OUR FAMILY

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Recife, Brazil

101st operating temple

Dedicated: 15 December 2000 by

Gordon B. Hinckley

Alma 15:5-29

* Why do you think Zeezrom's guilt led him to suffer both spiritually and physically?

* Whose help did Zeezrom seek?

Why do you think he sent for Alma and Amulek?

* Why do you think Zeezrom needed to exercise faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement to be healed?

* What evidence do you see that Zeezrom repented and received the Lord's mercy?

* Through our faith in Jesus Christ we can be heaed and strengthened.

DC 88:25-35

32-35, Those who will to abide in sin remain filthy still;

How does the earth abide a Celestial law?

* "There are combustible elements in abundance and heat enough to consume man worlds like ours, whenever the torch is applied. Here we are told, that the earth will abide 'the power by which it is quickened; it will abide the fire and come out of the flames, quickened and purified, like gold out of the refiner's fire, or a beautiful vessel of potters' clay out of the fiery furnace (v.26). In this sanctified state it will be the residence of celestial beings, resurrected and inhabiting the same bodies that they had here, quickened by celestial glory (v.28). For each individual will receive the glory by which he is quickened. (vv. 29-31).

General Conference

The Language of the Gospel

Valeri V. Cordon

" Powerful teaching is extremely important to preserve the gospel in our families, and it requires diligent effort. when will daily scripture study and family prayer happen? It will happen when parents take the scriptures in hand and, with love, invite the family to gather together to study. It is difficult to see this study happening in any other way. Don't wait until it's too late!"

When James got up this morning he said he saw a coyote out in the field with the cows. I begged him to do something about it. I am not a big cow fan but I couldn't stand the thought of that coyote attacking one of the calves. I saw him get his rifle and head upstairs. In a few minutes he was back and said the coyote had gone. Thank goodness. Lucky for Mr. Coyote that he ran away.

When James went outside to work he put a jacket on because it felt cold to him. It is 60 degrees outside.

Another trip into town today. The first place we went today was to Aliberto's for our tacos. Afterwards it was Walmart again. Walmart was crowded with people and the shelves were bare.

This is what happens in the summer time.

I got the movie Moana today, some ink cartridges, and supplies for my Primary party tomorrow. It seems like I spend more on non-food items than I do on food.

When we get home James works outside until his equipment breaks down again. He doesn't finish setting posts. He is quite discouraged.

More pictures from San Diego.

Josh and Evan

Too bad Rowan couldn't be there too.

Max gets in on the action.

And one from San Antonio:

These two went to the temple today

to do baptisms.

One from Mesa:

Lola couldn't decide which outfit to wear to

Costco.

Which one do you like best?

Dinner at our house,

Cookies and Cabbage.

Another beautiful San Diego sunset.

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Monday, June 12th, 2017

Raleigh, North Carolina
68th operating temple
Dedicated: 18-19 December 1999 by
Gordon B. Hinckley

Alma 14:23-15:4

* When have you seen people suffer trials even though they were striving to be righteous?

* Why were Alma and Amulek able to receive strength from the Lord? (see Alma 14:26, 28.)

* If we call on the

Lord in faith, He will strengthen us in our afflictions and deliver us in His way and in His own time.

* How can suffering trials bring us closer to the Lord?

DC 88:14-24

14-16, The Resurrection comes through the Redemption, 17-31, Obedience to celestial, terrestrial, or telestial law prepares men for those respective kingdoms and glories;

How can the spirit and the body constitute the soul of man?

* "It has been declared in the solemn word of revelation, that the spirit and the body constitute the soul of man; and, therefore, we should look upon this body as something that shall endure in the resurrected state, beyond the grave, something to be kept pure and holy." - James E. Talmage, DCSM, DC 88:15, The Soul of Man, p. 198).

General Conference

Songs Sung and Unsung

Jeffrey R. Holland

Believe in yourself, and believe in Him. Don't demean your worth or denigrate your contribution. Above all, don't abandon your role in the chorus. Why? Because you are unique; you are irreplaceable. The loss of even one voice diminishes every other singer in this great mortal choir of ours including the loss of those who feel they are on the margins of society or the margins of the Church.

Stand Up Inside and Be All In

Elder Gary B. Sabin

We are, in effect, refusing to unroll our spiritual sleeping bags when we don't take the time to sincerely pray, study, and earnestly live the gospel each day; not only will the fire go out, but we will be unprotected and grow spiritually cold.

James dug 15 holes for posts today with the auger. He cleaned our the dirt with a shovel and set the posts with cement. I am impressed!

The next time he came in to give me a report he said: "I hit sold rock and broke a blot and sprang a hydraulic leak and then hit my head on the auger. I need a throw away towel. He passed through again to get a measuring tape and to wash his hands. He smells like a diesel truck.

I decided to count how many emails I got today. It was over 200 when I stopped counting.

Jared sent us a link to a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland today. The talk is, "Bound by Loving Ties." Jeffrey R. Holland is one of my favorite speakers. James ask me to read to him so I stopped what I was doing and read to him from "The Lost Heiress."

Later I was working on my blog when James asked me to go to town with him, which I did, in spite of the fact that it was not on my list of things to do today. We went through Sonic for my corn dog, on to Cal-Ranch where I bought a light-up fidget spinner, and then to Walmart and Home Depot. I did not get to finish my shopping at Walmart before James was ready to go. I guess I will have to finish another day.

Saving this one for Kacey W.

When we got back home, some of the cows were back. I chase them away while James puts the fence back up. They were back before too long.

I guess they think they belong here.

For F.H.E. we read lesson #13 in the Gordon B. Hinckley manual, "Peace and Contentment Through Spiritual Self-Reliance." Afterwards we watched the latest episode of "The Good Witch."

The Vernon postmistress posted these pictures.

She lives in Clay Springs and took this picture on the way

to work one morning.

Here are some photos the kids sent from San Diego:

Suited up to go look for whales.

Off they go!

Sun-bathing sea lions.

Notice the smile on Stacy's face. This was before she

dropped her phone into the ocean.

Celebrating Ian's birthday at Olive Garden.

Evan taking his time eating a breadstick

while Ben looks on.

Looks like he is in a food coma by the

time he got to dessert.

I guess Kim and Sheri are taking the photos.

When you have talented kids you have

entertainment wherever you go.

Nothing like a sunset over the ocean for

the end to a perfect day.

Carol D. and her husband Roger got asked to tell their

story at the Chandler West stake trek. She was fortunate to

have family in the group.

I think Brennan looks like his dad, Mario, in

this photo.

Mario and Carol and their boys.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Sunday, June 11th, 2017

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

136th operating temple

Dedicated: 11 Dec 2011 by

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Alma 14:6-22

* Why did the Lord suffer these women and children to be burned?

* According to Alma, how would the women and children be blessed for their trust in the Lord? (see verse 11)

* When we trust in the Lord, He strengthens us during our trials.

* Elder Richard G. Scott: "This life is an experience in profound trust - trust in Jesus Christ....To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning. To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience."

DC 88:1-13

1-5, Faithful Saints receive that Comforter, which is the promise of eternal life; 6-13, All things are controlled and governed by the Light of Christ;

What does 'light' mean in these verses?

* The light of Christ. (see DCSM p. 198). through the Light of Christ, God gives light and life to all His creations.

What is the other Comforter spoken of in verses 3-4?

* The Prophet Joseph Smith said: "The other Comforter spoken of is a subject of great interest, and perhaps understood by few of this generation. After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses....

"Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions - Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn." (Teachings, pp. 149-51.)

General Conference

Becoming a Disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Elder Robert D. Hales

In 2 Peter and in DC 4, we learn that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation. We measure our faith by what it leads us to do - by our obedience. "If ye will have faith in me," the Lord promised "ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." Faith is a catalyst. Without works, without virtuous living, our faith is without power to activate discipleship. Indeed, faith is dead.

My lesson in Primary today is entitled: "Joseph Smith is Tarred and Feathered." The main gospel principle is the importance of forgiveness. It was a pretty amazing story how Joseph was dragged from his home while he was caring for a sick child and tarred and feathered. The child died as a result of exposure to the cold night air. Joseph's friends spent most of the night taking the tar off of Joseph's body. The next day he preached the gospel to a group of Saints and some of the mob who had attacked him the night before were in the audience. Today I had both my class and Sister Kuffer's. She had to leave Church to visit a friend in need. Those who attended today: Bailey, Zemira, Raya, and her brother Graham who are visitors, Curtis, Colter, Gracie, and Liana. I gave them all fidget spinners.

I hope I contributed to helping the

Savior feed His sheep today.

The DeWitt's reported on their mission to the Dominican Republic today in sacrament meeting. Brother DeWitt was an auditor for 11 missions. The Dominican Republic includes 30 Caribbean islands and 3 South American countries. In 1975 there were no members of the Church. In 1978 there were enough members to have missionaries. In December 1978 the land was dedicated by Elder M. Russell Ballard and soon became the fasting growing area in the Church. The missionaries were directed by the Spirit. There were 10 baptisms everyday for over 30 years.

Brother DeWitt started out his talk with an auditor joke. He said: "Auditors come after the battle is fought and bayonet the wounded. Nobody likes auditors." He had 440 units to audit 2x a year, in 30 different countries. Most are first generation members and have to be taught. Brother DeWitt said he started a journal and began keeping track of the names of people he met who went the second mile. People who accept calling and have vision and do more than is expected of them. He said "do more" became his motto. He met and worked with a brother who was general council for the Church. This man was blind and deaf. His name was Elder Gardener. He would teach others how to function without sight. His wife would sit with him in a meeting and tell him everyone who was present and where they were sitting. When he spoke he would look right at you as if he could see you. He was an amazing individual.

Another man was the janitor. Once when Elder Renlund came to visit, Brother DeWitt noticed this janitor in a suit and tie on the stand. He was asked to play a piano solo. He had practiced the piano as a way to serve and make himself more useful. He was willing to 'do more.' It was an amazing meeting.

In the MTC. They were ready to leave for

the Caribbean in 3 days. This is May, 2015.

The DeWitt family. It was a sacrifice to leave all

of these people behind.

My sacrament commitment this week is to draw closer to the Lord so I can be a savior to my family, both the living and the dead. I need to be more patient with James. I want to "do more" to follow the Savior.

We came home from church and James grilled the chicken that has been marinating in the refrigerator since yesterday afternoon. Afterwards I took a short nap. James arranged for Brother Allen to take Anthony to get his patriarchal blessing in Lakeside. I am excited for Anthony.

Kim, Brian, Joe, Sheri, Ian's family and Shayna, and Stacy, Paul, Michael, and Joshua are all vacationing in San Diego this week.
This is the first picture that was posted. I think it was before Shayna and Alex arrived.

Ask you can see by my mistake of leaving it on

the picture Stacy posted these. This is Old Town

San Diego, the mexican food restaurant.

Love Joe and Michael's smiles and Sheri peeking

her head around Ian.

This evening I started preparing for next week's Primary lesson which is: "The Latter-day Revelations are Published." One of my favorite gospel stories is about Mary Elizabeth and Caroline Rollins saving the manuscripts for part of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Elder Ballard speaking at a devotional.

I had to share this amazing cake made

by James's sister Carmen.

She made this cake for Ruby's 3rd birthday.

Arches National Park.

(This reminds me of the picture of Tanner at

Six Flags with the world on his head.)

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Saturday, June 10th, 2017

Provo, Utah

15th operating temple

Dedicated: 9 Feb 1972 by

Joseph Fielding Smith

(read by Harold B. Lee)

Alma 13:21-14:5

* Alma invites the people to hearken to the voice of the Lord and enter into His rest.

* The ancient prophets speak of 'entering into God's rest' (see Alma 12:34; DC 84:23-24); what does it mean?

"To my mind, it means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in His plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else" (Joseph F. Smith, Teachings of Presidents of the Church:Joseph F. Smith, 56).

* "True saints enter into the rest of the Lord while in this life, and by abiding in the truth, they continue in that blessed state until they rest with the Lord in heaven....The rest of the Lord, in eternity, is to inherit eternal life, to gain the fulness of the Lord's glory" (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 633).

* What words in Alma 13:27-29 show how Alma felt about the people and about his message?

* As we respond humbly to the invitation to repent, the Spirit will lead us into the 'rest of the Lord.'

DC 87:1-8

1-4, War is foretold between the Northern States and the Southern States; 5-8, Great calamities will fall upon all the inhabitants of the earth.

What is meant by "stand in holy places?"

* Stakes of Zion, how one lives more than where one lives. Live worthy of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Our homes should be holy places. A holy place is any place where a person enjoys the spirit and presence of divinity. The temple is such a place. (See p. 196, Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual).

General Conference

Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into our Lives

President Russell M. Nelson

Earlier this year, I asked the young adults of the Church to consecrate a portion of their time each week to study everything Jesus said and did as recorded in the standard works. I invited them to let the scriptural citations about Jesus Christ in the Topical Guide become their personal core curriculum. I gave that challenge because I had already accepted it myself. I read and underlines every verse cited about Jesus Christ, as listed under the main heading and the 57 subtitles in the Topical Guide. When I finished that exciting exercise, my wife asked me what impact it had on me. I told her, ""I am a different man!"

I accepted this challenge by President Nelson and it is the first

thing I do when I get up in the morning. It makes me excited to get up and has set the tone for my prayers and scripture study.

When we drove up Friday evening there was one lone bull in our yard. I guess someone drove the other cows away. When we got up this morning Mr. Bull had one of his wives and a couple of his children here.

I read something on Facebook that caught my attention today.

A Christian women's soccer player refuses to wear gay pride jersey and withdraws from the U.S. National team. "Jalena Hinkle posted on her Twitter page: Colossians 3:32: 'And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.' If you live for people's acceptance, you will die from their rejection."

Today in the New Testament I read about the Savior instituting the sacrament. In Teaching in the Savior's Way I studied the section, "Help Learners Liken the Scriptures to Themselves."

I just about have the first half of the Living Christ memorized.

James is quite pleased with himself the morning. He was able to fix the auger. He is getting to be a pretty good mechanic, including the greasy smell.

Tonight we clean the temple. I marinated some chicken for us to grill tomorrow. I ironed James a white shirt, took a shower and did my basic daily clean of the house. I wrote down a quote from President Nelson's talk on growing closer to the Savior about the Savior's power. I put it in my ponder journal so I can look at it every day.

James was on the phone most of the day today. We had 11 people who signed up cancel on us today. We left for the temple at 5:15. This year we are doing a deep clean with the Show Low Creek ward so we only clean 3x a year and it is so much easier! Brother Patterson is our stake co-ordinator along with his wife so he conducts the chapel session and gives out the cleaning assignments. He is very spiritual and always gives the sweetest messages. James and I got an easy assignment. We got to dust several rooms, including the celestial room. That was wonderful.

Even though we had 11 people cancel we had 18 people show up. I love the Vernon ward for this reason. They have never let us down when it comes to cleaning the temple. We had 3 Hunsaker's, 2 Peeler's, 2 Smith's, 1 Butler, 2 Wilhelm's, 2 Applegate's, 1Vaught, 2 Cranes, and 1 Gordon, plus ourselves. Go Vernon!

We were invited by the Cranes to go with a group to dinner at Ava's mexican food but James was stressed about getting home to work on his lesson so we went to Taco Bell instead. It was 10:30 by the time we went to bed.