**Journaling post - something I just wanted to jot down to remember.**
There is this sweet, sweet lady in my ward that I've really come to respect & love over the past year. She's the Family History Leader in our ward & has taught me A TON!! I love family history & couldn't have asked for a better teacher. She has such a strong testimony of this work & you would not believe the amount of work she has done & the stories she can tell!
We were talking today {she always has some wonderful insight to share with me} about trials. She's had a fair share of trials in her life & we were just talking about kids in general. We were also talking about loved ones we know going through difficult times. I expressed concern for someone I know going through some rather difficult times right now. Well, this dear woman always knows the right thing to say!
She told me she was just talking with one of her daughters about this same subject & that she's decided that those with difficult trials are on the balancing line, so to speak. Everyone has trials & life is hard. Some really do get handed some really hard things, though. These trials make you stronger. We all know that. But, stronger for what? She told me her theory was that they make you stronger to know which side you're on.
For some reason this made total sense to me. Something that is common sense if you think about it, but it struck me. This is something I really needed my specific loved one to hear. Trials make you stronger, yes. They challenge you to decide beyond a reasonable doubt which side you'll be on in the last days. Could you really be strong enough to stand up for what's right without gaining the strength to do so from your trials? This sister told me - she's had her trials. She's done her duty & she knows without a doubt which side she's on.
Through tough times we should all remember that we're becoming stronger. Sure it's hard & flat out sucks at times, but in the end, we'll know what side we truly stand on. If the opportunity arises to stand for the truth against something extremely difficult - will we have the strength to fight for what's right? Will we know what side of the fence we're on?
Showing posts with label inspirational. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspirational. Show all posts
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
J&E BAPTISM PART 3
**Again, if you haven't read PART 1 & PART 2 below - you'll want to before reading this. Otherwise it just might not make sense! ;)**
I can't believe I forgot one of the cutest parts of the baptism! Jill spoke at her own baptism. How cool is that?! Especially considering that she gets as nervous as me & the room was packed. She was so cute! She said she was so worried & kept telling the Elders, "What if I don't feel anything?" Then, she said, "I can now say 'I'm so excited!'" It was perfect!
She then spoke about how there was a time in her life that she did't believe in a God at all & how that was a very dark time in her life. The first time she felt the spirit was when Elliot was 2 & needed an operation & she was terrified. My Dad & Jeremy came over to give him a blessing & Jill felt an overwhelming peace come over her. She said she felt that same calmness everytime she came into one of our homes in our family.
She also felt the spirit at my brothers funeral. The song "If You Could Hie To Kolob" was sung & she was moved by the words "There is no death above". My Uncle Jeff gave a talk about the Plan of Salvation & that also made an impact on her & raised a lot of questions for her.
She said how the spirit kept knocking on her door & she chose to keep ignoring it until she knew she couldn't ignore it anymore. Now she's excited to start this new chapter of her life. She's truly remarkable, I love her dearly & I'm lucky to have her as part of my family!
I can't believe I forgot one of the cutest parts of the baptism! Jill spoke at her own baptism. How cool is that?! Especially considering that she gets as nervous as me & the room was packed. She was so cute! She said she was so worried & kept telling the Elders, "What if I don't feel anything?" Then, she said, "I can now say 'I'm so excited!'" It was perfect!
She then spoke about how there was a time in her life that she did't believe in a God at all & how that was a very dark time in her life. The first time she felt the spirit was when Elliot was 2 & needed an operation & she was terrified. My Dad & Jeremy came over to give him a blessing & Jill felt an overwhelming peace come over her. She said she felt that same calmness everytime she came into one of our homes in our family.
She also felt the spirit at my brothers funeral. The song "If You Could Hie To Kolob" was sung & she was moved by the words "There is no death above". My Uncle Jeff gave a talk about the Plan of Salvation & that also made an impact on her & raised a lot of questions for her.
She said how the spirit kept knocking on her door & she chose to keep ignoring it until she knew she couldn't ignore it anymore. Now she's excited to start this new chapter of her life. She's truly remarkable, I love her dearly & I'm lucky to have her as part of my family!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
J&E BAPTISM PART 2
Now it's on to the baptism! If you haven't read PART 1 below you probably want to before reading this.
About an hour before the baptism Jill's friend Dawn from work came to the house to meet us. She's actually the one that got the missionaries over to Jill's house. She's a lot of fun & seems like a great friend for Jill to have. Dawn has a 13 year old daughter that we were able to meet as well named Jackie. Jackie watches Elliot every Saturday while Jill's at work. Here's a photo of J&E with Dawn as well as Elder Okerlund on the left & Elder Panek on the right.
We followed Dawn to the stake center & then Mimi got a phone call as we were walking into the room where the baptism was being held. She answers her phone & I can hear a baby crying - a brand new baby! My sister-in-law Ruth had just had little Daven Michael Hallows a few minutes before that. She was 3 weeks early so I was a little nervous listening to the call & kept asking if everything was ok. Both baby & Mom were wonderful. Congrats to Sam & Ruth!!
Once in the room it was time for J&E to get dressed. As well as my Dad.
Elliot was so excited to get in the water he could hardly contain himself. He kept asking if it was time yet. We sat in the front row with J&E. I was amazed at how many people kept coming in. It was standing room only. It was amazing to see the support from members of the stake, ward & friends that came. Honestly, it helped put my mind at ease that they were going to be so far away from us & any other family. I now know that they will be in good hands & feel good about it. The Elders said they received a call a few hours before from their Mission Pres. (Pres. Pfile) & that he was now rearranging his schedule because he really wanted to come. I asked them if it was normal for their Pres. to come to a baptism & they said no. INCREDIBLE!! The Stake President was their, as well as a high council member. (The High Council member, it turned out, was from Arizona & was in the Bishopric when I was a baby. Crazy!)
My Dad gave a talk on Baptism. He, of course, was great. Then it was time for the Baptism. J&E started to walk in the water & my Dad told Elliot to stand on the stairs & let his Mom go first. Elliot giggled the whole time his Mom was going under the water. It was so cute. He was more than ready when it was his turn. He came towards Papa (my Dad) with welcome hands ready to go. He did take a few moments to look around at everyone watching him. He actually looked around & once he saw me & Mimi he focused on what he was doing. I like to think he was making sure we were watching, but who knows! ;) He coughed a little bit as he came up, but did a great job. Then, it was off to dress. Mimi went into the dressing room to help Jill for a minute & I stayed out.
During the dressing time Elder Okerlund spoke. He told the story of how they found Jill. They went into a Walgreen's to get something. They needed to break up a $20, so they went to the bank next door to do so. It just happened to be the bank that Jill worked at. Once they walked in a lady yelled across the bank, "Hey! I can help you boys over here!" They said it was so loud it was hilarious. Then, another lady (Jill's friend Dawn) ran up to them asking if they were the Elder's for that area. They said yes & she said good - I have a referral for you & it was Jill.
Jill's friend Kim Whitcomb spoke next on the Holy Ghost. Then it was time for the confirmation's. Let me just say, they were beautiful! My Dad blessed Jill to remain strong & to be worthy to attend the temple in a year. Also to be able to make good decisions about some things going on in her life right now & to be a great comfort & support to Elliot.
Elliot's blessing was amazing! (Geez - how many times have I said that word now?! There's just no words to describe how awesome everything truly was in person!!) Not to mention the fact who was in his circle. My Dad, the Bishopric Counselors, Ward Mission Leader, Stake President, the Elders & the Mission President. How cool is that?
He was blessed that he would be able to overcome his mortal afflictions. Also, that he would receive the Aaronic & Melchezidech priesthood. As well as serve a full time mission.
At this point I was sobbing. That was music to my ears. What a wonderful thing to hear for this sweet young boy. When it was over there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Everyone their felt the amazing spirit & the spirit of this special little boy.
In fact, I'm getting upset with myself that I'm not a better writer. It was such an amazing experience & I'm just not doing it any justice.
When the Primary President stood up to welcome Elliot to Primary things got a little silly for a minute. She welcomed Elliot & he in his cute little voice said, "I don't need to go, no thank you." We were dying!! He's had a lot of changes in his life the last little while & is a little nervous sometimes. He had told us earlier that he thinks he'll get lost from his Mom while he's in their. The Pres. just told him not to worry & come whenever you feel comfortable. He said, "But, I might get lost from my Mom." She said that his Mom would be next door to him. Then he said, "But, I was in their FOREVER!" It was so cute!
I'm sure he'll warm up to Primary quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if Jill receives a calling in Primary to be near him for awhile. She's aware of that possibility as well & is fine with that. She's always more than happy to do whatever is best for Elliot.
What amazed me is the overwhelming spirit their. The Mission Leader that conducted & the Bishopric Counselor that presided were in tears throughout as well. The counselor that welcomed them to the ward said he had a special spot in his heart for Elliot since he himself has an autistic son. Again, this ward was ready for J&E. They have 4 other autistic children in the ward, so they are well prepared. When it was over I had a member of their ward come up to me & say what an incredible baptism that was & that he's never been to one that powerful before. He said, "I don't know about you, but it felt like the Heavens were open. Like there were a lot of people wanting to see from the other side." Little did he know how many we do have on the other side. Especially Michael.
I will never forget this amazing weekend. The spirit that was felt throughout the entire trip was unreal. I'm still in awe at how unbelievable it all was. Again, there's just no words to describe, but I hope you can understand how special it was. I kept thinking of Michael during the baptism & imagining him kiss my cheek like he did on my birthday years ago. I'm sure he was their to support his son & I'm sure he was delighted. He would have been so proud of the beautiful spirit his son is. You can't deny how special he is once you've spent any amount of time with him!
About an hour before the baptism Jill's friend Dawn from work came to the house to meet us. She's actually the one that got the missionaries over to Jill's house. She's a lot of fun & seems like a great friend for Jill to have. Dawn has a 13 year old daughter that we were able to meet as well named Jackie. Jackie watches Elliot every Saturday while Jill's at work. Here's a photo of J&E with Dawn as well as Elder Okerlund on the left & Elder Panek on the right.
We followed Dawn to the stake center & then Mimi got a phone call as we were walking into the room where the baptism was being held. She answers her phone & I can hear a baby crying - a brand new baby! My sister-in-law Ruth had just had little Daven Michael Hallows a few minutes before that. She was 3 weeks early so I was a little nervous listening to the call & kept asking if everything was ok. Both baby & Mom were wonderful. Congrats to Sam & Ruth!!
Once in the room it was time for J&E to get dressed. As well as my Dad.
Elliot was so excited to get in the water he could hardly contain himself. He kept asking if it was time yet. We sat in the front row with J&E. I was amazed at how many people kept coming in. It was standing room only. It was amazing to see the support from members of the stake, ward & friends that came. Honestly, it helped put my mind at ease that they were going to be so far away from us & any other family. I now know that they will be in good hands & feel good about it. The Elders said they received a call a few hours before from their Mission Pres. (Pres. Pfile) & that he was now rearranging his schedule because he really wanted to come. I asked them if it was normal for their Pres. to come to a baptism & they said no. INCREDIBLE!! The Stake President was their, as well as a high council member. (The High Council member, it turned out, was from Arizona & was in the Bishopric when I was a baby. Crazy!)
My Dad gave a talk on Baptism. He, of course, was great. Then it was time for the Baptism. J&E started to walk in the water & my Dad told Elliot to stand on the stairs & let his Mom go first. Elliot giggled the whole time his Mom was going under the water. It was so cute. He was more than ready when it was his turn. He came towards Papa (my Dad) with welcome hands ready to go. He did take a few moments to look around at everyone watching him. He actually looked around & once he saw me & Mimi he focused on what he was doing. I like to think he was making sure we were watching, but who knows! ;) He coughed a little bit as he came up, but did a great job. Then, it was off to dress. Mimi went into the dressing room to help Jill for a minute & I stayed out.
During the dressing time Elder Okerlund spoke. He told the story of how they found Jill. They went into a Walgreen's to get something. They needed to break up a $20, so they went to the bank next door to do so. It just happened to be the bank that Jill worked at. Once they walked in a lady yelled across the bank, "Hey! I can help you boys over here!" They said it was so loud it was hilarious. Then, another lady (Jill's friend Dawn) ran up to them asking if they were the Elder's for that area. They said yes & she said good - I have a referral for you & it was Jill.
Jill's friend Kim Whitcomb spoke next on the Holy Ghost. Then it was time for the confirmation's. Let me just say, they were beautiful! My Dad blessed Jill to remain strong & to be worthy to attend the temple in a year. Also to be able to make good decisions about some things going on in her life right now & to be a great comfort & support to Elliot.
Elliot's blessing was amazing! (Geez - how many times have I said that word now?! There's just no words to describe how awesome everything truly was in person!!) Not to mention the fact who was in his circle. My Dad, the Bishopric Counselors, Ward Mission Leader, Stake President, the Elders & the Mission President. How cool is that?
He was blessed that he would be able to overcome his mortal afflictions. Also, that he would receive the Aaronic & Melchezidech priesthood. As well as serve a full time mission.
At this point I was sobbing. That was music to my ears. What a wonderful thing to hear for this sweet young boy. When it was over there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Everyone their felt the amazing spirit & the spirit of this special little boy.
In fact, I'm getting upset with myself that I'm not a better writer. It was such an amazing experience & I'm just not doing it any justice.
When the Primary President stood up to welcome Elliot to Primary things got a little silly for a minute. She welcomed Elliot & he in his cute little voice said, "I don't need to go, no thank you." We were dying!! He's had a lot of changes in his life the last little while & is a little nervous sometimes. He had told us earlier that he thinks he'll get lost from his Mom while he's in their. The Pres. just told him not to worry & come whenever you feel comfortable. He said, "But, I might get lost from my Mom." She said that his Mom would be next door to him. Then he said, "But, I was in their FOREVER!" It was so cute!
I'm sure he'll warm up to Primary quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if Jill receives a calling in Primary to be near him for awhile. She's aware of that possibility as well & is fine with that. She's always more than happy to do whatever is best for Elliot.
What amazed me is the overwhelming spirit their. The Mission Leader that conducted & the Bishopric Counselor that presided were in tears throughout as well. The counselor that welcomed them to the ward said he had a special spot in his heart for Elliot since he himself has an autistic son. Again, this ward was ready for J&E. They have 4 other autistic children in the ward, so they are well prepared. When it was over I had a member of their ward come up to me & say what an incredible baptism that was & that he's never been to one that powerful before. He said, "I don't know about you, but it felt like the Heavens were open. Like there were a lot of people wanting to see from the other side." Little did he know how many we do have on the other side. Especially Michael.
I will never forget this amazing weekend. The spirit that was felt throughout the entire trip was unreal. I'm still in awe at how unbelievable it all was. Again, there's just no words to describe, but I hope you can understand how special it was. I kept thinking of Michael during the baptism & imagining him kiss my cheek like he did on my birthday years ago. I'm sure he was their to support his son & I'm sure he was delighted. He would have been so proud of the beautiful spirit his son is. You can't deny how special he is once you've spent any amount of time with him!
J&E BAPTISM PART 1
This will be the first of a few long posts, so consider yourself warned! ;) This is for all the family that wasn't able to attend & especially my Mom!
**So that the story will make some sense in parts I need to give some background on my sweet nephew Elliot. He will be 9 in June & is by far the sweetest boy I know. I'd have to say He's even sweeter than my nephew Carter who can make your heart melt in an instant! Elliot is Autistic & is very loving. He is high functioning & progressing at a great rate. He also has Juvenile Diabetes & handles it very well.**
This past weekend I had the opportunity & pleasure to attend the baptism of Jill & Elliot. Jill was married to my brother Michael & Elliot is his son. Even though Jill & Michael were divorced I still consider her my sister-in-law. Dear little Elliot is now all I have of my brother in this life & he reminds me of all the good that my brother Michael had in him. (If you don't know the Michael story & care to know just click on the Michael link below.) Now, let's start the story from the beginning.
Once upon a time... (about 2 weeks ago)
I received a phone call from Mignon (Mimi) asking me if I felt like going on a road trip. I thought that was really strange. A road trip with just me, my Dad & Mimi. Well, ok! Of course, count me in! But, why? It was then that Mignon informed me, with many tears, that we'd be heading to Colorado Springs to attend the baptism of Jill & Elliot. With a choked up voice I replied - "Are you kidding?!?!" It was a remarkable thing to hear! This was something we have been waiting years to hear! A very exciting time for our family!!
Luckily my husband was very supportive of me leaving for 4 days & knew how important it was for me & how important it was to me to be their. There was no question about me going & I can never be thankful enough that I was able to attend this amazing event!
FRIDAY - We drove all day - 13 hours. It went by fairly quickly & wasn't a bad drive at all. Don't ask my Dad that though, since he drove the whole time & Mimi & I watched movies the whole time!! ;) We arrived at J&E's home around 11:30pm. Look how cute this part of her front room is...
Elliot was still awake watching "Horton Hears a Who" & greeted us with welcome arms. Then, it was time for bed.
SATURDAY - We woke up & went to breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. Elliot thought it was great to go to Mimi's Cafe with Mimi! After breakfast Elliot was dying to show us the animals at PetCity in the mall where we found these sweet love birds...
He really wanted to go to PetsMart, but thought the mall would be ok as well. Wal-Mart was next on the agenda to get some food for the weekend.
In the afternoon on Saturday the Elders came along with the District Leader who needed to interview Jill before the baptism.
While Jill was in her interview one of the Elders sat on the floor with Elliot drawing pictures. He told us that they have been drawing out all the discussions for Elliot. Elder Okerlund drew out the First Vision & talked to Elliot about that. Then, he drew the Pre-Existence with dotted figures since we didn't have bodies yet. He had Elliot draw Heavenly Father & Jesus & he knew that they weren't dotted because they had bodies. The way this Elder interacted with Elliot was just amazing. I was so impressed & knew that these Elders were hand picked for J&E.
We spent the rest of the day hanging out, talking & watching YouTube videos. We showed Jill a slideshow of the Reflections of Christ videos & she was extremely touched. She was telling us how she's never been a crier, but now she can't seem to hold it in. She also is very aware that it's the spirit speaking to her.
SUNDAY - Church was bright & early - 8:30am.
(Don't you love how my Dad & Elliot are making the same face?!) We were their on time & we were instantly amazed at the wonderful members their. One lady came up to Jill & gave her some colored pencils & a pad of paper for Elliot. Thinking he might enjoy them. Well, Elliot takes after Michael in this sense that he draws constantly, so it was perfect! One of the risks you take of showing up early is being asked to speak. Who would ever think that would happen while you're visiting a ward, but it did to my Dad. I just laughed - only to my Dad would this happen as he is terrified of speaking in front of people. Geez - I wonder where I get that from? Apparently their speakers had some emergencies happen & weren't able to speak. They had some daughters that were able to read their talks, but they still needed to fill time & asked my Dad if he wouldn't mind giving a little talk & his testimony. Not to mention the fact that the Mission President was visiting. No matter, he of course was wonderful! Here's a couple of great points he spoke about:
{1} If your find yourself going through trials you're in good company! You're in the company of the Prophet, Apostles, even the Savior.
{2} He also gave one of our favorite quotes from Elder Grant:
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our power to do so is increased."
{3} He told a little of his conversion story of how he first went into a chapel at 19 to a Christmas program wiith my mom. 6 months later he was baptised. He was fellowshipped well & church ball was a big part of that for him. While playing ball he had a member help him buy a car & another one owned a sporting goods store & gave him a job. He worked for Bob Kerr of Kerr Sporting Goods for years while going through school. A year and a half after joining his father passed away. He had members step up to help with funeral expenses. One even gave them a burial plot for my Grandpa. (who I'm excited to meet one day!) All of these things helped increase his testimony & gain a great love for other members.
After sacrament meeting the Mission President (Pres. Pfile) wanted to interview Elliot himself. We're guessing it was because of Elliot's unique situation. He allowed Jill to stay in the room so that Elliot was comfortable. When he came out of the meeting with Pres. Pfile Mimi asked Elliot how he did. Pres. Pfile said he did great. He asked Elliot what he has learned & he told him everything. Then, he said something that we'll never forget! He told us that he told Jill that he BELIEVES that Elliot will overcome his afflictions one day. He reminded us that we all know the power of priesthood blessings & that Elliot would be no exception to that! He then told Elliot he loved him & that he was sad he wouldn't be able to make his baptism, but good luck!
UNBELIEVABLE!! Everyone standing their was in tears & shock. One of the members of the Bishopric has an autistic son & told Mimi later how amazing he thought that was! What an awesome blessing it was to hear that from the Mission President.
After church we went home to rest & prepare. While my Dad, Jill & I took a little nap Mimi had books read to her by Elliot.
I enjoyed waking up to his little voice reading so well & with so much animation. He was reading a book at one point about a stinky garbage truck & he & Mimi were just laughing hysterically. It was so fun to listen to him laugh so hard & just be silly.
**As this post is forever long already I'll put the baptism on another post. The amazement doesn't end here!**
**So that the story will make some sense in parts I need to give some background on my sweet nephew Elliot. He will be 9 in June & is by far the sweetest boy I know. I'd have to say He's even sweeter than my nephew Carter who can make your heart melt in an instant! Elliot is Autistic & is very loving. He is high functioning & progressing at a great rate. He also has Juvenile Diabetes & handles it very well.**
This past weekend I had the opportunity & pleasure to attend the baptism of Jill & Elliot. Jill was married to my brother Michael & Elliot is his son. Even though Jill & Michael were divorced I still consider her my sister-in-law. Dear little Elliot is now all I have of my brother in this life & he reminds me of all the good that my brother Michael had in him. (If you don't know the Michael story & care to know just click on the Michael link below.) Now, let's start the story from the beginning.
Once upon a time... (about 2 weeks ago)
I received a phone call from Mignon (Mimi) asking me if I felt like going on a road trip. I thought that was really strange. A road trip with just me, my Dad & Mimi. Well, ok! Of course, count me in! But, why? It was then that Mignon informed me, with many tears, that we'd be heading to Colorado Springs to attend the baptism of Jill & Elliot. With a choked up voice I replied - "Are you kidding?!?!" It was a remarkable thing to hear! This was something we have been waiting years to hear! A very exciting time for our family!!
Luckily my husband was very supportive of me leaving for 4 days & knew how important it was for me & how important it was to me to be their. There was no question about me going & I can never be thankful enough that I was able to attend this amazing event!
FRIDAY - We drove all day - 13 hours. It went by fairly quickly & wasn't a bad drive at all. Don't ask my Dad that though, since he drove the whole time & Mimi & I watched movies the whole time!! ;) We arrived at J&E's home around 11:30pm. Look how cute this part of her front room is...
Elliot was still awake watching "Horton Hears a Who" & greeted us with welcome arms. Then, it was time for bed.
SATURDAY - We woke up & went to breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. Elliot thought it was great to go to Mimi's Cafe with Mimi! After breakfast Elliot was dying to show us the animals at PetCity in the mall where we found these sweet love birds...
He really wanted to go to PetsMart, but thought the mall would be ok as well. Wal-Mart was next on the agenda to get some food for the weekend.
In the afternoon on Saturday the Elders came along with the District Leader who needed to interview Jill before the baptism.
While Jill was in her interview one of the Elders sat on the floor with Elliot drawing pictures. He told us that they have been drawing out all the discussions for Elliot. Elder Okerlund drew out the First Vision & talked to Elliot about that. Then, he drew the Pre-Existence with dotted figures since we didn't have bodies yet. He had Elliot draw Heavenly Father & Jesus & he knew that they weren't dotted because they had bodies. The way this Elder interacted with Elliot was just amazing. I was so impressed & knew that these Elders were hand picked for J&E.
We spent the rest of the day hanging out, talking & watching YouTube videos. We showed Jill a slideshow of the Reflections of Christ videos & she was extremely touched. She was telling us how she's never been a crier, but now she can't seem to hold it in. She also is very aware that it's the spirit speaking to her.
SUNDAY - Church was bright & early - 8:30am.
(Don't you love how my Dad & Elliot are making the same face?!) We were their on time & we were instantly amazed at the wonderful members their. One lady came up to Jill & gave her some colored pencils & a pad of paper for Elliot. Thinking he might enjoy them. Well, Elliot takes after Michael in this sense that he draws constantly, so it was perfect! One of the risks you take of showing up early is being asked to speak. Who would ever think that would happen while you're visiting a ward, but it did to my Dad. I just laughed - only to my Dad would this happen as he is terrified of speaking in front of people. Geez - I wonder where I get that from? Apparently their speakers had some emergencies happen & weren't able to speak. They had some daughters that were able to read their talks, but they still needed to fill time & asked my Dad if he wouldn't mind giving a little talk & his testimony. Not to mention the fact that the Mission President was visiting. No matter, he of course was wonderful! Here's a couple of great points he spoke about:
{1} If your find yourself going through trials you're in good company! You're in the company of the Prophet, Apostles, even the Savior.
{2} He also gave one of our favorite quotes from Elder Grant:
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our power to do so is increased."
{3} He told a little of his conversion story of how he first went into a chapel at 19 to a Christmas program wiith my mom. 6 months later he was baptised. He was fellowshipped well & church ball was a big part of that for him. While playing ball he had a member help him buy a car & another one owned a sporting goods store & gave him a job. He worked for Bob Kerr of Kerr Sporting Goods for years while going through school. A year and a half after joining his father passed away. He had members step up to help with funeral expenses. One even gave them a burial plot for my Grandpa. (who I'm excited to meet one day!) All of these things helped increase his testimony & gain a great love for other members.
After sacrament meeting the Mission President (Pres. Pfile) wanted to interview Elliot himself. We're guessing it was because of Elliot's unique situation. He allowed Jill to stay in the room so that Elliot was comfortable. When he came out of the meeting with Pres. Pfile Mimi asked Elliot how he did. Pres. Pfile said he did great. He asked Elliot what he has learned & he told him everything. Then, he said something that we'll never forget! He told us that he told Jill that he BELIEVES that Elliot will overcome his afflictions one day. He reminded us that we all know the power of priesthood blessings & that Elliot would be no exception to that! He then told Elliot he loved him & that he was sad he wouldn't be able to make his baptism, but good luck!
UNBELIEVABLE!! Everyone standing their was in tears & shock. One of the members of the Bishopric has an autistic son & told Mimi later how amazing he thought that was! What an awesome blessing it was to hear that from the Mission President.
After church we went home to rest & prepare. While my Dad, Jill & I took a little nap Mimi had books read to her by Elliot.
I enjoyed waking up to his little voice reading so well & with so much animation. He was reading a book at one point about a stinky garbage truck & he & Mimi were just laughing hysterically. It was so fun to listen to him laugh so hard & just be silly.
**As this post is forever long already I'll put the baptism on another post. The amazement doesn't end here!**
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
June 8th Part 2
While at church on Sunday I heard about the open house for the Oquirrh Temple. I went online to see if we could get a reservation & we were able to. I was so excited! I just thought this would be a neat thing for my girls. After our hike we headed back to my Granddad's to get ready, pack up & say good-bye. Then, we were off to the temple.
This is a close up of the windows. They were so cool. They had stars in them...
Before the tour we watched a short film. It was interesting to hear that this was the only city on the world that has 2 temples. You can look down the mountain & see the Jordan River temple just a few miles away. That was crazy! I just loved being able to take my girls here & let them feel of the spirit inside these walls. Hopefully it's something they will remember for a long time.
This is a close up of the windows. They were so cool. They had stars in them...
Before the tour we watched a short film. It was interesting to hear that this was the only city on the world that has 2 temples. You can look down the mountain & see the Jordan River temple just a few miles away. That was crazy! I just loved being able to take my girls here & let them feel of the spirit inside these walls. Hopefully it's something they will remember for a long time.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
DEVOTIONAL
One of the many things I love about Easter Pageant is the devotionals. We have a devotional every evening before a performance. It gives the directors a time to give notes & encouragement. Someone from the Pageant Presidency or the Missionary Dept. shares their testimony as well. My favorite part, however, is that every night they have a special musical number. The other night we were priviledged enough to hear from the Roberts sisters. They were in the Pageant with us when I was a kid. Their mom was the original voice for "Mary's Lullaby". They were truly wonderful.
We also have devotional in our family groups backstage. Last night was my turn & I condensed & paraphrased this talk by Elder Boyd K. Packer. I wanted to put it on here because I want to remember this talk. ENJOY!!
FEED MY SHEEP
Imagine that our bishop has appointed you and me to plan a picnic for all of the ward members. It is to be the finest social in the history of the ward, and we are to spare no expense.
We reserve a beautiful picnic ground in the country. We are to have it all to ourselves; no outsiders will interfere with us.
The arrangements go very well, and when the day comes, the weather is perfect. All is beautifully ready. The tables are in one long row. We even have tablecloths and china. You have never seen such a feast. The Relief Society and Young Women have outdone themselves. The tables are laden with every kind of delicious food: grapes, cantaloupes, watermelon, corn on the cob, fried chicken, hamburgers, cakes, pies—you get the picture?
We are seated, and the bishop calls upon the patriarch to bless the food. Every hungry youngster secretly hopes it will be a short prayer.
Then, just at that moment there is an interruption. A noisy old car jerks into the picnic grounds and sputters to a stop close to us. We are upset. Didn’t they see the “reserved” signs?
A worried-looking man lifts the hood; a spout of steam comes out. One of our brethren, a mechanic, says, “That car isn’t going anywhere until it is fixed.”
Several children spill from the car. They are ragged, dirty, and noisy. And then an anxious mother, leaving the car, takes a box to that extra table nearby. It is mealtime. Their children are hungry. She puts a few leftovers on the table. Then she nervously moves them about, trying to make it look like a meal for her brood. But there is not enough.
We wait impatiently for them to quiet down so we can have the blessing and enjoy our feast.
Then one of their little girls spies our table. She pulls her runny-nosed little brother over to us and pushes her head between you and me. We cringe aside, because they are very dirty. Then the little girl says, “Ummm, look at that. Ummm, ummm, I wonder what that tastes like.”
Everyone is waiting. Why did they arrive just at that moment? Such an inconvenient time. Why must we interrupt what we are doing to bother with outsiders? Why couldn’t they have stopped somewhere else? They are not clean! They are not like us. They just don’t fit in.
Three choices
Since the bishop has put us in charge, he expects us to handle these intruders. What should we do? Of course, this is only a parable. If it really happened, my young friends, what would you do?
I will give you three choices.
First, you could insist the intruders keep their children quiet while we have the blessing. Thereafter we ignore them. After all, we reserved the place.
I doubt that you would do that. Could you choke down a feast before hungry children? Surely we are better than that! That is not the answer.
The next choice. There is that extra table. And we do have too much of some things. We could take a little of this and a little of that and lure the little children back to their own table. Then we could enjoy our feast without interruption. After all, we earned what we have. Did we not obtain it by [our own] industry, as the Book of Mormon says? (see Alma 4:6).
I hope you would not do that. There is a better answer. You already know what it is.
We should go to them and invite them to come and join us. You could slide that way, and I could slide this way, and the little girl could sit between us. They could all fit in somewhere to share our feast. Afterward, we will fix their car and provide something for their journey.
Could there be more pure enjoyment than seeing how much we could get those hungry children to eat? Could there be more satisfaction than to interrupt our festivities to help our mechanic fix their car?
Is that what you would do? Surely it is what you should do. But forgive me if I have a little doubt; let me explain.
Called to be missionaries
We, as members of the Church, have the fulness of the gospel. Every conceivable manner of spiritual nourishment is ours. Every part of the spiritual menu is included. It provides an unending supply of spiritual strength. Like the widow’s cruse of oil, it is replenished as we use it and shall never fail (see 1 Kgs. 17:8–16).
And yet, there are people across the world and about us—our neighbors, our friends, some in our own families—who, spiritually speaking, are undernourished. Some of them are starving to death!
If we keep all this to ourselves, it is not unlike feasting before those who are hungry.
We are to go to them and invite them to join us. We are to be missionaries.
It does not matter if it interrupts your schooling or delays your career or your marriage—or basketball. Unless you have a serious health problem, every Latter-day Saint young man should answer the call to serve a mission. Even mistakes and transgressions must not stand in the way. You should make yourself worthy to receive a call.
The early Apostles at first did not know the gospel was for everyone, for the Gentiles. Then Peter had a vision. He saw a vessel full of all kinds of creatures and was commanded to kill and to eat. But he refused, saying they were common and unclean. Then the voice said, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15). That vision, and the experience they had immediately following, convinced them of their duty; thus began the great missionary work of all Christianity.
Almost any returned missionary will have a question: “If they are starving spiritually, why do they not accept what we have? Why do they slam the door on us and turn us away?”
One of my sons was serving in Australia and was thrown off a porch by a man who rejected his message.
My son is big enough and strong enough that he had to be somewhat agreeable to what was happening or the man never could have done it.
Be patient if some will not eat when first invited. Remember, all who are spiritually hungry will not accept the gospel. Do you remember how reluctant you are to try any new food? Only after your mother urges you will you take a little, tiny portion on the tip of a spoon to taste it to see if you like it first.
Undernourished children must be carefully fed; so it is with the spiritually underfed. Some are so weakened by mischief and sin that to begin with they reject the rich food we offer. They must be fed carefully and gently.
Some are so near spiritual death that they must be spoon-fed on the broth of fellowship, or nourished carefully on activities and programs. As the scriptures say, they must have milk before meat (see 1 Cor. 3:2; D&C 19:22). But we must take care lest the only nourishment they receive thereafter is that broth.
But feed them we must. We are commanded to preach the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. That message, my young friends, appears more than 80 times in the scriptures.
We also have devotional in our family groups backstage. Last night was my turn & I condensed & paraphrased this talk by Elder Boyd K. Packer. I wanted to put it on here because I want to remember this talk. ENJOY!!
FEED MY SHEEP
Imagine that our bishop has appointed you and me to plan a picnic for all of the ward members. It is to be the finest social in the history of the ward, and we are to spare no expense.
We reserve a beautiful picnic ground in the country. We are to have it all to ourselves; no outsiders will interfere with us.
The arrangements go very well, and when the day comes, the weather is perfect. All is beautifully ready. The tables are in one long row. We even have tablecloths and china. You have never seen such a feast. The Relief Society and Young Women have outdone themselves. The tables are laden with every kind of delicious food: grapes, cantaloupes, watermelon, corn on the cob, fried chicken, hamburgers, cakes, pies—you get the picture?
We are seated, and the bishop calls upon the patriarch to bless the food. Every hungry youngster secretly hopes it will be a short prayer.
Then, just at that moment there is an interruption. A noisy old car jerks into the picnic grounds and sputters to a stop close to us. We are upset. Didn’t they see the “reserved” signs?
A worried-looking man lifts the hood; a spout of steam comes out. One of our brethren, a mechanic, says, “That car isn’t going anywhere until it is fixed.”
Several children spill from the car. They are ragged, dirty, and noisy. And then an anxious mother, leaving the car, takes a box to that extra table nearby. It is mealtime. Their children are hungry. She puts a few leftovers on the table. Then she nervously moves them about, trying to make it look like a meal for her brood. But there is not enough.
We wait impatiently for them to quiet down so we can have the blessing and enjoy our feast.
Then one of their little girls spies our table. She pulls her runny-nosed little brother over to us and pushes her head between you and me. We cringe aside, because they are very dirty. Then the little girl says, “Ummm, look at that. Ummm, ummm, I wonder what that tastes like.”
Everyone is waiting. Why did they arrive just at that moment? Such an inconvenient time. Why must we interrupt what we are doing to bother with outsiders? Why couldn’t they have stopped somewhere else? They are not clean! They are not like us. They just don’t fit in.
Three choices
Since the bishop has put us in charge, he expects us to handle these intruders. What should we do? Of course, this is only a parable. If it really happened, my young friends, what would you do?
I will give you three choices.
First, you could insist the intruders keep their children quiet while we have the blessing. Thereafter we ignore them. After all, we reserved the place.
I doubt that you would do that. Could you choke down a feast before hungry children? Surely we are better than that! That is not the answer.
The next choice. There is that extra table. And we do have too much of some things. We could take a little of this and a little of that and lure the little children back to their own table. Then we could enjoy our feast without interruption. After all, we earned what we have. Did we not obtain it by [our own] industry, as the Book of Mormon says? (see Alma 4:6).
I hope you would not do that. There is a better answer. You already know what it is.
We should go to them and invite them to come and join us. You could slide that way, and I could slide this way, and the little girl could sit between us. They could all fit in somewhere to share our feast. Afterward, we will fix their car and provide something for their journey.
Could there be more pure enjoyment than seeing how much we could get those hungry children to eat? Could there be more satisfaction than to interrupt our festivities to help our mechanic fix their car?
Is that what you would do? Surely it is what you should do. But forgive me if I have a little doubt; let me explain.
Called to be missionaries
We, as members of the Church, have the fulness of the gospel. Every conceivable manner of spiritual nourishment is ours. Every part of the spiritual menu is included. It provides an unending supply of spiritual strength. Like the widow’s cruse of oil, it is replenished as we use it and shall never fail (see 1 Kgs. 17:8–16).
And yet, there are people across the world and about us—our neighbors, our friends, some in our own families—who, spiritually speaking, are undernourished. Some of them are starving to death!
If we keep all this to ourselves, it is not unlike feasting before those who are hungry.
We are to go to them and invite them to join us. We are to be missionaries.
It does not matter if it interrupts your schooling or delays your career or your marriage—or basketball. Unless you have a serious health problem, every Latter-day Saint young man should answer the call to serve a mission. Even mistakes and transgressions must not stand in the way. You should make yourself worthy to receive a call.
The early Apostles at first did not know the gospel was for everyone, for the Gentiles. Then Peter had a vision. He saw a vessel full of all kinds of creatures and was commanded to kill and to eat. But he refused, saying they were common and unclean. Then the voice said, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15). That vision, and the experience they had immediately following, convinced them of their duty; thus began the great missionary work of all Christianity.
Almost any returned missionary will have a question: “If they are starving spiritually, why do they not accept what we have? Why do they slam the door on us and turn us away?”
One of my sons was serving in Australia and was thrown off a porch by a man who rejected his message.
My son is big enough and strong enough that he had to be somewhat agreeable to what was happening or the man never could have done it.
Be patient if some will not eat when first invited. Remember, all who are spiritually hungry will not accept the gospel. Do you remember how reluctant you are to try any new food? Only after your mother urges you will you take a little, tiny portion on the tip of a spoon to taste it to see if you like it first.
Undernourished children must be carefully fed; so it is with the spiritually underfed. Some are so weakened by mischief and sin that to begin with they reject the rich food we offer. They must be fed carefully and gently.
Some are so near spiritual death that they must be spoon-fed on the broth of fellowship, or nourished carefully on activities and programs. As the scriptures say, they must have milk before meat (see 1 Cor. 3:2; D&C 19:22). But we must take care lest the only nourishment they receive thereafter is that broth.
But feed them we must. We are commanded to preach the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. That message, my young friends, appears more than 80 times in the scriptures.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
BEGINNINGS
Here's another one of my long week-in-review- posts. This is what we've been up to. School started this week. Here's Kylie on her first day of 3rd grade! (This was the best picture I could get out of her. She usually loves to pose for pictures, but we were a little too excited this morning.)
Jadyn started Kindergarten. I can't believe she's that old! Just crazy!
Here she is lining up to say the Pledge of Allegiance before they walk into their classroom.
When I picked Jadyn up from school she came to me & said,"Mom! This is going to be so cool!" She's so funny & just as dramatic as her sister.
**Erik & I were able to finally get our living room project completed with the girls at school. Check out my vinyl site link on the right for pictures of that.**
With the beginning of school also comes the beginning of a new dance year! Make sure you check out our dance studio blog & be sure to sign up your kids! We have some new classes & are excited to be in our new building! Here's the link:
DANCE DEFINED
Then, there's the beginning of the Olympics this week on 8-8-08. Erik's been waiting weeks for this to start & he's been watching it all weekend. (The Olympics take over our lives at our house.) We love them. The opening ceremony was truly unbelieveable! As a dance teacher I was amazed at how in sync everyone was all the time. I can't get a group of 5 girls to be together, but they can get thousands in unison. Absolutely amazing!! It was just breathtaking what they did. Here's my favorite picture of the night...
One of our favorite things about the Oympics is the stories they tell of the athletes. I love to hear how they came to be at the top & what they had to overcome to get their. It's always inspiring. Well, this was no disappointment. In case you somehow missed this moment - here's the story..
This little boy standing next to Yao Ming is a 9 year old survivor of the recent earthquakes in China. 2/3rds of the kids in his school were killed in the quake. After pulling himself out of the rubble - this little boy risked his life to go back into the rubble & save another student. Then, went back in to save another one. He was asked why he risked his own life to save the other children. He simply said, "I had to. I'm the hall monitor." How can you not love that? What an adorable little guy. Not to mention how just too cute this picture is. The shortest person on the athlete field with the tallest person on the athlete field.
Lastly, I topped the week off with a night out with some friends in my ward discussing the good old "Twilight" series. Even though we talked about A LOT of other things - it was a blast. Thanks ladies for a fun night! We'll have to do it again soon.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
LOVED
My SIL intoduced me to this song last summer & I listen to it often. Today seemed like a good day to share with everyone. Listen to the words - it's awesome! Enjoy!
Don't Give Up
P.S. - Familia - is it just me or does he look like Jill a little?
Don't Give Up
P.S. - Familia - is it just me or does he look like Jill a little?
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
LITTLE WONDERS
Since I'm such a baby these days - here's another video that makes me ball my eyes out everytime I see it. LOVE this movie - it has such a good message!
LITTLE WONDERS
“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
–Walt Disney
LITTLE WONDERS
“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
–Walt Disney
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
TALENT
When I was in St. George the other week my stepdad showed me these videos on youtube & I just had to share. I was so totally blown away at these & really - if you don't ball your eyes out while watching these I'll think something is wrong with you....
(Just so you are prepared these videos are all around 5 minutes long.)
Paul Potts First Audition
Paul Potts in the Semi-Finals
Connie's First Audition
Do you still have goosebumps while you're reading this? If you don't then you might be closer to our beloved Edward than you think - which would bring up a whole other fascination! I love watching Simon's face on their first auditions. He's so annoyed as they walk in & then genuinely shocked when they start to sing. I love it!! Paul Potts will be giving Andrea Bocelli a run for his money!
(Just so you are prepared these videos are all around 5 minutes long.)
Paul Potts First Audition
Paul Potts in the Semi-Finals
Connie's First Audition
Do you still have goosebumps while you're reading this? If you don't then you might be closer to our beloved Edward than you think - which would bring up a whole other fascination! I love watching Simon's face on their first auditions. He's so annoyed as they walk in & then genuinely shocked when they start to sing. I love it!! Paul Potts will be giving Andrea Bocelli a run for his money!
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