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Saturday, July 30, 2011
Emma's Getting Baptized
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Melanie Provides Helpful Information
Melanie wrote: Our trainer from LDS Seminaries and Institutes told us that the Church's stand at the time we were teaching was to teach that Joseph Smith said many things and wrote many things that were never fully documented. Brother Chapman told us to explain that when President Monson travels, he talks to many people and may say things to them that aren't recorded, except by those people in their personal histories. He also told us that much of the Church's early history was taken from many people's journals, as well as from Joseph Smith's journal, and can't be counted as complete.
There is also another source of information on the White Horse Prophecy. It gives some interesting insight to what many people, General Authorities and other Prophets have said over the years. Susan Easton Black discounted the prophecy, but BYU has made an interesting finding. With that, I think it will be up to us to have the Holy Ghost testify to the truthfulness of what we believe to be true. I don't see why there would be such a fuss made about it's not being true. Brother Chapman, our trainer said that he believed that things would follow the direction talked about in the Doctrine and Covenants. That truth would be had for naught. Section 84:114-120 talks about how Boston and New York needed to be told about the destruction of their cities. He asked us about what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah and why. Gives one something to think about, with both cities being the lead in Gay/Lesbian marriages.
The whole of the Doctrine and Covenants is a warning. D&C 1:4 "And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days." The Lord also tells us in verse 5: "And they shall go forth and none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them." The best section of scripture to read about what will happen in the last days is D&C 88. If you have access to the Church's Encyclopedias of Mormonism, there are several references in there about these things. (I have them, but can't find them in the attic...I looked. I am just not sure which box they ended up in.)
Here is an article that we were told we would find useful in making our decision. There are multiple prophets quoted at the end of the article.
http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/whitehorseprophecy.htm
As to the answer to the other question, I am still looking through my notes. When I find the answer, I will let you know. It has something to do with our lives are so quick, we fill our days with so many things that the days seem shorter, and the seasons seem to come more quickly than they seemed to for our ancestors.
Melanie
Myrna wrote: Thanks for the information. I do appreciate the time you have taken from your busy schedule to answer my questions. Jim is having a bad bee year and is worried that he will not have much honey. He asked me if I thought the seasons were being confused. I honestly cannot find anything about that. I have heard that people will only know one season from another by the leaves on the trees. I can find nothing about it at all. I think that must just be something that we LDS say but we do not have a foundation for it.
I love you!
How is the house selling going? I am praying that it will sell soon so that Mikaela's life will be settled. (And yours, of course.)
Melanie wrote:
I did find something that Brother Chapman told us about. It is in D& C 121:12. "And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and seasons..." and Dan 2:21, "And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding."
Brother Chapman said that because of the way that we fill our days, we won't have time for the things the Lord has asked us to do. Our lives, seasons of time, will feel like they will be going by more quickly. He also said that the signs that we need to have are in the scriptures. The main ones are outlined and some have all ready come to pass. Things will be so subtle, that even the Saints may be confused. That is why Jesus Christ will be able to come like a thief in the night. Even the church members need to be vigilante and watchful.
I am sure the Lord is even mindful of Bee Keepers.
Melanie
There is also another source of information on the White Horse Prophecy. It gives some interesting insight to what many people, General Authorities and other Prophets have said over the years. Susan Easton Black discounted the prophecy, but BYU has made an interesting finding. With that, I think it will be up to us to have the Holy Ghost testify to the truthfulness of what we believe to be true. I don't see why there would be such a fuss made about it's not being true. Brother Chapman, our trainer said that he believed that things would follow the direction talked about in the Doctrine and Covenants. That truth would be had for naught. Section 84:114-120 talks about how Boston and New York needed to be told about the destruction of their cities. He asked us about what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah and why. Gives one something to think about, with both cities being the lead in Gay/Lesbian marriages.
The whole of the Doctrine and Covenants is a warning. D&C 1:4 "And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days." The Lord also tells us in verse 5: "And they shall go forth and none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them." The best section of scripture to read about what will happen in the last days is D&C 88. If you have access to the Church's Encyclopedias of Mormonism, there are several references in there about these things. (I have them, but can't find them in the attic...I looked. I am just not sure which box they ended up in.)
Here is an article that we were told we would find useful in making our decision. There are multiple prophets quoted at the end of the article.
http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/whitehorseprophecy.htm
As to the answer to the other question, I am still looking through my notes. When I find the answer, I will let you know. It has something to do with our lives are so quick, we fill our days with so many things that the days seem shorter, and the seasons seem to come more quickly than they seemed to for our ancestors.
Melanie
Myrna wrote: Thanks for the information. I do appreciate the time you have taken from your busy schedule to answer my questions. Jim is having a bad bee year and is worried that he will not have much honey. He asked me if I thought the seasons were being confused. I honestly cannot find anything about that. I have heard that people will only know one season from another by the leaves on the trees. I can find nothing about it at all. I think that must just be something that we LDS say but we do not have a foundation for it.
I love you!
How is the house selling going? I am praying that it will sell soon so that Mikaela's life will be settled. (And yours, of course.)
Melanie wrote:
I did find something that Brother Chapman told us about. It is in D& C 121:12. "And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and seasons..." and Dan 2:21, "And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding."
Brother Chapman said that because of the way that we fill our days, we won't have time for the things the Lord has asked us to do. Our lives, seasons of time, will feel like they will be going by more quickly. He also said that the signs that we need to have are in the scriptures. The main ones are outlined and some have all ready come to pass. Things will be so subtle, that even the Saints may be confused. That is why Jesus Christ will be able to come like a thief in the night. Even the church members need to be vigilante and watchful.
I am sure the Lord is even mindful of Bee Keepers.
Melanie
Monday, July 25, 2011
Healthy Ice Cream
Source: Courtesy of A. Haas
I originally saw the idea for this healthy dessert on The Today Show. I'll admit, I was skeptical that blended frozen bananas could taste anything like ice cream, but believe it or not - they do! Once blended, they take on the consistency of soft serve ice cream. For a firmer ice cream feel, just pop the blended bananas in the freezer for 15 more minutes.
My favorite way to serve this tasty treat is with a touch of agave nectar (or honey) and peanut butter blended in and with chocolate syrup on top. But the sky's the limit - add in chocolate chips, toasted nuts, butterscotch chips, you name it, and enjoy!
Ingredients
4 ripe bananas
2 tsp agave syrup or honey (optional)
2 tbsp peanut butter (optional)
chocolate syrup or caramel (optional)
Preparation
Cut the ripe bananas into 1-2" pieces and freeze for at least 1 hour.
Place the frozen bananas in the bowl of a food processor, along with any optional ingredients you choose to use (agave nectar/honey, peanut butter, chocolate chips, etc). Pulse until the bananas start to break apart, then switch on and blend for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl, if necessary. The bananas will first break down into a sandy texture, before taking on the consistency of soft serve ice cream.
Top with any desired toppings, such as chocolate syrup or caramel. Enjoy!
Amanda Haas is a cookbook author and founder of the website One Family One Meal, which provides free recipes, menu plans, and shopping lists to parents who want to cook healthy meals their entire family will love. Her recipes and kitchen wisdom are currently also being showcased by Pottery Barn Kids. Cooking in Everyday English, her latest cookbook writing project, will be released in October of 2011 (pre-order at Amazon).
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Quote Sent by Todd
Todd wrote:
Read this today. Really liked it. Sent to my BCC list (Best Contact Considerately). By: http://www.kirkweisler.com/t4d
Our family devotional today was focused on “character” what it is, when we know we are building it, compromising it, and why it’s so very important to us individually and to our society. So today I want to share a couple points of our discussion with you.
It’s more important to have character than it is to be one. Being a character is easy…having character can sometimes be hard. But the results of compromising our character can be hardest of all.
The other day I read a quote that said something to the effect that… “The real character of a person is revealed when they come into a great deal of money or when they lose a great deal of money.”
I remember being taught that character is best defined by what a person does when they don’t think anyone is watching. Thinking about politicians in this context can start to drive you nuts. (Sorry - but if you can’t be loyal to your spouse and family then I can’t trust you to be loyal to me and my fellow tax payers. My vote must go elsewhere regardless of your political or populist pedigree). Character requires that we choose what is right over what is popular and convenient… it requires that we stand up for principle and that means that we may often find ourselves standing first, standing out, and standing alone.
Character is developed, strengthened and refined through adversity and trial. It is weakened through the compromising of principle which is often associated with peer pressure, insecurity and the desire to be well thought of. Interestingly in our attempts to please and appease the masses doesn’t gain us more respect but less. Now that the masses know we are willing to “give in” they will want us to give in again and again. At the same time since they know we will give in…they also know they can’t trust us to stand firm. So they will use us to get what they want until we have nothing left to give…then they will find someone else to exploit. Their is no loyalty when there is no character. Lacking in this said scenario is trust and respect for self, for others and for truth.
Unfortunately, for those who wish it did not…truth comes with some absolutes, some lines that cannot be crossed. Honesty, Integrity, Accountability, Responsibility are all words we associate with men and women of character. (Notice perfection is not one of those words) We do not have to be perfect to have character. But we do need to have a desire to do and to be the best we can…and to be willing to live in a manner that places the importance people and principle before our own self interest. Character is selfless and an essential ingredient in the spirit of the servant leader.
My wife shared this quote with us this morning…
“Character is revealed…in the power to discern the suffering of other people when we ourselves are suffering; in the ability to detect the hunger of others when we are hungry; and in the power to reach out and extend compassion for the spiritual agony of others when we are in the midst of our own spiritual distress. Thus, character is demonstrated by looking and reaching outward when the natural and instinctive response is to be self-absorbed and turn inward”. ~ David A. Bednar
Then she closed by saying..
“The true character of a man is revealed by what he does at home.” Rebecca Weisler
Thursday, July 21, 2011
BYU Planetarium--Let's Go!
BYU Planetarium
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January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2011
Days of the Week: FriEyring Science Center Planetarium
BYU, Eyring Science Center, Provo, UT 84601
801-422-5396
Hours of Operation: Shows at 7:00pm and 8:00pm
Price: $2
Days of the Week: FriEyring Science Center Planetarium
BYU, Eyring Science Center, Provo, UT 84601
801-422-5396
Hours of Operation: Shows at 7:00pm and 8:00pm
Price: $2
Learn about the stars and other things in the sky at the BYU Planetarium.
The Planetarium provides outreach shows for community groups, gives weekend shows for the public, and holds University classes. As a service to the community, the BYU Planetarium provides a few outreach shows for school groups, scout groups, youth groups, and others for a discounted rate of 50 cents per person. These shows are given at regularly scheduled times. The outreach shows are given by reservation only.
The shows start promptly at 7:00pm and 8:00pm.
Tickets are $2 and will be on sale at the door from 6:30pm to 7:00pm and again from 7:50pm to 8:00pm.
There is no food or drink allowed in the planetarium.
Because it gets very dark in the planetarium, the shows may not be appropriate for some young children.
Map data ©2011 Google -
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Quick Email
We had a big Zone activity today that took up most of my time...so I'm going to send a quick little email to let you all know that I am alive and that I have had a fantastically crazy week. I baptized another family, a family of 4 this week. The other family needs more time, possibly. We'll see what happens this week. I hit 80% retention this week. In 3 weeks we have accomplished what missionaries counldn't do in 4 or 5 weeks before! I was so excited. But that was put off by the lack of people at church this past sunday. Our attendance dropped 100! It was crazy going from 250 to 150 in one week, but that happens out here a lot. I just wish it didn't.
The baptism was crazy because there was no water in the church, so we went to a river in my area to baptize (instead of going to baptize in the ocean because they have some crazy fear of the ocean water). I will send the photos with the other email tomorrow. :)
Love,
Elder B
The baptism was crazy because there was no water in the church, so we went to a river in my area to baptize (instead of going to baptize in the ocean because they have some crazy fear of the ocean water). I will send the photos with the other email tomorrow. :)
Love,
Elder B
In a River
We prepared our families, had them interviewed and everything, and we thought everything was all dandy for Saturday. Until MB, one of my investigators, decided to run away Saturday morning and have his wife lie to us. Just an FYI, Miskito women are bad liars, they think that they are fantastic liars because they do it all the time, but they do not lie well. She said that she didn't know where her husband went, but that he went to work. We knew he works construction so we asked her where the house he's helping to build is located. She looked all around and said with a puzzled look, "I don't know. Over there." Where? There's nothing around us in like all 360º of view! Oh well. Then they didn't come to church on Sunday, so we'll see what's going on with that family today. Oh, and apart from that, there was NO WATER in the church because the water pump broke, so we had to baptize my family in a river. That was crazy. We had to walk forever and then some, but it was worth it. It was so beautiful and clean out there!
We had a really cool lessons with some new investigators of ours, Judith and Franklin, and with some recent converts (too many to name right now). My companion, Elder Salmon, and I are having so much fun finding new families and teaching the all of them, and all of the recent converts their duties as Children of God. Really, it is like teaching Primary children all day long, but it is so much fun. I never get tired of telling people how important it is to go to church every Sunday, to pray (alone and in families), to pay tithing, to read the scriptures, etc. It never gets old for me; on the contrary, I learn new things and increase my knowledge of the Gospel. I love to hear new convert's growing testimonies, I love to see their progression and their hunger for the truth and light increase weekly.
We're basically done baptizing this month, if I baptize the other family, fantastic! Otherwise we're simply going to prepare for August. We've gotten the results I feel were needed for this month.
Well, I love you all! I love this work and I love all of the lessons that I am learning out here. I am grateful for your love, emails, prayers and letters! Keep sending them my way...;) Have a great week and be happy!
Love,
Elder B
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Retaining
This week was rather miraculous for my branch out here. Knowing that my companion has been dealing with retention for so long I decided to take advantage of his "expertise" in this area. We visited our investigators, we visited members, we went and did visits with members, we visited TONS of converts, and...we hit 74% retention. That's amazing. In two weeks we have achieved more than what has been achieved in a whole month by other misionaries! We also had 250 people in church on Sunday! I was able to sit and enjoy the sacrament, the talks, and enjoy the hard work I had done this week.
So I accidentally lied last week. My companion is not from Tooele, he's from West Bountiful. Oops. :(
My companion and I had so much fun this week teaching our investigators and doing the like 100+ visits that we did. We were able to chat about the zone, the mission, funny memories, I hastle him, he hastles me. He is rather hilarious. He also is a wonderful example for me. He is so kind and loving to everyone he meets, something that I need to get better at doing. I'm not always nice to everyone, especially when they're rude or just plain stupid. But he is so charitable. I am adapting and becoming better at it.
My companion and I have so many great things that we would like to achieve as a companionship. We want to be better missionaries, we want to have real success and be united as a companionship. So we are studying more together, we talk all the time. Yeah. So this next change is looking great. :)
Elder Lundquist and I are determined to help him start some kind of easy-up business when he finishes his mission. We are working out the kinks right now, slowly but surely and we're gonna see what happens when he gets back.
So, this week, if you're feeling rather charitable, could you all pray for a couple of the people I am teaching? First we have Luis and Judith. They want to get baptized, but the husband is hesitant. They didn't make it to church this Sunday, so I'm a little cautious as to what might happen when I see them tomorrow. Next is Marcelino and Carina: these two are fantastic, except Carina is just a little nervous about getting baptized again. We've been working with them and we are going to do all that we can to help them enter the waters of baptism this week! Coolest thing, they're both legally married. That is a huge surprise. We're trying to help both of these marriages rise from the ashes, as they are both struggling and want out of the hole they are slipping into.
Well, I love you all. Have a fantastic week. Don't worry. Be happy. Read your scriptures and say your prayers and everything will turn out all right.
With much love,
Elder B
So I accidentally lied last week. My companion is not from Tooele, he's from West Bountiful. Oops. :(
My companion and I had so much fun this week teaching our investigators and doing the like 100+ visits that we did. We were able to chat about the zone, the mission, funny memories, I hastle him, he hastles me. He is rather hilarious. He also is a wonderful example for me. He is so kind and loving to everyone he meets, something that I need to get better at doing. I'm not always nice to everyone, especially when they're rude or just plain stupid. But he is so charitable. I am adapting and becoming better at it.
My companion and I have so many great things that we would like to achieve as a companionship. We want to be better missionaries, we want to have real success and be united as a companionship. So we are studying more together, we talk all the time. Yeah. So this next change is looking great. :)
Elder Lundquist and I are determined to help him start some kind of easy-up business when he finishes his mission. We are working out the kinks right now, slowly but surely and we're gonna see what happens when he gets back.
So, this week, if you're feeling rather charitable, could you all pray for a couple of the people I am teaching? First we have Luis and Judith. They want to get baptized, but the husband is hesitant. They didn't make it to church this Sunday, so I'm a little cautious as to what might happen when I see them tomorrow. Next is Marcelino and Carina: these two are fantastic, except Carina is just a little nervous about getting baptized again. We've been working with them and we are going to do all that we can to help them enter the waters of baptism this week! Coolest thing, they're both legally married. That is a huge surprise. We're trying to help both of these marriages rise from the ashes, as they are both struggling and want out of the hole they are slipping into.
Well, I love you all. Have a fantastic week. Don't worry. Be happy. Read your scriptures and say your prayers and everything will turn out all right.
With much love,
Elder B
Monday, July 11, 2011
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