Thursday, March 2, 2023

Wednesday, Mar 1, 2023: Thomas & Catherine Parker, James Payson way big snowstorm & blowout, Home w/green chili mixed burro

 

Toronto, Ontario
44th operating temple
Dedicated: 25 Aug 1990
By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Testimony of
Psalms 19:7
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Book of Mormon
2 Nephi 23:1-22
Come Follow Me
Mark 2:15-17; Luke 7:36-50 Jesus Christ came not to condemn sinners but to heal them.
Jesus's Name
Healer
Phrase
"Thy Faith hath save thee."
Words
Faith, Miracle, Love
Favorite Scripture
Matthew 8:13


OctGenCon
Helping The Poor And Distressed
President Dallin H. Oaks
First Counselor in the First Presidency
All of the humanitarian efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seek to follow the example of a righteous people described in the Book of Mormon: 
"And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, ... and they ... were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church."

100 Favorite Verses - "His Ways Our Higher Than Ours"
Isaiah 55:8-9
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are you ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than you ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

James left for the valley around 5:15 this morning after we had family prayer together. He went the Payson way and traveled in a snowstorm until he got to Payson.  As he left Payson and before he got to the valley, he had a blowout. He rode with the donut on the rest of the day and all the way home. He came home through Globe and stopped at the Peeler's to do a little job for them. He also brought me a mixed green burro from Burger House. Yummy!

I had a good day starting at 4:30 a.m. I stayed on my schedule all day and accomplished most all of my goals. It felt good to finally be here.

James came home in a snow storm. We walked and listened to our book and then we both did some indexing. This morning I did a little family history. My new search is for Thomas Isaiah Parker and his wife Catherine. This is from Nannie's line. I do know they had a daughter named Artaleesa and I have most of her information.

Darrel and Trina are coming up next weekend. I told them I would watch Lola if they wanted to go snowboarding. Trina seemed excited.

I ordered some puzzles today and sent one to Sheri that shows all of the planets in our solar system. She seemed excited to get it. I used the rewards money I got from my credit card.

I was finished eating for the day by 6 p.m. This means I can't eat again until 7 a.m. if I am going to fast for 13 hours. 

I listened to a talk by Elder Uchtdorf this morning as part of my "Come Follow Me" lesson.  The name of the talk is "The Gift of Grace." There is a quote in this talk that I love.
"Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience.
It was purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ."
Another thing I learned this morning was something regarding the story of the woman with the alabastar box washing Jesus's feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. I always thought it was strange that this woman off the street would just come into Simon's house without being invited. Jesus was at a feast and this is what the New Testament Student Manual said:
"The woman was allowed to enter Simon's because of social customs that allowed people in need to visit banquets and receive leftover food."

This evening I read two chapters from Michael Vaal's book, "Find A Way Home. The two chapters I read were chapter 6 Roadside Strafing and chapter 7 Starvation.

The Vaal boys mother was incredible and had such courage and faith. It is really quite an amazing story and I am so impressed with Maria Vaal.







I want to make cookies that look like this!
I want to make a cake that looks like this.


This is so precious to me!

Luke & Asha, Ryan's kids, 
Asha gets her mission call.

Ryker Matthews,
Tanna's baby

Tanna & Travis's accident
How did this happen?





Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Tuesday, February 28, 2023: Pack of coyotes, herd of elk, James bloodwork & horse feed, Woman w/ Alabaster jar Mary Magdalene?, Cancel & reschedule eye appt

 

Las Vegas, Nevada
43rd operating temple
Dedicated: 16 Dec 1989
By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Testimony of
Job 19:25
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
Book of Mormon
2 Nephi 21:1-22:6
Come Follow Me
Matthew 8; Mark 2-3; Luke 7 The Savior can heal infirmities and sicknesses.
Jesus's Name
Healer
Phrase
"Thy faith hath saved thee."
Words
Faith, Miracle, Love
Favorite Scripture
Matthew 8:13


OctGenCon
Be True To God And His Work
Elder Quentin L. Cook
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Bridle is an interesting word. When we ride a horse, we use the bridle to guide it. A good synonym might be to direct, control, or restrain. The Old Testament tells us we shouted for joy when we learned we would have physical bodies. The body is not evil-it is beautiful and essential-but some passions, if not used properly  and appropriately bridled, can separate us from God and His work and adversely impact our testimony.

Focus On The Temple
President Russell M, Nelson
President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
We are also planning to build multiple temples in selected large metropolitan areas where travel time to an existing temple is a major challenge. Therefore, I am pleased to announce four additional locations near Mexico City where new temples will be built in Cuernavaca, Pachuca, Toluca, and Tula.

100 Favorite Verses - All Things Were Created For Our Benefit
D&C 59:18-20
18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;
19 Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul
20 And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto the end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.

A pack, four, of coyotes crossed our field this morning. James also sees a herd of elk so he goes upstairs for a better view.

After his wildlife experience James announced that he was going to town to get horse feed and to have his bloodwork done. I was in the shower and asked him to give me five minutes so we could have family prayer. After prayer we said goodbye and James left.
We were supposed to go to the temple this morning but I cancelled and rescheduled for Friday.  

James has a meeting in the valley tomorrow and is trying to figure out how he is going to get there. I have an appointment to have my eye checked after my Yag procedure tomorrow afternoon. I started feeling like I should do something so I called Barnett-Delaney-Perkins and rescheduled for March 13th. Now James can use the car. He was relieved. 
I spent quite a bit of time studying the Book of Mormon today. We are in the Isaiah chapters and I am using Brother Kerry Muhlstein's "Learning to Love Isaiah" commentary along with Brother David Ridges "Isaiah Made Easier." In our "Come Follow Me" discussion the other night at the Goodman's I said I thought that the woman with the alabastar box who had washed the Savior's feet was Mary Magdalene but I wasn't sure and that I would do some research to find out. 

I Googled and it seems there is a large consensus that believe it was Mary Magdalene. None of them are our Church references. I went to the New Testament Student Manual and looked in the index and found this on page 156:

"Mary Magdalene, the woman to whom the resurrected Savior first appeared (see John 20:10-18), was one of the women who accompanied Jesus. Luke recorded that the Savior had cast seven devils out of her (Luke 8:2). Mary Magdalene should not be confused with the sinful woman mentioned in Luke 7:36-50 or with Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1). Mary Magdalene held an honored place in the kingdom - implied in John 20:10-18 and other passages."

I was wrong and will make sure that I tell the Goodman's. 

We ate dinner around 4:30 each having a baked potato. We like to eat a little early because we fast for 13 hours before eating again. Kacey read a book recording this study:
In 2016, The Journal of the American Medical Association released an observational study that looked at more than 2,000 women between the ages of 27 and 70 who had undergone conventional breast cancer treatment, After analyzing this large group of women for four years, researchers determined that when women fasted 13 hours or more a day, they had a 64 percent less chance of recurrence of breast cancer. This is largely because fasting created a significant decrease in hemoglobin A1c, an indicator of blood glucose levels, and C-reactive protein, an indicator of inflammation, Very few drugs can offer that kind of result. This is how miraculous the body can be when fasting.

Dr. Patel has still not called James so he called him. He is out of the office this week but his secretary said she would contact him and let him know that James wanted to talk to him.

Laura is home!



Puzzle
Happy Birthday

So cute!

My scriptures and my study helps.
I use all of these books in my scripture study.










Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Monday, February 27, 2023: My Dad's bday, Joe Jenkins merge & card for Sallie, J bids more jobs, Credit card & Rocket mortgage, CFM 2 Goodman's

 

Portland, Oregon
42nd operating temple
Dedicated: 19 Aug 1989
By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Testimony of
Deuteronomy 6:20
And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?
Book of Mormon
2 Nephi 20:12-34
Come Follow Me
Matthew 8; Mark 2-4; Luke 7 "Thy Faith Hath Save Thee"
Jesus's Name
Healer
Phrase
Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Words
Faith, Miracle
Favorite Scripture
Matthew 8:13 - And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

OctGenCon
Nourishing And Bearing Your Testimony
Elder Gary E. Stevenson
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
As Paul wrote to Timothy:
"God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love....
"Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord."
Feelings of fear don't come from the Lord but most often from the adversary. Having faith will allow you to overcome these feelings and freely share what is in your heart.

We Can Do Hard Things Through Him
Elder Isaac K. Morrison
Of the Seventy
We find many scriptural stories of great and noble leaders, such as Jeremiah, Job, Joseph Smith, and Nephi, who were not spared from the struggles and challenges of mortality. They were mortals who learned to obey the Lord even in harsh conditions.

100 Favorite Verses - "Obedience to God's Laws"
D&C 130:20-21
20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated -
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

Today would have been my dad's 93rd birthday. Happy Birthday Dad!

When I got on FamilySearch today there was a merge for Joe Jenkins with his birth year and place and his marriage date and place. When I did the merge and checked temple ordinances, they were all done except sealing to parents. I put in the information for his wife Sallie and removed (Jenkins) and her card was ready for temple ordinances. I only have her first name but it is doable. My prayers were answered!

James did office work most of the day. He bid a job for Jerod Bowen's company and did a bid for two concrete pads at the Casa Grande airport. We did do some walking and listened to "The Shadow Falls" a couple of times today. James had a couple of mishaps with the computer which I solve for him. I think he likes having me around. 

I made a fresh veggie soup today. It required 3 cups of onions, 3 cups of celery, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. The base was beef stock and 64 ounces of tomato juice with a can or two of fire roasted tomatoes. It was very tasty and James loved it and it is good for him and his cancer. 

I paid my personal credit card and Rocket mortgage which is our house payment.  Our house payment has gone up $400 a month from last year. James says it's because of property taxes. Maybe we would be better off living in a rented apartment.

Yesterday before my setting apart James asked Pierce if we were having "Come Follow Me" at his house tomorrow night. Pierce said, yes, we would. I told him he better check with Susan first and he said he would. This morning James got a call from Pierce saying that "Come Follow Me" would start at 6:30 at his and Susan's home tonight. James just assumed that Pierce would call everyone else and I guess Pierce figured James was going to call everyone because we were the only ones who showed up tonight. 

We called everyone before starting but everyone had a reason for not coming at the last minute. Barbara was in her pajamas. Donna said it would take them too long to get ready and Kathy was just taking dinner out of the oven. So, it was just the four of us, Pierce, Susan, James and I.  We had brownies and muffins for refreshments. 

We stayed at the Goodman's until after 8:30. We listened to a talk by Elder Bednar that was over 20 minutes long. We visited quite a bit. Susan and Pierce shared a concern of theirs with us and asked us to keep it confidential. James told them about his cancer and the confusion caused by the operating doctor and the oncologist. At the end, Susan's handicapped sister came into the hall and I motioned her to come over. She sat by me and gave me hugs and told me I gave a good lesson in Relief Society and that she liked me. She asked who James was so I introduced him. She said goodbye to both of us when we left. She has a sweet countenance and personality and I am glad I got to visit with her and get to know her.

We came home with about 7-8,000 steps and walked until we had over 12,000. 

I got a $75 Amazon gift card with the rewards on my credit card.

Sheri's puzzle









Sheri's observation








Sunday, February 26, 2023: More snow, James sick, Sacrament mtg, RS, Tanna's accident, FaceTime w/J,K,Charlie, 2 blogposts, bedtime can't come soon enough!

 

Frankfurt, Germany
41st operating temple
Dedicated: 28 Aug 1987
By: Ezra Taft Benson

Jesus Christ, Temptation of
D&C 20:22
He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them.
Book of Mormon
2 Nephi 19:1-20:11
Come Follow Me
Review & "Don't Miss This"
Jesus's Name
Deliverer
Phrase
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.
Words
Prayer, Treasure, Master, Fruits, Ask, Golden Rule
Favorite Scriptures
Matthew 6:19-21, 33; 7:7

OctGenCon
That They Might Know Thee
Elder Jonathan S. Schmitt
Of the Seventy
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. As such, Jesus knows His sheep, "calleth his own sheep by name," and, as the Lamb of God, gave HIs life for His sheep. Similarly, Jesus wants us to be good shepherds, particularly in our families and as ministering brothers and sisters. One way we demonstrate our love for Jesus is by feeding His sheep. For those sheep who may be wandering, good shepherds go into the wilderness to find the lost sheep and then stay with them until they return to safety. As good shepherds and as local conditions permit, we should seek to spend more time ministering to people in their homes. In our ministering, texting and technology should be used to enhance, not replace, personal contact.

The Virtue Of The Word
Elder Mark D. Eddy
Of the Seventy
President Russell M. Nelson:
"I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions - every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for you own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day."

100 Favorite Verses - "Faith Unto Repentance"
Alma 34:15-16
15 And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.
16 And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.

His mediation is a manifestation of His mercy, and His supreme mercy was manifested through His great atoning sacrifice, a gift of infinite love extended to every child of God. We must have faith that through HIs Atonement we can be made spiritually clean and whole. This is the quality of faith that motivates us to true and sincere repentance.

James says he only got 45 minutes of sleep last night. He had severe stomach cramps, and dry heaves all night. He was sweating with a rapid heart rate, white skin, and diarrhea. Poor guy. It was probably that alfalfa powder he ate. It bloats cows and evidently people too.
No more. He got ready for church but wasn't sure he was going until the very last minute. He is a trooper.

We left around 8 a.m. so I would have time to set up the room before my lesson. It started snowing just before we left so I went back in the bedroom and got my blue Disneyland umbrella. The snow is coming down fast and furious and soon we will have another winter wonderland. The last snow was mostly melted as the last couple of days have been in the 50's. 

When we got to church James helped me carry everything in but we couldn't go into the Relief Society room because they were having ward council. We went into the cultural hall and sat down and I read the quotes from my lesson and James answered the questions. We were done in 20 minutes and he was concerned. I told him not to be, that with the sisters there would be more comments and also I had a quite lengthy closing statement. It will all work out. 

Finally, around 8:30 we were able to set up the room. James drew the grace circle and filled it in, I put up pioneer pictures, the crucifixion, and the resurrection, a picture of Jesus with footsteps of faith leading to it, and a cross with the words: "Come after me, deny self, take up your cross, and follow me." I put up my new name for the lesson based on the two conference talks by President Ballard and Elder Holland: "Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus Christ with Footsteps of Faith" 


Not a very good representation
It looked much better than this,
but you get the general idea.

After I was all setup it was 9 a.m. and time for sacrament meeting. I went in ahead of James and sat in the second row on the left side of the chapel as you face the podium. We normally sit in the middle but now I am thinking we need to sit on the right side of the chapel because even though we were in the front James could not hear. The speakers were: Resten Tesarek who gave the youth talk on four ways that Jesus Christ strengthens us, and Bob and Kristine Hipps who are both soft spoken.

Sister Kristine Hipps - Spoke about President Nelson's talk in the Sunday morning session of conference: "Overcome the World and Find Rest." Here are some notes I took: 
 Overcome the world through your covenants with God. Come unto me all ye....Matt 11:28-29. The Doctrine of Christ increases momentum. 2 Nephi 5:27 - And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness. Mosiah 2:41 - 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; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness, O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
In 2016 President Nelson talked about how the focus of our lives determine how much joy we experience. He has ask us to live in a higher and holier way and pick up our spiritual momentum. Satan is bound by our righteousness. I call upon you to become this righteous people. 

Brother Bob Hipps - A sermon is a talk on a religious subject. Poem - I will rather live a sermon than hear one anyday. My wife Kistine lives sermons everyday. Three rules to live by: 1)Be prepared for life, 2) Develop Integrity, 3) Play by the Rules.  Softball coach 47 years ago. Champion game between Mesa 9th ward our biggest contenders. The score was 9-6 but 9th ward had last bats. There were two outs and the bases were loaded. The guy at bat hit a homerun which made the score 10-9 9th wards favor. The 9th ward fans go wild and they begin to celebrate. The pitcher and the 3rd baseman knew the third runner missed third base. They do an appeal, the correct way because they had been taught, and hope that the umpire saw that the runner missed third. The umpire's name was Dale Miller and he was a member of 9th ward and a professional umpire. The team stayed on the field, as you have to do during an appeal, and waited. The umpire called the runner out which cancelled out the last two runs and Brother Hipps's ward, 24th ward, won the game 9-8. Brother Hipps makes the point that the umpire showed integrity that day by doing the right thing. Brother Hipps says the reason they won the game was because of a 13 year old Scout named Vi Sikahema.

My Relief Society lesson can be found on my computer as February 2023 Relief Society lesson. Oh yes, I wanted to make a list of those who made comments during the lesson. Here is the list according to what I can remember:

Millie Scott, Tamara Applegate, Rosie Laurtizen, Jeanie Jameson, Pam Wood, Kerri Halcomb, Catherine Halcomb, Lynda Price, and Theresa Hein.

 I want to share on here my closing statement which is quite long. I got it off Instagram from comefollowmedaily:
No one may ever know how frustrated you got with your kids today...but then you chose to say a prayer and invite peace.
No one may ever know that you taught your child about how much you love Jesus while they were playing a game.
That you spent extra time preparing the lesson for family night, praying for what each family member really needed to hear.
That you brough dinner to someone when your life was already chaotic.
That you paid extra fast offerings because you know your area needs it.
That you pulled out your scriptures to read just a couple verses instead of going to sleep like you so easily could have.
That it was really difficult to say "yes" to that calling and to actually show up to fulfill it.
That it was a huge personal sacrifice for you to follow a prompting.
That you chose to not complain when you so easily could have.
There is so much.
So much goodness that we in the quiet corners of rooms and homes around the world.
That no one will ever recognize with an award, or even be aware of its existence. 
But that's okay.
We don't do it for the awards.
We aren't following Jesus for the accolades and pats on the back.
We're just trying to follow Jesus and keep our covenants because we love God.
But even if we don't need the appreciation...
There is someone who is actually completely and totally aware of each little sacrifice that we make to bring more goodness and righteousness into the world.
He sees it all.
Those little moments of courage. Those small efforts. Those quiet displays of solid faith. 
And He is actually ready to more than compensate each of us for any sense of sacrifice or effort on our parts.
"Thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly." (Matt 6:4)

As the glorious Resurrection followed the agonizing Crucifixion, so blessings of every kind are poured out on those who are willing to "believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross."

Sometimes these blessings come soon and sometimes they come later, but the marvelous conclusion from the Savior himself is that they do come.

To obtain such blessings, may we follow Him with Footsteps of Faith.
 
Let's be like Paul who said: "I have fought a good fight, I had finished my course, I have kept the faith."

In the name of  Jesus Christ, amen.

Whew, that was long, but I loved it. I am happy that the lesson went well and that it is over and I can go home, have some lunch, and take a nap. Before going home we went down to the foyer and waited for a member of the bishopric to set me apart. Pierce was talking to Crystal Flake across from us and when he finished I asked him if they were doing setting aparts. He said yes and took James and I down the hallway to a classroom. Pierce set me apart with James assisting. I was set apart as an instructor in the Vernon ward Relief Society. It was a sweet setting apart. I can't remember the exact words but I remember the feeling I had while Pierce was speaking.

We got stuck a couple of times trying to turn onto our road and go up the hill but James managed to get us out and home safely.

After lunch and a nap James and I were reading from the Book of Mormon when I decided I wanted to text Tanna Conrad to see if she could talk. She said she could. I asked if she was still in the hospital and if she had had an emergency c-section. She said she was not in the hospital because they were out of beds but her baby was still in the hospital because he had to be on oxygen. Tanna is staying at her sisters. Tanna has a concussion, two broken lumbar in her back, a black eye that's swollen shut and road burn. The baby is healthy but was born a month premature hence the oxygen. 

Travis, Tanna's boyfriend broke his neck and just had surgery in the valley. They are waiting for him to wake up. I put his name and Tanna's on the prayer roll at the temple and asked if there was anything I could do for her. There isn't right now but there might be later. 

I passed the information regarding Tanna to the Relief Society President, Cheryl Sedig. James told Chuck and Chuck told Bishop Hunsaker.

This evening we FaceTimed with Jared, Kacey, and Charlie. Charlie wanted to see the snow so James took my phone outside and showed her. She says she loves the snow. Charlie has a couple of dinosaurs, one is a T-Rex called Teree (I think), and a Brontosaurus called Bronty. She made a little house for them to live in. Jared says Emmy wants to go to the University of Oregon next year and she wants to become a lawyer. Molly is playing soccer but she says it's her last year because she really doesn't like it that well. She loves basketball. 
Autumn will soon be getting her Masters from ASU. We are all very proud of her. Summer is going skiing in Colorado with friends and has signed up for a three hour lesson since she has never skied before. Lovie is growing and weighs about 8 lbs now. She was 4 lbs when they got her. Charlie said the sweetest prayer at the end of the call. We really enjoyed our time with them! Oh yes, only five more months and Jared will have Tricia paid off!

Went to bed between 9-9:30. I was especially tired because I didn't take a nap this afternoon.   

Happy 26th "Magical" Birthday to Joe
His cat and his cake!


Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cake with Biscoff Pecan Crust 
and Biscoff Buttercream Frosting!

A girl and her doggie

Ramah Lake
James's memory:






Monument Valley, Navajo Nation