Sat, July 24th, 2021: Payson Utah Temple #146: Temple shift, initiatory director, Sis Shelton w/purple hair?, Aliberto's, puddles everywhere, Beckham's flood - James helps

 

Payson, Utah

146th operating temple

Dedicated: 7 June 2015

By: Henry B. Eyring

Jesus Christ, Prophecies about

John 5:46

For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of me.

Book of Mormon

Alma 38:1-15

Q:  How does one use boldness, but not overbearance?

A: All things should be kept in reasonable balance. To be temperate is to show self-discipline and moderation. To be bold is tohave courage and confidence, in the things of God but not overbearing, which is the opposite of humble and meek. Overbearance has more to do with promoting yourself, being arrogant and boasting in you own wisdom and strength. We must watch ourselves that we don't become self-righteous and think we are better than our brothers and sisters.

D&C

Saints chp. 14, pages 150-157

"Come Follow Me"

FSS & FHE D&C 81:3; 81:5; 82:8-10; 82:18-19

AprGenCon

"Christ Is Risen; Faith In Him Will Move Mountains"

President Russell M. Nelson

President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

May I offer five suggestions to help you develop faith and trust.

First, Study.

Second, Choose to Believe in Jesus Christ.

Third, Act in Faith.

Fourth, Partake of Sacred Ordinances Worthily.

Fifth, Ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, for help.

The Living Christ

#11

We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles - that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. He way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.

Inklings

"We need to recognize that knowing the Savior is the most important pursuit of our lives. It should take priority over anything else."

-Elder Michael John U. Teh

I got up at 4 a.m. this morning. I took a shower, had breakfast, and got ready to go to the temple. I am very sad to hear that both Brother and Sister Elmer have Covid. They are the best co-ordinators, so kind and understanding. 

When we got to Jake Flake's bridge near the temple the road was closed. James looked at the road and decided he could make it through so we went through. The water was still running over the road but was not deep. We made it through with only a little mud on the car. If we had gone around we would have been late. The Toronto's are presiding today and they want the preparation meeting to start at 6:30 instead of 6:45. I don't think everyone got the memo about the new start time because several people were not present. 

I am the initiatory director again and will be for a couple of months.  Brother and Sister Solomon are filling in for the Elmer's. Brother Solomon is a cousin to the Solomon's we know, Bill and Ron.

Sisters Skousen, Reidhead, and Gentry were the first workers. They decided not to do the rotation. Sister Griffie was the first patron but she only had one name so I gave her some shared family names to do. 

The next patron did not show up. Sister Wenhardt did a sheet of shared family names. We also had a Sister Larson who brought her own family names. The next four thirty minute slots were filled by a Sister Bowen from Snowflake. She and her husband are always at the temple and do so many family names from one of the countries in Scandinavia. A Sister Kamka came and said she thought she had an appointment, but she did not. I sent her to the office and they told me to work her in to do two shared family names, which I did. She wanted to do some ordinances so she could go to the celestial room. She said she had just moved to Snowflake from Idaho Falls. I asked her why and she said she couldn't handle the 30 degrees below zero winters anymore.

After I finished in initiatory I was assigned as a greeter downstairs behind the recommend desk. The 30 minutes I was there, James was at the recommend desk. Not one patron came in to greet. A young married couple came out and their adoring crowd was waiting outside with a cheer when they went out. 

James was finished for the day but I was supposed to go upstairs and be the greeter at the top of the stairs. I looked up from halfway up the stairs and saw President Toronto sitting in my chair. I decided it was time for me to go home. I told Sister Shelton, the assistant coordinator and she gave me permission. Sister Shelton is probably in her 80's and she told me when she is finished working in the temple she is going to die her hair purple with teal streaks. I just can't picture it, but to each her own.  I was ready to go before James was. 

I wanted to go through Aliberto's drive-thru in Taylor where the old Pizza Hut was. James says we were in that drive-thru for 45 minutes and I think he was right. It was quite warm outside but we didn't want to run the engine while we were idling so we rolled our windows down. I ordered an Arizona burrito which is small pieces of beef, onions, potatoes, and spices. James ordered camarones rancheros, shrimp with peppers, and onions in a sauce with corn tortillas and rice and beans. I ate my burro on the way home and thoroughly enjoyed it. James, because of the mess he made on his dress pants last time, waited until he got home to eat. He loved what he ordered and will probably order it again.

We both took longs naps, mine longer than James's. I indexed, blogged, and walked the rest of the evening until bedtime.

James had the opportunity to go with Chuck to help a family whose house flooded because of the rain. He said in two days we have had 10 inches of rain. That is a lot for this area. Water is running everywhere.

I started a new audio book, "Knight of Redmond." I finished "For Elise." 

Amelia's cake

If only....

Rome Temple

Fri, July 23rd, 2021: Cordoba Argentina Temple#145: Summer's birthday, Ruthie, Scarlett, Backhoe stuck, Elk in our yard, Chelsea & Brutus, Lola, OLympics, "The Chosen"

 

Cordoba, Argentina

145th operating temple

Dedicated: 17 May 2015

By: Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Jesus Christ, Prophecies about

John 3:14

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

Book of Mormon

Alma 37:27-47

". . . there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ."(v.9)

The only sure way to success; He is the hope that looks through any trial and even death. "I have learned that not shrinking is more important than surviving." - Neal A. Maxwell

Jesus did not shrink.

D&C

83

"Come Follow Me"

83 "Widows and Orphans Shall Be Provided For"

AprGenCon

"They Cannot Prevail: We Cannot Fall"

Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong

Of the Seventy

I hope and pray that we all will find and stay on the sure foundation as we establish our future life. We are reminded in Helaman 5:12: "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

"Our Personal Savior"

Elder Michael John U. Teh

Of the Seventy

Second, as we are increasingly coming to know the Savior, scriptural passages and the words of the prophets become so intimately meaningful to us that they become our own words. It is not about copying the words, feelings, and experiences of others as much as it is coming to know for ourselves, in our own unique way, by experimenting upon the word and receiving a witness from the Holy Ghost. 

The Living Christ

#10

We testify that He will someday return to earth. "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.

Up at 5:15. Today is Summer's birthday. I hope she received our card. I'm not sure how old Summer is, I think a little younger than Anna.

I broke the frames of my glasses the other day so I reverted to using my old prescription. I sent a picture of the broken glasses to Sheri and she said she could not fix them, so I began pulling out all of my old glasses, hoping there would be a frame she could put my new lenses in. I have three pair.

Sheri called James this morning about leaks at Chandler Eyecare. She always wants her dad's opinion on construction matters.

Trina texted James this morning, "We love you." He texted back that he loved them too and it was wonderful to receive such a message first thing in the morning.

James brought me my breakfast around 8 a.m. He loves to feed things. He admitted to me that there is enough feed in the field for Luna but he buys her feed because she loves it so much. He also feeds the hummingbirds. The other day he bought a new feeder so now we have two again. He really does have such a kind and caring heart and loves to bring other's joy. 

I had an appointment for 1:30 with our neighbor Chelsea. She has been gone to Alaska with her husband for a few months but now she is back. I am her ministering sister. I took four sugar cookies, a couple of quotes for Chelsea and a couple of pictures of the Savior each for her two young daughters, Peyton and Scotlyn.

When I got to Chelsea's no one was there. I knocked on the door, no answer. No vehicles were home. I texted Chelsea and she called me. Our conversation went something like this: Hi, I meant to call you this morning but was in such a hurry I forgot. We had to leave this morning to pick up Brutus in Colorado Springs. I knew Brutus liked to wander but Colorado Springs was a bit of a stretch. She said that someone had brought him back from Alaska for them and they were required to pick him up in Colorado. I told her I would pray for them and would she please let me know when she arrived home safely. She said she would. I told her about the cookies, and pictures, and she thanked me.

I went on to the post office and was pleased to see a couple of packages from Amazon. One was refills for James's pen and the other a book I had ordered, "Opening the Seven Seals."  

I read to James from "Promise of Spring" and while I walked I listened to "For Elise". I also spoke to Sister Wilhelm, not Sandra, but her mother-in-law, about her ministering. She had just returned from Bear Lake, Idaho where she is from. We discussed each of her sisters and she made a suggestion that I wrote down to discuss with Tamara.  It was a pleasant visit.

While I worked on indexing I watched another episode of "The Chosen." This one is called "Reckoning." The Savior is arrested and taken to Quintus but was soon released. The apostles are upset because of the arrest of John the Baptist by Herod. Matthew is feeling more acceptance from Simon. 

James saw about 20 elk in our field this afternoon. Here are some pictures he took:

This one has been rolling in the mud.

James got a call from Brother Elmer, the temple coordinator for the brothers on our shift. His wife is the sisters coordinator. He wants James to officiate at the 9:30 session tomorrow and had some things to tell him. He and Sister Elmer both have Covid.

 I finished my blog around 5 pm at which time I went in to fix dinner. I had already started some baked potatoes in the oven and now I made mine and James's favorite salad, apples, nuts, bacon, feta cheese, dried cranberries and romained lettuce with poppy seed dressing. This time I used sliced almonds instead of walnuts and it was just as tasty. I also heated up the rest of the shrimp in the freezer and walla, a nice meal. 

Before going to bed I read several chapters from Sister Nelson's book, "The Heavens are Open." I read this book in January of 2020. It is an easy read and I do like Sister Nelson's style of writing.

Happy Birthday Summer!

Stuck in the mud

July 22nd, 2021: PhoenixAZTemple#144: Oil changed in car, Aunt Gene, Deluge of Rain, Charlie, Scarlett, Brady and the Suns loss, Index, Blog, Walk,

 

Phoenix, Arizona

144th operating temple

Dedicated: 16 Nov 2014

By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Prophecies about

John 1:45

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Book of Mormon

Alma 37:11-26

How do I stay diligent in keeping God's commandments?

A: Commandments, like everything else God gives us, are for our benefit. It's easier to be diligent when I see the commandments as loving gifts to guide me to where and how God lives.

D&C

82:11-24

"Come Follow Me"

"Remember Your Way Back Home"

Elder Jose A. Teixeira

Of the Presidency of the Seventy

Knowing who you are changes what you feel and what you do. Understanding who you truly are better prepares you to recognize and remember your way back to your heavenly home and yearn to be there.

Strength comes to us when we remain righteous, true, and faithful to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, even when others overwhelmingly disregard the commandments and principles of salvation.

I know from personal experience that as we choose to hear His voice and follow Him, we will receive His help. We will obtain a wider perspective of our circumstances and a deeper understanding of the purpose of life. We will feel the spiritual stirrings that will guide us to our heavenly home.

"God Loves His Children"

Elder Taniela B. Wakolo

Of the Seventy

Sometimes God manifests His love by chastening us. It is a way of reminding us that He loves us and that He knows who we are. His promised blessing of peace is open to all those who courageously walk the covenant path and are willing to receive correction.

The Living Christ

#9

We declare in words of solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have been restored upon the earth - "built upon the foundation of . . . apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone" (Ephesians 2:20). 

Inklings

Emily & Rio

If I were to write a one page summary of my personal encounters with Christ, what would it say?

"What think I of Christ"?

Can I honestly say I am who I am because of

Jesus Christ?

Up at 5:30, thirty minutes late.

 

It's so hard to wait. Knowing James has cancer and not doing anything. We have to wait until the other test results are in on August 3rd to determine how aggressive the cancer is and what the treatment should be. Trina said when Ruby heard that grandpa had cancer she "balled her eyes out." She is such a sweet, tender soul. I received a spiritual confirmation of that a few years ago and just being around Ruby, I can tell you that is true. 

Harold called James this morning. My brother Harold had cancer. He said he was in stage 4 and they did not give him much hope. He did not tell me about this until he had already had his treatments and was getting better.  He said the one good thing about his cancer was that it had not spread and they were able to get rid of it all in his prostate. That is what I am now praying for, that James's cancer will not have spread and it will localized in his prostate so they can get rid of it.

I cleaned upstairs this morning. This is my third week and I am finally done except for vacuuming. I needed a shower when I was finished so I took one and then got ready to go to town. I am driving my car into town to get the oil and filter changed. James is driving his truck in because he wants to pick up pipe for the waterlines and feed for Luna. Also, we want to go visit Aunt Gene at Haven in Lakeside.

We drop the car off at Walmart where it will only cost us $31.00. After the car is in line I jump into the truck and we drive over to Haven. Someone was visiting Aunt Gene and since they only allow two people in at a time, James couldn't come in. He walked outside while I went in for a short visit. Aunt Gene looked good and was happy to see me and gave me a hug. She introduced me to her friend, Tina Welch who is visiting from California. I didn't stay long, so they could visit. Aunt Gene says she is coming home next week. I told her I would come visit after she got home. Rita is going to live with her.

James dropped me off at Walmart while he went to Home Depot and to get horse feed. I did a little shopping, including a couple of t-shirts for me and this one for Sheri.

When Sheri was here visiting she said she wished she had a houseful of dogs to take care of, and that was her job. 

Today I ate one Built bar, oatmeal and nuts, cantaloupe, strawberries, ravioli with sauce, salad, Chinese Buffet crab wontons, 4, sugar biscuit, sweet potato with butter and brown sugar, hot chocolate. My commitment to cut down on sugar is weak. 

I picked up my car and headed for home. Before I left Show Low there was a downpour. James was a little ways behind me. The rain was so hard it was difficult to see and many cars were stopping alongside the road. At some points the rain was hail. I got a flash flood warning on my phone telling me to be careful and to stay home. Finally when I reached the Y by Stanford things began to clear. The rest of the way home was fine. James arrived home about five minutes after I did. The back of the truck is filled with pvc pipe, $800 worth.

The sunflowers are beginning to grow on the side of our road. I love them, James hates them. 

 It is 61 degrees and there is rain all around us. Finally it gets here around 8:00 with lightning and thunder. It was still raining when we went to bed at 10. James said when he was up at 1:30 it was still raining and there was still the lightning and thunder. I didn't like it. It was so loud and seemed very close. I am thankful for the rain though.

I texted with Pam about her friend Pam who just lost her husband to Covid. She also told me about Gene Hall and his son who died from Covid earlier in the year. I remember Gene when I lived in Show Low as a teenager. 

I watched "The Chosen" Season 2 Episode 5, "Unlawful." Mary returns and the Savior forgives her. It was so touching, I loved it. James even liked it.

I read from, "Eve and the Choice Made in Eden", "Cornerstones of the Restoration", and "The MindBody Kit." I am learning so much!

It's okay Brady, I felt the same way

Brady uses water therapy to get over

the Suns loss

Our friends the Hatch's are going to Tonga

on a mission

Cornerstones of the Restoration

Rio who cooks her kids eggs for breakfast and wonders

why they are still hungry when they are out doing errands.

She comes home and finds the eggs still on the stove in the

frying pan. Thank goodness it wasn't turned on.

Miss Ice Cream Face

James digging the waterline

Sweet Potato for dinner, yum!