Ruth Lost Counterfeit

 Ruth, the sweet wife of our stake president, spoke in our ward yesterday. She told of a recent experience where her husband took their dog Steve for a walk, and a few minutes later he came back and said he'd lost Steve.  Something had spooked Steve, he'd gotten away (I can't remember the exact details), and Steve had tried to chase him and then came home to get the truck to search for him.  Ruth quickly texted a couple of neighbors and put an announcement on Facebook as they hopped in the car to search.  A few minutes later their door camera chimed and a neighbor was at their door with Steve while they were still driving around.  Steve had been found.  Ruth compared this to our brothers and sisters who are lost.  Our Heavenly Parents long for them to be found.  We should long for that as well.  Our Lord loves lost things as evidenced by the parables of the lost coin, lost sheep and prodigal son.  

Then Ruth told of an expert on counterfeit bills.  He is one of the best in the nation at recognizing counterfeit bills.  Once a reporter said he must spend a lot of time studying counterfeit bills.  He replied that he never studies counterfeit bills.  He spends countless hours studying the real bills so that he can recognize any subtle difference between the real bill and a fake.  We, too, should come to know the real thing (the gospel of Jesus Christ) so thoroughly that we an recognize when a counterfeit idea or concept is placed before us.

LESSONS LEARNED:

*Knowing the REAL or true thing can help us avoid counterfeits or deceptions.

*The Lord loves lost things.

*Losing someone brings loss, panic, worry, sorry...but finding them or helping them find God brings peace, joy, increased faith and trust.

Jen Seminary Sharing

 When I was in high school, I made a good friend whose name was also Jennifer.  She went by Jen and I went by Jenny.  Jen had a bit of a rough family life.  She spent a fair amount of time at my house and became interested in the church.  She ended up attending early morning seminary and would go to church and activities with me.  She took the missionary lessons at my house and she got baptized.  She was really happy and I believe she really did come to have a testimony.  But then her family moved to Las Vegas.  I tried to keep in touch with her...but this was before cell phones or social media.  Most people didn't have email.  So that basically meant that for high school/college age kids, you wrote letters.  And we were busy.  So we did write, but not often.  Her family had no interest in the church and so it was hard to get to church living in Vegas.  And then she met a guy and started dating.  She married right out of high school, and years later I would learn that he was abusive to her.  We are friends on Facebook now and it is clear that she is not religious at all.  (I wish this story had a happier ending!)

Jen has had a hard life.  She is divorced.  She has health problems.  She has experienced a lot of really difficult circumstances.  I don't have all the answers, but as I have thought and wondered about whether sharing the gospel was the right thing and why did I feel like  I should share with her if it wasn't going to be a permanent change or if it wouldn't help prevent some of the hard things she has faced...here are the things I feel like I have learned.

Lessons Learned:

1.  We are successful in our missionary efforts when we open our mouths and share our beliefs, regardless of whether the person chooses to accept the gospel or not, regardless of whether they make a permanent change or not.

2.  Jen has told me (over social media) that I was a positive influence and a bright spot in her life in high school.  I helped make high school a positive place and a happy time in her life.  That alone is enough to make it worth it.  She said she always felt welcome and included in our home.

3.  Who knows?  Maybe that planted seeds that will grow sometime in the future...maybe not even in this life.  

4.  If nothing else, I loved her and genuine love matters.  

Rasband Mission Revelation

 In his April 2020 General Conference talk entitled Fulfillment of Prophecy, Elder Ronald A. Rasband related this story:  

"I remember when I received my mission call as a young man. I wanted to serve in Germany, like my father, brother, and brother-in-law. Not waiting for anyone to get home, I rushed to the mailbox and opened the call. I read that I had been called to the Eastern States Mission, headquartered in New York City. I was disappointed, so I went inside and opened my scriptures for comfort. I began to read in the Doctrine and Covenants: “Behold, and lo, I have much people in this place, in the regions round about; and an effectual door shall be opened in the regions round about in this eastern land.”¹⁷ That prophecy, given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1833, was a revelation to me. I knew then I had been called to the exact mission the Lord wanted me to serve in. I taught the Restoration and its dramatic beginning when our Father in Heaven spoke to Joseph Smith and said, “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”

Come Follow Me Daily, an Instagram page I follow, shared this story today as well:

At sixteen, a young man named Rawly was diagnosed with an incurable neurodegenerative disease and given only a few years to live.

He grappled with questions and ideas that most teenagers never face: why am I here?
does God exist?
Does He even know who I am?

After about a year of contemplation, a surgeon practicing thousands of miles away heard of his case and reached out to his family. He wanted to try an experimental surgery in attempt to save his life. With everything to gain he went forward with the surgery, which proved to be massively successful.

Still, Rawly had questions that had been stirred up and needed answers. Searching for these answers, he decided to serve a mission at 18.

Opening his call, imagining a stateside mission with his health complications, he was shocked to read the words “Cali Colombia”.

At his next check up with the surgeon, he voiced his concerns at living in a foreign country so far from US health for 2 years. After telling the doctor that he would be in Cali Colombia, the doctor quickly reassured Rawly, telling him that he was often in Cali Colombia performing similar operations.

The doctor said that there was no safer place in the world for Rawly to be besides Seattle, where the surgery was originally performed.

Of this experience, Rawly wrote, “It was then I finally recognized that God did know me individually. He is not a static idea of the supreme but a dynamic and powerful influence in our every day life. He loves us more than we give Him credit for and many times directs the currents of life without our noticing.”

Susquehanna River by Priesthood Restoration Site


LESSONS LEARNED:  God is aware of us.  He has a plan for our lives.

There is revelation involved in mission assignments!  

Dan Jones Prophecy

 Last night we had the opportunity to take a "virtual tour" of Carthage Jail.  The sister missionaries showed us around the jail and spoke about the events that took place there.  One of the stories they shared was that when Joseph and Hyrum Smith were taken to Carthage, they had bodyguards and others that came with them.  One of those men was Dan Jones.  The night before Joseph's martyrdom, Joseph heard shots outside the jail.  Joseph asked Dan if he was afraid to die.  He said, "Has that time come, think you?Engaged in such a cause I do not think that death would have many terrors."  Joseph prophesied that Dan would live and serve a mission to Wales and fulfill his mission on Earth. Dan was sent on an errand the next day and could not return to Carthage and was not there when the mob attacked.  He lived and in 1845, he and his wife served a mission to Wales.  He was a very successful missionary and brought many people to the truth.

LESSONS LEARNED:  

Like Dan Jones, we have individual missions to fulfill.

Prophets are seers and can often reveal future events or prophesy about our lives.

There's no need to fear death if we are engaged in a good and righteous cause...the cause of Christ.

Because of Him

This is a beautiful video reminding us why we celebrate Easter and how our lives are changed by Him.
Because of Him

I am so thankful for my Savior.

Because of Him, I can feel peace and joy even during trials and hard times.

Because of Him, I can learn to love and serve others and develop true charity.

Because of Him, I can repent and change and become better day by day.

Because of Him, I WILL be resurrected.

Because of Him, I WILL see my beloved uncle, grandparents, and others who have passed away again.

Because of Him, families can be forever. I can live with my family eternally and be saved.

Because of Him, I can learn to be a better missionary, gospel teacher, and Relief Society President.

Because of Him, I am a better mother and wife and neighbor and friend.

Because of Him, there is hope. Always there is hope.

Because of Him, all things are possible.

Finding the Lost

As a parent, there is not much worse than having a child get lost. I can remember being at the children's museum a few years ago with my three kids. I don't recall exactly how it happened, but somehow Ella wandered off and I couldn't find her. I looked around the area we were playing in, but she wasn't there. Then I searched in some nearby areas, but I couldn't see her. I was beginning to panic. I was so worried for her safety. After looking for a couple of minutes, I was about to speak to an employee when I saw an employee coming down the stairs with Ella. I have never been so relieved in my life. She had somehow made it to an upper floor. She hadn't meant to get lost. I had done my best to find her, but I needed help to find her. We were both so relieved and grateful to be reunited.

A couple of years ago, a teenage girl in our neighborhood ran away from home. The parents searched and searched for her. Many neighbors and ward members prayed for her and shared her picture and did what they could to help her be found. Eventually she was found, and she was okay.

Just over a week ago, a friend called me. I was driving home from a meeting at my kids' school, and it was about 7 at night. Her son had not come home from school, hours before. She asked me to pray that they could find him. I know that others prayed for him to be found safely and some others helped search the neighborhood. The child's grandparent was prompted to call a specific neighbor and was able to find the child.

Last Sunday, as I listened to another lesson on missionary work, I began pondering these experiences. It struck me that this is exactly what missionary work is...finding the lost, the wandering. Sometimes those lost are lost through no fault of their own. They have not yet been taught the gospel, and they are "kept from the truth because they know not where to find it." (D&C 123:5) Sometimes they have willfully chosen to leave out of anger, pride, misunderstanding, sin, etc. But it doesn't matter. A loving parent searches for the wandering child regardless of the reason they are lost. They reach out for help to find their missing child. Our Heavenly Father is a perfect parent and wants each of us to find safety and peace. But just as I couldn't find Ella alone and these friends of mine needed others to help them find their missing child, we are each needed to help in the search for our lost brothers and sisters. A member of our Bishopric has often shared that he and his wife pray daily that someone will be able to touch the hearts of their children who have strayed...that for whatever reason, they are unable to rescue them, to bring them back to the safety of the gospel. Often it takes the love and concern and example of someone who cares but is not an immediate family member to come to the rescue to save a wandering spouse, child or sibling... or in reality, it takes the joint effort of both family and neighbors to find the one who is lost and bring them back home. We do this as we faithfully love and serve those we home and visit teach. We do this as we joyfully live the gospel and share our testimonies with others. We do this as we invite others to meet with the missionaries. We do this as we reach out in friendship and service to our neighbors, friends and family. And most importantly, we do this as we listen to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. We do not know which of our Father's children is lost but ready to return home. But our Father knows which hearts are yearning for the safety and peace of home. He can help us find those who are lost and bring them back to safety.


Another thought I keep having about this is that when a child is missing, there is a feeling of urgency. You drop whatever you are doing and search for that lost child. There should also be a feeling of urgency when it comes to missionary work...there are so many that need to find the truth, and while the peril may not seem as great as when a child is missing, the danger is just as real and prevalent.

I keep pondering the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:4-7 where the Shepherd leaves the ninety and nine to seek out the one that is lost. There is a great talk about this parable given by President Howard W. Hunter in 1986 entitled "Make Us Thy True Undershepherds." President Hunter said, "The Lord, our Good Shepherd, expects us to be his undershepherds and recover those who are struggling or are lost."...
He then quotes Hymn 221 which is beautiful:

"Hark! he is earnestly calling,
Tenderly pleading today:
"Will you not seek for my lost ones,
Off from my shelter astray?"
"Make us thy true undershepherds;
Give us a love that is deep.
Send us out into the desert,
Seeking thy wandering sheep."

I hope I can be more diligent in seeking the lost and bringing them safely home.

Old Friends

While I was in AZ, I was able to meet high school friends for lunch. It was so fun. I only get to see Kara, Kerie, and Charity every 2-3 years, but I love being with them. And Kaylee is in AZ right now, so she came along. And this time, we had a couple of extra friends (Jenny and Kitty) join us that I haven't seen since shortly after high school ended, nearly 20 years ago. (Ack! How can high school have been nearly 20 years ago?! I feel about 25-30...not rapidly approaching 40.)

We met for lunch at a place downtown called Taco Guild. It used to be a church and they have kept the old stained glass windows, the decorations and even the sign that announced that week's hymn (it now announces the day's special). The food was great, but the company was even better. We talked and laughed and told stories about our jobs, our families, and our lives. It was great to catch up. I felt grateful for Facebook that has helped us keep in contact over these past few years, and grateful that I made the long drive to see these dear friends.

I was also so impressed when near the end of the visit, Kaylee, (who is also a member), invited them all to go to the temple open house for the Gilbert Temple with her. I don't know if they will but she explained the purpose of the open house and briefly why temples are important and said that she would get tickets for anyone who wanted to go. Such a great missionary opportunity, and I was touched that she took that opportunity. I know I can do better at being a missionary.

Hastening the Work

Hastening the work has been on my mind a lot lately. Obviously, it is on the mind of church leadership. It is happening. I have pondered a lot how I can contribute to hastening the work. I am not a full time missionary, and I am very busy. Here are some of the thoughts I've had.

First, I want to share some verses of scripture that our Bishop shared on Sunday in sacrament meeting. Ezekiel 33:2-9...these verses speak about being watchmen on the tower that must raise the warning voice. Verse 7 says, "So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me." Then verse 9 says, "Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul." As our Bishop read these words, I was struck by how critical it is that those of us who have the gospel be willing to set an example and open our mouths and share it with others. In particular, two names popped into my head of people that I need to do a better job of sharing it with.

Some other thoughts about how I can help to hasten the work:

1. Teach my children the gospel and be diligent in having family prayer, scripture study and FHE. It is my responsiblity, each of our responsibilities, to prepare our children to be future missionaries. Our homes should be mini MTC's to prepare our children for missions and temple covenants.
Relief society training about making our homes into mini MTCs:
Mini MTC's
Here is the link to the Worldwide Hastening the Work training:
Hastening the Work
Some resources for FHE lessons about missionary work:
Catch the Wave
Missionary
missionary work

2. I have felt so strongly that visiting teaching and home teaching is THE KEY to increasing missionary work in our ward. We have, for just over a year now, been part of a brand new mission where a set of elders is assigned to 1 or 2 wards and we have much greater responsibility for helping them find people to teach. In wards the size of ours here in Utah, that is challenging. (By that I mean that geographically our wards are very small.) Do able, but challenging. We have so many sisters that are members but are not currently participating fully in the gospel. I am trying to visit as many of them as I can, but it is impossible for me to visit all of them regularly. However, if every sister did her visiting teaching, if every sister prayed for those she is assigned to visit teach, if every sister showed love and genuine concern for those she visit taught, then every woman in our ward boundaries would feel loved by someone and would have the opportunity to have a positive contact with the church each month. I know that this alone would not bring all of them back. But I also know that many sisters within our ward boundaries have received two or less visits in the past year. If we want to rescue souls, they need to know they are loved. They need to know they are not forgotten. And if every sister were having positive contact monthly with the church, some of them would come back. Not all of them. But some of them would. The missionaries would have people to teach and work with. Our ward would be strengthened. And most importantly, lives would be changed. I am not a perfect visiting teacher, nor a perfect Relief Society President, but I am trying to be better. And I do feel deep in my soul that if we could help each person to catch this vision of what home teaching and visiting teaching are all about then the work would progress.

3. Open my mouth. Talk about church at work. Invite neighbors, those I visit teach and others to ward activities or to Relief Society Activities or even just to dinner at my home.

4. Help the Elders when I can. Feed them meals. Let them know about sisters I have visited that may be open to having the missionaries visit. Find people to teach in my home or attend lessons they are teaching to members of my ward. (I've had the opportunity to participate in a lesson they were teaching once, and it was wonderful! I hope to do this more.)

5. Donate to the ward missionary fund or general church missionary fund.

6. Have faith. Sunday evening there was a regional training about hastening the work. They shared the story in Alma 23:5-6 about Lamanites being converted. These verses say, "And thousands were brought to the knowledge of the Lord, yea, thousands were brought to believe in the traditions of the Nephites; and they were taught the records and prophecies which were handed down even to the present time. And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God working miracles in them--yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many as the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away."
After reading these verses, they then had audience members point out what they noticed as we heard that story. I was very touched when a friend of mine, Annette, pointed out that this was real history. This really happened. The Lamanites didn't seem likely to join the church by the thousands, and yet because of the faith of Ammon and his brethren and because of the power of their teaching, thousands did join. We, today, need to have faith that the same types of conversion can happen. As President Monson said, people can and do change. We should not see people as they are now, but as they can become. Increase faith. (I'm not sure why, but this one is a bit hard for me. Change seems to usually happen slowly, and I often doubt whether I have the capability of really helping others to change.... Of course, I don't. But the spirit does. But this seems to be a lesson I have to learn and relearn and continue to try to strengthen my faith.)

7. Write letters to and pray for the missionaries serving from our ward. Pray for the missionaries serving in our ward.

8. Listen to and follow promptings about who to visit, what to say, when to share my testimony, etc.

9. Magnify my calling. Live the gospel to the best of my ability, repent, and love the Lord with all my heart, might, mind and strength.

And if possible, try to motivate and encourage others to do these things as well.