Joy Receives her Endowments

On Friday June 24 2016 Joy was able to go to the temple for the first time.  It was amazing being able to be her escort and watching her as she saw things for the first time.  Cesar was there with her. Silvia and Jeremy were able to attend and support her as well as the lady who taught her temple prep class.  It was a rushed day and I can not wait to go again with her and just let her sit and take it all in.  It will be a wonderful time as she learns and finds the peace she so desperately needs.

Bailey Gets Baptized

Saturday June 4, 2016 Bailey Michelle Deaton was baptized by her father, Jeremy Joseph Deaton!  It was so amazing to watch my son baptize his daughter.  She was so happy and he seemed nervous but he did well.  She was in a dress and it came very close to floating up but they were able to get it done.  Jack was one of the witnesses.  It was a very special moment for me to watch both my boys up there for this very special event.  Then Jeremy confirmed her and Jack was able to be in the circle for that as well.

Bishop's Challenge

Today in Relief Society we were told that our Bishop has issued a challenge to all of us.  We are to discover what our talents are and then develop a new talent.  We are to use that new talent to help someone this year.  WOW what a challenge.  First we were to think about what our talents are.  I have always had a problem listing my talents, it always makes me feel like I am bragging about being able to do something.  We have talents given to us from Heavenly Father and we are to use them to help others.  Now I have to sit here and try and figure out what talent I have so that I can develop a new talent.
I know what I want to develop does that mean I no longer have to list my talents?
I want to learn how to layout and plant a garden.  I want to learn how to care for that garden and then harvest it.  Then I want to can and freeze the food I grew so my family can profit with healthier meals and a healthier lifestyle. I want to be able to share this new knowledge with my children.  I want them to be able to learn these things now and not wait until they are older.  I also want to help with the WARD garden that our new ward does every year.  This way I can learn from others and share what I have learned at the same time.
So that is my goal this year, I am going to rely heavily on my good friend Dana Cooper to help me learn as much as I can.  I am also going to seek out other people and other ways to learn more about this.  I am going to look for local classes and read up on different ways to garden.  If anyone reading this wants to help me learn, please let me know!!

Jan 1 2015

I am so excited, I have a calling in my new ward, I have been called to be a Family History Counselor!  I was hoping for this calling to continue the work I have been doing in my old wards.  Every ward I have been in I have been a FHC at some point.  I LOVE it!  I love to help people find their ancestors and teach them how to get their temple work done.  I also help with Indexing and I am an arbitrator.  This is a fun way for people to help who do not like to research their own lines.  This is going to be another good year in Family History!

My personal Ministry

Elder Martinez of the seventy spoke on Our Personal Ministries.  Keep these words in our minds and in our hearts “He who serves in some thing is good for something, he who serves in no thing is good for nothing.”  There is great worth in each of Heavenly Father’s children and the Savior focused on the individual and the family.  We each have a personal ministry here on this earth; we must learn to tend to the needs of others just as Christ did.  “First observe, then serve.”  Heavenly Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ knows us individually and personally.  They know our needs.  They place people in our path to help us and we are placed in other people’s path to help them.  Our service and personal ministry are not limited to the living on this earth.  We can also do work for the dead by doing family history work.  But we can also minister to the living by keeping a journal of family histories to turn the hearts of the living towards the family, those living and those who have gone on before us.  We need to link our families, generation by generation.  My personal ministry is to focus on my family.  I am the welding link that holds the family together, not just my husband and children and grandchildren but our ancestors as well.  When we joined the church we were the pioneers of our families.  We were the only members on either side to join the church.  Three of us were baptized that day, Jeremy, Robert and I.  Now we have 12 of us in the church, our children, their spouses and our grandchildren.  I have given great service to my family and I try every day to serve them in some way.  I tend my grandchildren for free so their parents can have a little bit easier time of it.  My service to my children and grandchildren is given freely and with love.  My family service does not stop there.  I search out my ancestors and their children and grandchildren so that they can be together as well.  Long ago I realized that my personal ministry was to weld together our family, those in the past to those in the present to those in the future.  It is my greatest desire, to have my family all together in the Celestial Kingdom and I will spend every minute that I can working towards that goal.  

Elder Allan F Packer's talk

Elder Allan F Packer of the Seventy had a talk called “The Book”.  I have a question, What is the handbook of instruction that he mentions?  Is this just for the General Authorities?

We need to qualify for exaltation.  Study the plan of salvation and we will know what we need to do to qualify and we can be saved by Christ’s Atonement.  There are 4 focuses of the church. 

1.  Help members live the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

2. Gather Israel through missionary work. 

3. Caring for the poor and needy. 

4. Enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances.

Because the family is the center of the plan of salvation we need to focus our attention on our own family.  Temple and Family History work is part of that plan and we need to be teaching it in our home.  The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve have placed renewed emphasis on family history and temple work and if we work on this in our home our joy and happiness will increase.  THE BOOK is the book that will hold all the names of those worthy to enter into God’s kingdom.  When we do our family history work we are providing a way for our ancestors to be in that book.  This work is not limited to those who are retired and have extra time on their hands, it is for all.  I remember when I joined the church and learned about family history, I would take the kids down to the Family History Library in Salt Lake and spend the day there.  Each child would take a backpack with snacks and toys in them.  They would sit at a film reader and scroll through films looking for any mention of family names.  They each had an index card in front of them with our family surnames written down on them and when they found something they would call me over and I would either write it down or explain to them it was not one we were looking for.  After doing this for a while each one would sit on the floor under the reader and eat a snack or play with some toys for a while then get back up and start again.  Joy was 3, Jenn was 4, Jack had just turned 6 and Jeremy was 10.  Even a 3 year old could look for a name on a card and find it on the film she was scrolling through.  She took more breaks than the other but she still found many names we were looking for!  This is a family affair, not reserved for those who have a great knowledge.  This work is much easier now than just a few years ago.  This work is important.  It is different than it was in the past, it can be done at home and shared by all ages.  The church cannot do it for us, we must do the work ourselves.  We must change our priorities and put this work higher on our list of to dos.  We must not sacrifice our exaltation or that of our families for less important interests, this is the work of God!! 

Elder Godoy's talk

 Elder Godoy, who spoke in Portuguese, entitled his talk The Lord Has a Plan For Us.  There are three principles that he talks about:

1. We need to consider our options with the end in mind.

2.  We need to be prepared for the challenges that will come.

3. We need to share this vision with the people we love.

We need to look at the whole picture not just the scene we are currently in.  Is what I am doing today going to fulfill my promised blessings?  Reread your Patriarchal blessing with one thought in mind, am I living my life in a way that I will receive all the blessings promised to me?  I had recently re-read my blessing and I had discovered a few things that I had forgotten.  Now this talk reminded me to work towards those promises!!!  Changes are not easy.  Take a look at your life for the past 6 months, have you made any major changes?  Are they in line with your road back to Heavenly Father?  Now look at your next six months, what can you do to make that road back a little straighter??  Moving to a new place is like starting all over again.  No one knows you, this is your chance to be a strength to your new ward, your new neighbors.  If you have non-member neighbors, take the time to become friends with them.  Take them cookies or invite them to dinner.  DON’T preach, just get to know them.  What can you do for your new ward?  Be there to help someone move, or take meals to someone in need.  Give your time and talents to help others and you will be blessed in the process.  We all can learn and grow, no matter our age, this is the time to do that!  When we make changes in our lives, we need to make sure and share our vision with our family, those most important to us.  It is important that we take this journey together.  Do not leave out your partner when making decisions.  Make them together.  Talk about them. What you do does not only affect you, it affects your spouse and children as well.  Don’t give up your time with them, keep it sacred.  Just because something is going well does not mean there is not something better out there for us.

Elder Scott's Talk

 Elder Scott spoke on Exercising our Faith.  I loved it when he said he would talk about 4 different tools we have and that we must seek guidance to see how we could use them better.  We hear it over and over again Prayer, Scripture Study, Family Home Evening and Temple Attendance are the keys to our staying on the straight and narrow path.  We hear it so often that it becomes an automatic answer to most questions asked in Sunday school and Relief Society.  We tend to tune out a little because we KNOW this and now want to talk about something else.  But this time I paid close attention to what he was saying because I thought, “ You are influencing your Grandchildren now, maybe you need to do something different than you did with your kids, after all each generation will face tougher challenges than the one before”.  I am adding the thoughts that came to me as I was re-reading this talk as well as what was said from the pulpit.

Prayer, Heavenly Father wants to hear from us, He wants to hear what we are doing are thinking and feeling.  Just like when your child (or Grandchild) comes to you and you are so excited to hear what they want to say, even when you already know more about it than they do, you still listen and care about what they say and how they feel.  You light up when a child hugs you or just wants to sit beside you because they love you.  Heavenly Father feels the same way.  He gets excited to hear our prayers and wants us to come to Him and be close to Him because we love Him.  When I pray I need to converse more about my life and make Him more of a friend.

Scripture Study, this is how Heavenly Father speaks to us!  How can we learn how much He loves us if we do not take the time to listen (or read) what He is telling us?   Take the time to study the words of God through our scriptures and words the General Authorities have spoken, it will bring you peace and love.  I need to be more diligent with do scriptures with the kids.  They need to learn the stories from the scriptures just as much as I need to tell them.

Family Home Evening, This is the time you need to set aside to strengthen your family.  This will give your children the strength they need to combat the things of the world.  This is where you teach the gospel to your family and give each member an opportunity to bear their testimony and learn skills such as how to teach, plan and organize a lesson.  This is where I have fallen down.  Since the kids graduated High School I have stopped doing FHE because they all go their separate ways.  I need to have something for whoever is at home at the time, even if that is only me.

Temple Attendance – We need to attend as often as possible.  This is where I need to really work on my thought process.  As Often As Possible has turned out not to be often enough.  I do not have time to go to the Temple because I am always taking care of someone else or I have gotten too tired to do anything after I am relieved of my duties! I need to start going in the morning as soon as they open so that I have the strength I need to keep me going and in a good mind frame.  I need the wisdom found in the temple.  I need to stop making excuses for not going and just go.  Maybe I can swap babysitting with someone so that another can have the same opportunity to go to the temple as I will have.

Basically I need to get back to the basics with more enthusiasm than I have had lately.  I need to remember the feelings I had when I first learned about these things and how wonderful it was when I was using them properly!

Some Thoughts on Conference Oct 2014

Elder Ballard gave a wonderful talk about staying in the boat.  It is so important to keep our focus on Christ and He will lead us where we are to go.  It is so easy to get caught up in the things of the world or for that matter to get caught up in things, period.  Remember that talk a while back about choosing between what is good, better and best? We can get caught up in doing good things and not remember what is the best thing, which is returning home to our Heavenly Father more Christ-like than we are now.  We need to stay in the boat leading us home.  We need to wear our life jackets by reading our scriptures and the Ensign and other church talks and we need to hold on with both hands to what we have learned and been taught.  So often we tend to hold on with only one hand, maybe let go of scripture reading this morning because I am tired, or cut our prayers short because we are rushed to get somewhere, maybe we pass on Family Home Evening this week because work or school gets in the way.  Maybe we make an exception this Sunday to do work because it is convenient for someone else.   We need to stop hanging on with one hand and hold firmly with both our hands, keep strong in our convictions and keep our eyes on our goal to return home a good and faithful servant.  We need to surround ourselves with people that will help us reach that goal, people that can help us stay on that straight and narrow path back home.  Elder Ballard asked us to remember why we joined the church in the first place, maybe it is time we took a good long look at that and rededicate ourselves to not bending the rules, not letting go with one hand even if for a good cause.  Rededicate ourselves to helping others hold on as well. The pure love of Christ shines brightest when we are helping others.

More thoughts in my next post.

Speaking in Church

Here is the first draft of my talk for speaking in church on Sunday.

How do you eat an Elephant?  Think about that for a while. 

My name is Mary Deaton and we have lived in this ward for 2 years and 1 month.  My husband Robert and I have 4 children, 2 daughters-in-law and 4 grandchildren.

I have a condition called Complex Partial Seizures.  It is a form of Epilepsy and it is brought on by a combination of lack of sleep and stress.  I have been very blessed and have not had a seizure in three years. 

Every time I have a seizure I lose more memory.  In some ways it is like having Alzheimer’s.  One day I can remember everything and the next day I struggle with simple things like how to get home from the grocery store.  The doctors say that I need to keep my life as stress free as possible. 

Doing a Talk in very stressful, that is why I have my talk completely written out and if I have to, I can just read it.

With this being Memorial Day Weekend I wanted to talk for a few minutes on Remembering those who died in service to their country. 

Captain William Deaton died in 1781 in the Revolutionary War leaving a wife with 10 small children and big with the 11^th.  He was one of 4 brothers and their father who helped out George Washington’s troops.  

We have records of 19 of the Deaton ancestors dying while serving on both sides of the Civil war.  There were over 50 family members fighting in that war.

You are probably thinking: WOW Mary, How do you know all this?

18 years ago when I joined the church and moved to Utah my next door neighbor, Janice,  was the Family History Consultant for the ward.  She taught me how to do genealogy research.  Over the years I have spent 15 minutes here and there looking for information  on different family members.  Since we are the first members of the church on either side, there is a lot of research to do.   

One of the many blessing you get doing Family History work is being able to take a family member to the Temple. 

One year after I joined the church I was able to go along with 29 of the youth and leaders of our ward and perform baptisms for family members.  There were 275 baptisms done that morning and all 275 were mine and my husband’s family.  It was a wonderful experience sitting at the table next to the recorder watching all those people be baptized.  It was a true blessing to sit with all the kids afterwards and listen to the stories about what they were experiencing at the same time.  It was then that I realized doing family history work not only blessed me but it blessed all those involved as well.  How many times have you gone and done baptisms for someone and felt the Spirit yourself?

14 months after I joined the church I was able to receive my own endowments.   One week after that Janice and myself took some of those names to do the initiatories.   We did not know how many they would let us do but we planned on being there for several hours.  I began with my grandmother on my Dad’s side and being the Polish fun loving person she was, I could feel her excitement as we did her work.  I was amazed because I could actually feel her there with me. There was excitement in the air!  The next person I did was my other grandmother.  She was a very proper Scottish woman.  The mood was totally different as I did her name but I knew she was there as well.  As I was about to do the next name a worker came in to relieve one of the ladies there and she refused to leave.  She explained to the new person that she felt the presence of the last 4 people who came through.  The other workers spoke up and said the same thing.  For each name that Janice and I did, not only could we feel the ladies there but the temple workers could feel them as well.  We stayed there and those three temple workers stayed with us until we did all 40 names that I had brought.  They would say things like, “oh this is your Dad’s side, I can feel the mischief” or “This is your Mother’s side, they are so reverent”.  A few years later I was visiting a ward for a baby blessing and one of the speakers that day spoke about her experience at the temple that day.  She said that she had no idea who I was but she remembered that day and spoke about how blessed she felt being able to help those people progress on their journey.

Another blessing you can get from doing Family History work is gaining a stronger testimony.  You learn to appreciate the Love Heavenly Father has for his children.  He does not want one of his children to get left behind, even after they have gone to the other side, so he created a way they could get the same blessings we have.  It is our duty to help them.  Is your testimony lacking a bit?  Dive into Family History work and see how strong it can become.

Doing Family History work teaches you more about your family origins and your love for your ancestors grows and grows.  How many farmers or teachers or tobacco growers do you have in your family?  What a blessing it is to be able to find out more about those who paved the way for you.  They worked hard and gave their children more so that one day, you could have more yourself.

President Henry B Eyring said:

” After you find the first few generations, the road will become more difficult … You will be tempted to stop and leave the hard work of finding to others who are more expert or to another time in your life.  But you will also feel a tug on your heart to go on in the work, hard as it will be.  As you decide, remember that the names which will be so difficult to find are of real people to who you owe your existence in this world and whom you will meet again in the spirit world… Their hearts are bound to you.  Their hope is in your hands.  You will have more than your own strength as you choose to labor on to find them.”

President Boyd K Packer said:

“The process of searching, the means of going after those names, would be worth all the effort you could invest.  The reason: You cannot find names without knowing that they represent people.  You begin to find out things about people. When we research our own lines we become interested in more than just names or the number of names going through the temple.  Our interest turns our hearts to our fathers – we seek to find them and to know them and to serve them.  In doing so we store up treasures in heaven.”

It was a blessing to me to learn about my mom’s Uncle, John Hugh Howie. He lived in Scotland.  He joined the Army in WW1 and was taken prisoner by the Germans in his first battle, right after the start of the war.  He was put into the Salt Mines to work and contracted TB.  He died a year later at the age of 18.

President Thomas S Monson said:

“In this work, no lock with open without the key of faith.  I testify that when we do all we can to accomplish the work that is before us, the Lord will make available to us the sacred key needed to unlock the treasure which we so much seek…Do not be weary in well doing.  If you feel your contribution is small or insignificant, remember that the worth of souls is precious in the sight of God.  Our opportunity is to prepare the way, and to accomplish the ordinance work, after faithful research, that these souls may prepare for the glory which is their divine opportunity.”

I have been working on my genealogy for 18 years.  I have never been able to find anything on my Dad’s side farther back than when Grandpa and his family come to the United States from Poland.  I have searched and searched.  I put down that line and work on another line and then a year or two later I pick it back up and search and search again.  My heart aches for them.  Then 3 weeks ago I attended a Polish Genealogy conference in Salt Lake.  At that conference I met a woman who ran across the birth record of the oldest brother of my Grandfather.  Most Polish records are in Latin, German and Russian with those after 1918 being in Polish.  This record happened to be in Russian and one of the ladies attending spoke Russian and was able to translate it.  FINALLY, AFTER 18 YEARS OF SEARCHING

I am able to place my family in a parish in Warsaw Poland.  I now have a starting place in Poland.  After 18 years of searching I am blessed to find a record on my Dad’s side.  Now my work on this line has finally begun. 

It is sobering to think about the fight that is still going on, linking our fore-fathers and us together. 

In D & C 128:18 it states:

… that the earth will be smitten with a ^bcurse unless there is a welding ^clink of some kind or other between the fathers and the ^dchildren, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the ^ebaptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the ^ffulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the ^gfoundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto ^hbabes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.

What a blessing to know that we are the welding link between the fathers and the children. 

We are the people who have the ability to sit in our PJ’s and search and find the information needed to weld everyone together. 

We are the people who can go to a Sunday School Class each week and get help.

We are the people who have the ability to use other programs such as Ancestry.com, My Heritage.com and Find my Past because the Church partnered up with them to make records available for everyone. 

Some of you have already gotten emails to use these programs; other will get them throughout the summer.  Take advantage of this.  There are so many opportunities out there for you. 

No one can say that all the work is already done.  There are many branches in your family tree.  There are many cousins and Aunts and Uncles that need their work done.  Begin today to start finding them.  So many times we find that a child has been left off the tree.  How would you feel if one of your children were not with you on the other side?  Trust me, there is plenty of work out there for each of us.  The church as a whole section on LDS.ORG for those who feel there is nothing left for them to do.  Check it out.

So Mary,  how DO you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time. 

How do we find OUR Ancestors?  One person at a time. 

It is my testimony to you that if you start right now, today, with just one ancestor, YOU    WILL    BE    BLESSED. 

You will find your testimony growing. 

You will find your love for your Ancestors growing. 

You will find your understanding of God’s love for us will grow as well.

You will find a desire to attend the temple and take a family member with you. 

You will find a desire to share what you have learned with other members of your family. 

Stop putting it off until you have time to do it.  Make the time now. 

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Polish Convention

I just spent 3 days at a UPGS conference in Salt Lake.  It was attended by 82 people working on their Polish Ancestors.  It was an amazing three days.  On Friday, we started off with two classes at the Family History Library, given by Missionaries, to teach us about the FHL and the Catalog.  We then had 8 hours to work on our Genealogy.  I had to go home during this time to watch Karson because everyone was working and Joy had just had surgery two days before this and could not lift anything.  Then I went back to hear Mark Olsen talk about My Heritage.  It was good and he gave everyone there a free 6 month full access subscription.  Mine runs out Nov 4 but by then I should be able to get the free access through the program they are about to do with the church.
Then Sonja Hoeke-Nishimoto spoke to us about Advancing your Polish Research.  It was really good as well. Sonja works on the International Floor of the FHL so she will be able to help when I have problems.
Saturday I did not go down until 10am (watched the boys at Bailey's game so Jeremy could coach).  I attended the Maps &Gazetteers for Genealogy by Sonja then we had a break to work on our own Genealogy until 2.  At 2 Josh Taylor taught us how to Create Our Personal Family History Website.  When he finished, Ceil Jensen taught us what a Immigration Agent was and how it would help our research.  This ended at 5 and I went home for the day while the other people hung around for the Polish Folk Dancers that started at 7. 
Sunday I went down to Temple Square and arrived at 10 just as the Mormon Tab. Choir was finishing.  I met up with Patti Campbell and we walked around Temple Square taking pictures and talking.  There were only 5 people who were LDS (that we could tell) at the conference so we hung out together.  Then the classes started.  We heard from a man who lives in Poland called Tadeusz Pilat.  He taught us about the Notary Records in Poland.  Then Josh Taylor spoke about New Tools and Ideas in Research.  After Josh was Ceil Jensen again who spoke on The Peasant & the Palace (Locating /Researching Manor Records).  That was fun.  Then Greg Nelson from Family Search taught us about the Partition Records available in the FHL and LDS Filming Projects in Poland.  Then we had a dinner break and Patti and I went to JB's resturant there at the Hotel and had BLT sandwiches.  We went back to hear the last speaker of the day, Ceil Jensen spoke on This is Women's Work - Midwifery.  I came home, it was 8:30pm.  Today, Monday, they have another fun day and a banquet tonight but I can not go because Jeremy began working today and I will have their kids when Lora and his schedule overlap.  It will be all day long on Monday, half day on Tuesday and at least one other day during the week for a full day, this week it is Friday.
So I will have to manage my time carefully from now on to get everything done and have time for Genealogy!!!!!

New Class Begins

Sunday March 2, 2014

We began a new class today during Sunday School.  It is called Family History.  I was the teacher today.  There were over 20 people there.  Brother Hill set up his computer and projector and I taught on Family Tree, the genealogy program in Family Search that our church has available for everyone to use, members and non-members alike.  We went over what Family Tree is and what it offers us.  We showed how to upload a photo and document and talked about how important it is to document everything.  Next week they are to bring their computers and begin on their own with all the consultants there to help out.

Researching Ancestors

I read about a challenge to research 52 different ancestors in 52 weeks.  That is a lofty goal.  I am not going to take that challenge but I am going to work on finding out as much about different ancestors as I can.
I am starting with my Mother, Marguerite Howie Kinloch Hass.  I wanted to find out about her time spent in Scotland.  What her house looked like, where she went to school, what happened during the bombings, etc...
My cousin Stephen went to Scotland a few years ago and took a couple pictures of the house my mother's family lived in and the church they attended and the hill they climbed to escape the bombings.  I know I was not going to post photos on this site but I want to include some of the genealogy things I am finding.

 This is the Duplex they lived in, the one on the right was their home.  When they lived there the windows looked like the ones on the left did.  See the big bush in the next photo?  That is where the air raid shelter was that they had to use to escape the bombings.  It was semi buried underground. This house was struck in the bombing on March 13, 1941.  Mom and her siblings had to put out the fire in the upstairs bedroom. March 14, 1941 they took their blankets and walked up over the Moors and slept on the ground until they got the all clear to return home.

On May 7, 1941 during the air raid my mom's family had been evacuated to Motherwell, and while there she had an appendicitis attack and had to be taken to the hospital.  Because of her hospital stay their home was repaired so she could go home (hospitals, schools and churches were the highest targeted places) and they consider it a blessing that she had appendicitis.  Looking closely at the photo and you will see two windows upstairs.  The first window is at the top of the stairs and the second one is the bathroom.  The window at the bottom is the bottom of the stairs.

 This is the church my Aunt Mary and Uncle Tom got married in and where Mom and them went to church every week.  The church was hit during an air raid and was repaired but the steeple was never put back on.

 The hill close by my Mom's house that she would use as a short cut going to work.  Some people had to escape the bombings going up this hill.

The crane of John Brown Shipyard.  This is where my Great-Grandfather, my Grandfather and his brother as well as many other family members worked.  This is the ship yard where the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth were built.

I am not alone

This week I went to the Bountiful temple with one of my best friends Cindy.  I was able to see the new movie, which is wonderful.  It is so full of emotions.  I love it.  Then when I was sitting in the Celestial room praying I began to cry telling Heavenly Father that I am so alone and I can't do it alone anymore.  I need help. 
The next night I was sitting at The Forgotten Carols and after the show Michael McLean was talking and he said he felt like he needed to sing a song from his first album back in 1983 called You're Not Alone.  I felt like he was singing directly to me.  Here are the words of the song.

You're Not Alone
Words and Music by Micheal McLean

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Here's a little song to help you get along.
It will see you through when you're feeling blue.
And though it's not profound, when you're feeling down, so down,
Sing this little tune, and you'll feel better soon.

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You're not alone,
even tho' right now you're on your own.
You are loved in ways that can't be shown;
You're needs are known;
You're not alone

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And when you cry,
You're just letting go a heartache deep inside.
So tomorrow there'll be sunshine and sky -
and love close by;
You're not alone

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And I know that it's not easy,
but I know that it won't last.
'Cause one who loves you more than I
is sending blessings fast.

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You're not alone,
say it one more time.
"I'm not alone."
And even when it's hard to find the words.
Your prayers are heard
You're not alone.
You're not alone.

Blessings

Tonight I watched as my two sons gave their nephew a blessing.  It was an amazing experience.  Jack and Jeremy were each at their own houses and Karson got hurt, hit his mouth on the bed and either knocked his tooth out or shoved it up into his gum, we don't know yet.  It is storming outside with wind gusts close to 65 mph and they each drove over here to honor their priesthood.  Jeremy sat Karson on his lap and told him how he prayed before he left home and Heavenly Father told him to honor his priesthood and make the drive over and he would be protected on his journey.  He told Karson that Heavenly Father would tell us during the blessing if we should take him to the hospital or wait to go to the dentist in the morning.  Then during the blessing we were told that Karson would be alright and we should stay home tonight and take him to the dentist in the morning.
I am so very grateful for the priesthood that both my boys hold.  They are worthy temple recommend holders and honor that priesthood when called upon, even in the middle of a wind storm!

Genealogy

I love reading the scriptures and hearing of the trials that others go through but still remain strong in the Gospel generation after generation.  I am trying to connect my generations together through Genealogy work.  I am finding out as much as I can about the people who came before me and just recently I was inspired to begin finding out about the places they came from and what was going on in the world around them at the time they lived there, this helps me to understand them more as people.
I am also finally starting to record my own history.  It is with 6 of my friends and we are doing one question a week for a year, then taking that and making it into a small book with a few pictures so that our children and grandchildren can learn a bit more about us.
Here are the first few questions:

One Year of Family History Stories 

Week One: The Basics

What is your full name? Why did your parents name you that? Do you now or did you ever have a nickname? When and where were you born? How did your family come to live there?

 Week Two: The Home

What was your home like growing up? Was it a house, apartment, farm, etc… How many rooms did it have? Who shared the bedrooms? How many Bathrooms? Did you have indoor plumbing? Telephones? Did your electricity go out often? Was there a special item in your house that you remember? 

Week 3: Your Family

Who were your immediate family members (list them in order of birth)? Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names? 

Week 4: Friends

Who were your friends when you were growing up? 

Week 5: Your Childhood Games

What is your earliest childhood memory? What kind of games did you play growing up? What was your favorite toy and why? What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)? 

Week 6: Your Childhood Work Habits

Did you have family chores? What were they? Which was your least favorite? Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it? 

Week 7: School

What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Where did you attend grade school? High school? College? 

Week 8: School Sports

What school activities and sports did you participate in? Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper? 

Week 9: Religion

What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend? What memories do you have about church? 

Week 10: Extended Family

List your Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them? 

Week 11:  Family Stories

What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors? Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family? 

Week 12: Cooking

Have any recipes been passed down to you from family members? What meals do you remember having growing up?  Any special stories about any of them? Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods? 

Week 13: Holidays

How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special traditions? 

Week 14: Influences

Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes? Who were your childhood heroes? What were your favorite songs and music? 

Week 15: World Events

What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally affect your family? How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child? 

Getting through Death

With the death of my Sister-in-Law Jolene, I was forced to examine my beliefs verses the beliefs of my family.  I watched my brother struggle so much with Jolene's death but could not say too much without pushing my beliefs on him.  I had such peace knowing that there is a wonderful place after we leave this life and know that we can all be together again.  With my brother, he holds on to the hope that they will be together but does not have a definite knowledge.  I thank Heavenly Father for the knowledge that I have.

Prayer and Song soothe my soul....

It was a hectic morning with the girls fighting and then Karson pitching a big fit and the atmosphere in the house was terrible.  I prayed for peace, read a little scripture and sang a song and then the peace began to come.  My soul is much happier now, Karson is taking a nap and the girl are off at school.  I will continue to pray for peace in their souls as well.

Stake Conference

Stake Conference was the best stake conference I have ever been to. It was the Davis County Stake Conference with 65 stakes in attendance.   I took pages of notes. Jack and Jennifer were lucky enough to go to Salt Lake and sit in the middle section directly in front of the pulpit in the conference center.  The speakers were Shyne Bowen, Linda Burton, Elder Jeffery Holland and President Uchtdorf.
When Jack left on his mission from Arkansas he was the only missionary out from the entire Saline County, there are currently 2530 missionaries serving from Davis county.  WOW what a difference!
Some of my notes are:
Brother Bowen of the 70 talked about: Go after the one.  Open your mouth and invite someone to FHE or to church or to any activity.  Look beyond ourselves and reach out to the one.  Less active or inactive are those who do not understand the doctrine.
Sister Burton, the General Relief Society President, talked about Pitching our tents towards the temple.  Grow up in the Lord.  Teach our children (even before nursery age) the primary songs.  Sing to them.  Teach them the importance of the temple.
Elder Holland spoke about Conferences.  He said they are to be once every three months, they are "conferring" .  They are to bring about real growth, real change and the words are directed by The Holy Ghost and will bring about change.  Faith cometh by hearing and hearing the word of God.  Faith works by words.  Something someone said at one point has changed your life.  What can we do now to make a change?
What change have I made in my life as a result of anything I heard or was asked to do in the latest General Conference? (He repeated this a couple times so it is word for word what he asked).
He quoted the following from the last priesthood session, President Uchtdorf's talk:

General conference is always a good time for both hearing and doing. Therefore, let us “be … doers of the word, and not hearers only.”⁵ Brethren, I invite you to consider the words spoken by the servants of God this weekend. Then get on your knees. Ask God, our Heavenly Father, to enlighten your mind and touch your heart. Plead with God for guidance in your daily lives, in your Church responsibilities, and in your specific challenges at this time. Follow the promptings of the Spirit—do not delay. If you do all this, I promise that the Lord will not leave you to walk alone."

Kneel down and claim this promise.

He spoke about the closing remarks from conference. "May you ponder the truths you have heard, and may they help you to become even better than you were when conference began two days ago."  I am making a new sign for my fridge that says : Ponder and Pray to be better than I was before today.

He spoke about Christ speaking in the conference when he delivered the sermon about the House on the Rock that stood and the foolish man who built on the sand.  Go back and read that, it is worth the reminder (Luke 6:47-49)

President Uchtdorf was the closing speaker.  He started off with a joke about sleeping in church and that "Church sleep is on of the healthiest" He reminded us that the First Presidency needs our prayers.  He spoke about missionaries and said "The Lord has work for you to do!" Prepare now for a mission.  Study Chapter 3 in Preach My Gospel.  Read. Ponder. Pray.  Become and then stay worthy so you are ready when called upon.  The church has close to 15 Million members now. 

We are to concentrate on our own family members, invite them to church, be their friend, pray for them  "Dear Lord, help us to have success in bringing our family back to you..." (sorry, he spoke so fast that I did not get the rest)

We need to actively participate.  What do we choose to do with our time? Set spiritual goals as well as temporal goals.

Where an I in this journey? Where do I need a course change? Evaluate myself, commandments of God have a purpose.  Prove God by paying tithing.

Technology can be good, use it for good.  

 "You are free to choose, but we are not free to choose the consequence" CTR and return to righteousness.  

Parents, Check out the new site for kids  youth.lds.ord

He spoke about bullying and read the 2010 statement put out by the church where bullying has no place in our society.  Speak out against it, it ruins marriages, and families.

Nephi said he knows that God loves ALL his children.  He spoke about problems facing some in the church today.

When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Re-lite the power of conversion in us.  There are three things you need to do in order to keep the flame alive:

1. Have a current Temple Recommend.  Go to the temple often.  CTR stand for current temple recommend.

2. Study the word of God DAILY.  Home should be a refuge, read the scriptures and conference talks.

3. Speak with Heavenly Father DAILY.  Pray.  There has never been a time where prayer is more needed than right now.

Follow this counsel and you will have PEACE in your life.

Thank you for such a great conference and a great reminder of what is important.