Week of July 6-12, 2009

"Therefore if ye have desires to serve the Lord ye are called to the work." [D&C 4:3]

Monday at the MTC was quiet. We drove through the unloading area up to the front door. We were the only car. A man came out and kindly gave us a parking pass and told us where to park. We felt like we were the only ones arriving, but that was not true as 38 couples and one senior sister are being trained this week, as well as 4000 young missionaries. At the beginning we attended an orientation [with very warm senior volunteers & enthusiastic young teachers!] anthen were directed on to "my purpose as a missionary": to bring souls to Christ through baptism and reception of the Holy Ghost. They waste little time getting us involved. We were assigned to be in District 3, and Don was asked to be the District Leader. We were encouraged to read PREACH MY GOSPEL [we had reading assignments each night] and to use it at any/all times, as it is inspired scripture. We were told to continue to read our scriptures and to learn about the people, culture and language[s] of our missions. Oh, yes! And "to remember to have a good time!" Our P-Day is Saturday for our 2 weeks at the MTC, and will probably also be Saturday in London. We were given all of the needed materials, schedules and pamphlets in a black binder with our names and missions on the cover. We have name tags, so we are official missionaries. We were met by Sister Rowe, one of Portia's friends at the temple who's also an MTC volunteer with her husband. The Rowe's were mission presidents in Leed's, England. Sister Rowe shared a sweet spiritual experience with us, a personal miracle, really. The Buchanan's were our "go-to" supervisors -- if we had any questions or problems they knew the right answers. Portia knows Sister Buchanan from the temple, and one of their sons [Eric] was on Seminary Council with our son Rob. We say over and over, "it's a small world in the Church," no matter where you are/live in the world. Another sister Portia recognized was Sister Read, the senior single sister missionary [widow] going to serve in the Missionary department at Church Headquarters in SLC. She also worked at the Mt. Timpanogas Temple.

Preach My Gospel is an amazing book! It certainly is inspired! So much truth concentrated into one book. It is fast becoming one of our best reference books and guidelines. Thank goodnes Don encouraged both of us to do some "preparatory studying!" We received encouragement in using PMG: Don't be concerned about doing all of the assignments [at the end of each chapter]. Gain a basic understanding of the basic gospel principles. PMG is designed to help us teach others. We can teach in the ways we are most comfortable, and at the speed and according to the circumstances and preferences of those we teach. Listen for how the Spirit will guide, suggest and lead us.

One of the early teachers was a Dr. Bruce Woolley, who spoke via a DVD recording. One thing he said stood out to us: "Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost." [1 Cor 6:19.] Another thing he said was quite uplifting: "Who are the Righteous People? They are the people who simply try to do what is right each day."

Tuesday: We taught the first lesson on the need for prophets, the role of the Savior and His ministry, the Great Apostasy, the Restoration, and the Book of Mormon. [Acts 17:29; Moroni 10:3-5; John 3:16, James 1:5] Sister Hawley is a great missionary, but she is learning that for herself; she felt a little scared as did all of us missionary-trainees. One thing Portia found helpful were the times we went looking for scriptures that added support to our lesson plans. PMG gave her the "how-tos", the outlines and the ways to put teaching plans together. It was a fun challenge to find ways to introduce and insert gospel principles and commandments and definitions of terms that we LDS members use often but that investigators or less-actives or new members don't know. We taught a sister volunteer who role played the part of a friend of the Church. The MTC teachers keep asking or reminding us to not be shy, but to be bold [OYM: Open Your Mouth] and reach out to people to tell them of the restoration of the truth in our time. Elder Abrea of the First Quorum of the Seventy (Emeritus) and his wife spoke at a fireside in the evening. Some of the young missionaries [a huge group!] sang in the choir. After the fireside we rushed home to read the materials for Wednesday. The Spirit of the Lord is present in a very real way at the MTC. Every one is upbeat and positive. The teachers are great, and so are the senior couples. There are some real stories to tell about thier trials and yet they serve and do not let obstacles get in the way of missionary service. Many are leaving on their second or third [or more] missions.

Wednesday: We prepared and taught the second lession on the Plan of Salvation. D&C 14:7 -- "And, if you keep commandments and endure to the end, ye shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all gifts of God." This was perhaps the hardest day. We were tested, and tried to do our best, but things move so very fast and new situations come at one with little preparation time. We just jumped in and tried to do our best. The Plan of Salvation is so wonderful. We taught this older gentleman,, another volunteer posing as an investigator. He was kind to us and did not give us too many questions, and stayed "in character." We were happy it was a shorter day than Tuesday, ending about 5 PM. Portia said she was grateful for her husband's missionary and teaching experience, as it was a great help to her in seeing how to teach lessons.

We got ourselves meal tickets, and we are driving ourselves to the MTC each morning, having decided to sleep in our own bed at home during our MTC training. We are amazed at how fast they get all of the 3,000 to 4,000 missionaries fed at every meal. They have quite an efficient system. The food is good, just too many carbohydrates for us. So we are only doing lunch there for the rest of the week. BYU ice cream is available on Wednesdays!!! Young missionaries arrive and leave on Wednesdays and it is so organized here that hardly a ripple is felt as these changes take place.

Thursday: In the morning we received training by B/S Burns on strengthening new and less active Church members. They began their mission in Nigeria, then received an unexpected transfer to . . . Minnesota and Wisconsin! Quite the culture shock! They had much success in developing the methods they taught us, and they shared several personal experiences with much enthusiasm. We prepared and taught lessons for less-active or part-member families. In return, we took the role of a part-member family and were taught. Then we switched couples and reversed the roles where we did the teaching and they role-played. This is good to get us out of our comfort zones and it also builds some confidence that it is not too hard or too impossible to do. Fear and anxiety are always something most of use deal with in our lives. Confidence in the Lord and faith are essential to progression. We also received training on working with local Church leadership, and suggestions in working with many types and personalities and cultures. This training carried over into part of Friday, when we were taught by two senior sister missionaries who served the full 18 months in a "bush" town in Australia.

Friday: We prepared and taught Lesson 3, the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His role as Redeemer and Savior. We are so blessed by the Love of our Savior. This is the message all who are on the planet need to hear, that they may understand how He overcame "death and sin" and made it possible for us to gain eternal life through obedience, repentance, baptism by immersion [with the Gift of the Holy Ghost], and faithfulness. We taught this lesson to Brother and Sister Rollins, whom we have known for over thirty years. They wanted to do a lot of talking on a variety of gospel topics, and we had a hard time covering the teaching material we'd prepared. It was fun, but a little frustrating. [Usually the advice is that we should not be assigned volunteers who know us, but it was too late to make a change; we also saw Fred & Harriet Gummow, who waved at us through the classroom door window, & who are volunteers on Tuesdays, and on Friday we also saw Pres/Sister Tueller, former Church members in Portia's Walnut Creek Stake [Concord Ward], and one of Don's UCSF Dental School professors.]

Some other scriptures we found helpful and inspirational are: 1 Ne 10:17 [faith]; D&C 76:116 + 2 Ne 26:24 [love]; D&C 20:77-79 [obedience]; Mosiah 18:3 [desire that salvation should be preached to all]; D&C 64:34 [being willing]; D&C 138 [doctrine of salvation for the dead]; Ether 12:27 [strength thru humility]. One-liners: BE PREPARED TO BE A CHAMPION. // PREPARE TO BE INSPIRED OF GOD. // OPEN YOUR HEARTS TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD. // YOUR WORK IS IN THIS WORK. // WITHOUT COMMITMENT THERE IS NO PROGRESSION. // FAMILIES CAN BE TOGETHER FOREVER. // Nelson Mandela: "YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD." // Maya Angelou: "I CAN BE CHANGED BY WHAT HAPPENS TO ME, BUT I REFUSE TO BE REDUCED BY IT." // WE ARE ON JESUS CHRIST'S ERRAND. //

On Friday about 4:15 p.m. we had a closing meeting and parted. Most of the couples are off to their "fields of labor." There are some, like us, who will spent another four days next week receiving training in an area for individual specialties. Ours is to prepare for mission office service. We will be taught computer basics, Word, Excel, the church [i]MOS system, about managing a fleet of vehicles, managing and finding apartments, and of course the financial part of keeping the mission running. Most of the record keeping is done electronically. We look forward to the challenge. Portia told our group that it was my 64th birthday and invited any who could to come by the house to help us celebrate. We ordered pizza and had four couples + Sister Read come. It was just the right amount of people -- we could visit with each one comfortably. We had a great time. Nice to find people who love the Lord and are willing to sacrifice and serve. They are just good people, willing and kind. We shared with each other how and why we decided to serve missions at this time in our lives. We ran into a young couple only 48 years old, who had a dream that they were going to lose their employment and go on a mission. Two months later he was laid off from a long-time job as an accountant and they are now on their way to Montevideo, Uraguay to serve as the Mission Office Couple in that mission. They should met Keith and Teri Wilson, who are Temple Missionaries there. And they are learning Spanish!! And we worry about our few problems!!! When they come home they will need to find employment and begin again. What dedication! But the Lord is kind and loving . . . enough to give use challenges that we might grow and learn to chose the good and right.

We are putting together a list with photographs for all the couples in our MTC group: each will get a list of couples' names, their home locations, email addresses, and a photo of the couples to help us put names with faces and remember [with all the rest that we want/need to remember this week!]. We plan to email this info to each couple.

We have sold both cars, but not the house at 176 East. I have a cold so we did not attend church today in hopes to get well enough to go to training on Monday. We have our challenges, and realized that the other couples have theirs, too. As we go forward we want to express our gratitude to the Lord and Heavenly Father for sustaining and supporting us in our preparations. We also are excited to discover, as we serve, the reasons for this call and its location -- we know that many blessings await us. Portia is great, awesome and wonderful, trying to do things to help me get better. She's now much more confident in teaching and trying new things. Good for her!!! We feel we are getting successful at team-teaching, and the how-tos of short, medium and long teaching opportunities. We know we will be busy in the office, and that we will also be assigned to a branch or ward outside the Hyde Park Chapel/London city area, which will broaden and expand our experiences there. We are still looking online for a flat that is close enough to the office and to the grocery store for convenience, and yet still within our budget, and not too small, and fully furnished, and with a council tax that is not too high! Thank goodness for all the wonderful people who are sharing their experience with us!

The Gospel is true!! How great is our God!! Our blessings are many! We are so grateful to be able to give back a small portion for all that we have and have been given. We love you, and pray for you, and ask for many "blessings upon your heads."

Elder & Sister Hawley

Short Thoughts

Yesterday we received our "honorable release" certificates from the Mount Timpanogas Temple. Along with these certificates we received a letter from the temple presidency.

Our thoughts of course returned to our Friday 2nd Shift sisters and brothers, wondering how their day was going, and experiencing a few sweet moments remembering our time serving there....

On Thursday McKenna, Emma and I had a "tea party" out on our deck. McKenna was in charge and she set quite a pretty table and poured "pink tea" and passed out cookies to me and to Emma. What a sweet time to spend with our granddaughters!

Today is the 4th of July: next year we won't be celebrating our country's birth date on "home soil." I love to look at our flag-of-freedom, flying free still in the winds that circulate around our globe. How blessed we all have been, to be Americans in this choicest of lands!

Today is also our last days as "civilians," as Don calls us. Tomorrow we will be set apart as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Don found a quote that has us thinking deeply: Our Savior Jesus Christ was overjoyed to make covenant with His Father.

“Why should a man be baptized? Why should he partake of the Sacrament: How can these things help a man to be a true disciple of Christ? Even in these sacramental aspects of religion, Joseph Smith gives man a creative part. There is not an ordinance mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants or the Book of Mormon that is not inseparably linked with a religious life. It is only efficacious as it prepares or inspires us to live righteously. We would like to illustrate this with one ordinance. Nowhere in the Prophet's teachings, is baptism taught as a means of bringing forgiveness of sin for which we are not responsible. Nor is baptism taught merely as a gift from God bringing to us entrance into the Church and remission of sin, in exchange for passive obedience. The Book of Mormon teaches a wholly new emphasis in baptism that makes of it an exciting adventure. Nephi, in discussing the baptism of Jesus, ignored the usual reasons for baptism when he raised this question: 'Now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfill all righteousness in being baptized of water? Know ye not that He was holy? But notwithstanding, He being holy, He showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh, He humbleth Himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that He would be obedient unto Him in keeping His commandments.' [2 Nephi 31]

"We have been taught that Jesus was baptized merely to set us an example, to show us that we must also be obedient. But in this passage in Nephi, we find that Jesus' baptism meant something to Him. He wanted to be baptized, to show to all men and to His Father in Heaven, that He, too, humbled Himself before God and took upon Himself the will of God. And that, indeed, is to fulfill all righteousness.” Joseph Smith-His Creative Role in Religion, Joseph Smith Memorial Sermons, p.48; by Dr. Lowell L. Bennion, Sixth Annual Joseph Smith Memorial Sermon, Logan L.D.S. Institute of Religion, December 5, 1948.

Don: It is my idea and words that it was a “joy” and “with gladness” for Christ to witness through baptism His willingness to be obedient to the Father. He was happy, even thrilled, to make and keep that covenant.

Fascinating Visitor

We had a 3-hour conversation this week with one of the LDS FHC regional heads, whose parents live in Provo, and who is here from England working in Salt Lake for a couple of weeks. She "went the extra mile" by coming to our house and sharing part of her expertize. She works part time at the Family History Centre at the Hyde Park Chapel in London, where our mission offices are also located. She was MOST knowledgeable about the job we will be doing, and very grateful that "adults" are coming to "run" the office/mission. We were given the most comprehensive description of what we will be doing, as well as how to do things like get a bank account, travel by bus & tube, what the "mission mom" does : Cater! [Thank goodness for family gatherings and RS events -- I can help her feed 100 missionaries at district conferences!] We also learned a lot about looking for flats and where to search. If we do find a flat online she is willing to go and check it out for us. There hasn't been an office couple in this mission office for 5 years, and everyone there is thrilled to have us come.

The Way of the Disciple

THE WAY OF THE DISCIPLE

DPH Mission Farewell

Sunday, June 28, 2009—Canyon View 3^rd Ward, CV Stake, Orem, Utah

There is some family history with regards to the violin that our granddaughter Kristina plays. This violin was found by my father at an antique sale many years ago. It is identified by an internal inscription as being made after the design of Straduvarius. Kristina practices the violin regularly. She has learned how to care for this instrument and to maintain its quality. She is learning how to know this instrument and to love it, and how to share her talents with others.

We are like this violin, and so are our testimonies and our faith. We have been made in the image of our Creator. If we maintain our instruments, and learn what is best for them, we can sustain, preserve and even improve the quality. If we prepare, nourish, polish, practice and share our testimonies and our faith, our instruments will serve us and others well throughout our lives. Therein we magnify our gifts, and show our gratitude for our Savior and our Heavenly Father.

Recently author Orson Scott Card wrote about the experience of 14-year-old Hannah, who told this story in a Sacrament Meeting talk:

“A few months ago my family and I went to Wet ‘n Wild water park. We were in the wave pool, and if you have ever been there before, you know that there are two corners with signs that say ‘strong swimmers only!’ When a wave comes, there’s a little vortex, and you can get sucked into a whirlpool. I was caught in it once when I was younger, and got hurt, and I’ve been scared of it ever since.

“But when I saw my older brother Jordan in one of the corners, I wanted to give it another try. He told me that I’d have fun, and gave me a few pointers of the ‘if this happens, do that’ variety.

“As I was preparing myself for the next wave, I told Jordan that I didn’t want him to leave me, and gave him a whole list of things he should do to keep me safe.

“He said that I would be fine and should just relax. So when the wave came I held my breath, ready for whatever was coming. But just at that moment, Jordan pulled away from me and went under the water.

“I thought he was doing it to tease me, and thought, ‘This is NOT funny!’ I was [upset and confused], and after the wave passed and he came up for air, I swam over to him and asked why he had left me when I specifically asked him not to. How could he leave me when I needed him so much?

“Jordan ignored my complaint and asked if I had gone under the water at any time during the wave. That was when I realized that my head had not gone under water once.

“It seems that when Jordan had pulled away from me right before the wave came, he had gone under water and held me up while we spun around in the whirlpool. In all the turbulence, I hadn’t felt his hands holding me up. He gave me a better ride than I expected, a better ride than I had asked for, a better ride than I even imagined possible.

“I thought I knew what I wanted and thought I knew the best way to get it. But instead of doing what I told him to do, he did what he needed to do to give me even better results than I had even thought of.”

In reading you this story I relate it to our experience in applying for our mission call, and to another lesson on the quality of faith, the first principle of the Gospel, and the one upon which I believe defines, connects and directs all others.

When couples desiring missionary service opportunities apply for mission calls, they are given a generous amount of flexibility in choosing areas of service that fit their financial and physical circumstances, their talents, education and practical skills, and even provide an opportunity to include a few preferences from their “wish list” for available missions. Such was our experience.

We felt strongly that we wanted to do more as disciples of our Savior. One definition of a disciple is “a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other wise figure. It can refer to . . . a person who learns from another, especially one who then teaches others.” We were committed. We had prepared ourselves and our lives. We have much to be grateful for. We have faith and we wanted to put that faith into action in a new way.

We knew we were willing to go where we were called to serve. But as we progressed with the process, spoke with the Missionary Department, and listened to stories of couples who had already served, we felt we had defined what we thought was the “perfect” mission call for us! It’s also quite possible that we subconsciously wanted a call where we felt safe and secure in what might be asked of us. We had a lot of fun filling out the online applications, and we were pleased to discover that we could volunteer our ideas for the perfect mission!

We were excited to receive that white packet in the mail containing our mission call letters. When it arrived we agreed to wait to open it when our family could be there with us. In the meantime, I carried that white envelope all around the house with me, room to room, smiling at myself as I did it, and even placed it close by our bed while we slept. I felt SO humbled and so blessed to receive a call from the Lord through His chosen prophet that I wanted to treat even the paper it was written on with the greatest care and respect.

I still feel that way, perhaps even more so: because when we opened the packet and read our calls we did not receive the type of mission call that we expected. Instead, the Lord gave us half of what we asked for, and tailor-made the whole. There is little in the way of a job description. There is no home-bound couple waiting to train us and share their experience. There will not be a car for our use and we think we’ll probably get lost and confused – often! There is not even a place for us to live. The Lord is asking us to take our faith, step a little into the dark, and look for the light which He will provide, light that will illuminate the feast and wealth of blessings He is preparing for us. You and I know the Lord can make all things possible.

And so we have begun to make our preparations….

We thought we knew what we wanted and what would be best for us. Certainly we would have enjoyed and been blessed by any mission call. The Lord knows how we feel, and what we want, and how we need to get there. Just because He doesn’t follow our plan does not mean that He has left us or doesn’t love us. The Lord has been teaching us again in His patient and loving way how to extend our faith and to look up to Him. He sees the whole picture, and knows what will be best for us.

He also knows what is best for others and what is needed to accomplish all that He needs to accomplish. In considering possible reasons for this new type of call I felt that the Lord already knows that we could serve well in our choice of mission. We’ve already served there. We already know that we could do it. We’ve already passed that test. He sees a need elsewhere and is asking us to step up and forward and take on this new challenge, and wait upon Him. We want to do that. We want to see how we can serve in new ways, and what new blessings are in store for us in the future.

When I read my call rather than feel disappointment, what I did feel was gratitude and excitement. How wonderful it is to have the incomparable gift of the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and through Him to receive personal revelation: to hear in one’s heart and mind and spirit the Holy Ghost testify that this is how the Lord wants to bless us, that He has faith and trust in us. We are filled with gratitude. This has increased our desire to be worthy of that faith and trust.

Moroni said that only “after the trial of [our] faith” do we receive certain assurances and blessings (Ether 12:6). As we do what Jesus asks us to do, and as we try to be like him, we learn of Him, and we personally experience His special love for us (see Matt. 11:29). We also come to appreciate Him. We are given opportunities to teach others and set good examples.

President David O. McKay was the prophet and president of the Church when I was growing up, and he served his mission in England. He said, “What ‘ere thou art, Act well thy part.”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said in his April 2009 conference talk, The Way of the Disciple:

“Now is the time to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, become His disciples, and walk in His way…. Jesus gave us His gospel, a pearl beyond price, the grand key of knowledge that, once understood and applied, unlocks a life of happiness, peace and fulfillment…. The gospel is the good news of Christ . . . it is the path of salvation, the way of hope and joy; and the assurance that God has a plan . . . for His children.”

I bear testimony that this is true. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Don' s Farewell Talk Notes

“The gospel is the way of discipleship. . . Discipleship is a journey. We need the refining lessons of the journey to craft our character and purify our hearts. By patiently walking in the path of discipleship, we demonstrate to ourselves the measure of our faith and our willingness to accept God's will rather than ours.”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, May Ensign, 2009

“The word disciple comes from the Latin [meaning] a learner. A disciple of Christ is one who is learning to be like Christ—learning to think, to feel, and to act [like] he does. To be a true disciple, to fulfill that learning task, is the most demanding regimen known to man. No other discipline compares … in either requirements or rewards. It involves the total transformation of a person from the state of the natural man to that of [a] saint, one who loves the Lord and serves with all of his heart, might, mind, and strength” (Chauncey C. Riddle, “Becoming a Disciple,” Ensign, Sept. 1974, 81).

"The man that is most truly great is the one who is most Christlike. What you sincerely in your heart think of Christ will determine what you are, will largely determine what your acts will be. … By choosing him as our ideal, we create within ourselves a desire to be like him, to have fellowship with him" (David O. McKay, in Conference Report, Apr. 1951, 93, 98). If you think about Him long enough, you will begin to act like Him. If you act like Him long enough, you'll truly become like Him. Gene R. Cook, Ensign, May 2002.

Then becoming a disciple of Christ is follow him to end that we be come like him. As Paul says when we “see Christ we will be like Him.”

The first steps, says Pres. Uchtdorf, is the gospel. It is to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, which will motive us to repent and be baptized for the remission of our sins, that we might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. We renew our covenant of baptism right here at this alter by taking of the Sacrament.

D&C 20:77 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

78 The manner of administering the wine—he shall take the cup also, and say:

79 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

To take upon them the name of thy Son.... is to take on his characteristics, just like we have the characteristics of our parents, we are to be like him. By taking on him name we become his children, His heir and will inherit all that the Father has through Jesus Christ.

and always remember him . . . is to remember his life, his perfect life and how he lived, to study the scriptures about Him. It is to remember his offering, His Atonment, is suffering for us to take upon Him our sins and bears our stripes before the law of justice. It is to remember the Holy Resurrection and the promise of Eternal life and Exaltation

and keep his commandments which he has given them. . . is to disciple ours selves to follow him and live his laws and do them. Not just know them. Not just talk about them, but to do All of the commandments. This is to live according to the truth and light which we know.

that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. The gift of the holy ghost is given only to those who are disciples. The Holy Ghost is the comforter to help us in hard times. He will teach us the truth of all things. He will ratify our righteous acts that they are accepted in Heaven. He can change our hearts and sanctify us this process is being born again and to overcome the natural or fallen man.

“The Lord our God has sent us here to get experience in these things so that we may know the good from the evil and be able to close our hearts against the evil. . . everyone has the power to close his heart against doubt, against darkness, against unbelief, against depression, against anger, against hatred, against jealousy, against malice, against envy. God has given this power unto all of us, and we can gain still greater power by calling upon Him for that which we lack. . . God has given us power to resist these things, that our hearts may be kept free from them, President George Q. Cannon

From John's writing we learn that Christ did not obtain a fulness of the glory of the Father at first, but did so by advancing from grace to grace. We are then told that this knowledge has been restored to us that we might know what and how to worship. (See D&C 93:11-19.) That is, we worship by imitating or emulating Christ, who was fully obedient to the will of his Father and who refined his soul, advancing from one grace to a greater grace through service to his fellow beings. Nothing is more exalting to the soul than selfless service. The genius of the Lord's kingdom is that all are called upon to serve-and the more faithful the service, the more godlike the servant becomes.

Elder James E. Faust

The attributes of Christ discussed in Preach My Gospel, Chapter 6 are: Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Hope, Charity and Love, Virtue, Knowledge, Patience, Humility, Diligence, Obedience, and I will add meekness and forgiveness and there are many more..

“The restored gospel enables you to become like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The Savior has shown the way. He has set the perfect example, and He commands us to become as He is (see 3 Nephi 27:27). Learn of Him and seek to incorporate His attributes into your life. Through the power of His Atonement, you can achieve this goal and lead others to achieve it also.” Preach My Gospel, Page 115

We maintain our repentance, as King Benjamin taught, renewing our covenants made at our baptism by partaking of the sacrament. Thus weekly, we are to assess or actions, our thoughts and our words and make corrections and improvements and refocus our lives through the sacrament. The sacrament time is sacred and should be a very holy time in our lives. Do not let it become common. Make it a special event each week in your life as you come forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit to renew your covenant with the Lord. This is the way of the true disciple.

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. Book of Mormon Moroni 10:32-33

Mission Farewell--June 28, 2009

Yesterday we had our mission farewell, or "non-farewell." It was such a lovely, happy, spiritual day. Many tender mercies have been bestowed upon us by a loving Father this weekend. Family and friends made it an extra-special experience for us. Our talks went well, and we stayed within the time limit, which was one of our goals. After we'd finished speaking the bishop gave us a boost of support. Kristina played "Teach Me to Walk in the Light," on the violin, with Kathryn singing, and Evelyn providing piano accompaniment. They magnify their musical talent and they love performing. Kristina played the violin that my dad purchased at an antique sale many years ago. Interestingly enough, while I was preparing my talk, once I found out that Kristina was going to play, my talk came together and she gave me my "lead-in" remarks. Friends and family came by the house where we had a light buffet and where we could visit and catch up with those we haven't seen for a while. We enjoyed having our family with us as we "proceed down the home stretch" -- we will be set apart on Sunday, July 5th, by the Canyon View Stake President, and will be able to have our family with us for that sweet blessing. We will enter the MTC in Provo between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. on Monday, July 6th. The Rowe's, whom we know from the temple, will be the ones to "greet" us at the MTC. "If you think about Him long enough, you'll begin to act like Him. If you act like Him long enough, you'll truly become like Him." Elder Gene R. Cook, Ensign, May 2002. That is our prayer and our goal.

Our son Jeff and his wife Evelyn and children came Saturday afternoon, and the kids helped me to prepare some of the food for the buffet we served. I had fun teaching the girls how to make Quiche. Here's a picture [above] of [l-r] Kathryn, Kristina and Angela with their "finished products." It was wonderful to relax and spend time with each of them. The children were especially helpful and happy. Sweet blessings!

On Sunday afternoon, right before Debbie and John and their children left, their son Jake, who's 8, came to me and gave me a hug. He wished us well on our mission and said he was going to miss us. Sweet blessings for the heart, indeed!

From Don: Portia and I enjoyed a quiet Father's Day on June 21st. I received a few phone calls from some of the kids. And Portia prepared a lovely breakfast and a turkey dinner. And "showered" me with presents throughout the month of June, including a Kindle, which is an electronic reading device. I spent some of Sunday afternoon "tinkering" with the Kindle, learning how to understand how it works. We hope all you fathers also enjoyed a good Father's Day.

Friday and Saturday were our final days on-shift at the Mount Timpanogas Temple. We both served on Friday and then Don substituted for another worker on the 3rd shift Saturday. We have loved our time there and will miss it. We said goodbye to a lot of our friends there. Sisters I have grown to know and love these past seven years were particularly sweet and kind and loving to me, and I'm so grateful to know them and to have served alongside them each week. It is an extraordinary gift unlike any other, to work as an ordinance worker in the temple. We know we have been -- and continue to be -- blessed in limitless ways. While we are in England, my heart will remember my sisters, especially on Fridays, even if we are 7 hours later in the day!

Hi, everyone. Don is adding a note, rare as this is--or may be. We are winding down our preparations to get everything ready to leave. Both houses, cars and stuff. But we are getting more excited about the mission every day. The Lord must laugh at us on a regular basis and extends His patience to us as we work through our fears and all of the things we deem important to do before we leave. Portia made a great dinner for Father's day and added a fantastic new device as a Father's Day gift. She gave me a KINDLE. Amazon.com's new electronic book reader that allows one to down load books electronically. It is quite a new gadget and I had a great time getting it to work and now have the scriptures, Glen Beck, and a book on ending overeating in America. This will be my pass-time activity on the flight to London.

I taught the High Priest's Quorum this past Sunday. The lesson was on The Redemption of the Dead. Such wonderful and just doctrine revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I found that Paradise is a place where the Spirit of the Gospel is present in its fullness. Those there have the gospel and are living it. They are out of the influence of Satan. All other spirits reside in "hell" or spiritual darkness, a place of suffering and torment, but more a place of great learning, repentance and change. As they have the gospel preached to them and upon there repentance and worthiness they are allowed to accept the ordinances of vicarious baptism and are set free of this prison, this hell, and are allowed to reside in paradise. See Thoughts on Redemption of the Dead in the side column for a more comprehensive look at this subject.

We are learning a great deal from Preach My Gospel. I wish this had been used when I was on my first mission some 45 years ago in Germany. We love you all and are firm in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. He it is that loves us and is our hope. In deed we are, like the Primary song, "trying to be like Jesus."