Friday, February 8th, 2019

Cochabamba, Bolivia

82nd operating temple

Dedicated: 30 Apr 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

John 1:34

And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

Book of Mormon

2 Nephi 2:22-3:5

What do I learn about joy in these verses?

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

Temptation; "Rise to the Stature of the Divine within You" Gordon B. Hinckley, October 1989.

General Conference

"Firm and Steadfast in the Faith of Christ"

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

"The temptations and tribulations we experience, plus any testing that the Lord sees fit to impose, can lead to our full conversion and healing. But this happens if, and only if, we do not harden our hearts or stiffen our necks against Him. If we remain firm and steadfast, come what may, we achieve the conversion the Savior intended when He said to Peter, 'When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren,' a conversion so complete that it cannot be undone. The promised healing is the cleansing and sanctification of our sin-wounded souls, making us holy."

Happy Birthday Stacy!

47 years ago Stacy made me a mom.

2018

A few years ago

James: "It's 18 this morning, up from 10 yesterday. We're gettin' up there." My own personal weatherman.

I had a lunch date with my friend Pam today. She suggested that instead of eating at the hospital where all the sick people are that we go to Panda or Wendy's. I chose Panda because I have been craving orange chicken for awhile. James doesn't like Panda so I haven't had any for awhile. 

Pam's lunch looked much healthier than my orange chicken over friend rice. 

While Pam and I were lunching James was taking the car to Jiffy Lube to be serviced. They told him he was back too soon. The synthetic oil should last 7,500 miles. He got the car washed, got gas, rabbit feed, and Dr. Pepper 10. 

Pam and I really click. I was sad to miss Jenny who went home sick but Pam and I talked about President Nelson's fireside, missionaries, and other topics we probably wouldn't discuss if Jenny was with us. Pam said she wishes she had tickets to see the Nelson's. I told her I wished I had known, I probably could have gotten some for her. 

James and I listened to a talk today by President Hinckley from the 1989 women's conference. It was called, "Rise to the Stature of the Divine within You." It was so great to hear President Hinckley's voice. He counseled women in three areas: 1. Educate your hands and your minds 2. Keep marriage and motherhood in proper perspective. 3. Walk with prayer and faith, with charity and love.

By the time we got back home our car was muddy again. I guess we are just destined to have a muddy car until the weather dries out. 

I needed a rest and some Tramadol when we got home. I finally got around to blogging. I blogged for last Sunday and it took awhile. 

James is in the market to buy a scanner for our book business. He ordered one tonight. We are going to take it to the library with us and scan books which will give us their sales rank and how much they should sell for.

 Old time Chandlerites,

Cleora Ellsworth and Florence Cluff.

 Love this picture of both of them.

 So cute!

 Sandy and Teresa

Teresa and Stacy, and yes 

she has wet pants. 

 I keep finding these peg people from the Life game.

 So cute!

Saturday, September 1st, 2018

Cochabamba, Bolivia

82nd operating temple

Dedicated: 30 Apr 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Crucifixion

Matthew 20:19

And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to  crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Book of Mormon

Alma 60:1-13

*What was Moroni's purpose in writing the epistle to Pahoran?

- To get more assistance for his armies. Moroni is assuming Pahoran and the government don't have a good reason why they haven't sent help. However, Moroni didn't know the whole story. This teaches us the importance of not assuming things we don't know and not jumping to conclusions. Moroni was an incredible man but even he was not perfect. Team work and good communication is so important.

Old Testament

Psalms 126-150

General Conference

Precious Gifts from God

President M. Russell Ballard

"The power of the Sabbath day is to experience in church and at home the delight, the joy, and the warmth of feeling the Spirit of the Lord without any kind of distraction. The blessing of receiving the sacrament in sacrament meeting must never become routine or just something we do. It is only 70 minutes in a whole week when we can pause and find more peace, joy, and happiness in our lives.
Partaking of the sacrament and renewing our covenants is a sign by us to the Lord that we do always remember Him. His Atonement is a gracious gift from God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our most precious of all gifts from God. Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Rain and even some hail according to Adam early this morning. We love the rain but hope the Howard's are able to have their open house at Wolf Mountain Ranch.

I read to James this morning from "The Secret Keeper" before he left to work at the Howard's. I did my blog page for yesterday, walked and stuffed myself before starting my fast. 

We are fasting that we will get paid for the job that James finished at the Phonecian Golf Course on July 4th. They keep stalling and it makes me nervous that they don't have the money to pay us. I am also fasting for greater self-control, especially regarding my diet.

Adam and his friends got all bundled up and took off for Green's Peak in the late morning. They took food, etc. for a picnic. They returned just as we were leaving for the Howard's around 2:15. 

What a gorgeous day to be outside. It was 70 degrees with no wind. Here are some photos I took at the Howard's.

The Miller Family Band
Bishop, Uriah, Ed

Two dads and a kid

 The horses loved the music

Pepper and one of his girlfriends

I think the other girlfriend is jealous

 A real cowgirl with butterfly boots

Tildy has been known to ride bareback with no bridle

before.

James put these kids on Pepper and took their

pictures and sent the pictures to their moms.

Free hotdogs, hamburgers, drinks, and chips

Elder Bingham and Andyn

 Elder Bernecker, Tildy, 
Andyn, Elder Bingham

 The elders with Tildy, Emsley, 
Andyn, and Cathryn.

James and I saw these two horses on the way back
to our car and we loved them both!

We left the Howard's early so we could go home and get ready to go clean the temple.

The Vernon ward is so amazing! We are assigned to clean the temple with the Show Low Creek ward. Each ward is supposed to have around 15 people. Our ward had 20 and the Show Low ward had 5. These are the ward members who showed up to help: 

The Price's, Smith's, Woodruff's, Kerri, Tamara, Brothers Goodman, Grapp, Gordon, Scott, Cooper, the Westbrooks', Anthony, the Bishop and Anne, and President Grapp and James and I. Hey, that makes 21!

Charlie photo of the day.
Nothing more precious than a sleeping baby.

Scarlett photo of the day.
She has the most beautiful eyes!

Monday, March 26th, 2018

Cochabamba, Bolivia

82nd operating temple

Dedicated: 30 April 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ Authority of

Moses 1:32

And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.

Book of Mormon

Jacob 6:1-13

*What must we do to obtain the Lord's mercy?

Talk: "The Merciful Obtain Mercy" By: President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April GC, 2012

Old Testament

Deuteronomy 17-18

17 Those who worship false gods shall be put to death - Priests and judges shall determine the hard cases - Kings shall not multiply horses or wives or gold - The king must study the laws of God daily.

18 How priests are supported - 

divination, spiritualism, and the like are abominations - A Prophet (Christ) shall arise like unto Moses.

General Conference

God's Compelling Witness: The Book of Mormon

Brother Tad R. Callister

" I bear my solemn testimony that the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God. It is God's compelling witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ, the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith, and the absolute truth of this Church. May it become the keystone of our testimonies, so it may be said of us, as it was of the converted Lamanites, they 'never did fall away' (Alma 23:6). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Apart But Still One

Elder Joni L. Koch

"Just moments before His excruciating experiences in Gethsemane, when Jesus was praying to the Father for His Apostles and all of us, the Saints, He said, 'That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee.'"

James left at 5:30 a.m. to clean the baptismal font at the Snowflake temple. It is a priesthood responsibility. Charlie Gordon went but Brother Hatch said he couldn't come in because temple workers must have a complete recommend and he only has a limited use.

Brother Diewald had to take him home so that just left Brother Curtis, James, and Brother Lundgren who visits our ward but now lives in Snowflake. Brother Curtis, the high priest group leader, is very frustrated because they cannot get the members of their quorum to volunteer to serve. 

Yesterday was Palm Sunday and this is the Holy Week, Christ's last week before his Crucifixion and Resurrection. I am going to send out a text to all the kids each day this week. This was today's:

"The events of the Savior's life leading up to His Crucifixion and Resurrection can teach us a lot about His love for us. Each day during the week before Easter, think about how the following events in Jesus's life can help you in your life. As you do so your understanding and love for the Savior will increase."

1. Anointing at Bethany (Matthew 26:1-13)

"When Jesus was having a meal with friends, Mary poured expensive ointment on His head. Some complained about the expense, but Jesus said, 'Why trouble ye this woman For she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.'"

*What gifts can you give Jesus?

*Do you know someone who is struggling? How can you be an instrument in God''s hands to help them lift their burden?

This afternoon James took Sister Dye some wood. I guess she was in the hospital yesterday. She is in very poor health. 

No chance of snow in the near future was the forecast this morning. Now there is up to a 40% chance by 4 a.m. tomorrow. Woohoo!

No TV for us this evening. James worked on the Deming accounts and I worked on my blog. For FHE we listened to Elder Koch''s conference address, "Apart, But Still One."

We also walked and read from "Charity House Courtship." 

Today I got on familysearch and discovered that someone had posted a history of Walter Robinson and Lena Ellen Miles as narrated by Aunt Garnet, grandma Maxwell's sister. It is 10 pages long and I am very grateful to have it.

I finished watching the two seasons of "Little Men." Now I am looking for something else on Amazon Prime.

Grand Canyon

Sasha and Emma from "DWTS" tied the knot.

A lot changes in three years.

Cute Wilhelm kids.

How would you like to work in 

the nursery?

Wednesday, October 18th, 2017

Cochabamba, Bolivia

82nd operating temple

Dedicated: 30 April 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Appearances, Antemortal

Moses 7:47

And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying: The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me.

Book of Mormon

3 Nephi 7:15-8:4

*What part does the Holy Ghost play in conversion?

-As we exercise faith, repent of our sins, and obey the commandments, we receive a witness born of the Spirit that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. We are visited "by the power and Spirit of God," (v. 21). As we listen to testimonies of apostles and prophets, the Spirit testifies of truth and touches hearts that are humble and teachable.

*How can we become more deeply converted? What lack I yet? How can we be a better influence for good

- Without the Holy Spirit we will not know what is truth and it will not prick our heart to change. A mighty change of heart to completely follow the Savior and His gospel is an indication of true conversion and happens through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Doctrine Covenants Scripture Mastery

DC 88:123-24

123 See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires.

124 Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.

General Conference

Has the Day of Miracles Ceased?

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom

"Often we describe a miracle as being healed without a full explanation by medical science or as avoiding catastrophic danger by heeding a clear prompting. However, defining a miracle as a 'beneficial event brought about through divine power that mortals do not understand gives an expanded perspective into matters more eternal in nature.' This definition also allows us to contemplate the vital role of faith in the receipt of a miracle."

Here are some of the things I am trying to memorize right now:

Ponderize: Exodus 40:12-13

12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him.

Family Proclamation: "We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God ant that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

The Living Christ: "As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennial ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice.

My Patriarchal Blessing: "By the authority I hold as a patriarch, I place my hands upon your head, and in response to your desires, give you a blessing.

My friend Pam texted me this morning. She read 117 pages from the Book of Mormon last night. That's what happens when you don't have television, you do important things instead.

Darrel and Trina are in Boston. It's a great time of year to be back East. I would love to go to Vermont!

He says they didn't know his name.

I'm glad.

I made chicken enchiladas with red sauce today for lunch. I also made a salad. Everything was quite delicious!

This salad dressing is delicious!

James is becoming politically active on a local level. He got involved with the prescribed burn and now he is taking on the Vernon School Board. Our property taxes for this year were $2,800, a significant hike from last year. When we looked at the statement we realized that $2,400 is for the Vernon school. We have one school in our district with 100 students. The president of the school board is in our ward and when Chuck  asked him why his school taxes went up 150% he said because there are alot of poor people in Vernon and they don't pay their property taxes. James is so upset and so is Chuck, and Colin DeWitt. They will be at the next school board meeting.

James called Verizon and got I bill lowered by $50. We are getting rid of my tablet, a jetpack and we will be doing autopay. I think he might cancel our appointment with Wi-Power. He also poured concrete and worked on his equipment. It was a busy day. 

I went in to town to buy gifts for Hailey and Taylor. I am Hailey's visiting teacher and Taylor's Primary teacher. I also got some rice milk for James at Safeway because Walmart no longer carries it. While in Safeway I saw Denise and her mom Peg. They had just returned from Zion's and Bryce National Park. 

This evening we read a chapter from "Miss Leslie's Secret," watched The Love Struck Cafe and Heartland, "Dark Horse."

Photos:

My steps and stats for today.

Corvin Castle

Verdie Rea Robinson Maxwell and

Arlee Thomas Maxwell.

Another beautiful Vernon sunset.

Annie Oakley doing some trick shooting.