The Articles of Faith

We are asked frequently what we believe as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Joseph Smith, who was the prophet of the restoration, wrote the following 13 statements that summarize the basic doctrines of the Church. The are the Articles of Faith. Below I have included the statement, a picture and link to read more about the topic! I hope you enjoy. :)

Articles of Faith

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/liahona/1998/03/the-father-son-and-holy-ghost?lang=eng

2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/the-atonement?lang=eng&query=the+fall+of+adam

3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/04/the-atonement-and-the-value-of-one-soul?lang=eng&query=the+atonement

4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-doctrine-of-christ?lang=eng&query=the+doctrine+of+Christ

5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1997/10/called-to-serve?lang=eng&query=called+to+serve

6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, Prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/three-presiding-high-priests?lang=eng&query=the+first+presidency

7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/ensign/2002/02/gifts-of-the-spirit?lang=eng
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/10/scriptural-witnesses?lang=eng&query=the+bible+and+the+book+of+Mormon
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/continuing-revelation?lang=eng&query=Revelation+from+god  

10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/04/preparation-for-the-second-coming?lang=eng&query=The+second+coming

11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1978/04/the-morning-breaks-the-shadows-flee?lang=eng&query=Freedom+to+worship  

12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1975/10/the-laws-of-god?lang=eng&query=being+subject+to+kings,+presidents,+rulers,+and+magistrates,+in+obeying,+honoring,+and+sustaining+the+law.

13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Read More: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/i-believe-in-being-honest-and-true?lang=eng&query=admonition+of+paul

Agency is Your Power to Become

One of my favorite quotes is "Agency is your power to become."

One of the greatest gifts that God has given us the power to choose. We get to decide who we want to be. We get to decide what we want to do. We get to decide our destiny. Agency is our power to become what ever and who ever we want. God has given us this amazing opportunity. Now what are we going to do with the chance to use our agency right now?

We all make mistakes, but Jesus Christ has already suffered for us. He has already been through everything so that when we mess up, we can be forgiven. How amazing is that promise?

I have messed up over and over in my life and I continue to mess up every day. But because Jesus Christ did everything that he did for us, I am able to be forgiven and try harder to become better.

It is a slow process of breaking down and building up again. Every time we are taken down, we are built back up ten fold through Jesus Christ.

Elder Robert D. Hales said, “Agency allows us to be tested and tried to see whether or not we will endure to the end and return to our Heavenly Father with honor. … Agency permits us to make faithful, obedient choices that strengthen us so that we can lift and strengthen others.”

This is a video on a talk that Richard G. Scott gave about making the right choices. 

In the. 'For the Strength of Youth' pamphlet it says this about agency;

"Heavenly Father has given you agency, the ability to choose right from wrong and to act for yourself. Next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct your life is one of God’s greatest gifts to you. While here on earth, you are being proven to see if you will use your agency to show your love for God by keeping His commandments. The Holy Ghost can guide you in using your agency righteously.

You are responsible for the choices you make. God is mindful of you and will help you make good choices, even if your family and friends use their agency in ways that are not right. Have the moral courage to stand firm in obeying God’s will, even if you have to stand alone. As you do this, you set an example for others to follow.

While you are free to choose your course of action, you are not free to choose the consequences. Whether for good or bad, consequences follow as a natural result of the choices you make. Some sinful behavior may bring temporary, worldly pleasure, but such choices delay your progress and lead to heartache and misery. Righteous choices lead to lasting happiness and eternal life. Remember, true freedom comes from using your agency to choose obedience; loss of freedom comes from choosing disobedience.

You are also responsible for developing the talents and abilities Heavenly Father has given you. You are accountable to Him for what you do with your talents and how you spend your time. Choose to do many good things of your own free will."

Having the gift of agency allows us to grow. It is our whole purpose of coming to this earth. We need to choose to follow God, right now. We need to make those choices that will determine our salvation, right now.  We cannot delay our choice to follow Christ. We need to choose right now. I promise that as each of us strive to make better choices, to follow Christ, to use our agency to the best of our abilities, that God will bless us and we can find more peace in our lives. 

For more information on Agency click this link: https://www.lds.org/topics/agency?lang=eng

Desire

Lately I have been asked the question, "What do you desire?" Every time I am asked it, I really have to think. I know many things that I desire, but the thing that is most prominant to me, is that I desire to have eternal life.

Eternal life is not just living for ever, but it is ultimate happiness forever. So then I think, what would bring me ultimate happiness? I can answer, living with my family.

A lot of time we focus on our immediate family, or even our extended family, but I want to live forever with my spirit family. Sounds kind of weird when I put it like that right? But think about it. We are all children of God and are brothers and sisters. So everyone in the world is my brother and sister. I want to be with my family forever. I want to live with every single one of my brothers and sisters for eternity. That is my greatest desire in my life.

So how can I gain my desire? What I am doing right now. I am serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am helping others come unto Christ, because he is the way we will gain eternal life.

I know that through Jesus Christ we will be able to attain every desire of our heart. God is our loving Heavenly Father, and wants us to have all the happiness in the world, so why wouldn't we be able to achieve it? He gave us the way and the way is Jesus Christ.

There is this amazing talk about desire by Elder Dallin H. Oaks that a dear friend of mine showed me today. Here is the link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/desire?lang=eng


The video below is an awesome talk by Elder Nelson. He talks about how salvation is an individual matter, but exaltation is a family matter.

 

So now, ask yourself, What do you desire? Not just for this life, but for the eternities?

Grandpa Ivie

My Grandpa is one of the most inspiration people I know. He has been through so much and his testimony in Christ has not wavered. He loves everyone, especially his family and will do anything for them. He is always so kind and cares so dearly about everyone else. He puts others before himself. He is the best example  I can think of, of a true follower of Christ.

I always remember talking to him about the Gospel and how his family was involved in it. On my Grandpa's side of the family we are pioneer stalk. They came across the plains. There are so many inspirational stories of my ancestors that I know because my Grandpa shared them with me.

My Grandpa has such a keen intellect. He has a way to think things through start to end. He is EXTREMELY smart. He loves learning new things. But not only does he learn things for himself, he shares his knowledge with his family. I am lucky enough to be part of his family.

My Grandpa is really sick right now, but no matter what happens I know that he is going to be ok. That our family is going to be ok. We are members of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and we have the knowledge that we get to be together forever. How incredible is that?

Every time I walked into the room, my Grandpa would always say, "There is my favorite Christine." I always blushed. I felt so special every time. Something he taught me, was how much prayers influences our lives. That prayer is the way to communicate with God. It is a gift that we all have, so why not use it always. He has shared many sacred experiences of his prayers being answered. He told me that he prays for every single one of his posterity every night by name. My Grandpa has a BIG family. It is incredible.

My Grandpa is very inspirational and if Grandpa you are reading this right now, know that I love you. You have made a big difference in my life. I am glad we get to be together for the rest of eternity. I know that God has special plans for you. I love you so so much. I miss you! I am so eternally grateful for all that you have taught me. You are in my prayers every day and night.

Love, Your favorite, Sister Christine Eastwood :)

Depression Is Real

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints just came out with this new Mormon Message about depression. It is INCREDIBLE. Below is my story about depression and thoughts...

Depression is a struggle that runs genetically through my family. Many of my family members suffer from it, including me. I was diagnosed years ago.

I remember feeling so hopeless. Feeling that no matter what I did, it was wrong. I felt I would never be able to amount to anything in life. I felt like no one loved me. I felt like I didn't have friends. I felt like no one understood what I was feeling at that time. I felt absolute despair. I didn't have any motivation to be awake. I slept a LOT. I didn't ever want to go out and do things. I avoided people. I had constant thoughts of suicide. I felt like I was worthless.

I was then taken to the doctor and was diagnosed. Having to depend on medicine to make me happy was really hard for me to accept. I was already struggling with so many emotions and not being able to control them, and then I felt I didn't get to have a chance to control them. I didn't like having the feeling that I was helpless on my own and that I had to depend on something else. But the reality was that I did.

I look back and I realize now that I was not lost. Jesus knew exactly where I was. I wasn't worthless. People really did love me. My family tried to be with me, but I wouldn't let them. I didn't make an effort to talk to people or call up my friends. I didn't talk about it.

I see now that a lot of my feelings fed off of each other. They escalated from one negative thought. Did I have friends? Yes. Did my family love me? Yes. Was I worthless? No. Did I realize any of that? No. When you are in a state of depression, it is so hard to see the good in yourself.

A lot of people who don't suffer from depression sometimes have a hard time grasping the fact. They think that we acting a certain way to get attention. That is NOT true. Sometimes others think that we can just snap out of it, and that is hard. Everyone has days where they are harder than others, but with depression it feels like those bad days are never ending and only get worse.

Now after I have been on medicine for awhile I realize that I am lot more happy in general. I still have to make a conscious effort to smile and be happy, but it is easier.

BUT HEY!!!!! LETS LOOK AT THE NOW!!!! LETS SEE THE DIFFERENCE!!!

I have noticed that being on a mission I am lot more happier and that is not just because I take my little happy pill everyday, it is because I get my daily dose of Jesus. Hahaha how cheesy does that sound?! But it is true. I study for 2-3 hours a day about Jesus. The doctrine He teaches and it seriously makes the biggest difference in my attitude. Seriously, Jesus is awesome. We can do anything with Jesus Christ. Even overcome the hardest challenges of life.

I was in a state of depression when I knelt down and prayed to God to know what to do with my life, and got the answer to go on a mission. I was SHOCKED! I seriously said out loud, "Really? Me? HA yeah right." Well look at me now. On a mission.. Looks like God knows us and knows what is best for us!

I was told a lot that a mission is hard and that if you suffer from depression it is even harder. That is probably true. But guess what!!!? Jesus has been through everything that we are going through and more. So if we rely on him, even through that hard times in life, we WILL be able to overcome anything we go through. ANYTHING!!!! That is my promise. I can promise that to each of you reading this, not only because I am representative of Jesus Christ right now, but because I have seen the power in my life.

LDS Temple Garments

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/temple-garments

When you go through the temple to get your endowments out, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you make special promises to follow God. As part of this endowment session we then wear garments. They are our inner commitment to follow Jesus Christ, without disrespecting our covenants.

The video below explains and shows the temple garment. Just as all other religions expect respect for their religious clothing, we as Latter-Day Saint members desire the same.

 

Below is a picture of the the Mount Timpanogos Temple in American Fork Utah. This is the temple that I got my endowments out at. It is a beautiful building, but even more beautiful are the covenants I made with God. I am on a mission right now to help others come to Jesus Christ. I have come to Him and I desire all to as well. 

Families Are Forever

One of the greatest  blessings I have in this life is the knowledge that families are forever. There is no one else I would want to spend eternity with, than my family. They are my whole life. I love that Jesus Christ atoned for each of us, so that we have the ability to overcome death, and have eternal life. I love that we have the promise of marrying in the temple for time and all eternity.

I am here on a mission because this knowledge has blessed my life beyond belief and I want to help others have eternal families as well. Family is one of the most fundamental parts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As we all strengthen our family relationships, we can become more Christ-like and come closer to God all together. What an incredible promise that is.

Below are just some pictures of my dear sweet family. I love them with all my heart. I am glad we are sealed for all eternity. My family includes: Dad (Martin), Mom (Melanie), Andrew and Alex (my dear old brothers).

My Daddy's side of the family

My Dear brother Alex

Alex again!

My brothers and I watching Starwars

Andrew and his buddies watching the world cup.

My tough mudder Andrew

Andrew and Alex who told me they would get the 3rd swing down for me if I took off my top... they didn't...

Daddy bluing my grandfathers 1885 Highwall

Mom and I being dorks with Cheetos

My parents and I on my Graduation day!

Mommy and me in our Christmas Pj's. :)

I Pray When...

I pray when I need to be reminded of God's love. Sometimes we are not able to see how much God is there for us.  God will never leave us. We can be filled with pure joy if we can always remember how much God loves us. It is easy to get caught up in the world and not be able to see how strongly God is truly there for each one of us. I know for myself I can feel forgotten, and that is why I pray to God to be reminded of his love. We can each have a more joyful life if we remember that we are all God's children and He loves us each dearly! :)

Flashback!

Today's post is a flash back to almost one year ago. I was on a date with one of my best friends in the whole world. David took me horseback riding and we went up the canyon. It was FREEZING. I remember the peaceful moments that were there on the mountain side. I loved being in nature and having solitude. I was able to really enjoy God's creations around me.

How much time do we take to slow down and enjoy nature? How much time do we really spend in God's creations. I invite each of you reading this, to stop for a minute at least and just enjoy nature with no distractions, and thank God for all that you see.

Rain

"How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?" -Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Grateful in Any Circumstances

Yesterday we had a fabulous day in the rain. As we traveled and tried to figure out what the Lord wanted us to do, we kept running into all these crazy mis-haps that we had to fix in the rain! Not going to lie, we were really excited to dance in the rain at the beginning, but being forced to do certain things in the rain takes away from the excitement.

It wasn't until later that night, when Sister Jacobson and I realized that the rain and all the trials we went through were part of God's plan so that we could end up right where we needed to be by the end of the night.

We were grumpy during the day, but as we realized that we missed the good things happening through the day because of our attitude, so we changed it immediately. We should have thanked God continually for the rain we were receiving, not just afterwards looking back.

It is hard to think in the moment of the good things, but they are always there. I know that as each of us strive to look for the good things in life during the hard times, that we will be able to see God's hand in our lives. God never abandons us. He will never leave us alone. He loves each one of us.