A Comfort

By A Servant of the One True King  

     Ever since I was about thirteen years old, I've had the gift of poetry.  Often it will come when I am feeling grateful for a blessing or when my heart is yearning for peace.  Other times, it will come when I pray for guidance, and sometimes it comes as a message to me from the Holy Spirit.
     One day in July of 2015, I was going through a particular trial.  I thought I had received guidance from the Lord on an issue, but the fiery darts of Satan were rampant, and I had gotten myself majorly confused.  I was heartbroken because of the shattered dream I held in my hands.
     I went to bed that night and woke up the next morning.  It was a bright and beautiful morning, and sunlight streamed in the window.  I got out of bed and began praising God for the beauty around me....when I suddenly remembered what had happened the night before.  Tears came to my eyes and poured down my cheeks as I fell to my knees, asking for His help.
     It was right after I fell to my knees that words began to come to me.  They were in the form of poetry, but they were not from me.  They were for me from Something higher than myself.

    "Dry your tears, My child;

Your days are not yet o'er.

Come to Me, My child,

For I am waiting at your door.

Give to Me, My child,

Your burdens and your fears.

I will wipe away

All your hurting are your tears.

I am here, My child,

To give you rest alone.

I am here, My child;

I have claimed you as My own.

Worry not, My child,

For I will guide your days.

Give it all to Me,

And I will light your way."

Are You Aware of the Danger?

By McKenzie Morash

     Several weeks after I turned thirteen, I had a dream that I was in a house that was on fire and filled with smoke.  There were many other people in this house as well, and some of them were my church family.  Most of the people were busy doing household chores or playing games -- they seemed to be completely ignoring the fact that there was a fire!  Only several people seemed to be concerned about the fire, and the began helping me tell people to get out.  Most of the people ignored us or acted like they couldn't really comprehend what was going on, but some of the people became aware and started helping us.  As we rushed to warn everyone, I remember climbing up a ladder into a large loft-like room that had several children sleeping in it.  I immediately ran over to their beds, woke them up, and started helping them out of the loft.  When I had gotten all the children down the ladder and to the room that seemed to be the living room of the house, everyone (including the children and those who had been helping me warn people before) had started acting like nothing was wrong and everything was normal.  By this time, the smoke was so thick I couldn't see or breathe very well.  My eyes were stinging and I was struggling to find the door.  When I finally got the door open, no one would follow me out.
     After I caught my breath and could see again, I looked up and saw another house burning down.  I ran across the street, flung the front door open, and a thick smoke poured out.  I called out, "Is anyone in here?!"  At first nobody answered, but then I heard someone faintly answer, "Is anyone there?!"  I ran inside to find a man, his wife, and their two children standing on a staircase.  His wife quickly explained that they were blinded by all the smoke and couldn't find their way out.  It was dark, but I was able to see well enough to guide them out to safety.  When we had made it outside, they explained that they had been praying to God to send someone to help them, because the smoke was so strong they couldn't find the door.  At this point my dream ended, and I woke up very glad that there was not a real fire!
     In this dream, the spiritual danger seemed so plainly clear, and the worldly distractions seemed so unappealing to me.  God has used this dream many times to remind me that I need to always be aware of the spiritual things going on around me.  If you woke up to find your house on fire, your first reaction would probably be to get yourself and your family out of danger.  If they ignored the warning, out of love, you would probably become very concerned for their lives.  God has also used this to teach me that I don't have enough love for the people around me.  If I really loved the people around me, I would be adamantly concerned about their souls and I wouldn't hesitate to share the truth that God has mercifully given me.

"Therefore, forsake the world, and save your souls; for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?..." Matthew 16:29

The Book of Mormon Is True

By McKenzie Morash

     I was born into, and grew up in, the Church.  I always believed that the Book of Mormon was the Word of God, but I didn't have my own testimony that it was true (I "lived off of" the testimonies of my parents and church family).  When I was about ten years old, I still hadn't read the whole book.  The same year, Mark and Paula Churchill came to North Platte as visiting ministry, and they brought with them the newly-finished pocket Books of Mormon.  I thought they were cool and thought about getting one.  Before they headed back home to Missouri, Mark gave me and each of my sisters a copy.  He said, "I'll give these to you for free, but you have to promise me that you'll read it."  I thought for a few seconds before accepting, because I knew what making a promise meant.  I had tried reading through the Bible several times before, but I never made it through Leviticus (later, I discovered the huge difference between studying the Scriptures and just reading them).  But, I had made a promise, so I determined to read the whole book by reading at least one chapter every night.
     I started reading, expecting ot have a similar experience to the experiences I had with Leviticus.  I was very wrong!  Ten-year-old me had never had a book become so real, so sweet, and plain before!  It wasn't hard for me to read faithfully one chapter every night, and before long I was reading more than one chapter, and whenever I had spare time during the day.  My testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon came one of those days when I had some spare time to read.  When I sat down and picked up my Book of Mormon, I felt the Spirit with me stronger than usual.  I was reading the beginning of Alma 12, when Alma the Younger was traveling toward the land of Gideon and met his friends, the sons of Mosiah, on the road (also recorded in Alma 15:16-19), after not seeing them for just over fourteen years.  When I read, "Alma did rejoice exceedingly, to see his brethren; And what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord;", I was allowed to feel that indescribable joy that Alma had.  I believe that this joy is similar to the joy the people of Zion will feel when they are united in the city of Enoch, and I pray that my life will be such that I can experience that and be a part of Zion.  I will never forget this experience.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true.