Cevada

"I filled out Luiz's family baptismal forms and talked to them for a little while, ending our meeting with a piping hot cup of Cevada. A delicious drink that's like coffee and not prohibited by the Word of Wisdom down here. I will have to bring some back for you all to try. The direct translation of Cevada is barley, but do you know of any hot drinks made with barley in the United States? I don't."

Cevada is 100% natural, produced from selected barley grains. This product is being used to substitute for traditional coffee because it does not contain caffeine. It has a unique and pleasant flavor. It is available as an instant drink or a traditionally roasted and ground powder.

Confident In My Message

"We, these last few days, have just been clearing up a lot of doubts from our investigators. Most of them have doubts about the Book of Mormon. That leads us into 2 Nephi 29 and a long explanation of the origin and how it can really help us learn more about the Savior and we need to know at least a little bit about Him if we want Him to exalt us, right? Some people are stubbornly firm on the Bible being the only true scripture on the face of the earth. But I guess one day we will all know who was right and who was wrong. I am 120% confident in my message."

The Second Book of Nephi, Chapter 29

Good Luck Elder Junk from Elder Tonks

"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeeminence, positions, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrafice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrty. I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up and paid up for the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear"

~ The author is unknown, but is believed to be a young pastor in Africa who was martyred for his faith in Jesus Christ.

“…and it's times like these you learn to live again.

"I'm sure gonna miss Christian these next few years, but I'm glad he is going out to do the right thing. I know he will dominate out there in the mission field."

Curtis' good friend Christian leaves for his mission in Jamaica today. They will have been apart for 3 1/2 years by the time Christian returns home. Curtis wrote Christian a long letter and I'm posting a paragraph on his website.

Stay hopeful and faithful. Times get hard, you feel homesick, you miss milk chugs at 12:01 a.m. on Monday mornings, you get really tired and dirty, maybe you will get some lazy and boring companions, and sometimes feel a little sick. But remember the lesson in D&C 122:7-9. The Lord went below it all so he could lift us above it all. And he will, when we rely on him. A few weeks ago I was studying Hope for a training lesson I had to give in a district meeting. I was searching Ensigns for a good quote on hope and I came to this one, a classic by Neal A. Maxwell: "Genuine hope is urgently needed in order to be more loving even as the love of many waxes cold; more merciful, even when misunderstood or misrepresented; more holy, even as the world ripens in iniquity; more courteous and patient in a coarsening and curt world; and more full of heartfelt hope, even when other men’s hearts fail them. Whatever our particular furrow, we are to "plow in hope" without looking back or letting yesterday hold tomorrow hostage" (1 Cor. 9:10). Always hope for the best. Today can always be better than yesterday, if you make it.

Elder Brandon Bradley

"Have you heard about Elder Bradley, the missionary who went home in March from here and is now like the hot new thing for BYU Football? We saw a huge newspaper article about him the other day, that talks about how President Urry faxed his signed papers to Coach Mendenhall and now he is finally living there and practicing. I feel pretty proud to know him, and I hope he does really well. He is a good guy."

Brandon Bradley and BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall took a leap of faith this past winter. It remains to be seen if the leap this pair took ends in a pot of gold. But the pact they made was as blind as contracts come when Mendenhall offered Bradley, of Tallahassee, Fla., a scholarship without ever meeting him or watching game film of his career at Florida's famed Lincoln High.

And for Bradley, who signed with the Cougars while serving an LDS mission to Sao Paulo, Brazil this past February, it was equally a matter of trust and faith on a level that's just not done in college football, when dealing with scholarships worth tens of thousands of dollars over four years.

The ultimate blind set-up. When Bradley signed his letter-of-intent and faxed it to BYU, he was below the equator, three time zones away.

Bradley, who signed with Louisville out of high school, set foot on BYU's campus for the first time on March 12, a few weeks after he returned from his mission and a month after he signed.

Read the Deseret News Story

Always...

Henry B. Eyring was commissioner of education and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this fireside address was given at Brigham Young University on 3 January 1999.

Years ago I served as the bishop of a ward composed of young people. Time has wiped away much of what I learned then of their sorrows and mistakes, but I can still see in my mind most of their faces. I meet some of them as I travel about the world. Their faces and their physiques have been changed enough by time that I sometimes stumble trying to remember names. Others I have followed more closely, with a chance to know what life has offered them. When I learn of their lives, I am amazed at the variety of their experiences. Each life seems to be unique. About all they have in common, as nearly as I can tell, is that they have been surprised by the pattern of the tests of their faith. The surprise has come because they could not know when the tests would come, what they would be, nor how long they would last.

For a few, the tests are over. For some of the members of that ward, the tests ended early. I was reminded of one young man the other day. For me his face will always be young and bright with hope. He left our ward for a mission in Japan. Decades later I mentioned his name in a talk I gave to a group of Latter-day Saints in Tokyo. After the meeting a number of members came to me, their faces shining with the brightness that I remember in his face when he returned from his mission. They told that he was "their" missionary. If I understood their English, they said that he was the greatest missionary they had ever known.

I was released as the bishop when our family was asked to move to another state. I kept track of that missionary enough to know that he had graduated from college, applied to medical school, and been accepted. I did not know his plans for the summer before he began medical school, but I am sure that he looked forward with great anticipation to the years ahead.

A phone rang where we then lived, and I learned that he had been killed. He and friends had gone to climb a peak in the Wind River Range in the western United States. I was invited to speak at his funeral. I asked some of the young men who had been climbing with him, friends from our old ward family, to meet me at the chapel where the service would begin in a few minutes. We went to a room to be alone. After we had renewed our acquaintance, I asked if they would tell me something about our friend's life. I think they knew why.

Read "Always" by Henry B. Eyring

Elder Silveira's Favorite Band

Banda Calypso was formed in Belém in 1999, by the couple Joelma (vocal and choreographies) and Chimbinha (guitar). Initially restricted to the musical circuit of the North and Northeast of Brazil, the band today have great success in all the country and are becoming popular outside of Brazil.


Banda Calypso became known in Brazil by rhythm of calypso, original rhythm of the South Caribbean and adapted the regional rhythms in Pará. Many credit ska as a great influence in the work of the band. Some classify the band as MPB, a more general label.

Musica Popular Brasileira (MPB) is a common term for the Brazilian popular music that developed alongside the bossa nova. Although not strictly a form of tropicalia music, many MPB musicians have played tropicalia, and the two are sometimes used synonymously. Compared to the songs of tropicalia musicians, the greatest common bond is in the lyrics, which are well thought out, keyed to musical events of the accompaniment, poetic, elegant, and above all, socially aware. Rock, folk, classical, samba, bossa nova, and more are all part of the musical mix of tropicalia. But tropicalia lasted for only a few years — the style expanded and is better known today as MPB.

Listen to Banda Calypso

Finding Faith In Christ

"We are teaching this lady named Ana Lucia who has been having lots of struggles in her life and is really needing something like the Church and the Gospel in her life. We gave her the Finding Faith in Christ DVD and she loved it. I love it too. We are teaching her about twice a week and she is gonna come to church tomorrow. She is an excellent investigator, to say the least, and I can see a lot of future progress out of her."

Thomas, the Lord’s Apostle, knew. Though many think of him as one who doubted, he overcame his doubt. As one who saw the resurrected Savior, Thomas bore testimony that helped others find faith in the Lord and believe in the gospel.

You also know. Though at times you may wish you were stronger or wiser, you too have a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. You want to share it so much that sometimes you feel you could almost burst. You know the gospel would bless your neighbors, but how can you express what you feel?

A new Church film may help.

Share the message of the Savior with those whom you love

Why Settle...?

"I was reading a talk by Matthew Cowley and he was talking about a book called the Key to Theology that Parley P. Pratt wrote in the year 1851 or 1852, I can't remember. But in that book, Parley P. Pratt said, "I don't know why man has settled in going 60 or 70 miles per hour on the ground when he can go 1000 miles per hour in the air". Many people at the time thought he was crazy, I think he was just a prophet because about 60 years after that the Wright Brothers invented the airplane. Thats my new motto about all things in life, "Why settle doing something one way when you could change your ways a little bit and do it 20 times better?" Pretty cool, huh?"

Miracles

"We have some baptisms marked that I am pretty stoked about. It's the wife and daughter of a long time faithful member of our ward. His name is Luiz and his wife is Iranete and their daughter is Lindaiuly. Thats a pretty hard one to pronounce but it doesn't really matter, she is really cool. In fact, I was noticing the other night, her prayers are like 8 times better than mine. You gotta have the faith of a child. Without it, you won't get anywhere. Check out the talk called "Miracles" by Matthew Cowley. He talks a bunch about faith of a child. It's cool. One of my favorite talks."

Miracles by Matthew Cowely

Missing The Movies

"You know what film every person and their dog is talking about down here? The Da Vinci Code. It's turning into some religion down here. I swear, I am getting sick of people talking to me, asking me if Jesus was married and all of these secrets. I don't know. So yeah, I am definitely not going to see that one. There are really only three movies that I want to see: Star Wars, King Kong and Batman Begins."

Elder Silveira - My New Companion

"Everyone pray for me and my new companion, Elder Silveira. Yet another excellent Brazilian. He is from Belem de Para, up in the very north of Brasil. He is one of those really happy guys who loves the mission and working hard. He has about 9 months on the mission now and we have known each other for the last few. We are gonna burn down Jd. Camargo Novo with our missonary skills. He reminds me of my old buddy Kevin Wood, who is somewhere in Bulgaria right now. I don't know why, he just does."