Wednesday, September 19th, 2018

Boston, Masschusetts

100th operating temple

Dedicated: 1 Oct 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Crucifixion

1 Nephi 11:33

And I, Nephi saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.

Book of Mormon

Helaman 6:15-31

*What happens to our hearts if we set them upon the riches of the world?

- If our hearts are set upon the riches of the world then they probably aren't set upon the riches of heaven. Where you treasure is, there will your heart be also. Setting our hearts upon the riches of the world also opens the door to Satan's influence. If we treasure eternal things our hearts will be open to Christ.

Old Testament

Isaiah 10-12

General Conference

He That Shall Endure unto the End, the Same Shall Be Saved

Elder Claudio D. Zivic

"Obedience will give us the strength to overcome sin. We must also understand that the trial of our faith requires us to obey, often without know the results."

It was a mistake to leave our windows open last night. They are doing a prescribed burn near us and we breathed smoke most of the night. Luckily it rained today and put out their darn fire and the air is fresh and clean again.

I went to the Reidhead's this morning to help with their move. Ashley has served faithfully in Relief Society and recently in the Young Women's presidency. Clayton has been our ward mission leader. They are both returned missionares and a very dedicated couple. They have three children: Ridger who just turned 4, Evelyn who is 2, and Branch who was born a couple of weeks ago. 

Clayton was born and raised in Heber and Ashley is from Alabama. They run an industrial cleaning service and are re-locating to Georgia which will be 3 hours away from Ashley's mom in Alabama instead of 17 hours away here in Arizona. They will be living in Snowflake with Clayton's brother for a couple of months before going to Georgia. Clayton is concerned about the hunting conditions in Georgia. Ashley said there are no elk, but you can kill up to four bucks a year. That satisfied him but he still wants a place to come back to here in Arizona.

There were five of us this morning along with Ashley: Maxine, Pat, Kathy, Linda who is new, and myself. We accomplished a great deal, emptying and packing up most of the kitchen. Linda and Pat even made dinner in the crockpot. Maxine held the baby and took the older two out on the swingset, and comforted Ridger when he got bit by Evelyn who needed some attention. After she bit Ridger and cried and then said she was sorry, she went over and picked up the baby out of his swing.  As we were leaving just before noon, it began to rain and it rained most of the day and into the night.

 Maxine comforting Ridger

Sweet little Branch in his swing.

Before Branch

I have never heard the name Branch before but in the past year two families I know have named their babies Branch and I wondered why. Trina said it was a cowboy name. I don't know, I've known a few cowboys but none named Branch. This evening I was reading from the Old Testament BYU Student Manual p. 148, (13-58) Who Is the "Branch"?

Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote the following analysis of the meaning of the Branch:

"Since it takes a first and a second coming to fulfill many Messianic prophecies, we of necessity must consider them here, and in the case of the Davidic-Messianic utterances show also how they apply to our Lord's Second Coming. Christ is the Son of David, the Seed of David, the inheritor, through Mary his mother, of the blood of the great king. He is also called the Stem of Jesse and the Branch, meaning Branch of David. Messianic prophecies under these headings deal with the power and dominion he shall wield as he sits on David's throne, and have reference almost exclusively to his second sojourn on planet earth. 

"Jesse was the father of David. Isaiah speaks of the Stem of Jesse, whom he also designates as a branch growing out of the root of that ancient worthy. He recites how the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:how he shall be mighty in judgment; how he shall smite the earth and slay the wicked; and how the lamb and the lion shall lie down together in that day - all of which has reference to the Second Coming and the millennial era thereby ushered in. (Isa11.) As to the identity of the Stem of Jesse, the revealed word says: 'Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ.' (DC 113:1-2.) This also means that the Branch is Christ, as we shall now see from other related scriptures.

"By the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord foretells the ancient scattering and the latter-day gathering of his chosen Israel. After they have been gathered 'out of all countries whither I have driven them,' after the kingdom has been restored to Israel as desired by the ancient apostles in Acts 1:6, then this eventuality, yet future and millennial in nature, shall be fulfilled: 

'Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.' (Jer 23:3-6). That is to say, the King who shall reign personally upon the earth during the Millennium shall be the Branch who grew out of the house of David. He shall execute judgment and justice in all the earth because he is the Lord Jehovah , even hi whom we call Christ. 

"Through Zechariah the Lord spoke similarly: 'Thus saith the Lord of hosts: . . . I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. . . . I will remove the iniquity of the land in one day (meaning that the wicked shall be destroyed and the millennial era of peace and righteousness commence). In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.' (Zech. 3:7-10.) Of that glorious millennial day the Lord says also: 'Behold the man whose name if The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shal bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne.' (Zech 6:12-13.)

That the Branch of David is Christ is perfectly clear.

I found this reading to be very interesting and I now can accept the name Branch as a real, meaningful name for a child.

I did a lot of walking this afternoon as I didn't get much done this morning. At the end of the day I had over 12,000 steps. 

I found a print out on Pinterest to help with personal histories that was originally on Family Search. It is twelve sheets of paper and the title is: "52 Stories. There is one category for each month. These are the categories: 1- Goals & Achievements, 2-Love & Friendship, 3-Occupations & Hobbies, 4-Home & Hearth, 5-Mothers & Motherhood 6-Fathers & Fatherhood, 7-Events & Milestones, 8-Travels & Vacations, 9-Education & School, 10-Values & Beliefs, 11-Causes & Convictions, 12-Holidays & Traditions. I copied these and placed them in a notebook where I will begin again to record my personal history.

I listened to "The Lake House" this afternoon and made a trip to Dollar General for some refreshment. I have a hard time controlling my eating in the afternoon. The good thing is I usually stop eating by 5:30-6pm. I wanted James to go with me but he stayed behind to build a cat coffin. Anthony's cat "Pinky" passed away. Anthony told James he was afraid to bury her because he thought that coyotes would dig her up. James told him he would make her a box so that is what he did this afternoon out in the drizzle.

James made his smoothie for dinner. I had already used all my calories for the day so I passed. He puts the sweet carrots from the Crane's garden in his smoothie and the color is quite disgusting. 

We read from "Loving Lieutenant Lancaster" this evening, the Sarah Eden book we had started before reading "The Secret Keeper." We will return to "The Scarlet Pimpernel" after Lieutenant Lancaster.  

In the high 40's and a little too cold to sleep with the windows open. We did for awhile because we like hearing the rain.

I love geometric shapes!

I sure do love this Elder. He will be

a great missionary. As his mom says,

he knows no strangers and is friendly 

to everyone. That's Rusty his awesome

big brother. Loved these two in Mutual.

They always held the door open for me and

offered to carry my things on outings.

 I think I have a picture of Sheri at this age

doing the very same thing.

Scarlett loves Target!

My wildflowers from the weekend.

The purples were found at 

Sheep's Crossing.

 Kacey never forgets to send photos!

Thinking about her home in Heaven.

I think Evan is a creative genius!

Tuesday, September 18th, 2018

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

99th operating temple

Dedicated: 17 Sept 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Crucifixion

John 12:32

And I if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

Book of Mormon

Helaman 6:1-14

*How do you remain firm and steady in your faith?

- Stay obedient in the little day to day things, and it won't be as hard when the big things challenge us. Forgive, repent, love others. Steady, devoted covenant keeping builds a fortress of faith and makes us steadfast and immovable.

Old Testament

Isaiah 7-9

General Conference

Pure Love: The True Sign of Every True Disciple of Jesus Christ

Elder Massimo De Feo

"True disciples love the Lord more than the world and are steadfast and immovable in their faith. They stay strong and firm in a changing and confusing world. True disciples love to listen to the voice of the Spirit and of the prophets and are not confused by the voices of the world. True disciples love to stand in holy places and love to make holy the places where they stand. Wherever they go, the bring the love of the Lord and peace to the hearts of others. True disciples love to obey the Lord's commandments, and they obey because they love the Lord. As they love and keep their covenants, their hearts are renewed and their very nature changes."

James left to look for elk this morning. He wanted to take pictures but he left his camera on since Saturday and the battery was dead. 

I texted my cousin Rita a happy birthday this morning. She turns 70 today. We had a nice visit and she said Aunt Gene would love to see me. I think I will try and go next week to see her.

Rita asked me how my arthur was doing, meaning my arthritis. She has it too. She is taking hydroxycloraquine and Aleve. 

Dennis texted me and asked if I had ever been to Joseph Smith's birth place. I told him no, and asked if he had been there. He said he was there right now and sent me thees pictures:

The Joseph Smith Memorial.

It is 38 1/2 feet tall, representing

the years of Joseph's life.

Both James and I received answers from Ben today. Here is the email he sent me:

I have learned so much about the gospel these last 2 weeks. I head to Idaho next Wednesday the 26th, and I am so excited. Thank you so much for sharing your testimony with me. I have a testimony of the truthfulness of this Gospel. I have seen my testimony grow exponentially in the last 2 weeks alone. I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the scriptures, and the messages and principles they share. But most importantly, I have a testimony of prayer. My knees are callused from praying so often, and I know that prayer is the reason I am so happy constantly. I pray roughly 20 times a day, and it is amazing. My schedule is packed. I love and miss you. -Elder Trezise

Ben's MTC District

He has his arm around his companion.

I sent this picture to Sheri. 

She misses Ben so much!

This evening Ben gets to hear Elder Andersen speak at the MTC. He is so excited!

James left for town to pick up some materials and then was off to the Howard's. I listened to the New Era while I did some ironing. I like it almost as well as I do the Ensign.

I finished "Time and Again." I didn't like the ending and many of the women in book club agreed with me. I picked up my friend Linda who invited me to book club and we arrived early enough to greet everyone before it officially started. There were 15 women present and 5 of them were from our ward: Marilyn, Teresa, Amy, Linda, and I. Elizabeth, Pebble, and Dianne from card group were there. One woman was from New Zealand. She has only been a citizen for 3 years. We had a good discussion and the group was divided as to whether they liked the book or not. Some liked it, some said it was ok, and some said they didn't like it. I was one of the fence sitters, although I think I will read the sequel.
Someone asked the question, who believes in time travel? I raised my hand, thinking of Moroni visiting the prophet Joseph Smith.

Cherry, the leader of the group, lives in the big house on the hill above the grave yard. She and Elizabeth were two who really liked the book. 

Our book for this month is called, "Lilac Girls: A Novel." It's about World War II although our leader Cherry says she is tired of novels about World War II.

When I got home I bought "Lilac Girls: A Novel" to listen to on Audible. I read the first chapter and also read the first chapter of "The Lake House."

Tonight before going to bed I read to James from "The Scarlet Pimpernel."

Got this in the mail today.

We plan on going!

So precious!

Daddy, daughter time

Ollie looking very angry

Monday, September 17th, 2018

Birmingham, Alabama

98th operating temple

Dedicated: 3 Sept 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Crucifixion

Luke 24:20

And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.

Book of Mormon

Helaman 5:28-52

*What do you learn about repentance in these verses?

- Repentance is available to everyone who has humility to turn to God and turn away from their sins. As we repent, the clouds of darkness in our lives will disappear.

Old Testament

Isaiah 4-6

General Conference

Take the Holy Spirit as Your Guide

Elder Larry Y. Wilson

" Following the feet of the people ahead of you on the path is not enough. We cannot just do and think what others are doing and thinking; we must live a guided life. We must each have out own hand on the iron rod. Then we may go to the Lord with humble confidence, knowing that He shall lead us by the hand, and give us answer to our prayers."

FHE

With One Accord

"Every one of our paths is different, yet we walk them together. Our path is not about what we have done or where we have been; it is about where we are going and what we are becoming, in unity. When we counsel together guided by the Holy Ghost, we can see where we are and where we need to be. The Holy Ghost gives us a vision that our natural eyes cannot see, because revelation is scattered among us, and when we put that revelation together, we can see more."

Anthony called this morning and said Pinky, his cat, was having an episode and he needed to go into town for some medicine but he didn't think he had enough gas. James met him at the Y with a gallon and a half of gas and a $5.00 bill. 

James and I went into town this morning. He had to get something and I got prescriptions at Walmart then we mailed Kacey's birthday card and a new bill to National Turf. 

We also got Kathy some ice cream and James took it over to her along with the ice cream left over from Sunday. I noticed when I went into Walmart today that the summer watermelons have been replaced with pumpkins. I guess Fall is really in the air.

We finished "The Secret Keeper" on the way home from town and ended up really enjoying it. I have one more chapter to read from "Time and Again," and will finish it tomorrow before book club. 

I found a couple of family notebooks from 1999 in my office. One was Darrel's and one was Jared's but I made a notebook for every member of our family up to that time. These are the things the notebook contained: 1) a copy of The Articles of Faith, 2) a copy of the Family Proclamation, 3) a monthly calendar, 4) This week's FHE agenda, 5) a pedigree chart and an article about Overcoming the World written by F. Burton Howard, and a parent's message.

We read Elder Burton's article tonight for FHE. It was still very timely and talked a lot about the Book of Mormon.

While we are still experiencing drought conditions here in Arizona, the Carolina's are being flooded. Many people are trapped in their homes because of the flood waters. We will pray for their safety.

 Our bishop took up mountain biking. He got 11th out of 68 in

his first race.

 Cathi and her sisters.

Sweet Charlie:

 Somebody asked me how the stones got to

Stonehenge. This book answers that question.

Sunday, September 16th, 2018

Houston, Texas

97th operating temple

Dedicated: 26 Aug 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Crucifixion

Luke 23:33

And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

Book of Mormon

*Helaman instructed his sons to la up a treasure in heaven instead of on this earth What does this mean to you?

- "To seek after those things on this earth that will benefit me i heaven. If I spend my time on this earth laying up things that will benefit me here then I get exactly that - those things here. But if I spend my time laying up things that are a treasure in heaven, then I get those blessings here and in heaven."

Old Testament

Isaiah 1-3

General Conference

Ministering with the Power and Authority of God

President Russell M. Nelson

"My beloved brethren, thank you for your devotion to the Lord and His holy work. It is truly a joy to be with you. As a new First Presidency, we thank you for your prayers and for your sustaining efforts. We are grateful for your lives and for your service to the Lord Your devotion to duty and your selfless service are just as important in your callings as ours are in our callings. Through a lifetime of service in this Church, I have learned that it really doesn't matter where one serves. What the Lord cares about is how one serves."

Jackson's farewell. The overflow is full. He is going to the Philippines where a typhoon is headed. His mom is a wreck but he says he wants to be there because those are "his people" and he wants to help them. He will be an awesome missionary because he loves the Lord and he is humble. He says he offers a crumb compared to a loaf given by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

The family supporting Jackson

Parents Steve and Tina, five sisters, a brother and

lots of nieces and nephews!

Brother Charlie G. gave his first talk in sacrament meeting today since joining the Church. He spoke about his favorite event in the Book of Mormon, the Savior's visit to the Nephites. It was a great talk!

Bishop Miller spoke after Jackson and bore his testimony.

After setting up the circle in the Relief Society room, I attended Brother Scott's Sunday School class on the first six chapters of the Book of Isaiah. It was a good class. Brother and Sister DeWitt made these comments about the gathering of Israel:

Brother DeWitt: "The Church is growing at the rate of 800 members a day. We must slow it down a little"

Sister DeWitt: "We have four grandchildren on a mission. The people joining the Church in the areas where they are serving are mostly refugees from other countries."

Cammy did a great job teaching from President Ballard's talk, "Precious Gifts from God." He talks about the Sabbath, the Sacrament and service as being special gifts but he says that our most precious gift from God is the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ruby didn't bring any Sunday clothes, although she did bring a dozen stuffed animals. Funny how kids are. Trina stayed home with her and they went for a walk.

I got up early and made rolls and hamburger soup so lunch was ready when we got home. Before eating we said goodbye to Kim and Brian who like to get home early on Sunday evening.

 Photo bomber Darrel

 Ruby and Lola photo bomb

 One more photo bomber.

Can you find him?

One more bomber, between Kim and

Brian's shoulders.

James took a nap this afternoon while the rest of us just relaxed. Kathy Crane brought over some ice cream at my request and the kids and I had some ice cream.

Trina and Lola playing Hedbanz

Trina checking her fan mail, and the My

Little Ponies on parade.

Lola showing off her Sunday best, 

except for the shoes of course.

At one point Darrel had the Cardinal's game on. When he fell asleep in the recliner I turned it to Beauty and the Beast, the cartoon version. 

Soon it was time to say goodbye. Lola did not want to go home. She said, "hide, Dad's packing the car."

 Grandpa trying to comfort Lola

 I sure do love this family.

 Nice hairdo Darrel. Must have been from 

sleeping on the couch.

Finally she feels a little better.

Even though we didn't get to go horseback riding because Brother Howard fell off his four wheeler chasing cows, we had a good time.

James went out to visit Anthony this afternoon and I went with him. He delivered a loaf of homemade bread from President Grapp, and some bottled vegetables and fruit from the Grapp's and the Hunsaker's years supply. 

Anthony lives alone except for his cat Pinky. Pinky has been sick and Anthony has been spending his money buying medicine for her, hence the food from ward members. While James went in and visited, I stayed in the truck and worked on my weekly planner and then I went for a walk.

Anthony's place

My walk:

 A windmill in the distance

A lone tree

 Charlie with her mom and dad

Her first time at church

Scarlett and Autumn

I wonder if they are morning people?