OUR FAMILY: James to Dr. Moffat's

Reno, Nevada

81st operating temple

Dedicated: 23 April 2000
Thomas S. Monson

3 Nephi 11:1-17

Jesus Christ appears to the Nephites.

The father testifies of His Beloved Son; Christ appears and proclaims His Atonement; The people feel the wound marks in His hands and feet and side; They cry Hosanna; He sets forth the mode and manner of baptism; The spirit of contention is of the devil; Christ's doctrine is that men should believe and be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. About A.D. 34.

Alma 17:18-39

Ammon becomes a servant to King Lamoni and preserves the king's flocks.

*What do you think is significant about Ammon telling the king "I will be thy servant?"

*When have you seen service lead to opportunities to share the gospel?

*President Thomas S. Monson:

"To young men of the Aaronic Priesthood and to you young men who are elders: I repeat what prophets have long taught - that every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a mission. Missionary service is a priesthood duty - an obligation the Lord expects of us who have been given so very much. Young men, I admonish you to prepare for service as a missionary. Keep yourselves clean and pure and worthy to represent the Lord. Maintain your health an strength. Study the scriptures and pray. Where such is available, participate in seminary and institute. Familiarize yourself with the missionary handbook, "Preach My Gospel.""

DC 88:66-77

62-73, Draw near unto the Lord, and ye will see His face; 74-80, Sanctify yourselves and teach one another the doctrines of the kingdom;

67 If my eye is single to God's glory, then I will be filled with light.

68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see Him; for He will unveil His face unto you, and it shall be in His own time, and in His own way, and according to His own will.

74 Purify your hearts, cleanse your hands and feet.

76 ...continue in prayer and fasting from this time forth...

Why is it important that we sanctify ourselves?

*So that we are able to see the Savior and enjoy His presence. What does sanctification mean? *Our minds become single to God. Doing God's will is our only desire.

General Conference

Kindness, Charity, and Love

President Thomas S. Monson

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked....Wherefore my beloved brethren, f ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail - But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." (Moroni 7:44-47.)

Called to the Work

Elder David A. Bednar

"The spiritual gifts of prophecy and revelation attend all mission calls and assignments."

I had lunch with Jean and her granddaughter Hunter today. We went to the White Mountain Donut Shop Cafe and then afterwards went to the donut shop. I had the oriental salad which was good but not nearly as good as the one at Persnikkity's.

The lesson was on priesthood power.

I tried to download a handout on Sugardoodle.net but

I am having problems with my password and it was taking them forever, three days to be exact, to send me a new one.

My friend Marci C. did this handout.

While I was at lunch, James was at Dr. Moffat's. The doctor filled his prednisone prescription and another antibiotic but he wants to do some tests. He thinks James might have Sjorgens disease. James talked with Jared about it and he says one of the symptoms is dry eyes, which James has had. It will be interesting to see if James actually has it.

When we got home we were talking and James told me about two accidents he had this week. A piece of metal hit him close to his eye and then a saw cut through his shirt but not his garments or skin. Sometimes I wish he wouldn't tell me about these "accidents" because it just makes me worry more.

I worked on my blog for awhile this afternoon and then took a nap before going to the Snowflake temple by myself. James can't speak. On the way out of Vernon I dropped two loaves of garlic bread off at the church where there is a ward party and dinner. The theme of the party is the Book of Mormon. My friend Kaeli was in charge and I heard it was pretty amazing. She had an iron rod leading to a light up tree of life that everyone was talking about afterwards. I didn't want to go to the party by myself, I would rather go to the temple.

When I stepped outside of the temple after my session I could see the smoke from the fire by Payson. June is the worst month for fires up here. That is why we pray for rain.

No selfie by myself.

I stopped at CVS on the way home and picked up James's prescriptions and then went through Sonic to get a corndog. I also stopped at the Vernon post office. It's a little scary there in the dark.

It was late when I got home so we went to bed.

I wanted to mention that I read an article in the New Era today, "Why Religious Freedom Matters, What's At Risk."

There is a lot at stake, and this is just a sampling:

*You could lose your job or leadership positions for expressing religious beliefs - even outside of work.

*You might be required to hide your religion or perform tasks at work that go against your beliefs.

*You may be required to work on the Sabbath or religious holidays.

* Youth in public schools may be required to learn about sexual and gender theories that contradict basic Church teachings.

*You might not be able to create faith-based clubs on college campuses without being required to let people become club members or even officers, who oppose the club's religious beliefs.

*Churches may be forced to employ people who disagree with or refuse to live core values of their faith.

*Churches could lost their tax exempt status.

*Housing units, such as dorms, at religious colleges could be forced to abandon moral standards that protect privacy, modesty, and morality.

*Religious schools that maintain honor codes may lose their accreditation and be denied research funds and even federal student loans and grants.

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