God Wants (and Needs) a Powerful People

On the fifth Sunday in September, the Bishop is in charge of the Priesthood/Relief Society meeting and they generally meet all together.  Because of our building and time circumstances we don't have a room where all of us can meet together.  So Bishop Roper asked if I would teach Relief Society.  He didn't give me a topic. For some reason I had a really hard time putting the lesson together.  I don't know why other than maybe I didn't want to just give a lesson.  I wanted to give what the Lord would have me give and I wanted it to be beneficial for the girls in our ward.  Because I have been reading the book by Sheri Dew, "God wants a powerful People" and it has made a huge impact on me, I decided to do the lesson centered around one of her chapters entitled, "How God Shares His Power."  I think I'm going to post this in 3 segments so it's not so long.  So here is the first part:

I have a dear friend.  The last year has been a difficult one for her.  Her husband has had employment problems the last couple of years and Cherie has been working full time to help pay the bills.  About 10 months ago her mother had a stroke and was left unable to take care of herself.  Cherie met with her siblings and they decided that they would sell their parents home, Cherie would quit her job and have her parents come and live with her.  With the money from the sell of the home they would give Cherie her salary and add a room for her parents on the back of their home.  Cherie's mother is a loving kind woman but after having the stroke she takes 24 hour care.  She isn't able to bath herself or take care of any of her personal needs.  Her father can be a little difficult.  Taking care of them 24/7 is no easy job, but Cherie has taken it on and has done it with no complaints.  About 6 months ago, her son and his wife announced that they were pregnant with triplets.  They have 2 other young children.  Cherie decided then that she would provide three meals a week for her son and his growing family.  Every time she makes a trip to Costco she buys them a box of diapers.  Two weeks ago her daughter-in-law gave birth to 3 tiny but healthy babies, who are still in the hospital.  Knowing Cherie, I am sure she will continue to help her son and his family with providing meals and any other support she can.  I know she babysits often for their other 2 kids.  Where does Cherie get her strength to carry the heavy load that she has been given?  From God.  

Mosiah 8:16 And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.

Matthew 9:  8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

God does not want us to face our challenges alone.  He will give us the power we need.

What things has God given us that help us to be powerful?

Scriptures / word of God

Prophets & Apostles—General Conference

Church Leaders--Home Teachers, Visiting Teachers

Holy Ghost

*Commandments—obedience

Tithing

Purity--Our Virtue

*Temple

*Priesthood

Family & Friends

Atonement—allows us to have eternal life

Prayer

Patriarchal Blessings

Temple-covenants, blessings received from obedience

                        

Our ultimate goal is to go to the temple.  While reading different things about the temple this past week it donned on me the importance of the temple.  We often refer to baptism as the key or the gateway to enter into the celestial kingdom.  I see the temple as the pathway that leads us back to our Heavenly Father once we enter in through the gate.  We can't enter in without baptism and the Temple guides us through.  It gives us the knowledge we need. 

So you want to work towards receiving your endowment AND work towards being sealed to a GREAT young man (or woman if your a guy reading this)!

Brigham City Temple Dedication took place just a couple of weeks ago.  Everyone in the state of Utah was invited to participate in that dedication—

why was the whole state invited and encouraged to participate?

It shows the importance of having a temple in our midst—the importance of using it--the importance of understanding it!

Joseph Smith received the following revelation concerning the importance of building a temple for the Saints.

D&C 38:32 Wherefore, for this cause I gave unto you the ^acommandment that ye should go to the ^bOhio; and there I will give unto you my ^claw; and there you shall be ^dendowed with power from on high;

At the dedication of the Kirkland Temple, Joseph Smith prayed  these words:   And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power… D&C 109:22

Sheri Dew said:  "those who receive their endowment are endowed or gifted with poer, and  they emerge from the temple lcothed in and armed with that power.  From that time forward, if they keep their covenants, they are never alone, nor are they ever defenseless." (God Wants a Powerful People, pg. 40)—pretty powerful:

never alone and never defenseless—we have God’s power!

            When we go to the temple, we are taught God’s plan.  We are instructed and then we covenant with God to abide by his laws.  And when we do that, God gives us His power so that we can face the challenges of this world.

The early Saints NEEDED this power before they left Nauvoo.

"More than 5,000 Saints thronged the Nauvoo Temple after its dedication so they could receive the endowment and the sealing ordinance before embarking on their journey into an unknown future. They came to the temple all day and long into the night. President Brigham Young wrote that they were so anxious to receive their ordinances that “I have given myself up entirely to the work of the Lord in the Temple night and day, not taking more than four hours sleep, upon an average, per day, and going home but once a week.”"  pg.29 Daughters in my Kingdom

Brigham Young labored diligently endowing the faithful so they would be able to bear the burdens that faced them as they journeyed west to an unknown land.

Daughters in my Kingdom, pg. 133 it says:  “In the ordinances of the higher priesthood that the Saints received in the Nauvoo Temple, “the power of godliness [was] manifest.”  As the Saints kept their covenants, this power strengthened and sustained them through their trials in the days and years ahead.”  

Pg. 29-30 of Daughters in my Kingdom:   "The strength, power, and blessings of temple covenants would sustain the Latter-day Saints during their journey, when they would suffer cold, heat, hunger, poverty, sickness, accidents, and death. They were strengthened and empowered—spiritually prepared to leave Nauvoo on their arduous journey into the wilderness."

           

WHEN DO WE RECEIVE OUR ENDOWMENT TODAY???

Young men and women are endowed before they leave on missions for the church.  If sisters don’t go on missions, they are generally endowed when they get married.

ABBIE: My youngest daughter will be turning 25 in a couple of months.  She is single.  She just moved into a new ward.  When she met her new Bishop, he asked her if she had thought about or considered going to the temple and receiving her endowment.  It caught her off guard.  She hadn’t thought about it.  She had always just thought she would go to the temple when she marries. 

SO....with those 2 thoughts I ask:

WHY DO WE ENDOW YOUNG MEN OR YOUNG WOMEN BEFORE THEY GO ON MISSIONS?

WHY DO WE RECEIVE OUR ENDOWMENTS BEFORE MARRIAGE?

WHAT WOULD BE THE ADVANTAGE OR NEED TO GO TO THE TEMPLE NOW?

One sister who is a return missionary said that when she went through the temple before her mission that the temple matron spoke to them and said that going on a mission was going to be the most difficult thing they had ever done and receiving their endowment would give them the power and strength they would need to be good missionaries.  I added that that is soooo true, and that when getting married.... they would be doing the most difficult thing they have ever done and would need the endowment so they can be successful in marriage.

Even if you aren't getting married or going on a mission, if you are mature enough to take the temple and it's covenants seriously than maybe going to the temple NOW can help you make those ever important decisions that you young people have to make in life!  And it can help you be truly committed to living the gospel to it's fullest extent.

           

You have many decisions about life to make—you have Satan knocking at your door every day to try to lead you astray.  The purpose to receive your endowment is:

            To give you power

        To help you face the challenges that will come to you

        To help you understand God’s plan—knowledge is power

        To make covenants—which gives us strength to do what is right—which gives us power

I believe the trials we face today are every bit as difficult as the trials the pioneers faced.  They are very different and we need God’s power just as much as they did.  We need God's power to help us on this arduous journey of life through this wilderness.

Good Bye and Hello

As we end the summer sessions of school and begin the fall semester, we have many students moving out of the apartments and MANY moving in.  We probably have about 105 new members coming into our ward.  Which means there will be about 50 that are either coming back after being away all summer or who are staying.  I have really grown to love all of these kids.  It's amazing how that works.  As I see so many leave, I am sad and hate the thought of never hearing from them again.  Although I really hope that isn't the case, reality tells me that it will be the case with some.  As they leave I tell them to not forget us.  As I thought about this recently, I had an amazing and better understanding of Jesus Christ and how he has asked us to "always remember Him."  He called his disciples to meet with Him when He knew that His time on this mortal earth was about to come to an end.  He instituted the sacrament as an ordinance where we could physically do something that would help us to never forget the things He did for us, to help us remember his atoning sacrifice.

Matthew 26: 17 ¶Now the first day of the feast of ^aunleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the ^bpassover?

 18 And he said, Go into the city ^ato such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My ^btime is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.

 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the ^apassover.

 20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.

26 ¶And as they were eating, Jesus took ^abread, ^band blessed it,and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my ^cbody.

 27 And he took the ^acup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ^bDrink ye all of it;

 28 ^aFor this is my ^bblood of the new ^ctestament, which is shed for many for the ^dremission of sins

Luke 22:19 ¶And he took ^abread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my ^bbody which is ^cgiven for you: this do in ^dremembrance of me.

 20 Likewise also the ^acup after supper, saying, This cup is the new ^btestament in my blood, which is shed for you.

1 Corinthians 11: 23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took ^abread:

 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in^aremembrance of me.

 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Jesus Christ gave His life for us!  He atoned for our sins and took on all our sorrows and pains so that we wouldn't have to bear them on our own.  The pain was so great that He bled from every pore.  What a great and incomprehensible sacrifice.  And so He asks from us is to "always remember Him."  Don't forget what He did for every living soul.  

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we partake of the sacrament every Sunday.  It is a sacred time where we renew our baptismal covenants and promise to not only remember what Jesus did for us but we promise to take His name upon us and to keep His commandments.

So next Sunday, when I sing the sacrament hymn and I listen to the sacrament prayers, I will remember Jesus Christ.  I will strive to take His name upon me and keep His commandments.  Is that really so much to ask?  Not after what He did for us.

To my dear friends in the 251st ward, I will also try to remember them and hope they will remember me.  And as they remember me, I hope they will ALWAYS REMEMBER that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice.  He loves each of us.  That is so evident by what He did for us.  We are members of His church.  What a great honor that is and what a great responsibility.  Good bye my dear friends.  Best of Luck and God be with you.  Hello my new friends.  I can't wait to get to know you!

DATING ADVISE

So a couple of nights ago I was talking to a young man in our ward who has been dating a young woman in our ward throughout the summer.  I think I can say he is in love with her.  I’ve watched them and have to agree with many that they are a great match.  He told me she is “his twin.”  Here’s the problem, she is leaving to go back to her home in California because she was not accepted to attend BYU in the fall or winter and she has been accepted into a program back home into a field she’s been trying to get into.  He is going to BYU and has checked into transferring to a school in CA but his credits will not transfer.  Neither want to have a long distance relationship and neither one wants this to be the end.  WHAT A DELEMA!

So they have this problem and don’t know what to do.  And no one can tell them what to do, but some advise can never hurt.  In our  religion, we truly believe that God helps us make these important decisions by promptings from the Holy Ghost and from advice from others.  We also believe that we are “instruments in God’s hands” (see Alma17: 9,11) and He uses us to help others.  With that said, I felt impressed to offer some advise to this great young man.

This is the email I sent to him:

"As I walked this morning I listened to a talk by Russell M. Ballard from the April 2012 conference.  There were some things he said that I thought related to you and K as you try to figure out what to do now.  There's a lot that doesn't but you still ought to read or listen to it.  

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/that-the-lost-may-be-found?lang=eng

Some things to think about (quotes from his talk):

When people make family and religious commitments to gospel principles, they begin to do better spiritually and often temporally as well.

the most important cause of our lifetime is our families. If we will devote ourselves to this cause, we will improve every other aspect of our lives and will become, as a people and as a church, an example and a beacon for all peoples of the earth.

may I suggest that we prioritize. Put everything you do outside the home in subjection to and in support of what happens inside your home.

Remove any of your fear with faith. Trust the power of God to guide you.

To you who are not yet married, pay careful attention to finding your eternal companion…..

And to you young women, I would add that you must also not lose sight of this responsibility. No career can bring you as much fulfillment as rearing a family. And when you are my age, you will realize this even more.

As you seek to live the gospel and doctrine of Christ, the Holy Ghost will guide you and your family. You will have a spiritual GPS to tell you always where you are and where you are going.

Me again to my friend…I can't tell you what to do.  You can't tell K what to do, but I will say, if she is the "one" for you or rather if she is the one you would love to be with forever, then don't lose her.  Don't let her go.  Find a way to make this work.  (Is there a different school around here that she can get the same degree? etc.) Trust the Lord.  Remember to do the things that Pres. Mullen (our Stake President) has counseled us:  read your scriptures daily, pray daily, attend the temple, follow the for strength of youth pamphlet, and act and don't be acted upon.  The Lord will bless you for your efforts.  He loves you and He wants you to be happy and He will guide you and help you.  Seek His inspiration."

Forget not to be Happy--Now!

The end of May we had a Relief Society Salad night at Kawanis Park.  There was a great turn out of girls.  Jessica Maughn, our fearless Relief Society President asked me to give a thought....

Stephanie Nielson is my hero.  I admire her and look up to her, even though I have never met her.

In August 2008 she went with her husband, Christian and his flight instructor in a small aircraft for a “day trip” from Mesa to New Mexico.  When taking off from the airport to return home, they got tangled in some power lines and their plane caught on fire and crashed.  Stephanie and her husband survived the crash.  Christian had burns over 35% of his body.  Stephanie had burns over 83% of her body.  They had 4 young children waiting for them at home ranging in ages from almost 2 to 6.   Stephanie was in a coma for 3 months. She spent 3 more months recovering in the AZ Burn center.  After her accident, Stephanie no longer looked like Stephanie.  She, at first, didn’t feel like her old self.  Physically, she was in a lot of pain.  Eventually, with the persuasion of her family she started blogging again--she was an adamant blogger before the accident and had many followers, but she had lost her drive to continue after the accident.  She now feels responsible to tell and share her story.  Life is still difficult Physically for Stephanie.  If any of you have seen her, you understand when she says, “I am not my body.”  She also has said, “Some days I’m proud of this face. . . other days I think, oh man, I sure miss the old me.”  This experience has strengthened her.

She tells of an experience of while doing the laundry she went to her closet and touched all her clothing and she said she had a wave of emotion come over her.

  “I missed me again.  I mourned for that woman again. I felt that familiar sadness.  But then it was followed by a beautiful spiritual confirmation that this is my new life.  It is good.  It is OH so good.  Then I felt that I should bring home me.  Because it is still me and those clothes still fit.”

She had learned that even though she isn’t attractive to look at, and maybe some would find it difficult to look at her, she is still her.  She sees things differently and she sees life as being more than her physical appearance. She’s grateful to be on the earth.  Her role is more divine.  She is a mother who enriches and teaches the gospel of Jesus Christ and sees her life as a privilege.  She knows that God is in control and will be there every step of the way helping her and giving her strength.  Stephanie knows that God has a plan for her and will help her.  I do not believe that His plan included her being severely burned in a plane crash.  I believe that He allows the consequences to happen according to the decisions we make.  She chose to take that ride in the airplane that day.  Our Heavenly Father chose to keep her alive.  He has given her the strength to know who she is and to know what is really important in life.

 “Spiritually, I have a better sense of who I am, what my divine purpose is, what I’m doing here on earth and why I’m still here.  Life has a different meaning than it did before.”

There is a plan for each of you.  It is a plan that will ultimately give you the greatest joy and happiness you will ever experience.  Our responsibility is to act and go everyday with happiness and peace.  To have faith and trust in God that He will guide our every step.

Stephanie has chosen to stand up and be an example to all women. She has chosen to have gratitude for her life.  She has learned to trust and rely on her Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  She has chosen to try and make a difference in the lives of others.  She has chosen to not sit in her home and mope about the way she looks and feels.  She has chosen to move forward with strength and courage.  She has learned that life is not about your physical appearance, it’s about what you do with your life!  She has found her true Beauty.

Pres. Uchtdorf gave the talk “Forget Me Not” last September and in it he reminded us to “Forget not to be happy NOW”.  He spoke about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the golden ticket that everyone hoped to find.  He said, 

“So many people today are waiting for their own golden ticket—the ticket that they believe holds the key to the happiness they have always dreamed about.  For some, the golden ticket may be a perfect marriage; for others, a magazine-cover home or perhaps freedom from stress or worry.There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings—we hope and seek after things that are “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.”  The problem comes when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future event—our golden ticket—to appear.”

You girls are in the stage of life where you don’t really know what lies ahead and you know there are big and very important decisions to be made.  It’s easy to look for things we want and forget to see the good things that we have right now. It’s so important that we enjoy the time of life that we are in.  I don’t care how old you are and what stage of life you are in, there are always surprises around the corner.  There are always decisions to be made.  So find joy in the journey and forget not to be Happy NOW.

Pres. Uchtdorf continues: “This is not to say that we should abandon hope or temper our goals. Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life.The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy.”

As I was reading Stephanie Nielson's blog today she wrote last week:

Surgery and change. Here a little and there a little.But still smiling, still blessed and certainly still happy. 

I think she is very disciplined and that is one way she makes sure that she is happy.  She set some new rules for herself:

NO texting, talking, instagraming, playing with or touching my phone while nursing.NO computer work from the hours of 3:30 (when the children come home) to bedtime.NO work after 10:00. That is the time I want to spend with Mr. Nielson. 

A few days before that she blogged:

All I can think about is how blessed I am, how happy I feel,and how grateful I am to be alive, to have a family,to know and feel God's love.

This is why Stephanie Nielson is my hero.  Even though she didn’t find a golden ticket, she makes the best out of what she’s been given.  She has learned to get up every day and face the challenges before her.

She sets a perfect example for her children.  I’m sure she has really bad days and I’m sure she says things to her children that she regrets later and I’m pretty sure she is not perfect—but she is still my hero—someone I can look to and say I can be like that.  I can be happy every day no matter how hard the road gets.

She recently gave birth to her 5^th child.  Something she and her doctors didn’t know if she would be able to do.

Her oldest daughter Claire who would be about 10 wrote a poem about their family.  This is what she said about her new baby sister:

Charlotte is our miracle,
Charlotte is our perfect angel,it must mean Heaven is here.Perfectly clean and pure
she is the 5th pea in the pod,
she is our jewel,she is our heart
she is our miracle.

Her wonderful spirit has shown through her children. 

It’s not your clothes that give you value.  It’s not your pretty face or your lovely hair.  It is what’s in your heart.  It’s how you look at life.  It’s how you treat those around you.  Forget not that God loves you for who you are.  Forget not to be happy NOW.

Just a little side note--present day--I just finished reading Stephanie Nielson's  book Heaven is Here.  I recommend it to EVERYONE!!  Such a great story of courage and faith and hope.