Mon, Nov 29, 2021: Kim&Brian leave, Pie & Christmas movie, Zelle Tristen Jiminez fails, Town, "The Holy Invitation", Chase, Walmart, HD, Panda, audio books, James on roof

 

Perth, Australia

106th operating temple

Dedicated: 20 37-138 May 2001

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Relationships with the Father

John 5:19

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Book of Mormon

Mormon 9:1-21

D&C

137

"Come Follow Me"

137-138 "The Vision of the Redemption of the Dead"

OctGenCon

"Miracle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ"

Elder Carlos G. Revillo Jr.

Of the Seventy

King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon said: 

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual" (Mosiah 2:41).

"Look Down The Road"

Elder Alvin F. Meredith III

Of the Seventy

On one occasion in the Savior's life, He desired to be alone, so "he went up into a mountain apart to pray." He sent His disciples away with instructions to cross the sea. In the dark of the night, the ship that carried the disciples came upon a ferocious storm. Jesus went to their rescue but in an unconventional way. The scripture account reads, "In the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea." When they saw Him, they began to fear, for they thought that the figure that approached them was some sort of ghost or phantom. Jesus, sensing their trepidation and wanting to put their minds and hearts at ease, called to them, 

"Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."

Kim and Brian left this morning around 9:45. They left two pies which is dangerous for me. I ate pie and watched "Royally Wrapped for Christmas" starring Jen Lilley and Brendan Fehr. Afterwards I took a nap and then had a shower. 

As soon as Kim and Brian left James climbed up on the roof. I told him to say a prayer, asking Heavenly Father if he would be safe.

He is getting ready to clean out the fireplace chimney.

James asked me to Zelle Armando his money for the DeCroix job. The person he asked me to Zelle the money to takes care of Armando's finances and just so happens to be Clint & Janet's granddaughter. This evening I got a notice that they cancelled the transaction. James is getting up early tomorrow morning to call the bank and ask them why.

We left for town a little before 3 pm. today. We stopped at the post office. I had a small package with the book by Anthony Sweat, "The Holy Invitation." Our first stop in town was at Chase bank where they broke two 100 dollar bills into four 50's. James then dropped me off at Walmart while he went over to Home Depot. 

The main reason I came to town today was to get food for feeding the missionaries tomorrow evening. We are having roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, and rolls. I also bought some makeup and some white silk poinsettias. All I can say is, "groceries are so expensive!"

On the way home we stopped at Panda for dinner. James got a beef & broccoli bowl with chow mien and I got Bejing beef and chow mien. I also got a drink because James drank all of my water. 

When we got home, after James carried in the groceries and I put them away, we sat down and ate our dinner. I watched "The Christmas Contest" and walked and also watched "Christmas in Tahoe." 

When our tree is lit up it looks so beautiful! James always likes to listen to our audio book while he walks. We finished "Magic of Starlight" and started "Willowkeep." 

Harold doing some remodeling

Monte's family

Michael carving the Thanksgiving turkey

James's view on top of the roof

 

Sun, Nov 28th, 2021: Charlie sick, Church and Relief Society, Kim & Brian finish our tree, Christmas movies,

 

Guadalajara, Mexico

105th operating temple

Dedicated: 29 Apr 2001

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, relationships with the Father

John 5:18

Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Book of Mormon

Mormon 8:26-41

D&C

Review 135-136

"Come Follow Me"

Review "He has sealed His mission and His works with His own blood"

OctGenCon

"One Percent Better"

Elder Michael A. Dunn

Of the Seventy

For more than a century, the national bicycle racing teams of Great Britain had been the laughingstock of the cycling world. Mire in mediocrity, British riders had managed only a handful of gold medals in 100 years of Olympic competitions and had been even more underwhelming in cycling's marquee event, the three-week long Tour de France - where no British rider had prevailed in 110 years. So sorry was the plight of British riders that some bike manufacturers refused to even sell bikes to the Brits, fearing it would forever sully their hard-won reputations. And despite devoting enormous resources into cutting-edge technology and every newfangled training regimen, nothing worked.

Nothing, that is, until 2003, when a small, largely unnoticed change occurred that would forever alter the trajectory of British cycling. That new approach would also reveal an eternal principle - with a promise - regarding our ofttimes perplexing mortal quest to improve ourselves. So what happened in British cycling that has great relevance to our personal pursuit to be better daughters and sons of God?

"Facing Our Spiritual Hurricanes By Believing in Christ"

Elder Sean Douglas

Of the Seventy

You ma never face a devastating physical hurricane. However, each of us has weathered and will weather spiritual hurricanes that threaten our peace and try our faith. In today's world, they seem to be increasing in frequency and intensity. Thankfully, the Lord has provided us a sure way to joyfully overcome them. By living the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are assured that "when dark clouds of trouble hang o'er us and threaten our peace to destroy, there is hope smiling brightly before us."

We had three speakers in sacrament meeting today: Alicia Hunsaker, McKayla Finnegan, and Judy Hunter.

Alicia spoke on Satan's plan of distraction so that we won't develop a meaningful relationship with the Savior. Is the devil successful with his plan? Each of us must answer that question for ourselves. Here are some suggestions she made for us to keep the Savior in our lives:

1) Don't miss church, 2) Use the Atonement of Jesus Christ for repentance and forgiveness, 3) Choose good activities, 4) Serve others, 5) Count your blessings. She referred to a talk given by Elder Kevin Pearson, "Stand by the Tree." Here are five suggestions that Elder Pearson made: 1) Pray 2) Come unto Christ through study and covenants 3) Press forward in faith 4) Read the Book of Mormon, 5) Don't be distracted or deceived, and 6) Stand by the tree, or in other words yield our hearts to God and be under the influence of the Holy Ghost. Remember when you have felt the light and love of the Savior and use this to overcome the world.

McKayla Finnegan was the youth speaker and she spoke on "For the Strength of Youth" and the Young Women's theme: 

I am a beloved daughter of heavenly parents,

with a divine nature and eternal destiny.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, 

I strive to become like Him.

I seek and act upon personal revelation

and minister to others in His holy name.

I will stand as a witness of God

at all times and in all things and in all places.

As I strive to qualify for exaltation, I cherish

the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day.

With faith, I will strengthen my home and family,

make and keep sacred covenants,

and receive the ordinances and blessings

of the holy temple.

Judy Hunter was the last speaker. Her talk was based on a talk given by Elder Robert C. Gay in the October 2018 general conference, "Taking Upon Us the Savior's Name." Here are some suggestions Elder Gay gives in his talk. 1) See as God sees. His love is unfathomable. Everyone is a sacred being. Heavenly Father looks upon our hearts. 2) We must do His work and serve as He served. Do you know anyone who doesn't need the powers of heaven in their lives? God will work wonders among us as we sanctify ourselves. We sanctify ourselves by purifying our hearts. We purify our hearts as we hear Him, repent of our sins, become converted and love as He loves. Finally, 3) We must trust Him. His grace is sufficient. 3 Nephi 27:11, John 4:4.

Pierce played the organ today. When he was not playing the organ he was out in the hall getting some oxygen. The bishop called him and said we needed an organ player today and of course Pierce said he would come, in spite of not feeling well. Pierce is the type of person who puts other people's needs before his own and I had an opportunity in Relief Society to tell the sisters that.

Rosie does a great job leading the discussion in Relief Society and allowing the sisters to share their thoughts. Our lesson today was based on Elder Soares talk, "The Savior's Abiding Compassion."

Again, we must trust the will of the Lord, pray, repent, serve the Lord will full purpose of heart, sanctify ourselves, and deepen our faith. These are some of the same things Sister Hunter's talk in sacrament meeting focused on.

Kim and Brian did not attend our sacrament meeting. They stayed home because their ward is still doing a Zoom broadcast. They spent most of the day working on our Christmas tree which I did not ask them to do but they willingly did on their own. Brian on the ladder putting decorations at the top of the tree is a little more effective than James on the ladder reaching as far as he can reach. 

We had three movies on today. There are soo many Christmas movies and there is no way we can watch them all but we are trying to watch, or at least I am, most of the new ones.

"Christmas at Castle Hart"

"Time for Them To Come Home for Christmas"

"Making Spirits Bright"

I finished my indexing for the month. I reached my goal of 200 names. Woohoo! I had one ministering interview with Rebecca McKamy who had not visited her sisters last quarter. When I asked her if she had contacted her sisters she said, "Yes, we took them to lunch." I was so happy that she had done this. I think having an interview once a quarter motivates some people to action. I'm not saying that's why Rebecca and her mother, who is her partner, took her sisters to lunch but me asking her about her sisters gave me the opportunity to congratulate her and encourage her in her ministering.

Our tree looks so beautiful! I use white, red, and purple because those colors remind me of the Savior. White is for purity, red is for sacrifice, and purple is for royalty. 

Today my friend Catherine who is 88 told me about her grandson who is making a DVD of her life along with music and pictures. She is so excited to give it to her family, especially her grandkids for Christmas. I thought we should do something like this for Lois for Christmas if we could get some help from the family. Terry was the first who came to mind along with Cathi, and Dave. They are good on the computer. Dawn would have lots of pictures. I wanted to write her history at one time but I didn't get very far. If we had her talking on a video, telling stories, how much more meaningful would that be? 

James did not feel well today and he took several naps. 

Sister Camille Johnson

General Primary President

I love the face on the little girl on the left!

 

Sat, Nov 27th, 2021: Temple Shift, Kim & Brian arrive, here to do our Christmas Tree, Halverson, "An Alleged Rogue", Christmas movies, Thanksgiving feast

 

Winter Quarters, Nebraska

104th operating temple

Dedicated: 22 April 2001

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Relationships with the Father

John 1:1 (JST)

In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God. 

Book of Mormon

Mormon 8:12-25

D&C

136:19-42

"Come Follow Me"

Improving Personal Study: "God's Love"

OctGenCon

"Giving Holiness to the Lord"

Bishop L. Todd Budge

Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric

My wife asked, "What does the Presiding Bishopric do anyway?"

As a Presiding Bishopric, we are assisted by wonderful Church employees and others, including the Relief Society General Presidency, who serve with us on the Church's Welfare and Self-Reliance Executive Committee. In our capacity as members of that committee, the First Presidency asked me - as well as Sister Sharon Eubank, - to share with you an update on the Church's recent humanitarian efforts. They also particularly requested that we express their profound gratitude - because, brothers and sisters, it is you who have made those humanitarian efforts possible.

"Remember Thy Suffering Saints, O Our God"

Elder Anthony D. Perkins

Of the Seventy

Regardless of where you live, physical or emotional suffering from a variety of trials and mortal weaknesses has been, is now, or will someday be part of your life.

How can you possibly endure the unique and sometimes debilitating suffering that comes to each of us?

Gratefully, hope is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and hope can also be part of your life. Today I share four principles of hope drawn from scripture, prophetic teachings, many ministering visits, and my own ongoing health trial. These principles are not just broadly applicable but also deeply personal.

I left the house at 5:30 this morning thinking I had plenty of time to make it to the temple by 6:15 and preparation meeting by 6:30.

I barely made it to preparation meeting on time. I guess I don't drive as fast as James. President and Kim Seaman presided. Kim is a memory from my years growing up in Show Low. Her dad was my bishop. She was a good friend in high school with Dennis.

I forgot my badge and had to go to the office to get a temporary one printed. I wasn't the only one who forgot. The reason I forgot was I wore a new dress and forgot to get my badge off my old dress. 

My schedule: 7 study, 7:30 Follower 2 in 8am endowment session, 9:15 veil worker at veil 3,  10 Initiatory worker, 10:30 Celestial room, 11 - Top of the Stairs and 11:30 Initiatory worker.

While in the Celestial room I read from the Book of Mormon and from D&C 136. While I was working in Initiatory I was reminded of the great blessings we receive as we are washed and anointed. What a blessing it is to work in the temple and be reminded of these blessings. I am also always taken aback when I say, "Having authority". I have priesthood authority to perform these ordinances. What a privilege.

Sister Hamblin's daughter-in-law did initiatory ordinances for family members today. She and Sister Hamblin's son were married in July. She looks like she is about 13 years old.

Here are some of the temple workers I worked with today. Sister Elmer, the coordinator, Sister DeWitt the initiatory coordinator, Sister Reidhead, Sister Shelton, Sister Cureton, Sister Neff (Merilee) who was the 1st follower in the 8 o'clock session. Sister Hamblin, Sister Whiting, Sister Turley, those last two are both quite young.

Sister Vance a former friend from Chandler, Sister Farr my friend from Holbrook, and Sister Mary Neff the baptismal coordinator. 

Sister Bowers, a former temple worker was in the session I was in and I was her presenter at the veil. She told me she knew how to lose weight, get all of your teeth pulled and have new ones put in. She said she couldn't eat for two weeks and the pounds she fell off. She also showed me her new teeth. 

On the way home I stopped at Sonic for a grilled cheese and a diet Dr. Pepper. The grilled cheese was soggy but I ate it anyway because I was hungry. 

I listened to Brother Halverson on the way to the temple and "An Alleged Rogue" on the way home. When I got home Kim and Brian were not here yet. It was about 1:30. I put on my comfy clothes and texted Kim. She said they were just leaving Show Low. 

One of the reasons Kim and Brian came up was to put up and decorate our Christmas tree. Before getting started on the tree Brian brought out the Thanksgiving leftovers and made "quite a spread." We had turkey, ham, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry celebration, sweet potatoes, Brian's homemade stuffing, grandmother Sycamore bread, and caramel apple pie. 

We watched Christmas movies, "The Gingerbread Miracle", "Angel Falls", and "Merry and Bright" starring Taylor Cole and Carlos Marks. Brian put up the tree and Kim put the lights on. Oh yes, Brian brought back my necklace chain fixed and James's watch, fixed. 

Kim has a new calling. She will be teaching the Gospel Doctrine Sunday School class once a month. She is pretty excited. I loaned her some of my Old Testament manuals to look at. I think she will be great. I would love to be a gospel doctrine teacher.

Stefani with her twin granddaughters

Jill Wagner's family

The Bear's & Kathryn Ethington

Brian to Jared