the atonement

Last night, I attended one of the best firesides I have EVER attended! I wanted to share some things that were said, as well as some of my thoughts. Usually, I would only put this sort of thing in my journal. However, I feel like the things that were taught and the things that I feel, need to be shared. I hope that everyone who reads this will be able to take something from it. I know that just about everyone left the fireside in tears last night. It was amazing and the Spirit was so incredibly strong.

Kory Kunz spoke (and sang) about The Atonement using only two verses from the Book of Mormon.

Alma 7:11-12 reads:

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

(For the most part, what I write are my thoughts, stories, testimony. If it was something Kory said, I will give him credit.)



1. Christ suffered pain.
We all suffer pain. Physical pain. Emotional pain. Spiritual pain. Etc. Some people suffer more than others, but we have all experienced pain.
Madison is 23 months old (today!). She has suffered a lot of pain in her life. At 5 weeks old, she was hospitalized for 4 days.

She was hospitalized again for 4 days when she was 14 months old.

Both times she had IVs. As a new mom, it was so hard to watch them insert the IV into her tiny little arm, as she screamed and I helped hold her down.
By the time she was 4 months old, she had had so many ear infections, the doctor decided it was time to put tubes in her ears. Although it wasn't major, she had this surgery done the day before Valentine's Day. Within 6 months, the tubes had fallen out and she started to get ear infections again. So less than one year after the first set of tubes, she had another set put in. Along with the tubes, she had her adenoids taken out (similar to having your tonsils taken out). And less than a month after that, she had a hernia removed. By the time she was 16 months old, she had had 3 surgeries. (Even though the first one was minor, it was pretty traumatic for both of us. She was only 4 months old and was put under anesthesia).
On top of the ear infections, she has dealt with chronic acid reflux. It seems to be under control now, but up until recently, we dealt with a lot of throwing up, screaming all night, refusing to eat, etc. She would go off and on medications trying to get it under control.
So, you get the idea. My daughter has suffered quite a bit. I have suffered right along with her. Every time she was in pain, I was too. I wanted to take all of her hurt and pain, take it away from her, and feel it myself, instead of her.
This is what our Brother, Jesus Christ, did for us. He felt every pain we ever have and ever will. He knows how we feel. When we feel pain, we can go to our Father for comfort. He can't always take that pain away, but He loves us and He will be there for us! He hurts when we hurt.


2. Afflictions. An affliction is great suffering and distress due to adversity, and adversity is someone who offers opposition (Satan). Christ suffered Afflictions.
Kory told the story of how he suffered greatly when his young daughter sinned. He pleaded to Father to help him to know how to help her. He told the answer to his prayer came as clear as day. Heavenly Father told him that she was His daughter too and that it was HER trial, not his. I thought that was very powerful. Like pain, sometimes as a parent, its hard to see our children suffer. But sometimes it is necessary. Kory explained how we don't grow when we're happy. We grow through trials and AFFLICTIONS.
I thought about opposition and the afflictions I have suffered in my own life. The greatest one being temple marriage. Growing up, when I envisioned my wedding, the only place I ever thought it would be, the only option for me, was the temple (the Manti temple, to be exact). In the summer of 2003, I met Nick. We didn't know each other very well at all when he proposed. And it wasn't until AFTER I said yes that he told me that he would not be able to take me to the temple. He and I discussed getting married right away and being sealed at a later date. I knew it wasn't what I wanted and that's when we started having problems. We later broke up. Two years later, I met Brian and went through the same thing. Brian and I were engaged when I went through the temple in June. We were supposed to get married (civilly) yesterday, September 12. After going through, my desire for a temple marriage came back and it was so strong. I talked to Brian about my feelings, but he would not change his feelings. I was forced to choose between him and the church, the temple, an eternal family. A few weeks later, I was able to be there when Jeni and Jordan were sealed. Sitting in the sealing room, I KNEW that was where I wanted to be someday. I don't want to get married civilly with a promise of getting sealed later. I am worth more than that. I look forward to the day that I can kneel at that alter and look into the eyes of someone who loves me and know that its forever. I don't want someone that only wants me till death. I want someone that wants for eternity. And I am not going to do anything to compromise my temple marriage or my eternal family. Although I know what I want now, I look back and think how awful it is that Satan can deceive the way he does. Had I married Nick or Brian, I know the consequences would have been great.


3. Temptations.
Kory told us that the number one temptation in the world is pornography. He gave some statistics that I didn't write down. I was going to google it, but googling anything with the word pornography is never a good idea. So, I'm going to try to remember what he said, but could be wrong. He said for the first 150 years that General Conference was held, the word "pornography" was never spoken once. He then gave the names of the prophets and how many times they said it in just General Conference. The first one to say it said it only once. The next one said it only a few times, etc. He gave exact numbers, but I don't remember who said it and how many times. But then he got down to President Hinkley, who said it around 47 times. To me, that is just amazing that he could see how important it was that members of the church need to be warned.
For me, personally, I don't have a lot of problems with temptations (I hope this doesn't sound prideful). I pray on a daily basis that I don't put myself in a position to be tempted and that if I am tempted, I can be strong enough, and the Spirit can be strong enough to remind me of where I've been, who I am, what is most important to me, and where/what I don't want to go through again.
Once you do fall into temptation, it is so hard to get out. The best way to avoid temptation, is to avoid situations where you know you will be tempted. Because once you are tempted, and fall, its no longer a temptation, its sin. And sin can turn into infirmities (which I'm getting to).



4. Sickness.
When we're sick, whether it be cancer or the common cold, we can use the atonement. When we pray, we can expect miracles. The miracle we can expect is that we can be comforted. Our illness might not be cured, but our hearts can be healed.
Kory told the story of Bruce R. McConkie shortly before he died. I was going to share a shortened version from my memory, but I found his story as written by his wife:
"Some 15 years ago, my husband Bruce R. McConkie was very ill. The doctor told us he had two months to live, at the most. However, Bruce felt he still had some things he wanted to do. The Brethren gave him a blessing and his family gathered to share their faith and prayers. He lived an additional fourteen months, although he was very ill much of that time. He never thought he wasn't going to get better. He told me time and time again that this was the Lord's test for him, and that he had enough faith in and of himself to be healed. "Early in February, on an overcast day much like today, I decided to make a pie to cheer him up, as he loved pie. While I was doing this he lay on the floor in our bedroom, which he often did. He had a pencil and paper in hand and was writing. Then he came into the kitchen where I was working and said, 'Do you want to hear what I'm going to talk about in Conference?'"The pie was almost finished and I wanted to get it in the oven, but I soon realized that you don't make pies while he's talking like this. So I stopped and sat down to listen. He read to me his talk, and I said, 'It's the most beautiful thing you've ever written, but how will you ever do it?' He was so ill and so weak. 'I don't know,' he answered, 'but I will.'"His doctor was so worried. 'You've got a dying man on your hands; you must not let him speak at conference. If he tries, he will collapse on nationwide television.' But I couldn't try to stop him. He was determined to do it and nothing could have stopped him. Our son said, 'I don't think there's anything Dad wanted to do more than preach that last sermon at Conference.' So our children fasted together, asking that their father would have the physical and emotional strength to fulfill his wish."During the Saturday morning session of April 1985 General Conference, a thin Bruce R. McConkie took his place at the pulpit and despite his weakened condition, he bore majestic testimony to the truths so integral to his life and mission. He testified, 'I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God's Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.' (Excerpted from his Conference address) "The following Sunday Elder Packer visited him at home and gave him a blessing in which he told Bruce he should 'quit resisting the will of the Lord.' We both knew what he meant. At the conclusion, with tears running down his face, Bruce looked at me as I stood at the foot of the bed, and said, 'Amelia, do you know what he just did?' 'Yes,' I answered, 'he has sealed you unto death.'"That was so hard on Bruce. He wanted so much to live. But as I showed Elder Packer out, Bruce got up, folded the bedspread as he always did at night, got ready for bed, and got under the covers. Always before he would insist that I make the bed and he would lay on top of it, fully dressed. But this was his way of saying to the Lord, 'I am bowing to your will.' He passed away a short time later."



5. Death.
Kory had attended a funeral just a few hours before speaking. The man who had died was in Kory's ward. The man had been married ten years, he and his wife had five children. This man was taken unexpectedly from this life, he was murdered last Sunday. He explained how different this funeral, for a member of the church, differed from a funeral that would have been held for a nonmember. He said Paige, the widow, was at peace and so calm. He said he knew the reason she was, was because she knew that she would be with him again. They had been sealed and kept their covenants and lived a faithful life. Then he sang a song for us that he sang at the funeral. Its called "I Believe". Its on the internet and I don't know how to get it uploaded here, but you can listen to it at:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2346668/i_believe/


Its amazing to think about how much pain we feel when we lose someone we love. Yet, they feel the same way! They go to a better place, but feel sorrow because we feel pain.



6. Sin and 7. Infirmities
When most people hear the word "atonement" they automatically think "sin". The atonement is there to help us repent of our sins. We have been taught this since primary, so I'm not really going to go into it. An infirmity is a sin that is hard to overcome, where the desire to change is there, but Satan has such a strong (firm) hold on us, that it seems impossible to overcome. But I know, from experience, that with the help of our Heavenly Father, we can overcome our sins. Many times, we must seek council and guidance from our Bishop and Stake President. But they are there for us, they love us, and they want to see us succeed.



Kory also told us the story of how he met his wife. I won't tell the whole story because its almost 2 am and I am really tired. But he became his wife's best friend in college while she waited for a missionary. She didn't marry the missionary, she married the man who had become her best friend. On their 10 year anniversary, he wrote her a song and sang it to us. That song was sung at my Aunt Cassie's wedding reception (the words were changed to fit her story). I remembered that day and how happy she was. I can't wait for the day that I can marry my best friend and be that happy. But just for Cassie, I found the song that Kory sang and I wanted to share it. It is at:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2346764/this_is_love/