Sunday, November 25th, 2018

Mesa, Arizona

7th operating temple

Dedicated: 23-26 Oct 1927

By: Heber J. Grant

Jesus Christ, Death of

Mosiah 14:12

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Book of Mormon #1

Mormon 6:6-22

*Mormon asks his people why they rejected the open arms of Christ. Mormon taught that their reunion with the Savior world have been joyful (6:17). We too must prepare ourselves to stand before the Lord at the Judgment. President James E. Faust explained: 'We long for the ultimate blessing of the Atonement - to become one with Him, to be in His divine presence, to be called individually by name as He warmly welcomes us home with a radiant smile, beckoning us with open arms to be enfolded in His boundless love. How gloriously sublime this experience will be if we can feel worthy enough to be in His presence. The free gift of His great atoning sacrifice for each of us is the only way we can be exalted enough to stand before Him and see Him face to face. The overwhelming message of the Atonement is the perfect love the Savior has for each of us. It is a love fully of mercy, patience, grace, equity, long-suffering and, above all, forgiving. The evil influence of Satan would destroy any hope we have in overcoming our mistakes. He would have us feel that we are lost and that there is no hope. In contrast, Jesus reaches down to us to lift us up. Through our repentance and the gift of the Atonement, we can prepare to be worthy to stand in His presence.'" (CR Oct 2001).

Old Testament

Hosea 13-14

General Conference

The Father

Brian K. Ashton

"In the premortal world, we were born as spirits to Heavenly Parents and lived with Them as a family. They knew us, taught us, and loved us. We wanted very much to be like our Heavenly Father. However, to do so, we recognized that we would have to: 

1. Obtain glorified, immortal, physical bodies;

2. Be married and form families by the sealing power of the priesthood;

3. Acquire all knowledge, power, and divine attributes."

Up at 6 a.m. Study, ready for church. James studies his lesson, "Daniel in the Lion's Den."

The DeWitt's spoke in sacrament meeting this morning. We haven't seen them for weeks. They returned from their mission to the Taiwan temple towards the end of May. These talks were to report on their mission.

Wendy  did not think she would need to learn Mandarin. When the temple president told her she would she asked him for a blessing and specifically asked for the gift of tongues. As a result of that blessing she learned all of the ordinances for the temple in two weeks. This has never been done before and she believes it was a miracle as a result of her blessing and her study. She says she has never studied anything so hard. She really is quite an amazing person.

Collin only had a few minutes to speak. His talk was heartfelt and I truly felt the Spirit. You can tell he loves Vernon and the people here so much!

The second hour I went to teacher council meeting which was taught by Brother Allen and Bishop Miller. We talked about the new program beginning in January and how to get people to study at home. I said in order to stand as a witness we need to have a testimony of the gospel and we get that through study and prayer.

Brother Grapp says he has learned from his children. He took Benson to visit someone with a boy Benson's age and Benson introduced himself by saying: "Hi, I'm Benson. Do you read the Bible. Let me tell you about my favorite story, Daniel in the Lion's Den."  

Sister Curtis taught Relief Society. The lesson was on personal scripture study. We had a great discussion and Diana used the microphone. 

James told me on the way home that during the 3rd hour teacher council meeting the bishop talked about me and how I got to know the kids in my Primary class and visited the inactives. James said he mentioned me several times. I don't deserve all the praise but I am grateful.

We had Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch. Delicious!

Sister Dye has been moved to a rehab center and will be there for at least a month. She is doing much better be needs some therapy.

During naptime I watched, "Reunited for Christmas." I really liked this movie about memories at Nana's house and family traditions.

I also finished my gospel study and worked on my blog. 

A nice evening at home with a fire and Christmas movies:

Along with "Reunited at Christmas" I watched

"Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe"

and 

"Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane"

Two old people in front of a tree.

 So adorable!

 When Lola had a crush on Evan.

 All dressed up with pink shoes.

CityScape Phoenix

Monday, June 18th, 2018

Mesa, Arizona
7th operating temple
Dedicated: 23-26 Oct 1927
By: Heber J. Grant

Jesus Christ, Condescension of

2 Nephi 4:26

O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?

Book of Mormon

Alma 18:12-43

*What did Ammon desire of King Lamoni?

- Ammon wanted King Lamoni to listen to the gospel message he came to share and to take advantage of Christ's Atonement. It is important that our daily activities don't distract us from listening to the Spirit. Brad Wilcox: "Following the Spirit allows me to be at peace."

Old Testament

2 Kings 23-24

23 Josiah reads the book of the covenant to the people - They covenant to keep the commandments - Josiah overturns the worship of false gods, removes the sodomites, and puts down idolatry - Idolatrous priests are slain - Judah holds a solemn Passover - Egypt subjects the land of Judah.

24 Jerusalem is besieged and taken by Nebuchadnezzar - Many of the people of Judah are carried captive into Babylon - Zedekiah becomes king in Jerusalem - He rebels against Babylon.

General Conference

Pure Love: The True Sign of Every True Disciple of Jesus Christ

Elder Massimo De Feo

"True disciples love to serve. They know that serving is an expression of true love and a covenant they made at baptism. Regardless of their callings in the Church or their role in the community, they feel an increasing desire to love and serve the Lord and one another."

Happy Birthday Ruby

Wearing her bunny earrings

and butterfly necklace.

Gift Table

She took the time to read her cards.

Lots of neat gifts, from a Mermaid tail
and costume that she can swim in, to
a crouqet set.

 Ruby is 9!

After Ruby's birthday celebration, Darrel, Trina and the kids climbed in the car and headed for the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert. 

Lola refused to get out of the car.

I'm not sure where Ruby is.

Hiking around looking for the forest. 

Trina says it should be called the

Petrified Desert.

There's Ruby, and Kreed too.

I told Darrel that Lola reminded me of him. I remember a few

time when we went on vacation that he refused to get out of the

car and once he stayed in the hotel while we took a trip down the

Rogue River in Oregon.

I like this photo of Darrel

James and Darrel went to the Howard's to pick up the couch that

they are giving us. Trina and I and the kids were not far behind. The kids wanted to see the horses again and they were hoping maybe they could ride them but no such luck. Tom was just leaving as we were driving up. 

Mirage is in labor but still wanted people to pet her. These kids love these horses and dogs. Next time they come up we will go riding for sure.

Ian and Brian both have June birthdays
Out celebrating!

 Jared & Kacey officially moved to
Tyler, Texas on Saturday.

Woohoo!

Woohoo again!

This photo was taken in March when
there was still snow on the ground.

 "Nothing I enjoy more than a
juicy stick!"

Kreed, Lola, and Rowan

Rowan caught a bunny but I think

he wants out!

The fire restrictions didn't stop Darrel

from grilling some delicious 

carne asada on our gas grill.

Wednesday, January 10th, 2018

Mesa, Arizona

7th operating temple

Dedicated: 23-26 Oct 1927

By: Heber J. Grant

Jesus Christ Atonement through

DC 38:4

I am the same which spake, and the world was made, and all things came by me.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 8:16-38

*What can we do to "continually hold fast" to the word of God?

*How can we choose to partake of the fruit Lehi saw in his dream in our lives today?

Old Testament

Genesis 21-23

21 Sarah bears Isaac - He is circumcised - Hagar and her son are cast out of Abraham's household - The Lord saves Hagar and Ishmael - Abraham and Abimelech deal honorably with each other.

Old Testament Scripture Mastery

Exodus 20:12

Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

General Conference

Repentance is Always Positive

Brother Stephen W. Owen

"True repentance inspires us to make our obedience a commitment - a covenant, beginning with baptism and renewed each week at the Lord's Supper, the sacrament. There we receive the promise that we can 'always have his Spirit to be with us,' with all of the joy and peace that come from His constant companionship. This is the fruit of repentance, and this is what makes repentance joyful!"

We woke up this morning to snow!

Pre-Dawn

That's my tree on the right.

I just can't get  enough!

So beautiful!

Looks like a postcard.

Our old dead tree even looks good in the snow.

The world looks better with frosting!

My friend in Lakeside posted this.

Just one more!

Our prayers were answered!

I started The Shepherd's Diet today and I had steak for breakfast, and chicken and salad for lunch. 

James said someone in the high priest group had said Melchizedek and the city of Salem were translated. It says this in the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis 14:25-36.

25 And Melchizedek lifted up his voice and blessed Abram.

26 Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire.

27 And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch,

28 It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God;

29 And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name.

30 For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of the course;

31 To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every hand, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world.

32 And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.

33 And now, Melchizedek was a priest of this order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem, and was called the Prince of peace.

34 And his people wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world;

35 And hath said, and sworn with an oath, that the heavens and the earth should come together; and the sons of God should be tried so as by fire.

36 And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace.

You tell me. Does this sound like Melchizedek and the city of Salem was translated?

Another quote, this one by the Prophet Joseph Smith:

"...A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things."

I love this quote I found while reading "Rescuing Wayward Children:"

"Children who have received baptism and then abandoned the gospel are tethered to Christ by a cord that cannot be broken."

-Orson F. Whitney

 James and I left for town around 7:45. He has an MRI scheduled at 8:30. I dropped him off at the hospital and then I went across the street to Walmart. I put Anna's birthday card in the box outside Walmart before I went in. 

At 12:06 it was snowing again as I came out of Walmart. Woohoo!

We also went to Safeway for some DP10. 

I went downstairs this afternoon and put away all of the Christmas decorations. Done for another year. 

We got our new wifi device from Verizon. This one is supposed to carry a signal for 150 feet instead of 30. There is only one problem, it needs an antenna to be really effective and that is optional. I wish they would have told me.

I had no sweets, bread, pasta, cereal, or heavy carbs today. I did not even have withdrawals either. 

We watched "Heartland 5 episode:Do the Right Thing."

This was the most wonderful day because of the snow!

Yummy!

Sunday, August 13th, 2017

Washington D.C.

16th operating temple

Dedicated: 9-22 Nov 1974

By: Spencer W. Kimball

Closed for renovation March 2018

Alma 50:1-20

What can you do to cut off your spiritual enemies from their strong-holds?

*Instagram-bofm365-marianawolfe: "It's important that even when we are under 'prosperous circumstances' (v.17) that we do not stop making preparations...to defend our people. There is a tendency for us to become at ease when things are going well. However, we can't let our guard down for one moment. We have to continually be building strong and high defenses against the adversary, preparing strongholds, ad securing...our people from the hands of the devil and evil forces. We can't ever stop preparing."

DC 112:17-34

Why should verses 23-24 cause us to seriously reflect upon our daily actions?

*stef_littlefield: "In verse 26 it reminds us that we need to really know the Lord, not just profess to know Him. It's truly in our daily choices that shows our true devotion to the Lord. We must be the 'light on the hill.' the beacon of hope in the dark and evil world through the way we live our lives, and love and serve others as Jesus Christ did.

General Conference

The Language of the Gospel 

Elder Valeri V. Cordon

" As families we need to avoid any tradition that will prevent us from keeping the Sabbath day holy or having daily scripture study and prayer at home. To combat the worldly traditions of our day, we need to use the scriptures and the voice of our modern prophets to teach our children about their divine identity, their purpose in life and the divine mission of Jesus Christ."

James and I barely made it to the Tucson temple dedication broadcast held at the White Mountain stake center in Lakeside. As we walked up the sidewalk the usher who was holding the door told us we had 30 seconds before the doors would be closed. We sit in the very back row of the cultural hall. In front of us a few rows we see the Grapp's with Liana and Sister Vaught. About half way through the preliminaries, Brother Mayfield comes and sits by us.

Elder Stevenson conducted this morning session. Before the cornerstone celebration, he told of the significance of Jesus Christ being the cornerstone of the Church. 
President Uchtdorf presided over the cornerstone ceremony. He said: "As we seal this cornerstone let us seal our hearts to do the work of the Lord. The Church is a place to find harmony with heaven and earth. The temple is a place of unity and love."
The actual sealing of the cornerstone in these days is only symbolic. Church authorities and their wives took part in the sealing along with local leaders and the temple presidency. Children in the congregation were then invited to participate. President Uchtdorf invited two of his grandsons who are getting ready to serve missions up also. 
The choir sang, "We Thank Thee for Our Loving Savior."

Back inside the temple, Sister Moeller, the temple matron was the first speaker. She says that when the temple was announced cheers went up. While the temple was being prepared, we prepared for the temple. We must prepare o the outside and the inside, temporally and spiritually. The temple helps us have balance. We can live a godly life in a worldly world. We come to know our Savior as we serve in the temple. 
President Moeller - Spoke about the Mormon Battlion and how his great, great grandfather served in the battlion. He talked about the history of the Church in Tucson. He gave the Isaiah quote, the mountain of the Lord's house. The temple is the most sacred place on earth. Without the Savior, the temple would not exist. In the temple we will be able to bear every burden and withstand temptations.
W. Christopher Waddell of the presiding bishopric. Mentioned the restoration of keys in the Kirtland temple. Creation of eternal families. A place of revelation and learning. The temple takes us to the Promised Land, the Celestial Kingdom. The temple is an oasis in a spiritual desert. It provides strength and protection, a shield armed with power and prepared to overcome the challenges of life. President Howard W. Hunter quote about the temple.
Elder Lynn G. Robbins - Dying woman's wish to have her temple recommend renewed. What do we take with us to the next life? Our temple recommend is a celestial passport. "Pass your temple recommend under the door." Our temple recommend is a symbol of our worthiness to enter into the presence of God. The temple is the Lord's house. CTR - Current Temple Recommend. The Young Women's theme is like a pledge of allegiance to the temple. Please have a picture of the temple in your home. "You can't fatten the hog on the day of the fair."
Choir sang: "This is the Christ" (written by James E. Faust)
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf - "Recommit ourselves to the Lord. This is a new beginning. The temple connects our earthly existence to our Heavenly destiny. This is literally the House of the Lord. It is a constant reminder of the goodness of our Heavenly Father. Milo and Phoebe Webb of Snowflake traveled to St. George in 1893 to be sealed. Their 11 children, grand children, and great grandchildren are reaping the blessings of their sacrifice.

Dedicatory Prayer

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Hosanna Shout led by Elder Larry Y. Wilson

"Hosanna Anthem" sung by the choir

"The Spirit of God"

Benediction - Sister Sharington

There are now six operating temples in Arizona. For years the only temple we had was in Mesa. It was dedicated on the 23-26 October 1927 by Heber J. Grant. The next temple was the Snowflake temple dedicated 3 March 2002 by Gordon B. Hinckley. The Gila Valley was dedicated 23 May 2010 by Thomas S. Monson. We had two temples dedicated in 2014. The Gilbert on 2 March and the Phoenix on 16 November. Both were dedicated by Thomas S. Monson although the dedication of the Gilbert temple was read by Henry B. Eyring. Now the Tucson temple on 13th August, 2017.

There are around 433,000 LDS in Arizona.

Tucson

157 operating temple

Phoenix

144th operating temple

Gilbert

142nd operating temple

Gila Valley

132nd operating temple

Snowflake

108th operating temple

Mesa

7th operating temple

(Will be closing in 2018 for renovation)

Darrel, Trina, Addy, Rowan, Ruby, Max, and Joshua attended the 12 o'clock dedication session at the Show Low stake center because it is closer than the one in Lakeside where we attended. James and I watched Lola who was too young, Kreed who didn't have a recommend, and Evan who wasn't feeling well. I fed the kids some lunch and then did some cleaning during the second session.

When everyone returned we had a relaxing afternoon watching TV, playing games, and reading. James cooked everyone some burgers before they left. We should have had prayer and scripture study with them! Rowan was quite sad, and shed a few tears before leaving. Darrel promised they would come up Labor Day weekend to celebrate Darrel's birthday. They left around 5:30 with Kreed and Ruby riding with Darrel in his car and everyone else in with Trina.

Lola loves her grandpa

Lola and grandpa out for a Sunday drive

Trina won our Five Crowns game so she got the prize.

Those big orange marshmallow peanuts.

She is the only one who would even eat them.

I love this dress, and the girl in it!

After everyone was gone James and I went out on the porch to enjoy the weather, and to study and read. 

When we went to bed around 9 there was a thunder and rainstorm and the electricity went off for about 40 minutes. 

I couldn't go to sleep until I knew that everyone made it home safely.