1 Nephi 11

Happy Monday! I am stuffed from the Superbowl and spiritually enriched from Stake Conference this weekend. Now I'm ready to write about 1 Nephi 11. So my favorite verse in this chapter is verse one. It says, "For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot." Look at all those verbs used, just to get an answer to his prayers. He wanted to know, and he believed the Lord would show him those things. He also sat pondering. He wasn't doing the dishes, or feeding the camels, he set aside time to receive this answer. The word "ponder" has really hit me as I have learned more about the Book of Mormon this semester. When it comes to prayer and reading the scriptures, I guess I always thought if I thought about it for a few minutes, or maybe a day, I would get an answer or some inspiration. But to ponder is much more than that. Ponder is defined as "to consider something deeply and thoroughly; to weigh carefully in the mind." Another verse I like is 7, but mostly just the last part, "and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God." With all the BYU students preparing for missions, missionary work has been a pretty big topic around here. Even if I don't go on a mission, I think it is still important to know that if I have a testimony, I gotta share it! One of the ways that I am doing that is writing it down (well, typing it out), or "bearing a record." One last thing. In verse 31 we read how the Lord is able to heal "multitudes of people who were sick and afflicted with all manner of diseases..." Now, I know they are talking about physical sickness, but what about spiritual sickness? Heavenly Father has the power to  heal "all manners" of sins we commit, as long as we take the first step and repent. His atonement is infinite, absolutely infinite, for which I will eternally be grateful.