Sunday, August 19th, 2018

St. Paul, Minnesota

69th operating temple

Dedicated: 9 Jan 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Creator

Abraham 4:1

And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.

Book of Mormon

Alma 52:19-40

*How can working together allow us to overcome difficult tasks?

- We all have different strengths and talents which we are commanded to use to build up the kingdom. Working together is so much easier, and often more effective, than working independently. I always learn when I work with others and feel strengthened. My love for others and the Savior increases. 

When cleaning the temple, if we have the support of ward members we can do it in an hour. If we had to do it alone it would take many hours.

Old Testament

Psalms 44-50

44 The Saints praise the Lord and boast in His name forever - They are persecuted, maligned, and considered as sheep for the slaughter.

45 A messianic psalm - The Messiah is fairer than the children of men - He is anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows - His name will be remembered in all generations.

46 God is our refuge and strength - He dwells in His city, does marvelous things, and says, Be still and know that I am God.

47 The Lord is King over all the earth - Sing praises to His name, for He reigns over all.

48 Zion, the city of God, the joy of the whole earth, will be established forever.

49 Men cannot be ransomed or redeemed by wealth - God alone can redeem a soul from the grave - The glory of a rich man ceases with his death.

50 Asaph speaks of the Second Coming - The Lord accepts the sacrifices of the righteous and will deliver them - Those whose conduct is right will see the salvation of God.

General Conference

With One Accord

Sister Reyna I. Aburto

"Miracles happen when the children of God work together guided by the Spirit to reach out to others in need."

I was up early to work on my blog this morning. 

We left for Chandler around 8:20, stopping at Sheri's to put ingredient for the salad I am making for lunch into her refrigerator. 

We sat by Cathi, Terry, Dave and Laura in the back of the chapel of the Chandler West stake center in the Galveston 3rd ward. Sheri, and Ian and their boys and Shayna, Kim, Brian, Joe, Adam, and Michael in the two rows in front of us. Stacy, Paul, and Joshua came in late because Joshua had to be presented for the priesthood in his sacrament meeting. Darrel and Trina were in the back too. Ian's brother Sean and his wife Megan and their daughter Mattea were also there. 

The meeting was exceptionally wonderful. 

Andrew C. who is now 15, was the youth speaker. He spoke about agency and accountability. Agency is one of our greatest gifts from God. We are responsible for the choices we make.

Brother Ellsworth was the next speaker. He spoke about the importance of family. Brother Ellsworth spoke of his family and how he learned to pray from his parents. He said prayer had been such a blessing in his life. He said that children are an heritage of the Lord, a scripture and a line taken from the Family Proclamation. "If you try your best to be the best parent you can be, you will have done all that a human being can do and all that God expects you to do." Brother Ellsworth also spoke about the example of good fathers. He spoke about President Monson, President Nelson's dad, and the letter President Hinckley received from his father on his mission which said, "Forget yourself, and go to work."

Ben was the last speaker. Ben's topic was "How can I prepare to be a good father and husband." He quoted a scripture from DC 49, "Marriage is ordained of God." A future husband and father should live the gospel. 1Corinthians 11:11 - "Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord." He talked about the family proclamation, DC 20 and told a story from a talk given by Larry Gibson in 2015; Fatherhood is a sacred priesthood responsibility. Alma's visit by an angel, Alma's fathers prayers. Howard W. Hunter: "Being a Righteous Husband and Father." Ben said that in his priesthood ordination by his grandpa, grandpa said the only thing that will be more joyful than his mission would be his temple marriage. He spoke about paragraph 6 in the family proclamation and his patriarchal blessing.

Laura and I had tears running down our cheeks as did Brian and Stacy, and Sheri. Brian saw Ben as a little boy, Stacy saw a glow around Ben. This family needs Ben serving this mission right now.

I love these people!

Joshua was ordained a deacon in the McQueen building during his wards priesthood meeting at 11. We didn't take a picture but these are the people who attended as Paul gave the blessing:

Paul, Stacy, Adam, Michael, Sheri, Ben, Max, Evan, Kim, Brian, James and I from our family. Marvin, Mary, Nicole, Chad and their children, George and his wife Tina (Tina knows Donna and Dianne Ulmer), John, and Devin's wife Kim and her kids Spencer, and Natalie. Paul gave a wonderful blessing.

James and I went to Sheri and Ian's for lunch. Sheri made chicken and Ian made ribs. James made rice and I made salad. Everything was very tasty. After lunch we drove out to east Mesa for Rowan's ordination. Again family gathered for support. Darrel's blessing was touching and both Stacy and I had tears in our eyes when it was over.

I love this family!

Such a great family!

We were tired and went back to Darrel and Trina's for rest and recuperation, at least for me anyway. James left to go visit Sister Peeler who is in a rehab center in Mesa. He was gone a couple of hours. He met the oldest Hunsaker brother while there.

We closed the day with a birthday party for me at Sheri's. 

Thank goodness there weren't 70 candles.

Cathi, Terry, Dave, and Laura came to the party but none of them ate any cake or ice cream. They are dieting and they all look like they have lost weight. Speaking of losing weight Paul has lost 80 lbs, Darrel 56, Kim and I 25, James 20, and Stacy 12. We are just a bunch of losers.

Here are some more candid photos from my party:

Best birthday ever!!