Uplifting messages

Mathew 9: 37-38
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

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There are many mountains in our life. Lets not dwell on the negative as we climb but focus on how much we have grown when we conquer one!

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Alma 26:16
16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.



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1 John 4:18
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear....




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"This Jesus, who is called Christ, wrought out a perfect atonement for all mankind by His incomparable life, His suffering in Gethsemane, the shedding of His blood, His death upon the cross, and His glorious Resurrection. He conquered the grave, and because of Him, so will we." 
Bishop Keith B. McMullin, "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee", Ensign, May 2004, 34





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John 15:13
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.



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“Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.” 
― Gordon B. Hinckley



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‎3 Nephi 18:24 
24. Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up - That which ye have seen me do.



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What are you waiting for?

Have you ever been doing something that you love to do and then look at the clock and realize that it has been several hours? When in reality it seems like only 5 minutes. Well don't be afraid to say yes in your mind because it has definitely happened to me and I am pretty sure most everyone has had the same experience.

I have been serving my mission for just about a year now and I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like yesterday I was packing my bags to enter into the missionary training center (MTC).
It sometimes frightens me to look back and realize how fast time has gone because I often realize, and have some regret on the things that I could have done in the past.

Regret is one of the adversary's greatest tools. It can cause someone to become depressed, less confident in themselves, and dwell in the past.

I know that we aren't superhuman and can't do everything that we want, and obviously there will always be things that we wish we would have done, but as the old saying goes, "it is water under the bridge".

Something that we can do is, "live it up," every second we have and enjoy the life that God has given us. MAKE THE MOST OF IT!
As we live and keep the commandments that our loving Heavenly Father has given to us, we will find so much joy in our life and will be able to look back each day and say to ourselves. WHAT A GREAT DAY!

I have been trying my hardest to recognize the blessings I receive everyday to help me live each day with little regret.

I want to say to everyone, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Get out there and live your life to the fullest. God has a wonderful plan for you and all you have to do is listen to his council.
Keep your head up and your eyes looking forward. There is not enough time for us to be looking back.  

ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE

"Now I plead with you, dear brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, let every one of you speak according to the same spirit, so that there would be no divisions among you; and be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment. (1 Corinthians 1:10)"

-UNITY-

Sports team, co-workers, service projects, church activities, family... the list goes on and on.
Are we united in the things we are doing?
Serving a mission has taught me a lot about life and most importantly a lot about myself.
I am a very self motivated and independent person, and it was very interesting and I would say kind of a struggle trying to get used to having a constant companion who also has an opinion.
I quickly learned that as companions we must be united in order to move forward.

Just recently my mission president was released and a new one was called. The first meeting we had with him he explained to us the vision and goals he had for the mission.
President Alba's vision is to be a united mission. With love and obedience we will be able to become more united in the great work of the lord.

Its funny how the things in life that will make us happy all come from the gospel of Jesus Christ, coincidence? I think not! Our loving Heavenly Father knows what he is doing and we can truly trust him.

I encourage all who read this blog to find something in your life that you feel like needs more unity, and strive to change it. Please don't feel like you have to change every aspect of your life to become more united in the area you have chosen. Don't be afraid to take baby steps.

Rusty Old Chains

One link, Two link, Three link... a chain is endless,  as it grows one link at a time the weight becomes heavier and heavier until you can't possibly lift it by yourself.

You might be thinking what does this have to do with anything? Well I am here to say that all of us are carrying a chain and a lot of the links could be rusty, and some freshly made. These chains aren't literally metal chains that we carry around everyday but chains of guilt, shame, sorrow, and grief. 

How do we get these chains? 

Mosiah 3:19

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
There is no possible way to avoid these nasty chains, but there is definatly a way to keep the chain small and keep the load light.

How do we rid of the chains we have?

 As the scripture mentioned we can put off the natural man and rid of those rusty old chains. But it is only through the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has the power and love to break any link that we are willing to turn over to him. 
I invite everyone to turn towards our loving savior who is waiting for us to simply ask if he will take away the heavy load that weighs us down. We can start by reading and praying.

I testify this to be true. I have seen it in my life and in the lives of many others as I have served a mission for my Lord. 

Taking down the mask

Who are you?

Over the past few months I've found myself asking this question to many people. I dont ask it in a rude or prideful way, but in an interested way. I am very curious to know who people really are, not just the mask they hide behind as they go from their day to day activities. I admit that I often put the mask on when I get in certain situations, but I have made it a goal to take down the mask and just simply be myself.

As I was thinking the other day about my mission it hit me that it's so important for me, to be me. The Lord has called Elder Tyler Volksen to serve a mission, not a robot that walks around handing out cards and saying the same thing over and over again to everyone. I was called to be a missionary but also to be myself, and I've been trying my hardest to do so. I know that a big part of the reason I have been called to this mission is because of my personality, not the mask, but the real me that is going to be able to connect with those people that the lord has and will put in my path.

Everyone has a personality that God has given them. Let your personality shine. Don't hide behind the mask of that unkown person any longer.

 Thanks Be to God
 Elder Russell M. Nelson
"The spirit provides the body with animation and personality."

Eyes on the horizon

Knuckles white, as my sweaty palms clung tightly to the yoke. I couldn't believe that this day had finally come, it didn't seem real to me. I was so nervous to make a mistake that would send the beautiful aircraft and the two precious souls in the cockpit tumbling to the ground. Yes, I was indeed flying an airplane for the first time. 
As my eyes were glued to the instrument panel making sure everything was right on, a calm but bold voice came from my Instructor Colonel Glenn Whicker (who is a well versed pilot and fantastic instructor). He said "Keep your eyes on the horizon. Don't worry so much about all the instruments and gauges."
For the longest time I couldn't understand why in the world he would want me to focus so much on the horizon and not the instruments that were put there to keep us alive.
Col. Glenn Whicker calmly explained to me, "The horizon is something that will never change. All of the gauges in front of you will always be moving due to minor changes the aircraft is constantly making because of weather/air movement. As you fix your eyes on the horizon, you will easily be able to tell if the airplane starts to climb or fall."
I took this advice and slowly applied it to my flying. Well what do you know? It really works! I look back at my experience now and remember how stressed I used to be while trying to keep the airplane straight and level by just using the gauges. I found much more joy in flying as I kept my eyes on the horizon,  being able to view the wonderful planet that God has created for us.

As a missionary  I have been blessed with many opportunity's to learn and to grow. One of the greatest things I have learned on my mission is simply what I learned during my first flight. Don't focus so much on the world around me and try to stay on the straight path. It is very hard and we must simply look towards the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is forever unchanging and is there to keep our lives on a straight and level flight. Just as the horizon is always there for every pilot, no matter where he or she might be in the world, so is the gospel.
God, who is our loving Heavenly Father has restored the fullness of the Gospel to the earth to never be taken away again. What a blessing it is to know that we will always have something to look towards that will guide our lives no matter what situation we might be in.

- The Iron Rod - Hymn # 274
"Hold to the rod, the iron rod;’Tis strong, and bright, and true.
The iron rod is the word of God;’Twill safely guide us through."

Fight To Win

"Don't break anything, don't get into any fights. If you do, Fight to win"
-Christopher D. Volksen-

What comes to mind when you hear the words, "Fight To Win?"
As a teenager my Father would tell me this everyday before I left for school. In my mind, when I would hear these words, I thought of black eyes, bruises, and bloody noses. Not the prettiest picture you could paint for these few words.

As I was sitting at my study desk today thinking about life, Fight To Win suddenly jumped into my head. I thought about it for some time and slowly came to realize that there is much much more to these Three powerful words!

In all of our lives we all face challenges and trials that will make us fight for some kind of victory. Whether it be school, friends, family, sports, or career. Lets face it, we are all human and none of us are perfect.

Before I started my mission I would find myself outside all the time! I love the outdoors, and one of my favorite activities was rock climbing.

Looking up at the rock and then back down at my hands taped up and covered in chalk, the only thing running through my mind was, "This climb is impossible, my hands hurt, and I am not good enough for this climb". My mind was full of negative thoughts that seemed to really weigh on me.
I rested for a bit, just staring at the massive rock which seemed to get bigger and bigger as the evening went on. But after some time I felt rested enough and ready to try to conquer this rock one last time before the sun slipped behind the mountains. Stepping up to the giant, I was running through the different holds and foot placements I would be preforming during this climb in my head.
The first couple moves went great but, as I approached the spot where I couldn't get past, I could feel my forearms start to burn and fingers becoming weak.
Two more moves and I will make it to the top, "Come on Volksen you got this", I kept shouting in my head. Using what strength I had left in me I reached out for the hold that seemed impossible. To my surprise I felt my finger tips snag the hold! Suddenly my energy shot to the sky! I grabbed hold and made the final two moves to finally finish the climb. It is a moment I will always remember! The taste of victory is very sweet! It is something we all should strive for.

As I think back to this past experience and to the famous words, "Fight To Win", I think of how differently my attitude would have been about one of my favorite hobbies if I wouldn't have fought to "WIN."
I hope that this short story and these few words that my father told me will be able to encourage you to strive for a victory in what ever your fight is at this time. Like I said before, the taste of victory is sweet!

D&C 103:36
All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence......