Chipotle and Life after Death

I have recently enjoyed reading about a fellow missionary's adventures at some places we've eaten together. (See his two posts about it here The Temptations of the Devil: Chinese Food and here Fruits of living the Gospel: Cafe Rio!)  I have to say I love Cafe Rio almost as much as Elder Warner does but I remember another restaurant from before my mission that will always have the first spot in my heart.

My one true love.

Elder Owens (who has also eaten at Chipotle) and I have often tried to describe to Elder Warner how amazing Chipotle is and we can never seem to find the words to express our heartfelt gratitude for the institution that has made us so happy so many times.  Elder Warner though can never seem to grasp the greatness of what we are trying to describe to him.

I think sometimes we are all like Elder Warner and don't realize that even greater blessings await us after this life (or mission) is over.  He has partook of the great blessings that come from avoid the temptations of the Chinese buffet and has reaped the fruits of eating at Cafe Rio but forgets that Montana, while close, is not perfect and does not hold some of the even greater places to eat such as Chipotle.  We too forget sometimes that this life is not perfect and does not contain all of the blessings that we will someday receive.    Paul once said, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." (1 Cor 15:19) What we do here in this life is all preparation for after we die and are "taken home to that God which gave us life" (Alma 40:11) and recieve "eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God" (D&C 14:7)

What's the point?

Yesterday I had the solemn responsibility of speaking at a funeral.  The death of someone else has often been the cause for many people to ponder the meaning of life.  Why are we here?  Is there more to life then merely working all our lives and then dying?  Well I know that there is.  In the Book of Mormon, Alma teaches us "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors." -Alma 34:32.  So there it is, there is probably no simpler way to put it.  Our purpose in this life is to get ready to meet God by obeying the commandments and partaking of priesthood ordinances such as baptism.  This is why the message that we have to share as missionaries is so important, it's a message of hope, that there is something more to this life and that God has a plan for us.