Temple Importance

Ever since Zach and I have gotten married I have tried to make a monthly goal of going to the temple and I fail 100% of the time. That goal has started up again and so far this is the 2nd month in a row so hopefully we can make it in August sometime. I love that this go around through the temple, even though, it was a rushed last minute date. It calmed so many of our nerves. The spiritual experiences you can encounter in the four walls of our Lords home is indescribable. I am so blessed to be able to see beyond the veil when times are needed and boy has it been needed lately are my depression is at an all time high. I love my husband and this gospel we have in our lives!

BYU Women's Conference

Apparently there is a well known Conference that goes on in May and I am clueless. I have heard, I think it was last year, my Mom going to it but I haven't heard much beyond that. Well this year my Mom decided to see if I wanted to tag along so of course I said yes. It was such an interesting eye opening experience to be able to hear hours worth of talks about the gospel, bettering our lives and just that we are all doing the best we can in this life. I took pages worth of notes and have a new look at some points in my life that I continue to try and improve. What can I say I guess this came at the best time in my life, I needed a care free couple of days.

Kevin J. Worthen - The Lord is hastening the work, it will be worth it. Read the scriptures as see how many times it states ministering or serving others. This is why it is so important in these last days to minister to others, unite and be one.

Lauren A. Barnes - Christ has never forced his children, we have agency to choose. We are only responsible for what we can control. Successful people will repent, get back on their feet and continue moving forward in faith. Let people serve you, even the Savior let others wash his feet. Talk about and normalize emotions, when apologizing teach kids to ask/say "what can I do to help" after. Even though we may sometimes give up on ourselves, the Savior never gives up on us.

Randy Boothe - Procrastination leads to the loss of exaltation. Write your thoughts and record your feelings after your prayers, timely action will be given. Embrace the joy the gospel gives/brings. D = daily feast, O = obediently pray with real intent, I = intently listen, T = timely action.

Rebekah Dieter - Christ should be included in all your decisions and adventures in your family, just as a parent wants to join us in each step of our lives. There is no perfect way of motherhood but thank the Lord for allowing you this journey. Let go of the hard and embrace the good!

Kara Murri - The Lord likes effort, then he will bless us. We must quickly follow the spirit, when heard STOP & GO no waiting! He see's the foundation you are trying to lay and he will guide you.

Liz Casperson - You may feel like your not accomplishing to teach the kids anything, but you are! Pray to Heavenly Father to know each child individually.

Susan H. Christensen - Be strong, to raise strong! We need to wait for our children to bloom, when the student is easy the teacher will come.

Sharon Eubank & Reyna I. Aburto - What matters most is our faith in Christ. Offering comfort is one of the best Christlike attributes we can share. Tell the Lord you did the best you could, that is all the Lord asks of you. Doing better doesn't mean doing more! When we lose someone we want them back, this is how Heavenly Father feels about us. He knows the desire of our hearts!

The service project we assisted with was making food noodle packets. My Mom and I were able to weigh the noodles on scales and make sure they were the exact amount between 175-179, fun stuff. We had a little scoop we added more noodles or took out noodles as needed. After the service project we went to an entertainment night full of some great music. It was good to spend this time with my Mom, that never happens.

Jennifer Brinkerhoff Platt - Christ makes the ordinary perfected! What two things do you consistently do daily, is this worth your time and efforts in Heavenly Fathers eyes? We are devine, he needs us to know it and believe it. Doctrine = Why, Principles = What, Application = How. Is there any behavior we need to change to love truly how Christ loves?

Faith Cooper - When we are empty and have nothing left to give, go to the Lord and he will fill your bucket so that it can overflow to others. It is not goo to go back and open up and old wound when Christ himself died for that repentance. The Lords way isn't hard, life is hard.

Anna King - It takes to courage to let your husband know you have been hurt, communication is key to a blessed marriage. It doesn't matter who is right or wrong but rather the opportunity to create stronger relationships.

Kathryn Sorensen Olsen - Strong people don't put others down, especially to those in our home. Family members shouldn't feel they are in the shadow of someone but rather in the light. If the world is to know love, it must start at home. Look for more ways to show compassion in your families, your family deserves your love and service more then anybody else.

Ann Parkin - Organize yourselves and prepare every needful thing. Our very first family council was the great council in Heaven. If all you can accomplish is gathering your families then do it! Keep working on your families, small and simple things. What is the bigger picture in our family we want to accomplish?

Kiersten Blanchard & Pat Bradley - If our children know truth they can recognize error. Like a puzzle we build the edges first: basics of the gospel (prayer, scripture, church, etc) and our childhood. We must then fill in the puzzle and each important change in our lives is a piece. What are we filling our puzzle with? Just as the prophet is urging the advancement in the gospel, Satan is doing the same, we must stay strong to the truth. Do not let your children wonder what you believe. Nothing opens the heavens more than complete exactness.

Gerrit W. Gong & Susan Lindsay Gong - There is hope in just being known, Jesus knows every heart.  Marriage is a blessing to experience in livest hardest ups and downs. He will strengthen us all in his time, his way and in his will.

St. Patricks Day 2018

I need to do better at pulling out my green food coloring on St. Patricks Day the next couple of years. Even if all the green food failed me at least I managed to get mostly everyone to wear some sort of green color even when it came to Sunday attire as we celebrated by going to the Jordan River Temple Openhouse. I was so excited to be able to take the kids inside the temple especially as they are getting older and understanding more.

As we walked through I tried to explain as much as I could about each of the rooms and how Mom and Dad got married in a temple and they can too. Andie was in pure heaven and even went through again with Grandpa and Grandma. Jake and Brooklyn loved it but at there young age once was enough so we went and watched a movie in the van eating cookies while we waited for Andie. I am so happy that I was able to show the kids how amazing the temples really truly are outside and in.

Since my Mothers birthday is next weekend we all gathered as a family after the open house and had some dinner together. LaFrontera is the best! Before we arrived for dinner we took the long way from the temple back to the van and had the kids try out a bus for the first time. Jake loved every bounce in the back of the bus and the girls thought it was pretty grand too. Brooklyn just thought it would take us to Disneyland and Andie loves to experience anything for the first time.

I love making these memories with my kids as a family, it really is the best thing ever!

Stake Conference

We had a lucky opportunity where the new prophet happened to show up to our Stake Conference. Ours? What? The excitement in the air is only a sliver of what I feel the 2nd coming will feel like and that made me so excited for the world to come. The church is truly an amazing thing! My family happened to be in all the photos from the news even if you only slightly see some. Here is a copy of the News Report :

President Russell M. Nelson delivered a unifying message at Sunday’s Stake Conference:

“We’re all in this together.”

Just weeks after being set apart as the Church’s 17th president, the veteran Church leader said he’s already experiencing unforgettable moments:

“You’ve made marvelous memories for Sister (Wendy W.) Nelson and me,” said President Nelson as he looked across the vast congregation gathered at the stake center.

His message of togetherness resonated with the Granger West Stake members who were thrilled to be joined Sunday by President and Sister Nelson.

“I’ve concluded it really doesn’t matter much what your calling is in the Church, as long as you are doing it well,” he said. “Your work and your calling are just as important as my work and my calling.”

Life is often defined by the unexpected. So it’s essential, he said, “to be prepared.”

President Nelson spoke of Elder Von G. Keetch, a General Authority Seventy who died on Jan. 26, just 10 days after helping coordinate the worldwide broadcast announcing the new First Presidency.

“He was suddenly called home. I spoke at his funeral on Friday.”

Elder Keetch’s unexpected passing is a reminder of mortality’s uncertainties.

“We need to prepare,” said President Nelson. “We need to know that we are ready to meet our Maker, whenever that day may come.”

In their separate remarks, the Nelsons recounted a question that was once posed by a nurse to Dr. Russell M. Nelson after he performed a difficult surgery: “Why are you not like other surgeons?”

Some surgeons, the nurse knew well, could be short-tempered and profane as they performed their pressure-filled duties. Dr. Nelson’s reply: “Because I know the Book of Mormon is true.”

That answer prompted the nurse and her own surgeon-husband to study the Book of Mormon. President Nelson later baptized the nurse.

Decades passed and President Nelson lost contact with the couple. The husband later died and his wife eventually remarried. While presiding over a stake conference in Tennessee shortly after being called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Nelson enjoyed an unexpected reunion with the nurse who, years earlier, had asked why he was not like some of his colleagues.

That woman’s conversion, brought about by the influence of the Book of Mormon, brought about the conversion of 80 more people, said President Nelson.

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On another occasion, President Nelson said he was on an assignment in Ghana when he was introduced to a tribal king. He explained to the handsome king that he was an apostle of Jesus Christ and that the Book of Mormon offered an account of the resurrected Christ and His ministry in the Americas.

He then offered the king a copy of the Book of Mormon. He won’t ever forget the king’s response: “You could give me diamonds or rubies, and that would not be nearly as precious to me as additional knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Members of the Granger West Stake have “missionary opportunities galore,” he said. They live in the heartland of the Church and in a community enriched by cultural diversity. There will be many opportunities to share the Book of Mormon and the gospel of Christ.

“So be ready,” he said. “Be ready to explain the Church.”

President Nelson said the saving doctrine of the Atonement is fully revealed in the Book of Mormon. Because of the Atonement, a person who is obedient to the Lord’s commandments and enters into sacred covenants “can qualify for the greatest of all blessings — eternal life.”

Eschew pornography, be a good example and “rejoice in the joy of the gospel.”

President and Sister Nelson visited the Keetch family a short time after Elder Keetch’s death. The Keetch home was filled with peace and faith even at a moment of grief and mourning. Strength was found in prayers and priesthood blessings.

It was like being in a temple — “a holy nest to the Lord.”

Make “your own homes” holy nests to the Lord, counseled President Nelson.

He concluded by bestowing an apostolic blessing that the Granger West Stake members would be good examples; focusing their lives on the temple and the Lord.

In her remarks, Sister Nelson testified of the essential, guiding role the Book of Mormon could play in every aspect of life. All can offer the same answer once offered by Dr. Nelson: “Because I know the Book of Mormon is true.”

Questions to Latter-day Saints about why they pay tithing, or help others, or attend multiple Church meetings, or dress modestly, or avoid drugs or alcohol can all be answered with the same reply.

“Because I know the Book of Mormon is true.”

She encouraged the members to discuss that proven “answer” in their own family home evenings and other gatherings.

“Have heart-to-heart conversations about what you know to be true,” she said, adding members can enjoy sweet peace as they involve the Book of Mormon in their day-to-day lives.

Sister Nelson also saluted the Granger West Stake members for their commitment to family history work and missionary work. Many are eagerly anticipating the fast approaching rededication of the Jordan River Utah Temple, their “home” temple.

Granger West Stake President Duane R. Kendell encouraged the members to focus on Christ by simplifying their personal lives and their family priorities. Simplifying service to others will also result in many being rescued.

Other talks or testimonies Sunday were offered by recently returned missionary Franchessca Panoussi; local priesthood leader Mark Santini and his mother, Ann Santini; and President Bruce Clark of the Jordan River Utah Temple presidency and his wife, Sister Glenys Clark, an assistant to the temple matron.

The LDS Church News is an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The publication's content supports the doctrines, principles and practices of the Church.