Asuncion, Paraguay
112th operating temple
Dedicated: 19 May 2002
By: Gordon B. Hinckley
Jesus Christ, Prophecies about
Isaiah 50:6
I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
Book of Mormon
Alma 19:12-21 Why did Abish want to tell about her conversion?
D&C
Review sections 64-66
"Come Follow Me"
Review: "The Lord Requireth the Heart and a Willing Mind"
AprGenCon
"The Grave Has No Victory"
Reyna I. Aburto
Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency
Mary Magdalene stayed at the tomb by herself. Only a few days before, she had seen the tragic death of her friend and Master. Now His tomb was empty, and she did not know where He was. It was too much for her to take in, and she wept. At that moment, the resurrected Savior came to her and asked why she was weeping and whom she was seeking. Thinking that the gardener spoke to her, she asked that, if he had taken her Lord's body, to tell her where it was so she could get it.
I imagine that the Lord may have allowed Mary Magdalene to grieve and to express her pain. He then called her by her name, and she turned to Him and recognized Him. She saw the resurrected Christ and was a witness of His glorious Resurrection.
"Our Sorrow Shall Be Turned Into Joy"
Elder S. Mark Palmer
Of the Seventy
Jesus's ancient Apostles were forever changed after He appeared to them following His death. Ten of them saw for themselves that He had been resurrected. Thomas, being initially absent, declared,
"Except I shall see . . . k I will not believe." Later Jesus admonished Thomas, "Be not faithless, but believing." Then the Lord taught the vital role of faith: "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
Articles of Faith
#9
We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
Inklings
Be Kind
"Hearts Knit Together"
Gary E. Stevenson
Alma 27
D&C 124:23
Numbers 35
I wrote James a note to go with his Father's Day gift from me which was a leather journal with the imprint of mountains on the front.
James said he was excited to have this journal to record his thoughts, feelings, spiritual experiences, tender mercies and miracles in. I was so glad he said this to me because that's exactly why I gave it to him. Sometimes when you don't know what to get someone, you get them something you love and hope they will love it too.
Even on this Father's Day, where I offered to fix him breakfast, James brought me my breakfast as he does every morning. I am so grateful for my dear, sweet husband.
We got to Church a few minutes early so I could take the cookies out of the refrigerator. Kerri and Maxine put them there yesterday. Tamara said not to leave them out on the counter because there might be a mouse problem.
When I walked in to the chapel before Sacrament meeting I noticed that Dr. Knippers, the eye doctor/surgeon who did my cataract surgeries was on the stand with a young boy who looked like he was 12-14 years old. Today is high council Sunday and Brother/Dr. Knippers is on the high council. His son, Jackson, had just returned from the Stake Young Men's camp at Big Lake where they did mountain biking, canoeing and other activities. Brother Goodman later said that each activity had a spiritual application that was discussed with the boys. Jackson was the first speaker and he related his mountain bike experience to overcoming trials through faith in Christ. Here are some quotes: "Come to Jesus with your trials. Having Jesus with you makes all the difference."
Brother/Dr. Knippers (by the side of the podium, in his wheel chair) - Quoted from D&C 122, Brother Renlund's talk, "Infuriating Unfairness", and President Nelson's talk, "What We Are Learning and Will Never Forget." He said that President Beeler wanted the discussion to be "Facing Adversity with Faith in Christ."
I also included some thoughts from Elder Holland's talk, "Not As the World Giveth" because he talks about Joseph Smith's confinement in Liberty Jail. Here is a quote from Elder Holland's talk: "In the cold, uncaring confinement of Liberty Jail, he was taught that the principles of righteousness included such virtues as patience, long-suffering, gentleness, and love unfeigned." According to Elder Renlund we need to Focus on developing faith in Jesus Christ. Brother Knippers says he tells the story of Alma and the sons of Mosiah in almost every talk he gives. He referred us to Alma 17 where the sons of Mosiah go to preach the gospel to the Lamanites. They endure hardship, struggles and trials. They searched the scriptures diligently and through fasting and prayer they were able to teach the word of God among the Lamanites for 14 years. Brother Knippers told of his accident which left him paralyzed from the chest down. Satan worked on him through discouragement but he exercised faith in Jesus Christ and was able to feel of the Lord's love for him which encouraged him to move forward. I think Brother Knipper's is an inspiration to others handicapped or not. He has learned to overcome trial and he uses his mind and hands to make a living for his family. I have such high regard and respect for him.
From President Nelson's talk he gives us four things we learned from Covid:
1.) The Home is the Center of Faith and Worship.
2.) We need each other.
3.) RS/EQ are more than just meetings.
4.) We Hear Jesus Christ Better When We Are Still.
Brother Applegate taught Sunday School today. He did a quick review of the lesson from D&C 64-66 and then went to the front of the "Come Follow Me" manual and started talking about what the goal of "Come Follow Me" is, which is: The aim of all gospel learning and teaching is to deepen our conversion to Jesus Christ and help us become more like Him. For this reason, when we study the gospel, we're not just looking for new information; we want to become a "new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17). This means relying on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help us change our hearts, our views, our actions, and our very natures.
It was a good discussion but I came prepared to discuss the doctrines found in this week's lesson and so I was a little disappointed. James said I had my chance at the beginning of the lesson, but I guess I didn't feel inspired to "share" at that time. Brother Applegate did talk a lot about our responsibility to come to class prepared to share with others. He gave us an assignment for next week. Study lesson and read Brother Callister's article in the 2016 Ensign, "Experience the Joy of Learning."
After church I gave away lots of leftover cookies to those gathered in the foyer on the south side of the church. I was able to give away all of the cookies that were left which were, "not a few."
The first thing I did when I got home was turn on the small oven in order to bake two potatoes for James's Father's Day lunch. While the oven was heating up I had a small snack and rested on the recliner for a few minutes after changing out of my church clothes.
Along with the baked potato I made cornbread, steamed some broccoli, and baked some butterfly shrimp, the main course James chose for today. Everything was delicious and I'm afraid I ate a little too much. I had to lie down for a rest after the meal.
I checked my phone this afternoon to see when the Suns next game would be and who they would be playing in the Western Conference semifinals. To my surprise they have already played their first game. They played the Clippers and beat them 120-114 with their point guard Chris Paul. Devin Booker had a triple double with 40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. Game 2 will be Tuesday at 9 pm EST on ESPN.
I finally caught up with this weeks blogging and did a little indexing. I also read to James from our new ebook, "Love on Pointe".
