Mon, Jan 11, 2021: San Antonio Texas Temple, Trip to Valley w/ Howard's, AARA, Chandler Eyecare, Firebirds, baby Lola, Chacon's tire shop and houses

 

San Antonio, Texas

120th operating temple

Dedicated: 7 Aug 2005

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Mission of

Colossians 1:16-18

 16 For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:

17 And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. 

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 15:19-36

OctGenCon

'The Exquisite Gift Of The Son'

Elder Matthew S. Holland

Of the Seventy

There is One who understands perfectly what you are experiencing, who is "mightier than all the earth," and who is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or think." The process will unfold in His way and on His schedule, but Christ stands ready always to heal every ounce and aspect of your agony.

'The Culture of Christ'

Elder William K. Jackson

Of the Seventy

The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that there is purpose in life. Our being here is not just some big cosmic accident or mistake! We are here for a reason. 

This culture is grounded in the testimony that our Heavenly Father exists, that He is real and loves each one of us individually. We are His "work and His glory." This culture espouses the concept of equal worth. There is no recognition of caste or class. We are, after all, brothers and sisters, spirit children of our heavenly parents - literally. There is no prejudice or "us versus them" mentality in the greatest of all cultures. We are all "Us." We are all "them." We believe that we are responsible and accountable for ourselves, one another, the Church, and our world. Responsibility and accountability are important factors in our growth.

Restoration Proclamation

P6 S4

He invites all of us to come unto Him and His Church, to receive the Holy Ghost, the ordinances of salvation, and to gain enduring joy.

We arrived at the Howard's a little before 7 this morning. Jean was ready to go so we got in their Ford Explorer, said a prayer and goodbye to the guys and left. The guys got delayed because Tom's truck which is pulling the trailer, had a low tire. They went to fill the tire and Tom had a panic attack and couldn't get oxygen. He is supposed to be on oxygen. He started talking about not going and waiting until tomorrow. James had to calm him down until finally he relaxed enough get the oxygen he needed.

We all agreed to go the Payson way because Tom and Jean don't like going through Salt River Canyon either. Jean and I stopped in Star Valley at the Circle K to get Jean a bottle of Coca-Cola. James told me not to turn the key to the car off because Tom had the key, so I didn't.

Jean likes to talk and we had a nice visit. She has been diagnosed with dementia and has memory loss and confusion so I have to read between the lines with some of the things she says. 

I drove directly to AARA for my infusion. It is on Country Club in Mesa just south of Baseline. Tom and James weren't too far behind. Jean waited in the car for Tom to get there, then she went with him in the truck over to Dustin's in Gilbert while James took the Ford Explorer to Chandler Eyecare for his appointment. While James was having a checkup with Dr. Kaiser, Sheri fixed his frames and installed the new lenses. We are so grateful to her. 

Frances took me right back and Tiffany got me hooked up to the infusion right away. I was finished before noon. I called James and he was already on my way to pick me up. No time to walk to Costco, besides I wasn't really up to walking that much. I was worried about being in the car sitting for the trip down but with my pillow I managed to make it. Now I have going home to look forward to.

We arranged to meet Tom and Jean at the Firebird's on Greenfield and William's Field in Gilbert. This is just a mile or so from Dustin's and Deana's. Deana is Tom and Jean's daughter and Dustin's car that we are towing home is in the parking lot of her apartment complex. 

Tom bought lunch. We were most grateful. I was sad to learn that Firebird's no longer had the coconut shrimp with coleslaw and mango chutney. This was my favorite dish at this restaurant. 

Jean ordered a shrimp and strawberry salad, Tom had fish tacos, James got ribs and mashed potatoes, and I had cilantro chicken with pecan flavored green beans. The green beans were delicious. The chicken was good but just a little overcooked. 

After lunch I went with James to Mesa to see Mario about getting a check and to look at the touch-up paint job on the two houses. James hired Alberto to do the touch-up paint but he didn't actually do it himself, he had some of his crew do it. They did a terrible job. James was going to leave a check for Alberto but when he saw the sloppy job he decided not to. He wants him to come and see for himself and correct it before James pays him. Mario was at his tire shop. Noel, Mario's nephew, usually writes James's checks but he was not available. Mario speaks little English and asked James to fill out the check and he would sign it, which he did. James made a mistake on the first check and so James wrote a second check but instead of having Mario sign it, James signed it without even thinking. We did not notice but this will cause problems later after I deposit it electronically.

We met Tom and Jean in the parking lot of the San Tan Mall where Tom had parked the truck and trailer between Macy's and Dillard's. 

While Jean and I stayed in the parking lot Tom and James went across the street to get Dustin's car, which is drivable for only short distances. Once the car was loaded on the trailer we were ready to start for home. Again, James wanted to go through Salt River Canyon, but he was outnumbered and I convinced him that he needed to go the same way as the Explorer in case he had any problems. Jean and I left first. I went back to Gilbert Road and went north until we hit 87 which goes to Payson. Again Jean and I did a lot of visiting. I think it was good for her. She needs someone to talk to and I fit the bill.

We stopped in Culver's in Payson for dinner. I stopped at Culver's because I wanted some ice cream and I thought maybe Jean would too. I didn't realize until later that she doesn't like ice cream and she is always cold so ice cream wasn't a good idea on this cool evening. I ordered both of us a bowl of chili, and hot chocolate. I also ordered a bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce. I don't think Jean took a bite of anything. She barely at any of her salad at lunch. She has stomach issues and I think she is afraid to eat. Tom and James showed up. Tom ordered ice cream and James a chocolate malt. They both ate most of the two bowls of chili. I wish I could think of something that Jean would eat, as I am worried about her. She never complains, she just doesn't eat. 

The rest of the way home was pretty uneventful except when James passed us going way over 80 mph.  I told him how fast he was going and he apologized and said he didn't realize he was going that fast. 

Jean and I arrived back at the Howard's first. Jean gave me a big hug and told me how much she loves me. She was in a good mood and I was happy to see her that way. I waited for James and we drove home together. It was about 7:30 so we had missed our "Come Follow Me" group who were meeting at the Goodman's this evening.

It's good to be home. I am achy but grateful I was able to make this trip. Total steps for the day, 4,054.

Sun, Jan 10, 2021: Manhattan New York Temple, Vernon ward conference, Zoom FHE, Charlie, Snow in Whitehouse, Scarlett, Harold B. Lee on the greatness of America

Manhattan, New York

119th operating temple

Dedicated: 13 June 2004

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Mission of

John 1:14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 8:16-38

"Come Follow Me"

JS-H 1:21-26 I can remain true to what I know even if others reject me.

OctGenCon

'There Was Bread'

Bishop W. Christopher Waddell

In today's environment, with a pandemic that has devastated whole economies as well as individual lives, it would be inconsistent with a compassionate Savior to ignore the reality that many are struggling and ask them to begin building a reserve of food and money for the future. However, that does not mean that we should permanently ignore principles of preparation - only that these principles should be applied "in wisdom and order" so that in the future we might say, as did Joseph in Egypt, "There was bread."

The Lord does ot expect us to do more than we can do, but He does expect us to do what we can do, when we can do it. As President Nelson reminded us in our last general conference, "The Lord loves effort."

Restoration Proclamation

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Jesus Christ has once again called Apostles and has given them priesthood authority.

As I look out the window this morning, I don't see Luna, but I do see a small herd of elk containing some with spikes. James said there were around 20. That got him out of bed although it was 16 degrees when he went out to feed Luna.

 Today was our ward conference and after sacrament meeting we had a meeting with the Relief Society stake presidency. I was determined that I was going to attend, which I did. It was a wonderful ward conference. Sister Wilcock, the stake Relief Society president, was the first speaker in our meeting. She shared a personal experience about dealing with her teenage son and getting him motivated to get ready for church. She spoke loudly to him several times but he was still dragging his feet. Everyone else was in the car when he came out holding his scriptures in one hand and his shoes in the other. He slammed his scriptures on the hood of the car at which point his dad got out of the car and chased him down the road. As she sat in the car she said to herself, "This is all my fault." She decided she needed to make some changes and when she asked in prayer what she could do differently she received the answer that she needed to look for the positive and give more compliments. She said that this has made all the difference in their home. James said to me: "This is an example of someone recognizing a weakness, repenting, listening to the Spirit and becoming more Christlike." I agreed. Here are some other points that Sister Wilcock made: " There is too much anger in the world. We need to look for the good in others even those whom we don't agree with. We need to have a change of heart and see others the way Christ sees them." Such a good talk!

Our stake president, President Beeler, was the next speaker. He started out by saying that his relationship with others is the most important thing to him. President Beeler spoke about the "Culture of Christ". Elder William K. Jackson of the Seventy gave a talk in the last conference entitled "The Culture of Christ." Here are some sketchy notes I took during President Beeler's talk:

What is the culture of Christ? Part of it is the sacrifice missionaries make to serve a full-time mission. It's living our covenants. What is the culture like in your home? Do you have open communication with members of your family regarding sacred things. He gave an example of talking to his son about his upcoming mission and addressing the son's concerns. Some of the culture of the Church has recently been somewhat stripped away. What is left is the culture of Christ. He compared the culture of the Church with the culture along the Wasatch Front, which is not necessarily the culture of Christ. He talked about the fire in 2010 of the Provo Tabernacle. It has now been rebuilt to be a temple. The Lord allowed a fire to destroy the inside of the building to create something new and better. How do we take 200 years of Church history and find out what is most important in the culture of Christ? He then quoted 3 Nephi 11:10 - 11:  Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

Pointing people to Christ is the most important thing we can do in our callings. Justice and mercy. Last conference there was a quote: 

"Justice restores what we cannot restore. Christ teaches but never demands." Watch, listen, obey. President Beeler says he follows all of the prophets on social media. There should be no contention in our lives. We need to love one another. Satan is raging in the hearts of men. Let not your heart be troubled. Worry is denying faith. Peace is the exclusive right of the Holy Ghost. Simplify does not mean to be casual. Which team are we on? The culture of Christ puts Him at the center and us on the covenant path. No disputations, only sacrifice and obedience. Read 3 Nephi 11 to the end of the book of 3 Nephi to understand what the culture of Christ can and should mean to your family.

Wow! we were spiritually fed!

Our meeting with the Relief Society presidency went well. I did not take notes but I remember we discussed missionary work, family history and indexing, and ministering. The sisters counseled us with good advice. Sister Wilcock has a daughter serving a mission in Romania right now.

James and I got to meet Dori, Anthony's new friend today. She seems very nice. She is a good friend of Judy Hunter who introduced Anthony to her. 

We had our first monthly FHE Zoom meeting today. Every family was represented even though it was a little chaotic. I think some people forgot to mute their microphones which made some of the comments difficult to hear. We discussed the "Come Follow Me" lesson. I always appreciate hearing other people's ideas. We tried to get Charlie to sing "I Am a Child of God" but she was a little shy, so we sang with her. It was a little pathetic. We talked about goals. Ben said he wanted to lose weight and so far this month he had lost 5 lbs. Evan said he wanted to work on not procrastinating. Lola wants to work on some gymnastic tricks and to learn to eat hot wings. Ruby got her first temple recommend, Joshua and Rowan were both called to be the Teacher's Quorum presidents in their respective wards. 

Kim and Brian are in San Diego and before the meeting was over we got to see Michael. Whitehouse, Texas got 3 1/2 inches of snow which is highly unusual for them.

Sheri says it was so chaotic she thinks we maybe need to talk to one family a week. James doesn't like that idea. He likes having everyone on together. 

It was a wonderful Sabbath day!

Scarlett

Sat Jan 9, 2021: Copenhagen Denmark Temple, Windy, cold, feel good, Luna is lonely, Our date: Panda, book, movie, Kim, Brian in San Diego, Charlie

 

Copenhagen, Denmark

118th operating temple

Dedicated: 23 May 2004

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Mission of

John 1:3

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 7:16-8:15

"Come Follow Me"

JS-H 1:15-20 The First Vision began the Restoration of Jesus Christ's Gospel.

OctGenCon

'All Nations, Kindreds, And Tongues'

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

"Moroni said . . . God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues. . . .

"Moroni said there was a book deposited....that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it."

Here we pause. We worship God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, not the Prophet Joseph nor any mortal man or woman.

Yet consider how the prophecies God gives His servants are fulfilled. Some are fulfilled earlier, some later, but all are fulfilled. As we hearken to the Lord's spirit of prophecy, we can become, in our own way, part of the fulfillment of His prophecies and promises - part of the gospel blessing the world.

Restoration Proclamation

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This Church is anchored in the perfect life of its chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, and in His infinite Atonement and literal Resurrection.

We had Kodiak cakes for breakfast. They are yummy high protein pancakes.

James worked outside early today because cold weather is coming this afternoon. Usually he does office work in the morning and then goes outside to work in the afternoon. He did actually work until about 4 pm at which time he came in because it was 33 degrees and windy. 

I am worried that Luna is lonely. She always looks so sad when I see her outside. We are trying to get the Howard's to sell us one of their horses. I think Tom is starting to weaken, now we just need to convince Jean. She will not sell her horse, Duke, who is Luna's oldest.

I felt better today than I have felt in over a week. I walked 15,000 steps, cleaned, blogged, and felt happy. I blogged about Kim. Kim and Brian made it safely to San Diego although it took them 8 hours instead of the normal 6 because they had to make lots of stops for Kim.

This evening James and I went on what I call our weekly date. We went to Panda and got dinner. We also stopped at China Wok and got some hot and sour soup to take home. We actually ate in the car and then on the way home I read from "Tres Leches Cupcakes." 

When we got home we watched the newest Hallmark movie, "A New Year's Resolution" starring Aimee Teegarten and Michael Rady. I like both of them and it was a cute movie.