Revelatory Changes, Ministering and Service

I know that President Russell M. Nelson is a Prophet of God!!  It has been revealed and confirmed to me.  The General Conference that just completed was an amazing experience for us personally.  Each session was inspiring and that inspiration continued to come quicker throughout the conference.   This was an appropriate culmination to the past few weeks which have been filled with spiritual experiences.

As we approached Easter and General Conference our focus was on preparing ourselves for these special days.  We were also preparing for a family activity on Easter and participating in the Jordan River Temple Open House.  We love being retired and being able to use our time in those things that matter most.  It brings us much joy!

We love participating in self-reliance classes with the young missionaries at Welfare Square.  Each week we are inspired by their service and their efforts.  We have enjoyed seeing them in other settings.  For example, I saw Elder Ben Milligan assigning lockers in the dressing room of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.  Sister Rueckert thinks she saw Elder Swainston in the choir in the Saturday afternoon session.  Sister Rueckert's showed her love for these missionaries by baking these Easter cookies. 

Easter cookies for the young missionaries at Welfare Square

We have now completed 8 lessons with them and will complete lesson 10 before we leave for Europe.  We will finish up the My Foundation lessons when we return and then begin other self-reliance materials.  We have also completed 10 lessons in our family Self-Reliance  Finance course.  We expect to finish these lessons before leaving for Europe.  We have also made arrangements to begin Self-Reliance lessons in our ward when we return.  We love participating in these divinely inspired materials that bless lives both temporally and spiritually.

We continue to find more ways to involve others in the wonderful work of Family History and Temple Work.  We have had over 200 baptisms performed for our ancestors in the past few weeks by the youth in my brother's ward and by grandchildren of one of our neighbors.  We are sending another 100 names to another brother in California for his ward to perform next week.  In many of these cases those individuals involved will also help do the additional ordinances.

Last week I was able to pass some of the family history work to a 14 year old grand nephew who is excited about the work that we are doing.  He will begin entering data into Family Search and encourage his family to help with the temple ordinances.  We are loving seeing so many family and friends assisting in this great work that we have been blessed to be a part of.

We started our work as volunteer ushers for the Jordan River Temple open house last week.  We met initially at our ward meetinghouse for a general orientation with other volunteers.  We then took a bus to our assigned locations.  On Wednesday we were assigned to work at the meetinghouse next to the temple where visitors come initially.  There we helped them to get seated in different rooms where they watched an introductory movie before they began the temple tour.  It was rewarding to see so many come to the open house.  I (Tom) had the opportunity to escort those that spoke different languages to a multi-lingual room.  I was able to use my Portuguese with many of the Spanish speaking visitors.  Some even thought I was speaking Spanish.

Part of the presentation given to all volunteers

Sister Rueckert outside her room

Directing visitors to her room

 We went back on Friday and were assigned to work in the basement of the temple, which included the baptistry.  This day was specially busy as it was Good Friday and many schools were on spring break.  They estimated that we would have about 1,000 visitors per hour coming through the temple.  We experienced a steady flow of visitors, many families with their children and grandchildren. It was gratifying to see so many teaching their children and many other visitors who were seeing the temple for the first time.  We moved around from station to station, including helping people come up and down the elevators.  After 4 hours of service, we were physically tired but spiritually uplifted.

Our assignment on the back of the badge

Usher badges that we word

Together with our usher badges

On the bus from the initial meetinghouse to the temple with other volunteers

Outside the temple after our volunteer assignment

After our ushering assignment on Wednesday, I was able to go back through the open house with some of our children who had not yet had the opportunity.  It was rewarding to take Ben, Camila and Kari through the tour.  I had mentioned to Ben that he should dress up for this occasion.  He went out and bought a new shirt, pants and shoes for the open house.  Ben had remembered that he was sealed to us in this temple many years ago.  He also reported special feelings while in the Celestial Room.  I know that the spirit of this temple will be felt by all who have softened hearts.  I am excited to see the softening of Ben's heart as he has grown older.  He is certainly making progress.  Kari was also a wonderful help with Camila.  We took her through the tour in a wheel chair to make it easier for her.  She was carrying an Easter bunny that Beckie and her kids had given her earlier that day.  She loved it so much, that she would not leave it in the car.

In front of the Christus with Ben, Camila and Kari

Our souvenir photo from the open house.

That same night, Kari took me for a belated birthday dinner.  It was great to have one on one time with this special daughter who has grown so much in the past few years.

We were also blessed for Debbie to be accepted as an organist in the Jordan River Temple.  This has been a lifelong dream of hers.  After practicing on the organ for a week, she passed the audition and now is getting ready to serve once the temple is dedicated.  Between our shifts as ordinance workers, Debbie playing the organ and our normal temple visits, the temple will be a big part of our life.  No complaints from us.

Debbie auditioning with the person responsible for all volunteer organists in the temple

Sunday night after conference, we had our annual Easter Dinner with all of our children and grandchildren.   We prepare for days ahead of time for these activities. Debbie always puts her special touch into the activity.  This time she made paper carrots full of Easter candy for all of the grandchildren.  The photos below show some of the grandchildren with their carrot of candy.

Box of carrots made with love 

Ellie and Olivia

River's children

Aria and Paisley

Addie and Hudson

Camila with her sons, Caide and Isake and Pollyanna's kids, Aria and Paisley

Since Russell M. Nelson became our new President of the Church, we have been listening and studying all of his conference talks from the time he was called as an apostle in 1984.  We finished this marvelous journey on the Thursday before conference.  What a joy it has been to ponder his direction to us over the past 34 years.  We have learned to know him and love him even more.  We have both felt that our testimony of his role as a prophet has been strengthened through this process.  Two blogs ago, I shared some of my favorite quotes from the first 17 years.  I would now like to add some additional quotes that have been so meaningful in the past 17 years.

Inspirational quotes from some of the talks of President Russell M. Nelson:

• To set our house in an order pleasing to the Lord, we need to do it His way
• The only duration of family life that satisfies the loftiest longings of the human soul is forever
• Think of it: When a mother bears and cares for a child, she not only helps the earth answer the end of its creation, but she glorifies God!
• Peace can prevail only when that natural inclination to fight is superseded by self-determination to live on a loftier level
• One can think a prayer, especially when words would interfere
• And when your wife is sealed to you, her power and potential will increase yours
• If a family problem has not yielded to prayer and fasting, a mission might be considered
• This [celestial] rest is of such perfection and glory, that man has need of a preparation before he can according to the laws of that kingdom, enter it and enjoy its blessings.
• When sore trials come upon us, it's time to deepen our faith in God, to work hard, and to serve others.  Then He will heal our broken hearts.
• If couples contemplate often - - with each other in the temple -- sacred covenants will be better remembered and kept.
• Spiritual security will always depend upon how one lives, not whee one lives.
• Thus, when Jesus said "repent," He asked us to change -- to change our mind, knowledge, and spirit - - even our breath.
• Our ministry is to bless the lives of all who will learn and follow the "more excellent way" of the Lord.
• Do not try to control your children.  Instead, listen to them, help them to learn the gospel, inspire them, and lead them toward eternal life.
• Celestial marriage brings greater possibilities for happiness than does any other relationship.
• As we partake of the sacramental emblems worthily, we are further promised that we may always have His Spirit to be with us.  That is spiritual sustenance that cannot be obtained in any other way.
• "Real intent" means that one really intends to follow the divine direction given.
• We live to die, and we die to live again.
• Our degree of gratitude is a measure of our love for Him.
• The attributes by which we will be judged one day are all spiritual.
• The desire to serve is a natural outcome of one's conversion, worthiness, and preparation.
• A strong human spirit with control over appetites of the flesh is master over emotions and passions and not a slave to them.  That kind of freedom is as vital to the spirit as oxygen is to the body! Freedom from self-slavery is true liberation!
• Keeping divine commandments brings blessings, every time! Breaking divine commandments brings a loss of blessings, every time!
• Senior leaders are constantly being tutored such that one day they are ready to sit in the highest councils.  They learn how to hear the voice of the Lord through the whisperings of the Spirit.
• When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, "What sign do I want to give to God?"
• No other work transcends that of righteous intentional parenting!
• Faith in God engenders a love for the Sabbath; faith in the Sabbath engenders a love for God.
• We know that the culminating act of all creation was the creation of woman!
• Sisters, do you realize the breadth and scope of your influence when you speak those things that come to your heart and mind as directed by the Spirit?
• The Lord loves to do His own teaching in His holy house.
• Priesthood power can also calm the  minds and heal fractures in the hearts of those we love.
• joy is a gift for the faithful.  It is the gift that comes from intentionally trying to live a righteous life, as taught by Jesus Christ.
• His Son, Jesus Christ gave his life for us.  All so that we could have access to godly power - -  power sufficient to deal witth the burdens, obstacles, and temptations of our day.

With all of this study, Debbie and I felt that we were prepared and anxious to hear the word of God from our new President Prophet in this conference.  Our hearts were right and our testimonies strong of his calling.  However, as general conference began, we had many more witnesses.  Each session was full of powerful thoughts and messages.  We started with the solemn assembly and felt the power of sustaining our new President and all of the apostles, including the two new apostles.  

Each of these were friends of our family in different ways.  Elder Ulisses Soares had been my boss for many years in Brazil and a close friend of the family.  Elder Gong had been the stake president who had called our son Sam as an Elders Quorum President and met with him on a monthly basis.  I had also had the privilege to be with Elder Gong in his apartment in Hong Kong.  Our joy was full as the conference just began.

Elders Soares and Gong

In the talks of Saturday morning, Elder Anderson had said "Don't be surprised if your personal views are not initially in line with the Prophets words.  These are moments of learning." (paraphrased from my notes).  That certainly prepared us for the remainder of conference.

Inspirational talks continued throughout the day and in the priesthood session, the revealed changes to the Melchizedek Priesthood quorums were shared.  We heard the words of the entire First Presidency, totally in harmony with the renewed focus of ministering through a combined priesthood quorum.

On Sunday morning, we heard from several leaders from around the world, including our dear friend Elder De Feo, who gave us our exit interview from our mission.  We love him and we certainly loved his message of love.  He practices what he preaches.  And then we heard from the complete First Presidency, once again in a coordinated effort to teach us of the power of the Holy Ghost, small and simple things and the principles of revelation.  As I listened to President Nelson teach us about revelation from his own experiences and by precept for us to apply in our lives, I was overcome by the Holy Ghost.  I knew that a prophet of God was speaking to us as a prophet of God.   I knew that he was the voice of the Lord to all people on earth.  As the session completed.  I just sat overcome with gratitude for a living prophet.  

We all need to receive our very specific witness of our prophet.   Debbie had received her witness during the solemn assembly, as she had the opportunity to raise her hand and sustain President Nelson as the President of our Church.  She had just finished reading the biography of President Nelson that we bought earlier in March.  I thought that I had received mine, but it came so powerfully during his talk, that I cannot deny it.  In President Nelson's words "Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true."  As he taught about revelation, I received revelation.

When we thought that are hearts were full and overflowing, we learned in the afternoon about the change from home teaching and visiting teaching to ministering.  Elder Holland's words expressed it well. "The most memorable moments of life are when we feel the rush of revelation.  I don't know how many more rushes we can handle this weekend."  And then at the end of the conference President Nelson announced 7 new temples, including one in India and in Russia.  One more rush of revelation.

Now what remains is to put into practice what we learned, especially the specific promptings that came to us during the conference.