The Gospel in Brazil & Moments that Matter Most!

Well, having one son currently serving in Brazil and one who returned from service in Brazil and the whole World Cup thingy lately (where our missionary tells us: whenever Brazil plays, we have to stay indoors all day because of possible riots and/or celebrating), there has been a little focus on how the church is growing in Brazil.  I just thought I'd let you know what they are saying!!

Here is a great video about it:

A story in this month's Ensign, The Church in Brazil:  The Future has Finally Arrived.  (Remember to just change the 'eng' at the end of the link to put the article in your language.

And there is an article in the Church News:  Brazil is Part of the Heart of the Church

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I just loved this little video too!  A great pick-me-up and reminder of what is important.  We do need to slow down and take time and spend it with those who matter the most.  This is especially significant to me as my two dear friends are battling for the lives of their spouses, and one just lost hers in April!  Enjoy the video!

FFF #26-- Pioneering families are forever!

Remember when I told you that I would share the story with you of why we needed to come home early for a baptism??  Well, here is her story:

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Last year, I (Carin) noticed a young family periodically attending our ward----mother, father and 2 young sons, I would later learn were 7 and 2 and 1/2.  The father almost always came.  The mother and the boys sometimes.  I thought I recognized her, but could not place her.

Fast forward to December-ish.  I recognized her as a checker at our local grocery store.  I also learned that her husband worked for the 2nd counselor in our stake presidency with 2 of his returned missionary sons (in a different ward).

I began looking for her at the grocery store and going through her line.  At one point, I introduced myself and said, "I think I have seen you at my church."  She asked which one, because sometimes they went with her husband's coworkers to the other ward.  I told her.  Then she said, "Ya', I really like it.  I have been doing what they (the missionaries) asked and reading the book (Book of Mormon) and it really helps.  I have a better day when I read."  I encouraged her to continue. Every week, I would look for her, go through her line, and we would have some small chat like that.

Her church attendance was really sporadic, but I knew she worked some Sundays and some Sundays may be at the other ward.  I kept encouraging her and we talked about her requesting Sundays off so she could come to church.  Around the end of March, I learned that the missionaries had dropped teaching the family.  What?!  That didn't make any sense to me.

The next time I saw her (in the grocery store check out line), she told me that she had been having a difficult time because her father had been ill (had a stroke), but she had been fasting and praying for him because they (the missionaries) said it would help.  Now I knew the missionaries dropping them didn't fit!  Why did they drop her?

I decided to figure it out.  We had the Sisters over for dinner and I asked about this family.  They said that she just wasn't really interested.  He wanted to be baptized, but he wanted to wait for her and she just wasn't interested or really ready, so they dropped them.  What?!  A non-interested person who reads, prays, attends church, and fasts????!!  I don't think so.

I decided I needed more information.  I invited my friend and her family over for dinner.  It took us a few weeks to get things coordinated but they finally made it over Thursday night before Easter.  We just visited and got to know each other.  One point of our discussion revolved around his motorcycle that she did not want him to have.  She wouldn't ride it with him.  She didn't like it.  I asked my friend what it was about the missionaries' message that bothered her, or that she questioned, or didn't understand or didn't like.  She said they would ask her 'What has Jesus Christ done for you?' but she didn't know who Jesus Christ was.  It became obvious that she did not have a Christian background.  I asked both of them about their religious upbringing.  He was Catholic.  OK.  I didn't recognize her religion.  (I thought I knew most of them because I had a Religions of the World class but I couldn't categorize hers.)  I asked her to explain it to me.  At the conclusion of our discussion, Drew took 5 minutes (literally five minutes, which if you know my spouse is a miracle!) to explain who God is, who His son Jesus Christ is, the Holy Ghost, and a very, very basic outline of the Plan of Salvation.  We wrapped it up and they went on their way.

Sunday morning, an hour and a half before church, we got a phone call from one of the returned missionaries her husband worked with.  The husband had gone out late that night to blow off some steam and ride his motorcycle.  He had lost control of the bike, had an accident, and been killed.  The police had been over that morning to let them know.  They had dinner with us on Thursday!  On Sunday morning he was gone.

Drew and I got dressed and went over, after Drew called and cancelled his meetings and let people know that he wasn't sure he would be there for Sacrament meeting.  I was suppose to lead the music in Sacrament meeting.  Oh well.  They would figure it out. 

My friend's family (brothers and sisters) were over helping with the children.  My friend came down the stairs and I just held her as she sobbed.

After some time, we sat down and just talked.  Then she said, "We always wanted to go to the temple and be a forever family.  I guess we'll never get to do that now."  My heart almost broke.  Drew and I quickly corrected that perception and helped her to know that some day she could still go to the temple, have her husband's work done and if she was a member in good standing and she was worthy, and it had been at least a year since she had been baptized, she could then have her family sealed together for time and all eternity.  That was Easter morning.

The next few weeks were a blur as we had the funeral, helped her put some things in order, jumped through lots of legal hoops, and calmed her nerves, fears, anger and frustration at her husband and her situation.  Through it all she continued to attend church, but usually left after sacrament meeting because managing the boys was very difficult.

We started having her, the boys, and the sisters over for dinner about once a week as she again listened to the missionaries with a new heart.  Her prayers were more earnest and sincere.  Her desire to know was tangible and she was truly seeking.  She had some ups and downs, but eventually, she said, "I want this.  I know the feeling now---it is true and I want to be baptized."

She chose to be baptized on her husband's birthday----and that is why we had to be home for her baptism!  We couldn't very well ask her to change the date.

So on June 24th, 2014, my dear friend became the pioneer in her family.  She is the pivot point that brings all of her family who is willing to follow her into the fold of God--to experience all of the ordinances and covenants of the Priesthood available to them, if they are willing to change their hearts, as she changed hers.  That is one baptism we just couldn't miss!

Life is still difficult and she is still making adjustments, but she is headed in the right direction and has the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost to help her out.  (And an entire stake has rallied around her!)

PS  Now she is attending all 3 hours of church :-)

A little update.

Old beach photos...no sun!

So life is moving on here at our house!!  I had wanted to blog about our trip to the beach last Monday, but I can't seem to get my photos to send.  Check that.  I've sent them twice and they never show up in my email, so I'm not sure what I am doing wrong.  I've done it before and it has worked, so whatever!  Anyway, the day was gorgeous!  There is a little river at the beach and the kids just played and played and played in the water and the sand.  The sun was gorgeous, no clouds (very rare in July, here) and there was a slight breeze.  And I had some decent photos!  Oh well!

So I guess we will have to wait.  I need (want, really want) a new digital camera.  My other one died.  Slim's died.  Spanky and Sport are gone with theirs.  I will just have to wait. 

this is me now.

We spent the money on glasses---for me!  Scary!  I have never needed glasses.  My vision has changed in the last few months.  Sometimes when I am driving things are blurry.  Sometimes when I am reading the words are blurry.  Sometimes, most of the time, everything is just fine.  I hadn't been able to explain any rhyme or reason to when I could see and when I couldn't.  So I went to the optometrist, who said, "Yep, you're getting older.  Most people's eyes, around their 40th birthday, will change.  This is just a little prescription, but it will help you.   You need bifocals."  He said it so matter of factly.  I was beginning to feel my age.  But then he recommended getting progressive lenses.  And he said that I should wear them every day because as I aged I would need them more regularly anyway so to make that adjustment now would be easier than if I waited.  Ugh!  Really?!  So then I went and chose frames.  When I put them on, I thought, "There she is, Grandma."  None of my grandchildren will know me without glasses.  They haven't arrived yet, so I haven't had to deal with that reality (probably next week---that the glasses will arrive, not the grandchildren, sheesh!).  I would show you a picture, but--yep, no digital camera.  You'll just have to use your imagination---you know, that old fashioned thing!!?

It kind of looks like this

Last week we also laid wood flooring in the Spike's room, because of his dust allergy.  I've had the flooring since we moved into the house.  But I didn't know where to put it.  When Spike's allergy tests came back, I knew where it belonged.  We had almost enough for both of the back bedrooms.  We were one box short.  But!!  Awesome news!!  I found it at Home Depot.  But I had to have it ordered to the house because we don't have one in town, or very close.  But it was only $9.00 shipping, which is cheaper than the gas and time.  So that is on the way too and then we can lay that in the other bedroom.  It was quite a feat because we had to move all the furniture in one bedroom, and rearrange everything so we could move all the bedroom furniture from one room into the other.  We did that one day.  The next day, my super awesome contractor, Trina of Foot Print Construction, put the floor in.  That night we moved it all back.  When the flooring arrives, we'll do it all again for the other bedroom.  (And get rid of that nasty 70's, orange shag carpet!  That has to go!)

I am still not caught up on the laundry.  That is what we have been doing here.  So if you wonder why I am not blogging more, it is because I can't take cool photos and blog about them, and because we are doing some home remodeling before school starts in August.

check out my shadow in the corner

This week, Sun is at Girls' Camp and next week, Speedy had Scout Camp.  I am just a little jealous because he is going to the camp I attended for Girls' Camp all of my camp years!!  I wish he could pack me into his stuff and take me along.  But it wouldn't be the same because it would be full of scouts instead of girls.  Oh well.  I guess I will just have to be a grown-up, with bifocals!  Grandma, right around the corner.

FFF#25--Fighting for the life of their spouse.

I have two dear friends who currently are fighting for the lives of their spouses.  It breaks my heart to hear of their struggles.  They are amazing and strong women, yet this trial is piercing them to the very core.  One has raised her children.  They are grown adults, happy, functioning, managing their own families and lives.  The other has just begun to send hers from the nest.  She still has five who live at home.

mypages.valdosta.edu

 I am not going to pretend to know how they feel or to understand that I know what they are going through.  Both women are home full-time to manage the health of their husbands and to manage their households.  The strain that must put on the finances and the toll that must weigh on their emotions, let alone the emotional strain of watching your spouse journey along the road from whence there will be no mortal return, and knowing you will be left to manage the pieces without them, I just cannot fathom the depth of emotional sorrow and turmoil that trial would bring.

I have noticed when we all have trials, there tends to be one of two paths we take.  The trial either brings us to our knees and closer to our God, or in our anger, indifference, and lack of understanding, we turn our hearts away from Him.  Those circumstances which try our souls have one of those two results.  Which one would you choose?

Let's discuss a little bit of doctrinal principle.  We know that we have been sent here to earth, to test and to try our faith and our character, to see if when the rubber meets the road, we will truly be willing to choose the right.  Now I realize some of you may not think there is a right and a wrong, but for this discussion, let's assume that there is.  We have a Father in Heaven, who loves us, who knows what kind of a character we need to develop, who understands us perfectly and knows where our character flaws lie.  He is perfectly loving, perfectly kind, perfectly just, and always works within the eternal laws of morality (for lack of a better word, with my limited mortal understanding).  He is involved in the details of our lives, but will not infringe on our agency (our ability to choose right or wrong).  He will lead, guide, and love if we let Him.  If we will not, He respects our right to choose that and He will not force us to choose otherwise.

fanpup.com

With His perfect love and perfect knowledge of us and our character, and His innate desire for our growth and development along certain character lines, He plans or allows to happen, certain circumstances in our lives that will give us the opportunities to choose how we will respond to those circumstances, thus revealing the character of our hearts.  Now, is He responsible for the bad things that happen in the world?  No.  He cannot be responsible for wickedness.  He can however, allow the wickedness of others to come to pass where some people or many people are harmed.  That reveals the character of the perpetrator's heart, where, when he/she has acted, that person can then be held accountable and judged and punished for their behavior (but that may not happen until after this life is over).  The victims of that wickedness, then have the opportunity to allow the suffering of their trial to bring them to God or to take them away from God.  The response to their trial is their own choice and has its attendant blessings or consequences.

But, sometimes, as in the case of my friends, very trying things happen due to no fault of their own or anyone else.  Their husband's are both fighting forms of cancer.  It is nothing they or their families have done to deserve what is happening to them.  They are doing the very best they can, with the resources they have, to manage the trial they are facing and to help their families manage the trial in their lives, because each of us will respond based on the condition of our hearts, and we are different people, at different places of development, spiritually speaking.  But each person who the trial touches, has the opportunity to choose to respond with faith or to allow the trial to damage their faith.

fin6.org

Now, it is important to note, that sometimes we are hurt by another person's choices who is not intending harm to us or to others around us.  Maybe they are making choices that they think are right or best based on their knowledge and understanding at the time.  We may have greater knowledge and think their choice is wrong or misguided.  We may also have less knowledge than we believe we do, because maybe they aren't telling us all of the facts, and so we are at odds with their choices even though our position may not be correct.  At these places and times, we can also choose to allow the differences to increase our faith and our relationship, or to damage it.  At these places, it is best if we respond with patience and love.  Sometimes time will tell where the truth lies.  If we understand agency and allow the other people involved in the process to exercise their agency, and we give them our counsel in love and understanding and respect their choices, even if we disagree, we can communicate to them our love and support, and still disagree with their decision.  Then, for our own peace of mind, we can pray in faith that we and they will be lead to greater understanding of the situation and people.

Back to trials that are happening due to no fault of our own, why do you think our Father in Heaven would allow such things and difficulties to happen to us?  Is it because He wants us to suffer?  Is it because He doesn't care?  Is it because we aren't significant or important or because if He loved us He would take this suffering from me or you?  No.  None of those things are true.  He perfectly understands that some learning and stretching of our characters can only come in certain and specifically tailored ways.  It is BECAUSE of His love for us that those trial are allowed to happen in our lives.  He recognizes that each of us will choose to turn to Him or to turn away from Him when such trials befall us.  But think about this:  He also already knows how we will respond to that trial.  The trial isn't for His knowledge, it is for ours.  It is our refining fire.  It purifies, if we allow it, our character and makes us more like Him.

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I dearly hope that when my next trials come, that I will be able to face them with the same faith and perseverance as my friends.  They are amazing and wonderful women.  I love them and hope to be like them.

Our trip down memory lane.

Here is the breakdown of our trip:

Thursday:  We drove all day.  Began at 5 a.m. and drove until midnight, Utah time.  It was exhausting but we made it.  I was so very, very grateful that we didn't still live in horse and buggy days or even when only the train was available.  The hotel we stayed in was clean but super old and not well maintained.  The epitome symbolizing its quality---the art on the walls was upside down.  It wasn't a joke because I tried to flip them over and hang them right side up but there wasn't the right hardware to hang it that way.  Crazy.

OK...this was just too funny not to post.

Friday morning:  We skipped the continental breakfast because it was not worth our time.  Orientation started at 9 so we took Sport over to the WSC (Wilkenson Center), ate something at the food court, got him all checked into orientation and then Drew, Spanky, and I went to do a session at the Provo temple.  I just felt like I was home.  We had lunch at the cafeteria and then went to visit our friends in Payson.

We spent a couple of hours getting caught up and visiting.  Then we had to pick up Sport from orientation and get him all checked in to his new apartment.  It took the boys about half an hour to get through with their stuff in the main building and to get their keys.  Then we went to their apartment and unloaded their luggage.  While Spanky was getting settled, we took Sport to the Creamery for some groceries. 

This is so Provo...Love it!

Then we took the boys to our favorite restaurant in Provo:  Los Hermanos!  The prices have doubled--but it has been more than 15 years since we have been there.  It was delicious and fun---but more expensive than we had planned.  It was so yummy!!  We also got to see the construction of the new Provo temple, because Los Hermanos is just across the street!!  It was a sweet blessing because when Drew and I lived there before, we attended our stake conferences in the old Provo tabernacle.  To know and see that it is being turned into a temple, was really cool.  The angel Moroni was on top of the building/temple already!!

Then we dropped the boys off and spent the evening with Darren and Kimberly.

Check this out!  One of the photos in the Provo Tabernacle fire!

Saturday:  We spent the entire day with our Payson friends and their family.  Drew and Darren watched the Yankees lose (Darren's team) and then the Dodgers lose (Drew's team) and then some World Cup Soccer.  Watching sports and hanging out is what Drew and Darren would do in our early marriage.  Darren had several back surgeries and there wasn't much he could do.  But both of those men could talk sports and doctrine---that solidified their friendship forever!  (even though Darren is a Yankees fan!)  With Darren's current level of health, that is about all he can do again, so having a day that Drew could do that with him was a treat!

Saturday evening, we went to a little diner in Payson called One Man Band.  The cook stays behind the counter, menus are on the table.  You pick up the phone at your table and call your order into the counter.  She cooks it and tells you it is ready and then you go and pick it up.  It was an easy place for Darren to get in and out of with his wheelchair and we were all dressed up in our jeans and sweats, so it was fun.  They also have a jukebox that plays 20 songs for a dollar!  Darren chose the music and we just visited with each other.  After dinner, Darren and Kimberly took us on a driving tour of Payson and we got to see the construction site of their new temple.  It will be completed soon I think, probably before the Provo one.

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Sunday was amazing!  Darren and Kimberly started church at 9 a.m.  Drew and I decided to attend our old ward:  Oak Hills 2nd.  We bumped into several people who still live there and knew us.  The entire time we were there I just felt like we had come home.  I just relaxed and enjoyed the Spirit.  The chapel was full and so were the seats half way into the gym---for a ward!!!  Two musical numbers and three speakers---OH the music!  I forgot how amazing the music is in Sacrament meeting!  They have some professional musicians in that ward!  A mom with two young children sat next to us on our bench.  Her children were well behaved but typical children.  She had quiet toys to keep them busy.  After sacrament meeting she said to me, "You must have children or something.  You just have a way with children and I felt no judgment from you at all!  Thank you!"  So I told her that she was right, I had nine.

There was a decent discussion in Sunday school though I don't know where all the people were----
Actually, maybe I do.  They had a class for each age of Sunday school:
Sunday school 12
Sunday school 13
Sunday school 14
Sunday school 15
Sunday school 16
Sunday school 17

And for Primary:
Sunbeams A                       Valiant 7B                 Valiant 11
Sunbeams B                       Valiant 8
Valiant 4                             Valiant 9A
Valiant 5A                          Valiant 9B
Valiant 5B                          Valiant 10A
Valiant 6                             Valiant 10B
Valiant 7A                          Valiant 10C

At least 32 other adults were teaching classes, primary or Sunday school!  Crazy Awesome!  I think we have that many adults attending Sunday school and Primary altogether in my ward!

One of the best gifts of the trip for me was vising with Cindy.  I didn't get to say 'Hi' to her at church, but I knew where she lived, so I popped over to say hello.  She had been the Relief Society President when we had lived there before, and I was her vising teaching coordinator.  We spent a lot of time together.  So Drew and I popped over to her house.  She invited us in.  We visited for quite a while and caught up.  During our visit Stephanie Nielsen of Nie Nie Dialogues stopped by (because Cindy is her mother) so we got to visit with her for just a moment or so and I had the opportunity to give her a hug and tell her how much I loved reading her blog and then she was off.

We said our good-byes to Cindy and her husband and then tried to find our boys to say good-bye to them.  We ended up driving around campus for just a little while waiting for them.  About an hour later they called and we went over, said good-bye and headed back to Payson and spent the evening with our friends, laughing and remembering about old times and old people.  In the morning Kimberly told us, "I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!"  It was a lot of fun and so important for our dear friends!

Monday morning:  We got up, packed up, said good-bye and drove away about 9:30 a.m  We drove all day and landed in Sacramento about 8 p.m.  Drew wanted to drive me to the Sacramento temple and said it would take about 10 minutes.  OK Sure.  So we plugged the coordinates into the GPS.  Drew didn't like the way we were going and he was sure he knew a better way.  Needless to say, we spent 1/2 an hour looking for it, ignoring the GPS and never got there.  I am positive there is a spiritual application there---in fact, I think I know what it is---I'll have to put that together and stick it out there later.

Because our Provo hotel wasn't nice and our Sacramento temple GPS blunder my sweetheart felt bad and took me to stay at a place he knows, a Marriott.  It was fabulous!!  Beautiful, clean, luxurious and pricey!  But the two of us had a wonderful evening and enjoyed a real breakfast at the hotel and then hit the road again so we could drive the rest of the way home.

(To those of our dear friend in Provo/Utah who we didn't see, just know it isn't because we don't love you.  Our time was just so very short!  We would have loved to see you!)

Tuesday:  We arrived home about 3 and had Slim meet us at the rental car place.  By the time we got gas, transferred our belongings and ran an errand for Slim, it was 4.  the kids were anxious to see us and tell us about their days while we were gone.  All of the dishes were dirty and dinner plans had fallen through, so I threw that stuff together.  We ate dinner at 5 and had to be at a baptism by 6.  I was so grateful that I insisted on being home by 3, even though the baptism wasn't until 6:30.  We needed that time!!

So that was our trip!!

The baptism story is amazing, which is why we had to be home.  Normally we would just let others take care of things, but this one was special.  I'll tell you about it another day.