EASTER SUNDAY: HE LIVES, HE LIVES WHO ONCE WAS DEAD...

• Today is Easter Sunday.  I have been so filled with the love of my Savior this week as I have seen so many Face Book and and Instagram posts having to do with our Savior's resurrection and atonement.  I do not have time or space to copy and paste everything I have seen and read this week but one that stood out to me today was a post by my daughter, Stacie.  There is a picture of Christ that accompanies this quote from Elder Jeffery R. Holland and it says,

• "One of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you]."

• - Jeffrey R. Holland

• I can't even imagine what it would be like to not have a belief system in life after death.  I can't imagine the intensity of the pain that we would feel if Christ hadn't taken upon himself the burdens of our sins, our grief, our trials and our mistakes in life.  I have experience some of those things on my journey through the first 65 years of my life and am so grateful I didn't have to do it alone.  I always know that my Heavenly Father and His Son love me for who I am.  They want me to return to them at the end of my days a better person for the trials and sorrows that I have endured.  They want me to learn all I can out their Gospel and teach others along the way so that we can all be present together in families in the eternities.

Today in church we were privileged to hear from a newly returned missionary-Elder Fiso.  He served in San Diego.  His talk was very touching in how to related the atonement to some of his mission experiences.  One comment he made has stayed with me all day.  He said, "I know that miracles and blessings happened within my family because I was in the service of the Lord, doing His work."  Then he said that he could see the miracle in his own growth from his experiences. As I thought about his first statement I reflected on our mission here and how I hope and pray that through my service here in Hawaii in the temple each day, I have helped miracles happen and been partially responsible for blessings being poured down upon my family members and close friends.  I know that I have seen miracles and blessings within myself as I have been here for the past 9 1/2 months.  I do have a stronger testimony of the gospel, of temples, of the work that we are doing for those deceased individuals who will need that work done for them in order to be in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

The closing song in Sacrament meeting was "I Stand All Amazed".  I have loved this song since I was a teenager.  I still get tears in my eyes when I sing it.  

I Stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, 

confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.

I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,

That for me a sinner, he suffered,  he bled and died.

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine

to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine.

That he should extend his great love unto such as I,

Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt,

Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?

No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat, 

Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.

Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me.

Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me.

This afternoon we were invited to Keith's house for dinner with he and Deb and two of Larry's and Keith's cousins and (Lynn and Jeff Shultz and Cindy).  We had a good time chatting and the Cousins all had a good time reminiscing old times.  Hard to believe that so many years have passed for our generation.  Those times as children were so wonderful and good.  No worries, no stresses of life...  All of our basic needs were met by our parents.  Now all of our parents have departed this earthly existence. 

One parting thing to record tonight.  Spencer is supposed to receive his mission call tomorrow, at least we are hoping.  We know it is in the mail now.  I can't wait to see where the Lord calls him and what his experiences will be.  This is the week also that the Fidler and Boyle families will arrive here in Hawaii.  They are all pretty excited as am I.  It seems like forever since I have seen any of my children or grandchildren.  We will be going home in June so I will get to give ALL of them a great big hug!  Can't wait!

• 
  

Happy Anniversary to Us...Eight Years- and more to come

Well, another week has passed.  It just seems like time is racing by.  We started the morning shift at the temple this week and will do that for four weeks.  I don't love getting up at 5 a.m. but I do like getting finished while it is still light and we have time to do things after we are finished. Our week was filled with training new workers as we have been called to do, training Ordinance Workers in our Prayer meetings and helping with any weddings that may be happening.  I really the variety of things we get to do. Like the scripture says, "All these things shall give [me] experience"...

Tomorrow (March 21) is my and Larry's eighth anniversary.  Again, I am not sure where this last eight years have gone.  We have been able to so do many things and travel quite a bit for which I am very thankful.  When we got married, he was still living in Las Vegas and working there so I moved there with him for about two and a half years.  I made many trips between there and Ogden and back to see children and fulfill a job commitment with Weber School District to mentor new teachers. When he retired, he sold his house and we moved back to my house in Pleasant View.  Soon after that I was called as Relief Society president in our ward.  We had planned to buy a home in St. George so put that on hold for about a year.  We still only use that home as a get away home for the most part.  Since we got married, we have traveled to Israel, Turkey and Greece; taken a British Isles Cruise, Mediterranean Cruise, Alaskan Cruise, a Baja Cruise and a Carribean with my family; a trip to Disney World, Disneyland two times, two trips to Oklahoma, South Dakota, Nauvoo and Chicago, Monterrey CA, San Diego a couple of times, China for a dental/humanitarian endeavor, Mesa and Sedona Arizona, to many trips between Ogden and Las Vegas to count, at least three trips to Hawaii and of course our mission here, and a few camping trips.  We have another cruise scheduled for Panama this fall.  I feel so very fortunate that we are able to travel so much and hope that through the next many years, I will be able to continue that trend.  My patriarchal blessing says I will have the privilege of travel and that I will have the opportunity to speak about my religion.  I know that as I travel, I have an obligation to Heavenly Father to help build His kingdom through example, conversation and being prepared to answer questions.  We were able to do that to a degree on some of the cruises and even in China when our tour guides didn't know anything about our religion but were curious about why we didn't drink coffee or tea.
The death of Carl was certainly a rough time in my life but I have been so blessed to have Larry in my life for the last nine and a half years (eighteen months of it was dating). I love him and the joy he has brought back into my life. I know he feels that same way about me as he tells me this almost daily.  So great to be appreciated! I also know that when the time comes for us to pass beyond the veil and meet those loved ones who have already passed, we will still be great friends even though we have eternal companions waiting for us.

Today in Relief Society we journeyed to the Visitor's Center to watch the video called "To This End Was I Born."  It is a very moving video of Christ's last few days spent in Gethsemane, the last supper, and of course the events leading to His crucifixion and resurrection.  I have seen it before but each time I see it, I gain a new appreciation for Christ and the example He set for us and me in particular.  I can't even imagine the pain and suffering, and all for the benefit of mankind in helping us to return to our Father, THROUGH OUR OBEDIENCE to the laws of God.  I am sure I still have much work to do in this life to be worthy of this great blessing but I hope I am at least moving forward.

Well, it is late so I think I will close for tonight.  More next Sunday.

ONLY THREE TO GO...

Well, it isn't really official yet since we haven't heard from the church, but we only have three months left of our mission now.  We have heard from the couple who are taking our place and they will be here June 16 and we have to be out of our apartment before they get here so I suspect that our release date will be June 13.  The time we have spent here really has gone by very fast.  There were times when we first got here that June 2016 seemed so far away but with each month being busier and busier, I can't believe we only have three months left.  I know I will miss this little piece of Heaven with the warm weather, a slower life style, and especially the wonderful people I have met.

I have mentioned in other posts how the wonderful sisters in the temple (especially the young girls) have inspired me with their stories of conversion and their strong testimonies, and a desire to serve in the temple.  Tonight we had the opportunity to attend a musical fireside at the Visitors Center put on by the sister missionaries.  What talent these sweet young girls have and they each have such a terrific testimony of our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. Each girl is just beautiful inside and out. I was so impressed with the musical numbers that they had prepared to express the love our Savior has for each of us.  One of the sister missionaries bore testimony about how much fuller our lives are when we are in the service of our God. She is SO right!  As I pondered her words, tears came to my eyes in recognition of how much fuller my life is and has been while serving here in the temple.
I have five wonderful children and their spouses.  I am blessed to have 14 terrific grandchildren, each with their individual personality and set of talents.  I have an eternal marriage with my companion waiting on the other side of the veil for me.  I have a wonderful husband to spend the rest of my earthly life with. I have had a career that I loved (most days) and have been in good health. So as you can see, I have been truly blessed and my life has been very full with all of this. But I know that I feel more complete with the time that we spend in the temple in the service of Heavenly Father. I also know that I will always want to be in the service of God because He has been so good to me.

Today on the program in Sacrament meeting I saw the scripture for March.  D&C 1:38 says, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken...whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."  I am sure it is there to remind us of the upcoming general conference.  I am always excited to see and hear the first Presidency, General Authorities and Auxiliary leaders as they speak to us the messages that Heavenly Father wants us to hear and that we need to hear.  As long as I can remember, I have been amazed at how a talk, or several talks were given with me in mind.  I take that as a testimony that I am loved by my Heavenly Father and my Savior. They know (through inspiration) what I need to hear and what will help me through my particular trials--sometimes even before I know I am going through the trial.   Anyway, I am really excited to hear their words of wisdom in three weeks.

That week is also the week that some of my family will be here.  Stacie, Steve and family and Keri, Brett and family will be here on March 31.  So excited to see them and show them my piece of heaven for the time being.  I am sure they will all enjoy their time here as much as I will having them here.  They have some fun things planned and we will join them as much as possible.  Our early morning temple schedule this month will help facilitate that since we will be off by 1:00 pm each day with several hours to play after that.

I think I will stop with that tonight.  Other things on my mind will have to wait for another blog.

"BUT IF NOT..."

It is time to compose another blog.  This week has gone by so incredibly fast I can hardly believe it.  I was the lucky, or unlucky, recipient of a cold this week.  It started Tuesday evening and just got worse as the week went on.  Each day I was in the temple I would tell myself, "If I can I will leave and come home".  Well, that early departure never came.  Tuesday we were asked to come in early because of so many weddings that day.  We are sometimes in charge of being their escort as they come to the temple, dress for their sealing, get them where they need to be in a timely manner and then take them back to help with wedding dresses etc.  That assignment along with any training that needs to be done on those days really keeps me hopping.  And that is why the time goes so fast.  Each day this week, that is how it went.  On Friday, Larry went to Kanehoe to get tires and an alignment on the car and I stayed home because I felt so lousy.  By time to go to our temple shift, I felt somewhat better.  It brought me back to my days of teaching when it was just easier to go to work than to have to find work and activities that a substitute could carry out.  Here, there is no substitute so I have to go if at all possible.  Today I am feeling SO much better.  Still have a cough and some congestion but at least my energy level is getting better.

This week as I looked for things to write about I went to the Ensign.  I found a few things that are important enough to me to want to record them for my future reading of this blog--but before I do that, a little from our Relief Society Lesson today.
Sister Maeta, a member of the presidency, gave the lesson on Daniel 3.  This is the story of King Nebuchadnezzar and his golden image that all were supposed to lay down and worship.  Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-nego refused and said they would take any punishment because of their faith in the Lord.  "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thine hand. But if not, we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." Then I read a talk given in General Conference April 2004 entitled "But If Not..."  Elder Simmons said Faith is total trust in Him (God).  Faith is believing that although we do not understand all things, He does.  Faith is knowing that although our power is limited, His is not.  Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him. And later in the talk he said, "So there you have it--it's a test.  The world is a testing place for mortal men and women.   When we understand that it's all a test, administered by our Heavenly Father, who wants us to trust in Him and to allow Him to help us, we can then see everything more clearly."  I loved this next quote.  "The Lord has given us agency, the right and the responsibility to decide.  He tests us by allowing us to be challenged.  He assures us that He will not suffer us to be tempted beyon our ability to withstand.  But we must understand that great challenges make great men.  We don't seek tribulation, but if we respond in faith, the Lord strengthens us.  The But if nots can become remarkable blessings."   One of the closing paragraphs to this talk is this, "Our God will deliver us from ridicule and persecution, but if not...Our God will deliver us from sickness and disease, but if not... He will deliver us from loneliness, depression or fear, but if not...Our God will deliver us from threats, accusations, and insecurity, but if not... He will deliver us from death or impairment of loved ones, but if not,...we will trust in the Lord."  Oh how many times I have had to rely on that trust, and still do need to rely on it with the challenges that come into my life and the lives of my family daily.  So grateful for the Atonement of Christ in my life and being able to draw on that in times of need.  After all I can do, it is by the grace of God we will be saved.

One of the testimonies borne today was from a father whose daughter is undergoing chemo for cancer and he said he told his family that they need to find what they are to take away or learn from this trial in the family.  I have asked myself that in many instances in my life.  What am I to learn from this experience.  As I reflect now, the things I have learned from trials are much different than I had expected to learn.  Trials bring families closer together because of our belief systems.  I thought that fit right in with the talk "But If Not..."

Now, back to the Ensign article that I wanted to end with.  One of the activities that was suggested to parents with families for a Sunday after church was to make a list of blessings.  I know that my list would and will have to be an ongoing list because I find new things each day to be thankful for but here is a start.

I have five terrific children who are supportive in all that I do.  I am so blessed to have them and their spouses in my life.  I am truly blessed to be grandma to 15 wonderful, smart, adorable grandchildren- one of them spending quality time with Grandpa Bruce.
I have been blessed with wonderful parents who taught me so much good in my life and were great examples to me.  They worked hard throughout their lives and instilled that desire in me and I am so grateful for it.
I am blessed to have the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and a guide as to how to live my life.
I am blessed to be of service to others daily no matter where I am at.
I am blessed to have a wonderful eternal companion waiting for me on the other side of the veil.
I am blessed to have been able to experience a second chance at happiness in this life with my marriage to Larry.
I am blessed to be in a beautiful part of the country right now serving in the temple.
I am blessed to have a beautiful home and live in a beautiful area in Pleasant View, Utah.
I am truly blessed to have great friends from so many places--but especially the Reeds and the Fishers.
I have been blessed with good health throughout my life with very few lasting problems.
I have been blessed with wonderful extended families whom I have learned so much from over the years. I only hope I can be that example in the lives of others.

I think I have written enough for tonight.  To Be Continued........