Monday, July 12, 2021

Sun, July 11th, 2021: Cebu City Philippines Temple #133: Opening Prayer, Pres. Beeler, McClellan's, RS-Sis DeWitt & Sis Hall, Collin, Stacy's call, Facetime Tx, CFM Crane's

 

Cebu City, Philippines
133rd operating temple
Dedicated: 13 June 2010
By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Prophecies about
Zechariah 11:13 
And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.
Book of Mormon
Alma 31:1-23 How is the word more powerful on the minds of the people than the sword? A: The sword changes minds by fear. The word changes hearts by love and the Spirit. Fear is sometimes quicker but love is more powerful and eternal.
D&C
Review 76
"Come Follow Me"
Review "Great Shall Be Their Reward and Eternal Shall Be Their Glory"
AprGenCon
"Ye Shall Be Free"
Elder Thierry K. Mutombo
Of the Seventy
We also were blind and can now see. The restored gospel has impacted our family since that time. Understanding the why of the gospel has blessed three generations of my family and will continue to bless many generations to come.
Jesus Christ is the light that shines in darkness. Those who follow Him "shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).


Restoration Proclamation
#7
Two hundred years have now elapsed since this Restoration was initiated by God the Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Millions throughout the world have embraced a knowledge of these prophesied events.

Inklings
July's study of Grace:

Inklings This week:
You belong because you are His
D. Todd Christofferson
"Why the Covenant Path"
1 Corinthians 3:5-23
Isaiah 43:1-5

The smoke from the fire is a little worse this morning. I was afraid Sister Hunter might not be able to come to church because she has a hard time breathing when it is smoky, but faithful sister that she is, she was there. 

Brother and Sister McClellan were the speakers in sacrament meeting today. Sister McClellan grew up in Taylor, her last name was Lee, and made an excuse for errors she might make because she graduated from Snowflake High School in 1977. I take offense when people make fun of graduating from Snowflake High School because I feel that I got a great education there.  

Sister McClellan used two conference messages for her talk, "Hearts Knit Together" by Elder Stevenson from the last conference, and "The Doctrine of Inclusion" by President Ballard which was given in October 2001. We are told in the scriptures that after King Benjamin's address the people had their hearts knit together in unity and love. The Savior has asked us to "cease to be contentious." She told the story of the rabbits that Elder Stevenson's gives in his talk. How the rabbits who received love and kindness showed little fatty buildup in the arteries after consuming the same diet as rabbits who did not receive additional love and had more fatty buildup in their arteries.  "Our health is affected by our attitude." That statement is so very true. Sister McClellan then quoted the words to my favorite Primary song, "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus." Right now she's talking to the Primary children. Next she talks to the youth and talks about being kind and no bullying, especially cyber-bullying. She reminds us of what President Uchtdorf said in one of his talks. If you are doing something you shouldn't be doing,  "Stop It!" We need to extend ourselves with kindness, care, and compassion. Inclusion not exclusion. We should be good disciples of Jesus Christ.

Brother McClellan was a bishop at one point in his life when he lived in Michigan. He told stories that demonstrated the principle of obedience and how important it is for us to be obedient. Lost Scouts on Lake Michigan. They prayed and received help. Paid building off in 30 days through obedience of the members. One of Brother McClellan's favorite scriptures is: 1 Corinthians 2:9 "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

I gave the opening prayer in sacrament meeting and James gave the closing. President Beeler was on the stand and I mentioned him in my prayer. As I returned to my seat I realized I had not mentioned Bishop Hunsaker. This really bothered me so when I got home I sent him a text: Bishop, I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you as my bishop. Brother Lambson and I pray for you and your family everyday in our family prayers. Thank you for all that you do!
Karen Lambson.
Here was his answer: Oh sweet sister, thank you so much. You two are ones that I can and do always look up to.
My answer: Thank you Bishop.
Now I feel better.

The Wilhelm's were out of town today. We really missed Andy and Curtis helping with the sacrament.

As I was walking to the Relief Society room, Brother DeWitt put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Do you want to wrestle?" He caught me by surprise. He is such a jokester. I told him no, I live with a wrestler so I get plenty of practice.

Sister DeWitt agreed to teach Relief Society today. I am grateful for her willingness since we only have one called Relief Society sister. The conference talk the lesson is to be based on is the one by Brother Jan E. Newman, "Teaching in the Savior's Way." Sister Dewitt, hereinafter called Wendy, opened the lesson by sharing Brother Newman's story of a teacher that touched his life, one that taught in the Savior's way. From there the lesson took a turn I was surprised at. Wendy said she was going to talk about nature and science and how the Savior used these things to teach. She asked the sisters what their earliest memory was. A few sisters made comments. She talked about how all of our experiences make up who we are, even if we can't remember them. She talked about the heart having brain-like cells, actually she said that the heart has a brain and she feels that is how Heavenly Father communicates with us. (Not sure about that, I thought it was through the Spirit). The sisters' participation was wonderful as Wendy told us about someone in her life who does not feel that her prayers are answered. We gave suggestions on what the person, Wendy's sister, could do to feel of the Lord's love. She needed to feel gratitude, she needed to read scriptures and continue to pray....all of the answers were good and well intended. Wendy is very knowledgeable and engaging but included very little of Brother Newman's message. During the closing prayer, Sister Hall, who is 93 years old began coughing and aspirating. Sister Harris ran to get the trash container for her to aspirate into. It was quite alarming to have this happen at the end of the lesson while the sisters were still seated and in the middle of a prayer.  Sister Hall's daughter, Sister Beckham, was there with her mother. Sister Crane offered Sister Hall some hand sanitizer so she could "freshen up." Come to find out, Sister Crane is Sister Hall's and Sister Beckham's ministering sister. I made the comment to Tamara, "Look, Kathy is doing her ministering."  Sister Hall was cold. Brother Thompson, prompted by his wife, Maxine, brought in a blanket that had been in their car which was quite warm from being out in the sun. Sister Klug went down to where Pres. Beeler was and told him about Sister Hall and her need and request for a blessing. Pres. Beeler was going in to do temple recommend interviews but responded to Sister Klug's, and Sister Hall's request and went down to the Relief Society room to give a blessing. 

James and Brother DeWitt, hereinafter called Collin, were waiting to get their recommends signed. Wendy joined them and asked where President Beeler had gone. Collin, Wendy's husband said: "Apparently whoever taught Relief Society made one of the sisters sick  and President went down to give her a blessing. Of course Collin knew that Wendy had taught RS. James said she just looked at him, rolled her eyes, and walked away. Oh dear. Collin is such a jokester. I hope Wendy is a good sport, which I imagine she is.

Sister Hall was taken to the hospital in Springerville and admitted with pneumonia and a urinary tract infection. The doctor said he was glad she was brought in today because tomorrow it could have been so much worse. She is going to be all right and will hopefully be able to come home tomorrow.

I got a call from Stacy this afternoon. She wanted to tell me about her back problems. She said the doctor told her she has two bulging discs that are pressing against a nerve bundle on her right side. She said they are going to do a lamendura (?) which is like an epidural shot and if that doesn't help she will probably have to have surgery. She said she cannot sit and do lashes. She called Skyler, her former employee who owes her $5,000 and asked him if he would buy her a teeth whitening machine. He said he would, and then when she called back he said he did. She talked to a Dr. Carter at Modern Body Clinic and he said she could whiten teeth in his office and he would direct patients her way. Of course she would have to share profits with him but this is something she can do without causing herself any pain. I hope Skyler bought the machine, I have my doubts, and that this works out for her. She needs to find something she can be successful at.

We FaceTimed with Jared and Charlie this afternoon. Jared and Kacey are in the middle of lots of home renovations and yard upkeep and are pretty overwhelmed. Jared said they aren't sure if they are going to be able to come to the Mesa Temple open house because now they need to buy new carpet. The carpets were cleaned when they moved in and looked nice but old pet stains and smells are resurfacing and they don't think they can live with it. I told them that we would support them in whatever they decided to do. Charlie showed us her room. Jared said this house reminds him of the house he grew up in. They were both built in the 70's. Jared also said that Molly's bishop found membership records for her and her siblings so she will not have to be re-baptized.

We attended "Come Follow Me" at the Crane's this evening. The Crane's, Peeler's, Sister Bartels, and James and I attended. Friday was Sister Goodman's birthday and her family is fixing dinner for her tonight and they are having cake and ice cream to celebrate. 

Although I did not watch the game I looked up the score. The Suns lost to the Bucks 100-120. How sad.

I went on a book hunt this evening. While at the Crane's we were talking about Adam and Eve and Kathy showed me a book she has been reading about Eve. It's by Beverly Campbell who was a member of our stake in Chandler. When I was the stake Relief Society President I asked Beverly to speak at our women's conference. I remember I bought her a corsage but she couldn't wear it because she was allergic to the flowers. Anyway, she has written two books about Eve, one in the garden and one in mortality and I had them both. My book hunt was unsuccessful. I could not find either book. 

While finishing up my blog I was listening to "Follow Him" for DC 77-80. Section 77 is a series of 15 questions that Joseph Smith asked the Savior while translating the book of Revelation in the New Testament. The visiting guest on Follow Him mentioned a book by Richard Draper called, "Opening the Seven Seals". I have this book too but I could not find it. First thing in the morning I am ordering these books on Amazon. So frustrating. I have two copies of so many books for this very reason. I need to organize my library. Maybe in my dreams.

Sabbath with Charlie


Love this girl!
This girl too!

Case Beach Reunion comes to an end



Crane's house












Happy Birthday Palmer!



The Taylor Rodeo on the 3rd of July









 






Sunday, July 11, 2021

Sat, July 10th, 2021: Gila Valley AZ. Temple:

 

Gila Valley, Arizona
132nd operating temple
Dedicated: 23 May 2010
By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Prophecies about
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of rusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Book of Mormon
Alma 30:46-60 What's the difference between believing and knowing? A: It is belief that pushes us forward to come to know. Knowing is when you receive a spiritual confirmation from the Holy Ghost that confirms your belief is true.
D&C
76:81-119
"Come Follow Me"
76:24 How might the world be different if everyone understood that we are all children of God?
76:50-70 How can I help my family prepare for exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom?
AprGenCon
"The Personal Journey of a Child of God"
Elder Neil L. Andersen
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Years ago, feeling deep concern for the number of abortions in the world, President Gordon B. Hinckley addressed the women of the Church with words that are relevant for us today. He said: "You who are wives and mothers are the anchors of the family. You bear the children. What an enormous and sacred responsibility that is . . . .
What is happening to our appreciation of the sanctity of human life? Abortion is an evil, stark and real and repugnant, which is sweeping over the earth. I plead with the women of this Church to shun it, to stand above it, to stay away from those compromising situations which make it appear desirable. There may be some few circumstances under which it can occur, but they are extremely limited. ... You are the mothers of the sons and daughters of God, whose lives are sacred. Safeguarding them is a divinely given responsibility which cannot be lightly brushed aside."


Restoration Proclamation
#6
We declare that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized on April 6, 1830, is Christ's New Testament Church restored. This Church is anchored in the perfect life of its chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, and in His infinite Atonement and literal Resurrection. Jesus Christ has once again called Apostles and has given them priesthood authority. 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.

Inklings
Believing in Christ allows us to access grace.

We left at 5:40 this morning for the temple. We said a prayer before leaving and then on the way I read from the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the "Come Follow Me" lesson. After I was finished reading we listened to Elder Andersen's conference talk, "The Personal Journey of a Child of God."  By this time we were just about to Taylor. We arrive at the temple in Snowflake at 6:25. Our preparation meeting starts at 6:45.

When I looked at my scheduled assignments I noticed I was assigned to be the initiatory director all day, something I have never done. Hopefully I will get a little training. President and Sister Perkins are presiding today at the temple. Sister Perkins talked about unity and how important it is. President Perkins reminded us to focus on the patrons. 

The first patron for initiatory was not scheduled until 7:30. Sister DeWitt and Sister Humes were assigned the first hour to help me in initiatory. They were so helpful. I could not have done it without them. Because there are three stations in initiatory and only two workers, I had to help with the first patron. Thirty minutes is allowed for each patron. They can do 5 names in that time. We had four slots that were not filled from 7-12 and we had 6 patrons, Sisters Goodman, Gunnell, Larsen, Howcroft, Shappell, and Haws. While Sister Larsen was waiting for her turn she came and sat by me and we began talking. She lives in Linden and knows both Harold's and Dennis's families. She grew up and went to school with Monte. Tasha was her secretary when she was the stake Primary President. She knew Jaci, Dennis's first wife and she works with Denise at the hospital. I asked her what her maiden name was and she said Hall. She said Harry Lynn was her uncle and Michael was her dad. We went to high school with Michael and James used to work for Harry Lynn when Harry Lynn was facilities manager for the church in the valley. Harry Lynn was also a stake president in Show Low. Lucy, Sister Larsen's first name, said her brother is now the stake president in Show Low. He is a foot doctor in Show Low, Dr. Hall.  Michael Hall, Lucy's dad,  died when Lucy was quite young. He was working under his car and it fell on him. Lucy also introduced me to her mom who is now Sister Frost and worked on our shift today. I love coming to the temple and making these connections. 

These are some of the sisters that I enjoyed working with today: Sister Elmer, our co-ordinater, the assistant co-ordinater, Sister Shelton. Sisters Hamblin, Cureton, Gentry, Frost, Gaston, Larsen, and of course Sister DeWitt from Joe City and Sister Humes from St. Johns. I love all of these sisters. Temple workers are the best!

There was a live sealing today and I got caught in the guest traffic and there was quite a crowd. I got caught when they came in and again when they went out.

I finished at 11:30 about thirty minutes before James did. I waited for him outside in the parking lot. While I was in the dressing room changing into my street clothes someone said there was a fire in Vernon. I said I thought it was a prescribed burn. James said he saw small fires all over the hill by the girls camp when he came home from town yesterday. He figured it was prescribed because there were so many little fires. The sister I spoke to, who is on the afternoon shift at the temple, said it was a lightning strike fire. We never noticed it this morning when we left Vernon but as I looked off the hill in the parking lot where you can see all of the mountains near Vernon, there was a big plume of smoke. 


Just a few miles from our house.

We stopped and El Cupido's and James went in and got us some lunch. I ordered an Arizona burrito and James ordered a chili relleno burrito. He got me a 44 oz drink which is too big for me to handle, but somehow I managed. My Arizona burrito was good, but not as good as the ones I get at Aliberto's. 

After taking a nap when I got home,  I set my timer for 20 minutes and alternated between walking and working on my blog. This is something I normally do. While blogging I watched a movie on my phone and while walking I listened to "Edenbrooke" on my phone. What would I do without my phone. Trina reminded me how funny the book Edenbrooke is and after a few months I can read a book again and it will seem like new. Here is a quote from Edenbrooke by Mary Ann: "Hope gripped me so hard it left me breathless."

James loves to be outside and the smoke from the fire was not too bad this evening, although the fire is closer than we originally thought, so he went for a ride on Luna. He loves to be outside and I spend most of my time inside. That's just the way we are.

To rain or not to rain, that is always the question around here. At 6:46 pm. it was 77 degrees and still sunny. 

Tonight I read from three of my books, "The Heavens are Open", "Written on Our Hearts", and "MindBody Toolkit". 

Kacey posted something on Facebook/Instagram that I want to share on here. She also told me yesterday that Charlie asked if she could go to grandma's house today. That just melted my heart and I told her we wanted to come for Charlie's birthday. Here is Kacey's post.









I got a little carried away with the fire pictures.







This is in front of the Hunsaker's

Kacey













Saturday, July 10, 2021

Fri, July 9th, 2021: Vancouver Temple: My Dream, RS Email, Inklings, My 7 books, Scripture Gems, Smoke & Clouds, Rain 5 mins, Finished planter, Upstrs clng

 

Vancouver, British Columbia
131st operating temple
Dedicated: 2 May 2010
By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Prophecies about
Zechariah 6:12
And spek unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.
Book of Mormon
Alma 30:29-45 How does having a sign affect one's faith? A - We know that signs come according to the will of God and not the will of man. If we demand a sign, we are tempting God. But if we are seeking truth, fasting and praying, and receive a sign it can strengthen and confirm our faith. Signs alone do not convert.. the true church converts by testimony of the Holy Ghost. Signs usually follow those that believe. They are given for profit and our salvation. There is a difference between signs that confirm or reward faith and the seeking of signs as an excuse for not exercising faith or as a substitute for faith. I know I've been given enough signs in my life to know that if I need it and God wants me to have one, I'll receive it. It's best to pray for what I need and leave the rest to God.
D&C
76:71-80
"Come Follow Me"
76:22-24, 50-52, 78-79, 81-82. What do we learn from these verses about the importance of our testimonies?
AprGenCon
"Infuriating Unfairness"
Elder Dale G. Renlund
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
In unfair situations, one of our tasks is to trust that "all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ overcame the world and "absorbed" all unfairness. Because of Him, we can have peace in this world and be of good cheer. If we let Him, Jesus Christ will consecrate the unfairness for our gain. He will not just console us and restore what was lost; He will use the unfairness for our benefit. When it comes to how and when, we need to recognize and accept, as did Alma, that "it mattereth not; for God knoweth all these things; and it sufficeth me to know that this is the case.."


Restoration Proclamation
#5
 We further witness that Joseph Smith was given the gift and power of God to translate an ancient record: the Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Pages of this sacred text include an account of the personal ministry of Jesus Christ among people in the Western Hemisphere soon after His Resurrection. It teaches of life's purpose and explains the doctrine of Christ, which is central to that purpose. As a companion scripture to the Bible, the Book of Mormon testifies that all human beings are sons and daughters of a loving Father in Heaven, that He has a divine plan for our lives, and that His Son, Jesus Christ, speaks today as well as in days of old.

Inklings
Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto me, al ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I had a funny dream last night and I wrote it down this morning. Here goes: James finally gets permits to build the mayor of Chandlers house. Trenda is his assistant only she has to pump someone's stomach before she gets started.
Weird. Here is why I think I had this dream. Trenda was on Facebook yesterday so I was thinking of her and her baby and husband. James has been trying to get in touch with the owner of the house he is bidding on in Maricopa. Trenda is not a construction assistant, she works in the medical field. 

I sent a message out to the RS sisters this morning about the lesson on Sunday. Hopefully they will read it so we can have a good discussion on Sunday.

After my gospel study this morning I went upstairs to put sheets on beds and to clean. It's going to take longer than I thought. 

I turn down James's invitation to go to town promising him that I will read to him for an hour when he gets back. He still seems a little sad but I had some things to get done here at home. I read from my seven books, a little from each. 1. The Heavens are Open, 2. Written on Our Hearts, 3. The MindBody Toolkit, 4. God Will Prevail, 5. History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, 6. The Making of America, 7. Making Sense of the Doctrine and Covenants.

We had five minutes of hard rain and then it was over. James said it rained hard in Show Low for longer than five minutes. He said he saw a fire on the hill by girl's camp and he thinks it's a control burn because there were small fires all over the hill. I was so angry. I hate it when they do a control burn during fire season. The smoke was so bad that we didn't open our windows tonight when we went to bed. 

I read several chapters of "Love on Pointe" to James. He wanted to go on a Luna ride but couldn't stand the smoke. He went upstairs to work instead.






My Birthday Cake?




I've been eating oatmeal for awhile

2017 reading


Love this picture of Sheri





Lola, Evan, Charlie