Yeah it's safe to say that it's time to update the 72 hour kits!! We also just updated ours and I am positive that I will be ready for anything!!! I'm super stoked to be here and having that 72 hour kit gives me the peace of mind that if something truly does happen I am ready! Are you all ready? If somebody dies, are you ready to face the truth? If everything you own vanishes over night, are you ready?
I have been asking myself questions like that a lot! I'm still not sure why I have been asking myself those things, but I have been, and I have truly been able to better myself by changing the things necessary to be ready for anything!! I also had a very deep conversation the other day with the youth of the ward because I saw something among them that needed attention. Just for you all to have a small idea of what I mean, two weeks ago some of the youth were caught smoking in the church bathroom during the second hour! SO, I decided I needed to talk to them! I created a small example I thought all of the kids could understand. "If there was a man who was selling diamonds made of glass and another man selling diamonds, genuine diamonds, who would you buy from?"
I used this question and showed them all a picture of a fake diamond and a real diamond I asked them which was real and which was the diamond of glass. About half thought the glass diamond was the real one and it really showed them that just because two things look good only one (the real diamond) is of any worth. We as youth began to talk about the things that are real diamonds in their lives and about the things they have that are false diamonds, or in other words the things that have a true genuine value and the things that are just for show or short lasting joy. The following is a small example of the things they said.
TRUE DIAMONDS:
School
Family
The church
Friends
DIAMONDS OF GLASS:
Friends
boyfriends/ girlfriends
I wrote these lists down and asked them what was the difference between those two lists. They all told me that they have more true diamonds in their lives. I then shared a little story about my life before the mission. I told them all about the parties I would go to in Vegas and how I watched people do things to themselves that might look like it was super fun to do, but without fail those same people who were having such a good time drinking, smoking, hitting different drugs were always the people that ended up being sad. I then asked them if they wanted to add anything to those lists and they began to put things down that truly were the distractions in their lives. By the end of the small meeting we had, a good amount of them left crying and asking how they can change.
I just wanted to invite you all to think about the diamonds you have in your lives. Which ones are genuine and have true value, which are only there for appearance? Once we recognize the things that are truly important in our lives and the things that are just for looks it gives us a new perspective and helps us focus. The difference is this: the man that sells those diamonds of glass is Satan and the man who sells those precious gems we call diamonds is Jesus Christ. It's true that the real diamond costs a little bit more money and you're going to have to work a whole lot harder to obtain it but in the long run only the genuine diamond is going to be for you benefit! In the gospel we have so many precious truths that I can't even express how lucky we are! Don't let those false images of happiness that the world always presents distract you from working for those diamonds of blessings we have waiting for us when we show our faith and work hard to be obedient loyal followers of Christ!
Please go look in your vault of life and clean out all of those false diamonds you have in there. They are not of any value today and they aren't going to be of any value tomorrow. Thank you all for your faith and your example!
Elder McKee (mickey)
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