Parker's Senior pictures

I can't believe that Parker is a Senior in High School this year.  It seems that just the other day we went to take his baby pictures. When we lived in Provo in 1996 a sister in our Ward liked to take pictures and so we went to her house and she took these pictures of Parker.  I am so thankful I have these beautiful pictures of him.  They are not a great quality but I am glad that I have them.  My sweet little baby boy, when he had big blue eyes, hahaha they changed to green sometime when he was about 3 years old.

This is Parker now, a great young man with a tender heart.  He is very intelligent and has an incredible memory.  He loves his family.  Every time he goes shopping he comes home with a gift for Conner, I love that he always thinks of him. 

A lesson learned

I LOVE how Facebook brings us closer to people who are so far away.  I am the one who is in charge of Alison's Facebook and people she has met in Italy have asked to be her friend.  They have also asked to be my friend.  They are very friendly and one even invited us to stay in his home.  Most of the Milano, Cimiano Ward is Hispanic!! Which is awesome and now I have a few friends in that Ward. Alison served there for a while and now she is in Milano, Navigli and it looks like they have a few Hispanics there too.  One sister said this to me on Facebook:

Spanish

Si, ella es una amiga querida, felicitaciones por su hija ademàs de ser una excelente "sorella" es muy inteligente, alegre y sonriente. Siempre con una gran sonrisa en la cara. Fue un placer tenerla en nuestro barrio (Milano Cimiano). Una vez me hablò de ustedes, los quiere muchisimo. Indudable la excelente influencia que tuvieron ustedes como papas. Un abrazo enorme y saludos desde Milàn!

English

Yes, she is a dear friend, congratulations on your daughter besides being an excellent "sorella" she is very intelligent, happy and smiles all the time. Always with a big smile on her face. It was a pleasure to have her in our Ward (Milano Cimiano). Once she spoke to me about you, she loves you very much. Undoubtedly the great influence you had as parents. A big hug and greetings from Milan!

I am so excited to hopefully meet these people someday.  What's really cool is that I can speak to them in my language!! I know that Alison is where she is supposed to be. The Lord knows what is best for us.  Her mission has been so wonderful for our family for many reasons. One of them being that it has brought so much joy.  We have felt the Lord's love for Alison as He has protected her and blessed her.  I always worried about her learning a new language.  She struggled in school from the time she was little, we later found out she had dyslexia.  She took Spanish in High School and it was hard.  I worried about her learning Italian! She has been blessed and now she speaks Italian and has told me that now she will be able to understand Spanish.  Italian and Spanish are very similar.  While serving in the Milano, Cimiano Ward, she told me that most of the members were Hispanics, mostly from South America and she could understand Spanish better.  I am so excited for her.  It has also made me want to know more about my ancestors who came from Trieste.  I want to learn about the Italian culture and imagine what it was like for them.  I guess I did not need to worry about her and learning a new language, I need to learn to leave everything in the Lord's hands and know that everything will be alright!

Just a thought and a Family Home Evening message

Because we have hard water and the showers can get pretty dirty, I spray Clean shower and also use a squeegee to keep the glass shower doors clean. The spray prevents soap scum and hard water build up and the door stays clean without residue.  The other day as I was spraying the doors I had a thought, a simple thought, that just as I spray the doors with clean shower everyday and it helps the doors stay clean, prayer, scripture reading, church and temple attendance help strengthen us and stay clean from the things of the world.  I then thought that I could use this example for family home evening, so we did.  I took the kids to the bathroom and we sprayed the shower.  We talked about how using it everyday keeps the shower clean. If we did not use it then the shower would get really dirty, we could clean it but it would be hard and time consuming because hard water stain is very difficult to clean.  It is better to prevent and keep it clean everyday plus it looks pretty all clean and shiny.  Then we read some scriptures; Ephesians 6:13-18, "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."  When we do those things that invite the Spirit into our lives, those things that will make us strong, we are putting on the whole armour of God (clean shower spray) and we will be able withstand the many trials and tests (hard water) that we go through in this life. When we do these things we will have the "shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."  Heavenly Father is wonderful and loving and if we fall we can repent and come back.  We don't always do the things we are suppose to, unfortunately, but there is a way, through Jesus Christ's atonement that we can repent and we can be forgiven of our sins.  It can be very painful and difficult to repent (like cleaning a very dirty shower with hard water stains) but it can be done because our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to come back to Him. Through repentance we can be clean and shiny again.  

Alison is transferred and letter from her Mission President, President Bruce L. Dibb

We received Alison's email and she has been transferred to Milan, not sure yet which Ward, there are several in Milan. Her new companion will be Sorella Heupel.  Funny story about Sorella Heupel. Brent's brother Brad who lives in California, did Sorella Heupel's parent's taxes this year!! Such a great coincidence. I love how in the church these coincidences happen a lot!  Alison and Heupel will be Sister training leaders!! In her email she was surprised to be called as Sister training leader, but we are not surprised because we know Alison is a hard worker and is very obedient to the rules.  She has done a great job on her mission and we are proud of her!

We also received a letter from her Mission President, President Bruce L. Dibb, by the way he is Sister Ann Dibb's brother in-law (president Monson's daughter)  that the time has come to begin the process, (paper work and the travel plans) that takes place before she finishes her mission and comes home.  Where has the time gone!!! She will be home at the end of February!!! 

Heavenly Father KNOWS US, LOVES US AND TRUST US to do our part in His kingdom!

 Last night we had the pleasure of being trained by the General Relief Society President Linda K. Burton. Sister Jean A. Stevens, first counselor in the General Primary Presidency and sister Carol McConkie, first counselor in the General Young Women Presidency. I did not get a picture with Sister Stevens. In the past we have been asked not to take pictures and not to post anything on social media. This time was different, pictures were taken and the sister that was assigned to take pictures for our Stake public affairs is in my Ward and she is going to post them and even write an article about their visit.  Social media can be a great missionary tool when used properly.  We were asked by our Stake President, President Shill to be at the Stake Offices to welcome Sister Burton, Sister Stevens and Sister McConkie when they came in. There were seven Stakes invited to attend the training but we were the Host Stake so we had the honor to welcome them and speak with them for a few minutes.  They are amazing sisters! After the opening and a few remarks from Elder Hymus of the Seventy and Elder Munns of the Seventy we were divided into our groups. The RS stayed in the Chapel while the Primary and Young Women were divided in the cultural hall.  Sister Burton gave a wonderful training. I felt the Spirit so strong.  I felt that how now more than ever it is so important to help the sisters in our Stake be strong spiritual leaders in their homes and at church.  She started out by asking,  What is it that you want to get out of this meeting, what do you want to learn?  She asked us to write it down.  I wrote, How can I better serve the sisters in our Stake, how can I magnify my calling?  She said that she wanted to talk about some goals we should have for the sisters and for ourselves: 1. Individual conversion. 2. Strengthening families. 3.  Strengthening Ward councils. 4.  Improving the use of  missionaries in the Ward. 5. Leadership principles.  She used the Handbook of instructions of the church a lot and the Daughters in my kingdom manual for her training.  First we need to learn who we are. WE ARE: BELOVED daughters of our Heavenly Father. Not just daughters but BELOVED daughters!! He loves us!! We are also DEDICATED disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ and part of a great Worldwide SISTERHOOD.  Heavenly Father KNOWS US, LOVES US AND TRUST US to do our part in His kingdom.   We must be PREACHERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,  a BEACON FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW and PLANT SEEDS OF THE GOSPEL IN OTHERS to be harvested. She spoke a lot about the importance of the Church Handbook.  The handbook facilitates Revelation. It is a THIN manual to run a WORLDWIDE church, BECAUSE the Lord TRUSTS us, that we will PREPARE ourselves spiritually to receive revelation.  Study the instructions in the handbook.  Pay attention to the Spirit and learn your duties. She spoke about missionary work and how we can utilize the sister missionaries to serve our RS sisters, by inviting them to teach additional RS lessons and to visit the less active, the newly baptized sisters and by going on splits with the sisters in the ward. She also told us that we should be ministering to the missionaries, making sure they are fine and taken care of, that we watch over them, by doing so we are helping the mission president's wife.  I thought about this and I was in tears thinking about Alison on her mission in Italy and how I hope that the members were ministering to her and watching out for her.  She also spoke about the Atonement and what part  the atonement plays in preparing the sisters in our Wards and Stake and ourselves to increase in faith.  She asked us: What scriptures have blessed your life and increased your knowledge and understanding of the atonement? She said that studying Alma 7: 11, 12 has helped and blessed her life. She taught us that to help the sisters increase their faith we also teach the sisters about the Priesthood.  She said to study the Priesthood so we can teach others about it.  I was impressed that I should learn more about the Priesthood so that is something I will work on.  She said something I really loved and I feel it is so important,  Relief Society Sunday lessons are LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND DISCUSSIONS WHERE WE "LEARN TOGETHER AND GROW TOGETHER".  Where it is safe to say I DON'T KNOW! We should create an environment where we can ask questions because we are not afraid to be JUDGED OR OFFENDED.  WE CAN LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER! She taught us that Ward RS Presidencies need to prepare spiritually as a presidency and counsel with the Bishop.  That they need to prepare spiritually for Ward Council.  She mentioned Jacob 5:72, We need to labor with all our might and obey all the commandments of the Lord in all things.  We have made covenants with him that we would do these things, that we would be obedient, that we will always remember HIM.  She shared 3 Nephi 5:13, We are disciples of Christ and have been called to share the gospel, to declare HIS word to the people.  I have often thought about how Blessed I am to know the truth and there are so many out there that don't and there are so many that do and are not living as they should.  As His disciples we have been commanded to help those in need and help those who have gone astray and those who don't know yet about the gospel.  She asked us: How did the Savior teach?  We answered: with LOVE, PATIENCE, CHARITY, WITH STORIES, WITH EXAMPLES, WITH THE SCRIPTURES AND INVITING OTHERS TO COME TO HIM.  I wish I could remember all the answers that were given but these are some of them.  We need to follow the Saviors example when we teach the sisters.  These leadership principles first take place in the home where we learn to apply them with our families.  We should be spiritual leaders in our homes, and follow the Saviors example of teaching our families with love, patience and invite them to come to Christ by being a good example and by being obedient to all Heavenly Father's commandments.  We must love one another and be respectful of one another, we are all children of our Heavenly Father. She mentioned the Bible video of the Good Samaritan and how we must have charity Moroni 7:45-48,  Charity is the pure love of Christ if ye have not charity, ye are nothing!   This is how we must treat each other, we must pray for each other, we must take action and tap into the Spirit by fasting, going to the temple, reading our scriptures and doing all the things that will invite the Spirit into our lives so that it will be a guide to us as we are doing the Lord's work on the earth.  We all have a work to do, and the purpose of each church calling is to become strong, more like the Savior!  

Talking with Sister Linda Burton about missionary work.  She spoke about it in the training and on this picture we were talking about Alison and obviously I was in tears.  She was telling me right here how I had been a good mother because she was serving her mission and she was blessing the lives of the people of Italy!! She is a lovely lady and so friendly!!!

Me, Sister Burton and sister Johanna Lopez (Stake Relief Society President)

Sister McConkie (first counselor in the General YW Presidency) with sister Lopez

The Orlando South Stake RS Presidency with the General RS President.  From left me (1st counselor) Diane Wingate (secretary), Sister Linda K. Burton (General RS President), Sister Johanna Lopez (Stake RS President) and Peggy Snow (2nd counselor).

Our friends the Shulers came to visit

Joseph and Becky Shuler and their family were in town and on Sunday came to our Ward and visited us at our house.  It was great to see them.

The kids playing

Making a tent

Becky and Joseph Shuler with their children 

After church

Pictures from Alison

Alison with her companions, Sorella Pace and Sorella Bringas
Sorella Bringas is Peruvian but at the age of 10 moved to Italy so she speaks Spanish, Italian and French