Countdown to Conference!

This particular upcoming General Conference...I've felt like I was given so many assignments to study in order to be ready.  Did you feel that way also?  LOTS of homework!

Study Section 25...study Section 84....study Section 107...do the Come Follow Me program...study about the Restoration and read JS-H.  In spare time read Saints and watch Book of Mormon videos!!  I've read and studied and pondered and prayed.  Currently Quarantined!  Asked to fast by our Northwest Authority and then being asked to fast world-wide by the Prophet!  It has a been a busy and very enjoyable and enlightening nearly 6 months of preparing.

Thank heavens for technology.  Obviously this was in the master plan of the Master Planner!  Nowadays anyone can write a book or do a blog or do a YouTube and there are YouTubers all over the place...all promoting the Come Follow Me program.  Some I enjoy and some I don't.  It's nice to find something that works for each person's likes and learning curve preference.  My personal overall favorite is here  Every day a reminder comes to my email and I can be as involved as I want.  Today I read about the different accounts of the first vision.  I really enjoyed it...especially Orson Pratt and Orson Hyde and Levi Richards.  here

Last week I watched a 5 part series on The Restoration by a young man that has some great info... it's a really nice presentation.  I see that the WYM are watching it as a group.  If you are interested...it's on YouTube...David Butler and the Restoration.  Plus the Church has a wonderful podcast series on the First Vision. 

We are ready as we can be.  For us, anyhow.

Truth be told.  I'm teary over the magnitude of that article by President Nelson.  The one in the April 2020 Ensign. here   I've read it several times.  I've marked it up with lines and stars and numbers and circles.  I've looked up the mentioned scriptures and followed the footnotes.  I've looked up words in the Dictionary.  I've thought about it and prayed about it and pondered and wondered and mulled it over...what on earth is going to happen?  How will this come about???  and then I do, my most female thing...I sit down and I cry.

I cry over certain words and certain phrases and certain paragraphs.

Words like...unprecedented...accelerated...unparalleled

Sentences like...the time is coming when those who do not obey the Lord will be separated from those who. 

Why do we need such resilient faith? Because difficult days are ahead. Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested.

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You will have days when you will be discouraged. So pray for courage not to give up! Sadly, some who you thought were your friends will betray you. And some things will simply seem unfair.

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(I love the paragraph below!!)

Do whatever it takes to strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ by increasing your understanding of the doctrine taught in His restored Church and by relentlessly seeking truth. Anchored in pure doctrine, you will be able to step forward with faith and dogged persistence and cheerfully do all that lies in your power to fulfill the purposes of the Lord.

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This seems to me to be the time of the women.  Elder Oaks has said that President Kimball's prophecy was being fulfilled now. here  He has said that a couple of times. 

Lovely...

My sister would be proud of me this Sunday morning...I'm wearing a very bold necklace. A piece of costume jewelry...a long length chain from whence hangs a very large heart!  Maybe 2"?  It's covered with pearls and diamonds and set in gold!  You get the visual?  Dixie was a collector of all things that she found beautiful.  Let's just say that QVC and HSN were pretty much on a first name basis with her and she had all pre-sale info on her favorites.  It would make her happy that I chose a necklace for my Sunday wear.

Our Mother dressed herself up on Sundays, in a house dress, as they were called in those days, in observance of a day of rest.  A non-member and non-attender of any religion, and yet she kept the Sabbath day Holy.  It took me years to realize that had happened in my life and I so appreciate that she did that.  I know I've blogged about that fact before.

All of that just to say...unless I'm sick...yes. I dress for Sunday.  Not because I have to but because I like to.  Right now it's nearly 1pm and Terry is still asleep after a non-sleep night but I'm ready for Church-at-home when he is and we will enjoy our time. 

General Conference apparel?  bath robe and nightgown for the majority of time!!

I also decided to paint my nails red.  From my teen years on I wore nail polish and loved every minute of it.  As my hands started showing my birthday years...I switched to subtle colors that I really enjoyed but now...I'm back to red!

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Our sacrament meeting was beautiful ....the only announcement was- there will be a break-the-fast meal after this meeting and everyone is invited... The chorister forgot the hymn books...Everyone present shared their testimonies which included a lot of gratitude from their hearts for everything in their hearts.

Wow!

Yesterday I read an article by President Nelson.  A brand new one which made me think, at first, that it was a copy of his Conference talk.  Then I scanned to the bottom and then realized it was lengthy and new.  True, it has some things that he mentioned before but wow!!  this is something else.  I've never heard a living Prophet say all of this at one time.  It's on the digital Ensign (we don't have our magazine in our mailbox yet)  here it is.

The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming

What he said about friends really got my attention!  And persecution!  the part entitled  Face the Future with Faith...really got my attention.  Terry's interest in the happenings in Jerusalem were covered in the section ...the Second Coming.

I'm looking forward to studying this.

Between preparing for General Conference (with all we were asked to do study wise) and fasting and hibernating and now the wonder and amazement of this talk....What a time to be alive!!

Yes!

My reality...

Early morning somberness in our neighborhood.  A stillness.  No movement anywhere.

Even, the yet leafless, weeping birch appears lifeless.

A hush everywhere.

Porch lights.  Soft glow of street lights.

Darkened houses.

No traffic sounds.  None.

No feeling of bustling or hurriedness- for meeting deadlines at school or work.

Stillness.  Everywhere.

The stench of subtle fear.  Concern.  Wanting everyone that is ours...family...friend...neighbors...even strangers to be safe and secure and having enough.  Enough of whatever they deem to be their enough.

God, our Father, is well aware of the happenings in the world at large and in our worlds of small.

As Tiny Tim said...God bless us every one.

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There is hope shining brightly before us....Hymn #19.  check out verse 2!

Talk about the promise of hope!!!... from President Ballard...  here

Eerie...

perhaps that is not the word you thought of when you heard that ALL of the Temples are closed...worldwide!...but that was the emotion that coursed through my mind.

Just a simple statement... effective last night...every single Temple in the world is closed.  True- it's a temporary closure but still...for me it's like a light went out.  That beacon is no longer there.  Conditions are the exact way the world was before the Church was restored in it's fullness!!!

I've been loading up on my studies about the Restoration, in preparation for the upcoming, most anticipated General Conference (ever!) and as I've studied how the Church was put together... organized... much like a jigsaw puzzle--A little bit of this and then a little bit of that...Questions asked and explanations given and eventually the Lord's Church, in it's fullness, was again on the earth.

A part of that fullness was the Temple- with all of the covenants available and all of the ordinances available for everyone...currently living or previously living...it was there for everyone.  Plus it was available all the time, for the desirous person with a current Temple Recommend- as a refuge from their storms...a place of personal revelation...a place of peace...a place that you feel it's Holiness.

At this moment no one, not a single soul living on this earth, has access to any Temple.  No one can start their marriage and be sealed by those with that authority...no one can take out their own endowment...no one can do proxy work.  No one can do anything IF that anything involves or necessitates entering a Temple.

I know it's temporary.  I know things will open up again.  I know Temple building, of new & yet unannounced Temples & restoration/renovation of older Temples, will pick back up.  I know that.

But...I know this is my year for needing a new Temple Recommend and as I checked it this morning and see that it's valid through May, I did wonder...when will I be going to the Temple again?

Is this true????

I've seen this twice and while I would love for it to be true...I question it.  I cannot find the original source...I'm wondering why he would go to Vegas at this time...it feels like the Prophet would say this at Conference...and on and on my doubts go.  I've googled it thoroughly...well, my thorough, so maybe someone else knows a trick to finding it.  there is no mention of it on his FB page. 

and...IF not true why would it be published and who published it? 

Very curious.

Beautiful weather here...

Good morning...wherever you are!  What an interesting and fascinating time to be alive and be a part of something that the entire world is aware of and focusing on.  We started out, at least it seemed that way to me, united with the attitude of -Houston, we have a problem- to now being fractionated. (did I just create a new word?)

The division is seemingly breaking into 2 camps...
#1-it's a bunch of bunk/handled wrong/scare tactic/politics/flu of the year/political 
 #2-look at Italy/listen to Doctors/stay home/social distancing/it's real  
etc. etc. etc. on both sides.

I thank heaven, literally, for a Prophet.  My heart is so thankful for my testimony of being led by a living Prophet and such gratitude for the restoration of the Gospel.  I loved his calm reassurance to us of the happenings in that recent brief statement to us.  Just a few minutes long but so much information of letting us know and feel of his confidence in the future.

Terry and I, as you know, are hibernating and happy to do so.  I'm thankful to be at ease with this.  I'm also thankful for friends that check on us and will pick up whatever requires a trip to the store, for something fresh or whatever we feel we need.

I am just enjoying every single solitary change that has come into the Church.  It is so livable and so doable and so practical and so enjoyable and so believable and so amazing...to see how President Nelson has been guided to gather us right to this very spot, for this very time.  I LOVE it!

Recently, we were listening to some Conference talks, that would fit with the Come Follow Me lesson, and somehow or other, I had the speaker but not the year or the talk title.  Terry found the talk that I thought was the right one.  Turns out it wasn't the one that I thought it was but it was a timely one!  I remembered that talk and how completely overwhelmed I was.  How inadequate I felt.  How impossible it seemed to do what President Benson said.  How defeated I was.  It was tough to hear and tough to take it and it was haunting to me.  Hearing it 40 years later...I still don't garden and still feel the guilt!  Give me a break...blame it on my parents that never had a garden!

How thankful I am to have seen so much history and lived to see so many changes!  Want a little trip down my memory lane?  Remember...I was pioneering-like in Alaska when I heard this talk and it hit so hard!  I was still reeling from the talk President Benson quotes by President Kimball and then this...here  This Prophet did not mince words and he left you with no doubt that he meant what he said!  He was wonderful!

Today's wonderful Prophet...here

my favorite...

I love to study the gospel and I love to learn about the gospel.  There are so many wonderful sites available...so many talented people sharing their take on each weekly Come Follow Me assignment.  I've watched all of them several times but so far my favorite one tends to be this one....  here   Give it a peek and see what you think.  It might have an ad at first.  I don't know why that happens sometimes.

It's called Teaching With Power.  I love his presentation on Jacob 5.  IF I had children at home...I'd definitely use his idea for presenting the longest chapter in the Book of Mormon...a chapter than can be mind-boggling and a bit overwhelming.

You can thank me later!

Let Us All Press On!

These lyrics and this arrangement are marching through my mind this morning...Fear Not...Courage...If We Do What's Right and on and on.  This arrangement is the best ever!  I treated myself to hearing the Tabernacle Choir sing it and will now gift it to you!  here  #243 (Spoiler alert...IF you listen to this arrangement it will forever be in your head!)

A great theme song for these times!

These times...I find myself saying in conversation---when the virus passes over...the virus will come, do it's damage and pass over.  That reminds me of the Passover - Exodus 12:21-28  such a simple thing they were asked to do and obedience brought the promised blessings. 

Just like one of my all time favorites with Moses and his instruction to make a pole with a brass fiery serpent on it and the people were instructed to look, if they got a bite - Numbers 21:6-9  I know I've written several times about these two incidents because I love the lessons in them...don't discount the simplicity or easiness of the counsel by Prophets...don't doubt-just do it!

Never have I been more thankful for the intensity of my testimony that we are led by a real Prophet!

Come Follow Me...about following the Savior and by doing as counseled by President Nelson?...I am also following him!

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Exodus 12:

21 ¶ Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, ^aDraw out and take you a ^blamb according to your ^cfamilies, and kill the ^dpassover.

22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the ^ablood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

23 For the Lord will ^apass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will ^bpass over the door, and will not ^csuffer the ^ddestroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

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Numbers 21:
 6 And the Lord sent ^afiery ^bserpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

7 ¶ Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have ^asinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses ^bprayed for the people.

8 And the Lord said unto Moses, ^aMake thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall ^blive.

9 And Moses made a ^aserpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Beautiful Day...

of Peace and Rest  ....those words coursed through my mind.  I like to never found the hymn...but I ended up here 

I also had Welcome, Welcome Sabbath Morning, take up lodging in my brain!  here

True - the lyrics didn't ring true in parts of both these Hymns, for Church at home but the feeling rang true within me!

Our Sabbath was awesome!  We both enjoyed ourselves so much!

A few weeks ago I had become dissatisfied with my Sabbath preparation as far as meals go.  You know that delight in cooking at this time of my life is not scoring high in the doing with enjoyment
category.  You know I enrolled in a class and I'm still taking it and not making high grades there either!  I ended up missing the Sabbath feeling after I came home from Church.  I also missed how I use to prepare with joy.  I missed the joy!

My main valid excuse is blame it on someone else.  Hmmmm.  Who is nearby that I can blame?  Of course!!!  Obviously!!  It's the Hubby's fault!

He isn't on any schedule because of his health and sometimes he isn't hungry and he sleeps alot...so I could group those things, out of a lot of other excuses, and be justified in just sort of having a whatever sort of meal.

I felt prompted, to make our home Sabbath feeling more inviting... like I use to do.  Terry has not been to Church in so long that I can't even remember!  I wanted to make our home on Sunday more conducive to the Spirit.  Keeping it more Holy.  I've told you before how my non-member Mother always kept the Sabbath day Holy and never said so (most likely she didn't even think of it that way).  It was really special in our home.

So...I decided to really make the effort.  A comment from our daughter really spurred me on.  She was telling me how much she loved coming home from Church and smelling the roast when she came in and how good it tasted.  I thought...when was the last time I really gave our Sunday meal a lot of thought??? ...when did I last give any thought to how the table was set?

Today we had such a glorious Sunday and the meal was terrific and it was such a special day!!

I set the table on Saturday and it looked so nice...even fresh flowers from our daughter.  I cooked a very simple delicious meal and had also baked a long overdue mincemeat pie.  Everything was so much appreciated by my sweetheart.

It just added to the specialness of our day, to enjoy that meal together.  a bonus...it was a labor of love and I enjoyed planning and cooking it.  I'm already looking forward to next week!

We'd talked yesterday about our Sunday plans and were ready for it.  We have no children.  We don't have jobs to worry about.  We are hunkering down until the all clear signal and we can do whatever we want, with no input or concern about children and no school and so many challenges.  We just do our own thing!  Very nice!

YouTube!  We enjoyed so many things.  It was wonderful! 

Something caught me off guard was the Sacrament.  We'd had times that Church was canceled in Alaska so we'd done that before (not with all the wonders of today that are available though!).  Terry put on his snowy white shirt.  Well, I helped him and as I buttoned it for him...really, even now tears well up.  I just always loved him wearing a white shirt and a suit and tie.  I loved it today!  He hadn't worn a Church shirt in ...I don't even know how long ago.  He asked for some things for the Sacrament so I got 2 snow-white napkins  and two very small water-filled tumblers and a tiny plate and a cracker.  He then arranged it on his walker seat.  He'd asked for his scriptures.  He then read the prayers and we partook of the Sacrament.  It was so wonderfully Churchy!!

We have enjoyed the last 1-1/2 year on the Come Follow Me program!

We are so excited about the upcoming General conference.  Wasn't that the most beautiful little video that President Nelson did?  I loved how he said this virus will pass in due time and he is optimistic about the future and my most favorite thing was...when he pulled us all back to the upcoming Gen. Conf. then we will focus on the restoration of the Gospel.  

My heart is so thankful and so happy because I have a real testimony that we have a living Prophet on the earth and I believe what he says.  Feeling the joy!!

interesting....

here   all sorts of "firsts"  in the Church...including the first time General Conference was canceled!

Getting cozy!

Perhaps we were influenced by the phrase, etched in our brains, from the D&C 58:26-29...do many things of their own free will or maybe it's just our brand of common sense but we decided to hibernate at home until this virus does it's damage and dissipates.

There is hype and angst and a barrage of panic, everywhere you turn and everything you read or see that is labeled News, about this event.  It's sort of a Lo here and Lo there atmosphere so we decided to remove ourselves from the fray!

One of the marvelous benefits of our Church membership is we have been taught for years to have commodities on hand should we need to stay home.  I've blogged about that before- of how overwhelming it was, as a convert, to be told to store a ton of wheat when you'd never even seen a kernel of wheat!  Now we only need store 3 months supplies!  Very do-able!

We talked about the one thing that seems to be constant in all of the frenzy - the fact of extreme danger for those 80+ years old and having compromised issues to begin with.  Check.  Check.

Living in Washington State.  Hmmmm.  Wait to see if the bear virus comes over the mountain from Seattle to our side?  Or hole up?

Holing up won out!  There are luxuries that come with our stage of life...one is-we don't have to go to work somewhere and punch a time-clock.  We just stay here.

We decided we wanted to remove the stress factor and live in peace in our little house.  So...I assessed what we had on hand and filled in with Rx and anything else that needed to be purchased....sent a note to the RSP....let some friends know and here we are!

Snug as a bug in a rug.  Feeling at peace.  We will reevaluate on April 11.

Humming Hymn #14...first verse and 2nd...Sweet Is the Peace the Gospel Brings

Understatement of the Year!!

To help control this problem, we feel it wise to limit attendance at the upcoming April 2020 General Conference. We plan to conduct all five sessions of that conference at the Conference Center. General authorities, general officers and their spouses, musicians, choirs, technicians, and others will participate as assigned. But, proceedings of the conference will be distributed throughout the world via technology only. The public will not be admitted in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, or in stake centers or meetinghouses in areas where contagion is a concern. Questions about other large gatherings of Church members will be answered in separate announcements.

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We invite all to continue to prepare for this conference. As we do, we will be blessed to hear the word of the Lord and participate in a general conference experience that will remain not only memorable, but unforgettable.

Sincerely,

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles