100 Day Challenge!

I am challenging you, yes you, to read the Book of Mormon in a hundred days! My visiting teacher extended the challenge to me. My first thought was I could never read the Book of Mormon so quickly. How would I ever find the time to read that much every day with my two kids running around. But I knew that it was a challenge that would be worth while so I accepted.

I began January 1st and I was finished by March 5th! I had read the book of Mormon a couple of times before but this challenge really helped me to see how important it is that I include reading the scriptures into my life. Every day that I read I felt better. I could feel the Holy Ghost guiding me in my efforts whether it was getting the kitchen clean that day or finding someone to share the gospel with. I had a drive to know the word of God not just to read it. I was soon talking about the scriptures to my husband and quoting scripture in my conversations with my friends. By living up to the challenge that I was challenging myself to live the gospel and to be better and I fell in love with living the gospel in the process. When I am reading  every day, morning and night, I was the person that I knew my Heavenly Father wanted me to be. I would make time for the scriptures and in turn the Lord was making time for all the things that I needed to get done so that I could dedicate more of my time to doing His work. It was amazing and it all happened because I was reading the Book of Mormon with the intent to be better.

I know that if you whole heartedly accept this challenge and make it the most important thing that you do everyday even above taking care of your children that it will change your life and lead you on the path to perfection. You will become the person that you hoped you would be some day. It might seem like I am over exaggerating but for me it was that simple I told the Lord that I wanted to learn and live the scriptures and He made it happen. I know that if that is what you want that the Lord can make it happen and this challenge is the first step.

Day 1-
Read- Preface (Title Page), Introduction, Testimony of the Three Witnesses, Testimony of the Eight Witnesses, Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith
Mark- The quote from Joseph Smith in the Introduction, "I told the brethren...any other book."
Quote- "I would like to urge [everyone] to again read the Book of Mormon...There is nothing we could do of greater importance than to have fortified in our lives an unshakeable conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Living Son of the Living God. And, my brothers and sisters, that is the purpose of the coming forth of this remarkable and wonderful book."    President Gordon B. Hinckley

I was given a red pencil and a new Book of Mormon, just the cheap kind that the missionaries give out, to read with and I was suppose to mark as I went. It was fun to have a clean slate to work with and my Book was all jazzed up which made me cherish it more. I also wish that I would have has a scripture journal or notebook that I could have written down the impressions that I received and how I likened the scriptures to the challenges that I was facing at the time. But all of that is up to you.

To decorate the Book of Mormon I just cut scrapbooking paper to the size of the book plus an inch or two more so that I could glue it around the back and front cover. The I hot glued it to the spine and laid the book on it and folded all the creases before I glued it to the back and front cover because the will shrink when you close it. if you don't it won't lay flat against the book. Then I hot glued the ribbon to tie it closed and added the flower. Now my book is as beautiful as the words inside!