Monday, February 25th, 2019

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

99th operating temple

Dedicated: 17 Sept 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

DC 6:21

Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the same that came unto mine own, and mine own received me not. I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.

Book of Mormon

2 Nephi 18:1-22

*Why would the Lord send a prophet to a people he knew would reject the message?

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

Matthew 6:1-13

"Yielding Our Hearts to God" Sister Neill F. Marriott, 10/15

New Era

"Reaching out to Ken," "Unafraid to Share the Truth"

General Conference

The Father

Brian K. Ashton

"To become like the Father, we must develop His character traits. Heavenly Father's perfections and attributes include the following:

The Father is Endless and Eternal. He is perfectly just, merciful, kind, long-suffering, and wants only what is best for us. Heavenly Father is love. He keeps His covenants. He does not change. He cannot lie. The Father is no respecter of persons. He knows all things - past, present, and future - from the beginning. Heavenly Father is more intelligent than us all. The Father has all power and does all that He takes into His heart to do."

Taking upon Ourselves the Name of Jesus Christ

Elder Robert C. Gay

"I believe that to take upon ourselves His name, we must trust Him. At a meeting I attended one Sunday, a young woman asked something like the following: 'My boyfriend and I recently broke up, and he chose to leave the Church. He tells me he has never been happier. How can this be?'

The Savior answered this question when He said to the Nephites, 'But if your life is not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you you will have joy in your works for a season, and by and by the end cometh.' There simply is no enduring joy outside the gospel of Jesus Christ."

We sold two more books: "South Beach Diet" "The Keto Diet."

When the blinds are open and the sun is shining through I can see dust everywhere, on the piano, on the floor, and the dining room and family room table. Dusting is a full-time job around here. It's dust on the inside and mud on the outside. Fighting the elements is a way of life in Vernon, Arizona.

As I was walking and watching the new "Chronicle Mysteries: The Wrong Man," I cam across this quote: "Truth is justice in action." This simple phrase helped solve the case. 

I made an appointment to visit with the Robertson's tomorrow. Marie is better but her voice sounds very weak on the phone. I can never get Joel to answer my calls probably because he does not recognize my number.

Marilyn Tice, a member of our ward and a close friend of Marie's is concerned about her eating. She said to me: "Someone needs to be there to get her to eat."

I didn't hear from Ben today but James did. I sent him the email I wrote two weeks ago that he didn't get. I hope he got it. This is the letter he sent to Sheri:

For lunch today we had burgers someone left in our freezer with swiss cheese, canned chili and cooked cabbage. James thanked me for the cabbage. He ate everything but he specifically thanked me for the cabbage.

Our little adventure into town today included dropping off a box to Goodwill and then going around to the front and dropping off James to source books. I went to the UPS store and dropped off our three boxes of books we are sending to Amazon.

Walmart is remodeling right now and they are cutting the amount of clerk-check registers almost in half. All of the rest will be self-check and none of them are open right now.

As I was checking out I realized that James never showed up. The plan was he would walk from Goodwill to Walmart after he was done looking for books. I called him and he said he would be ready when I came by to pick him up, which he was, with two bags full of books, about nine total.

At home while I was putting the groceries away James got out the power sprayer and sprayed out the muddy garage and the muddy car. He is in full snow gear and when I went out to talk to him he had brown mud spots all over his glasses and face. He was a little stressed so I didn't laugh. He did this kind gesture for me because he knew I was going on a Relief Society visit in the morning.

The rest of the evening was spent walking, blogging, and watching Hallmark movies. 

For FHE we listened to a conference talk. We also listened to our new book, "Healing Hearts," in the car.

 Love this quilt and it's colors.

 Love this picture!

 Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper singing

"Shallow" from last night's Oscars.

I didn't watch but I know that Lady Gaga won

an Oscar.

 The song is from the movie "A Star is Born."

 There was more snow in 2006 and in

the storm of the century, 1967.

I experienced both storms.

 My friend Karen and her family.

I am having lunch with her on Friday.

Her birthday was yesterday.

 I can't stand the cuteness!

  

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

99th operating temple

Dedicated: 17 Sept 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ Betrayal of

Psalms 41:9

Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

Book of Mormon

Mosiah 6:1-7:7

* After reading about King Benjamin's life, what are the Christ-like attributes you noticed he possessed?

-Some would say that King Benjamin was the greatest King who ever lived..Perhaps because he had many Christlike attributes. He like Christ, lived solely for the good of his people. He put aside every personal ambition to devote himself wholly to the welfare of those whom he ruled - no only their temporal and social welfare but also their eternal welfare. King Benjamin was a great light after the dark ages of his people, winning several generations of peace from his enemies. He was a humble man, who heard directly from Heavenly messengers. I've always admired the way he taught the people. Such a great teacher, even a master teacher just like the Savior. He also had the power to have had the riches of a king...but instead showed a much different example of humility and service to his people. In every way he was a model for Christlike living.

Old Testament

Joshua 21-22

21 The Levites receive forty-eight cities with their suburbs - The Lord fulfills all His promises and gives Israel rest.

22 The 2 1/2 tribes are dismissed with a blessing - They build an altar of testimony by the Jordan to show they are the Lord's people - It is not an altar for sacrifices or burnt offerings.

General Conference

Introductory Remarks

President Russell M. Nelson

" We announce a significant restructuring of our Melchizedek Priesthood quorums to accomplish the work of the Lord more effectively."

The Elders Quorum

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

" Having one Melchizedek Priesthood quorum in a ward unifies priesthood holders to accomplish all aspects of the work of salvation."

What should I pray for? 3 Nephi 19:9

And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them.

I wish I had time to read all the articles in Meridian Magazine. There were two today that sounded interesting: "Insights on Ministering" by Elder Andersen and "Why a Russian Temple is Meaningful to President Nelson." I did read "5 Ways Sisters Exercise Priesthood Authority." Here are the five ways:

1.) In their callings when they are set apart, 2.) Through ordinances and covenants, 3.) Faith and prayer, 4.) Temple sealing, 5.) Temple worker. 

I also saw these headlines as I was scrolling through today's news on Meridian:

"Crash kills 257 in Algeria's deadliest aviation disaster - the entire country is in mourning."

"Trump warns Syria and Russia of military strike."

Cathi, Terry, Dave, and Laura are coming on the 26th of this month to visit and to target practice and look for elk antlers. We will be happy to have their company.

My reading in the Ensign today: "Understanding Islam" by Daniel C. Peterson. Islam is the world's 2nd largest religion. Is-LAAM means submission to God. A believer in Islam is called a Muslim, meaning a submitter.

From "Rescuing Wayward Children": Charity Never Faileth. Perfect love casteth out fear. (1 John 4:21). We love God because He first loved us. It is the same way with a parent and a child.

Primary lesson:Jacob and His Family. The purpose of this lesson is to help the children desire to be honest and live with integrity.

In Joshua 22 the altar of testimony is called Ed. Ed the Altar.

Russell M. Nelson talk #14: "Choices"
1. Who am I, 2. Where did I come from?, 3. Why am I here?
Truthful answers to these questions will remind you of important anchors and unchanging principles. They will be a protection to you.

Chapter 3 of The Atoning One by Robert L. Millet, "The Great I Am." 
Christ is God of the Cosmos.

Here is a report on President and Sister Nelson's and the Holland's Global Ministry Tour:
"A meeting will be held in London Thursday evening, April 12, which will be broadcast to Church meetinghouses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This is a ticketed even and tickets are being distributed. The Church has about 186,000 members in the UK and nearly 4,000 members in Ireland. The first missionaries to go overseas were sent to Britain in 1837 only seven years after the Church was founded.

James made a live rabbit trap. He claims that Rowan asked him how to catch a rabbit. When I asked him what he was going to do with the rabbits he caught, he said: "Sell them or eat them."
"Wait a minute. Did you set these rabbits up by feeding and watering them and making them think you were their friend only to turn on them. Oh, no we are not going to eat these rabbits!  That was my response.

I made chicken enchiladas for lunch and they were yumdeli-icious!
James said: "These are so good but so not good for you that we should probably only eat them once a month." I sadly agree. They are probably my favorite meal.

I called Aunt Gene, who could barely hear me, and asked if Vickie and I could come and visit on Tuesday at 1:30. She said that would be great and she would write in on her calendar.

It is 2:15 and I only have 10,000 steps. At 3:15 I have to leave to go pick up my boy Amaron at school. He is in my Primary class and I told him I would help him do his class "homework" so he could get a treasure. 

He is such a sweet boy. We worked on the paper and then he would take a candy break. After we finished the first page he took a tour of the upstairs and I got the dice out to make my dice pyramids.

Amaron finished his paper and got his treasure, the little stuffed giraffe. On the way home we stopped at Colter's and Jace's and left them a paper so they can get a treasure on Sunday too. 
Amaron told me that Jace is a bully and I told him that made me sad.

When we got to Amaron's home I was surprised by what I saw. Laurann his mom was folding clothes and she looked totally overwhelmed. I am wondering if I should offer my help to her. She has twin boys that are almost a year old.

Laurann needs someone to watch Amaron next Wednesday but that is now the day we are going down to pick up our car. She said that Amaron could come over again next Thursday and I will help him with his reading.

I got home and had some dinner and began walking. I have alot of steps to take. James works on putting in family birthdays, etc., on family search. I also worked on my Primary lesson and ate pistachios.

I made my goal of 21,000!

These are my walking shoes for the past several days.
I used to walk with just socks on but these really do
give me support. I bought them for when I work in the
temple, but I didn't like wearing them for long periods.
They are perfect for walking!

My dear, sweet Ruby!

This is so true

No wonder I love the snow so much.

Saturday, November 4th, 2017

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

99th temple

Dedicated: 17 Sep 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Ascension of
John 14:28
Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
Book of Mormon
3 Nephi 19:30-20:19
*What does the Savior promise those who partake of the sacrament? Why is this promise so significant?
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: "Attendance at church each week provides the opportunity to partake of the sacrament, as the Lord has commanded us (see DC 59:9). If we act with the right preparation and attitude, partaking of the sacrament renews the cleansing effect of our baptism and qualifies us for the promise that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. A mission of that Spirt, the Holy Ghost, is to testify of the Father and the Son and to lead us into truth, (see John 14:26; 2 Nephi 31:18). Testimony and truth, which are essential to our personal conversion, are the choice harvest of this weekly renewing of our covenants.In the day to day decisions of my life and in my personal spiritual growth, I have enjoyed the fulfillment of that promise" (Ensign, May 2002, 34).
Doctrine Covenants Favorite Scripture
DC 1:32-33
32 Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven;
33 And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received; for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts.
General Conference

The Needs Before Us

Bonnie L. Oscarson

The Savior taught, "For whosoever will save his life shall lost it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it."

President Thomas S. Monson said of this scripture: "I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish-and in effect save their lives."

Happy Birthday Jared!

Kacey's post:

Had to see this one more closeup.

This one too.

James and I finally left for the temple at 5:45 this morning. On the way we read 3 Nephi 19:30-20:19 and Sister Oscarson's talk, "The Needs Before Us." James grabbed the wrong book, instead of our Regency romance novel he brought "Rescuing Wayward Children."

I started reading from it and we both enjoyed it so much the idea came up that maybe we should ask our kids to read with us. I think most all of them have a copy of the book. 

The new temple presidency is in effect. To our surprise our friends from high school, Stephen and Trisha Reidhead are in the presidency. They conducted the preparation meeting today. They have lived in the same house in Snowflake for 40 years. Stephen was the stake president when President Hinckley came to chose the Snowflake temple site. They have 3 daughters and 5 sons and all their sons live in Snowflake and help their dad run his logging business.  They have 25 grandchildren and 22 of them live in Snowflake. It is going to be great being able to work with them.

James was the assistant director in the baptistry all of our shift. He was extremely busy. There were several large groups coming in and he had to run the temple cards up to the recorders office several times. He got lots of steps today. He said this was his favorite day so far working in the temple.

I had a good day too. This is not our regular shift, we traded with the Nelson's but we have friends from Vernon who work on this shift, the Wilhelm's and the Diewald's. 

I got to do sealings today which is always a blessing. I did not do a session but I got to help in the baptistry with James. A sister from Lakeside asked if I spoke at the White Mountain Stake Women's Conference last spring. When I told her yes she told me how wonderful my talk was. Positive feedback always makes you feel good.

I had about 30 minutes of study time today. I think I know the first section of the initiatory ordinance. I still have a long ways to go though.

I had a nice chat with Sister Jones who is also a former high school acquaintance. She now lives in Joseph City. I heard one of the sisters from Joe City tell a joke. She said when the pioneers came down they stopped in Joe City and were going to camp there until the wind stopped blowing but wound up staying and building the city because the wind never stopped. 

There was a wedding today, the Solomon, Caldwell wedding, both local people so there was a huge crowd. Sixty people must have come out of that little sealing room. Sister Jones said there was standing room only. They were a loud bunch but thankfully they took their party outside.

We get off at one and since James didn't have a break he was pretty hungry. We stopped at El Cupido's for lunch because I couldn't stop thinking about the Big Jake burro I had last week and I wanted another one. I also got a drink.

On the way home we mailed a bill at the Show Low post office and stopped to get gas. Most of the smoke from yesterday's fire was gone from our area but we saw it in Shumway and Taylor.

This afternoon and evening we read, I blogged, James worked a little outside, we got our steps, watched some Christmas movies and then watched Heartland, "Starting Gate."

Evan's birthday lunch at his favorite

pizza place.

Arizona's Territorial Capital in Prescott

Evan in 2016 with his favorite Costco cake.

Eden and grandma Rebecca

Home from his mission in Argentina

Friday, June 30th, 2017

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

99th operating temple

Dedicated: 17 Sept 2000 by

Gordon B. Hinckley

Alma 24:19-30
*How does this account influence your desire to keep your covenants?
*What can we do to strengthen our desire and ability to keep the covenants we have made with the Lord?
DC 94:1-17
1-9, The Lord gives a commandment relative to the erection of a house for the work of the Presidency; 10-12, A printing house is to be built; 13-17, Certain inheritances are assigned.
What are church buildings dedicated from the foundation?
General Conference

Foundations of Faith

Elder Quentin L. Cook

"We concluded that my brothers decision on whether to serve a mission depended on 3 issues: (1.) Was Jesus Christ divine?

(2.) Was the Book of Mormon true? (3.) Was Joseph Smith the prophet of the Restoration?

I came to understand that almost every decision I would make for the rest of my life would be based on the answers to those three questions."

I did some early morning blogging along with my gospel study. James had an appointment with Dr. Moffat at 8:30 and I went with him and did my shopping at Walmart.  I bought food for Jared and Kacey's family because they are arriving late Saturday night and don't want to shop on Sunday.  After our shopping we got tacos at Aliberto's. There are two Aliberto's in Show Low. We got out tacos on the one by the old Porter House. They guy there says his brother runs the other Aliberto's out by Walmart.

Back at home after putting the groceries away James and I sat down to watch a movie on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel. We watched the one about Emma Fielding which turns out to be a murder mystery.

This afternoon we put the king sized bed in my office and the one in my office went into James's office.  

I worked upstairs cleaning my office and James's and the common area until about 7:30. Kim and Brian texted me when they got to Show Low and I ran in and took a shower before they got here.

Kim and Brian were delayed by the fire near Payson. I have a friend who tried to come up the Payson way later and had to turn around and go back because it was bumper to bumper traffic. 

We watched one of Hallmark's new June movies "My Favorite Wedding," starring Paul Green and Maggie Lawson.  We all agreed that it was a good one.

Random Photos:

Happy Anniversary!

Paul posted this on Facebook.

Bryce Canyon

One of my favorite "I Love Lucy"

episodes!

'Kenzi and Colter

Colter is in my Primary class.

Painting by Hayden Lambson