Tuesday, November 5th, 2019

Nuku'alofa, Tonga

23rd operating temple

Dedicated: 9-11 Aug 1983

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Head of Church

DC 18:5

Wherefore, if you shall build up my church, upon the foundation of my gospel and my rock, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.

Book of Mormon

3 Nephi 20:20-46

What does "be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord" mean?

New Testament

Hebrews 2; Who wrote the epistle to the Hebrews?; Hebrews 1-5 Jesus Christ is the "express image" of Heavenly Father.

Oct 2019 General Conference

"Unwavering Commitment to Jesus Christ"

Elder Dale G. Renlund

"Individuals who enter the Kinshasa Temple see an original painting entitled Congo Falls. It uniquely reminds temple-goers of the unwavering commitment required to anchor themselves to Jesus Christ and to follow the covenant path of our Heavenly Father's plan. The waterfalls depicted in the painting call to mind a practice that was common more than a century ago among early converts to Christianity in Congo. Before their conversion, they worshipped inanimate objects, believing that the items possessed supernatural powers. After conversion, many made a pilgrimage to one of the countless waterfalls along the Congo River, such as the Nzongo Falls. These converts threw their previously idolized objects into the waterfalls as a symbol to God and others that they had discarded their old traditions and accepted Jesus Christ."

"RWC": "The Holy Spirit is the key to happiness, and to lack the Holy Spirit is the source of misery."

I was ready for the book webinar this morning at 8. When it didn't start I thought maybe it was cancelled until I realized the rest of the country is on daylight savings time and it would be broadcast an hour later. My two favorites, Kathy and Kris present on Tuesday's so I always like to listen. They both said that on merchant fulfilled books they have the customer pay for the shipping. I am going to try to change the settings on my account so the customer will pay for the shipping. I bought six books today.

I helped James load the skidsteer tire into the back of the car so he could take it into town to get it fixed. He took the thank you card I wrote to Dr. Douglas for discounting my crown last week, and he brought back some hot and sour soup and three books that I had ordered.

We signed what are hopefully the final papers on our re-finance and then went outside to work. We are supposed to close on Nov. 14th.

I blogged for last Friday and Saturday, walked, and finished watching this week's episode of "Dancing with the Stars." It is so painful to watch Sean Spicer dance. He has so many people voting for him that he is never in the bottom two so the judges can't get rid of him. I can't bear the thought that he might go to the finals.

Sheri is so worried about Max. He is very unhappy right now. He hates going to school and says he wants to live at the cabin. I told her that was fine if it's what he really wants. She said she would talk to him. I never heard back from her. We are all praying for him right now. That he will be happy and feel like he is loved.

I looked for names for baptisms on the Family Search account but didn't find any. We may have to use someone else's family names when we got to the Gilbert temple on the 14th with Joshua and Evan.

 Chandler friends

 She looks good as a blonde!

 Scarlett is not sure if she likes it

Monday, January 28th, 2019

Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
71st operating temple
Dedicated: 26 Feb 2000
By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

Luke 4:3

And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 18:5-20

*Why did the Liahona stop working for Lehi's family? How can we avoid this happening in our lives?

New Testament

Bible Dictionary: Mark

General Conference

Choose You This Day

Elder Dale G. Renlund

"God's plan includes directions for us, referred to in the scriptures as commandments. These commandments are neither a whimsical set nor an arbitrary collection of imposed rules meant only to train us to be obedient. They are linked to our developing the attributes of godliness, returning to our Heavenly Father, and receiving enduring joy. Obedience to His commandments is not blind; we knowingly choose God and His pathway home. The pattern for us is the same as it was for Adam and Eve, wherein 'God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption.' Though God wants us to be on the covenant path, He gives us the dignity of choosing."

I woke up with a sore throat and no energy. All I wanted to do this morning was lay on the couch and watch TV, which is pretty much what I did.

James wanted me to go to town with him to get his driver's license but I just didn't feel up to it. 

When James returned he said that was the worst driver's license picture he had ever seen and that he looked 100 years old. I actually feel the same way about mine.

James brought back hot and sour soup from the China Wok Buffet and it tasted so good on my sore throat. He also brought me a taco from Taco Bell. 

I was so revived after my lunch I was able to go outside and help James split and haul some wood. It felt good to be outside doing something physical in the cool air. 

I wrote Ben an email today and he wrote one back to me. Sheri shared her emails with me from Ben this week and last week. I am going to share some of what he said here:

Jan 21st: "Trials are necessary. Hardships are vital to our growth. What would we learn if life was easy? How would we become more like God if we were given everything without having to work or suffer for it? Sometimes as a missionary I wonder why it's not easier. I love the way Elder Holland put it when he said, 'I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap things. Salvation was never cheap! Why would we expect it to be easy for us, when it was never ever easy for Him?!? This is the living Son of the living God saying, 'Isn't there some other way?' If Jesus can fall on His face in the night, bleeding from every pore crying, 'Father, Abba, Papa, take this cup from me!' Then little wonder that salvation is not a cheap thing. Little wonder life isn't easy.'
That is something I've really been able to see as I have learned more about the Atonement. The Atonement is the greatest act of love there ever was or ever will be. Imagine having to suffer everything that everyone has ever had to suffer. Imagine having to feel the heartache of losing a child, the pain of losing a limb, the trauma of war, and everything else there is, over and over and over again. I am so grateful that He loves me enough to suffer for my stupidity. To feel the pain I feel because He loves me enough to just give me the chance to be exalted. The Savior didn't just suffer for those who would go to the Celestial Kingdom because He knew those were the only ones who would appreciate and take advantage of the Atonement. No. He suffered for everyone anyway. He suffered for those who would deny Him, for those who would kill Him. He even suffered for Judas who would betray Him. Because despite our many, many faults, He loves us with a perfect, unending love. I am so grateful for Him and for His sacrifice.
I am glad that Max was able to get ordained, and I am glad for everyone who was there. I know it must have been hard for dad not to participate in the ordination. I am sorry for that but I am so glad he was there to support Max.
I had a really cool spiritual experience Saturday night. I have been struggling to know how I can help you guys at home, specifically Max. I went into the chapel Saturday night and said a prayer of fasting. I fasted for around 20 hours for you guys, and that life would get better for you. I said the prayer out loud in the dark, at the front of the chapel. The Spirit was so strong. I felt it resonate through me. It was amazing. We were supposed to visit specific people that night, but I got a prompting that we should go tracting instead, so we chose a place and just wandered around knocking doors with Books of Mormon in our hands. We handed out 2 books, and found 3 people who may be interested in learning more. It was a good experience. I am so grateful for the Spirit. The promise in the last chapter of the Book of Mormon says, "And by the power of the Holy Ghost you may know the truth of all things." That is such a n amazing truth. I know that the Spirit reveals that which we don't know. It has helped me so much. Always strive to have it with you, and it will help you! I love you all so much!

From today's letter:

Wednesday night I got called to be a trainer. I'm a little nervous and a little stressed out about it. It doesn't help that I'm the only one training out of 16 missionaries who has been out under a year, and I've been out a lot under a year. On top of that, I found out I'm being transferred to a brand new area, which is a walking area, so I'm whitewash training in a new walking area. 

The letter is longer, but that's all I really wanted to share. We are so proud of Ben and so grateful to him for his obedience, his testimony and his desire to serve the people in Idaho.

This evening James and I watched the 3rd episode in the 3rd season of "Victoria."

 My friend Hailey, her mom and her aunt.

Yes, they are twins.

Thursday, January 10th, 2019

Monticello, Utah

53rd operating temple

Dedicated: 26 July 1998

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

Hebrews 1:5

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

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?

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

Luke 1:5-25, 57-80 God's blessings come in His own time.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland promised, "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."

General Conference

Our Campfire of Faith

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

" A third campfire of faith encouragement: creative gospel joy and blessings come when we seek to love the Lord and others with all our hearts and souls. In the New Testament, our Savior states the two great commandments: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, ...and thy neighbor as thyself."

I read on Instagram today what makes a public speaker good:

1. They must somehow touch your heart, 2. You must learn something from them, 3. They must be memorable. 

At 9 am James and I listened to the Book Arbitrage webinar. We listened on my phone while I worked on book inventory and James did something else. It was quite good and we learned a few things.

Later we went to the Vernon library and bought 36 hardback books for $20. We bought around 10 for a dollar a piece and the rest were ten cents each. How fun! I'm excited to get this books into our inventory. We stopped at the post office and got another one of the children's books, "Letters to Miss LaRue." We dropped off our book box at the UPS store and then went shopping at Walmart. 

On the way home we stopped at the China Wok buffet and got two quarts of hot and sour soup. It was sooooo good that I ate one quart on the way home. It's a good thing that I keep spoons in my car.

We also stopped at the Show Low post office. We want to see how much it costs to ship our books merchant fulfilled instead of Amazon fulfilled because Amazon's fees are so high. James went in and came back out saying that it costs around $3.00 a book. It's probably going to cost us just a little less than Amazon fulfilled and we can't price the books as high as we can when they are Prime.

I got a text from Michael today. He wants to volunteer at St. Luke's Behavioral Health Center and wants to put grandpa down for a reference. He needs our physical address. It just changed so I gave him the new one. #16 County Road N3469. Michael told me a story while he was here about a party that he went to where some of the people were drinking. He left and those friends who stayed were raided by the police and got in trouble. Good decision Michael. He also told me about his plans for graduate school. One of the places he is considering in the University of Utah.

I finished my blog post for January 4th. I am gradually catching up because I try to do 2 posts a day. I also walked for 40 more minutes this evening before James and put on a movie. This time we are watching "Becoming Jane" the story of Jane Austen's life starring Anne Hathaway. I wanted to watch a Doris Day, Rock Hudson movie but I couldn't get the DVD to work. 

I had some shortness of breath when I was walking this evening. I think I'm going to go off the ibruprofen and hydrocodone and just take my tramadol from now on. 

 I love the way she looks at things!

Friday, December 1st, 2017

Curitiba, Brazil

126th operating temple

Dedicated: 1 June 2008

By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ Atonement through

John 17:19

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Book of Mormon

Ether 1:1-43

The Lord explained to the brother of Jared that blessings had come to his people as a result of prayers offered over a long time. President Spencer W. Kimball taught that we must put great effort into our prayers and that we must pray frequently: "Do you get answers to your prayers? If not, perhaps you did not pay the price. Do you offer a few trite words and worn-out phrases, or do you talk intimately to the Lord? Do you pray occasionally when you should be praying regularly, often, constantly? Do you offer pennies to pay heavy debts when you should give dollars to erase that obligation? When you pray, do you just speak, or do you also listen? Your Savior said, 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.' (Rev. 3:20). Should we ever fail to get an answer to our prayers, we must look into our own lives for a reason."

Doctrine Covenants Favorite Scriptures

DC 18:18-19

18 Ask the Father in my name in faith, believing that you shall receive, and you shall have the Holy Ghost, which manifesteth all things which are expedient unto the children of men.

19 And if you have not faith, hope, and charity, you can do nothing.

General Conference

Turn On Your Light

Sharon Eubank

"Innovation and creation are spiritual gifts. When we keep our covenants, it may make us different from others in our culture and society, but it gives us access to inspiration so we can think of different solutions, different approaches, different applications. We aren't always going to fit in with the world, but being different in positive ways can be a lifeline to others who are struggling."

Kathy Crane asked me earlier this week if I would go to the church this morning and help decorate for Christmas. Even though I have a cough and sore throat I am going. I cancelled on her the last time she asked me to do something. 

I was assigned along with Sister Patrick and Sister Miller to decorate the north foyer. Kathy, Sister Singleton, Sister Wallace and a sister I didn't know decorated the other foyer. We finished around 11:30. I told Kathy I would buy a tree skirt for the tree we decorated rather than using the batting that was used before.

I went home to find James and Anthony working on the patio. I heated them up some chili for lunch, got myself some lunch and went into the bedroom to watch a movie. 

This afternoon after James was finished working we made a trip to town to get some hot and sour soup from China Wok. We also went to Walmart to pick up prescriptions and some groceries. When I am sick hot and sour soup is the thing that I want most. It felt so good on my throat.

Today's Christmas movies: "Naughty and Nice," and a "Christmas Kiss." We also watched an episode of Heartland.

A Christmas Castle

Starts Today!

Rats chewed the wires in three vehicles

and it is very costly to fix them. That's

what happened to James CAT too.

I guess yesterday makes up for today.

Monday, January 9, 2017

I am not sure where this is, but I love the flowers.

1 Nephi 7:16-8:15

After being beaten, mocked, and persecuted by his brothers, Nephi did "frankly forgive them."  How can we find it in ourselves to forgive those who have hurt us?

1 Nephi 17-18

DC 5:14-24

How can we be more diligent in keeping our covenants?

Talk: "Steadfast In Our Covenants"

By: Susan W. Tanner

April 2003

Elder Marvin J. Ashton said, "When we truly become converted to Jesus Christ, committed to Him, an interesting things happens: our attention turns to the welfare of our fellowman, and the way we treat others becomes increasingly filled with patience, kindness, and a gentle acceptance."

GC:  A Witness of God by Elder Neil L. Andersen

President Thomas S. Monson has said:

"Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together, to work together...to bring souls unto Him...He will assist

us in our labors if we will act in faith to fulfill His work.'

GC:  Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus by Elder Quentin L. Cook

"If we elevate anything above our devotion to the Savior, if our conduct recognizes Him as just another teacher and not the divine Son of God, then we are looking beyond the mark.  

Jesus Christ is the mark!"

We started taking the Christmas stuff down today.  Kim and Brian are doing the same thing today.  They always leave their Christmas things up until after January 8, Elvis's birthday because that is what Elvis did, according to the Elvis expert, Brian.

James had an appointment with Dr. Moffat today in town.  He brought me back some hot and sour soup, the one thing that I crave when I am sick.  He also went by Walmart and got stevia, Malt-o-Meal, and a new item, Grits.  Grits might be delicious but I just don't like the name.  

I watched a couple a movie while James was gone.

"The Seven Year Hitch".

Our fasting and prayers were answered today.  We had unscheduled rain!

Darrel texted me today and ask if I could watch their kids on the 25th.  Even though I was not planning on being in the valley that day I will never pass up a chance to watch his kids if I can help it so I said yes.  We will just be getting back from San Antonio and I will just stay in the valley a couple of extra days.

Grand Canyon

I paid our timeshare fee today which was over $1,000 for the year and I also paid tithing.  

For FHE we read Elder Andersen's conference talk and then read from Adam-ondi-Ahman.  We also watched "Garage Sale Mystery: The Novel" starring Lori Loughlin.

Photo Memories:

Darrel reading to Ruby's class.

I love this!

Stacy and her new Seaworld friend.

Paul and his new buddy.

Addy on a boat in the ocean for her sixth grade trip.

It looks like a baby stingray.

From my Vernon Mutual days, and nights.