Sunday, February 4, 2024:"Fasting can heal our families" (RWC), J bares his testimony, Kim's comments in Gospel Doctrine class, Stew & Pumpkin Delight,

 

Seattle, Washington

19th operating temple

Dedicated: 17-21 Nov 1980

By: Spencer W. Kimball

Book of Mormon

2 Nephi 1:1-12

15 - But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.

Come Follow Me

"Free to Choose Liberty and Eternal Life, through the Great Mediator" 2 Nephi 1-2

October General Conference

"The Sealing Power" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Book

"Rescuing Wayward Children"

Today is fast Sunday. Fasting is difficult for me but I am determined I am going to fast according to the Lord's will. 

I love the book, "Rescuing Wayward Children" by Larry Barkdull.

I read p. 130 today on fasting:

"Fasting  can heal our families." Our willingness to sanctify ourselves through fasting and prayer in behalf of our children and our continuing to love and reach out to them serve to repair relationships. Through fasting and prayer we sanctify ourselves to become, according to Isaiah, "the repairer of the breach." (Isa. 58:12). That is, fasting and prayer empower us to repair anything that has torn the relationship apart. Through fasting and other sacrifices, we are ultimately able to make the sacrifice of all things for our Heavenly Father.

Reading this gave me the momentum I needed to fast this morning. James and I always fast for our grandchildren. Today we are specifically fasting for Rowan, Joshua, and Evan. We are fasting and praying that they will have the DESIRE to serve missions. We know this will take a change of heart on their part from seeking worldly things to desiring to do the Lord's will. I am fasting and I think James is too, that these boys will read the Book of Mormon and realize how much they need the Savior in their lives. I did a true fast for two meals today, but not 24 hours. I am getting there!

James bore his testimony today in sacrament meeting. He started out by saying, "I am here today to stand as a witness of Jesus Christ."

He went on to say how grateful he is for priesthood blessings and told about the blessings he received when he had cancer. It was a sweet testimony and I was grateful Kim and Brian were here to hear it. 

Kim and Brian came to Sunday School with us. Brother Applegate gave a great lesson on 1 Nephi and the differences between Nephi and Laman and Lemuel. Kim made a couple of comments about testimony and conversion and the scattering and gathering of Israel, and how Nephi worried about his brothers,  that were so great. I am so grateful for her testimony.

I introduced Kim to Catherine Halcomb and she gave Catherine a hug. It was sweet. The Scott's are still sick. I am worried about them.

When we got home from church I could smell Brian's stew. It smelled so delicious! James and I went into the bedroom to take naps so we wouldn't be tempted to eat. While we were sleeping Kim made a pumpkin delight dessert for James for his birthday. It is one of his favorite desserts. I broke my fast with a prayer at 4 p.m. Brian's stew was delicious and so was Kim's pumpkin delight with Coolwhip.

I began listening to Follow Him this evening. Lili DeHoyos Anderson is the guest and she is pretty amazing. 

I also listened to Elder Christofferson's talk, "The Sealing Power." I am leading the discussion in Relief Society on February 25th with this talk as the center of the discussion.

I wished my brother Harold a Happy Birthday! He is a year and a half younger than I am.

It was a wonderful Sabbath day!

Sweet Charlie

King Thomas on his throne

Saturday, February 3, 2024: electric blanket is the bomb, elk, Tom time, choose to find joy each day, Kim & Brian here, 2 Hallmark movies, Thomas visits & watches TV he likes Brian

Tokyo, Japan

18th operating temple

Dedicated: 27-29 Oct 1980

By: Spencer W. Kimball

Book of Mormon 

1 Nephi 22

2 - And I, Nephi, said unto them: Behold they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the Spirit; for by the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh.

Come Follow Me

"Remember Thy Suffering Saints, O Our God" Anthony D. Perkins

October General Conference

"For the Sake of Your Posterity" - Elder Godoy

Liahona

"The Lasting Joy of Gospel Living" D. Todd Christofferson

RS - "The Sealing Power" by D. Todd Christofferson

Book - Teaching with Power by the Callisters - p.54 Doctrine Invites the Holy Ghost and Doctrine Counters Falsehoods

I got up at 4:08 this morning.  I used my electric blanket last night and I actually think it helped with my joint pain. I got up this morning feeling better. 

We had, according to James, about 100 elk migrate across our property this morning. James just caught the "tail end" of them.

We now look forward to our Tom Time in the morning. He comes in and we scratch his back and his belly and it makes him happy. He brings us happiness too. He usually goes back outside with James when he goes out to feed Luna. 

I have made it a point to find joy in each day. It really is the little things that make a difference. 

Kim & Brian arrived this afternoon before one. We are always so happy to see them. Kim brought her new puzzle that Brian gave her for her birthday. She finished it before she left on Monday. Here is a picture:

I made my garden vegetable soup for dinner. Kim and Brian brought Sonic for their dinner. I told them they were welcome to have some but I don't think they did. 

Kim did some walking around the house and so did James and I. 

This evening we watched two Hallmark movies. When I say we, I mean all four of us. James and I had already seen "Gilded Newport Mysteries" last night but Kim and Brian hadn't seen it so we watched it again. Brian missed most of it because he was in the kitchen cutting up meat for a stew he is fixing tomorrow. Kim is so funny to watch a mystery with. She asks so many questions. She knew I had seen the program before and she wanted me to tell her what I knew but I told her I didn't want to ruin it for her. She made some pretty good guesses and wasn't too surprised at the end.

For the month of February which they are calling Loveuary, Hallmark has several Jane Austen themed movies. Tonight's movie is called, "Paging Mr. Darcy." Will Kemp was Mr. Darcy and Mallory Jansen was the female lead. I love both of them. I liked this movie better than "Gilded Newport Mysteries." Thomas was in the house while we were watching TV and was quite fascinated with it.

Trina texted me this evening to see how we were doing. I told her we were fine and thanked her for checking on us.

Brian cleaned the kitchen after cutting up his stew meat, including doing all of our dishes. Thank you Brian.

Although we have no snow left in Vernon right now Kim says there was lots of snow on the Rim and they stopped and took some pictures.

I think Kim's pictures are Arizona Highway worthy. They are so beautiful.

James is still working on our income taxes. He has to go through all of the credit card statements and the bank statements for both accounts. It is tedious and time consuming.

James and I walked and listened to "Protecting Her Heart." I also listened to "The Girl in the Coppergate Tower."

Tom loves Brian

Friday, February 2, 2024: It snowed off and on all day, Pride & Prejudic on BBC, Kim & Brian coming tomorrow, "Gilded Newport Mysteries, Polie Lambson passes away,

 

Sao Paulo, Brazil

17th operating temple

Dedicated: 30 Oct-2 Nov 1978

By: Spencer W. Kimball

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 22

2 - And I, Nephi, said unto them: Behold they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the Spirit; for by the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh.

Come Follow Me

1 Nephi 19:22-24; 20-22 I can "liken all scriptures" to myself.

October General Conference

Sir, We Would Like to See Jesus"

Your Endowment

A "new name", even Jesus Christ.

I felt so lousy this morning that I took a chance and swallowed a couple of Naprosyn. Hopefully it won't make my face swell. 

It snowed off and on all day, 

I watched "Pride & Prejudice" on BBC as a series. I am really enjoying it. 

Kim texted and said they wouldn't be coming up until tomorrow. Brian has a signing this evening and they don't want to come up after dark.

I made egg salad for sandwiches for lunch at James's request. They were very tasty. 

James and I watched a new murder mystery tonight on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. It was called" Gilded Newport Mysteries - Murder at the Breakers." We liked it as murder mysteries go. They are not my favorite.

James texted his cousin Lee today to see how he and his wife Polie were doing. Lee texted back "I lost Polie last July."  James expressed his condolences and Lee went on to say that he is 92 and using a cane because of a lack of balance. Lee lives in Ramah and now James wants to go visit him. Lee worked for James many years.

I read this quote from one of the books I am reading, "Unlocking the Powers of Faith": "Worrying is a form of atheism." I heard Joy D. Jones say this when she was on "Follow Him." James is having a hard time wrapping his head around this statement.

James and I started a new book this evening by N.C. Allen called, "The Lady in the Coppergate Tower." James didn't like it so I chose another book by N.C. Allen for us to read and I will read this one.

The new book is called "Protecting Her Heart." The first book was a bit removed from reality with vampires, automatons and resurrectionists. 

I read an article by the General Sunday School Presidency in the Liahona today. In this article they mentioned two things President Nelson wants gospel teachers to do: 1.) Get the scriptures deeper into the hearts and souls of the Saints. 2.) Improve gospel teaching. The teacher should think what they can do to inspire the learners in their class to more diligently study personally. Teacher and learner must both have the Spirit. 

Charlie's playground

Moon over Montoso

This guy sleeps a lot in the daytime
 

Thursday, February 1, 2024: Temple initiatories this afternoon w/ James, Annell Smith Bryant, Taco Bell, FaceTime w/ Charlie & Jared & Tom joins in

 

Washington D.C.

16th operating temple

Dedicated 19-22 Nov 1974

By: Spencer W. Kimball

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 20

18 - O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments - then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.

Come Follow Me

1 Nephi 17:1-6, 17-22 My trials can be a blessing

October General Conference

"Abide the Day in Christ" by Amy A. Wright

Inklings

"Do You Want to Be Happy" by Elder Choi; Moses 1; Matthew 11:28-30; "I accepted the call anyway"

Relief Society

"The Sealing Power" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Unlocking the Powers of Faith by Garth Allred

p. 29 Virtue & Charity - keys to knowledge and power.

"Focus you thoughts and draw upon heavenly powers."

 I got up at 5, went to get something to eat so I could take my Tramadol, and then went back to sleep until 7. Morning stiffness and pain is the worst!

It was kind of a slow day except that James and I went to the temple this afternoon and we each did 5 family names in initiatory.

One of the sisters working in initiatory was a friend from high school. She was actually a little younger than me and in my ward when I lived in Show Low. She lived in Linden and she still does. Her name is now Annell Smith Bryant, she married Jimmy Dean Bryant (He goes by Dean now). They were both in my ward a couple of years younger that I was. 

Annell recognized me and gave me a hug. She was so spiritual in high school and I get the feeling she still is. Her dad, Ted Smith, was on the high counsel and was always so upbeat, happy, and inspirational in his testimony. The Smith's had 10 children and lived in a tiny little farm house. They farmed their acreage and managed to get buy. When I think of all the good families in Show Low, this is one of the best.  We saw Dean Bryant as we left. 

I put all of my children's names and their spouses names on the prayer roll at the Snowflake temple. 

We stopped at the Taco Bell in Taylor for dinner. There was a slight drizzle and we could see rainstorms all around us. At Taco Bell I had a soft super taco and a strawberry freeze. James had a burrito supreme and a crispy taco and a strawberry lemonade.

We went into Walmart when we got to Show Low to get a refund for the four items we left behind when we were shopping on Sunday.  They took the total off my card at the customer service desk. When I was finished getting the refund, James and I went shopping. The total for the four items we had as $11.67. We spent over $50 so obviously we bought a few extra items, including two packages of rechargeable batteries. 

On the way home, or just as we got home and were still in the car, Jared and Charlie called. At first I couldn't see their faces but the closer we got to the house the better the reception was. Tom jumped into the car while I was on the phone and Charlie thought he was so funny!

James and I finished our book, "Lies Jane Austen Told Me."

Tom comes in the house for his morning rub.

Wednesday, January 31, 2024: Up @ 4:06, Atmospheric River, Pineapple Express, Stefani H. visits, Kilee's baby due in a week, Sean has Parkinson's, Valentine treat, bed by 8:25

 

Provo, Utah

15th operating temple

Dedicated: 9 Feb 1972

By: Joseph Fielding Smith

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 19

Come Follow Me

1 Nephi 16:10-16, 23-31; 18:11-22 God guides me through small and simple means.

October General Conference

"In The Path of Their Duty" by Elder David A. Bednar

Rescuing Wayward Children

Chapter 3 - A New Residence: The Lone and Dreary World

I was up at 4:06 this morning. There is an atmospheric river coming to California. They are calling it the Pineapple Express because it originated in Hawaii. An atmospheric river means an over abundance of rain or other moisture.

James asked if we could have scriptures and it wasn't even 6 a.m. I normally like to do my personal study until at least six and then I am open to family prayer and scripture. So be it, I succumbed.

Barbara is not coming to the temple. She had difficulty trying to make an appointment. I told her she could do half of my 5 names but she was already set on going to town with T-Bo.

Stefani Hunsaker, my ministering sister, texted me this morning asking if she could come for a visit today. I had planned on going to the temple this afternoon but I postponed until tomorrow.

Stefani came around 11:30. Donna Peeler is her companion and of course she wasn't able to come. Stefani says Donna is doing a little better. 

Stefani brough a Valentine box full of snickerdoodle cookies and candy.

Happy Valentine's Day

Stefani needed to come early because her daughter Kilee is due next week to have her first baby and Stefani will be going to stay with her. She is having a girl. Kilee is one of my former Young Women and I am very excited for her. She has waited a long time for this baby.

We were talking about health issues and my problems with my arthritis at Disneyland. I said that everyone has some trial they have to deal with. Stefani agreed and said her husband Sean was just diagnosed with Parkinson's. Sean and Kip, our bishop, run a construction company and they are always out in the field working.

Stefani said she and Sean would be going to Hawaii for the first time in the next month or so and seem pretty excited about it.

I made Wendy's chili for lunch and dinner today. It is my absolute favorite chili. It makes quite a big batch so we will be having it for awhile. I also made a batch of cornbread. Yum!

I took a nap and watched a movie before starting my afternoon activities. I walked and listened to audio books.

James and I were in bed by 8:25.

Grapp kids memories

Benson Grapp's baptism

Memory: Adam and friends

Brian & Kim's wedding photo

Tuesday, January 30, 2024: Emails from Pres. Beeler regarding stake conference, up before 4 for prayer & gospel study, weather sunny w/ no wind high 55, J working on a bid,

Ogden, Utah

14th operating temple

Dedicated: 18-20 Jan 1972

By: Joseph Fielding Smith

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 18

Come Follow Me

1 Nephi 16-18 The Savior will help me face life's challenges

October General Conference

"Think Celestial" by President Russell M. Nelson

"Grace Where You Are" by Emily Belle Freeman

Where It Begins

I had two emails this morning from our stake president, President Beeler. One was announcing our stake conference on March 10th. One of the 12 Apostles will be presiding over the conference. The other email was announcing a devotional for women with one of the 12 Apostles and his wife on Friday, March 8th. This meeting will be a question and answer format. We can submit our questions online and they will be reviewed. We are asked to keep the questions short.

This is such good news! I can hardly wait for James to get up so I can tell him!

I got up before 4 a.m. and had my prayers and gospel study. When James got up we had prayer and scriptures together. We watched four Book of Mormon videos as part of the lesson today.

Today was a beautiful day, lots of sun, no wind and 55 degrees.

James spent most of the day inside working on a bid. 

Stacy called today and said Paul was going to have an interview with a company called WhatNot. They will pay for eye and dental insurance, 90 % of health insurance and the internet. Paul will work at home if he gets the job. Stacy asked me to pray that he would get this job. 

I got the ingredients yesterday to make Wendy's chili and today I made it. I made cornbread to go with it. I love this recipe, it is my favorite chili recipe! James likes it too.

James asked T-Bo if he would like to go to lunch as payment for taking care of our animals while we were gone to California. He said he really likes the Show Low Cafe. Barbara and I are supposed to decide when we are going. 

Barbara, T-Bo's wife, asked when we could go to the temple this week. I told her that I was doing family initiatories and she said she would like to go with me. She couldn't figure out how to make an appointment and didn't end up going. James and I are going together on Thursday.

James and I walked together this evening and listened to our book before bed. We were in bed by 9.