“a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God”.

Doesn’t that sound great?!

But what does that mean for me right now?

In President Nelson’s signature talk, “Let God Prevail”, he said something that stood out to me when I relistened recently:

“Anytime we do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—to make and keep their covenants with God, we are helping to gather Israel.”

I know that my mind usually goes toward missionary work and temple work when I hear that statement.

But, it recently clicked that this has SO MUCH to do with my family and home RIGHT NOW.

Anything that I do in order to help my family members make and keep sacred covenants, helps to gather Israel.

Which means that I’m picturing my home becoming a place exactly like the Lord described in verse 66.

A land of peace. A city of refuge. A place of safety.

As I work to create this type of environment in my home (peace, refuge, and safety), I am participating in the gathering of Israel in a truly essential way.

So that’s what I’m pondering on today.

How can I create more peace in my home?

Not just “keeping the peace”, but actually creating true, sublime peace.

How can I ensure my home is a refuge?

Keeping it different from the rest of the world, purposely.

How can I make my home feel like safety?

Filling it with so much love, that any outside harm doesn’t find a place to stay.

If you are a parent, teen, young adult, or grandparent creating peace, refuge, and safety in your own home, then you are helping to gather Israel and create Zion.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Peace, refuge, and safety first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Do you have a desire to bring others closer to Christ?

Then congratulations on your mission call! 

When I was almost 21, I made the very serious decision to not serve a mission for the church.

I had just met a cute guy named Kyle, things were going well, but I still felt like I wanted to serve a mission.

I asked Heavenly Father over and over in prayer to point me in the right direction, and I finally heard a weighty answer: “You can decide. Whatever you want to do.”

I realized that I was going to have to make this decision and own it.

After a lot of deliberation, I solemnly but excitedly decided to forgo the mission.

I made Kyle promise me that we would serve a mission someday as a couple, because I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to serve.

Now, I still totally want to serve a full-time mission when I’m older, but I’m also realizing that I kind of missed the point.

If we have desires to serve God, then we are called to the work! (D&C 4:3)

Desires = mission call.

Instead of packing up my entire life and moving across the world though, I get the crazy, scary, exciting, agency-packed honor of picking my mission call.

Each of us with a desire to serve gets to create exactly how and when we serve!

Maybe you have created your own custom mission call to lift up those who are having hard times around you.

Maybe you have created your own custom mission call to spread light to your coworkers every day.

Maybe your call is to teach the rising generation of the church how to eat their vegetables and share toys and use the toilet.

Maybe your call is to organize service activities with precision and enthusiasm.

Maybe your call is to work on strengthening your own testimony for a bit before you have the opportunity to share it with other people.

The possibilities are endless, and constantly evolving, and extremely personal.

So what does your mission call look like today?

How can you help build the kingdom?

How can you help gather scattered Israel?

What’s your custom mission call?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post You are assigned to labor first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.