A Stake President and Martins Cove

Last Sunday our Stake President gave a fireside for the Relief Society.  While he and another woman shared some things, when he started  talking about Martin's Cove paying attention because I have been there with my parents and my uncle and aunt went on a mission there. 

There were saints to left to late in the summer and suffered and died from starvation and cold as they pushed and pulled hard carts to Zion.  Martin's Cove is where they found some refuge from the blizzard.  They were saved because Brigham Young told the brethren there in SLC   to "go and bring them in".   Now families and youth groups can reenact this trek for a day or days.

Last summer the youth in my stake went and walked this trek.  The stake president did it with them.  He showed us pictures of him hugging the youth, and told us this story:

When they started this journey there at the visitor center the kids had the name of a real person who had started on that journey.  Some of them lived and some of them died.  They started by singing the song about all the Pioneer's "Come, Come Ye Saints" .   When they got to the line that says this: "and should be die, before our journey's through, happy day, all is well"  those boys and girls who had the names of those who died left the group and stood away off.    I can imagine it being a pretty emotional thing to see that.

When they all got back together again, the Stake president hugged a young man and told him he was great, then he grabbed a young woman, gave her a hug and told her what she was good at.  He continue to do that to each and every one of those young men and women.  The president said, he felt like a patriarch, because the could tell them something about each one of them, about their talents, what they could do in the future.  Of course the group kept walking, kept marching and when they got to Martin's cove, he sat down on the bench and was just pondering, thinking, taking it all in when the words "President, you know you'll loose some of them", came to him and he wept like he never had before.

He then talked to us about Enoch's witnessing the Savior weep for his children, the workmanship of his hands and the chain that Satan had wrapped around the world. 

At the end of the fireside he pronounced a blessing on the women.

- to the single sisters, that they will have a witness of their self-worth.
- to the mothers in Zion that they will have a larger capacity of love, that their home will be shielded as they immerse themselves in the scriptures, the prophets and prayer.






-to those who have lost loved ones who have been faithful will understand peace in their hearts and in only a short time they will be with the ones they have lost.
 

What a wonderful Stake President! 

Healing the Wounded Soul

The last 2 years have been some of the hardest of my life. I'm used to studying the scriptures- really studying them, digging in, but sad to say I've gone through spurts where I've tried to go it alone, meaning I haven't turned to God as much as I should.  For me studying the scriptures, any of the 4 standard works are helpful bringing in the spirit or teaching me how to respond to life, but The Book of Mormon especially does that.  It even says so in the book!

Jacob 2: 8 And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing ^aword of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul.

Jacob is a VERY righteous man.  In fact he, like many other prophets in the Old and New Testament, The Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price and of course The Book of Mormon had actually SEEN the Savior of the world, even Jesus Christ. (link above brings you to the list of those who have seen and talked to him from all 4 books)


Jacob is talking to his people and wants to give them good news, but he needs to call them to repentance instead of bringing them the the pleasing word of God to feast upon.  This is what he says in vs. 9:

Wherefore, it burdeneth my soul that I should be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I have received from God, to ^aadmonish you according to your crimes, to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds; and those who have not been wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds.

One week I was overwhelmed with my life and everything I needed to do and then everything I wanted to do and I thought maybe I need to cut down on the scripture study and only do it on the weekends.  Oh, what a silly thought!  One night soon after that I read Jacob chapter 2 and realized how wrong I was.  Instead of dropping my scripture reading to almost nothing I need to drop other things.  If anyone needed healing it was me.

Reading the scriptures for me is like being healed.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the Master himself reach out and touch you?   The Book of Mormon can do that. If I'm really immersing myself they do that for me.  I go to bed thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, thankful that I have it,  that I know and understand it.  If for even just a short while my mind is put to rest or brought to higher things, the book has done at least part of what it's suppose to do.   It's done that for me, over and over again.  It could do that for you too. Feast upon the pleasing word of God and let it heal your soul!


Do you want to learn more?  Hop over to Jocelyn's Book of Mormon blog hop and read how the book has helped others! 

Others Posts #1

I'm gonna try something new.  I read a lot of blogs that are really great and I think others need to know about them.  I'll let you know about my favorites once a week.

1. I said a few weeks ago on Facebook, that Pinterest was like doing missionary work if you have non-members that 'follow' you, because they see the LDS ideas you are posting as well as the quotes from church leaders.  We'll Jocelyn over at We talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ had a great idea.  Pictures that lead directly to The Proclamation on the Family.  http://beinglds.blogspot.com/2012/01/family-proclamation-images.html


2. I started reading "the R house" in 2008.  It's a blog about adoption.  Why the interest?  I can't adopt.  I don't have the money and I believe that a child is "entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony"  Children deserve and need  both a mother and a father.  I can't give both.  I have friends who struggle with infertility, who have lost babies.  What draws me is people who like and yet not like my situation want something that is good, that they have planned for their entire lives and yet can't of their own will get it!   Recently this family had a failed placement.  The mom decided to parent.  This post and the one preceding it explains how they dealt with it.  I read it and just sat there and remembered again why I read this blog.  Why I have the connection I do with all families wanting children. They should have them.  More than a single woman should have them. http://www.therhouse.com/disneyland-is-a-magical-place/   (sorry, no fun picture, go there anyway)

3. While I have seen many people parent, mother, etc.  This woman asked for advice and 70 women responded!  Many said "listen to the Spirit" or "follow your motherly intuition".  But others gave books that have helped. Some LDS and other not.  This is her post and the responses.  I also suggest  you read her post on the 20th.  In her career she is replaceable, but as a mother she is not!  http://www.theredheadedhostess.com/most-popular/another-baby-question/

4. The theme for the YW and YM for 2012 is "Arise and Shine Forth".  This lady made wands for the girls.  I thought it was so cute.  If I were a girl I would want one.  http://inkablinka.com/2012/01/arise-and-shine-wands.html 

5. Need ideas for the RS birthday coming up?  Go here:  http://womeninthescriptures.blogspot.com/2012/01/five-things-for-friday-29th-edition.html

6. Mormon mash up: Cold Play and the Priesthood videos watched together!  http://beinglds.blogspot.com/2012/01/mormon-mash-up-cold-play-replay.html

7. When Wilford Woodruff had his vision of the founding fathers who came asking for their temple work to be done, there were others as well.  Wilford called them Eminent. This is about the women.  A painting was recently created and videos about each one.  http://sethadamsmith.blogspot.com/2012/01/eminent-women-of-st-george-temple.html

I think that's a good start, don't you?  There are so many more.  I invite you to peruse the others on my blog list!

How Christ is the Father

Most the Christian world believes in the trinity that states that The Father,The Son and The Holy Ghost are one in essence- with no body- a trinity.  Mormons do not follow Historical Christianity, but Biblical and Revealed Christianity.  We know through prophets who give us revelation through the Lord himself that they are 3 distinct individuals.   The first revelation was to Joseph Smith when he SAW God The Father and his Son Jesus Christ.  As the Father did on the Mount of Transfiguration and at the Baptism of Jesus the Father introduced his Son and let him do the rest of the speaking.

There is no where in the Bible that resembles the doctrine of the trinity.  As I read the New Testament I mark to the side of  the verse, the number 2 and 3, each time separate beings are mentioned.  Try it sometime. You'll be surprised how often it is in there.

Mormons believe and know that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are one in purpose, not in body.  They each have a roll to play.  However there are ways in which the Christ is a Father, our Father and The Book of Mormon explains this.  

Mosiah, a king in The Book Of Mormon explains it this way.  From ch 5:

 7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the ^achildren of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are ^bchanged through faith on his name; therefore, ye are ^cborn of him and have become his ^dsons and his daughters.

We are his children, he is our father through the covenant we make with him.   As we have faith on his name he changes us and we are born of him spiritually.  

Nephi, a prophet early on in the Book of Mormon also teaches us another way how Christ is our Father.  In 2 Nephi 25:

12 But, behold, they shall have ^awars, and rumors of wars; and when the day cometh that the ^bOnly Begotten of the Father, yea, even the Father of heaven and of earth, shall ^cmanifest himself unto them in the flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks.

We know through this and other sacred scripture that the Father had the plan, the blueprint if you will for the creation of the earth, but it was the Savior who carried out the plan and did all the work.  He is the Father of heaven and earth.  Heaven meaning the sky around us. 

I testify that The Book of Mormon is the revealed word of God.  It is scripture.  I have read every word of the book over and over again and I know for myself, it is true!

A Caldwell Christmas

Down town Caldwell Idaho during Christmas

I know this is late, but I wanted to share these pictures I took.  Caldwell is the town to the west of Nampa.  They have a very nice light display.  It's not Temple Square, but it's fun. Mom, Mark, Holly, Willy, Andy, Annie and I went on Christmas Eve to see.  I didn't bring my camera so had to come back.  

A tunnel to go under!

The grapes remind me of the Bellevue Botanical Gardens at Christmas.  

I loved the blue tree with the flag on top.  It's massive!

One of my favorites- the bears decorating the tree!

I loved the variety of colors- purple, pink, red, green, blue, white, yellow, orange. 

It really was something to see! 

I loved the Winnie the Pooh theme too.

You can walk across the bridge.  They had the lights moving in succession so it looked like a waterfall.

l

The reflection on the water was nice too. 

This time I took the dogs, both on a leash and with my camera.  The dogs got the hang of standing still and waiting while I took the picture.  I took the picture of a family in front of the big blue tree and they took mine with the dogs in front of this little snowman. I'll definitely go back next year.

Changing Yokes

I read D&C: 59:23 two nights ago.  

The scripture says this: 

But learn that he who doeth the works of ^arighteousness shall receive his ^breward, even ^cpeace in this world, and ^deternal life in the world to come. 

It caught my eye because of the peace in this world and in the next.  Life is so much easier when we have peace!  One obtains it by doing the works of righteousness!   I think Christ has one title with Righteousness in it. I don't think it can be just "good things" although that surly would make life better than not doing good things, but that's a post for another day.

I followed footnote C to Matthew 11: 28-30.

28 ¶^aCome unto me, all ye that ^blabour and are heavy laden, and I will give you ^crest.

29 Take my ^ayoke upon you, and ^blearn of me; for I am ^cmeek and ^dlowly in ^eheart: and ye shall find ^frest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is ^aeasy, and my burden is light.

Funny- no peace word in there.  What struck me was the word MY.   How many hundreds of times have I read this and I always pictured me in one side of the yoke and inviting the Savior into the other, yet it clearly states that we take HIS yoke upon us.  We completely leave our yoke and get into another one.  A completely different burden! His Yoke is easy.  His Burden is light! Ours are nothing of the sort. 

The vision evokes a complete turn around, a change and a change means repentance and becoming new, getting out of old habits, old ways, etc and going to an easier peaceful life where decisions are simple and one chooses them because it's RIGHT. It screams conversion, commitment, and covenant. A place where commandments were not limiting, but instead freeing. One could dance in a yoke like that!  One lives like that because it's easier in the long run, it's fruit is happiness and PEACE.

If you really think about it- living Christs life in all areas of life would be light, easy, restful.  I think of it in terms of financial right now as that is what is so on my mind, but really it applies to EVERYTHING.  

It would be pleasant carrying a load with Him!

Crafting Episode #1

I saw this and of course Pinned it.  The flowers are felt and it's on wood.  I made a knock off yesterday. 

This one is very inexpensive and I didn't have to roll up felt!  I bought one of those frames that's 1 dollar at Michael's that is in the shape of a heart, then went to the dollar store and bought 3 stems of baby pink roses, cut them off and hot glued them on to the back where the picture goes.   You can't tell it's crackled from the picture but it is some what- not 'cause I tried but because I made a mistake and had to paint it again.  All I need now is pink ribbon, and to paint or mark on welcome, if I decide to do that.  I did this all yesterday!  The ribbon should be a dollar, so it should end up costing me 5 dollars! 

I made one of these also at Christmas time.  No picture, but I gave it to my mom.  She bought herself a Christmas tree for 20$ after the holiday was over, so she'll need bigger ornaments. It's just a ball, glue and epsom salt- easy and inexpensive.  Also a steel from Pinterest. 

This next craft is my own creation- no knock offs here, but there are so many garland ideas and I really wanted to make one.  I was going through the dollar bins at Michaels and they had the cardboard shapes- 5 for a dollar. Shapes were a gingerbread man, a tree and stockings.   I got mine for cheaper due to a coupon, so they were only 70 cents.   I cute and glued Christmas scrapbook paper to them, then with my coupon bought red vinyl letters, then bells for the top of them, so they make noise, and ribbon tied in between.  It was hard to figure out how to do the bells, where to put the ribbon and how to get the thread in.  I had that old fashioned twine, but it didn't work, but mustard yellow yarn did the trick.  My mom helped me for a few hours with the stringing up.  We put it up in her house, but I took them home.  If you buy everything with a coupon it's very affordable.  Does Michaels know what you can do with these?  Maybe I should tell them!

I love crafting! 

Counseling Again

I'm going to counseling again.  Yesterday was my first visit with Jason (ironic-no?).  He's been practicing for 18 years, is LDS and has lived in Olympia Washington, so he feels my pain with the whole Idaho is pathetic thing.

I've been to counseling a lot.

I went twice at Ricks with a different counselor each time, each year.  I'm a firm believer that everyone in college should  take advantage of the free counseling if they need to.  Everyone has 'ghosts' 

I even went on my mission a few times.

Then USU, I went to a group session which was good and saw a few other counselors too for a short while.

I went to this volunteer retired so called counselor through LDS Social Services while in CA.  He'd fall asleep and really didn't help at all.  Jason told me the 'counselors' at the above mentioned place are social workers, not counselors.  There is a difference!

I went a few times while living in WA twice to different counselors.  I wish I would of gone to more, especially when after the whole Eric V episode.  It took me a year and a half to get that out of my system.  The first year I'd go over and over it in my head daily and multiple times.   The last six months It was more random, not every day.  I wondered last night how my life would of been different had I found professional help.  Maybe I would of been told that Prozac only works 10 years, not 17 and the next few years would of been completely different.  Maybe I wouldn't of made the same mistakes I made ten years later.

While I was married I saw 2 different counselors specifically for me.  Another male counselor was there for Jason too and I came with.  Jason met with all of the women  that I met with at least once.  However counseling with him didn't work.

Then a saw a woman through the Nampa Family Justice Center.  She wasn't LDS and had all these false ideas about Mormon men being controlling. (Huge EYE ROLL)  She wasn't very nurturing.
I even went to a "pattern changing" class that was helpful with other women in unhealthy relationships.

I'm glad to be seeing Jason.  I believe I've got the right person.  He's going to help me 'reclaim my life'.  He gave me the straight talk I needed.

A Living Church

Last SundayI had such a great experience and I wanted to share it here.  I was so excited that I got to keep my bishop and stay in the same ward. To me it meant that the Lord is aware of me and what I need. I felt the spirit and I was thrilled with the meeting.  I can't do it justice especially a week later, but it was awesome, so here goes: 

 A few wards got together and had sacrament meeting, a few speakers to prepare us for the changes and then the changes. The opening song was "I'll go where you want me to go".  Everyone chuckled when that was announced.  A new ward was created.  (A ward is a geographical area of a congregation.)  To prepare us for the changes a talk was given about the difference between The Lords church and other churches and how they run.


The speaker spoke about a very good friend of his who is a minister of another faith.  It's his profession and he competes with other ministers.  He's worried about getting fired and loosing his pension, he walks a doctrinal tight rope.  He had to go soft of doctrine for the younger crowd who wore jeans and baseball caps to church and be  more flamboyant too.  The older membership who wore Sunday best wanted him to get doctrinally tougher. He had to find people to come to church- he had to "enroll" people, do fund raisers, and keep everyone happy, etc.

This was all shared with us to remind us how the true church is organized and ran.  In the Lords church the doctrine does not change. His house is a house of order.  D&C 132:8.  The hard and fast doctrine in the handbook says that THE FAMILY is the most important unit of church now and in eternity.

Twin Falls in the last few years:  The South stake awas created and 4 new chapels were built. The Stake President has a Bishop he loves.  The worlds way would be to shop around, but we all have one bishop and one stake president.  One point man, one spiritual leader with clear boundaries in geographical areas.  They do not have to worry about fund raising, having others join or keeping people happy.  All of us are with in a 5 min drive of 4 church buildings. 

In Germany a congregation meet in a dance hall and came early to clean up the boose and garbage left there. When the missionary came, who is now in the stake presidency here, who could play the piano the members cried.  The piano was out of tune and some keys didn't work and the player was marginal, but the members cried.  What about Montana and Maine?  The same thing happens there. The doctrines of the kingdom are taught.

The wards here are long and narrow running north to south. The wards are equal in high priest, the elderly, youth, sisters, etc.  If the needs of the saints aren't being met it's the bishops burden.  Some wards have been up to 5 to 6 hundred in membership.  They should be around 350.

The bishop has a lot of duties:

• All callings in the Aaronic Priesthood
• He's the president of the priest quorum
• He is responsible for the $ in the ward
• He's responsible for the missionary work
• He's a Sheppard
• He's a judge in Israel. 

But his most important job is to be there for the saints when they need him.

Everyone needs a friend, to give service, and to be nourished in the good word of God and that doesn't always happen in a large ward.  A ward needs to have at least 300 members, have 15 active Melchizedek priesthood holders that are full tithe payers.  The presidency worked on rearranging thy boundaries for some time.  They tried it by age, income, youth,  and they crunched the numbers, created many boundaries, then prayed and went to the temple.

Once they have it decided they send the maps and an application to the area authority of the 70.  Then the 7 presidents of the 70.  They look to see if the guidelines were met.  This stake made a the wards above the minimum guidelines and because all the wards were so close in numbers they received a letter giving them the OK to make the change.  The Lynnwood ward was created and this process included realigning the nearby stake and so the first presidency had to be sign that OK.

All 15 Stakes within the temple district are experiencing growth, and there were 3 stakes who had members attending the wrong ward and sometimes the wrong stake.  Those Stakes are Jerome, Kimberly and the South Twin Falls Stake. Everything has been corrected.

What was so wonderful about the mtg was he released collectively those who would be attending another ward.  He had the members of each ward stand up, so we could all see who we would be loosing or gaining.  Today in church we learned that the first ward needed to fill 35 positions.  We got quite a bit of new members who are mostly retired  and at least 3 of the men had been bishops in the past.   What was really nice was that I could feel the spirit- even at a reorganization mtg.  I'm reminded of other reorganization mtgs I've attended in the past and there again I felt the spirit.  The church is led by revelation, not the desires of men. The closing song was "God be with you till we meet again". 


To read more about the doctrine of a TRUE and LIVING CHURCH, From Elder Oaks go here.
From Elder Eyring go here.
To read a response to an Evangelical Christian about the need for continuing revelation go here.

Happy New Year 2012

I decided to keep the name of my blog.  I thought for a moment today to change it to something totally different than the options I gave because it was a new year and hopefully a new day for me, but.... For now its sticks.

In accordance with my posts about allternatives to new years resolutions, here is what I've decided to do:

Miracles: 

A.  a temple marriage for me

B.  A family (babies) 

C.  My nephews and niece who have lost their way to gain a testimony if lost and reorder their life in accordance to gospel truth.  AKA:  get their butts to church! 

D.  Get out of debt completely!

I remind the reader and myself that these are suppose to be miracles- the impossible!

A Word:  "Seek"

A Phrase: If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, I seek after these things.

2011 Accomplishments: 

obtained a job within 2 weeks of moving to Nampa Idaho

obtained a much higher paying job in Twin Falls after looking for months

Made friends with neighbors in Nampa

Took a family to church and helped them learn about the gospel and even did a little marriage counseling 

Added a temple to my list of one visited and done work in

Went to a 'Pattern Changing" class and learned about boundaries and rights

Shopped at a lot of thrift stores 

Kept my dogs Parker and Coco

Started reading The Book of Mormon again

Continue to maintain long distance friendships 

Continue to offer help to others via knowledge and random acts of kindness as they come up.
Participated in The Book of Mormon Forum

Maybe it doesn't sound so unique or special, but it is what it is and who knows maybe to the Lord some of them were great things and I'll see that in the next life.

Thank you to all my friends and family who so lovingly helped me with emotional support and money over the last 8 months.  I couldn't of done it with out you! 

The tragedy of life doesn't lie 

in not reaching your goal.  

The tragedy lies in having 

no goal to reach. 

-Benjamin Mays  

“The Book of Mormon is the best guide to learn how well we are doing and how to do better. . . . The doctrine and the valiant examples in that book will lift, guide, and embolden you.  . 

- Henry B. Eyring