Keys and Authority of Priesthood

I was excited to watch this talk since I missed the Priesthood Session which is now online for all members to watch just as is the Womens Session.
Go to: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-keys-and-authority-of-the-priesthood?lang=eng

COUNSEL:
Do not see any callings as "stepping up or down"
Take time to understand the Priesthood
Whoever exercises priesthood authority should forget about their rights and concentrate on their responsibilities
Women and Men are to help each other as equal, contributing and full partners
Women are builders and organizers under Priesthood power

PROMISED BLESSINGS:
Priesthood power blesses ALL of us; directs both men and women
Blessings of the Priesthood are available to both women and men
Temple endowments, which are priesthood blessings, are available to both
The Gift of the Holy Ghost is available to both


Priesthood is: “the power of God delegated to man by which man can act in the earth for the salvation of the human family.”
As Elder M. Russell Ballard has explained, “Those who have priesthood keys … literally make it possible for all who serve faithfully under their direction to exercise priesthood authority and have access to priesthood power.”
""The famous Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is quoted as saying, “It is time … to defend not so much human rights as human obligations.” Latter-day Saints surely recognize that qualifying for exaltation is not a matter of asserting rights but a matter of fulfilling responsibilities."

Wow!  He nailed it!  It is ALL ABOUT RESPONSIBILITIES!  Do we really get that?  We ALL have responsibilities under the umbrella of the Priesthood.  We ALL have blessings under the umbrella of the Priesthood.  This is why we are serving a mission...this is why we are obligated to share the Gospel, it is our responsibility.  Yes, we have many "rights" but lets not get hung up on those as much as the right to CHOOSE THE RIGHT!  Let's not worry so much about WHO IS HOLDING THE HANDLE OF THE UMBRELLA AND REMEMBER WHO GAVE IT TO US IN THE FIRST PLACE!!

THE JOYFUL BURDEN OF DISCIPLESHIP- Rasband

Elder Rasband is special to us because he was at our first Mission President Seminar fall of 2011.  He shot Colt handguns with Braden at an evening social...he took time for "the one."

Go to: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-joyful-burden-of-discipleship?lang=eng

COUNSEL:
Truly sustain your leaders in the Church
Share their burden- take the burden with joy
Be disciples of the Lord
Serve with love every chance we get

PROMISED BLESSINGS:
We will lay up spiritual treasures in heaven
 “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”
We will feel the Spirit with us, we will grow in faith, testimony, trust and love
We will find joy in bearing others burdens

“First, tell them I love them.
“Second, tell them I am praying for them.
“Third, please thank all those who are helping.”
Those words were from President Monson to tornado victims and volunteers...yet they could be from Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ to those who help in Their work!
WE can be the Lord's hands to serve and lift all his children.

I don't think it is any coincidence that so many talks the past few years have focused on discipleship.  It is what is expected of us because of how much we have been given.
We have been SO BLESSED through our call to serve here in AZ.  The service we give is always way less than the blessings we receive back, or blessings given to our family members.

We love you
We pray for you
We thank you for the help that you give to us and our family
Have a great week!  Love, Cheryl

The Cost and Blessings of Discipleship- Holland

Elder Holland is one of my favorite apostles...I love his strength and fire when he speaks.  There is nothing doubting in his presentation and it has blessed me as a mission mom.
Go to:https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-cost-and-blessings-of-discipleship?lang=eng

COUNSEL:

• Prepare to defend your faith
• Teach, encourage and cheer people on, as well as worry, warn and weep for them
• Keep all the commandments
• Have Christlike love
• Be strong, live the Gospel even if those around you do not
• Defend your beliefs with courtesy, but defend them

PROMISED BLESSINGS:

• You will be in good company
• It will be worth it
• Christlike love can change the world
• You will forge unshakable faith
• You will find safety against ill winds
• You will feel the strength of the Savior, upon who you can build and not fall

"So here we have the burden of those called to bear the messianic message. In addition to teaching, encouraging, and cheering people on (that is the pleasant part of discipleship), from time to time these same messengers are called upon to worry, to warn, and sometimes just to weep (that is the painful part of discipleship). They know full well that the road leading to the promised land “flowing with milk and honey” of necessity runs by way of Mount Sinai, flowing with “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots.”"

"It is as the Lord Himself lamented to the prophet Isaiah:
“[These] children … will not hear the law of the Lord:
“[They] say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
“Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”

Loved this talk.  It is so true that we want to make God into someone who just loves us no matter what, so we do not feel we have to keep any of his commandments.  We want to smooth things over and say that everything that anyone wants to say or do is OK.
God created the world and created us.  Certainly he has the owners manual and knows how to care for us.  I trust in his laws and know that I am happier by following them.

HUNTERS IN AZ

 PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINE FOR ALL PHOTOS OF THEIR TRIP

We loved having LeAnn and Mike bring their family to see us in the mission!
They arrived after Saturday conference and we sent the boys off to Priesthood and had some time to do some visiting and shopping and sort of our traditional "Ladies Night" with Tanner included.
Sunday we watched conference, ate plenty of good food, and went on walks in the great AZ weather this time of year.

 The Hunters were very patient with the constant texts, phone calls and business that does not ever get completely ignored while we are serving.

Monday after my run to the temple, the Hunters met me over at the Phoenix Temple where we had a tour of the little visitor center in the church next to the site with one of the directors who happened to be there.  We then did a hike at Thunderbird Park across the street and overlooking the temple.

 I had to hustle back to meet some elders at Penneys to help them get suits, then it was back home to get everyone gathered to head over to Phoenix Downtown area to the very cool


SCIENCE MUSEUM.

Here we are standing on a platform where they simulate all types of weather.








And the outdoor water and ball games were loads of fun!











From here, we went to Gilbert temple, then to Mesa Temple as you see us above and then at night.  It was a three temple day!

 Tuesday we got up and went hiking over at White Tank Mountains in Surprise.  It had heated up a bit, but we braved it and enjoyed the interesting petroglyphs along the way.

 We had found out on Monday that the dress rehearsal for the Easter Pageant would be tonight, so we re-planned our zoo trip so we could just stay over in that area and go to the play.

So, we braved the heat again for the PHOENIX ZOO

We had a really good time.  I think we all loved the cute bear mommy and teenager.

 Cody and Vicky loved the carousel

 And Tanner wanted to live at STINGRAY BAY!

We ended the night over at the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant, one of the Church's authorized pageants.

They do a great job and it is really a powerful experience.

I think the sword of this soldier was the coolest thing ever to the boys!

We love our family and it was great to have the Hunters come see us.

We are sorry that LeAnn and Tanner got sick the last night they were here, and put a damper on that last day in AZ.  They did go up through Grand Canyon, but I will let them tell you about that, or send me a few pics to add to this post.
LOVE YOU ALL!

ROCK LIZARD!

 Any of you have come to visit and walk with us may have seen Scott's pet lizard...well, it did not start out being a lizard, but that is the end thereof.

As he would walk along the main road north of us, he would place a small rock on top of a large flat rock.  As soon as that rock was full of small rocks, he added another large rock alongside it and filled the top with small ones...one a day.

One day we found the rock you see that looks like the snout of a lizard, and hence the inspiration to create a creature.

 ROCK LIZARD was born!

It did not take long before he had legs and a long tail.
Meanwhile, the areas north of the Mission Home were being developed into housing and we worried that the lizard would be destroyed in the process.

So, one day we had Elders help haul the rocks back to the mission home in boxes.

Later, when a different group came over to pick fruit, we had them help create the lizard in the backyard of the Mission Home.  He looks pretty good!

They could not resist placing name badges on top for a photo!

The legacy lives on in the Arizona Phoenix Mission.  We hope the new family love him as well!