Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022: James Globe, I do errands, po, DG, Circle K, Walmart, Safeway, Dominoes, more Deep Blue, 1st Psdncy Drought statement,

 

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

141st operating temple

Dedicated: 17 Mar 2013

By: Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Jesus Christ, Second Coming

JS-Matthew 1:4

And Jesus left them, and went upon the Mount of Olives. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the destruction of the temple, and the Jews; and what is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked, which is the end of the world?

Book of Mormon

Alma 20:1-18

17 But Ammon stood forth and said unto him: Behold, thou shalt not slay thy son; nevertheless, it were better that he should fall than thee, for behold, he has repented of his sins; but if thou shouldst fall at this time, in thine anger, thy soul could not be saved.

"Come Follow Me"

2 Samuel 7 What is the "house" the Lord promised to David? 2 Samuel 11-12

AprGenCon

"Teaching Self-Reliance to Children and Youth"

Elder Hugo E. Martinez

Of the Seventy

Self-reliance is defined as "the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the spiritual and temporal necessities of life for self and family." Striving to be self-reliant is part of our work along the covenant path that leads us back to Heavenly Father and to His Son, Jesus Christ. It will strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and joyfully bind us to Him through the covenants and ordinances of salvation and exaltation. Self-reliance is a doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ, not a program. It is a process that lasts a lifetime, not an event.

James left this morning after scriptures, prayer and breakfast. I am home alone again, something I really don't mind. 

I watched a good movie that I've seen before called, "Love Strikes Twice," starring Kate Findlay who is pretty amazing. I watch movies between blogging and listening to "Book of Mormon Central" and while I walk. 

This afternoon I got ready and went into town to do some errands. First stop, the Vernon post office to mail Becky Skousen's sympathy card and to pick up mail. James said we have a yellow card in our box which means mail too big for the box, or a registered letter. James is expecting a $5,700 check from Bob Joye for the concrete pour at the Casa Grande Airport. Thats what we thought was behind the yellow pickup slip, but we were wrong. It was a disappointment when I was handed an Amazon box instead of a registered letter to sign for. In the box were six pairs of black dress socks for James, my magnesium citrate, and lens cleaner and wipes for our glasses. 

After leaving the post office I headed for Dollar General where I bought three frames. Next I drove to the Circle K across from Walmart, got some gas, and got my car washed. I was too lazy to clean the inside but at least the outside looks nice. 

At Walmart I walked in the store the same time as Collin and Wendy DeWitt from our ward. The coolest couple over the age of 70 in the ward. Collin said I looked pretty in pink and then Wendy asked me what happened to Chuck Crane. He came to church on Sunday with his arm in a sling. I told her that he was working on repairing the fence up behind his house and he slipped and fell on a big rock and broke his collar bone. We talked about being old and not being as spry as we once were and then Wendy went on to do her shopping. Colling stayed behind to ask me about James. I told him he was fine and that he was working in Globe today on a house for the Peeler's. 

I did my shopping but was disappointed that the most important thing I came for was no available. I need to get a couple of jars of maraschino cherries for the cherry chip cakes I am making on Friday. Now I have to go to Safeway, which I did and luckily they had some cherries. While I am in the Safeway parking lot before going in to shop, I ordered a thin crust veggie pizza from Dominoes. James's favorite. I stopped and picked it up on the way home and ate a piece on the way. 

James is at home when I arrive and he carries in the groceries for me and eats some of the pizza while standing at the counter. Coudn't even take the time to sit down, that's how good it was.

James found a package on our front porch this evening with a rollon Deep Blue applicator inside. Brian ordered us two types of Deep Blue so we could decide which we liked best. So thoughtful!

James said his neuropathy in his feet is really bothering him tonight. We did some walking and read before going to bed. 

Dark skies today but no rain here. It looked like it was raining hard in New Mexico. The First Presidency came out with a statement about the drought and the importance of conserving water.

First Presidency Statement

Young Women at the Temple:

Alice Wilhelm, LeeAnn Hunsaker, 

Jordyn Applegate, Kelly Reynolds

 

Tuesday, June 21st, 2022: James in Globe, Breadn'Basics Debbie Vance, new veil, Temple session w Ruth Gale who knows Ladawn Warner,

 

Calgary, Alberta

140th operating temple

Dedicated: 28 Oct 2012

By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Second Coming

Matthew 24:3

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Book of Mormon

Alma 19:22-36

36 Thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his Spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name.

"Come Follow Me" 

2 Samuel 5:17-25 The Lord can give me direction. 2 Samuel 7

AprGenCon

"To Heal the World"

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

From our beginnings, many seeking God were drawn to this Church because of its teachings of divine doctrine, including faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, the plan of happiness, and the Second Coming of our Lord.

After family prayer this morning James left for Globe. I was up early but I got a slow start. I am leaving for Snowflake at 1:30 and I want to get at least 6,000 steps before I leave. I studied the "Come Follow Me" lesson, listened to "Don't Miss This" and read from the Book of Mormon. This week's "Come Follow Me" lesson is a sad one as another King of Israel falls from grace, this time both David and Solomon. I also tried to blog but the computer was slow and sluggish.

I left around 1:30 for Snowflake. The temple session isn't until 3:30 but I have a couple of errands to do. Some rain, some smoke. Hoping the rain puts out the fire. 

First stop, the Distribution Center in Snowflake to get a new veil that I don't have to tie under my chin. Mission accomplished. I went next door to Bread n' Basics to see my friend Debbie Vance. Debbie is a Tarwater from Chandler and we worked in the temple together for awhile and got to be good friends. She owns Bread n' Basics and Tuesday is spudnut day and I want a spudnut for old times sake. I grew up next to a spudnut shop when I was a teenager in Show Low. And the smell in the morning when they were baking was amazing!

I ended up buying a loaf of homemade wheat bread and an individual box, 5 at the most, spudnut holes. I think a spudnut is a donut made with potatoes. They were delicious but next time I want them right out of the oven! Now, on to the temple!

I am early so while I am in the parking lot I look over at the mountains near Vernon. I still see smoke...and dark clouds. 

I am already in the endowment room when Ruth arrives. She apologizes for her call earlier today when she asked if she could skip out on our meal after the temple because a group of friends are getting together to play cards. She begins apologizing to me before the session starts. I tell her it's fine and sounds like more fun than going to dinner with me. I ask her for the name of some of her friends. She starts off and no one sounds familiar until she says, "LaDon Warner." I started laughing. "Do you know LaDon"? Yes, I know LaDon very well. She pulled the wires from my car one day in the school parking lot and I was scared to death until she walked up laughing her head off. She immediately fixed the problem and my car started right up. Or I should say, my mom's car that I was driving. I told her LaDon was a practical joker in high school but her sister, who lived in Show Low was one of my mutual advisors and she was very spiritual. I told Ruth to have fun with her friends with my blessing. She said she felt a little guilty going directly from the temple to a card game. I just laughed (quietly). We have five sisters and six brothers in our session, just enough for the prayer circle. 

On the way home I stopped at Sonic and got a corndog and some onion rings. The onion rings were a mistake, not only for the added calories, but they were greasy and just didn't taste all that great. Definitely not worth the calories. I listen to Brother Halverson and his long-winded podcast on the "Come Follow Me" lesson this week. I do like him but I wish he could make his podcasts a tad shorter. The one this week is over 7 hours. I don't think I'm going to make it to the end of this one.

Debbie's bread is delicious and James loves it. He is hungry because he didn't have anything to eat on the way home so I fix him some pot stickers to go with his slice of homemade bread. 

James indexes at the end of the dining room table while I go into the bedroom and turn on the TV while I do my nightly blogpost and my walk. I got some Deep Blue cream today in the mail. I'm glad James check the post office before he came home.

 

  

Monday, June 20th, 2022: Errands: Thompson's, Demer's Glass, Alibertos, Walmart, Home Depot, Charlie & Scarlett, Sheri & guys arrive in Rome!

 

Brigham City, Utah

139th operating temple

Dedicated: 23 Sept 2012

By: Boyd K. Packer

Jesus Christ, Second Coming

Matthew 25:31

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Book of Mormon

Alma 19:12-21

19:13 - For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit. 

"Come Follow Me"

2 Samuel 5-7; 11-12; 1 Kings 3; 8; 11 "Thy Kingdom Shall Be Established for Ever" 2 Samuel 5-6

AprGenCon

"For God So Loved Us"

Elder Michael T. Ringwood

Of the Seventy

Brothers and sisters, we are the focus of Heavenly Father's plan and the reason for our Savior's mission. Each of us, individually, is Their work and Their glory.

Inklings

2 Timothy 3 In the last days perilous times shall come

"Steady in the Storm"

President Henry B. Eyring

James asked me to go to town with him today. I told him I was so behind on my blog that I should probably stay home and work on it. He was so convincing that I finally succumbed, thinking I could justify going if I did my grocery shopping. 

Our first stop was at our friends the Thompson's. James gave them a bid on pouring the concrete slab they need for the modular home they bought. Brother Thompson, Gary, picked up the permit and James needs to look at it to determine what exactly the county requires for the pad. 

After saying goodbye to Gary, we headed to town the back, Lakeside way. The Thompsons live just a ways down the road from the Wallace's. I saw a fire on what I thought was Marshall Mountain, where the last fire was located. We saw signs about a fire, a fire crew, and even a helicopter. I learned later that the fire started on Saturday from a lightning strike. They now have it "under control" and are watching it burn unwanted underbrush. We turned on to Penrod Rd. and headed towards Lakeside. Before we got to the highway, we stopped at Demer's Glass. A while back James accidentally broke the glass in our fireplace door. Today he is asking Demer's if they can replace it. While he's in the store I decide to walk down the road where he can pick me up when he is finished. It's a beautiful day for a walk and Lakeside is a beautiful place to walk. The traffic is heavier on this road than I would have thought. I walk for about ten minutes or 1,000 steps before James picks me up. He is surprised that the glass for the door is going to be $350. The glass will be able to withstand a temperature of 1400 degrees.

Next stop, Alibertos for lunch. I got two shredded tacos and they were delicious! James drops me off at Walmart while he goes to Home Depot. I spend $127 and wait outside for about 10 minutes waiting for James to pick me up. I get another 1,000 steps. While I was waiting I also saw my friend from the ward, Mary Gilbert more commonly known as Mikki. I have a ministering interview with her as we visit. My wait was not wasted. 

Back at home while I am resting in the bedroom James has a visit with Willie Grombach who came over to look at some welding James wants him to do. They sit on the chairs on the front porch and talk for awhile. Willie was just ordained an elder a couple of weeks ago in Elders Quorum meeting and is looking forward to going to the temple. 

Today James and I listened to "Philippa Holds Court" and I listened to Dr. Goodman on "Follow Him." I also listened to a chapter from "Saints." Dr. Goodman says we need to experience God regularly and ask Him how He feels about us. Solomon's temple dedicatory prayer is divided into seven parts. At the beginning of each part he says, "Hearken and Hear."

Sheri and the boys are in London today waiting for their flight to Rome.

I cropped this.

What happened?

This one was cropped too!

 

Sunday, June 19th, 2022: Happy Father's Day! Dr. Knippers & missionaries, Sunday School, Father's Day meal and pie, Facetime w/ J, K, Ch, ...

 

Manaus, Brazil

138th operating temple

Dedicated: 10 June 2012

By: Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Jesus Christ, Second Coming

Matthew 16:27

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according ot his works.

Book of Mormon

Alma 18:24-19:11

19:35 - And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God.

"Come Follow Me"

Review 1 Samuel 8-10; 13; 15-18 "The Battle Is the Lord's"

I also read 1 Samuel 25 the story of Abigail.

AprGenCon

"Love, Share, Invite"

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Interestingly, it wasn't only the Apostles who took Jesus's words to share the gospel to heart. Members of the early Church, from the newest to the most seasoned, took part in the Savior's great commission, sharing the good news of the gospel with those they met and knew. The determination to share their testimony of Jesus Christ helped His newly established Church grow expansively.

We too, as Christ's disciples, are invited to heed His commission today, as if we were there on that mountain in Galilee when He first proclaimed it. This commission began again in 1830, when Joseph Smith set apart his brother Samuel as an early missionary of the church of Jesus Christ. Since that time, more than 1.5 million missionaries have traveled throughout the world teaching all nations and baptizing those who embrace the glad tidings of the restored gospel. This is our doctrine. Our fond desire.

James's Father's Day card turned out to be a Happy Birthday card. James says he is "losing it". I guess I am too. I tackily crossed out Birthday so the card now says Happy Father's Day. I wrote a sweet note which will hopefully make up for such a silly mistake.

At sacrament meeting today I noticed again that Pierce was not here. Maybe he is spending Father's Day with another one of his kids.

The high councilman who was supposed to speak to us today could not be here. Dr. Knippers, who is the doctor who did my cataract surgery, spoke to us. Before he spoke the elders, Elder McPhee and Elder Goodwin bore their testimonies. Here are some notes that I took:

Elder McPhee - The gospel can really bring peace and comfort. A change of heart is not an event; it takes faith, repentance, and spiritual work to happen. The Holy Ghost is so important. I love the gospel so very much!

Elder Goodwin - Vernon is my favorite place to serve. I am grateful for my Father in Heaven. Because of the gospel of Jesus Christ I have experienced a might change of heart. We make our life harder when we don't accept God's will.

Brother Knippers from the stake high council - Moroni 5:16 ...the Spirit of Christ is given to every man...25 years ago I served a mission in Kyiv, Ukraine. Elder Holland came to speak to the missionaries. I don't remember anything he said except, "I love you and the Savior loves you." Elder Cook in 2013 ask, "What is the source of your peace?"  Alma 17 Alma and the sons of Mosiah unite. They had fasted, prayed, and followed the promptings of the Spirit, even when it didn't make sense, and this caused them to be successful missionaries. Repentance, change and turning to the Lord can bring us peace and joy in our lives. In Mark 2 a man in Capernum was lowered through a roof to see Jesus. The Savior said to him, "Thy sins are forgiven thee." What do we want the Savior to say to us?

Brother Knippers quoted the words to the song, "There Is Peace in Christ." We become peacemakers by following our Savior Jesus Christ. A Peacemaker is one who follows the gospel and proclaims the gospel. 

"Peacemakers are not passive, they are persuasive in the Savior's way." - Elder Neil L. Andersen, April 2022

2 Nephi 25:26 - And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Alma 17:11 Go forth among the Lamanites and be patient in your afflictions.

Brother Knippers told about re-learning to ski, this time without the use of his legs. He continued to fall until the instructor told him to focus on where he wanted to be...at the bottom of the hill. 

We need to focus on where we want to be. We need to focus on the Temple, the temple will teach and inspire us in our lives.

Sunday School

The main focus of Sunday School today was the story of David and Goliath and how we can overcome the Goliath's in our lives. The following is taken from an Instagram post by Emily Belle Freeman:

To my Goliath.

To the battles that rage in my own life.

There are five lessons in this story that I want to remember.

1. When the lion or the bear shows up don't play dead. Don't run. Go after it. Fight. The Lord your God is with you.

2. In the moment that requires greatest courage, lean into your strength.

3. Often, what makes us battle ready is the memory of what we have previously overcome.

4. "I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel . . . the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."

5. Don't play small. God created the champion in you. Go, and the Lord be with thee.

Although we did not talk about her in Sunday School, I can't help but include Abigail in this set of scriptures. Her story is found in 1 Samuel 25.

The lessons of Abigail

A Type and Shadow of Christ

"On me be the sin." She took Nabal's sin on her own head, and in that act she resembled the Savior. 

"Forgive the trespass of thine handmaid."

The Lord doesn't need forgiveness at all. The act of taking others' sins upon himself did not make him sinful. Willingness to assume another's sins is actually an expression of sinlessness.

Abigail asked for forgiveness not because she needed to be forgiven but because David needed to forgive."

Abigails message was that forgiveness was for the one who was forgiving, not the one who was being forgiven.

Many people in our ward did not have

electricity this morning while getting

ready for church. I was back on by the

time they got home.

I made lunch for James and I. Shaved steak, cheese, and caramelized onions on a thin bun with mustard and tomato, baked potatoes, and asparagus. After lunch we took a nap and then I got up and made James his favorite dessert, an Eagle Brand pie. 

This evening we Facetimed with Jared. Palmer, Autumn, and Scarlett are staying at their home right now. Jared was wondering if his dad could come out and remodel their bathroom. We would love to do that, around Charlie's birthday. I hope it can happen but I am not sure. Of course Jared wished his dad a happy father's day. I think Jared had a good day too. They had ribs, homemade beans and potato salad. 

Sheri and the boys have started on their adventure to Italy. She posted that their flight from London to Rome was postponed. She was upset but Alex is there to calm her down. I am looking forward to the pictures she will be posting. 

The Church's one hundred and seventy third temple was dedicated today by Elder Neil L. Andersen.