Monday, April 8, 2013

Why we started our blog...

Hi, my name is Ben Merrill, and as you can see, my beautiful wife, Gauchay, is also a contributor to this blog.  She and I contribute together as equal partners, so you may see some blogs written by me and some by her.  We feel that first you should know a little bit about us and why we decided to create this blog.
I am a 22 year old college student, currently attending Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, ID. Gauchay is 23 years old and also attends BYU-I.  She and I met here last year and were married just a few months ago on February 16th.  We have both served as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Buenos Aires, Argentina, though we did not know each other there. 
We are both devout members of our church and believe strongly in the divinity and sanctity of the family.  It is because of this belief that we decided to start this blog. 
We have a firm belief that our family will perpetuate beyond the grave and that our marriage will not only be "till death do us part." We know that our marriage has been sealed by the hand of God and that we have the opportunity to be together forever.  We want everyone to be able to have this blessing and feel the joy that we feel.  But not only that, we want families around the world to feel the safety and security within their homes that comes from following and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
We by no means consider ourselves experts on marriage and families (for heaven's sakes, we've been married less than 3 months!) but we know that the values that Christ taught will save the family, if applied.  For this reason we pray that the contents of this blog will reach those that are struggling in their family relationships and searching for a solution.
We know that Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, and that His gospel blesses families.  He came to this earth not just to save individuals, but to save the family. He can strengthen them so that in these trying times, as the world grows evermore wicked and dangerous, the family will remain strong and steadfast, firmly rooted in His eternal gospel.
As we have observed families in many parts of the world, we have recognized that many of them are destroyed because of divorce, financial burdens, abuse, infidelity, addictions (such as drugs, alcohol, pornography etc.)...and the list goes on.  We know that basing the family on the values and virtues that Christ taught is the solution to saving the family. 
Though our views will be influenced by the specific teachings of the LDS Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church), these same principles are shared by Christians throughout the world.  We invite you to sincerely consider applying these values in order to bring your family closer together through Christ. 
By no means are we official representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  However, we do believe that what we will say reflects its teachings. We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church.  Gauchay and I have both prayed to know that this is true and God has answered our prayers.  We post and we comment what we believe to be the true word of God.  We hope that nothing we say will be misconstrued.
It is our intent and desire that you will be uplifted and edified as you read and we invite you to post your comments, ideas, and beliefs. We will do our best to answer questions and comments.  We invite you to keep your comments appropriate and respectful. May God bless you all!