Monday, May 21st, 2018

Manaus, Brazil

138th operating temple

Dedicated: 10 June 2012

By: Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Jesus Christ, birth of

2 Nephi 26:3

And after the Messiah shall come there shall be signs given unto my people of his birth, and also of his death and resurrection; and great and terrible shall that day be unto the wicked, for they shall perish; and they perish because they cast out the prophets, and the saints, and stone them, and slay them; wherefore the cry of the blood of the saints shall ascend up to God from the ground against them.

Book of Mormon

Alma 3:20:-4:4

*What changed in the land as a result of the wars with the Amlicites and Lamanites?

- Their food source was gone due to the crops being trampled and herds were missing or slaughtered. On top of that so many were killed or wounded, even Alma was wounded. The survivors had to start over in every part of their lives. The minute they had time to think "they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty, and they began to establish the Church more fully;" The words more fully means they did it with full purpose of heart.

Old Testament

2 Samuel 15-16

15 Absalom conspires against David and gains the support of the people.

16 Mephibosheth is alleged to be seeking to be king - Shimei, of the house of Saul, curses David - Ahithophel counsels Absalom, and Absalom takes his father's concubines.

General Conference

He That Shall Endure to the End, the Same Shall Be Saved

Elder Claudio D. Zivic

"Jesus Christ assured us that 'he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.' To endure means to remain firm in a commitment to be true to the commandments of God despite temptation, opposition, and adversity."

James left for Legacy golf course early this morning. He has some cleanup to do and he is submitting the invoice for payment to the owners. 

Lola and I left around 7:45 to take Evan and Max to school. We took Evan first but before we left Lola went in and gave Ollie a piece of cheese for a treat. At Evan's school a little girl with glasses got out of the car in front of us. Lola wanted to know why she was smaller than Evan. I had to explain to her that not all children are the same size and Evan's school included children lots of different ages.

We went back to Sheri's and waited with Max and Ollie until it was time to take Max to school. Max gave Ollie some treats but first he made him sit up and roll over. Lola thought that was so funny she asked Max to do it again, which he did.

I guess we wore him out.

When we got to Bogle Jr. High, where Max goes to school, I told Lola this was where her dad went to school. Max asked if his mom went there too and I said no. Your mom and Jared went to Andersen Jr. High, and Stacy and Kim went to Willis.

After dropping Max off we drove over to Stacy's. I needed to give her some pictures and Lola was anxious to see Shipley and Vader.

Shipley was on her best behavior but Stacy had to hold Vader most of the time because he was so excited to see us and was a little overzealous. 

Next stop was the Target in south Chandler. Lola said that her Target did not have red doors and the big balls out front were smaller. I started to tell her that all Targets have red doors but I decided not to. 

We spent a good deal of time in the bathroom for Lola. The first time someone took our cart so the next time I stood guard at the door, watching our cart. Lola kept asking if our cart was ok. Once I went to check on her and she said, "Don't look at me grandma." I apologized and said I would give her a private moment.

We shopped in Bulleye's corner where Lola got a zippered plastic container with stickers, a pen and pencil and a pad of paper. She also got some sunglasses. Next we went to the back of the store where the books are. 

Lola picked out a Peppa Pig coloring book with paints, and I got her a Princess book with 5 minute Princess stories in it.  I also bought myself a couple of children books. 

I bought a few groceries and then we checked out. The lady at the checkout stand said Lola looked like a movie star with her glasses and I said, yes, and she even has a movie star name. Her name is Lola.

Before going home we stopped at Olive Garden for lunch. Our waiter was very kind and very cute. He paid special attention to Lola. She ordered mac and cheese, with mashed potatoes and a Sprite to drink. He also brought her some grapes. I had soup, salad, and breadsticks. Those breadsticks are just too good. Lola had two before her lunch came and then she  just had a couple of bites of mac and cheese and some grapes.

She drank all of her Sprite.

Feeling the burn.

Those mashed potatoes were totally ignored.

Lola fell asleep on the way home. I thought she was being awfully quite so I said something to her and she didn't answer so I looked in my mirror and saw that she was asleep. When we got home I layed her down on Rowan's bed. I guess getting up at 6 o'clock with me was just to early for her.

Sleeping Beauty

Worn out from our big day.

When Trina got home from getting her hair done Lola and I were still laying down but we were both awake. Trina said she missed her little girl who usually goes everywhere with her. I said that today she was my special angel, and she was. 

When James got home he took a nap and then I ordered him some dinner from Olive Garden, stuffed Marsala chicken and we went to pick it up and then got lost trying to find Rowan's flag football game. When we finally arrived Rowan's team was ahead in this championship game, 13-2. The final score was 19-14 with Rowan's team winning. 

 Rowan caught a long pass and ran in

for a touchdown but they called it back

because of a penalty of some sort.

Darrel said Rowan made 3 touchdowns in

his game on Saturday.

Darrel was at work today so he didn't make it to this game and 

Trina was at Ruby's concert. We went to the game and she went to the concert.

Cute little Ruby in the front row. She said her favorite song

was "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad."

I told her that I liked that song and wished I could have been

there to here her sing it.

After the game Rowan went with us to visit Lois and Dawn. Of course Lois fed us. She was watching the finale of "Dancing with the Stars" and I asked her to leave it on. Our favorite couple won!

Adam, the Olympian ice skater, and pro, Jenna

Lois had a nice collection of flowers for Mother's day:

 This one was from Dave and Laura.

Very interesting.

I think this bouquet was from Connie.

Those dark purple leaves are real which

Dawn is pointing out.

Orchids and philadendron

Not sure who they are from.

James parked his truck at the church. He said he caught a bunny for Lola so of course all the kids had to go over and see if they could find the bunny locked in grandpa's truck. They never did find him and the only thing he could figure out was the bunny must have gotten out when he opened the truck and he didn't see him.

This is what Lola had to say: "Grandpa, you should have taken better care of my bunny."

This evening James and I went for a walk and we checked on the truck. I didn't get a ton of steps, but I got over 10,000.

 Delbert is hold a bear that he carved out of a stump and telling his funny bear story. This photo was taken last July at his grand-daughter Kyra's funeral. Jaelyn is Kyra's sister.

Uncle Delbert was the last survivor of his generation

in the Frank Bates - Annie Laurie Mangum

Family.

When I first met Delbert it was at the State Fair

in Phoenix sitting in front of the Apache county

exhibit which he created. He almost always

won first place for his exhibit.

His funeral is June 2nd in St. Johns, the

same day as our anniversary celebration in Chandler.

I think James is going to go and then hurry back for

our celebration.

Wednesday, May 9th, 2018

Curitiba, Brazil

126th operating temple

Dedicated: 1 June 2008

By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, birth of

Micah 5:2

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judan, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose going forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Book of Mormon

Mosiah 26:14-39

*Who are the Lord's sheep?

- sue_heugly: "The gospel of Jesus Christ is about people. It doesn't matter if you're a child, youth or an adult. We all need to feel loved, and we all need a leader to follow. Jesus liked to call us his sheep, and he was the shepherd. Everyone is part of his flock, wit him knowing each one of us personally. As a shepherd he goes after us one by one if we get lost."

Old Testament

1 Samuel 23-24

23 David smites the Philistines and saves Keilah - He continues to flee from Saul - Jonathan comforts him in Ziph.

24 David finds Saul in a cave and spares his life - Saul confesses that David is more righteous than he - David swears that he will not cut off the seed of Saul.

General Conference

Saving Ordinances Will Bring Us Marvelous Light

Elder Taniela B. Wakolo

"The Lord told Abraham that through his seed and through the priesthood, all the families of the earth would be blessed 'with the blessings of the Gospel,...even of life eternal' (Abraham 2:ll; see also verses 2-10).

These promised blessings of the gospel and the priesthood were restored to the earth, and then, in 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith administered the endowment to a limited number of men and women. Mercy Fielding Thompson was one of them. The Prophet said to her, 'This endowment will bring you out of darkness into marvelous light."

Rescuing Wayward Children

As our children mature, we hope that their motivation for obeying the laws of family and of God will migrate from duty to understanding and finally to love.

Russell M. Nelson:10/03 #42: Personal Priesthood Responsibility

"When ordained to an office in the priesthood, you are granted authority. But power comes from exercising that authority in righteousness."

Dale G. Renlund The Melchizedek Priesthood

Chapter 8 Commandments of the Melchizedek Priesthood Covenant

James is pouring concrete this morning at 6 a.m. and I am praying for him. 

I left at 9 a.m. to pick up my friend Catherine. She's 84 years old and she asked me if I could take her to the temple. Of course I said yes. We are going to the 10:30 session. Catherine has never been to the Snowflake temple before. She worked in the Mesa temple for 12 years though. 

Catherine is quite the seamstress. Not only did she make her temple dress but she also made her apron which was hand-stitched around every leaf. She said that her husband who passed away 8 years ago, had one just like it. I was impressed. 

Catherine did one of my family names so I felt like she was serving me as much as I was serving her.

Catherine is a delight, except that

she is hard of hearing. He deceased

husband was the football coach both

at Westwood High and Mountain View, at

different times, of course.

Oh yes, she, her husband and their

four children used to raise Siberian Huskies

for dogsled racing. It started when they lived in Denver.

She and her husband had four children, two boys and two girls: Kelly, Kerri, Kathy, and Kenny.

I was trying to take a selfie and one of the missionary elders who was in our session came over and offered to take a picture for us.

We had at least 20 missionaries who serve in Snowflake in our session.

I put some of our family names on the temple prayer roll, including Laura.

I got home, changed my clothes and began my 45 minute walk to the soundtrack from "The Greatest Showman." I walk around the dining room table and the kitchen island with the blinds open. Five bunnies were munching on the grass.

This is what I had for dinner: Asparagus, frozen blueberries, popcorn and sugar free chocolate pudding with whipped cream. 

It was 85 degrees today. I had to turn on the air conditioner.

I talked to Laurann today about Amaron coming over tomorrow after school. She says he has a counseling session at the park until 4:30 and that I could pick him up afterwards.

I got a little inspiration while I was in the temple. I came up for a name for our ward activity, "A Celebration of Family." I later shortened it to "Celebrating Family" which everyone liked.

Jasmine's baby Kyler is so cute.

He reminds me of Seth, Jasmine's brother.

A castle in Scotland, I didn't catch

the name. That critter needs a haircut or

a stylist.

One of my favorite photos of Lola and Gpa.

We are using a tree on the poster

we are making for our

"Celebrating Family"

ward activity.

I still don't have family photos for 

Stacy's family, Kim's, or Jared's.

This dog is a little spoiled.

I want a flower garden of purple flowers!

Tuesday, April 24th, 2018

Campinas, Brazil

111th operating temple

Dedicated: 17 May 2002

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ betrayal of

Mark 14:41

And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Book of Mormon

Mosiah 15:10-31
*How has the gospel of Jesus Christ brought you joy?
Talk: The Great Plan of Happiness By: Marcus B. Nash 10/06
- The gospel of Jesus Christ has brought me joy, it has given me a sense of hope, and a desire to minister. Every hour of every day I am blessed by His gospel. Every time I look at one of my children ( I include their spouses as my children), or one of my grandchildren, every time I go to the temple with James, and he holds my hand I feel the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are the treasures I have in this life that let me know of my eternity. My eternal family brings me joy. I love His perfect gospel!
Old Testament
Ruth 2
Ruth gleans in the fields of Boaz, a near relative of Naomi - He treats Ruth kindly.
General Conference

Ministering

President Russell M. Nelson

"We will implement a newer, holier approach to caring for and ministering to others."

At 7:30, after my gospel study time, I made muffins to take to Sister MacArthur's house to share with her family and with Laurann, my companion.

After the muffins were done I made out a grocery list and menu plan, and then got ready to start out on my adventures for the day.

I met Laurann down by the Hunsaker's and drove her to Sister MacArthur's. Of course Laurann has her twin one year old boys and Chelsea has her 2 year old daughter Peyton and her nephew Cooper who belongs to the Umphresses. After handing out the muffins to Peyton and Cooper I asked Chelsea if I could take a picture of the mule deer mounted on her wall. I tried to tell James about it last time but I needed a picture.

Shot on Chelsea's parents ranch in Idaho.

I guess I should have taken a photo of the people, but I didn't.

We had a nice visit. Chelsea said she wanted to come and see our house and I told her just give me a warning text so I could make sure I was dressed and she could come any time. Laurann said she would like to come out and go for a walk sometime. Maybe we could walk down to "Chocolate Lake."

Just as I am getting ready to go Laurann asks me if I know Jeanne Wallen. At first she caught me off guard and then I explained how I knew her. She said her mom is best friends with Jeanne and Jeanne told her that I lived in Vernon and that I was very sweet. I told Laurann I could say the same thing about Jeanne.

I left a little after ten for my lunch appointment with my friend Pam at the Show Low hospital. Pam invited her friend and co-worker, Jennifer to join us for lunch. When I got to the checkout in the lunch line Pam swiped her badge before I had a chance to get my card out. That makes the fifth lunch in the past two weeks that I have not paid for. 

Jennifer's husband Ed had a bad accident not too long ago and has been without work. Pam got Jennifer hired at the hospital and now Ed has to have surgery and Jennifer will have insurance to cover it. Jennifer also has a 15 year old daughter that has a brain tumor. She needs good insurance! Pam is a saint. She also brought Jennifer to church on Sunday and Jennifer is very interested in the gospel.

I so much enjoyed my lunch with these two sweethearts, plus I got all three of my veggie servings!

Next stop, grocery shopping at Walmart, with my calculator because I am trying to stay within my budget of $200. I had to eliminate some of the things from my list, but my total was under $200 at $197.

When I got home James was putting shutters on the house. He had made them and painted them while I was gone. I'm glad I wasn't here to see him put them on the upstairs bathroom window. A picture is forthcoming when he finishes the ones for our bedroom.

I put the groceries away, rest a few minutes, and then blog and listen to President Nelson's talk from the October 1996 conference, "The Atonement." 

For dinner I bought a ready made kit made by Walmart. It had pulled pork, country style beans, and mashed sweet potatoes. It was delicious. I especially loved the beans. 

I finished the April Ensign today, read to James from "Stars Above Northumberland", and listened to Robert Millett's book, "The Atoning One," chapters 6 "On Calvary's Cross," and 7 "Infinite, Yet Intimate." I also walked a few steps.

Part of my gospel study today.

Eden and Winter

Here is the story as posted by their mom, Christina:

Evan and his "little brother," Oliver.

It's so nice that Oliver likes this.

What's he thinking here?

My friend Taylor looks beautiful

in her new glasses.

Those were the days!

Duddings were members of our ward.

It's changing hearts that makes a difference.

Saturday, July 1st, 2017

Sao Paulo, Brazil

17th operating temple

Dedicated: 30 Oct - 2 Nov 1978 by

Spencer W. Kimball

Rededicated: 22 Feb 2004 by

Gordon B. Hinckley

Alma 25:1-17

*How were Abinadi's prophecies fulfilled?

The Lord sends His prophets to serve as His messengers and make His will known. Slometimes they predict future events. Alma 25 is the fulfillment of Abinadi's prophecy from Mosiah 17:14-19.

*What has our prophet counseled us to do today?

DC 95:1-17

1-6, The Saints are chastened for their failure to build the house of the Lord; 7-10, The Lord desires to use His house to endow His people with power from on high; 11-17, The house is to be dedicated as a place of worship and for the school of the Apostles.

Which verse stood out to me?

*1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you-

8 Yea, verily I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high;

11 Verily I say unto you, it is my will that you should build a house. If you keep my commandments you shall have power to build it.

13 Now here is wisdom, and the mind of the Lord - let the house be built, not after the manner of the world, for I give not unto you that ye shall live after the manner of the world;

14 Therefore, let it be built after the manner which I shall show unto three of you, whom ye shall appoint and ordain unto this power.

General Conference

Trust in the Lord and Lean Not

Bonnie H. Cordon

" We must each ask: How do I keep centered and lean not unto mine own understanding? How do I recognize and follow the Savior's voice when the voices of the world are so compelling?

How do I cultivate trust in the Savior: May I suggest three ways to increase our knowledge of and trust in the Savior?

First, we can come to know the Lord and trust Him as we 'feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. Scriptures enlighten our minds, nourish our spirits, answer our questions, increase our trust in the Lord, and help us center our lives on Him.

Second, we can come to know the Lord and trust Him through prayer. As we make a habit of approaching Heavenly Father in prayer, we will come to know the Savior. We will come to trust Him. Our desires will become more like His. We will be able to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that Heavenly Father is ready to give if we will but ask in faith.

Third, we can come to know the Lord and trust Him as we sacrifice to serve others."

James and I made an early morning trip to town. Kim and Brian were still in bed so I left them a note. It was James's errand but I took advantage of it. I bought a mattress topper for the bed in James's office. I bought ping pong balls and paddles, and various and other sundry items. We stopped at Jack-in-the Box for breakfast and I had one of their yummy supreme croissants.  

Happy 14th Birthday Max!

This is one amazing kid. He seems tough on the outside but

on the inside he is a marshmallow.

Max absolutely loves Michael!

They are buddies, even if Michael did

knock his tooth out on the trampoline.

Such a handsome boy, and so talented!

His brothers and his cousins are his

best friends.

Such a smart boy, even at this age!

I love you Max!

We had smoke from the San Carlos Hilltop fire today. It got so bad that it was difficult to go outside. It kept Kim and Brian from going for a walk and a Razr ride. They even talked about going home. That's how bad it was. 

James went to Kyra's funeral in St. Johns. This is a picture of Kyra's dad Curtis, and his finance Joie. They are pretty amazing people. More to come about them at a later date.

Curtis is Uncle Delbert's youngest son.

Uncle Delbert was a prisoner of war in

World War II. He wrote a book about it.

He is 94 years old and he and Uncle Kay are the

only two of James's dad's siblings that are

still alive. He lives in St. Johns.

Kyra's kids and one of two of the

children that Joie and Curtis adopted.

I stayed home from the funeral to finish cleaning upstairs. Jared and Kacey and their kids will be arriving tonight. There were so many dead bugs in the bathtubs!  It was a chore, but I finished. The upstairs is ready for company.

Brian cooked me a cheeseburger for lunch. Thanks Brian.  I am so tired. When James got home he, Kim and I played a game of Five Crowns.

Jared, Kacey and the kids arrived around 9:30 after spending 15.5 hours in the car.  They were exhausted and went straight to bed.

Random Photos:

Molly met Kacey's friend Gloria and they were

instantly best friends!

Upper Black River

I love the diversity of scenery in Arizona!