It Wasn't Really So

Jayci is my niece. Grandma Turner is her Grandma. When Jayci says my name, it lovingly comes out as "Ancha". Here's what Jayci said to me today:
"Look Ancha those are popcorn trees. But guess what? They are really flowers, not popcorn. Grandma Turner is going to be SO SAD (to find that out)"
How cute is that??????? Made me laugh. Cute Girl!!!!
This is on my spiritual blog because the innocence of children can teach us so much about faith. Also, I think that we can learn some things as we think about the fact that things aren't always as they appear. Finally, relishing in the blessing that little children are from our Heavenly Father is humbling, and makes me happy! That's all! :)

I Found Me

When we get Chaz out of the car, we always greet him by saying "I found you". One day, to our amusement and suprise, before we could greet Chaz, he greeted us with an enthusiastic "I Found Me?" Way too cute! It still makes me laugh each and every time. Have you found you? Do you know who you really are? Do you know what you are capabale of, and how much you are loved? Elder Uchtdorf reminds us of our potential, of who we really are in this uplifting message.......

"http://www.youtube.com/embed/wiiadnMvm20"

Boys Made of Clay

This was taken from the Facebook Page: Mitchell's Journey. A beautiful reminder of how we are all molded to be what Heavenly Father needs us to be, with some experiences being much easier than others:

BOYS MADE OF CLAY
The night before Mitchell passed away we sensed that time was running out. As the sky quickly darkened the air grew eerily cold … and with each breath we felt a heavy, somber feeling grow within our hearts. That abyss th...at was inching to devour our son had its mouth stretched wide and was beginning to take away my son.

We were preparing to cuddle with Mitch in his room and read him stories and comfort him when we received a call from his best friend and next-door neighbor who wanted to see if he could play. Unaware that Mitchell was already slipping away and was coming in and out of consciousness (mostly out), we asked this young boy if we could speak to his mother … which we did … and described what was happening. We quickly learned that Luke wanted to come over and say goodbye to our baby, his best buddy.

What I then witnessed in the quite of Mitchell’s room was the most tender interaction between two young boys I have ever seen. It was a sacred exchange between two boys made of clay – each being shaped by experience, hardship, sacrifice and love.

Lying on the bed was our young boy much too young to die, standing next to him another young boy holding his hand, bearing his young soul … much too young to say goodbye. It was not my place to ask God why such heavy things were required by hands of these two innocent souls. Rather I began to ponder deeply and pray in my heart to understand what we were meant to learn from this hardship. These aren't the only two children to experience this, and they won’t be the last. But they were our kids … and we love them so. And it hurt so very much to see.

This young boy, who had loved Mitch like a brother and faithfully served him with all his heart told Mitchell how much he meant to him, that because of Mitch he learned what it meant to be a true friend and that he would never forget him. Luke struggled to hold back the tears, his voice was broken with emotion, as Mitchell lay unable to move or speak as he listened to tender words of affection and friendship. My wife and I wept as we witnessed love and friendship in its purest form.

I knew that Luke, Mitchell’s faithful little friend, was breaking inside. I hugged him and told him how much my wife and I loved and appreciated him. I told him that I was sure if Mitchell were awake he would tell Luke that he loved him like a brother and that he appreciated how he was always there to help him when his muscles were too weak, and to cheer him up when he was sad. I told Luke that he taught Mitchell and his parents what it meant to be your “brother’s keeper” and that we were so grateful to him.

Later that evening I couldn't help but think of that tender experience between these two young boys who were forced to grow up much too fast. I pondered the meaning of human suffering and the difficult experiences we are sometimes required to endure. I have learned to appreciate an old Jewish proverb that basically states "Don't pray for lighter burdens, pray for a stronger back". It would seem that in all religious texts, no matter your religion, God makes no apology for pain and suffering. In fact, I have come to understand there is a sacred relationship between suffering and spirituality, if we learn to listen and endure it well.

I admit the burden of losing my precious son has my knees trembling and hands shaking and my soul in tremendous pain. There exists no word in the human language to describe this pain. It is simply, utterly, bewilderingly heavy. But, like all suffering, the sting of that pain can make way to a deeper compassion toward others, a greater capacity to love, a stronger desire to reach toward God and understand His purposes.

The truth is we are [all of us] no different than these two little boys. We are all made of clay. And with each choice we make, each reaction to events in our life, we carve out something beautiful or something hideous – something that loves or hates. We need only look at our own life experience to know this is true … we have all seen some let the clay in their hearts harden and become brittle or unmovable. Others allow the tears of suffering to keep their clay soft and pliable.

Today my clay is soggy. But the tears will eventually dry and I will do all that I can to remain pliable.

He Hears Every Prayer

A while back, I had a powerful experience concerning prayer. We were in a rush to head to the Festival of Trees (yes, it was a while ago). Anyhow, we were hurrying into the car, and I realized I hadn't said my prayers inside the house. Assuming Kandace most likely had not said her prayers either, I told her that we both needed to bow our heads and say a prayer before we left.
This obviously meant that we were both saying our prayers at the same time. I have often wondered how our prayers are answered. How Heavenly Father hears EVERY SINGLE PRAYER. I have oftentimes before, tried to rationalize this in a manner that made sense to me. I have before envisioned us each having our Guardian Angels, who take notes from our prayers, and pass them on to Heavenly Father in councils set up for us.
On this particular day (in the middle of my prayer), I was thinking about this again, as Kandace and I were praying at the exact same time. If we were both praying, how many other people in the WHOLE WORLD were praying at that time? How could he possibly hear and answer all of them individually? As I said my prayers, I pictured a type of email service, that in some miraculous way (not exactly understood by us mortal humans), transpired these messages back to our Heavenly Father.
At this very moment, the Holy Ghost stopped me from this thought, and a very sweet witness came to me. The spirit bore witness to me that Heavenly Father does hear and answer our prayers individually, and at the time they are offered. This voice manifested to me stating: "I hear every prayer as it is offered. It is in a way that you can't understand right now, but I hear every word you say to me". I then felt overcome with emotion, as I realized the love my Heavenly Father must have for me (and all of us), to care about me so much to communicate with me that he is hearing my words and knowing the intents and feelings of my heart. When we talk to our parents, we do not leave messages on a voice mail, and get answered through gifts in the mail from them. We talk to them, and they talk back, blessing us with their love and presence. Certainly, a perfect Father in Heaven has a magnified perfected plan for his children, and his communication with us.

Josh's Church Talk from Jan. 13th, 2013

As the Savior instructed His newly called apostles here on the American Continent, one of the first things He did was institute the sacrament.  He spoke of the importance of partaking of the sacrament and its significance in bringing souls closer to Him.  He taught them the importance of worthiness as far as the sacrament was concerned and how no man was to eat or drink of it unworthily.  Towards of the end of His counsel to them in 3 Nephi chapter 18, He speaks of those who may leave the church and how we should treat them.  He teaches them and all of us this, in verse 18.  Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your synagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent and come unto me with full purpose of heart…”

There will be times in all of our lives when we may fall short of the mark that we, as well as our Heavenly Father have set.  We would be foolish to think that we could go even one day and do everything that Heavenly Father has asked of us.  Because He, our Heavenly Father, knew that we would fall short, He gave us a Savior to atone for our sins and make repentance possible for us.  We know and have testimonies of this truth.  If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be here today.  There are those of our brothers and sisters who have experienced adversities in their lives and for whatever reason have turned from the church.  It is our obligation to love them despite their human weaknesses and welcome them back into the fold of God.  In order for us to be able to help them back, we have to have firm testimonies and faith in our Father, in the Savior and in our Heavenly Father’s plan for us. 

This can prove to be a difficult thing, especially as we ourselves face adversities and have to rely on the Savior to see us through.  There are 4 scriptures that I would like to share that illustrate to me how we can have faith in adversity and rely on the Savior to allow us to help others come back.

The first is contained in the 9^th chapter of Mark in the New Testament. In the first of this chapter the Savior is transfigured and then performs miracles. As the Savior and His Disciples descended from the mountain they beheld a great multitude that had gathered. There were scribes questioning the multitude. When the Savior reached the multitude it says in verse 15, “And straightway all the people, when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed, and running to Him saluted him.”

These people knew who He was and were seeking Him for the miracles that they had heard He was able to perform, and were thankful now for the opportunity they had to be in His presence.. One of the crowd, who diligently sought the Savior, was a man carrying with him his son. It says that the young man was found possessed with a dumb spirit. I imagine in my mind, this humble father carrying his son a great distance to be healed by the Savior. It says in verse 18 that this spirit, “teareth him: and he foameth and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away.”

In verse 21, the Savior asked the boy’s father, “How long is it ago since this came unto him?”, the father replied, “of a child”. I can’t imagine being this father. He had to watch his son almost drown and be burned in fires, all sorts of horrible things happened to this young man, and it seemed that no one could help him.

I also can’t help but think of the adversities that may have been placed upon this man from those whom he may have called his friends, or ward members.  It is sometimes easier for us to pass judgments on people like this man, than it is for us to offer to help.  You can almost bet that there were those who pointed the finger of scorn in the direction of this man and his family because of his son.  This is a tragedy that is simply unnecessary and can be totally avoided by loving ward members and neighbors who simply live their lives the way the Savior lived His.  Wanting everyone to enjoy the blessings of the gospel, of exaltation and eternal life.

When I think of adversity, this man definitely found himself in the middle of it. He needed help and so he brought his son to be healed by the Savior. Before He healed the young man the Savior told the father in verse 23, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

The Savior was teaching all of us a great truth. If we can just believe, anything is possible. When we are in the midst of any bit of adversity, this is a difficult thing to remember. The words spoken by the young man’s father have echoed in my mind over and over again. His reply to the Savior is in verse 24, he said, “and straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” This humble father knew that there was hope to be found in the Savior, he just needed a reason to believe. I see in my mind a man who deep down wanted to believe, he just didn’t know how. Through his tears he pled with the Savior, as we all should, yea Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.

The end of this story is a happy one, the Savior rebuked the spirit and healed the child. He did so because the father of the child exercised his faith in the Savior and His matchless power. The power of the hope this man had ultimately led to the healing of his child. The Savior had the power to heal this young child, just as He has the power to heal all of us. Brothers and sisters, I know that if we can truly rely on the Savior, He will help us in our times of unbelief. We will feel Him near us, we will know that we are encircled about in the arms of His safety and the arms of His love. I testify to you, that there is no better place to be than in His arms.

I believe that we all knew that our lives here on this earth would not be easy. We knew after all, that we were coming to this earth to be tested and tried and to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. Adversity is certainly a great portion of that test, but I believe it is how we deal with those adverse times that prove who we really are. Adversity comes to each of us in different ways, we may look at some and think that their lives are easy. That nothing bad ever happens to them. I promise you that they do, it is how they choose to deal with adversity that makes it seem as though there is none. We all face the adversity of temptation, the death of those for whom we love, some have to deal with poverty, the betrayal of friends and even family, physical or mental disability, the list could grow on for pages. As we rely on the merits of the Savior through this adversity, we will come forth as conquerors. Our faith in the Savior and His infinite atonement will be strengthened as will our resolve to do the will of our Father in Heaven.

We know why we are tested, and it certainly is on account of our obedience or lack thereof to the commandments of God. We read accounts in the scriptures of nations being cursed for their blatant disobedience to the will of God. Certainly our poor choices can bring about unnecessary adversities. A quick poll of those who find themselves in our prison system would reveal that very few of them are really happy, and are pleased with the choices they have made to end up where they are.

On the other side of this sit those who are righteous, who are doing everything within their power to live the commandments of God, yet they find themselves living lives of challenge. There may be times in their lives where they feel betrayed, even abandoned by God. We know that just because we are doing our best to be obedient, doesn’t mean we won’t still be tested and tried. There are numerous accounts in the scriptures that teach this principle. One of the most common is the account of Job in the Old Testament. I would like to share my two favorites. The first is found in the 9^th chapter of John.

In the first verse it says that Jesus and His disciples happen upon a man who has been blind since his birth. I think we can all agree that blindness is definitely an adversity. In the second verse the disciples ask the Savior a question about this man’s blindness, they ask “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” They thought that sin had to be the reason for his disability. I wonder if they anticipated the response of the Savior. In the third verse He said, “neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

I love this response. Neither of them have sinned. The man was blind so that he world would know of the power of God and also the Savior’s ability to fulfill the will of His Father. When I think of how many people have read the Bible and have read of this man’s story, there is no doubt that the works of God have been made manifest through this man’s disability. They will know that the Savior had power to heal, to take away the adversities of man. That God is mindful of us and has provided a way for us to be happy, to be healed from our adversities, from the mortal effects of this world and finally be able to return to His presence.

This story differs from the first in that the Savior didn’t ask this man if he had faith, He had him prove it. He made a concoction of spit and clay and it says in verse 6 that He anointed the man’s eyes with the clay and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. In verse 7 it says that the man went and washed and came forth seeing. He exercised his faith in the Savior and was healed of a lifelong blindness.

As it was with this man, so it is with us. We have adversities also, to help others understand the power of God. As we faithfully endure the trials of life, we can come to the aid of those whom we love. We can help them as they face similar trials. We can put our arms around them and lift them up, just as the Savior did for this man. Through our love and faith, the world should know the works and power of God.  As we live faithful and obedient lives, others may come to know the Savior and the power of God through our examples and through our testimonies. Our hands to lift become the Savior’s hands. Our hands to bless also become His hands. Our words of comfort may be His words as we say those things that the Spirit directs.

Brothers and sisters, the Savior has the power to heal each of us from our blindness, just as He did this man. Our blindness is not the physical blindness experienced by this man, but may be spiritual. It is difficult to see with our spiritual eyes, when our mortal eyes tell us to give up, but through humble pleadings to our Father in Heaven, come gentle reminders that He is there. That He knows of the difficult circumstances in which we sometimes find ourselves. And finally, that the difficulties are but for a short time and are thankfully not eternal. This principle is powerfully taught to us in the 121^st Section of the Doctrine and Covenants.

This section speaks of the difficulties in which Joseph Smith found himself in Liberty jail in Liberty Missouri. The Prophet Joseph and others spent the winter in this cruel jail, referred to by Elder Maxwell as the prison/temple. Certainly the situation in which they found themselves, created feelings for them similar to those that many, if not all, of us have felt, alone. I think Elder Maxwell’s calling Liberty a prison/temple is very profound. It surely was a prison. They endured unthinkable things. The constant threat of being poisoned, spending the cold winter in a dungeon without heat. The ceiling was so low that some of them could not stand upright. They had to listen to the prison guards say unspeakable things. They were deprived of some of life’s necessities while they were there. Yet some profound revelations came to the Prophet Joseph as he endured those conditions, thus the definition of prison/temple.

I think that all of us can relate to the Prophet’s feelings as he opened this section. In verse 1 he cries out, “O God, where are thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place.” I know I have uttered words similar to these. Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God, felt alone. Surely if the prophet of God felt alone, we are all going to feel that way at some point in our lives. He then wanted to know how long the suffering would last, how long? The last thing he asks is in verse 6, he asks the Lord to remember them. Does this sound at all familiar to any of you?

We may go through difficult adversities where we do feel alone, where we may ask the Lord, do you remember me? His answer to the prophet Joseph is the same as His answer to all of us, of course He does. He said in verses 7 and 8, “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversities and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all they foes.” These words are sure to bring instant comfort to all of us. First, our afflictions definitely aren’t going last forever, second, if we endure them well, we will find ourselves back in the presence of God. It is there that we will enjoy the blessings of exaltation and eternal life.

The promise made by the Savior was that, not only does He remember us, we aren’t alone. He is right there next to us, just as He has always been and will always be. We are neither alone, nor forgotten. No matter how justified we may feel in those feelings, they simply are not so.

This is something that was taught by the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 49 and repeated by Nephi in 1 Nephi 21. The Savior poses this question in the 15^th verse of chapter 49 of Isaiah, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?” He then answers the question by saying, “yea, they may forget, but I will not forget thee.” He continues in verse 16 to say, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; yea thy walls are continually before me.”

The answer is plain and simple, just as it was for Joseph Smith, for Job, for the blind man spoken of by John and for all of us, we are not forgotten. It is impossible. The Savior has us graven in a very literal sense upon the palms of His hands. We are continually before His face. Through the marks that He carries when He was brutally crucified upon the cross of Calvary. He know us, He bares the marks of our sins, our pains, our sicknesses, and every pain of body that we would ever feel. He knows how to succor us because of those marks, we are not, nor ever will be alone nor forgotten, it just is not possible.

Brothers and Sisters we have been purchased by the blood of a God, one Jesus Christ, the literal Son of the very Father of Heaven and earth. He knows us and loves us perfectly. As we have occasion in our lives to ask the same question that Joseph Smith asked, O God, where art thou? My promise to you is that you will receive the same answer, you’ll know that He is there. As you have occasion to pray to Him for a miracle, may your response be the same as was the young man’s father spoken of in Mark, yea Lord, help thou mine unbelief.

My promise to you is that as you bear with dignity the adversities that will fall upon you, because they certainly will come. As you let the Savior heal your heart of that which ails it and breaks it, there will be that sweet comforting assurance spoken of by Isaiah, that you are not forgotten, nor ever will be.

 

Talk From Church, Dec. 23rd, 2012

Church Talk, Sunday Dec. 23^rd, 2012

            Invitation: What do you think of when you consider the word invitation? The online definition describes this word in the following manner:

            -Invitation: Noun; A spoken or written request for someone’s presence or participation

            This time of year, possibly sometimes to our dismay, this request for participation is usually amplified to an extremely overwhelming level.

            Some of our requests for participation are found in the forms of: dance recitals, piano recitals, singing programs, family parties, work gatherings, and assisting our children in their school celebrations and activities.

            Our participation in such events may include: curling hair, ironing clothes, chauffeuring & chaperoning, cooking turkeys, preparing salads, and baking mountains of cookies.

            One newfound popular event that I find to be both entertaining and humorous is the trendy tradition of Ugly Sweater Parties. The scenario for such an event may unravel as follows:

            -10 days before the event, one receives a written request for such an activity.

            -7 days prior to the event, one begins to stress about what he or she will wear to such an event. Probable locations to find such an item may include 2^nd hand stores, Grandmas’ closet, or possibly your own 80’s collection (granted of course, that you held on to such items)

            - About 3 days before the event, one may begin to stress about the white elephant gift that she or he has been summoned to bring with them on party night.

            -A day before, one may begin preparing a potluck dish to share with other ugly sweater friends or family members

            -1/2 hour before, one will travel in their vehicle to the designated place of celebration

            -Party will proceed as planned. Some of those planned activities may include: partaking of a scrumptious meal that is served on placemats made of old ugly sweaters, moving on to a dessert of Gingerbread cookies donning what else but frosting created ugly sweaters, Participating in the previously mentioned white elephant gift exchange, and of course, leaving with a gift or 2 to take home for oneself.

            With the amount of commitments that are expected of us in such events, it is an obvious consequence that worldly cares would supercede the reasons we have to rejoice in things that money cannot buy.

            An invitation, what is in an invitation? Consider with me this spoke or written request for someone’s presence or participation found in Matthew 11:28: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”.

            More often than not, invitations to events will come to us only once. It is up to us whether or not we will act upon our request of attendance for the specified activity.  In sharp contrast, we receive an invitation from the Savior to come unto him 46 times in the Bible and Book of Mormon. Is this a request for participation that we will make ourselves a part of?

            In our holiday gatherings, our invitations are generally limited to people that have something in common. Usually, they are people who share the same place of employment, family tree, or possibly group of friends. Invites tend to be closed to a distinct & set number group of individuals.

            The Savior’s admonition to come unto him is an invitation for all to follow. Our common bond is our lineage with our Father in Heaven. We are all his children.

To the youth of our ward: The invitation to follow the Savior and come unto him is SO IMPORATNT for each of you, that the entire new curriculum from which you will be instructed in both Sunday School & Young Men’s and Young Women’s is entitled “Come Follow Me”.

            These lessons will come from topics that will allow you to build a testimony of your very own, thus preparing you for future opportunities that will include Missions, Temple Marriage, and future leadership opportunities within the church.

            Why do you think the invitation to Come Follow the Savior is so important for you at your current ages, that the whole basis for all of your knowledge in the church, will come from a curriculum entitled “Come Follow Me”?

            Please consider yourself, and your spiritual goals and current spiritual understanding as I read this quote by former Prophet, President Ezra Taft Benson: For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming. Every previous gospel dispensation has drifted into apostasy, but ours will not.... God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God...." Make no mistake about it you are a marked generation.

            You, today’s youth of the church: you are the chosen generation, you are the first string players, you are the ones that were strong enough in the spirit world to prove that you can remain completely faithful and obedient while this  world is spiritually crumbling around you.

            The Savior needs you to do his work. Even more so, you need the Savior. You need to follow him in your daily lives. You need to think of the way he treats others when you consider how you may treat a class mate at school. You need the peace he can bring when you pray to have understanding of your challenges. You need to diligently keep all of his commandments so that he knows he can count on you to do the work that needs to be accomplished.

            I know that many of you are familiar with the Conference address recently shared by Sister Ann Dibb just a couple of months ago. She talked about a young woman who proudly donned a shirt stating: “I’m a Mormon, are you?”

            Youth of the church, you cannot be afraid to stand up for what you know to be correct, true, and full of light. Recently, we had a group of teenagers over at our house for a get together. Upon their arrival, one young man walked up to me, looked me straight in the eye, introduced himself by name, and proudly stated “I’m a Mormon too”.

On a similar note, I was brought to reverence very recently when I observed a table full of teenagers bough their heads to say a blessing on their food in a very public food court located inside a shopping mall.

 I was impressed that these youth of the church would be so confident and bold in their declarations and displays of faith and love for their Heavenly Father and Savior. I am old enough to be the Mother of these children, but their bravery and stability in their spiritual standing and development touched my heart and strengthened my testimony.

 Allow me to assure you that you are touching the lives of others as you stand as an example. As you help others gain or strengthen their own testimony, you will know from the spirit that you are participating in the magnificent work of your Heavenly Father, and you will be blessed.

            Our special Christmas events generally offer entertainment, or an activity of one kind or another. Some may have piñatas at their family parties. Some may play Christmas Bingo. According to Google, some of the activities for an ugly sweater party include: A fashion show, an unravel the sweater race, amongst other equally entertaining activities.

            There is a very specific activity that the Savior lovingly admonishes us to participate in. As we do this, we will feel the sweet promptings of the spirit manifest the approval of this activity from our Savior as well as from our Father in Heaven. The Savior admonishes this loving counsel to us. John 12:26 reads: “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

            The best manner in which we can display our devotion to our Savior and Heavenly Father is to serve them by loving and serving our fellow men. President Spencer W Kimball stated: “God does watch over us and does notice us, but it usually through someone else that he meets our needs.”

            An important realization in this commandment of activity is that we all have special unique ways to help those around us. Service does not have to know age, physical, or monetary limitations.

            There is a Long Term Care Center in West Jordan that I am proud to say I have been affiliated with on and off for in one way or another for several years. Recently, a news story about the residents of this facility caught my attention.

 The activities Director was having a hard time convincing the residents to attend the events that the center had scheduled. Apparently, based on poor attendance, the residents were not interested in making crafts or treats for themselves.

            This dilemma sparked a project that has proven to be a blessing in the lives of so many individuals. With the hopes of improving attendance at activities, the staff set up a small service project for the residents. They provided some dolls in need of repair. They proposed to the residents that they were going to rally together to repair the dolls, provide new hairstyles, sew new clothes, and then pass the dolls on to an organization that would gift the dolls to needy families for the holiday season.

Suddenly these activities were no longer just about the residents, yet this was a service set up for them to participate in blessing the lives of children. These sweet individuals were so excited by the concept that many began participating, renewing long lost sewing skills, going through buckets of soapy water to meticulously clean the dolls, and even providing the dolls with hair styles similar to their own. As their enthusiasm and attendance grew, the support did, as the community began pouring in dolls for these residents to repair. This facility has affectionately been dubbed The Doll Hospital this Holiday Season. The joy and the blessings are being felt by givers and recipients alike.

          President Eyring eloquently elaborates on this. He states Quote “ The spirit of Christmas puts in our hearts a desire to give joy to other people. The celebration of Christmas helps us keep our promise to always remember the Lord and His gifts to us. And that remembrance creates a desire in us to give gifts to Him.

He has told us what we could give Him to bring Him joy. You can give Him the gift of doing for others what He would do for them.

Each act of kindness to anyone becomes a kindness to Him because He loves all of Heavenly Father’s children. And because that brings joy to Him, it also brings joy to His Father, to whom we owe thanks beyond measure”. Closed Quote

At this time of year, most of the time, we are expecting to leave our Holiday Gatherings with something tangible to take home. Likewise, we are generally attending such events with the intent to also give tangible gifts to those who mean a great deal to us.

            What gifts are given to us because our Savior, Jesus Christ was born in the flesh? What can be ours if we choose to follow him? The 2^nd verse of the popular Christmas song, Hark the Herald Angels Sing explains these gifts magnificently. Please picture each mentioned trait as a gift lovingly given to you by the Savior and Redeemer of the world:

                Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace

            Hail the Son of Righteousness

            Light and life to all he brings,

            Ris’n with healing in his wings

            Mild he lays his glory by,

            Born that man no more may die;

            Born to raise the Sons of Earth,

                Born to give them second Birth

            Because our Savior was born: We can be recipients of his light. We can know the exact road map of the way a mortal life should be lived, and how we can spend our time here on Earth. We can have a comfort in the knowledge that he is the master healer. That he understands all of our infirmities and pain: physical, spiritual, emotional. We can know that we will be blessed to do the work of our Father as we lay our own glory aside and focus on glorifying our Father in Heaven. We can know with assurance that we will be resurrected, and that we can live again as whole family units to live in immortality forever soley because of the sacrifice that he made for each of us.

            Surely this matchless gift of love can feel SO DIFFICULT to repay. What could we ever give that could begin to compare to all he has given to us?

            The only thing that we can give back, because it is the only thing that is really ours to give is our free agency. Everything else we have in our lives has already been granted, gifted to us by our Heavenly Father, and through his only begotten son. What we do with those blessing with our free agency and choices determines the extent of the gift that we have given back.

            This week, I had the opportunity to go to the Temple. As I entered the doors, my heart was heavy with the recent tragedy in Connecticut. My mind was equally confused as I pondered on such an event. As I entered the doors of the temple, I walked downstairs, and learned a grand lesson from the spirit as I observed my surroundings.

            It was a busy day at the temple. I quickly couldn’t help but notice the vast amounts of weddings that were taking place that day. The other large group of people I noticed were missionaries. As I looked in the faces of some of these eager young men, my heart traveled back to the tragic event of a few days earlier. I thought about how this type of tragedy had happened so many time before, and how almost every single one of these horrific events had a very similar theme.

            The majority of the criminals were young men. Most were barely more than youth or children themselves. These missionaries at the temple were the same age as the young man responsible for the tragedy. The opposition of these 2 circumstances became hauntingly clear in my mind. I thought about how lost the souls of those who were not choosing the path of their Heavenly Father must feel. I realized that a series of really good choices got those Elders to the temple that day, and a series of really bad choices led to tragic consequences for one that spiritually had the potential to be everything a loving Father in Heaven would hope to have in one of his precious children. I knew that the good choices made by those elders had allowed them to exercise their own free will to align their lives with the will of their Father in Heaven. 

            Our choices, good or bad, have eternal consequences. It is my testimony that as we use our free agency to make choices that bring about good in the world, good will follow, the largest possible portion of our gift to our Savior and Father will be given, and our lives and the lives of others will be blessed on an immeasurable and eternal level.

            I close with this final invitation given to us in Omni 1:26: “And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy one of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved”.

            In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

           

             

 

           

                 

The Doll Hospital

The residents that I am blessed to say I know (and love).......

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