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!

I Will Not Fail Thee Nor Forsake Thee- Monson

Please go to this link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/i-will-not-fail-thee-nor-forsake-thee?lang=eng#watch=video

COUNSEL:

• Recognize that NO ONE lives free from sorrow and suffering
• Remember that patience is required
• Whenever we are inclined to feel burdened down with the blows of life, let us remember that others have passed the same way, have endured, and then have overcome.
• Do not wait for trials to remember God

PROMISED BLESSINGS:

• I will not fail thee nor forsake thee...no matter what!
• He will give us rest
• He will offer us peace in adversity

"Of utmost comfort to me during this tender time of parting have been my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge I have that my dear Frances lives still. I know that our separation is temporary. We were sealed in the house of God by one having authority to bind on earth and in heaven. I know that we will be reunited one day and will never again be separated. This is the knowledge that sustains me."

"Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass. We know that there are times when we will experience heartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we may be tested to our limits. However, such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become something different from what we were—better than we were, more understanding than we were, more empathetic than we were, with stronger testimonies than we had before."

The Moral Force of Women- D Todd Christofferson

Please go to this link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/the-moral-force-of-women?lang=eng#watch=video

COUNSEL:

• Look for and appreciate women of influence in your lives
• As a woman, seek to teach and influence others for good
• Teach in word and deed
• Cultivate the moral power within
• Be a guardian of the law of chastity
• View Motherhood as a valid career
• Do not participate in sex outside of marriage/abortion/immodest dress
• Do not blur the lines between male and female
• Follow the Holy Spirit
• Put God first

PROMISED BLESSINGS:

• Women can have a huge impact on the lives of others
• Your moral authority and influence will grow

"My plea to women and girls today is to protect and cultivate the moral force that is within you. Preserve that innate virtue and the unique gifts you bring with you into the world. Your intuition is to do good and to be good, and as you follow the Holy Spirit, your moral authority and influence will grow. To the young women I say, don’t lose that moral force even before you have it in full measure. Take particular care that your language is clean, not coarse; that your dress reflects modesty, not vanity; and that your conduct manifests purity, not promiscuity. You cannot lift others to virtue on the one hand if you are entertaining vice on the other."

I really liked this talk.  I wonder how we can be so mixed up to think that men and women should be the same.  It is obvious that we need to have both genders in order to have children.  It does not work any other way.  We like to fuss that men just see women as sex objects, then we dress immodestly knowing we will get that kind of attention.
We were designed to complement and work together, no one being greater or better than another.  I love that!  God knew what he was doing.

Strengthening Faith and Testimony: Robert D Hales

This talk was the first we read last fall and is brought back to remind us how to prepare for conference again!
Go to this link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/general-conference-strengthening-faith-and-testimony?lang=eng#watch=video

COUNSEL:

• Listen to conference
• Study out problems in your mind, then ask if it is right
• Prepare prayerfully
• Take sufficient time, sacrifice other less important things
• Prepare for conference by coming with questions or desires
• Take notes on what you FEEL and HEAR
• Watch conference free from distractions as possible
• Listen with patience and faith
• Gather to listen to conference then return home to live the counsel
• Read the talks afterwards

PROMISED BLESSINGS:

• You will receive the word of God
• The Lord will tell you what will 
• You will feel the Spirit if you will listen
• The Holy Ghost will carry what you need into your heart in a way you can understand it
• We can strengthen each other to withstand the fiery darts of Satan
• The gates of Hell shall not prevail

"My brothers and sisters, I bear my special witness that the Lord Jesus Christ lives and stands at the head of this Church. This is His general conference. I promise you in His name that if you pray with a sincere desire to hear your Heavenly Father’s voice in the messages of this conference, you will discover that He has spoken to you to help you, to strengthen you, and to lead you home into His presence."

TO MY GRANDCHILDREN- President Eyring

I love President Eyring...having him call us to our mission assignment was really special, and we feel we know him on a little deeper level after that hour in his office.
This talk also spoke to my heart as a parent and grandparent.
GO TO: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/to-my-grandchildren?lang=eng#watch=video

COUNSEL:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind
Love thy neighbor as thyself
Repent often as needed
Accept and magnify all callings we are given
Seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost through prayer and service
We should expect the help of God...depend on Him!
LOVE THEM NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO

PROMISED BLESSINGS:
Loving God will help us to meet challenges and lead to the heart of a happy family life
We will be clean and happy
Our lives and the lives of our families will be blessed as we serve
As we serve, we will be blessed with the companionship of the Holy Ghost...miracles will come to pass
With the companion of the Holy Ghost our marriages can be free from discord
Through the Atonement we will be saved
Angels will be sent to save us and our own

"There is but one plan of happiness. That plan is to follow all the commandments of God."

"My message then to my grandchildren, and to all of us trying to forge eternal families, is that there is joy guaranteed for the faithful. From before the world was, a loving Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son loved and worked with those who They knew would wander. God will love them forever.

You have the advantage of knowing that they learned the plan of salvation from the teachings they received in the spirit world. They and you were faithful enough to be allowed to come into the world when many others were not.

With the help of the Holy Ghost, all truths will be brought to our remembrance. We cannot force that on others, but we can let them see it in our lives. We can always take courage from the assurance that we all once felt the joy of being together as a member of the beloved family of our Heavenly Father. With God’s help we can all feel that hope and that joy again."

This talk is especially meaningful to me as a parent and as a missionary...it works for both.  Our greatest desire is for an eternal, complete family.  And as missionaries...ALL OF US AS MISSIONARIES, we want that for our brothers and sisters.  So, we know that they need to keep the commandments in order to be truly and eternally happy.  It is as simple as that.   LOVE YOU!  Cheryl

CALLED OF HIM TO DECLARE HIS WORD

This talk by Elder Randy Funk was new to me since it was from Priesthood session. Perfect for us right now though!
Go to: http://bcove.me/l79lxczn
3 Nephi 5:13
13 Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.

COUNSEL:

• Go to the scriptures and living apostles for counsel.
• Humble yourselves before the Lord.(Be humble)
• Abide in His word. (Be obedient!)
• Hearken to His Spirit. (Feel the Spirit, it is essential)
• Fully repent of anything you need to.
• Begin the process of repentance now!

PROMISED BLESSINGS:

• When you pray, you will be comforted.
• You will experience "REAL GROWTH" for your future.
• You will have POWER to open the doors of the kingdom.
• Peace to your soul, you will feel the Holy Spirit.
• Your confidence will wax strong.  
• You will have power.
• You will gain knowledge.
• "Our insights, our talents, our abilities are expanded because we receive strength and power from the Lord.”
• You will find great happiness as a missionary.

"The Lord instructs His servants to be humble because the process of being made whole spiritually begins with a broken heart. Think of the good that comes from broken things: Soil is broken to plant wheat. Wheat is broken to make bread. Bread is broken to become the emblems of the sacrament. When one who is repentant partakes of the sacrament with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, he or she becomes whole. As we repent and become whole through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have much more to offer the Savior as we serve Him. “Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him.”"
 “A knowledge of truth and the answers to our greatest questions come to us as we are obedient to the commandments of God.” How reassuring it is to know that through our obedience we gain knowledge."

This talk applies not only to missionaries, but to all of us as parents or members or those who seek truth.   It reminded me of this scripture: D&C 90:24 "Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another."
When we were baptized we promised to lift each other's burdens...meaning anyone we come in contact with in the entire human race.  I love the promise that all things will work together for our good as we remember that covenant and read, pray and help others.
HAVE A GOOD WEEK! Love You!  Cheryl

Misc. Jenna and Boys Visit 3/14

 PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINE FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THIS VISIT

We really had so much fun having Jenna and the boys out for about 10 days.  It went too fast and we spent a few days sick...that's another story...but all in all, it was delightful.  The house is truly too quiet now that they are gone!

 Our first FHE we acted out Lehi's dream.  The boys had been reading about that in their nightly Book of Mormon reading so it seemed like the right thing to do.  Don't know how much they got out of it...it was super short but fun.


It makes sense that when it is dark and cloudy and we do not know exactly where we are going, we need the security of something to hold onto.  I am glad we have the Gospel truths that truly do guide us in our lives!  Love this analogy/dream!




We like to terrorize the kids, so we take them to feed ducks.  It was hilarious that as the boys backs were turned, the ducks came running towards us and they had no idea they were coming.  TERRIFYING!

 Then the 2 geese came and that was really scary!  We just kept throwing food their way to appease them!

As soon as we were out of bread, they were not interested in us anymore!

We like the coots that have really cool blue feet and can run on the water!

We went hiking a couple times.  One morning I took the boys hiking after my run to the temple so Jenna could go on a run.  We started up the mountain and Carter refused to stop until he got to "the top."  So, we ended up taking them on about a 3 mile hike when Jenna met us on the trail.

When we came back on the lower trail, we started seeing faces on cactus.  So, we brought back Breanna and Scott to hike there another day to show them the funny faces.

In AZ, no one would be out in water this time of year...WAY TOO COLD!  But remember the days in Utah???  You had to wait until it was 70 or 75 to put on your swimsuit!  It was 70-75 every day while they were here!  But in AZ that feels cool.

 Jenna had some college running friends come over for a lunch date.  They had a good time together.

 Carter tried his hand at making a cactus face on one of his morning walks with Grandpa!

 Bennett was very gentle with Addie and she was really pretty calm about the boys being here.

One treat for Grandpa and Carter was to go to a Mariners vs Rockies baseball Spring Training game.  They had a really good time together doing boy stuff!

Click on the line above for more photos of all sorts of adventures!


LOVED HAVING VISITORS!  WE LOVE OUR FAMILY!

Phoenix Children's Museum Carter and Bennett Style 3/14

 PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINE FOR ALL PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT


We were really looking forward to taking the boys to the museum.  We had so much fun with Brooklyn there and knew they would love it.

 The gigantic play structure just inside the museum just captures them immediately.  Lots of climbing time required!  It goes up three stories high!

 And we LOVE the cool vacuum tubes that suck in scarves and then shoot them out of various spots depending on where you crank them open and shut.

You can see how delighted Bennett was to catch the scarves!

And they loved the area with the air blowing up and hovering ping pong balls.

 Lots of random instruments to play.

 Some pretty serious concentration by Carter...see his tongue sticking out.

 The boys rode trikes through the cool carwash...it was very clever.

 And they spent a long time in the noodle jungle.

 We found a lot more places this time that we missed with Brooklyn.  This reading nook was really sweet.

 Got someone to take our photo up there overlooking the climbing structure.

 Brooklyn will remember the ice cream shop...it was one of her favorites!

 The  boys served us up some cones!


Look at the link for more photos of the museum.  The girls had been smart and checked weather the week before to decide which week to go to the zoo and which to the museum...and they were right, that forecast for rain came true!  It poured while we were inside!  And it seriously hardly ever rains in Phoenix!