Monday, December 15, 2008

It's been a while!

Hi there everyone! Forgive for being away so long, but we currently dont have internet at home. I will try to catch up as soon as possible, but until then, may you all have a very Merry Christmas season, and don't forget that the true Spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of Christ!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

What's Really Important in this Election...

I have listened these past few crazy months about all sorts of issues that people want the candidates to answer, and the ones that the politicians themselves find to be the most important. After really dwelling on all the things that have gone wrong in this country, and thinking about the future of this nation, I have decided there is one subject that I have heard nothing about in this election, and yet it is what I believe to be the most important thing for our future in mankind, never mind the election: the Children!

After joining the Church, I have been in awe at the power and strength of the youth, whether they be a mia maid in my ward or a kid in Primary! Never have I known such strong and truly amazing spirits as I do now. I also happen to run a site on myspace that serves to get younger artists out there, and have been struck in unbelief by the pure talent and integrity of such young artists and musicians. Surely, the children are the future! In whatever you choose as you vote on a plethora of issues today, please, do not forget that! I only hope that the new President will put an emphasis on making sure the children of this God-given country will be safe, and recieve all the things that are needful for them. They are the next presidents, doctors, and peacemakers. Let's make sure they have a chance to thrive!

God bless them, and God Bless those who serve them everyday. Kudos to you mothers, fathers, teachers, medical professionals, all of you!

"Suffer the children to come unto me, and forbid them not, FOR OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD."

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

What a lift!

First things first, I need to talk about Stake Conference!

I was, of course, surprised when Brother Donahue called and asked me to share my conversion story and testimony there, but not as much as when he told me that directly speaking after me would be none other than Elder Matt Eyring of the Seventy, son of President Eyring!!!!

It seemed as though the whole Conference was about love in one way or another, and I loved Elder Eyring's humility in addresing the children simply and directly, while bearing equally humble but sure testimony of the Savior. I feel blessed to have met him.
And on top of that, my mother came! She had tears in her eyes as she heard the messages and saw just how people in the Church are! I thank you, all of you, in my ward and stake for greeting and talking with her! You don't know how meaningful and helpful it is to our family!

I suppose I could go on and on about that, but I'll just cut to something else that happened just minutes ago. The missionaries came by! And the message they gave me was simple yet profound. It really put things in perspective for me, that being "spiritually born of God" is a lifetime thing. It seems that, in all the craziness and stress of my life (though I think I'm exaggerating here) I had forgot to put what is most important first in my life, and they helped me realize that. Those men are just....i can't put it into words the happiness I derive from them.

It makes me laugh now that Satan would think to place whatever doubts and things he could in my way at the stressful time we all live in...but just as the Elders said just when you think He's not there God comes and lifts you up! In this case, he sent Himself through his appointed ministers of this wonderful Gospel that makes me ever so happy.

So, I guess the advice I have is, don't lose hope! If you ever have trouble, just look back on all the confirmations you have recieved in the past, and seek to have more of those experiences! Exercise your faith! Nothing but good can come from it.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Possible arcaelogical evidence of the BOM?



Thought by some to be a carving of the "Tree of Life" told in Lehi's Dream...we may never know for sure. Even still, here is a testimonial of someone who saw such a carving in the Yucatan:

"I am a non-practicing member of the LDS church and am sceptical of things like this as well. However, I just returned from a trip in the Yucatan where we saw many ancient Mayan structures and this image of the Tree of Life was given to me from another ruin in central Mexico. Just to cast a little more light on this carving, it is much more than just a tree. There is a man kneeling to the left of it holding a ball next to a woman. Two men are facing away from the tree. A man on the right of the tree is knelt down writing in a book. A smaller man is kneeling next to him. There is a river in the background, and behind it a building. A man is walking up to the tree with material covering his face. Below him is a bar. There is also fruit on the tree. Perhaps you could explain these items as well as "just the tree."

The ball (fruit?)
Two men (Laman and Lemuel?)
River
building(great and spacious building?)
Covering his face (Sounds like he is ashamed, maybe?)
Bar(rod of iron, anyone?)
you get it...

Very curious...

Can't Fight That Feelin'...

Boy, these Sundays are just getting better and better!
There sure were some interesting talks in Sacrament meeting yesterday:

Brother Mark Zoglio, comparing the Atonement to a ham that keeps hitting him
in the back of the head (no "Leave it to beaver" comparisons though, at the surprise of some in the ward) :D

Brother Butler, who gave a very interesting talk about Scripture reading,
talking about how the story of Adam and Eve shows us that Satan tries to focus us on
what we don't have, as well as his speaking about the ironies contained within the BOM and the Bible. He also went into the figurative language contained within them(for example, "my soul hungered" and "the mountain of the Lord" in Isaiah). He went on to explain that we should not take such too literally, but should look at it from a poetic
view(Yay poets!).

Brother Brent Adams, who gave an inspiring talk about scriptures that have stayed with him throughout his life from his parents and have given him courage.

What REALLY got me though, was the lesson on charity in the investigator's class. I never felt the Spirit that much before in that class, I can tell ya. As I was reading the parable of the Prodigal Son with Brother Blankenbeckler, tears welled up in my eyes as the Holy Ghost witnessed to me that He did in fact love me, and showed me that it was telling my life story just in those few verses.

How grateful I am for the Sabbath day!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Please consider...

Please, if you can, take the time to help out this BYU student who is engaging in a great and noble cause....

http://welivebetter.blogspot.com/

Things to Uplift and Inspire

I am in quite the good mood today, and consequently would like to share with you some videos that I hope will uplift you and inspire you as you listen to them. As for general conference, I just couldn't sum it up in words. Let that be an evidence to just how great it was!

God Bless, and Enjoy:








Sunday, September 21, 2008

A "Filling" Sacrament Meeting...


What a great Sabbath we had today! The talks that were given really were an answer to my prayers, and I would like to share some of the messages that stood out to me today...


First off, I would like to say how grateful I am for the talks on keeping the Sabbath holy. Surely this is something I need to work on, as I have trouble at times directing my work and things I do in my spare time on the weekends to that of a more spiritual nature. It really is important that we allow ourselves to be filled with the things of God on that day, for it will make our days that much better in the week to come. I know that as I have gone to church, and sought to observe the Sabbath even after sacrament meeting, I have been blessed with a greater understanding of

the Gospel and the talks that were given.


Secondly, I was deeply affected by the bishop's counsel on preparing ourselves and all senses, whether it be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. Truly he is a man who is inspired of God, and we are blessed to have his love and direction for us. The recent calamities in Texas and distresses in the economy should truly direct us to the revelations of the Lord and let us know that the day of judgement truly is at hand! It is so evident that it would be foolish not to see such things. However, it does not have to be a negative thing. Rather, we should be filled with hope and security if we can but prepare and get our houses in order so that when the Savior comes, we can say that we have fulfilled our time here on earth.


Lastly, the talk Brother Tew gave on the fruits and gifts of the Spirit was very inspiring, and I think quite important to us as youth as well as members at large. In these trying times we should seek even more to cultivate those gifts we are given and reap the fruit and benefits of having the Spirit with us at all times.


I would like to welcome into our ward a new face, even Mike! It is a blessing to have you, and on behalf of the ward I wish you all the best in your journey. I hope that you can come to enjoy and love our little ward in Georgetown. I know that I wouldn't want to be any other place in the world than with those Saints.


As President Henry B. Eyring has counseled in his most recent adress, may we all be one with each other and in our purpose. The Lord is just waiting to bless us if we will but submit to His will for us.



God Bless, and have a great week to all!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Hey Everyone!

Be sure to check out the Georgetown YM Blog for upcoming events and a nice little calendar!
There is quite a bit coming up, what with the first SYC meeting, activity, and a fireside!

Oh, and stop by Little Ceasars sometime and say hi to me and Angie! Or even Jared!
Their pizza is great :D

Sunday, September 7, 2008

MIssionary work is thriving!

It has been so great to walk into the Gospel Principles class and see a steadily growing number of new faces there! There had to be almost 20 today in our ward! I am just so grateful for having both the Elders and the sister missionaries in our ward...they are so intelligent and strong in the gospel, and I can feel the Spirit as I go and teach with them. I am also grateful for the ward focusing on missionary work, and the hightened spirit that has come as a result. It has been so great to see more investigators coming into the Church, and I look forward to attending Bernie's baptism soon!

Also, on a side note, I would just like to express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for all the many wonderful blessings I have recieved from him this past week, and since joining His Church in general...
Because of the people I know in the ward, I have been able to finally start my first job at Little Ceasear's under the direction of such great leaders as Brother Beal. I also have felt an increased Spirit as I have read in the Book of Mormon more regularly and attended my first year of Seminary. It is so great to be constantly strengthened before I start my school day.
The oppurtunities I now have to help the missionaries has been an eye-opener for me and will no doubt help me to prepare for my own mission. The Lord surely has answered my prayers in that regard.
Finally, he has given me the oppurtunity to grow through responsibility. With the increased amount of schoolwork I have taken on this year as a result of senior classes, and my new 'calling'
as a representative of the Stake Youth Committee, I have been lead to start managing my time more effectively, and learning what it means to start being more of a leader. I only hope that I can serve the Lord and His children to my fullest capacities.

God Bless all of you in the ward, and all who read this blog!

P.S. Special thanks to Andy Capener, who was just released from the Young Mens Presidency. Your time and devotion has not gone unnoticed, and is so very appreciated. I look forward to many more days with you and your family in the ward.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Attention Members Of G-Town Ward!!!!!

The wonderful Young Men's Presidency has decided to get with the times(just playing around there) and make a blog where all of the activities and calenders will be posted!! Be sure to check it out, and I will hopefully be working with them to make sure everybody gets the info.

http://www.georgetownym.blogspot.com/

I send my love to all of you in the ward!
God Bless!
Tony

P.S. I am so glad to have a new family in our ward! Be sure to say hi to the Brians, they are just great!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

My Testimony...

After having been given an assignment to write down my conversion story for the sister missionaries, I felt impressed to share my testimony with all of those who might read my blog. And so I will:

The Testimony of Anthony Diaz, Member of the Georgetown Ward of the Exeter NH Stake of Zion
I suppose it all started back when I was about 15. My uncle had recently passed away, being only in his early thirties, and it was truly a shock to me. I had never dealt with the death of someone so close before in my life. I can still remember my father relaying over the phone in tears about his passing on. It is around that time that I truly started pondering those questions of the soul, such as, why I am here, and where do we go after this life? It is then that I truly made an attempt at prayer, not having ever really done it before. I suppose that I just wanted to know that someone was out there, looking after and watching over me.I increased in wanting some knowledge of why things happened the way they did, and it was around that time that I started listening to more music of a choral nature, finding it giving me just a little bit of that peace of the soul. Even with all this, I was still very pessimistic about my life, and had an attitude of mostly indifference as to what went on. It was around that time, in about September, that I met the two men who would change my life forever.
My mother, the children, and I decided to take a walk, for whatever reason, in downtown Haverhill one night. As we sat on one of the benches in the downtown area, these two college-age males,dressed up in formal attire with white shirts, black overcoats, and ties, started walking up to us as we sat. As they came into clearer view, I could read the names on their name tags:Elder Kelsey and Elder Hancock. I suppose that what struck me most about them was not their age, but the fact that they asked us if they could share a message with us before going ahead and talking, which was so unlike the Jehovah's Witnesses and others we were used to. They understood that it could be difficult to talk with complete strangers, and respected the fact that if we didn't want to hear what they said, we didn't have to. I have my mother to thank,for she welcomed the missionaries to share their message with us, and proceeded to set a date with them for us to meet at my house.
As I read the Book of Mormon and listened to the doctrines they presented, I was truly struck with awe as to the simplicity of their teachings, and yet was dazzled by the fact that they were so deep and profound at the same time. Needless to say, I prayed about the truthfulness of the book, putting Moroni's promise in the last chapter to the test, and received an answer unlike any I had ever received before. I know it was the Spirit of the Lord that made it clear to me that what I had been reading was true, and I know it now more than ever. Thanks to the faithfulness of those two beloved men, men who have become as brothers to me, I was baptized and confirmed a member of what I know to be the true and restored Church of Jesus Christ on this earth.The incredible Spirit I felt at baptism witnessed that fact unto me, and let me know that I was at the beginning of what was and what continues to be a new and wonderful journey in the Lord's Church. I testify unto the reader that I know that the fullness of the gospel is contained within this church, and that Jesus Christ does live again and leads the Church through revelation daily.I leave you my witness in the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

The Ward Picnic! And a convert baptism to top it off!

Where do i begin?
Ron's baptism was at 11:00 today, and I have to say that I have never felt the Spirit as strongly as I did when I gave the talk on baptism there and then watched as Brother Williams "put his hand to the sqaure" and baptized him for the remission of sins. I can not put into words the feelings I had or the fellowship of the Saints that I felt, so I won't attempt to. All I have to say about it is, Welcome to the fold, Brother Ron Blankenbeckler.

Now, immediately after the baptism, we had our second annual ward picnic in Essex and it was wonderful. The weather was perfect and I had the pleasure of going kayaking on the lake, which I haven't done since middle school. We even played a round of Bocchi! (And I almost won...)
I would just like to thank all those who organized both of the events this Saturday afternoon and say hello once again to all of the saints who were gathered there today. God Bless,

Tony

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Quite a few things to say...


Well first off I just want to express how happy I am that I will be able to go to this year's ward picnic for the first time! Even better, Ron will be baptized previous to that and than have a picnic on top of it! It's what he calls a "Southern style" baptism :D

On another and much more serious note, I just wanted to express my sorrow and anger after watching a documentary about the Chinese government for their restrictive "one child" policy. It is causing so much strife (as well as kidnapping and black market child trade) among the people of China that it is truly heartbreaking. To just hear the parents and even some of the abducted kids talk about their experiences with it is enough to bring a guy to tears. While I sadly acknowledge that my ranting about it will not change the fact that it happens, I hope that I can at least make others aware of the cruel injustices these people face.

Finally(and don't worry, this is on a happy note), I would just like to draw attention to the fact that I seem to have an overabundance of Libera videos on my page.(See top picture) I realize that some might ask as to why, and I will herein explain...
As some of you may know, I joined the church just this last december(07), and it has been quite a journey since then. This choral group called Libera is very closely intertwined with my religious faith because of the fact that it prepared me, in one way or another, to come unto the Lord again and find my purpose in life. The music of the boy's choir came to me at a time when I was starting to yearn for answers as to where people go when they pass away(as my uncle had just passed at that time) and when I turned on the tv one afternoon I heard something I had never heard before, and it turned out to be the vocal group that has touched my life in more ways than I can imagine. Looking back on it now, I think it is one of the things that helped renew my faith in God and send me on the right path. I will be ever thankful to those boys, as I will be to those incredible missionaries.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

The Best Fast and Testimony Meeting Ever!

I can't even express with words what went on in our ward today, except to say that the Spirit was in abundance with everyone today. From the wonderful testimonies of those such as Sister Desmond and Brother Tew to the simple testimony of Garret, I was left with my heart full today after that sacrament meeting. I think that if there was one thing that stuck out to me this day in our discussions, and also in the Ensign I borrowed from the ward library, it is Gratitude.

I can not say how thankful I am to the Desmonds, who have taken me everywhere it seems and have been my support from the start. I have never met such a faith-driven sister as is Sister Desmond, and will be forever grateful for the things she has done for me.
To have Brother Tew as a young mens leader is more than any deacon,teacher, or priest could ever hope for, and the same goes with Brother Capener. Those two men have dedicated so much and sacrificed their time for us crazy boys, and I can't say how great it is to have ever met them. I only wish I could be the men they are.
I'd also just like to thank Garret for his testimony today. As short as it may have been, it carried with it so much meaning to me. It truly humbles me to know that one as young as him can have that knowledge of the Gospel, and makes me grateful to my Father In Heaven to have such children on this earth. I only wish I could have had that same knowledge when I was younger. He is the coolest.
Finally, I would just like to thank all those in the ward, who have helped me out each Sunday by their smiles and thank-yous. Besides the Gospel, It is because of the ward family we have that I go to church every Sunday to Georgetown. You are all some of the nicest and most amazing people I have met. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

P.S. Congrats to Taylor on his mission call! Good for you!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

For the week of August 3rd - August 9th

August 3rd
- YSA Fireside 6PM Exeter

August 9th
-Second Annual Georgetown Picnic at Centennial Grove in Essex. 12noon - 6PM
- Baptism for Ron and Ken

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

For the week of July 27th - August 2nd

July 31st
-Relief Society Pool party at Louise Harper's home. Families invited.
-Stake Priesthood Temple Night

Monday, June 30, 2008

For the weeks of June 29th - July 26th

July 2nd
- Temple Trip

July 6th
- YSA Fireside 6PM at Exeter

July 9th
- 6:30PM Staining for Trek (BYC only)
- Combined YM/YW Photo scavenger hunt. Bring your digital camera!

July 12th
- NO STAKE YM/YW DANCE

July 13th
- Stake General Priesthood Meeting Exeter 4PM

July 16th
-YW Activity

July 20th
- BYC Meeting after church

July 24th
- Trek Begins

July 26th
- Trek Ends
- Pioneer Day Activity
- Stake Softball Tournament

Monday, June 23, 2008

A Lesson Learned...

I had quite the unexpected experience today, and I'm quite glad I did. There comes a time in some people's lives when certain pressures may build up due to that person's holding them in for so long, and it usually only ends in contention and hurtful feelings for the people involved. Such seemed the case with myself and another member of my family today, seeing as how there had been something bothering me that I just didn't feel I could tell that person, and when I finally couldn't hold it in much longer I decided to just barge out on that person without giving any explanation of my true feelings. Luckily, I had the chance to later sit down and talk with that family member, and truly express what I had felt, and had the oppurunity to listen to what they felt in return. I am so thankful that I did instead of just harboring such things inside, and so grateful for my Heavenly Father for giving us the means of communication by which we are able to resolve differences and conflicts without getting offended. I know that it was his guidance that I felt as I made up with that person and I am having a much better day because of it. This was truly a lesson learned, a lesson that I hope others may be able to learn as well as they seek not to argue with persons who don't necessarily understand the situation, but as they rather seek to have, as one sister in our ward said, "an understanding heart."

Sunday, June 22, 2008

For the week of June 22nd-June 28th

June 23rd
- Girls Camp. Leaders only. 9 AM (Camp goes until the 28th)

June 24th
- Girls Camp. 1st,2nd,3rd, and 4th year girls. 9 AM
- Scrapbooking Open House at Laurie Butler's house. 5 PM to about Midnight.

June 25th
- Prison tour for the Young Men. 6:15 PM

June 28th
- Carwash Fundraiser for Young Men at Union Machine Shop. 9 AM to Noon.
- Pick up Young Women from Girls Camp by 9 AM.

Just starting out!!!


Hello, brothers and sisters of the Georgetown Ward! At the request of Brother Tew, I have decided to set up a blog where events in the ward may be posted for the week, as well as other things I might include, such as little spiritual thoughts I may share. Hope this will be of help to you guys!