When I read Rachel Makaiwi-Tuiasosopo’s post during a quick break from work, all the feels and reasons and purposes of her post settled in my heart. She beautifully captured in a few words the struggle and victory over self to accomplish a larger goal. She brought hope to my different, yet similarly charged, struggle. And I’m grateful she agreed to let me share her post this way. Finding Gratitude From Rachel Makaiwi-Tuiasosopo I am not a morning person. When I was a... Read more
Donovan Bushman shared the following reminder of a commandment for parents and interesting insight from a 1979 talk by Elder A Theodore Tuttle that seems especially apropros during this time of home church and a worldwide pandemic. A Commandment for Parents The Lord has prepared us with families from the beginning to help us withstand tough and troubled times in this life. It really is a perfect plan to provide earthly parents that will nurture children with love and teaching. In fact,... Read more
Lucius Scovil and his family traveled with a large group of Saints from Kirtland to Adam-ondi-Ahman. They arrived on 6 October 1838. Despite the many sufferings they experienced, Lucius wrote, “I feel very grateful for the privilege I had in traveling with so large a body of Saints as we had a good opportunity to observe and learn human nature.” Lucius learned a little more about human nature during a hair-raising experience fleeing from a mob soon after his arrival... Read more
Mosiah 7 recounts the story of Ammon meeting King Limhi. King Limhi’s grandfather Zeniff left Zarahemla with a group of people seeking to possess the land of their forefathers. Under King Mosiah’s direction, Ammon and his crew left Zarahelma seeking news about Zeniff’s people. Ammon and his men traveled for 40 days and came to a community they believed to be Zeniff’s people. Most of the men stayed hidden, but Ammon and three others approached the walled city. King Limhi’s guards... Read more
How do you #HearHim? President Russell M. Nelson asked us to consider how we hear the Lord. The Lord teaches through manifestations, visions, dreams, through words of prophets in scripture or directly given confirmed by the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost speaks peace, knowledge, and truth to our mind and heart in ways that we can understand, especially as we learn to pay attention to the promptings. My friend Charles Luerssen recently sent me an experience of hearing the Lord... Read more
We live in a time when a living prophet speaks and makes promises. President Russell M. Nelson recently promised that, by taking appropriate courses of action, our families could be strengthened physically and spiritually, we could withstand physical and spiritual latter-day storms, and our relationship with the Lord would and must increase. So in the midst of the day-to-day struggle and journey, we have to decide if we’ll hearken to the prophet’s admonition because we believe the promises will be... Read more
36 days ago was the last day I entered the temple. That’s the longest span of time I’ve gone without attending the temple since I returned home from my mission in 1993. I feel the impact of not being able to “plug in” to the temple, but also feel gratitude for having had temples so available during my adult life. I received my endowment 5 May 1992 in the Dallas Texas Temple in preparation for my mission beginning July 1. ... Read more
What miracles have you seen throughout your life? And what have Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ done for you? How have you seen the hand of God in your life? I was really interested in the children’s responses. Many of the 58 respondents said they hadn’t seen a miracle in their life, but almost all of them had seen the hand of God in their life. The ways they’d seen the hand of God are also miracles to me. Just... Read more
How do you know Jesus suffered, died, and rose again? Why did He have to die? These questions cause me great reflection, especially at Easter time. Testimonies grow line upon line. I wanted to see how the children were building their testimonies. Both questions are really reflecting questions. Again, some of the 58 respondents said they didn’t know how to answer these questions. I hope you enjoy the wisdom and smiles of the answers that were shared. Why Did Jesus... Read more
Have you verbalized what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane? The Savior Jesus Christ’s atonement is the pinnacle event in our eternal journey, yet it’s often the most difficult to describe. I wanted to know how children would describe the scenes of Gethsemane. Some of the children didn’t know how to respond. But most of the children definitely have an idea of the price the Savior paid for them in that garden. A question about repentance follows. For me, repentance... Read more
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