Sunday, January 19th, 2020

Birmingham, Alabama

98th operating temple

Dedicated: 3 Sept 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Jehovah

Isaiah 63:8

For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Savior.

Book of Mormon/"Come Follow Me"

Review 1 Nephi 8-10

"Spiritual Treasures"

President Russell M. Nelson

I invite you to study prayerfully section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants and discover what the Holy Ghost will teach you. Your personal spiritual endeavor will bring you joy as you gain, understand, and use the power with which you have been endowed. 

Examine your life meticulously and regularly. As you do so, the Holy Ghost will prompt you about what is no longer needful, what is no longer worthy of your time and energy."

Today I woke up thinking about the Book of Mormon. I dreamed I was on a mission and we were trying to give away Books of Mormon. I offered a prayer and afterwards some of the other missionaries mentioned how they felt the power of my prayer. I thanked them but in my heart I didn't really deserve their praise because Diana Dowdle had been whispering in my ear the words I should say. Somehow I related this message to "I need to share my testimony of the Book of Mom and the Savior more, specifically on Facebook and Instagram. Diana Dowdle is someone who is always happy and willing to share her testimony with others. I then thought of my sister-in-law Vickie. She used Facebook to let others know of her belief in Jesus Christ yet she doesn't go to church. I need to be more like Diana and Vickie and use social media as a platform for sharing my testimony.

My former Primary boys Colter and Jace were ordained Deacons and helped to pass the sacrament today. It was great to see them progressing in the gospel. Darrel and Trina came to sacrament meeting and stayed for the second hour. Debra Brewer and Brother Wright our high councilman were the speakers today in sacrament meeting. Debra spoke on faith and how it is the moving cause of all action and power. Faith is based on truth preceded by knowledge. Faith centers in Christ unto salvation. 

Brother Wright spoke on "Commitment to Covenants and Enduring to the End." Having the Spirit is key. When a machine is out of order it is still in the same place taking up space but it is less serviceable. We can be "out of order" if we don't keep our covenants. King Benjamin says we need to "watch ourselves" because there are so many ways we can sin. We need to focus on the Tree of Life, the Savior, and stay by the tree. By keeping covenants we qualify for the Spirit. When we have faith and rely on the Savior we are more "serviceable." The Savior was nailed to the cross and His arms are stretched out still. We are his hands and feet, the only imperfect things on Him. We must pray and ask for direction. As we work to serve others our imperfections are made whole. I know Jesus lives.

Brother Judd taught Sunday School. Darrel, Trina, and Lola attended with me. Addy and Rowan went to youth Sunday School and Ruby went to James's Primary class.

I noticed something today during sacrament meeting. We sat behind the Judd's and their five or six boys. Those boys were perfect in sacrament meeting. Their sister kept them in line but she didn't have to do much. It was a pleasure watching them.

As I was leaving church Cammy Grapp asked me to correct Tildy's baptismal program. Instead of January 19, 2020 it says October 19, 2019. 

When I got home from church I fixed lunch and then went in to work on the program. James helped me and we got 16 programs printed before I ran out of ink. We were almost late for the baptism. There were about 50 programs with the wrong date and then our 16 with the correct date. At least Tildy will have the right one to keep. 

There were so many people at the baptism. We stayed until after the confirmation and then we went home because we were afraid that Darrel and Trina were going to leave before we got back. 

Lola, Ruby, Rowan and I finished watching "Phantom."

We took a family picture inside because Trina said it was "too cold" outside.

 We said our goodbyes and off they went.

We really enjoyed having them here!

Miss Charlie Mae Lambson

 Such a cutie!

Playing the new and improved Candyland

while eating cinnamon rolls.

 Joshua was ordained a teacher today

 Trina had to take  a picture because she said we

looked like twins.

Tildy's Baptism

Sunday, October 13th, 2019

Lisbon, Portugal

166th operating temple

Dedicated: 15 Sep 2019

By: Neil L. Andersen

Jesus Christ, Good Shepherd

3 Nephi 15:21

And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Book of Mormon

3 Nephi 4:15-33

New Testament: Ephesians: CWIC chapters 4-6

General Conference

Consistent and Resilient Trust
Elder L. Todd Budge
Trusting in the Lord includes trusting in His timing and requires patience and endurance that outlast the storms of life."

DC 93:39 - And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.

I read this scripture today as I was reading from "Rescuing Wayward Children" in regards to children leaving the gospel path. Our goal should be to reintroduce basic gospel concepts to these children with the hope they will one day remember and respond.

I finished the Attributes of Christ questionnaire from Preach My Gospel. James finished his too. We are putting them in a file and in six months, after the next General Conference, we will answer the questions again and then compare our answers. 

We left for church at 8:50 and Adam and his friends were right behind us. We all sat together in the back of the chapel. 

Today was our fast and testimony meeting. Bishop Miller conducted the meeting so he bore his testimony first. He spoke about the stake choir and how wonderful they sounded at stake conference and praised those from our ward who were in the choir. He spoke of how blessed we have been the past month starting with the visit of President Oaks and two seventies, stake conference, and General Conference. He said that a disciple of Christ is a learner of Christ. He testified that personal revelation will be needed to get us through the coming days.

Lorraine Vaught said she was grateful for the Savior and the peace he provides.

Lucretia Barton told about having 10 minutes notice to escape the fire in Paradise, California and how she had to leave all of her belongings behind. 

Jimmy Applegate testified that it has been a great month of conferences and how impressed he is with the youth. He had a meeting with the youth where they spoke about what they loved about General Conference.

Alicia Hunsaker said she was so grateful that families can be together forever and thanked everyone that helped with Analee's funeral. 

Marci Westbrook bore testimony of the power of prayer. Her son was in an accident Thursday night and basically walked away unharmed. She said she was glad they had had family prayer that morning. She is also grateful for guardian angels.

Sean Bowen bore testimony of the Book of Mormon.

I bore testimony of the importance of the "Come Follow Me" program and that the only way to be truly happy in this life is by living the gospel.

Kathy Crane spoke of the importance of families and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Corina Westbrook bore testimony that we have a living prophet.

The last hour was spent watching the video of the new children and youth program. It is all about goal setting in four areas: physical, spiritual, social, and intellectual.

When we got home Adam was vacuuming and Kaitlyn was sweeping the kitchen floor. James and I broke our fast and we all raided the refrigerator for lunch before saying our goodbyes.

Adam, Kaitlyn, Chris

Adam said he would let me know when they got home. I gave them all a hug and they were on their way. James had an earache so he was laying down. He used a bobby pin to clean out his ear and made it sore.

We FaceTimed with Jared, Kacey, and Charlie this afternoon. We look forward to this all week kind of like Sheri looks forward to Skyping with Ben all week. 

This evening we listened to Dave and Emily discuss Philippians and Colossians, which is this week's "Come Follow Me" scriptures.

Adorable girl, adorable dress

Father, Daughter, Nicole and Kyle Tolman
ran a half marathon yesterday.

Sunday, August 25th, 2019

Accra, Ghana

117th operating temple

Dedicated: 11 Jan 2004

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Glory of

Isaiah 6:3

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Book of Mormon

Alma 56:18-40

New Testament "Be Perfectly Joined Together" 1 Corinthians 1-7

Review 1 Corinthians 1-7

General Conference

Cleansed by Repentance

President Dallin H. Oaks

"Overarching God's plan and all of His commandments is His love for each of us, which is 'most desirable above all things ... and the most joyous to the soul'. The prophet Isaiah assured even the wicked that when they 'return unto the Lord, ... he will have mercy ... and abundantly pardon'. Alma taught, 'Behold he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them'. The risen Lord told the Nephites, 'Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive'. From these and many other scriptural teachings, we know that our loving Savior opens His arms to receive all men and women on the loving conditions He has prescribed to enjoy the greatest blessings God has for His children."

Marie and Jasmine were confirmed today in sacrament meeting. They were dressed nice and they were glowing. I congratulated both of them afterwards. 

My friend Jean came to sacrament meeting today at my request but I could tell she did not feel well and I felt a little guilty. She went home after sacrament meeting.

Dimitri G. was the youth speaker today. He spoke on the impact of the "Come Follow Me" program on his family. He said that the "Come Follow Me" program has helped him feel the Spirit and grow close to Jesus Christ. It was a great talk!

The choir sang "Amazing Grace". They need more men. Lots of women but not enough men.

Brother S. Hunsaker was the last speaker. He used Elder Kyle S. McKay's talk, "The Immediate Goodness of God" as the basis for his talk but used his own examples. I could listen to Sean talk all day. Such a sweet, good man. Here are some quotes: "Even while we are patiently waiting upon the Lord, these are certain blessing that come to us immediately" When Alma's people reached Zarahemla: "When they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of ... bondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God." The immediate goodness of God comes to all who call upon Him with real intent and full purpose of heart. He has promised, "My kindness shall not depart from thee." Paul said, 'nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.'

Sister Skousen taught Relief Society today based on Elder Uchtodorf's talk, "Missionary Work: Sharing What Is in Your Heart". The sisters had lots of stories to tell and really carried the lesson.

After lunch and rest time I reviewed this week's "Come Follow Me" lesson by listening to Brother Butler's and Sister Freeman's YouTube video and filling out their work sheet. I did the same thing with next week's lesson. 

James went to visit the Peeler's and when he returned we headed for the Woods' for dinner. We met Rosa and Dave there. Dave and James are the ministering brothers for Pam and Chuck. When they asked for an appointment Pam invited them to bring their wives for dinner. 

We sat out on the deck and visited while waiting for the sun to go down. After the sun was down we ate out on the deck at the table that was set up. First was the salad which was served in a bowl made from the knot on a tree from Alaska. James asked what kind of tree but they didn't know.

For dinner we had a delicious meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and broccoli. For dessert a homemade cherry pie with the best crust I have ever tasted! 

After dinner we watched photos projected on the screen from the Woods' recent trip to Prince Edward Island, Kentucky, and Tennesse. Lots of pictures of quilts from the quilt museum in Kentucky.

Pam has been quilting since she was 20 years old and she is now 70. She is a hand quilter. Chuck does the machine quilting.

 Pam with some of her quilts

Lots of awards!

Pam is one of the nicest people I have ever met. She considers everyone her friend and is so kind and loving.

On the way home we stopped at the Halcomb's to get some peaches. They had two big boxes full. We only took a small bag.

 This post was done by Elder Heyman,

Dianne's husband.

Our friends Bob and Claire:

 Sweet little Charlie

This weeks "Come Follow Me"

Sunday, August 18th, 2019

Monterrey, Mexico

110th operating temple

Dedicated: 28 Apr 2002

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Foreordained
John 17:24
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
Book of Mormon
Alma 52:1-18
New Testament "Overcome Evil with Good" 
Review of Romans 7-16 and Sunday School lesson

General Conference

We Can Do Better and Be Better

President Russell M. Nelson

"Your body is your personal temple, created to house your eternal spirit. Your care of that temple is important."

Happy Sabbath! We were actually early for church today so James had a chance to set up his classroom. 

Layne H. was the youth speaker and he did a great job. He spoke about the blessings he has received because of the "Come Follow Me" program. Here are some notes I took:

Study, pray, share the gospel. Stay worthy to receive the inspiration of the Holy Ghost Realize the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. John 1:4-5: "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not." Layne told us to keep our "eye on the ball." He is a baseball player so he couldn't resist using a baseball phrase.

Brother Wright, the high councilman assigned to our ward, was the next speaker. He talked about the holiness of the sacrament and quoted several times from Elder Holland's latest conference talk.

Brother Wright just returned from a 2,900 mile trip across the United States. He was in Boston where his daughter just had a baby. He said he was not able to take the sacrament last Sunday. He was in Indiana and could not find the church. He said he noticed the difference of not taking the sacrament. He talked about how Christ is the center of the gospel and that He should be the center of our lives. How do we make the gospel a part of everything we do? The service we give should be motivated by our love for the Savior. Jesus never leaves our side. We are never alone. Lives are rectified at the sacrament table. "Do Not Leave the Path." The world tries to draw us away. Our lives must be centered on Jesus Christ. Go forth in the strength of the Lord. The Lord is very much in control.

Brother Wright was finished a little early so Bishop Miller made a plea for seminary and the importance of it. He said it is worth any sacrifice for our youth to attend seminary.

Brother Smith taught Sunday School. He is a very knowledgeable gospel scholar. He encouraged us to be able to explain our testimonies. Why do we have a testimony of tithing, etc. His last statement was very important. He made it in the form of a challenge: "Please, this week, remember Jesus Christ and what He has done for you."

After lunch this afternoon James went into the bedroom to take a nap. I tried to sleep but couldn't so I read from the Ensign and then worked on my blog.

When James got up from his nap he began working on Brother Anderson's family search account. One of the things he wanted to find was Brother Anderson's paternal grandmother's last name. We know she married his grandpa Anderson and that her first name was Bernice. We looked at the 1940 census in Denver, Colorado and they were already married at that time. We looked for marriage records in Denver county and boingo! We found it. They were married in Littleton, Colorado on March 13, 1938 and her maiden name was Bernice Tartaglio. James was so excited for this bit of success and so was Brother Anderson.

I called my friend Jean this evening to find out why she wasn't at church and to tell her I missed her. I told her she needed to come so I didn't have to sit by myself in Sunday School. She agreed and hopefully will be there next week.

I confess that we watched the season finale of "The Good Witch."

We found out this afternoon who will be coming to our Regional Conference on September 14th: President Oak and his wife, Elder Wilford Andersen, and Elder Heyman. Funny because I just listened to a conference talk by Elder Anderson. I guess he has a house in Hidden Meadows near Green's Peak. Pretty exciting!

James called to make an appointment with the Woods' next Sunday for himself and his partner Brother Westbrook and Sister Wood ended up inviting him, Dave and their wives to dinner. How nice.

Scarlett loves kitties but maybe she is not
sure if this one is friendly.

 Looks like she's feeling a little better