OUR FAMILY: ministering proposed changes

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Wednesday, August 7th, 2019

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

99th operating temple

Dedicated: 17 Sept 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Foreordained

Revelations 13:8

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Book of Mormon

Alma 46:29-41

New Testament "The Power of God unto Salvation"

Romans 3

General Conference

The True, Pure, and Simple Gospel of Jesus Christ

President M. Russell Ballard

"Loving God and loving our neighbors is the doctrinal foundation of ministering; home-centered, Church-supported learning; Sabbath-day spiritual worship; and the work of salvation on both sides of the veil supported in the Relief Societies and the elders quorums All of these things are based on the divine commandments to love God and to love our neighbors. Can there be anything more basic, more fundamental, and more simple that that?"

There is a picture in the book, "Insights from a Prophet's Life," of President Nelson's daily journals. They are small notebooks like my small notebooks that I write in daily, only his are leather bound and mine are spiral bound. I can identify with him because he is a journal writer. In every other way he surpasses me but in this one aspect of his life I can identify with him! I keep notes in my journals and then I transfer them to my blog.

Look how tiny that writing is!

The notebook I am using right now

My leather bound notebooks I use

for other things than my daily journal.
I have 24 of them all together.

James and I took my shipment of books into town today and dropped it off at UPS. On the way in to town we stopped at Aliberto's and James ordered me a breakfast burrito with bacon. It was really good but not as good as Tony's Special at Burger House.

I did some shopping at Walmart while James was on the phone in the car. He came in and I told him he was in charge of buying the fruits and vegetables for the week. He was in and out before I was finished. We got gas on the way home and I read from our books, "Insights from a Prophet's Life" and "Aunt Dimity and the Heart of God."

I spent most of the afternoon walking, trying to get at least 10,000 steps before 5 pm when I had to get ready to go to a stake Relief Society meeting. I also worked on proposed ministering changes that Tamara authorized me to make.

We met at the church at six and Kerri drove our presidency to the stake center in Lakeside. This is a meeting called by the stake presidency and they presided, for Relief Society and Elders Quorum presidencies. We sat on the back row with Brother Curtis and President Grapp. Kerri passed them on the way and Brother Curtis mentioned how slow President Grapp drives.

All of our stake presidency are doctors; President Beeler is a dentist, President Miles an opthamologist, and President Wright a medical doctor. At one point in the meeting President Wright was conducting the discussion and he got a phone call. He said it was important and he had to take it. Up to that point I had not known he was a medical doctor but Sister Thompson, our secretary who was sitting next to me told me. He was the one that treated Sister Barton in our ward when she got bit by a dog. Sister Barton is 92 years old and was very sick because of this dog bite.

The theme of this meeting was: "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ" 2 Nephi 31:20. It was a meeting about ministering and how to handle certain problems and situations.

The following scriptures were used on the agenda:

DC 43:8-9

8 And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given.

9 And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my church, and be sanctified by that which ye have received, and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me -

Each member of the stake presidency spoke to us. We also read from the handbook. At one point President Grapp, our ward elder's quorum president told about how when he ministers he tries to make it a family affair because family time is so precious to him. He also said that his 5 year old looking up at someone and saying "I love you." Is better ministering than he could ever do. President Beeler, our stake president, loved this idea and he says that he tries to do it too with his children who are teenagers.
President Beeler told us to go back and look at the talk Elder Holland gave in April 2018, "To Be With and Strengthen Them."
He said the principles mentioned in this talk will help us to understand ministering better.
President Beeler also talked about "Dispensational Priorities" and he said they are: 1) To catch the vision and be inspired ministers, 2) Missionary work, 3) Family History and Temple work, and 4) Teaching.

President Miles talked about the importance of the ministering quarterly interviews and how they cannot be delegated to anyone else.

It was a great meeting. Kerri drove the back roads to get home. It was after 9:30 when I arrived home and James was worried. We weren't that tired so we stayed up and watched another episode of Jane Doe.