The Lord gave

Just like President Monson says in the Mormon message; "Don't assume that they know you love them, make sure you always tell them. That's not exact words but it's something like that. That is my message for the week. Sorry this is so short. Have a great week and keep on keepin on. Love Wes

Food for Thought by Weston 6-2-13 (Last one)

Hey everyone, How goes it? I know it has been a while since I last wrote I have been very busy. There is actually something that I have been wanting to write about for a few weeks now I just needed a little motivation. I ran into my old Bishop the other day and he asked me why I haven't written anything in a while so I figured that was The Lord kicking me in the butt telling me to write this email. So in order for me to be able to share what is on my mind I will have to tell y'all what is going on in my life kind of. I just moved back home in Hobble Creek Canyon with my parents because I got a job in Mapleton. The job I got is with a brick mason company. I am now working as a hod tender. It is hard work and when I first started we were working on a Zions Bank in Ephraim. I would wake up at 5 in the morning and wouldn't get home until 7 or 8 at night. It was very physical demanding but the principle I was reminded of makes me grateful for the work and time I spent there. We were laying brick on the roof above the drive up at this bank. Due to safety it was required that anyone who was walking out past the scaffolding you had to have a harness on and be tied onto the roof so you wouldn't fall. In order for me to get the masons the mud they needed I was required to be tied onto this roof. I could walk 20 feet one way and 20 feet the other way. On this rope i was hooked to there was this metal bracket that would slide against the metal roof and would bang against the scaffolding and it was actually really annoying. If I walked too far I would be pulled by this rope and it was really annoying. One of the masons that I work with said something that really just made me think. He said "the worst thing you can do to a man is take away his freedom." It really hit me and came with strong force into my mind. I think of the war in Heaven and satan and all that he has done. He tried to take away our freedom. He has the biggest influence for all the evil that has happened in this world through out all time. It made me realize how grateful I am for agency. Even when we go through the worst experiences because we chose the wrong path or someone else did. Agency is a beautiful gift we have been given. Probably the best gift next to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I have watched people lately make choices that they know are wrong and it breaks my heart and those around them as well. Watching someone you love use their agency the wrong way some would say is probably one of the hardest things ever. At the same time as I have seen people make wrong choices when they are hit on the head and realize that is not where they are going to find happiness they turn their lives around. Watching those changes happen and seeing the difference it makes in their lives and knowing their testimonies of the Atonement are getting stronger makes all those tough sleepless nights sweet tasting. The fact that because of The Savior we can do this and those who we care so much about can do this is such a great beautiful thing that proves we have a loving Father in Heaven. It is my prayer that we will all use our agency to do what is right and set ourselves free because the commandments and principles of the gospel are truly what will set us al free! I am grateful for what I have learned and I hope someone else might learn something from it as well! Thanks for your time! Remember to find good in others! -WestonReay John 8:32- And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

Food for Thought by Weston 3-31-13

So today as I was talking with my wonderful sister Dena she shared a verse that she read today and I think it is great and we can all learn from it. It is from the Doctrine and Covenants section 29 verse 39. 39 And it must needs be that the adevil should btempt the children of men, or they could not be cagents unto themselves; for if they never should have dbitter they could not know the sweet— In this verse I learned that through whatever temptations or trials we go through is for our benefit because we learn the bitter from the sweet. I have noticed lately a few things that I just know I need to do better at and I have had a lot of things on my mind lately. This verse that my sister shared with me was great because it was something I needed to hear. Do you ever feel like when you have a moment like this that you just want to keep going and helping out your spirit? I usually do and I sure as heck did today which is why when I got home today I was on the churches website when I came across a great video that is just beautiful from President Eyring. I will attach the link here and if you have time to watch it do. You will not regret it. The video is called mountains to climb. In this video he talks about how we are all going through trials that might cause some to question their faith. He says that if you are in these trials and your faith is fading that you need to remember why trials come. The Lord passed through trials more terrible than we can imagine. He talks about how the foundation of faith needs to be embedded in our hearts or our endurance will crumble. It seems to me like with every gospel principle most the time it ties right back into agency and action. We all have the agency to act upon our faith and we can either move up that ladder which leads to eternal life or we can let the adversary knock us down time and time again as he comes at us so quickly and relentlessly. We have to protect our faith in our savior because if he is the rock of our faith our testimonies will never crumble. Things will get better in due time because the Lord will not forsake us. I have noticed in my own life that sometimes the best way to heal our spiritual wounds is time but we cant just let time go by. President Eyring clearly points out that we have to serve diligently with full heart and soul into spiritual strength. We all can find this happiness and know of the sweet sensuous times and recognize them and embrace them to the fullest and know of heavenly fathers unfailing love for us as we have the faith that president Eyring talks about. The last thing that I wanted to bring up in this email is from a quote by Dallin Oaks from a conference talk he gave in 2000. The piece of this talk that stood out to me is where he stated "to testify is to know and to declare. The gospel challenges us to be converted which requires us to do and to become." Everyone that reads these emails has a testimony of the gospel but the true question is what do you do about it? When you can answer that question by saying you declare and strive to become like your savior thats when I feel you know without a doubt that you are truly converted. I love how he talks about becoming because that is so vital in conversion. Let us all be more of a becoming group of people so we can testify, declare, and do the things that show we are representatives of Christ. Thank y'all for reading and remember not only to keep on keepin' on but to look for good in others. -Weston Reay https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/mormon-messages?lang=eng&country=ca#2013-01-003-mountains-to-climb

Food for Thought by Weston 2-1-13

Hey everyone it's me again. You probably are sick of hearing from me and if that is the case then you can just trash this right now: however, for those of you who may get something out of my emails or just like to read then here is some food for thought. I kind of have a confession to make. As many of you know I have made it a goal to go to the temple every week. Friday is the only day I can make it because school and work. I went to school this morning and I was ready to go to the temple after I got out of school. So I got out of school and I was tired. As I'm driving in my car towards the temple I just keep getting tempted to not go. I kept thinking it's just one week, you can go next week when your mom can actually go (my mom had to stay home with sick kids). I literally had to talk myself into going which I feel really bad about. I pulled up and I wasn't as excited to be there as I usually am. It was really just an off day for me and I know that when you are having an off day the best thing you can do is involve the lord more. So I went in and did work in the temple. Even after I did that work I didn't feel spiritually high or great after I walked out of there. I didn't feel like I wasted an hour or so of my day I just felt like it wouldn't have hurt me if I would have missed it. You might be asking yourself "why is Weston spilling all this to us?" I am about to tell you why. I got out to my car and I went to put my temple recommend back in my temple bag when I saw a little piece of paper that said thanks with a smiley face on it. It reminded me a few things. The first thing is that it might not have hurt me if I didn't go to the temple today but it might hurt someone on the other side of the veil. The second thing that I was reminded of was that even when you have an experience where the temple isn't as amazing as the week before or that one time you went with your grandma and felt the spirit so strong it is you showing God you are trying and when you do that he builds your faith. The reason why this little smiley thank you note reminded me of these things is another story which I am going to tell you. So this last summer right after I got home my family went on a trip to Oregon and California. When we were in San Diego (discovered by the Germans) we went to the temple and while there Dylan and I got to participate in baptisms for the dead. It was such a rad experience being in that temple and feeling the love from those people. After we finished the baptisms we went to go change and in my dressing room on the ground was this little piece of paper. It said "thanks :)" and when I read it I knew that it was from beyond the veil. There was someone waiting for Dylan and I to do what we did just like there are people who were waiting for me to do their work today. That note reminded me of that. I didn't go to the temple just for me, I went for those people who need our help. Every time I go I am going for someone else. I am a little embarrassed that I had to be reminded of that but I once heard a wise quote that read "good people learn from their mistakes but great people learn from others mistakes." The reason I say that is because it wasn't a huge mistake that I made and I feel like a lot of people forget the real reason we go to the temple which is for the people who need us. Learn from this experience. When we go to the temple let's all think about what we are doing and who we are effecting. I'm glad I had this experience because it taught me and built and strengthened my faith and it is my prayer that someone can learn from this. Let's build our faith and become who God wants us to be by doing what we are supposed to even when we don't feel like we are benefiting from it because it's not about us. Its about God and what He has asked. Thanks for letting me share my experiences. Keep on keepin on!

Food for Thought by Weston 1-20-13

Food for thought.... So this past week I had a great experience that may not seem very significant to many but it was a good experience for me. So I was pondering about a specific circumstance and praying and wondering what to do about it. I didn't know what to do. My Mom and I try to make it to the temple once a week (which we are awesome at by the way). On Thursday we went to the temple and did sealings. It was great as the temple always is! Like I mentioned I had been praying and trying to figure out what to do with this certain situation with my life. By the way it's nothing huge so you don't have to worry about what it is. When I got out of the temple I hopped in my car and I grabbed my phone to see what had been going on in the world over the last hour or so. When I look at my phone I had three texts that were an answer to my prayers and to my circumstances in life at that time. It was so great! it reminded me of these versus in the Bible..... 16 Jesus answered them, and said, My adoctrine is not mine, but his that bsent me. 17 If any man will ado his bwill, he shall cknow of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own aglory: but he that seeketh his bglory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. In these versus we learn that if we test the doctrine we will know whether or not it is what God wants us to do. In my case the doctrine is go to the temple once a week. As I have gone to the temple I have been able to see that is what God wants me to do and when I do so He blesses me with what I need. He always answers prayers. I learn every time I have to be patient because I wanted this answer right away but I had to be patient and He delivered as He always does! Glory to Him and gratitude as well. It was such a great experience for me to be reminded that when you do what is right God gives you what you need. Another thing that i wanted to write about was a book/talk that I read from Pres. Uchtdorf called "Forget me not." In this talk I learned a lot and appreciated it so much (even though the talk was addressed to the relief society sisters). I liked how he spoke about forgetting not to be happy. Immediately when I read this part of the book I was thinking of my Grandma. She was always the person in my life that could make me smile. No matter how I was feeling whether I was up or down she could cheer me right up. As many of you know I wasn't always the happiest person growing up but I remember she would come in the house and give me a big hug and a kiss and would pull me up out of my chair and would dance with me. I sure miss that. She never forgot to be happy. I wasn't able to be at her funeral, but I did watch the recording of it and I've been wanting to write a thankful little note to her and my Grandpa Jackson. I am so grateful for both of them in my life for all they have done. Grandma Jackson implanted in my brain that I choose what I want to be. When I wake up in the morning I can choose whether or not I want to have a good or bad day. She didn't really teach me this with words either it was more by the way she lived her life. She showed this especially in the last few months I got to spend with her. She is such a strong person, as is her husband. I am thankful to my Grandpa for showing me strength and patience in those last months of her life. The other reason I want to thank him is for teaching me the importance of setting goals. Ever since I got home from my mission I have had the goal of going to the temple once a week. I wouldn't have had near as many wonderful spiritual experiences as I have had if it wasn't for those weekly visits. For that I thank him. I hope that we can all learn from both of them. Forget not to be happy and set goals and stick to them. It is my hope and prayer that we will all do these thinks. Thanks for your time! Keep on keepin' on! Love Wes

AFTER THE MISSION.... Food for thought from Weston 12-8-12

Hey guys this week as I was thinking about life and all that is going on in my life there was one principle of the gospel that would not leave my head and I did not understand why. That word is CHARITY. What is charity? I thought that to myself. What is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the word charity? Some may say service or maybe the pure love of Christ. So what does that really entail? What is the PURE love of CHRIST? None of us can comprehend how much he really loves us all. For those of you who have kids or a spouse I know you understand his love a heck of a lot better than I do. When I ponder about Christ and all of the wonderful qualities he has the one thing that just gives me the chills and makes me love him so much is forgiveness. I have a quote from my uncle Bill that I received when I was on my mission and it has stuck with me ever since. He said about charity and forgiveness, "If charity is the foundational Gift of the Spirit, encompassing nearly all others, then FORGIVENESS is one of the chief cornerstones! They go hand in hand. Forgiveness is a hallmark of the “pure love of Christ.” No one did it better! No one offers it more freely. His ability to forgive is driven by love. That we could all benefit from this gift, as well, is a given." The greatest act of charity is forgiveness. My favorite verse comes from the bible in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the fifth chapter nineteenth verse. Because of Christ all of our imperfections can be forgotten because of the Lord, his love, and the principle of forgiveness. I love the Lord and know that no matter how hard it is to forgive people that have wronged us or those around us that it is Him, Jesus Christ that will help us through the process and we can forgive them even if we think it is impossible. We all want to be found with charity at the last day so forgiveness is essential for us all. In the Book Of Mormon we read: 46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— 47 But acharity is the pure blove of Christ, and it endurethcforever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, apray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true bfollowers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall cbe like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be dpurified even as he is pure. Amen. May we all do everything to have this PURE love of the Savior so that one day we can be like him. As we do this we can all grow and do so together. No matter what someone has done to us we have to forgive them. The Lord will forgive who He chooses but of us we must forgive everyone and for everything. It will be well for us all and there will blessings waiting for us in Heaven and here on earth as we do this. Forgive everyone. Thanks.