The 1940 Census - get involved!

The1940Census.com
Check out the link - get involved in indexing the 1940 Census!  That's a strong suggestion from one who cares about your eternal welfare, and not just this measly old mortal existence!  Malachi started it and strong messages have been reiterated many times since - if we do not turn our hearts to our forefathers, we turn our hearts away from our God....  Love yawl!

it's a new year!

so, let's read the book of mormon and discuss as we study our gospel doctrine lessons! i have learned while studying about lehi's vision that:

1 - iron rod leads to tree and fruit = word of God leads to His love and atonement of Christ.

2- mist of darkness (temptations) are put in our way so we will be blinded and not see the rod (scriptures), the tree( God's love), or the fruit (atonement/exaltation).

3 - satan doesn't want us to know that we are children of God, so the mist makes us depressed or compare ourselves/feel worthless. he doesn't want us to get married in the temple & have an eternal family, so the mist makes people think it's ok to have pre-marital or same sex relations. He doesn't want us to pay tithing or go to church or serve in callings, so the mist blinds us and we think, "I can't afford tithing", or I don't feel like going to church today, I need another day off! I don't want to have a calling, it's hard - I don't want to be Gospel Doctrine teacher! Are you kidding me?! (jk)
HE DOESN'T WANT US TO BE HAPPY! He wants us to be like him, and to let go of the rod & fall in the river of filthy water (the depths of hell), or get lost into strange, broad, forbidden paths.

So, press forward, CLINGING to the rod of iron. If we do that, we'll have the spirit with us, and God's love, be worthy of the atonement & BE HAPPY! Love you! Happy studying.

July 6th Is ALMOST Here!!!!!

Yes, I'm a bit behind (only to mid-Mosiah), but I'm pluggin along - 7/6 is coming fast though. I love this part of the Book of Mormon (Mosiah), where Abinadi reminds us why we come to this world like we do - carnal, sensual and devilish; and how the biggest challenge is to realize that, then as the book of Revelations teach us, overcome! Alma got the message from his dad (Alma), and it was taught many times that the carnal man (natural) is an enemy to God and must change. I also love Paul's epistle to the Galatians (ch 5) where he describes the dual nature of our being, and encourages us to choose allegiance to the spiritual nature within us. If we can only remember what the Prophets tell us, and unstop our ears, hearken to their words, and soften our hearts we will be so at peace with our lives. Remember, O Remember to read your scriptures - daily! And PRAY! I love you all! Thanks, for the encouragement, Jenni!

So I'm slow

I skip around reading different things - the Ensign, certain topics for lessons I'm going to teach, scriptures, etc. I need to be better at reading those things and always read the Book of Mormon from where I am also. But I was doing a study - I love the word Remember in the scriptures. I've always wanted to read through and as I came upon this word write about it in my little Remember journal. So I started that and then lost the journal! So I felt like I couldn't keep reading, dumb I know. So I read around and studied other things - and now I have found the journal, so I am continuing on my search. This morning I was reading in 1 Nephi 21. I loved it and felt the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for all of us and at that moment I felt it for me. I have always loved verse 16, but today it just felt even more special for some reason. In the end of verse 15 - ok it says the opposite of remember - it says forget, but only to clarify that he doesn't forget us - he remembers and loves us. It reads: "...yet will I not forget thee, O house of Isael. 16. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." I felt the love that he was trying to describe to us about how much he loves us. I could just picture him saying "I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands!" I know he wants us to remember His love for us. It is important to feel loved in life, that is their main message to us.

What does the end of the scripture mean: "...thy walls are continually before me." Thoughts anyone?

I will share more "remember" scriptures soon!

I survived

I taught seminary yesterday and today and I'm still alive. :) My friend that subs also kept telling me that 4th hour is a nightmare, so I was worried about that. Then yesterday, every class leading up to that class would mention something about 4th hour and I'd say "I've heard." I guess there's two boys in the class that are trouble makers. So they came and we started class...and they listened...and they participated when I asked them too...and they were GOOD! I actually enjoyed this class the most. My friend called and asked how it went and I told her they were good. She said maybe they just didn't know me so they didn't act up. I thought the same thing, so I wondered about the next day. They came and were a bit more comfortable before class started, they talked a lot and one sat on his desk, I wondered if I was going to have to ask him to get down. Once we started...they both sat down...listened...participated. Hmmmm. My lesson the first day was on angels, I think I had help from some don't you think??? Yah. I really enjoyed teaching them. Today our lesson was on D&C 130, which talked about the Godhead, the Urim and Thumim, the second coming, and about what we can take with us when we die - our knowledge and covenants and so forth. It was a lot crammed into one lesson. I enjoyed reading, studying and learning about these things. In verse 18 where it talks about how whatever intelligence we gain in this life we keep it with us in the next - in the lesson plan it had this idea to have two glass jars (or glass bowls like I used), fill one with a little water representing a persons life. Then you put worldly things into the jar this person enjoyed, car keys to represent a car, a ring to represent jewelry, coins to represent money. They tell them that this person died unexpectedly as you pour it all out into a strainer which is over the other bowl. Ask how the strainer represents death - you can't take your worldly possessions with you. Then do it again putting everything into the water again - things they enjoyed on earth, BUT this time also add drops of food coloring (or sprinkle kool-aid powder like me :) and list off things she did also, like read her scriptures, prayed, graduated from college, married in the temple, etc. Then she dies, pour everything into the strainer over the other bowl again, and they see that she kept all of her knowledge and covenants this time. It was a great visual way to explain this concept I thought. I want to do it as a FHE for my kids sometime.

D & C 129 anyone???

The seminary teacher here had emergency surgery the other day. Since she will be out for a while my friend Danielle and I are subbing this week. I will be teaching Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday is section 129, about angels and how we know if it is an angel of God or of the adversary. I wondered why this is something they would need to know and found out that it was mostly something they taught back when Joseph had his vision. Others began to proclaim they had visions also. Joseph had to explain the difference so they knew if it was a "good" angel or not. One part suggested discussing Moses 1:12-22. I have always loved this chapter because of how Moses describes talking with God, then right after Satan came tempting him and he knew right away that it was different, he saw darkness, not light. He tells him "I can judge between him and thee." I feel like that's the most important part of the lesson to make sure they can discern between the two feelings and be able to "judge between" them.

In YW today I taught about our Legacy and those who went before us also. It was fun to talk with the girls about Book of Mormon heroes of theirs and what their legacy's are. I decided to play the song us girls wrote for Oma. I talked about her, Jeremy and Grandpa and about how others that go before us leave a Legacy no matter how old they are. I am so thankful for each of them and others, and each of you also! It's nice to have great examples all around me and in the scriptures to look to for strength.

Book of First Nephi

It appears that a summary of First Nephi is given by Nephi in 1 Nephi 1:1 - his parents were good teachers, and he was apparently a good student; he saw many afflictions in the course of his days, but through it all he felt he was "highly favored of the Lord" and "had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God", and he made a record, a testament of his sacred experiences.


I believe Elder Maxwell coined the phrase "hell-bent Laman and Lemuel", and based on Nephi's account it appears they were bound and determined to get there - hell! It appears that it all began with a heart murmur (hard hartedness), and that Laman and Lemuel "did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them". They missed Jerusalem and did not believe it could be "destroyed according to the words of the prophets". External influences were soon ignored after they spent a little time reasoning-away wise counsel from their father, faithful brother, an angel and even a demonstration in God's ability to destroy them while at sea; yet they continued to murmur and disbelieve.


It appears that Laman and Lemuel may have been too entrenched in the society and life of ease they enjoyed in Jerusalem; a contemporary prophet, who most likely walked the streets of Jerusalem with Lehi was Jeremiah - chapter 24 of his book tells all about the "naughty figs" who lived in the city. Lehi appears to be a concerned father who petitioned the Lord about preserving his family from the decay he saw in society, and was led away just in time to escape the Babalonian captivity which occurred about 586 B.C.


A most favorite part in the First Nephi is chapter 19, verses 18-20, where he seems to relish in the saving grace of the Lord in preserving him from the destruction at Jerusalem. He calls on all of the house of Israel to "remember the Lord their Redeemer ... if it so be that they should obtain [the Book of Mormon]"; and tells of the "workings in the spirit, which doth weary me even that all my joints are weak, for those who are at Jerusalem". Remembering the Lord weekly during the Sacrament should be a practice for each of us in recalling the mercies of the Lord in our own lives.


I love you all, and hope you are all enjoying the Book of Mormon - it's true and very powerful!