Monday, August 20, 2012

Somewhere in the last 3 months I read  about a father who did interviews with his children before they turn 8 and are baptized.  I went through every book I have been reading more than once and could not find it.  I prayed to Heavenly Father that I could find it so I could email it to Darrel because I thought it might be something he would like to do with Addy.  When I left for my walk I was feeling frustrated yet hopeful that Heavenly Father would hear my prayer and help me..  I put in my earplugs and began listening to Sister Cheryl A. Esplin's talk from the last General Conference entitled "Teaching Our Children to Understand."  Here was my simple little story.  I almost cried.  I came home and sent the idea to Trina and Darrel.  Trina said she loved the idea and thanked me for it. Here is the idea:

"About two months before his children turned eight years old, one father would set aside time each week to prepare them for baptism.  His daughter said that when it was her turn, he gave hear a journal and they sat together, just the two of them, and discussed and shared feelings about gospel principles.  He had her draw a visual aid as they went along .  It showed the premortal existence, this earth, life, and each step she needed to take to return to live with Heavenly Father.  He bore his testimony about each step of the plan of salvation as he taught it to her.
When he daughter recalled this experience after she was grown, she said: 'I will never forget the love I felt from my dad as he spent that time with me....I believe that this experience was a major reason I had a testimony of the gospel when I was baptized."  My prayers were answered.

My friend Paula Casto and her daughter Tanae are coming to visit this weekend.  I am excited to have them come and they are excited to come.  There is only one drawback.  Tanae has a new calling in the singles ward so they have to either go back Saturday evening or early Monday morning.  Tanae is the assistant to the Sunday social meals in the singles ward and talks her calling very seriously.

While James and I were outside on the deck reading this morning four Apache helicopters flew overhead.  Darn!  I was hoping they didn't know where we were.  We thought we were well hidden.

James and I have a goal to plant grass around our home.  Before we can even begin to think about planting we have so many rocks to remove.  I didn't realize how many until this morning when I actually began the removal process.  There are large ones and small ones and every size in between. It will be a long time before we are ready to plant.  Hopefully sometime next year.

James and I went on a short Ranger ride this morning.  Short because there was no gas.  I am grateful James is feeling a little better and beginning to act like himself.  Still waiting to here from Dr. Memon.

For FHE I made an apple pie shake and James and I watched President Monson's 85th birthday party.