Testimony Follows the Spirit

This picture shows Sis. Horn and Sis. Allred.  They are two missionary's serving in our area.  We've  picked them up several times for district and zone meetings, and have developed a sweet relationship.   They invited us to attend a baptism on Saturday.  Next to them is Alex Hill, a friend who's example led to Morgan Ericson's baptism.  Elder Thompson and Elder Johnson performed the service.  The story behind this baptism was so special I wanted to write it down so I'd never forget the power  example is to those around us.

Morgan and her family moved to this area about five years ago.  She said she was feeling really alone and sad that she didn't have any friends when she started school.  Alex introduced herself to her, and they became hard and fast friends.  Over the next couple of years their families also became close friends.  Morgan's family knew the Hill's were Mormon's but the subject of religion was not a part of their relationship together.  However, though no one knew, Morgan decided she wanted to know about the church because of the love she had developed for Alex.  Over the next few years she got on the internet and learned all she could.  She managed to get a Book of Mormon to read, and developed a strong personal testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  She didn't tell Alex or anyone what she was been doing, but her testimony grew.

One day, about a year ago,  Alex was with her in her room and saw something on Morgan's phone that made her realize she had been studying.  Morgan finally told Alex she loved the gospel and wanted to be baptized.  When Morgan's parents found out they were not happy.  They became upset with Alex and the Hill family as they felt their daughter had been encouraged by them to learn the gospel.  It's been a rocky road for both families as this all came out.  Morgan had done this on her own, but still there were strained feelings.  Morgan's parents refused to let her be baptized or even go to church.  They contacted their Methodist Minister who supplied them with anti-Mormon literature, but Morgan's testimony was fast and strong and she would not be swayed from her desire.

The two families had made plans throughout the years to take their daughter's to Italy for their graduation present from high school.  They still did this, but religious discussion was taboo.  Morgan waited patiently for her 18th birthday at the end of June so she could attend church for the first time, and be baptized.

Hopefully, Morgan's parents will someday realize what a great blessing the gospel is to their daughter.  They didn't come to the baptism, but I think they would have been touched by the sweet testimony she bore.  It was a beautiful and sincere testimony that sounded like it came from someone who has been in the church for years.  The Holy Ghost has been her great tutor as she studied and learned of the Savior's church.

Alex will be leaving for BYU this fall.  Morgan wanted to go, but knew that would not happen.  She is attending Texas A&M for a year, and has already contacted the church about the ward, and institute program there.  Right now both girls are hoping to go to school for a year and then go on missions.  I have no doubt that their wishes and goals will be achieved.

The power of example in the lives of those around us is amazing.  Alex and her family just quietly lived their lives with no idea of how impactful their "way of life" was on Morgan.  Perhaps Morgan's family will do as she did, and decide to know more someday because of her example to them. 

For Time & Eternity

I've had some experiences these past few weeks that lead me to chose this title page "For Time & Eternity".  I've been thinking about the important role families play together in this life, and about the council from apostles and prophets throughout the scriptures and by our leaders today on the "Holy Sanctity" of marriage. 

The Family Proclamation:  Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.  Successful marriage and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion and wholesome recreational activities.  Fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.

We've met with many part-member families since we came here.  Each of them are unique in their personal circumstances, but the sisters are very much alike in their hunger for church activity and temple blessings. My heart has aches for them, and the sorrow they carry as they live their spiritual lives alone.  They have an understanding and testimony of temple marriage.  They know the unity it would bring to their marriage and family, but their companion has chosen another road.  Oh, how I yearn to lift and comfort them!  

I'm grateful for my testimony of temple marriage and the eternal blessings that come by being sealed in the temple.  I can't imagine living my life without the knowledge that my children will be with me forever.  That became even more evident to me when my parents, that I loved dearly, passed away; and then again when my beloved daughter, Sheri, returned home to Heavenly Father.  I wish every home, and every family would choose to live the gospel so they can have these blessings. 

My heart is humbled to know that friends and family are remembering me with love and prayers while I serve.  I do feel that, and it gives me added strength to serve Heavenly Father's children.  There are so many wonderful things happening here, but there are also many struggles I see that are hard.  The prayers of angels give me courage to move forward!  

A couple of weeks ago we were invited to attend a special fireside presentation by Reid Moon.  A family in our ward knew him personally, and we were very fortunate to be able to attend.  Reid Moon is someone church history buff's and collectors will know well.  He owns Moon's LDS Bookstore, but his real love is collecting rare books.  He had several bags of books and other collector items with him and shared information about how he finds these rare treasures, goes through the verification of authenticity, and preserves them.  I felt amazed and in "awe" that I was so blessed to see and hold them.

The top picture of a 1st Edition of the Book of Mormon, next is Brigham Young's signature on a bible he gave to a friend.  The next two pictures are the only pictures of Joseph Smith's signature found on his scriptures.  I won't say how much this pocket book is worth, but I will say that I'd be very wealthy is I owned it!  I'm amazed he let me hold it!

  

The large bible belonged to Marie Antoinette.  I wonder if she read it....I don't see any notes in the columns!

The last picture is of a ticket to ride on the "Maid of Iowa" steamboat.  You can see it's signed by both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.  I did a little looking online to get information on the steamboat.  "In October 1842 when "The Maid of Iowa" entered the river trade on the Mississippi.  There were approximately 7000 Mormons living in a dozen or more settlements on both sides of the river near the Des Moines rapids.  Nauvoo, the chief gathering place was located on a beautiful bend of the river.  There were about 5000 Mormons living there.  Nauvoo was growing at a rapid rate, and they knew how important the river trade and water power was to their community.  In 1843 Joseph Smith paid Dan Jones $1375. to become half owner of the steamboat.  By 1845 there were 11,057 residents living there making it one of the two largest communities in the state.  Steamboats played an ever increasing role in Nauvoo's development transporting passengers and freight."

  

  

More Blessings & Miracle's

Shannon Hambrick-Jasso is an inactive sister, and when we called on her she threw her arms around us and started crying.  We saw her three times after that.  She has an addiction to pain medication she started taking when her neck was broken a few years ago.  We had trouble getting in to see her because her 19 year old son would always tell us she was sleeping.  We knew she was moving from the 3rd ward, but couldn't get any information about where she had gone.


We were overjoyed when we saw her name on the ward list in Plano 4th ward.  The first thing we did was go to visit her.  Once again, she cried with joy and said, "I'm so glad you found me!"  Her son no longer lives with her.   She had never been contacted by anyone in that ward, but we received permission from her to let the bishop know he needed to meet with her.  That was 3 1/2 weeks ago.  We waited thinking the bishop would contact her, but didn't hear anything, so we went to visit again.


Her daughter and son-in-law were there. They told us she had been hit by a car shortly after we had seen her and was in the hospital in very bad condition.  Visitors were very restricted, but she said her mother had told her about us, and she knew she'd want us to come.


I'm amazed that this sweet girl survived the accident.  She is flat in bed and unable to move.  Both arms are broken and one is held together with large pins sticking out.  Both feet are broken, one has a metal plate in it.  Her hip and pelvis are broken, and also have large pins holding her together.  She has a big gash in her forehead where her skull was fractured. In spite of all this, she smiled when we entered her room and then began to cry!  We told her we were going to find her no matter where she went!  When I think of all the many miracles that keep bringing us to her, I realize how Heavenly Father's hand is always guiding us.  She asked for a blessing so we contacted some brethren in the 3rd ward to come.  I's so wonderful to see the look of peace on her face when they entered the room!


She has a really long way to go, but with love, care, and lots of prayers she may become whole again someday.  She is a convert to the church of about 14 years, and has a sweet testimony.  She just simply got "side-tracked" by terrible events in her life.  We will do all we can to help her get "home again...to the gospel".


Thought I'd tell you a little bit about my Mission Pres. Devin Durrant.  I'm sure many sports fans will already know him since he's pretty famous in the world of basketball.  To me he'll always be famous as a gentle, caring man who honors his priesthood.  The latter is what he adheres to during all his time while serving on this mission.  He "rarely" mentions his sport...only when he's prodded into it by the Elder's he cares for here.  There's positively no guile or personal self-centeredness in him at all!  He's kind and loving; soft spoken and warm.  The other remark I can make personally about him is that I feel really, really, short when I stand next to his six foot seven inch frame!


"Devin Durrant was named a McDonald's All-American in 1978 during his senior year of high school.  He played at Brigham Young University where in 1984 he was named District 7 Player of the Year and a consensus All-American.  He was also an Academic All-American twice.  In 1984, Devin was chosen by the Indiana Pacers as the 25th pick in the NBA Draft.  He played a season with the Pacers and part of a second season with the Phoenix Suns.  He also played professionally in Spain and France.  In a Deseret News poll in the year 2000, Devin was voted one of the top 10 college basketball players in Utah over the previous 100 years  In that same year, Sports Illustrated named him one of the 50 most influential sports figures in the history of the state of Utah.


Since leaving professional basketball, Devin has worked in a variety of positions including counselor in a bishopric, bishop, counselor in a stake presidency, high councilor and stake mission president.
He was born in Brigham City, Utah and raised in Utah and Kentucky.  He served a mission in Madrid Spain, and his wife Julie served in Peru.  They are the parents of six children."


I read one article about how difficult it was for the team to give him up to serve a mission.  He was dedicated to serve and never picked up a basketball to take a shot during the two years he was out.  He was totally focused on his mission in Spain and put the sport behind him.  That statement tells a lot about how he is here.  He is an amazing spiritual leader!


Savannah is 8 months old in these pictures, will be leaving the hospital here in Plano tomorrow.  She's always happy and smiling, but for us it's a happy-sad day!  We are all so thrilled that she can finally take the next step to going home.  Sis. Campbell and I will miss her so much!  She's now going to another hospital in downtown Dallas where her parents will receive instructions for her home care.  She'll be there for 2-4 weeks before she is finally with her family.  My heart will forever be filled with love for this little miracle!  It's so amazing to see how big she is now in comparison to how tiny she was when we got here on our mission.  It's been a long ordeal for her parents as they've gone through this challenge, but Savannah's fighting desire to make it made all the difference.

I'm always a little more homesick on holidays, and miss my family and friends!  The 4th of July was a busy, fun day for us.  We went to the early morning flag ceremony and breakfast at church, and then    went to the Plano Parade with Marjean and some ward friends.  It was short....not as good as Preston's, but we had fun!  We went to a movie and out to dinner at a restaurant...Texas bar-b-cue ribs...yum!  By the time this was over, all three of us were so tired we didn't stay up for the fireworks....

First Baptism

This picture shows Pres. & Sis. Durrant, Elder Larson, Me, Rebecca and Sis. Campbell at the baptism of Rebecca Lewis.  When we first got started in Plano 3rd Ward the missionary's asked us to visit  Sister Lewis.  She learned about the gospel 19 years ago and quickly developed a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.  Her mother was a devout Catholic, and she didn't feel she could join the church because of that.  The missionary's have continued to visit her throughout the years, and challenged her to baptism many times.  She has committed on many occasions, but then backs away at the last minute.  She knows lots of people in the ward and has attended occasionally.  Her mother passed away a year ago, and yet, she still held off.

Sis. Campbell and I quickly made good friends with her.  She shared her testimony with us on several occasions, but was fearful of following through with the decision.  She has had many miracles in her life with priesthood blessings.  The missionary's gave her grandson a priesthood blessing when he was admitted to the hospital for surgery a couple months ago.  Her daughter and husband were touched by the blessing and decided that they might be willing to hear the message.  They have not had their first discussion yet.


Last week Sister Campbell went home for the funeral of a friend.  I went to Rebecca's home and had lunch with her.  She told me she, once again had committed to be baptized.  Though having some doubt, I was overjoyed with her.  She had actually talked with the Mission Pres. about it, so she said she felt pretty confident.  It was scheduled for Aug. 4th.  The next day I got a call from her that she had moved it up to this weekend so she could have it on her Mother's birthday.  We, and the missionary's, were holding our breath that she would make it through.  She was baptized last evening!


This is an amazing story about never, never, giving up on Heavenly Father's children.  Rebecca just simply had a challenge with decision making even though she knew that baptism was the right thing to do.  She will find great joy in the church and has already been serving by doing meals every week for two families in the ward.  I don't think Sis. Campbell and I can take a lot of credit for her decision, but I do know she felt our love and encouragement.

This picture is of Sis. Hunter and her granddaughter.  She and her two teenage boy's were baptized about 3 months ago.  When the missionary's found this family they had no furniture except for a bed that Sis. Hunter was using.  The boys were sleeping on the floor.  The ward pitched in and found beds for the boys and slowly some furniture for the rest of the apartment.  They are still very poor, but have sweet testimony's of the gospel.  We've been meeting with them on Monday evenings, and teaching them how to have Family Home Evening. Her son's are gone for the summer to live with their dad so I took her and her granddaughter out for dinner at Wendy's.  It was so much fun to talk with her and hear a little about her personal life.  What a joy to see how much difference the gospel has made to her family!  I love being here to help!

Sis. Nelms and I were "cutting loose" at her granddaughters wedding. She wanted to come with me when I went early to help with the food.  Some friends of the bride put on music, and the next thing I know Sis. Nelms gets up and says "I want to dance!"  So, here we are!  I was amazed at the rhythm and balance she had in spite of being blind!  I told her I could see why Bro. Nelms wanted to meet her when he saw her on the dance floor years ago!

We attended a senior missionary conference this week.  These are all of the seniors serving in the Dallas Texas Mission.  It was fun to meet and talk with each of them, and is always a joy to be taught by Pres. & Sis. Durrant.

I was thinking today about the times in my life when I've been the happiest. I've come to realize that when I've tried to stay spiritually close to my Savior, I am happy.  Being spiritually close has come by prayer, enjoying the scriptures,  and reflecting on my many blessing.  These times of being obedient to what I know is truth gives me strength and power I didn't realize I had. Living the gospel is an act of obedience.  The Savior has given us guidelines to find joy and happiness and those guidelines are a pathway back to Him.  We cannot reach our goal to be with him without being submissive and obedient.  Elder L. Tom Perry stated:  "The discipline contained in daily obedience, clean living, and wholesome lives builds an armor around you of protection and safety from the temptations that beset you as you proceed through mortality."


The prophet Mosiah told his people that keeping the commandments of God will bring both temporal and spiritual blessings:  "I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.  For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.  O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.  Mosiah 2:41


"May we all find a place of happiness through submitting to the will of our Father in Heaven, and thereby knowing His love."