Additional Relief Society meeting: "Increasing our Spirituality"

Last night we had our additional Relief Society meeting and Elder and sister Munns spoke to us about increasing our spirituality. He started by telling us that when he was called as Area Authority Seventy last April, the Seventies had a meeting with the First Presidency of the church and the Twelve Apostles. The meeting lasted 4 hours and they were taught by the Prophet and Apostles. Elder Munns said that President Boyd K. Packer has a quote that he refers to all the time, the quote says: "True doctine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior". He has had other meetings with the leaders of the church since and President Packer always goes back to that quote. I like that quote. The Munns' talked to us about what we should focus on in our lives and if we "truly understood the doctrine" we would focus on our salvation. We are here on the earth and we have many distractions. The example they gave was, as mothers we have many things going on during the day that takes us away from reading our scriptures and praying, but we should make time to have our "Sacred Grove" where we can go and read the scriptures and pray and increase our spirituality. There are four ordinances of the Priesthood that we should participate in, in order to return to our Heavenly Father. One; Baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost, two; Making sure our young men receive the Priesthood, three; Going to the temple for our own endownment and four; temple marriage. I hope I remembered them correctly, I did not have something to write with so I am trying to remember them. I will try to remember that quote everyday, especially when I am about to lose my temper or just anything that my shift my focus of what is really important. Ever since I started writing my thoughts and just taking the time to ponder after my scripture reading, I have noticed a big change in myself. I feel better and happier even when things go wrong. He also told the story of when he went to a Stake Conference in Louisiana. He called the Stake President and told him that he wanted to visit a member of his Stake. The Stake President said he would think about someone and would let him know. Elder Munns called him back and asked him if he had thought of someone. The Stake President said it would be difficult because the Stake was so wide and rural and that he could not think of anyone and they should just go to Denny's to eat instead. Elder Munns said no, that he knew he needed to see someone in his Stake. So they went and visited this man that lived 80 miles away and that had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and had about 2 weeks to live. He spoke with him and spent some time with him and his wife. They had 3 children, a son who's a junior in High School a freshman daughter at BYU, and a married daughter. Before he left he asked for a blessing. As he gave him his blessing he felt that he was not going to be healed but in the blessing he asked that he might be well enough to go to church on Sunday with his family beause he had not been in 6 months. When he was about to leave he felt bad that he might have said something to upset him because he was crying so he spoke to the man's wife. She looked at her husband who could only speak with hand signs and he said he was happy and to tell Elder Munns he loved him. The next Sunday this man was able to go to Stake Conference. The point was that we should listen to the Spirit. We need to do the things which will help us have the spirit with us at all times so that He can be our guide in our lives.

Excited!!

I have been thinking how everything just falls into place. The brother who is helping me with my geneology is the Stake RS President's newphew. Had I not been working with her, who knows if I had ever known about him. The line that he is working on, is my dad's line. I don't really know his side of the family very well and after my dad passed away in 2005 (he was the only member of the church in his family) I did not know how I was going to get it done. I can't get over how things just work out. I am learning so much from these wonderful ladies and in the process my genealogy is getting done. He feels he can do a bit for me!! I am excited and I can feel my dad is very happy. I had a wonderful feeling when I read their names and found out they were my grandma's siblings and her mother's siblings. I was baptized for my grandma 30 years ago, when I was 16. I know my dad is hard at work preaching to them and it feels so good to be able to help!!! My parents know how much I love genealogy and how difficult our family is to research. I have no doubt they are helping me!!

Update and geneology

We took Parker to the dermatologist and she took out his mole. She said everything is good and there is nothing to worry about. She also took a biopsy of the other mole so now we wait for the results.

I found out that there is a brother in our stake that for $50 a month helps you research your genealogy. I heard he was so good that I gave it a try. In a week he has found 9 people in my family and they are ready for temple work!! They are in my dad's line which I had been frustrated with!! It is my dad's mom's brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles. I am very excited!!

Parker

Back in October I had been feeling that I needed to have Parker's moles that he has on his head checked out. He has had them since he was little and we have been taking him to a dermatologist once a year. He would just say that they looked fine and just to keep an eye on them. That is what we did. But recently I just did not like the color (eventhough it had not changed) for some reason. The week before we went to Utah for Christmas I took him to my new dermatologist for a second opinion. I showed her the mole on the side of his head, the one I was concerned about and the other mole that he had on the top of his head. She actually took a biopsy of the second mole. I came home the other day and there was a message that I should call and make an appointment to review the results. Well, I called right away and I asked to speak to somebody who could tell me the results. She said that they came back abnormal, pre-cancerous cells and we need to talk about the options, and that if we didn't do anything it could turn to cancer. I told Parker and he took the news just fine, I told him that he would be alright that we just need to take them out. We have an appointment next week.

More pictures of our vacation

At the Chinese restaurant.

At Lowes.

Temple Square

Ashley's birthdaySundance