Aaron 🪔🌾

If Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, then The Book of Mormon is true. If The Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. If one is true and correct, both are. I testify of both independently. Joseph Smith was a prophet. The Book of Mormon is true.

I don’t think the U.S. can ever reconcile the injustice done to Native Americans until a map like the second one is put in every American history book in place of the first which whitewashes the government’s ongoing original sin—ripping off land from all these Indigenous nations!

Every December I read ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. And it puts me in the Christmas spirit. We all know the story, Scrooge is a miserly fellow who doesn’t see the point of Christmas, and would rather be open for business. He recognizes that the rest of the city shuts down to celebrate, so begrudgingly he lets Bob Cratchit take the day off. He’s then visited by the ghost of his business partner, who died 7 years earlier. Jacob Marley warns Ebenezer that the chains he’s forging in his earthly life are big and heavy and rival none in their burden. Marley tells Scrooge he must change or else! And that he will be subsequently visited by 3 more ghosts and to heed them. The first is the ghost of Christmas past - who shows Scrooge the christmases of his childhood and young adulthood. The things he missed out on and the opportunities that brought him success in business but left him a single man. The second is the ghost of Christmas present - who shows Ebenezer the joys of Christmas in his town. His nephew and their family. As well as his employee’s family (especially focusing on the youngest boy who has to use a crutch to walk around and appears sickly, Tiny Tim) and their hardships but making the most of Christmas. Both parties he witnesses toast to his health and wellbeing, even though they do it a bit out of sarcasm more than respect. The third is the ghost of Christmas future - this ghost says nothing. But the way Dickens writes this ghost is the scariest of all. He shows Scrooge a bed with a body under a sheet and several servants and Ne'er-do-wells who are riffling through his belongings and even pawning them off while the body lays there. The ghost without saying anything demands that he remove the sheet and see himself but he can’t bring himself to do it. And they are then transported to a cemetery where he sees his own grave stone. At this point, Ebenezer Scrooge pleads with this final ghost that he will change. He will be better. He will forsake his “Bah Humbug” attitude and live to bring joy to those around him. He promises "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!" He wakes up in his own bed. It’s morning. He’s unsure what day it is and calls out the window to find out it’s Christmas Morning. He yells at a neighborhood boy to get the butcher to send the biggest turkey he has to the Cratchit family. Scrooge heads to church with everyone and wishes “Merry Christmas” to everyone as he goes along. Even bumping into a man who had come by the day before to see if Scrooge would make a donation to the poor, and he refused. He apologizes and tells that man to come by the next day so he can make it right and get his donation in to help his fellow men. Scrooge’s repentance is sincere and he completely changes the way he uses his wealth. He wants to make his community better and leave a legacy rather than just a pile of stuff in the end. Christmas is not about the money or the day off work or the presents we open. It’s about being together with those we love, doing exactly as Christ commanded to “love our neighbor as ourselves”. Taking care of family and friends. Serving those around us. I hope each of us can remember the reason for this Christmas season - the birth of our Savior. Our perfect example. The gift that God gave us.