Conversion of Korey

Korey

 Okay my religious background was none. Didn't pray, wasn't sure of a 'God', and I had no idea about anything concerning Jesus Christ. Religion was something I was never forced to participate in and it was always something I avoided. In life you tend to avoid the unknowns, because there is fear of inadequacy from the lack of knowledge, or a fear of the 'what if's' as well. That was the case for me. I had friends that went to a number of different denominations, but was never motivated to follow their example at any point in my life. But all that, of course, changed.

The year was 2006, the start of my senior year in high school. I had yet to have a direct encounter with the church yet at that point, but was finally made aware that it even existed. At no point in my life do I recall ever seeing missionaries, or hearing about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (it wasn’t until much later on in the process that I realized that many times over the years I had seen, on late night infomercials, ads for the Book of Mormon). But, I had come into contact with a member of the church at work. We were actually really good friends. I worked at a restaurant and my coworker was a girl by the name of Shanda.

Mario Kart: the Single Banana Peel

After the "Avatar" series, I was a bit stumped as to where to go from there.  But the nerd in me found another gospel tie within a game that has forever changed my life.  Mario Kart!  No matter which version, which system, or the size of the screen, I love love love Nintendo's Mario Kart!  As I discussed this blog idea with a fellow missionary, we both came to the agreement that the best version of Mario Kart is Mario Kart 64.  The first introduction to four player Mario racing and an increase of items to use against your foe, making it epic!

This series is dedicated to the items.  What are they used for?  What is the spiritual connection for each of them?  So, to kick this off, we will talk about the single banana peel.

Avatar: Energybending

 Against all odds, there is another "Avatar" post.  Originally I had planned on sticking to the four general bending arts, but I have had a few requests (or demands) that Energybending have it's place as well.  So, here we are!  Energybending!

Long before Firebending, Aribending, Waterbending, or Earthbending, any of the four nations or the Avatar, there was Energybending.  Energybending is the ability to bend life energy.  People would bend the energy within themselves.  By bending a person's life energy one can give knowledge instantly or remove one's bending completely.  It is a very dangerous art.

To bend another's life energy, your own spirit must be un-bendable.  If there is any sign of weakness  in one's spirit (or bendability), they risk being infected by the spirit of the one they are bending and can be corrupted and or even killed.  

"The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can touch the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginning-less time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light". (The Lion-Turtle)

Energybending can come with a cost.  But those who have a strong spirit can master it.  In the series, there are only two known users of this art: Aang and the Lion Turtle.  Aang (the Avatar) is faced with a giant moral dilema at the end of the "Avatar" series;  he can either kill the evil Fire Lord Ozai (which is what the Avatars of the past guide him to do), or follow his heart and let him live.  Ozai is the epitome of evil and one of the greatest Firebenders ever (if not the best).  To let him live would allow him to strike back again one day, but killing him would go against everything Aang stands for.

So, what does he do?  Aang realizes that the only way for there to be peace and still have Ozai live is for him to Energybend Ozai, taking away his Firebending.  Aang had the spiritual strength needed for the task.

Aang was prepared.  He studied, pondered, and worked hard.  He also stayed true to his beliefs.  I realize that this may sound repetitious, but it's the little things that matter.  To build up our spirits, we must study, ponder, pray, and work!  We are at war with Satan.  He is strong, but we are stronger.  We will win!  To win, our spirits must be strong.  Satan is constantly working at our spirits.  He tries to weaken us, corrupt us, and destroy us spiritually.  By doing these seemingly small things, we will stand victorious.  So, read your scriptures.  Study them.  Go to church.  Pray.  Serve others.  Obey the commandments.

Be a master Energybender!  Have a true heart, true mind, and solid spirit.  No weakness.

No More Slugs!

If you are at all disturbed by bugs or slimy type things, I advize you to read another post.  Actually... you should probably still read this one.  Just don't look at the pictures.

Woodland doesn't seem like that long ago, but I guess it was.  One of the awesome things about serving in Woodland (out of the thousands) was the house we lived in.  Yes, we had a house.  All to ourselves.  It was quaint and had all sorts of fun little what-nots around every turn.  Let's just say, when I first got there, all I could think was "NO WAY?!?!"  It seemed just perfect, up until the day our little "friend" came to visit.

Stayin Alive or Biting the Dust?

Many many years ago, in a state not so far away, I wasn't a missionary (gasp!).  Yes, once upon a time I was a real person that did things other than preaching the gospel.  One of those things was working at the local recreation center as a pool coordinator.  While working at the pool, I was able to become certified as a CPR instructor.  Last night, I was thinking about the 2 songs used when doing CPR.  I realize this sounds a little strange, but hear me out.

The compressions for CPR are supposed to be about 100 beats per minute.  An easy way to know if you are doing that is to get a rhythm going in your head.  There are 2 songs I know that are the exact beat needed when doing CPR, "Stayin Alive" and "Another One Bites the Dust."  Obviously, one of them is a LOT more encouraging then the other....

Being an acronym lover, CPR has become a whole new thing while on my mission.  It usually stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation,  which keeps us alive physically.  In mission terminology it is Church, Prayer, and Reading.  Those are the things that help keep us alive spiritually.  It seems so simple right?  That's because it is.  The catch is, we have to continually do those things.  If we take a break or stop, our spirit suffers for it (or "Bites the Dust).  "....by small and simple things are great things brought to pass."  It is the little things we do each day that keep us on track and healthy spiritually.  Stay Alive!

Do you have a streak going?

"You want to get a streak going.  You can carry a streak forward, but when you start losing a few you can get in a real dive."  Personally, I don't think President Monson was applying this statement just to sports.  We learn in science from Newton's first law that "an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force".  Our daily efforts to do what's right can be considered our "spiritual streak". 
At first, it is hard to start.  Starting from ground zero is always a daunting task.  An unbalanced force is necessary to get that streak going.  But what force can help?  Well, here's a couple of things that have helped me out.
1.  Pray daily.  By doing this, we invite the spirit into our lives.  "As you make a habit of approaching God in prayer, you will come to know Him and draw ever nearer to Him"1.  Heavenly Father wants to hear from us.  He is there for us whenever we need him.  His line is never busy. Moroni 7:48 reads: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, ^apray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true ^bfollowers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall ^cbe like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be^dpurified even as he is pure. Amen" 2.
2.  Study the scriptures.  Scripture study is key!  The purpose of the scriptures is to draw us closer to Him.  They testify of Christ and lead us to eternal life.  Daily study will help us to be receptive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.  It is also how we put on our daily "armor" to protect us from the things in the world.  Helaman 3:29-30 reads "Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the ^aword of God, which is ^bquick and powerful, which shall ^cdivide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and ^dnarrow course across that everlasting ^egulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked— And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the ^aright hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out" 3.
3.  Attend Church each week.  It is a commandment, plain and simple.  The Lord has asked us to set one day apart, Sunday, for worship and rest.  Sunday is a day for us to partake of the Sacrament and remember what our Savior has done for us.  "Our Sabbath-day behavior is a reflection of our commitment to honor and worship God" 4.  By going to church and keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, we will be filled with joy and peace.
By doing these 3 things, it will be the start of a whole new streak.  You will be able to feel the spirit more abundantly in life.  It will make it easier to continue to make right choices and stay on the straight and narrow path.  We will be prepared for the things that the adversary will throw at us.  Starting them may be rough and you will face challenges, but I know that the Lord will provide a way for you to be able to do them all.  He will help you down the path and help keep you there.  The "spiritual streak" is the "streak to success".  Get the ball rollin'!

Wait, did you say 3?

2 Corinthians 13:1 reads: "...In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established".  My parents either seriously internalized this scripture, or are poor planners.  Currently they have 3 children serving missions around the world.  We joked as I was growing up that this could potentially happen, but didn't really think of it as a reality at all.  The day I decided to serve my mission was the day we realized that we would be serving for at least 9 months all at the same time.

Life

This morning while studying I found myself reading about life on earth.  Why we are here and what is the purpose in life.  In the May 1998 Ensign Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Twelve Apostles gave this analogy: "This is the day of our mortal probation.  We might compare our eternal journey to a race of three laps around the track.  We have completed the first lap [our pre-earth life] successfully and have made wonderful progress.  We have started on the second lap.  Can you imagine a world-class runner stopping along the track at this point to pick flowers or chase a rabbit that crossed his path?  Yet this is what we are doing when we occupy our time with worldly pursuits that do not move us closer to the third lap toward eternal life, the greatest of all the gifts of God".  This isn't the time to stop and "pick flowers".  We are to prepare to meet God and have joy.  By doing what the Lord asks, we will find joy.  Let's not worry about things that are "worldly pursuits".  I know that now is the time to prepare for that third lap.  The basics are how we prepare.  Study the scriptures, listen to the prophets words, go to church, pray, and daily strive to be the best you can be.

Sunday Rain

Rain is an amazing thing.  It is so pure and clean.  The rain is what cleanses the earth and gives it that renewed feeling.  Just as the rain cleanses the earth, our Savior and His Atonement can cleanse us.  We too can feel cleansed and renewed by relying on the Atonement and applying it in our lives.  Today, I was able to see both processes of cleansing.  It rained, cleansing the earth, and we had sacrament meeting, which cleanses us all weekly.  Both, amazing blessings.