Moroni's Challenge

This past weekend helped me realize a lot of different things: first, I have the greatest roommates ever! We went to Red Robin (it was a first time for me) and it was great to be with them! I'm so grateful for their love, support, and friendship; second, I have never sincerely done Moroni's challenge. I'll tell you how I arrived at this conclusion; my roommates and I--along with a few others--go into the gardens at BYU-Idaho and sing hymns on Sunday. After we had finished singing Jesse, one of the young men with us, suggested walking up to the temple. We all agreed and walked up there. It was such a beautiful walk! When we made it up to the temple, we sat on the grass and just looked at it! My mind began to wonder a little bit and I just started thinking about the amazing work that occurs in the temple.

After a little while my roommate, Rebecca, and I decided we needed to get home (we had a 7:45 class the next day). As we walked down we started discussing goals that we had for this week (May 21-26). One of the goals that we both had was to study the Book of Mormon every day. A bad habit that I've gotten into has been studying for my religion class (the second half of Doctrine and Covenants) and preparing for my Relief Society lesson, but I had forgotten the Book of Mormon. It was then that I realized that I hadn't truly taken Moroni's challenge in Moroni 10: 3-5 where it says:

". . . when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men . . . and ponder it in your hearts . . . I would exhort you that ye would ask God . . . if these things are true. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

Rebecca said that she wasn't sure if she had or not too. So, we've been doing it together! We made three goals this week:

1) Study from the Book of Mormon for twenty minutes (we read at 5:40am),

2) Get to bed by 9:40pm (so we can wake up and study with an alert mind), and

3) Limit our social media

We started the next day (Monday) and have been doing it all week. Can I tell you what a tender mercy this entire week has been? We have been trying to get to bed by 9:40pm (which is really hard sometimes), but we've been able to wake up every morning to study at 5:40am and have wonderful discussions and insights. We've also been praying before and after we read. There was a quote said in a BYU devotional of a man who wanted to know if the Book of Mormon was true, this is what he said: "This book is either of God or of the devil and I'm going to find out which it is!" That has been my attitude every morning. Not only that, but my academics have been a lot better too! I've been understanding more in my Light and Sound class and my English class! It's quite amazing!!

I haven't gained a sure testimony that the Book of Mormon is true; however, I am feeling that it is! When I read it, I feel such a powerful spirit that touches my heart and makes me feel a greater love for my Heavenly Father and His son, my brother, Jesus Christ. We've been studying since Monday, and we must got into 1 Nephi 2; we started at the very beginning (Title Page, Introduction, Testimony of the Three and Eight Witnesses, and Joseph Smith's testimony) As I read the testimonies, I felt a great love not only from my Heavenly Father, but from Joseph Smith! Now, it wasn't in the same way that I feel my Savior's love, but by Joseph's actions I know that he believed what he was doing! He wanted to know what was right, when he found it, we ran with it! Joseph was persecuted and physically hurt by men for what he believed, and yet he still went forward with the work that God had in mind for His church. I'm so excited to gain a better and solid testimony of the Book of Mormon!