Saturday and Sunday, August 24-25th - catchup and sunday at Pinetop

Saturday was catch-up day....Mounds and mounds of dirty clothes to wash, groceries to buy and emails to catch up on, etc., but it was nice being back.

Sunday, August 25, We attended Pinetop Ward today, because after church Bishop Sabela was going to let us in the room where they have the extra wheelchairs from a former wheelchair distribution. Elder Kyle has requests from a few more people for wheelchairs, so he is trying to find some we can give them.

In sacrament meeting the first speaker talked about the importance of priesthood in the ordinance of baptism and the importance of John the Baptist restoring the Aaronic Priesthood authority to baptize to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry and how they baptized each other afterwards. He talked about the different duties of the deacons, teachers and priests of the Aaronic Priesthood and bore his testimony that he knew this priesthood is from God and that all Priesthood was restored through Joseph Smith.
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The second speaker talked about how he was converted by missionaries that he considers his heroes. he said he would talk about his conversion story later. He then talked about how we need Mormon Pioneers today...about how faith motivated early pioneers to leave home, material possessions and family to seek Zion. Many finally reached Navoo, only to have to leave again as the mobs chased them out of Navoo. So, they started their untamed trip across the country to find Zion again. He said as he was reading about the early day pioneers, he found himself thinking, "What am I doing to be a Mormon Pioneer today?" As he thought about how we remember these early pioneers, he couldn't help wondering what he was going to leave behind for future generations to remember that would help them think of him as a pioneer. He continued say that with today's challenges, can we use that pioneer spirit to guide us away from all the dangers. Time changes, but truth persists. A pioneer is one who opens up the way for others to follow. There is so much work for us to do...are we steadfast? Do we keep going in faith? Are we obedient, being pioneers to other people? It is not easy to become world pioneers, but we can do it as they did. We can pave the way for future generations by being valiant now, by keeping our faith strong, following the commandments and teaching others the Gospel. We are the pioneers to our grandchildren, our great grandchildren and all those we come in contact with. Let's leave them a pioneer legacy of faith, obedience and love for the Gospel. (He then closed with his testimony, but forgot to tell his conversion story that he said he would tell at the beginning of his talk...I was bummed).
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The final speaker, a woman, asked the question, "Have I completed the Work that Thou hast given me to do?" She said there were three questions that would determine the answer to the question: 1. Are you contributing or detracting from the Spirit of unity in your home? 2. Are you living your life in harmony with the Spirit of the Holy Ghost? 3. Are you willing to consecrate your life and your means for God? Consecrate means to make sacred, sanctify or set aside for a greater purpose. Remember the poor in all things. We receive everything from the Lord, so everything we have belongs to Him. Why would we want to live this law? "If thou lovest me, thou shalt serve me." Joseph Smith said that a religion that does not require sacrifice of all things does not have the ability to survive this world. Anciently they sacrificed animals to show their dedication to God. We take the sacrament each Sunday to renew our covenants at baptism of a broken heart and contrite spirit, regarding any of the sins we've committed. In 1989 Henry Eyring gave a talk about a group of members in Audville 1870-1871 that tried to live the united order. They started out with nothing, but eventually grew and made everything they needed and sold the surplus to purchase other items. There were about 700 people and 150 of them had nothing. The others gave of their own surplus to help these people, gave them land and made sure they that all their temporal needs were taken care of. This worked great until the railroad came and the people forgot about living in poverty. They started being jealous of those who had more and their consecrated town did not survive. They forgot that they came into the world with nothing and started thinking about what they didn't have. Tithing allows us to live in a higher order, by freely giving one tenth of our earnings to the church. We reject the blessings of the Lord when we do not pay tithing. The law of consecration is a celestial law, the law of tithing is a preparatory law. She said that her mother talked about neighbors always taking care of their home when they were gone for several days at a time. They watched out for things at their home that needed tending, for garbage that needed to be taken out, etc. This was like living the law of consecration, where we all take care of each other and no man is more important than another; However, we cannot be forced to live a celestial law.

The time is coming when every man will love his neighbor as himself and living the law of consecration will be as natural as breathing. Is your life in harmony with the Holy Ghost? Would you be willing to sacrifice anything for the Kingdom of God? Are you able to live the preparatory law of paying tithing? If you cannot live that law, then you cannot live the celestial law when the time comes. "In my own life, I have seen the blessings of paying tithing. When we do this, the windows of heaven are unlocked and blessings pour down upon us. We may not be ready for the law of consecration, but we can learn to prepare ourselves for when we reach that higher level of understanding, so we will not have to say, "But that is too much to ask of me, Lord."
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Then a member of the bishopric stood up and said that he wanted to express his condolences to a family in the ward who just lost a loved one. He was very sweet and looked directly at the family while he spoke with compassion in his eyes. He told them that although losing a loved one is difficult there is a sweet comfort that comes with the Spirit letting us know that Christ conquered death and we will do the same.

He then read the hymn, "Be Still My Soul": Be still my soul: The Lord is on thy side. With patience bear the cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide. In every change the faithful will remain. Be still my soul: thy best, thy heavenly friend. Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end. Be still my soul: Thy God doth undertake, to guide the future as he has the past. Thy confidence let nothing shake. All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still my soul: The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below. Be still my soul: The hour is hastening on when we shall be forever with the Lord...when disappointments, grief and fear are gone...sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored. Be still my soul: When change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

I was so impressed with this guy. He read the words to that song and you knew that he felt them and that the family felt them too. Very sweet.
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Then this same member of the Bishopric taught Gospel Doctrine. The lesson was on eternal marriage. We read D&C 131: 1-32 which spells it all out...that if we want to achieve the highest kingdom, we must be married in the temple. We cannot progress if we do not do it.  He also said that everyone who remains faithful will not be denied an eternal marriage. He went on to say: Companions who are married in the temple have an eternal perspective that helps us as a family. It gives us the wonderful blessing of drawing closer to each other, our children and the Lord. The Lord wants us to increase to that level. He has heard some say that they will be satisfied to be administering angels for eternity, that they will never be able to achieve this perfection as a couple. The Lord would be disappointed that we set our sights so low.

Some mock us for saying that we can become Gods, but why would it be so hard to understand that our Father in Heaven wants us to have everything that he has? It is Satan that tells us we are not good enough. He told a story of a woman who said: "When she first got married I thought the first ten years would be bliss, but we had to get used to each other. Some nights I would cry into my pillow. It was so hard to live on another's schedule." He asked who we thought might have said that. Someone in the class said, "Sister Hinkley" and she was right. He talked about being sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise and asked what that means. It means that the Holy Ghost will confirm that it is accepted here and in Heaven whenever it is performed in a temple by a person with authority who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood. Some come forth the morning of the First Resurrection. What does that mean? When the Savior comes again to this world, those who passed away before he comes and have been faithful will arise and be resurrected. Your patriarchal blessing usually promises this. A lady in the class, Sister Joan, said that her non member daughter did not understand why she was going to do work for her father who had died. She needed the daughter's permission to do it. The daughter asked why she was doing these weird things that are not in the Bible. Joan told her to look at a scripture in Corinthians and then to call her back. She did so and when she called back told her it was okay to do it. She said she never realized that was in the Bible. The teacher said that he was talking to his oldest son the other day about what career he was thinking of pursuing. His son didn't think it was important to worry about a career, but his dad said that it would be important for his future wife and family. His son then said, "Aw dad, guys don't think like that anymore about having wives and family...marriage just isn't that special." Boyd K. Packer said the ultimate purpose of what we teach is that eternal marriages lead to achieving a higher celestial glory. Joseph Smith said that it is a covenant that is ordained to be everlasting.

He then told of when his parents were visited in Zambia by two missionaries from Canada and Utah. They baptized his mom and dad. It all started when a rugby player friend invited his parents to church. He was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in the church. In 1978, his parents and he (age 8) his two brothers (age 5 and 12) flew to London to be sealed in the London temple. He talked about how as a child going from the bush to the lush grounds of the London Temple was eye popping. He remembers mom and dad doing their work in the temple while he and his brothers waited with these nice ladies in another room. The ladies dressed them in white and then took them to the sealing room to their parents. He said that he remembered thinking that his mom and dad looked like a king and queen, as they knelt and were sealed as a family for time and all eternity. He said his father died and his mom remarried, but he has faith that they will all be together again. The teachings of Jesus Christ tell us how special family is regardless of what the world tells us. He talked about a young man and woman who had been in the church two years, and wanted to get married in the temple. Both feel great about it and look forward to life together. They now have a different view of marriage. There is still the Labola issue, but they know that they will not live together like most couples do until the Labola issue is solved. They have an ultimate goal in mind.
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The Relief Society lesson was taught by the pretty woman in the photo. She was teaching from a talk given by Richard G Scott, "Peace of Home." She started with the question, "Do we do all we can to make Jesus Christ the centerpiece of our home?" She then asked the group whose responsibility it was to create peace in their homes. Everyone seemed to agree that it was the wife's responsibility. The teacher reminded them that they also needed to teach accountability to their children for keeping their homes at peace...to instill responsibility to learn skills, study the scriptures and learn patience. Love and teach them, so they can be ready when they get their own homes. Hold them accountable for their actions and teach them to independently think for themselves, to make good decisions and be self reliant in all aspects of their lives. Teach them to be confident in themselves. To do this, all you have to do is use the fundamental principles that we've been taught: Family scripture study and prayer, family home evening, being a good example, performing service for others, and another sister contributed eating dinner as a family and asking the children how their day went.

She read: Alma 47:18 And it came to pass that Amalickiah caused that one of his servants should administer poison by degrees to Lehonti, that he died."
She then said, 'Evil does not come by boxes, but by bits and pieces. Be careful, even when it comes in a glamorous box. It is still evil."

One of the ladies asked what to do when trying to get all the children ready for church or family home evening and one child will not participate?

Another lady chimed in that she was born in the church and her mother never forced the children to go to church. She is the only one in her family that still goes to church. This started a discussion about children having free agency to make their own decisions and if they decide not to go to church, after hearing the consequences, that is their right. Another woman said that her son was forced to go to church and now is inactive and told her she was the cause for making him go to church.

This got everyone going about whether you should or should not make your kids go to church. Then whether you should spank your children or not, etc. It was wild. The woman that was saying it is okay to spank your children quoted a scripture about Christ becoming angry that people were selling items in the temple and overturned the tables. The woman who spoke in sacrament meeting said, "Oh, every black woman that I know quotes that scripture when she gets angry and spanks her children. That is not what he meant. Everyone laughed...just good-natured arguments.

The teacher continued (or tried to). Trust in the Lord to take care of straying loved ones. Sometimes that is all we can do...plus love and support them.

She said to be obedient to what the prophet tells us. Little things can lead to big problems and bad examples for our children. Think of ways to make FHE more interesting. Go with the flow. If you have a child that only wants to play video games, let the family plan an evening of video games after a short gospel message. Find ways to engage them in the process. Do a lesson on the purpose of Family Home Evening. Plan a home evening of service. Teaching children to serve others and then being an example of serving others is the best thing you can do for your child.

When we obey what it says in the Liahona on page 33 about Righteous Role Models, our home will become a strength and peace to combat the outside world, for not only our own children, but for other children that visit our home. Others may ask how you have the Spirit of Peace in your home (for they can feel it) and it will become a missionary tool. Home should be like the Temple, a place where the Holy Spirit dwells and feels edified. As we live righteously in our homes we will be give power to do more than we can do for ourselves.  Peace at home creates love and unity.

This photo is of the tall woman who conducted RS and the teacher. They were both really nice and funny. I was sorry the photo came out blurred. They are such pretty women.



Bishop Sabela was not there and no one had a key for the room where the wheelchairs were so we had to set up another time to go take a look at them. We went home and read scriptures and church magazines and books and enjoyed a nice peaceful day.