HOLD TO THE ROD- Elder Kevin S. Hamilton

Counsel:
Consistently read the scriptures
Don't pay heed to those that want to mock or make fun of you
Attend Church weekly to take Sacrament
Attend ALL 3 meetings each Sunday
Observe to keep Sabbath holy
Choose BETTER or BEST activities
Have daily personal and family prayer
Live the Doctrine of Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Ghost, Endure to end.)


Promises:
Safety
Security
Increased measure of Spirit
Friendship
Joy
Peace
Receive all that the Father hath
Strength to resist temptation
Ability to navigate successfully in life
Protection

The POWER of Honoring our Covenants- Sister Carole Stephens

Really liked this talk and how it made me remember the importance of every good thing in my life and that it relates to the promises I have made to someone, whether it is my husband, my kids, my friends, or my God.  My relationships are BETTER because of underlying promises/covenants.  I know we WORK HARDER because we have made those serious promises and I love that aspect of commitment.
Trust is HUGE with us.  It is one of the most serious sought after qualities that I would seek for in any of those people I mentioned above.  I feel that trust is based on keeping promises, which just makes sense that God expects us to keep promises with him.

Counsel:
Recognize that we NEED TO MAKE, KEEP AND RENEW COVENANTS
Renew our baptismal covenants weekly through sacrament
Renew our temple covenants weekly through sacrament
Priesthood blessings are available to us, we should use them!
We have to EXERCISE faith...or we lose strength
Respect each other as sons and daughters of God

Promised Blessings:
We receive the Holy Ghost to be our guide
We can be sealed to our families forever
We receive POWER, God's power
We can return to live with God
Comfort, direction, encouragement, and inspiration come from Heavenly Father through worthy                priesthood holders.
God will keep his promises with you
Receive personal revelation
Be blessed by the ministering of angels
We can commune with God

We are grateful for covenants that bind our family eternally together.  Peace speaks to my soul knowing that no matter what, this promise will be fulfilled.  WE LOVE OUR ETERNAL FAMILY!!!

FAT MANS LOOP

 Saturday we were up overnight in Flagstaff and hence got a new Saturday hike destination!

We did not really know where to go, so I looked online for some ideas and found this hike very close to town.

We chose FAT MAN'S LOOP, a fairly short loop in a really beautiful spot East of Flagstaff.

 Unfortunately, the exposure on the camera was set at something strange after interviews this week so too much light was getting in.
The tree I was sitting on was really so cool...the colors and textures.


And Scott on another view of the same tree.

We kept wondering where the narrow pass meriting the name FAT MAN'S LOOP would come into play...until we were towards the end of the loop, on the going back down side.

 So, you can see it is a bit of an exaggeration, but a fun description of the trail nonetheless.

 Coming back down, we saw this cool tree with another tree or stump rather imbedded into it.  It was such a contrast of texture that it was really striking and I wanted a photo...inspired by Breanna's photos of the textures of the desert that she just posted this weekend as well, which was rather a coincidence.  I had been thinking of how she enjoyed seeing all the interesting textures when we would hike.


So, next time you are here in AZ with us, let's hike!  One more destination in our list of places we have hiked!

Opening Up- Jeffrey Holland

Dear Friends and Family,  We recently asked you to join with us in studying the conference talks from the past conference.  This past week we studied Jeffrey R Holland's talk about mental illness.  We admired his courage in opening up and sharing his personal experiences.
As we study the talks, will you join us in looking for the things we are asked to do (counsel) as well as the promised blessings.  We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section of the blog.
COUNSEL:
Never doubt God's love
Never harden your heart
Take time for daily devotion- prayer/scripture study/worship
Seek counsel of those who hold keys for your spiritual well-being
Take sacrament every week
Hold fast to promises of the Atonement
Believe in miracles
Watch for stress indicators in selves and others- you may be able to help
Take time to be well
Seek advice of professionals- be honest with them
BE PATIENT
Have charity for those with illness

PROMISES:
The Savior will lift us above our trials
Divine love will make our suffering bearable, understandable and redemptive
Broken minds can be healed
Weakness will be raised in power
Those with disabilities will become grand and perfect

We also invite you to check out the resource recently released through the LDS Missionary Department entitled ADJUSTING TO MISSIONARY LIFE.  You will find that it is a booklet based on true principles of how to care for ourselves knowing who we are, children of God.
 If you are interested in seeing it for yourself, click on this link and then it will ask you to log into your LDS ACCOUNT in order to view it.
 https://missionary.lds.org/m-content/bc/PDFs/AdjustingMissLife_Booklet-LowRes_6-7-13.pdf
 Basically, you could call it "ADJUSTING TO_________________LIFE"and fill in the blanks.
For this week, please take a look at Sister Stephens talk and Elder Hamiltons talk from conference.  WE LOVE YOU!  HAVE A GREAT WEEK!