OUR FAMILY: 11th temple

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Thursday, November 29th, 2018

Hamilton, New Zealand

11th operating temple

Dedicated: 20-22 April 1958

By: David O. McKay

Jesus Christ, Death of

Matthew 20:18

Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
Book of Mormon #1
Mormon 9:1-21
*What experiences have I had that confirm that God is still a God of miracles?
- One of the greatest miracles I have seen is the transformation of people's lives as they accept and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was privileged to be a ward missionary when both Laura and Cathi accepted the gospel. There is no greater joy in this life than to see someone accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and to align their lives in accordance with His teachings. It is truly a miracle. One of the reasons I love the Book of Mormon is because it teaches so clearly the steps we must take to return to the presence of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Jesus Christ and His Atonement is our greatest miracle. I am thankful for my mom and Nannie who accepted the gospel. I am thankful for Laura, Cathi, Brian and Ian in our family today for accepting the gospel. I am grateful for five faithful children who try each day to live the gospel. The Plan of Salvation is a miracle which bring families together for eternity.
Book of Mormon #2
Alma 56-57
Old Testament
Amos 5-6
General Conference

Shepherding Souls

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

"President Nelson has explained:

'A hallmark of the Lord's true and living Church will always be an organized, directed effort to minister to individual children of God and their families. Because it is His Church, we as His servants will minister to the one, just as He did. We will minister in His name, with His power and authority, and with His loving-kindness."

The Book of Mormon helps us live the Plan of Salvation. I don't remember where I got this quote from or who said it but it was in my notebook so I am sharing it here because I believe it to be true.

James was determined he was going to do some weed-eating for me today even though the string he has is too big and every 20 seconds he has to stop to fix it. I have been asking him to do it for a long time. He didn't get all of it done but I was appreciative for what he did.

Today is my niece Jenifer's birthday. I texted her to wish her a happy birthday and we corresponded back and forth for a few minutes. She told me about her daughter Bettylea being down in front when President Nelson came to San Antonio and all of them going to see him so I told her about Summer and Jared, Kacey, Tanner, and Charlie traveling 14 hours to see President Nelson and Elder Bednar.

I texted Tamara, our Relief Society president, today to share with her some ideas of communicating with the youth that the bishop had asked us for. Here were the ideas that I shared:

* Ask them for their input.

* Let them know you value and respect their opinions.

* Never talk down to them.

* Let them know and feel of your love.

* Don't assume that they are the problem.

Accept responsibility and ask them what you can do to help them feel more comfortable in sharing things with you.

* Come up with a pan together.

* Treat them how you would want to be treated and encourage their input and ideas.

* If they do something to disappoint you tell them how you feel and express your love.

* Guide them in a way that they never want to disappoint you because they know how much you love them.

* Don't be afraid to take action when needed but do it in a loving way.

I had some other suggestions but that's enough for now. I realize that I'm not "in the trenches" and that some of these suggestions are rather idealistic.

It's after 6 this evening and I'm just now starting to wrap presents. Why does it always take me so long to do things. I can never do as much as I think I can. I wrapped 3 out of 12 presents before going to bed.