Sunday, March 26, 2023: Study, Fast & Testimony mtg, RS, Home, Rest, Blog, Index, DMT, Pres. Nelson Quote, Dinner

 

St. Paul, Minnesota

69th operating temple

Dedicated: 9 Jan 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Testimony of

Acts 22:18

And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

Book of Mormon

Jacob 6:1-13

Come Follow Me

Review this week, DMT next week

Jesus' Name

Teacher/Sower

Word

Parables

Phrase

Those who have ears to hear, let him hear.

OctGenCon

That They Might Know Thee  (John 17:3)

Elder Jonathan S. Schmitt

Of the Seventy

One last name of Jesus is that He is Faithful and True. Just as Jesus was ever faithful and always true, HIs earnest desire is that we exhibit these qualities in our lives. When our faith falters, we can cry out to Jesus, "lord, save me," just like Peter as he began to sink in Galilee's stormy sea. On that day, Jesus reached down to rescue the drowning disciple. He has done the same for me, and He will do the same for you. Don't ever give up on Jesus - He will never give up on you!

100 Favorite Verses - "Rewards for the Faithful"

D&C 58:2

For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithfu in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Up at 4:30. Prayer and lesson preparation until 7:30. No breakfast as it is fast Sunday. We are fasting for our grandchildren. 

We left for church before 8:30. James helps me to setup in the Relief Society room. There was no ward council because the bishop is still our of town. Kerri is in the Relief Society room too setting up the microphone system.

Brother Allen conducted fast and testimony meeting. Here are the testimonies that were born:

Steve Allen - Nourishing and Bearing Your Testimony by Elder Stevenson, Glorious vision of the resurrected Lord by Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith.

Katie Hahn - 19 years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 leukemia and was given 72 hours to live. Grateful to Heavenly Father that I am here today.

Barbara Bartels - We are beloved sons and daughters of God. We have the gift of the Holy Ghost. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are continually assisting me throughout the day.

Greg Anderson - God lives. Take my yoke upon you. I took the opportunity to talk to a nonmember last night at the party about the gospel. It was a good experience.

Teebow - He woke up at 3 am thinking about Jesus. He wrote down his thoughts and shared them with us. There is one God, the Mediator between God and man, even Jesus Christ.

Pierce Goodman - I am grateful for blessings of Heavenly Father which come through Jesus Christ. My wife is a pillar of faith. I am grateful for the fulness of the gospel which Joseph Smith helped restore.

Paula Johnson - I have lived in Vernon 35 years. I love reaching out to neighbors and friends. Our Savior suffered and died for us.

Tamara Applegate - Fence commandments. Parable of the Sower, I hope your ground is ready.

Lorraine Vaught - I am thankful to be a member of this ward. My husband has macular degeneration and is losing his eyesight. Every challenge makes us stronger.

The lesson I taught today was based on Sister Michelle Craig's talk, "Wholeheartedness" and President Eyring's talk, "Legacy of Encouragement." I think it went well. Here are some of the highlights. From Sister Craig's talk:

First, we can keep our covenants, even when it is not easy.

Living in convenience does not bring power. The power we need to withstand the heat of our day is the Lord's power, and His power flows through our covenants with Him

Second, we can act in faith.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we understand that faith in Him requires action - especially in hard times.

Third, we can be wholehearted and joyful in our devotion.

Brothers and sisters, to be such men and women is the call of our day - disciples who dig deep to find the strength to keep pulling when called to walk through the wilderness, disciples with convictions that have been revealed to us by God, followers of Jesus who are joyful and wholehearted in our own personal journey of discipleship.

Legacy of Encouragement

Hal, of course it's hard, It's supposed to be. Life is a test.

The Savior knows your struggles in detail. He knows your great potential to grow in faith, hope, and charity.

Wherever you are on the covenant path, you will find a struggle against the physical trials of mortality and the opposition of Satan.

Moroni 7:38-48 Faith, Meekness, Hope, Charity

Charity - the pure love of Christ, strengthened, guided, sustained, and changed my mother in the struggle on her way home.

Meekness: Righteous responsiveness, Willing submissiveness, and Strong self-restraint. James said Collin gave the lesson in elders quorum and did a great job.

I broke my fast when I got home. James waited until 5:00. I took a long nap on the family room recliner while James slept in the bedroom in his sauna blanket.  

When I got up from my nap I went in to start catching up on my blog. I'm about 3 days behind. 

I went online and found the next cake I want to do. I posted a picture yesterday. 

James couldn't get on the Church website except to do indexing. He needs to do his ministering report but can't. I told him to wait until tomorrow and call Salt Lake.

I listened and watched "Don't Miss This" for next week's "Come Follow Me" lesson. We went to bed before 9:30.

James at the dessert table last night

 

Saturday, March 25, 2023: 6 Prayer, study, shower, breakfast, Start Lemon Bar cake, lemon curd, cake, frosting, finished at 4:40, Ward Missionary BBQ, Study for Lesson

 

Raleigh, North Carolina

68th operating temple

Dedicated: 18 Dec 1999

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Testimony of

Acts 14:3

Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

Book of Mormon

Jacob 5:73-77 The Millennium

Jesus' Name

Teacher/Sower

Word

Parables

Phrase

Who has ears to hear, let them hear.

OctGenCon

The Answer Is Jesus

Elder Ryan K. Olsen

Of the Seventy

To those who will choose to serve, I can attest to the blessings that will come as you heed a prophet's call. Serving is not about you; it is about the Savior. You will be called to a place, but more importantly you will be called to a people. You will have the great responsibility and blessing of helping new friends understand that the answer is Jesus.

100 Favorite Verses - "This Is My Joy"

Alma 29:9

I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

I got up at 6 o'clock this morning. I had my prayer and did my gospel study, took a shower and had some breakfast. 

My next order of business was to start the cake I am taking to the ward party tonight. I had set out the eggs, butter, and buttermilk last night because they are all supposed to be at room temperature. 

 

The first thing I did was bake the shortbread crust for the bottom of each cake pan. They only needed to be in the oven for six minutes. I may have gone a little over. 

Next I decided to make the lemon curd because it needs to chill for at least 3-4 hours. I didn't use Courtney's recipe because it calls for three eggs and four egg yolks. The recipe I used just calls for three eggs. It turned out the right texture although it was a little tart. James loved it. I asked him to please not eat it because it was the filling for my cake.

I took a break for lunch and then started mixing the batter for the cake. Three 8" cake pans with the thick yellow batter equally distributed on my little scale I used when I had my book business.

The cakes baked an extra 10 minutes over the time Courtney said. They came out of the pans with no problem. 

I mixed up the frosting, put the curd in between the first and second cake layers and the second and third. I crumb coated the cake and put it in the big freezer in the garage for about 30 minutes. During that 30 minutes I cleaned the kitchen and then I rested. 

Next came the frosting of the cake. I am a little concerned about having enough frosting, but somehow I do. I put Courtney's round, plastic disk on top of the cake and fill in with frosting the gaps. I frost the sides of the cake and smooth the frosting out with Courtney's scraper. Getting the sides completely smooth is difficult for me. I do the best I can with the time that I have. It is slowly approaching 5 o'clock. 

When I am finished frosting, I sprinkle some powdered sugar on the top of the cake through a fine sifter. I then half some lemon slices for a border around the top of the cake. The cake is finished.

I see a few rough spots, but overall it looks

pretty good. 

We had some extra lemon curd I was going to take for people to put on their slices, but James talked me out of it.

I think my cake was the only cake on the dessert table. There were lots of pies and other desserts.

Rosie Lauritzen commented on how beautiful my cake was. 

James and I sat at the first table as you come into the cultural hall. Owen & Donna Peeler, and Pam & Chuck Wood were at this table. Pierce Goodman gave the opening prayer and the blessing on the food. When we were called up to get in line, I was the first one. Kerri kept saying to go out in the hall to lineup because that's where the silverware is. I looked at Brother Peeler who was second in line and he said to me: "We can get our silverware later." That was the only encouragement I needed. 

There were several roaster pans full of shredded pork with BBQ sauce on the side. For sides dishes there were beans, green beans, and different kinds of salad including coleslaw and potato salad. There were also rolls and butter. No homemade rolls from Judy Hunter that I could see. They are so delicious.

James and I both really enjoyed the beans that we got and also the green beans. The meat was tender and flavorful but it was those bean dishes that were loved the most. 

James went over and cut my cake. We saw a new way to cut cake today on the internet. You cut the cake in half and then you make slices on one side. You can get a lot more pieces of cake this way. The regular way the pieces of cake are always too big. These are perfect.

James brought me back a piece of cake. It kind of fell apart because of the shortbread which I think was a little overdone, but it tasted delicious. Definitely needed more lemon curd.

The cake disappeared as did most all of the desserts. 

This was a very successful activity put on by our ward missionaries. Sister Hine was in charge of the decorations and they were so cute. Brother Anderson, the ward mission leader, told a story of being a diver in the Navy and a time when he was in trouble because his mask stop working and how he felt like the Lord saved his life. Brother McCamy told a similar story and Kerri told about her accident and the fact that she feels like the Lord and her guardian angels saved her life. There were several nonmembers in attendance as the entire community was invited.

We left early so I could come home and work on my lesson. We went to bed before 9:30.

Gospel Doctrine Teacher

Pei Wei memories

When our Razr had a top

My next cake

Friday, March 24, 2023: J forgets his food & drink, Sh & B run in the snow, Sheri's brkfst, Yahtzee, Leaving in a snowstorm, Luna gets out, Alex postpones,

 

Edmonton, Alberta

67th operating temple

Dedicated: 11 Dec 1999

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Testimony of

John 21:24

This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

Book of Mormon

Jacob 5:52-72 Fourth Visit, Today

Come Follow Me

Luke 8:1-3 In what way did certain women minister to the Savior?

Jesus's Name

Teacher/Sower

Word

Parable

Phrase

Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.

OctGenCon

Legacy of Encouragement

President Henry B. Eyring

Second Counselor in the First Presidency

The commandments and covenants He offers you are not tests to control you. They are a gift to lift you toward receiving all the gifts of God and returning home to your Heavenly Father and the Lord, who love you.

100 Favorite Verses - "Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole"

Mark 5:34 

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

James left for the valley early this morning. He called me about 30 minutes after he left and said he forgot his lunch and his drink. He also left a piece of toast in the toaster so I wonder if he had any breakfast. Later I found a receipt on the ground from Burger King. He had a ham and egg croissant.

When Ben started his run this morning the sun was shining. When James called he had said that it was snowing in Show Low. I looked out the window. Towards Springerville the sun was shining and the sky was blue. When I looked towards Show Low there was a huge gray cloud moving across the sky. Ben posted that about two miles into his hike it began to snow.

Love that smile!

Ben is such a fun, positive person 

to be around!

Love this picture!

Thanks Ben!

Sheri again, drove into the middle of Vernon to do her run, in the snow.

When Sheri got back from her run she fixed a nice breakfast for the boys, eggs, biscuits and bacon. She wishes she would have seen my hashbrowns in the freezer because she would have fixed them too. I wish I would have told her. Oh well, next time. 

Sheri and Ben played a couple of games of Yahtzee and then they were on their way home, in a snowstorm.

Don't you just love Evan's face in the top photo!

I actually love all of these faces and I am so grateful they came to

visit, even though it was only for a short time!

I finally finished my puzzle. I should have left it alone until after this weekend, but I couldn't resist.

Sheri's puzzle

My puzzle

M&M's and Easter eggs go well together!

We had a nice mixture of snow and sunshine today. I went out on the front porch because I saw that Luna was out. She was starting to walk down the road and I yelled at her: "Hey, where do you think you are going? Get back in that field." She look at me, whinnied, and walked towards the open gate and went back into the field. I'm wondering if she knew what I was saying and was obedient, or if that was where she was going in the first place. How did that gate get opened??

I mailed my aunt Gene's birthday card, went to Dollar General to get some Twizzlers, and came home and worked on my lesson.

James called around 1:00 and said he just got finished visiting with his mom and Dawn and he was on his way home. I noticed when his truck drove up that he had washed it. I love it! It's my favorite truck of all of the trucks he has ever had. Maybe that's because of the step that comes out when I open my door.

I think I will name her "Sly"

This truck was sold to someone else. They took it home and it was too long for their garage so they brought it back and bought a smaller truck. I am grateful because I loved this truck from the moment I saw her.

Alex and his friends were supposed to come up today but Alex texted and said they would have to postpone. He started a new job and it is too soon for him to ask for time off.

James has some trouble with his computer while he is trying to index so he gave up and came in the bedroom and we walked while listening to "Out of the Smoke." I also listened to "Secret of the Sonnets."

I worked on my lesson for quite awhile this afternoon.

Thursday, March 23, 2023: James gets his money for his truck, Sheri & Ben run, Whole wheat pancakes w/ pecans, Two puzzles, "Unexpected Grace", Evan drives J's truck, Pasta dinner

 

Billings, Montana

66th operating temple

Dedicated: 20 Nov 1999

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Testimony of

John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Book of Mormon

Jacob 5:28-60 Third Visit

Come Follow Me

Matt 13:24-30, 36-43 The righteous must grow among the wicked until the end of the world.

Jesus' Name

Teacher/Sower

Word

Parable

Phrase

He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

OctGenCon

Overcome The World And Find Rest

President Russell M. Nelson

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

My plea to you this morning is to find rest from the intensity, uncertainty, and anguish of this world by overcoming the world through your covenants with God. Let Him know through your prayers and your actions that you are serious about overcoming the world. Ask Him to enlighten your mind and send the help you need. Each day, record the thoughts that come to you as you pray; then follow through diligently. Spend more time in the temple, and seek to understand how the temple teaches you to rise above this fallen world.

100 Favorite Verses - "The Savior's Mercy & Love"

3 Nephi 10:6

O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.

Inklings

"The Answer Is Jesus" by Elder Ryan K. Olsen

I got up at 5:30 this morning and checked our bank account. James needs to call Horne Auto and let them know when his money comes in. It came in and so later he called and told them. He had to finance $10,000 so we will have truck payments for awhile. Sad, because we just got his other truck paid off.

Sheri and Ben both ran this morning, in spite of cold weather. Ben ran in the mud, Sheri drove into Vernon and ran on the pavement.

They are dedicated!

I made whole wheat pancakes this morning. I chopped up pecans and added them to Sheri's and James's pancakes. James said they were like IHOP's harvest nut and grain pancakes. Sheri said they reminded her of her childhood. Ben said they were "pretty good." Evan slept through breakfast. 

Sheri finished her M&M puzzle and helped me a little with mine. When we needed a break from doing puzzles we watched one of my favorite March Hallmark movies, "Unexpected Grace" starring Erica Durance and Michael Rady. It was just as good the second time as it was the first. 

James just couldn't stop eating today. He made himself eggs and toast this morning, then he had whole wheat pancakes without nuts and then he roasted some pecans and put them in his pancakes and had them. While we were watching the movie he came in with some Black Raspberry Chip ice cream. How does he do it and not gain any weight?

This afternoon while Sheri was making chocolate chip cookies James and I went in to Dollar General with Evan to get some snacks. We took James's truck and Evan drove. He did a pretty good job except when turning to get on the 61 he went into the oncoming lane (no one was coming), and he got confused going in to the Dollar General parking lot and went on the wrong side of the road. That was James's fault because he confused Evan with his backseat driving.

When we got back home Sheri and Ben were playing Yahtzee. I asked them if they wanted me to make Michael's pasta and Italian sausage, and they said yes. 

Ben loved the pasta. He did ask me to add more sauce, which I did. Sheri liked it too. I'm not sure if Evan had any. He went upstairs with his snacks I bought him at Dollar General and I didn't see him again for quite awhile. Does this boy eat real food?

James, Sheri, Evan and I did "Come Follow Me" this evening. We read and talked about the parable of the Sower. It was good but James wanted to do more. Afterwards James said the family prayer. 

James was scurrying around tonight getting ready to go to the valley early in the morning. Sheri and I watched the movie, "We Wish You A Married Christmas." I warned her it wasn't that good but she likes Kristoffer Polaha and he was in it so we watched it. Afterwards she said: "Yeah, you were right, we should have watched something else. Next time I will trust your judgment."

I worked on my lesson before going to bed and earlier in the day I listened to "Teaching with Power." I love Ben Wilcox.

That ear is so funny!

Kacey, Your neighborhood is gorgeous!

How would you like to receive a "bunny bag"

full of these cookies!

I want some!

Love!

This picture reminds me of a younger Ruby!

Ben Wilcox's 

I love this picture!