Thursday, January 31st, 2019

Oaxaca, Mexico

74th operating temple

Dedicated: 11 Mar 2000

By: James E. Faust

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship, If thou be the Son of God

Helaman 16:18

Some things they may have guessed right, among so many; but behold, we know that all these great and marvelous works cannot come to pass, of which has been spoken.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 20:1-22

*How have I been refined by the Lord and what have I gained from the experience?

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

Matthew 3:7-12; Luke 3:7-18; BD: Pharisees, Sadducees, Repentance

*What does it mean to bring forth "fruits meet for repentance"? How were the Pharisees and Sadducees ill prepared for repentance? How were they a hinderance to the coming forth of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

- "People are sometimes symbolized by trees that produce either good or bad fruit. "Meet for" means necessary. So are we producing good fruit and are we repenting and bringing the necessary offerings to be forgiven? We demonstrate true repentance to the Lord as we change our desires and actions to follow His teachings. Personal repentance is part of taking up the cross daily. It makes us holy. Repentance is a rescuing doctrine that helps us turn away from evil and turn towards God. May we be found worthy of the blessings of repentance by discarding the bad fruit thru a reckoning of the natural self." (Sue_heugly on Instagram)

General Conference

Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints

"During this conference we have strengthened our resolve to execute the essential effort to honor the Lord Jesus Christ every time we refer to His Church. I promise you that our rigorous attention to use the correct name of the Savior's Church and its members will lead to increased faith and access to greater spiritual power for members of His Church."

I felt much better today and enjoyed the book webinar today featuring Kris and Kathy. I would like to be able to afford to get Kathy as a mentor. 

For lunch I made green beans with fingerling red potatoes, bacon, onion, and garlic. We both loved them except next time I will not use bacon grease to cook them in, only butter.

Stacy had surgery today to remove a 4 cm cyst from her uterus. Hopefully this will be the last time. I texted Paul and he said she came home, ate some Cream of Wheat and then fell asleep. 

James was working on our book business and he got discouraged and depressed and walked away. He took a nap and afterwards felt much better.

I was going over my credit card statement because the payment is due tomorrow. There was a recurring monthly charge from Apple for $42.00. We called and found that I had accidentally ordered monthly exercise plan from Pacer. The woman on the phone showed me where to look on my phone and how to cancel. I am so glad we called!

Kerri texted me this evening and said her mom had something for us. When we arrived at their house, Catherine was happy to see us. She had made cinnamon rolls for James because he recently had surgery.

We sure do love Catherine and Kerri!

After leaving the Halcomb's we went into town to get gas, James's shakes, and my diet Dr Pepper. We also filled the car with gas because we are leaving for the valley early in the morning.

It was a big month for Charlie. She met family in Arkansas at Kacey's mom's 70th birthday party and in Arizona, including her great-grandmother, Lois.

 This is what Charlie thought of today's walk. 

Wednesday, January 30th, 2019

Albuquerque, New Mexico

73rd operating temple

Dedicated: 5 Mar 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship
Luke 22:70
Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.
Book of Mormon
1 Nephi 19:7-24
*Have there been times in my life when I chose not to retaliate after a wrong was done to me? How did I feel?
New Testament "Come Follow Me"
BD: John the Baptist
General Conference

Shepherding Souls

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

"The prophet Nephi likewise taught that Jesus 'shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture.' I find abiding peace in knowing that 'the Lord is my shepherd' and that each of us is known by Him and under His care. When we confront life's wind and rainstorms, sickness, injuries and drought, the Lord - our Shepherd - will minister to us. He will restore our souls."

Slept in until after 7 and then I had chicken noodle soup for breakfast. It was delicious!  

I'm getting better but did not feel well enough to go to presidency meeting tonight. Tamara said we would either Skype or Facetime.

I learned something today I should have known before. Abortion clinics are in the business of making money and part of that business is selling fetal tissue. Wickedness abounds in the hearts of these people. How can people be so heartless and cruel to an innocent child? It sickens me. They are treating unborn children as if they are not a living entity and have no rights. How long will the Lord allow this to happen in the Promised Land?

James is really trying to understand this book business and how to buy, sell and profit from it. We have spent so much money and have sold five books. 

For lunch today we had a California Kitchen frozen pizza while studying the "Come Follow Me" lesson.

Tonight I put on makeup and did my hair, well at least I combed it. I set up my phone and computer at the table and got out my Relief Society notebook. Kerri couldn't figure out how to do Facetime, she doesn't have an i-phone is the problem, and my Skype account is connected to Microsoft and my Microsoft account is not active, so we just did a conference call on the phone.

At first I was a little annoyed that Tamara was insisting I be a part of the meeting but now I see she was inspired. Our meeting was all about ministering and changes that need to be made. I was able to participate and learned how to do some things on lds.org on the ministering page. It was a good meeting and I was grateful to Tamara for including me.

The question isn't do I like him as a person. 

The question is, is he good for our country?

 Love B. Kaufaman's photos

Rowan competing with the big boys! 

Tuesday, January 29th, 2019

Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

72nd operating temple

Dedicated: 27 Feb 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

Luke 4:9

And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 18:21-19:6

*How does Nephi remind me of Christ? (Compare with Mark 4:34-39).

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

Matt.3:1-6; Mark 1:1-18; Luke 3:1-6

General Conference

Now Is the Time

Elder Jack N. Gerard

"As we seek to know the Savior, we should not overlook the fundamental truth of who we are and why we are here. Amulek reminds us that 'this life is the time ... to prepare to meet God,' the time 'which is given us to prepare for eternity' (Alma 34:32-33). As the well-known axiom reminds us, 'We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.'"

I am have a sore throat and the start of a cough today. I had to cancel my lunch date with Pam and Jennifer. I don't want to spread any germs. 

I did not accomplish much today except I read from the Book of Mormon, listened to a conference talk, and wrote a little on my blog. I laid on the recliner and watched Hallmark movies most of the day. I did walk over 12,000 steps. I am grateful to have a home where I can walk inside so I don't have to go outside in the cold.  

I ate cereal, a cupcake, two snack sized Hershey bars, a biscuit, some cooked cabbage that James made, a banana, pineapple, spinach smoothie and drank diet Dr. Pepper because it soothes my throat. 

I looked forward to and enjoyed my Daily Dose of Charlie. It's the highlight of my day.

Ione, "Babe", Whipple passed away. I worked with her a few months ago in the temple. I told her who I was because I remembered her from my growing up days in Show Low. She went to high school with my parents and she shared memories of my mom and how she used to ride with her to the dances. 

Babe is a Pearce and they are a wonderful, pioneer family from Show Low. I also know her sisters, Leone, Clea, and Vivian and her brothers Joy and Roger who all lived in the Show Low area. Their parents were some of the first settlers in Linden. Growing up Roger Pearce was a rancher in Linden and a friend of my dads. Joy had the local cement plant in Linden. They were all faithful members of the church. Clea's daughter Beverly was one of my best friends in high school. Clea's granddaughter is married to our stake president, President Beeler. 

Jani Huso Johnson was a year or so older than me.

Her mom owned the local shoe store in Show Low 

and her dad owned the Hub (Shell gas station and dry goods store where Cattlemen's Restaurant is now located) before Aunt Gene and

Uncle Clair ran it.

Making a sound opening and closing her mouth.

 Collecting ideas for Valentine's to make when Darrel's girls come

up this coming weekend.

I love pictures of the Savior with children.

 I agree Mr. Graham

This girl could be a model!

 This is Chris and his mom. Chris is a newly baptized

member of our ward who traveled to Utah to baptize his mom.

He is married to my former young woman, Mary.

Congratulations Chris's mom, and Chris!

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.