Sometimes we are discontent with life as it currently is, perhaps we don't have the opportunities that we had hoped for. Maybe it is because of things outside of our control, like the Coronavirus. Alma felt the same way when he wished that he could be an angel. The understanding that he recorded is wise counsel for all of us. It defines how we can find true happiness. It has been an answer to a lifetime of struggles for me. This has been a summer that we have had to make the best of what the Lord has allotted unto us. We have felt content!
I have always been competitive, too competitive. This has helped me to grow and achieve, but has often left me wanting more, not fully content with all of the blessings and opportunities that I have received. This is a form of pride, wanting to receive recognition or having a "higher" opportunity to serve or be promoted. I have always enjoyed recognition too much. I have been aware of this challenge and have worked on it throughout my life. However, the desires for recognition have lingered in my mind on too many occasions.
When we started our Come Follow Me Study of Alma 23-29, we held our normal Sunday family home evening with my mother. The topic we chose out of the Come Follow Me manual said,
"Why did the Anti-Nephi-Lehies bury their weapons “deep in the earth”? (Alma 24:16). Maybe family members would enjoy writing on pieces of paper things they would like to overcome or abandon. They could then dig a hole and bury the papers."
We decided to follow this process. We each wrote down some items that we wanted to overcome on a small piece of paper. We then went out and buried those "sins" in our flower bed.
My choice was to fully overcome this desire for status or recognition, so that it would no longer enter into my mind. That night, I chose to pray about this. The following comes from my journal:
"Yesterday (June 28, 2020), as part of our Come Follow Me family home evening we wrote down sins on paper and then we buried them deep into the ground. The sin that I wanted to bury is my lifelong challenge with pride, relating to my desire to be recognized, aspiring to the honors of men.
As I prayed last night about this covenant I was making, I felt that I needed to be more specific and have a fuller understanding of what my challenges were. I would have to say that the thoughts that have so often came into my mind, have diminished in the last few years. I feel like I am making progress. However, I would like to fully overcome this sin in my life"
I then began to identify reasons why I desired more status and recognition and was able to identify "faulty thinking" on my part and found scriptures to help correct my thinking. I worked on this all week, as we studied Come Follow Me. As I came to the end of the week's study, I concentrated on Alma 29 and pondered verse 3. In that study, I found a talk by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, given in April 2000 that was entitled "Content with the Things Allotted unto Us". I found this to be an amazing answer to my prayer and my effort to bury my sins. The following are the summary of my study and the steps that I committed to:
Since my experience of burying my sins last Sunday, our weekly study has given me many new ideas and understanding about this very issue. I do not see this as coincidental at all, but an answer to my sincere prayers since Sunday.
Major learnings to never forget:
- “For I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me” (Alma 29:3) – My allotment is greater than I have time or ability to fulfill, “within our givens are unused opportunities for service all about us.” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell)
- “The Lord knows our circumstances and the intents of our hearts, and surely the talents and gifts He has given us. He is able to gauge perfectly how we have performed within what is allotted to us, including by lifting up some of the many surrounding hands that hang down. Thus, yearning for expanded opportunities while failing to use those at hand is bad form spiritually.” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell)
- “Pride says if you succeed, I am a failure.” (President Ezra Taft Benson)
- The game where everyone wins is where everyone is grateful to God for what they receive. The story he is telling them, of them. Then I can look at other people and I can glory in it. I can say wow, that’s a fascinating story he must be telling them about their life. Isn’t that godhood when we finally embrace who everyone is and we rejoice in it. (Talking Scripture)
- Doctrine and Covenants 46:10 always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church. 12 To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby. 26 And all these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God.
- He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion. (2 Nephi 26:29)
- I must fulfill what I have been foreordained to do, including Family History and temple work for our German Ancestors. The Spirit has confirmed to me that this is one of my foreordained callings for which I have been specifically prepared.
- As long as I have resources, health, time and abilities, I have a major responsibility to bless others around me in every way possible (lifting hands that hang low), as prompted by the Holy Ghost. This is part of my stewardship on this earth. “Unto whom much is given much is required” (D&C 82:3). This does not require any special “calling”, except to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
Actions to Take to Keep my Sins Buried Deep
- Read the Talk by Elder Maxwell and the Major Learnings above, every week
- Keep praying for the Lord to totally change my heart, so that faulty thinking does not come in
- Give Glory to God for all things, especially my “apparent” successes and compliments from others. “I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me . . . that . . . I may be an instrument in the hands of God” (Alma 29:9)
Although I cannot yet claim victory, I have felt significant progress. As I am diligent to take the key actions noted above, this becomes easier. It is a constant effort, but I can testify that if we will bury our sins, our Father in Heaven will do His part to help us overcome those sins. He does answer prayers in very specific and sometimes unexpected ways.
As the Coronavirus has continued to spread, the return to "normal" life has been slow. We don't know how "normal" will look like as we move forward. However, we are learning to make the best of our situation, "to be content in that which the Lord has allotted us."
Summer Grandchildren Activities
One of our major plans for this summer was to have a "cousin hangout" for our teenage grandchildren over four days. We had planned to bring in two of our grandchildren from Pennsylvania so that they could participate with us. Our initial plans had been to spend one day doing baptisms for the dead at multiple temples along the Wasatch front. We also had plans to have them serve a meal at the "Rescue Mission" where we had previously volunteered. We also wanted to go hiking, swimming, bowling and enjoy some Church History and Family History experiences. Although we never finalized all of these plans, we were excited and had felt inspired. We have 15 grandchildren between 12 and 18 years of age. We would invite all and be happy for each to participate where they felt comfortable.
This activity was originally planned for the end of June. Due to the Coronavirus, we postponed it until the first of August. As the time approached, we realized that many of the planned activities would still not be possible. So unfortunately, we deferred out plans until next year. However, we still wanted to do a one day activity. It went better than we had expected. We were still able to go bowling together, with masks, and then we returned to our home to do a virtual tour of the Sacred Grove and the Smith homes in Palmyra. Some dear friends of ours, who had served as Self-Reliance missionaries in Europe, are now serving in Palmyra. Since in person visits are limited, they have offered virtual tours. We took one on our own and were pleased. We added this to our day and were able to include three grandsons in Pennsylvania in this virtual tour. In preparation for this, we watched the movie "Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration" together before the tour to add meaning to the event.
We had 7 grandchildren participate in the bowling and three more from Pennsylvania on the virtual tour. So we were able to include 10 of our grandchildren in an abbreviated but fun activity. To bring them together, we rented a 15 passenger van to travel to the bowling alley, to our home and when taking them home. There was plenty of pizza at the bowling alley and popcorn and ice cream at home. It may not have been what we originally planned, but we were content to enjoy what we could with what was allotted to us.
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| At the bowling alley |
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| Together in the van |
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| Watching the Joseph Smith Movie |
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| Outside the Joseph Smith home in Palmyra with Elder Pettit |
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| Watching the sun shining into the Sacred Grove, with our grandchildren looking on |
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| Elder and Sister Pettit sharing their testimonies in the Sacred Grove |
After this successful outing with our teenagers, we chose to go ahead with our promised Zoo visits with our younger grandchildren. We had already had three grandchildren with us in June, so we scheduled two more visits in August. All together we had 18 more grandchildren participate. Zoo photos follow:
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| The Sea Otters are always a favorite with the grandchildren |
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| Also a favorite for the Week 1 group |
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| 1st visit, eight grandchildren, Emily was not in the photo |
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| 2nd Visit - eight more grandchildren, Tiare came a little later |
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| Group 2 with Tiare, but no Paisley |
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| Rick and Pollyanna enjoying the Grizzly Bear |
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| Even the animals wore masks |
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| 9 granchildren with masks in front of the Lions with masks |
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| Lunchtime with social distancing |
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| Waiting in line for the train |
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| Every Zoo trip needs a ride on the train |
New Grandbabies:
After several weeks of delay, we decided to take a trip to Idaho to see Giovanna's new baby, Sophia. Her mother was still with her from Brazil. She had been here since March and was unable to get a flight back to Brazil due to Coronavirus. They always make us feel so good. We love this 18th child of ours and her new little baby girl. We were also blessed to have a Brazilian feijoada dinner prepared by Margarete.
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| Margarete, holding Sophia, Leo, Gioovanna and Debbie |
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| Grandparents with Sophia |
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| Little Sophia with her beautiful little face and smile |
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| Sophia is very attentive, she was about six weeks old at this time |
On our way home we visited the Pocatello Temple, which is under construction.
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| Pocatello Temple under construction |
Just recently we made a visit to Pollyanna and her family, to see their new puppy. We got more than we expected. Pollyanna gave us a puzzle to put together, announcing a new little baby coming next year. Right now it is scheduled to arrive two days after my birthday. We will root for a slightly early arrival.
Additional Opportunities Restarted
Sometimes we get pleasant surprises, as more activities become available. In late June, we received a phone call from the Hale Centre Theatre, telling us that they were back in business, under specific guidelines. So on July 2, we were finally able to see the play that we had scheduled on our anniversary, March 12. Everyone wore masks and we felt safe. The play, "Bright Star" was fun and entertaining. We then followed that up in August with our scheduled show of Mary Poppins.' Two different stages, but in each we felt safe.
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| Mary Poppins coming down from the ceiling, very socially distant in front of a masked audience |
We also became aware that the South Jordan Recreation Center was now open, so we started enjoying our membership again. Only half of the bikes and treadmills can be used, but in the end it works and we have been able to step up our exercise program. We also find it an excellent opportunity to listen to the various Come Follow Me podcasts each week that have given us so many insights.
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| Debbie on her exercise bike with an empty gymnasium below |
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| From my treadmill. My daily run is for 22 minutes, covering about 2.5 miles before I start the cool down. |
Finally, right after we had changed our grandchildren teenage activity, we got a call from the Rescue Mission, saying that they were now accepting volunteers again. No grandchildren, but also not as many homeless being fed at this location with current restrictions.
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Waiting for the residents of the Rescue Mission to come down, in a socially distant way
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Unfortunately our neighborhood continues to suffer health challenges and death. One of our dear neighbors and Sunday School Teachers, Dawn Hole, passed away in July. Her services were a graveside service, which was quite heavily attended with appropriate precautions. She died of cancer. We were especially touched by her brother's talk, which said that she was an example of what we had learned in Come Follow Me that week, "they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ" (Alma 31:38). Dawn suffered so many afflictions in her life, but she was always cheerful and sharing her joy of Christ.
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| Graveside Service for Dawn Hole |
Family and Personal History
Since we have not yet been able to return to the temple, we continue to focus our time on Family and Personal History. I was pleased to receive a letter from a regional genealogical society in Germany with copies of additional "Familienregisters" that I had requested by email. This was the first batch sent to us to enable us to continue added names to our Family History. What a blessing, that helps partially compensate for our cancelled Family History trip to Europe.
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These Familienregisters represent 16 different surnames in respective parishes. Their accompanying letter says, "This is the first part of the requested copies."
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We have chosen to focus our attention the past several months to our Personal Histories. I have been organizing my journals, letters and newletters from my life and am striving to create a Personal History book for my posterity, focusing on the Spiritually Defining Moments in my life. As I ponder over all that my Heavenly Father has done for me during my life, it strengthens my faith and knowledge that God really does live and has been with me in so many ways in my life. I am calling this book "Learning to Trust in the Lord, my personal history". I have now finished the first draft of this history up to retirement and our senior mission. I am thankful for the time that Heavenly Father has allotted to me, so that I can focus on this fulfilling activity. I pray that it will be of some help to my posterity.
While writing this history, I spent a bit of time covering the time that Debbie and I came together and the time that we raised our blended family. Once Heavenly Father brought us together, my story cannot be told without parts of her story, for we have both been blessed immensely. She has generously shared some very special moments in her life where Heavenly Father has blessed her. Therefore, Debbie also got into the process, organizing her journals and other life history documents for her and her parents. We have been using the new scanner that we bought a year ago. It has really made this process easier.
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| Debbie scanning in her journals |
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| And more journals, including of her parents |
Debbie also finished up the creation of our mission books, made from our mission blog. This is a labor of love that was initiated by our daughter-in-law, Amy, when we returned from our mission. This has ended up being a five volume set. For us, we have loved the time to reminisce on the senior mission that we were able to serve. As we review the hand of the Lord in our mission, our faith is constantly strengthened. We are taught in Helaman to "remember" as a key step to avoiding pride.
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| Building these beautiful photo books of our mission. |
No one is better at recording personal history than my mother. She writes in her journal daily. She has created over 30 large binders of personal history for her, father, my grandmother and her posterity. Each of them includes original photos, programs, newspaper clippings, and other memorabilia. She was now started to scan each of these so that we can make them available for her posterity.
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| The scanner has moved upstairs and is now part of my mother's daily routine. Three binders digitized and many more to go. |
A few other special moments with our children:
A few weeks ago, we were invited to go "jeeping" with River and Adrian. We scheduled it for an evening after things had settled down in their house and then headed up into the mountain ridge between Draper and Alpine. As we drove on an off road, we came upon a very unique situation. We found another jeep tipped over with three young adults wondering how to resolve their situation. River has had a winch installed on his jeep for some time, but never used it. Immediately he jumped into action and rescued these young adults. We sat and watched as he was able to turn the jeep back on its tires. The jeep still needed to be driven back onto the dirt road. The words of the young adult girl summarizes the remarkable experience. River asked her if she would like him to drive the jeep back up onto the road. She said "I don't know you, but I trust you". She offered some kind of compensation, but River responded "No, that's our job, to go around and rescue people". This was a fun and very rewarding evening as we watched River provide this amazing service. Coincidentally, this was the same day that we had gone to the Rescue Mission to serve lunch. Two rescue missions in the same day!
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| Approaching the turned over jeep |
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| River attaching the winch to the jeep |
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| With the Jeep turned upright and a thankful young adult |
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| Debbie, with Adrian and River after the rescue mission |
I have had the privilege to spend more time with Ben over the past few months. This came from helping him with dental and doctor appointments, etc. One day, he was having a rough day and I found that he had failed a housing inspection at his apartment and needed to resolve it. I offered to help him take some of his excess belongings to his storage shed. We spent an hour or two together. As we finished, he gave me a big thank you. This is not normally part of Ben's nature. As I dropped him back home, he said he wanted to do something for me. We arranged for him to take me out to dinner the next week, but appointments got changed and that didn't work out.
The next time that I picked Ben up for an appointment, he handed me this Tucan bird, who repeats what you say to it. Ben knows that the Tucan is my favorite bird. This really meant a lot to me, because I know that it came directly from his heart, a heart that is really good. Ben has his challenges in life, caused by his birth circumstances, but I learn more from him every day. Whenever I look at this Tucan, my heart is happy to have Ben for my son.
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| My Talking Tucano from Ben |
Holidays
July is a big holiday month, with the 4th and 24th of July, so we tried to celebrate the best that we could. First let me say, that we live in a very patriotic neighborhood. When holidays come, the American Flag is displayed in many of the homes and yards. The following is. a collage that I put together for our monthly community newsletter for which Debbie is the editor.
We decided that this would be a good time to visit Gina and her family, who coincidentally live next to the BYU football stadium. Even though they weren't doing the Stadium of Fire show in the stadium, they would still be doing a fireworks show. The positive of this, is there would not be so much of a traffic jam as we have had in the past. It was also our last opportunity to have this prime viewing spot, since Gina and Danny were moving to a new location in August. The photos below are primarily of the pre-show, when it was still light enough to get the family in the photos.
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| Debbie and Grandma watching from Gina's yard |
On July 24th we decided to have a barbecue at our condo. We scheduled it out over 4 hours, so we wouldn't have everyone at the same time. For a few moments the numbers got larger as the two groups of people transitioned. We felt that we were able to have our first "family" activity in many months with sufficient safety.
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| First group inside |
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| 1st group outside |
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| Some crowding in a brief overlap between the too groups |
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| Some outdoor transitioning |
Birthdays
We continue to make birthday visits in person and feel comfortable with that. The following are some of the birthdays in Utah. These were special as our 5 youngest birthdays were celebrated.
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| Owen turning 1 with his birthday books |
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| Owen enjoying his 1st birthday cupcake |
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| Owen after his cake |
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| Emily with her 1st birthday present |
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| Emily with her first birthday cake |
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| Emily after her first birthday cake |
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| Grant turning 2 with his birthday book |
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| Grant with his other birthday book and his siblings looking on |
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| Tommy at his 2nd birthday party |
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| Couldn't get him away from the water balloons |
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| His mom had to open his presents for him |
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| Aria with her birthday books, belated gifts due to Covid., but she did not get forgotten, turning 3 |
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| Jasper, turning 7 |
We are content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto us. We know that He knows what is best for each of us, even if it requires some adjustment on our part. One of the major blessings that we have received has been the extra time available to study the Book of Mormon with our Come Follow Me curriculum and all the many other resources that are available. Our understanding has been deepened so much and we have had time to ponder over and over again.
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| This view of Debbie listening, studying and writing all at the same time, has been very common during this time. |
This last week, we were reminded of the importance of pondering the scriptures. That is what Nephi was doing in Helaman 10 when he received the incredible promise from the Lord that anything he would seal or say on the earth would be honored by his Heavenly Father. As we pondered this scripture, I experienced a very special moment as noted in the journal note below:
"This morning, I decided to set my phone screen saver to Helaman 10:3-7, which was the size that appears on my phone The focus is on verses 4-6. I like this way to read these verses over and over during the day.
With these verses in my mind, I had my morning prayer. During my prayer, my thoughts were to the incredible trust that Nephi had gained from the Lord to be given this great promise. The thought came to my mind how great it would be to be trusted like Nephi was trusted. Immediately, the thought came to my mind, “I do trust you, that is why I give you promptings”. What a wonderful experience and such a strong message that came to my heart, facilitated by my efforts to ponder! The gospel is wonderful and I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and does trust me."
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| My New Phone screen saver. I will try to change it each week to a different scripture verse to ponder |
