory. (We flew in a plane to hawaii, got on the plane again and everyone "died" hehe) And for the Celestial Glory we needed a celestial choir right? Well out of the whole zone, I am the only one that sings, so I got 3 musical numbers! haha. (But my voice isn´t as celestial as before, I am out of practice like 2 years!) 

As far as the work goes in the branch, it is progressing step by step but we haven´t lost our faith! On sunday we went less active looking, we were looking for one lady forever and when we finally got to the house, someone came out to greet us telling us that the lady we were looking for had passed away three years ago... sad and uncomfortable. But as we keep talking to the daughter, she started opening up and telling us of all the challenges that she has a single mother of two daughters. She was definetly prepared by the Lord because she was going to the Baptist church and still wanted to hear us (Half the people here say they are from another church and don´t want anything haha) I know that the Lord is always preparing people for HIS church. 

Thanks for all your love and your support. I hope that we can all keep holding on the the Iron Rod because that´s what the Lord wants us to do these  6 months!

Love you all :)

Elder Devan Alder

These are a couple of photos from the stake activity we had. I apologize for the quality of these photos

Much Prayer and Fasting

What a marvelous week! What a marvelous country! What marvelous weather (finally)! And what a work and a wonder! (I such hope I spelled marvelous right or this will be very embarrasing...)

This week I learned a couple of things. One, I can not physically eat an Ecuadorian lunch and dinner everyday for one week. Two, this branch is sooooooo small that everyone knows each other. Everyone knows where you live. And everone knows who you are. Three, when I have a companion that is from the States, everyone thinks I am from the States as well. When I have a companion from South America, everyone thinks I am from Argentina or Guatamala! That´s a blessing! Four, when you ask the Lord with faith and the request is just, with work, He will always give it to you.

As I got to this little district, I realized that my companions (there are four of us in the department) haven´t seen or experienced the true success that we can have as missionaries here in Guayquil. And after a couple of days of contacting and saying hi to EVERYONE (because usually everyone responds back at least in my mission) I thought to myself: "What happened to Guayquil?"  I will keep saying hi to everyone  because everyone´s faces are really funny. I was kind of stressed out for the lack of people that we were finding in the sector. So time to pull The "Alma guns" with a little more prayer and a fast. Looking looking looking and SUNDAY in the morning as we go walk the sector a couple times before 10 o´clock church, we found a young looking fellow (told you my english is great) that had been to church a LONG time ago but he wanted to go. We walked with him and half way between the church and his house, our new investigator saw his buddy, asked him what he was doing and invited him to church! In the matter of 20 minutes the Lord had doubled our work! Miracles happen but not because everytime I fast a person gets baptized. Miracles are given to those who believe and who work (and don´t forget that the Lord has to give the "Okay") I´m not perfect. I want to be someday. I just want to be the Lord´s servant right now and forever. I know He lives because I see His hand in His work daily. Why can´t that be how it works everyday for the rest of our lives!

(I ask for more time in the day and the weeks but that hasn´t happened yet, hehe)

Love you all and thank you for every encouraging comment! You are my fuel! 

Elder Devan Alder

Pictures: Welcome to Guayquil and Soccer hahaha :)

Happy Fathers day with our Branch Mission Leader (If you didn´t wish my dad happy birthday, Do it! :))