The Original Cowboy

 
  When i hear someone mention the term cowboy i don't just imagine some dude on a horse chasing cows somewhere. When i hear of a cowboy i think of a small town man that loves his family and would do anything for anyone at a moments notice. I think of a man who works hard and earns his pennies at the end of the day. I think of someone who is a good example to others and raises his children by precept and example.

    I take my hat off to those who we would call the good ol boys. The old timers who are still farming long after retirement. The ones who have raised their children to be respectful to others and God loving. Who never miss an opportunity to go to a grandkids sports game and would never turn down a hug or bedtime story. The ones that gave service to this great country by defending our freedoms over seas. But the ones who maybe i respect the most are the ones who have built their lives upon their savior Jesus Christ. I have met and shook hands with who i think are some of the greatest men who ever walked the earth. No i have not met anyone who has been in any movies on the news or important to any politics, but the ones I have met I will never forget. They are some who have given their entire lives in service to others. They have great grandchildren who love their Heavenly Father with all their hearts. These men look back on their lives and believe that they lived the best life they ever could have. They thank God everyday for the blessings that they have received from above.

   It is my goal in life to have the same attitude as these old timers have. I want to be ninety years old and look back on my life and do nothing but smile. I want that same satisfaction to know that I had faith in God my entire life. I want to feel like I'm closer to Jesus Christ than ever before. I want to be familiar with happiness like the old cowboys are.

   From the example of these old men i am trying all i can to be a better person now. I will try all I can to love everyone I come in contact with, never miss an opportunity to help someone in need. I will love my family and have them as my number one priority over everything else. I will have faith in God and pray to him everyday. I will defend Jesus Christ and hold him dear as my savior, and as my advocate with the Father. I encourage all of you to do the same.

   I testify that Jesus Christ is the only way that we can be saved in the kingdom of God. I know that i am a child of God and that He loves and cares about me and all of his children. I know that there is a life after this and this is why I will live my life here as good as i can.

Love yall

Elder Savage

Elk Hunting and Building Faith

    Hunting has always been a very favored activity of mine. From the time i was old enough to pack around a slingshot and kill tweeter birds I was addicted to hunting. Throughout the years I upgraded from a slingshot to a bb gun to a .22 and on and on. Well my prey also changed quite a bit till i was finally old enough to go on the spike elk hunt.

    Well it seems for my family and I the spike elk hunt has always been a important tradition to us. Every year we can buy the tags for the elk (no draw necessary) and go on the Booby Hole mountain behind our cabin. Which is great cause all us men can ride up on the mountain on horses packing all our gear and the little ones and moms are all back at the cabin.

     After enjoying good dutch oven cooking and premium advice from my dad, uncles and grandpa for a few years finally came the time for me to have my chance at shooting a huge world class big bull spike elk. Well I have become a seasoned deer killer and thought an elk would be no problem for my shooting skills. Yea i didn't kill a thing my first year. I didn't even see a elk! I was very discouraged, maybe next year. And next year finally comes around with much success!

    I woke up in my tent very early in the morning excited and eager to finally make my kill. My grandpa and I snuck out to a rock on the ridge that we could sit on and glass the opposite hillside. Well as the sun slowly came up we saw nothing. I mean absolutely nothing, not a deer bird or even crow was gonna show their face. Still discouraged my grandpa said we cant give up, we gotta show faith.

   We decided to go look over a ridge that looks down into Dainials canyon. Well after a short hike we peek our heads over the high up rim rocks looking far down into the creek bottom. Well what do you know there was six elk looking right back at us! Five cows and my precious spike. It took me three shots at five hundred yards and nearly a 45 degree slope to kill him, and i did! Oh boy i was so happy to get my first elk! Ill never forget the example that my grandpa showed to me by exercising faith and not quitting early.

   Well as we go about in this life we must show that we have faith in our Heavenly Father. As we are council in the scriptures , (particularly Alma 32:21) faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye ^bhope for things which are ^cnot seen, which are true. We could not see the elk in the canyon bottom, neither can we see our father in heaven. We mush show that we do believe in him even though we cant see him. How many of us have a strong testimony that Jesus Christ is our savior? It is by faith that we have this testimony. We believe in Christ. We have a hope, a driving belief that there is a life after this one. It is because of our hope in a better life, a hope that things will work out in the temporal and eternal scheme of things that we have faith. I challenge you all to show faith to God by obeying his commandments. I testify that if we pray daily, go to church, and exercise faith in Jesus Christ that the quality of our lives will be improved and our families will be blessed in ways that we never though possible. I hope that someone will read this and that they will in some way grow closer to Heavenly Father and His Son. It is by my faith that i publish this blog for everyone to see.

Love yall
Elder Savage