I have really enjoyed being able to write this blog while I have been serving a full time mission for our Savior, Jesus Christ. I won't be able to continue writing on this for the time being, but I just want to leave my testimony with the world that I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer. I know that He was sent by the Father to fulfill all righteousness. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is literally Christ's Church. He is at the head.
I would invite everybody who reads this to find that out for themselves. By reading from the Book of Mormon, and praying to ask God if it is true, I know that you can know for yourself by listening to the Holy Spirit. It takes courage; it will change your life. But you will be able to draw closer to God then you could any other way. I know these things to be true, the Holy Spirit of God has manifested that to me.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!
With Love,
Elder Meldrum
Monday, December 13, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Learning from the Wise
Today was an awesome day. I got to do some of the usual Saturday activities and join in with the hustle and bustle of society. But the moment that probably stands out to me the most was when I was able to visit with a woman who has lived many more years than I have and now is struggling with cancer.
At first I couldn't even tell that she was dealing with cancer, her attitude and good humor seemed to be at its best. As our conversation continued I then found out what she was going through with treatments and so forth. But it all seemed not to phase her much. She had a glow about her.
Our discussion turned towards the scriptures and Jesus Christ. We discussed the sacrifice that He made for all of us, and the blessings that come because of that. When asked what that meant to her she went silent for a moment and then said that she better not answer that question because it would make her cry to talk about it. With thinking back on that experience, I firmly believe that that was the key to her behavior. She can struggle in health with a laugh, and face aging with a smile because she knows that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world.
The Book of Mormon witness' that Jesus is the Christ. In the Book of Mosiah it says,
With Love,
Elder Meldrum
At first I couldn't even tell that she was dealing with cancer, her attitude and good humor seemed to be at its best. As our conversation continued I then found out what she was going through with treatments and so forth. But it all seemed not to phase her much. She had a glow about her.
Our discussion turned towards the scriptures and Jesus Christ. We discussed the sacrifice that He made for all of us, and the blessings that come because of that. When asked what that meant to her she went silent for a moment and then said that she better not answer that question because it would make her cry to talk about it. With thinking back on that experience, I firmly believe that that was the key to her behavior. She can struggle in health with a laugh, and face aging with a smile because she knows that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world.
The Book of Mormon witness' that Jesus is the Christ. In the Book of Mosiah it says,
I also testify that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know that if it weren't for Him, I would be able to do nothing. I love Him, and He loves us all."He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Mosiah 14: 3-5)
With Love,
Elder Meldrum
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Studying Gods Word
Today I had a really awesome day. I believe one of the main factors in why that is, is due to the scripture study that I had this morning.
I love the scriptures. When I read from them, I feel edified, and I feel like I grow closer to Heavenly Father. God has commanded us to make a study of the scriptures, and after having read from the Bible and Book of Mormon regularly, I can see why. We are blessed with knowledge. We can learn things spiritually, but also things that will help us in our personal lives. We get answers to questions we might have, or find direction that we might be looking for.
I know that the Bible and Book of Mormon are scripture. The scriptures are just one more thing that God has blessed us with for our benefit, and I know that to be true. I hope that you can also find the blessings and happiness that come from studying God's word.
With Love,
Elder Meldrum
I love the scriptures. When I read from them, I feel edified, and I feel like I grow closer to Heavenly Father. God has commanded us to make a study of the scriptures, and after having read from the Bible and Book of Mormon regularly, I can see why. We are blessed with knowledge. We can learn things spiritually, but also things that will help us in our personal lives. We get answers to questions we might have, or find direction that we might be looking for.
I know that the Bible and Book of Mormon are scripture. The scriptures are just one more thing that God has blessed us with for our benefit, and I know that to be true. I hope that you can also find the blessings and happiness that come from studying God's word.
With Love,
Elder Meldrum
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Going Onward
Recently I have left a place that I really have enjoyed; Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am headed to Traverse City now. I am way excited to go to a new places, with new adventures, and new friends to make. But it is hard to leave a place that you have grown so fond of. I know that God watches over us always. He loves us, and always wants us to be happy. Sometimes the things that we experience in life are difficult or undesirable. But if taken with an optimistic attitude, those experiences can be for our growth and benefit.
Recently I heard someone say that the word "problem" should be eliminated from our vocabulary. We should only use the word "opportunity". That really stuck with me. We all have times in our lives that we might feel like problems are bearing us down. But if we strive to remember those as opportunities, they become a chance for us to grow closer to God.
Ether 12:27 says,
With love,
Elder Meldrum
Recently I heard someone say that the word "problem" should be eliminated from our vocabulary. We should only use the word "opportunity". That really stuck with me. We all have times in our lives that we might feel like problems are bearing us down. But if we strive to remember those as opportunities, they become a chance for us to grow closer to God.
Ether 12:27 says,
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."I know that this is true. God loves us, and He wants us to be happy. If you do not know this for yourself, you can find it out through prayer and scripture study. Trust in Him and He will not lead you astray, especially when times get difficult.
With love,
Elder Meldrum
Thursday, November 25, 2010
In the Spirit of Thanksgiving
Recently as I have been going around town and talking with people who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I have asked them what they are thankful for. It seems that most all of us have the same things come to mind; health, family, and a belief in God. It has really been something that I have found very interesting.
The appearance of society today seems to show that what we are most thankful for are things like cars, money, popularity, etc. The dynamic contrast between these situations has led me to believe that sometimes we often neglect what we really are most thankful for, and chase after unimportant fantasies.
It is so easy in the lives that we live to forget the most important things that God has blessed us with. Because of this, I want to do better at focusing on the things that I am most thankful for. I am thankful for items such as cars and money, those things help life to be more comfortable. But the things that matter most, should be treated that way. More of my love and patience should be expressed to those who are close to me. I should strive to nourish and strengthen my health, as well as my testimony of Jesus Christ and his restored Gospel.
The things that matter most, can bring the greatest joy into our lives, so why should they be neglected? I want to do better at always remembering that, and I know that as more and more people do, that the world will change from what it is, into a better place.
The appearance of society today seems to show that what we are most thankful for are things like cars, money, popularity, etc. The dynamic contrast between these situations has led me to believe that sometimes we often neglect what we really are most thankful for, and chase after unimportant fantasies.
It is so easy in the lives that we live to forget the most important things that God has blessed us with. Because of this, I want to do better at focusing on the things that I am most thankful for. I am thankful for items such as cars and money, those things help life to be more comfortable. But the things that matter most, should be treated that way. More of my love and patience should be expressed to those who are close to me. I should strive to nourish and strengthen my health, as well as my testimony of Jesus Christ and his restored Gospel.
The things that matter most, can bring the greatest joy into our lives, so why should they be neglected? I want to do better at always remembering that, and I know that as more and more people do, that the world will change from what it is, into a better place.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Elder Meldrum: LDS Online Missionary
As a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I am able to meet a lot of different people, who all come from a vast variety of backgrounds. Many times these people do not want much to do with another religion or to learn more about the " Mormon Church ". But there are those who do, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to share what I know to be true with these people. God wants so much to bless and help all of his children, and I testify that as everyone learns more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and how it is Gods Church on the earth today, that we open ourselves up to be able to receive many more great and wonderful blessings from God that are available. God blesses us through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, or Christs sacrifice when he died for our sins, and because of that we receive strength.
I experienced an instance of this just recently. I know a woman who is wanting to be baptized into the Church, and as she has been preparing to do so she has been trying to quit smoking for a couple weeks. Before she began we taught her how the Lord promises to help us fulfill all his commandments, and how the power of prayer would be a great strength to her quiting smoking as she asked the Lord for the strength to stop." Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you " (Matthew 7: 7). She felt prepared and had the desire to quit, so she began to try.
It was very difficult for her. She had many stressful situations and distractions that influenced her to not be able to stop like she had hoped. She would go for a brief time without but then fall back into the habit, she was struggling greatly with her addiction. We would talk to her and try to encourage her as best we could while continuing to teach her true principles, but her desire to quit just wouldn't stick.
She called us one night and she and I discussed for a time about how it was such a struggle. I asked her what she felt she could do to help with the situation. She then confessed to me that she had not been praying like she knew she should be. As she told me this I remembered the scripture that says, " I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise " (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10). She was loosing a promise from the Lord as she did not consistently pray to him for strength, and was allowing herself to be influenced by the wrong sources, just as 2 Nephi 32: 8 teaches " ....For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. " So she decided that she needed to pray. As she began to involve prayer in her efforts to quit smoking the Lord blessed her and gave her the strength she needed. She has been cigarette free from around that time to the present.
She is a child of God, just like you and I, and God is wanting to bless us all. He has given all of us promises, that if followed, we will be able to have such greater joy and peace than we ever had before. I know that to be true. God loves you, and will work great miracles in your life as you learn more and do all that he asks of you. And I say that in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
To learn more about Gods promised blessings to all of us, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, go to:
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Good Old Days
Today I feel like I need to share something. What that is I really don't know. But I feel like I should just write and share my testimony. Today and the past few days have been pretty normal. No wild or crazy stories to tell and no earth shattering news. But that is what the majority of life is, I feel. One day after another as we continue to steadily move forward in our lives. Often times we reach small goals and accomplishments that we don't even think twice about. Lots of times as we are trying to go from day to day we have a many struggles and it might get harder to just simply go through life. But something that I do know is that in these seemingly monotonous or sometimes difficult times, God is still blessing our lives with miracles. He still loves us more than we can imagine. He cares about not only the big major things that happen in life, but also the small and simple things. In the book of Alma it says, "...but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/37
I know that this is true. God will always work in our lives and help us no matter what the situations or circumstance. I hope and pray that both you and I will always be able to recognize his hand in our lives.
I know that this is true. God will always work in our lives and help us no matter what the situations or circumstance. I hope and pray that both you and I will always be able to recognize his hand in our lives.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Answers to Prayers
With our crazy lives there is so much that we deal with. We have things to do places to be and roles to fill. We have people in need of our attention or care, we have our own desires and wishes to bring to pass, and we have a million other things that seem to enter into our lives constantly. Something that has really been a blessing to me amongst all of these things has been the blessing and gift of prayer.
Prayer is a concept that a lot of people are familiar with. Prayer throughout the world is performed many different ways with a vast array of methods or practices. But when you get right down to it, what is prayer? Prayer is communication with our Father in Heaven. As a child of God I have the opportunity to speak with my Father, and I love it.
In the Book of Mormon it says,
"Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him. Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you." (Alma 34: 19-27)
Something that has always stood out to me is how we have the opportunity to speak to our Father in Heaven whenever we need, and for whatever purpose.
Recently in my life I have seen that as I have prayed for things going on in my life, no matter what it is, God cares and loves me by answering my prayers. That is a true principle for all of us, God will answer every sincere prayer. The answers might not be what we think they should be, or as quickly as we feel they should come, but God will always answer.
As I pray for my own strength, the healing of one of my loved ones, opportunities that draw near, and the opportunity of forgiveness and change in my life, God helps me and I can feel his love.
Prayer is a concept that a lot of people are familiar with. Prayer throughout the world is performed many different ways with a vast array of methods or practices. But when you get right down to it, what is prayer? Prayer is communication with our Father in Heaven. As a child of God I have the opportunity to speak with my Father, and I love it.
In the Book of Mormon it says,
"Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him. Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you." (Alma 34: 19-27)
Something that has always stood out to me is how we have the opportunity to speak to our Father in Heaven whenever we need, and for whatever purpose.
Recently in my life I have seen that as I have prayed for things going on in my life, no matter what it is, God cares and loves me by answering my prayers. That is a true principle for all of us, God will answer every sincere prayer. The answers might not be what we think they should be, or as quickly as we feel they should come, but God will always answer.
As I pray for my own strength, the healing of one of my loved ones, opportunities that draw near, and the opportunity of forgiveness and change in my life, God helps me and I can feel his love.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Hidden Hand of the Lord
Latter Day Saints are very aware that everyone has a loving Heavenly Father, and he wants to lead and guide us in all of our lives. I have come to realize more and more that because of this fact, God works miracles around us whether we realize it at that time or not. This last Sunday was one of those experiences for me.
LDS churches are usually pretty full of happy people conversing one with another. Because I am new to the area, I really don't know very many of the people that attend at my chapel. I have gotten to know some great Latter Day Saints, but with so little time available compared to how many people attend I really haven't come to know most. The great thing about my experience is it is due mostly to my missionary companion, Elder Riley. He has been here in the area for less time than I have.
Elder Riley and I were waiting for the meeting to start, we had about five minutes left until it did. I was quite ready to just sit and wait for the time to pass, but Elder Riley had something else in mind. "Do they have greeters at the doors?", he asked. I said, "No, they don't." He responded with, "I want to go do that right now before the meeting begins." My response to that resulted as "Why?". In my head I was thinking that it wouldn't accomplish that much, there was very little time that we could actually use, and we might as well just grab a seat and wait. We had a brief discussion about it and he simply decided that it was what should be done. I decided to go along with the idea and followed him to the doors to join him. I very soon came to realized that Elder Riley was being guided by the hand of the Lord.
We walked over to the door and in the instant that we reached it a young lady walked in. Elder Riley greeted her with a hand shake and a smile and simply said, "Hi." She turned to him and responded, "Hi, I'm new." In the discussion that then followed we came to know that she had never been to an LDS church before and she was wanting to learn more about it; other than the little information from online sources and missionaries from our church working online, she had never really been able to come to experience what a "Mormon Church" was like. We were grateful for the opportunity to be right there for her and assist in helping her have a good experience. She has really felt the Spirit of the Lord move within her and teach her. Since that experience, she has decided for herself that she knew that she wanted to be Baptized into the Church.
Heavenly Father knows what is going on in our lives. He wants to help us have joy in this life, and in the life to come. A scripture that has always illustrated that for me would be, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. " (Proverbs 3:5-6) As we strive to live our lives the way that God wants us to, it allows him to have greater influence in our lives. I know that my experience with Elder Riley wanting to go greet at the door was pretty small and insignificant, but it was a miracle for me, and it opened up the door for great experiences to follow. I love realizing little things like that, because they are all just one more testament to me that God lives, and he knows what is happening in out lives.
LDS churches are usually pretty full of happy people conversing one with another. Because I am new to the area, I really don't know very many of the people that attend at my chapel. I have gotten to know some great Latter Day Saints, but with so little time available compared to how many people attend I really haven't come to know most. The great thing about my experience is it is due mostly to my missionary companion, Elder Riley. He has been here in the area for less time than I have.
Elder Riley and I were waiting for the meeting to start, we had about five minutes left until it did. I was quite ready to just sit and wait for the time to pass, but Elder Riley had something else in mind. "Do they have greeters at the doors?", he asked. I said, "No, they don't." He responded with, "I want to go do that right now before the meeting begins." My response to that resulted as "Why?". In my head I was thinking that it wouldn't accomplish that much, there was very little time that we could actually use, and we might as well just grab a seat and wait. We had a brief discussion about it and he simply decided that it was what should be done. I decided to go along with the idea and followed him to the doors to join him. I very soon came to realized that Elder Riley was being guided by the hand of the Lord.
We walked over to the door and in the instant that we reached it a young lady walked in. Elder Riley greeted her with a hand shake and a smile and simply said, "Hi." She turned to him and responded, "Hi, I'm new." In the discussion that then followed we came to know that she had never been to an LDS church before and she was wanting to learn more about it; other than the little information from online sources and missionaries from our church working online, she had never really been able to come to experience what a "Mormon Church" was like. We were grateful for the opportunity to be right there for her and assist in helping her have a good experience. She has really felt the Spirit of the Lord move within her and teach her. Since that experience, she has decided for herself that she knew that she wanted to be Baptized into the Church.
Heavenly Father knows what is going on in our lives. He wants to help us have joy in this life, and in the life to come. A scripture that has always illustrated that for me would be, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. " (Proverbs 3:5-6) As we strive to live our lives the way that God wants us to, it allows him to have greater influence in our lives. I know that my experience with Elder Riley wanting to go greet at the door was pretty small and insignificant, but it was a miracle for me, and it opened up the door for great experiences to follow. I love realizing little things like that, because they are all just one more testament to me that God lives, and he knows what is happening in out lives.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Promised Blessings
As a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I am able to meet a lot of different people, who all come from a vast variety of backgrounds. Many times these people do not want much to do with another religion or to learn more about the " Mormon Church ". But there are those who do, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to share what I know to be true with these people. God wants so much to bless and help all of his children, and I testify that as everyone learns more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and how it is Gods Church on the earth today, that we open ourselves up to be able to receive many more great and wonderful blessings from God that are available. God blesses us through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, or Christs sacrifice when he died for our sins, and because of that we receive strength.
I experianced an instance of this just recently. I know a woman who is wanting to be baptized into the Church, and as she has been preparing to do so she has been trying to quit smoking for a couple weeks. Before she began we taught her how the Lord promises to help us fulfill all his commandments, and how the power of prayer would be a great strength to her quiting smoking as she asked the Lord for the strength to stop." Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you " (Matthew 7: 7). She felt prepared and had the desire to quit, so she began to try.
It was very difficult for her. She had many stressful situations and distractions that influenced her to not be able to stop like she had hoped. She would go for a brief time without but then fall back into the habit, she was struggling greatly with her addiction. We would talk to her and try to encourage her as best we could while continuing to teach her true principles, but her desire to quit just wouldn't stick.
She called us one night and she and I discussed for a time about how it was such a struggle. I asked her what she felt she could do to help with the situation. She then confessed to me that she had not been praying like she knew she should be. As she told me this I remembered the scripture that says, " I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise " (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10). She was loosing a promise from the Lord as she did not consistently pray to him for strength, and was allowing herself to be influenced by the wrong sources, just as 2 Nephi 32: 8 teaches " ....For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. " So she decided that she needed to pray. As she began to involve prayer in her efforts to quit smoking the Lord blessed her and gave her the strength she needed. She has been cigarette free from around that time to the present.
She is a child of God, just like you and I, and God is wanting to bless us all. He has given all of us promises, that if followed, we will be able to have such greater joy and peace than we ever had before. I know that to be true. God loves you, and will work great miracles in your life as you learn more and do all that he asks of you. And I say that in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
To learn more about Gods promised blessings to all of us, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, go to:
www.mormon.org
I experianced an instance of this just recently. I know a woman who is wanting to be baptized into the Church, and as she has been preparing to do so she has been trying to quit smoking for a couple weeks. Before she began we taught her how the Lord promises to help us fulfill all his commandments, and how the power of prayer would be a great strength to her quiting smoking as she asked the Lord for the strength to stop." Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you " (Matthew 7: 7). She felt prepared and had the desire to quit, so she began to try.
It was very difficult for her. She had many stressful situations and distractions that influenced her to not be able to stop like she had hoped. She would go for a brief time without but then fall back into the habit, she was struggling greatly with her addiction. We would talk to her and try to encourage her as best we could while continuing to teach her true principles, but her desire to quit just wouldn't stick.
She called us one night and she and I discussed for a time about how it was such a struggle. I asked her what she felt she could do to help with the situation. She then confessed to me that she had not been praying like she knew she should be. As she told me this I remembered the scripture that says, " I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise " (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10). She was loosing a promise from the Lord as she did not consistently pray to him for strength, and was allowing herself to be influenced by the wrong sources, just as 2 Nephi 32: 8 teaches " ....For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. " So she decided that she needed to pray. As she began to involve prayer in her efforts to quit smoking the Lord blessed her and gave her the strength she needed. She has been cigarette free from around that time to the present.
She is a child of God, just like you and I, and God is wanting to bless us all. He has given all of us promises, that if followed, we will be able to have such greater joy and peace than we ever had before. I know that to be true. God loves you, and will work great miracles in your life as you learn more and do all that he asks of you. And I say that in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
To learn more about Gods promised blessings to all of us, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, go to:
www.mormon.org
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