Flowell

This past weekend, Cass and I were able to take the St George Swallow cousins and go up to Flowell to hear Grandma Carma and Caleb, a Flowell cousin, give their mission reports. We went up on Saturday so that we could have more time to spend with the family and had a great time! The cousins built a massive snowman while I visited with Grandma and we got dinner ready. We all had dinner together and then watched The Avengers. 

I actually ended up not watching the movie, baby makes it hard to get (and stay!) comfortable, so I went and read and move and stretched and fell asleep. :) 

Sunday morning Grandma Carma and Caleb gave their talks at church. They both did a great job & it was great to hear them speak! Afterwards we went to Kelby & MaryAnne's house to eat. There was lots of yummy treats and I ate way too much! After most everyone else left, we played Rook. It was fun. I didn't do to terrible at it! And then we drove home in the freezing cold! 

Attack the Lusitania!

When I first saw my mom borrow this book from my grandpa, I was really excited to read it. Grandpa likes war books and this looked super exciting and about a topic I didn't know much about. Of course, it took me a while to get to reading Attack the Lusitania! amid the moves and book shuffles and the fact that I always want to read about 500 books, but I finally banned myself from the library and got to reading the books we have at home. 

I really wanted to like this novel. But no. I didn't like it at all. First of all, why even make the characters LDS? Is that a requirement for being published by Covenant? Because the characters being LDS didn't seem to have much of tie-in other than getting some of the characters to talk, but that could have been done in another way. And why were there all these different perspectives? The novel is barely over 200 pages, and I'm supposed to follow three different story-lines, one of which disappears halfway through? It made it so hard to get to know the characters and feel for them. There was no character development and I didn't feel attached to any of them. 

It was interesting to learn more about the Lusitania and the circumstances under which it was attacked, but I learned just as much about the Lusitania from The American Heiress, and I'm going to recommend that book to you instead!

Spiritual Sunday: A Brother Like That

One of my favorite Christmas stories is "A Brother Like That." I love the message and how it inspires me to be a better person, to be a brother like that. 

Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.

"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.

Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.

"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?"

"Oh yes, I'd love that."

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.

"Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car. "There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm gonna give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about."

Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.

That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he had said: "It is more blessed to give..." 

I know sometimes it's hard to be a brother like that. It's easy to say, "I don't have a brother like that, so why should I be like that?" But the fact is, we do have a brother like that, Jesus Christ. I hope we can all  keep him in our hearts these next few days as Christmas is upon us. Merry Christmas!  

Spiritual Sunday: New and Everlasting Covenant

A few days ago, I was reading in Ezekiel and came across ". . . I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant . . ." (37:26) the footnote for "everlasting covenant" was for the Topical Guide "New and Everlasting Covenant" and it got me thinking. I've never realized what exactly the New and Everlasting Covenant is. It's something I've just felt like I missed out on. Everyone else seemed to get it, so I figured there was something wrong with me. I never wanted to ask and be embarrassed, but on the flip side if it was something nobody knew, then the teacher would be embarrassed. And if it's something no one knows but everyone knows nobody knows (you still with me?) then asking would still be awkward. So I never asked and just figured I never knew and couldn't ever know. 

But I'm older now, and took research into my own hands. If it was listed in the Topical Guide, would it be listed in the Bible Dictionary? The answer is no. So I returned to the Topical Guide and looked at some of the related scriptures. They didn't clear anything up, but they did give me two ideas. 

1. Any promise the Lord makes is both new and everlasting. It is new when he makes it and everlasting because He, we, and the covenant are all eternal. My reasoning is that the different times it is used in the scriptures are mostly different. In the case of Noah and the ark, God promises to never again flood the earth: "And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." (Gen 9:16)  There is no other promise where God promises to not flood the earth. He's already promise that; He can't promise it again. So it stands to reason that any more covenants He makes would also be new and everlasting. 

2. The New and Everlasting Covenant is the sealing, or binding, power of the priesthood. So often we hear "the new and everlasting covenant of [eternal or celestial] marriage" (D&C 131:2). D&C 132:19 also implies it's celestial marriage. Ergo, because of the power of the Melchizedek priesthood, we are able to sealed, and that is the new and everlasting covenant.  

I wasn't satisfied with my two ideas though. Could it be that simple and straightforward? Could I really figure it out by myself? I needed more "proof" so to speak. I needed someone to spell it out for me. 

Don't laugh, but I turned to Google. I wanted to know the church's stance on it, of course, but I also wanted to see what other religions thought. The phrase is in The Bible, even the Torah portion, so Christians and Jews should have something to say about it. The first page of Google was basically LDS sources; other religions almost see it as two separate covenants, which was unhelpful. It just didn't seem right. Other religions also vaguely referred to Jesus as The New and Everlasting Covenant himself. Other of the top Google results were from anti-/former LDS sites. Most of them think it refers to polygamy (from the D&C scriptures, I'm sure) or is taking away from the remembrance and importance of Jesus Christ as the New and Everlasting Covenant himself. 

The logic for Jesus as the New and Everlasting Covenant is that God made a covenant, the "old covenant," with the Jews. Jesus fulfilled that promise, law, covenant, and became the "new covenant" and because he is eternal, also everlasting. 

The first site I found was a BYU site written by D Cecil Clark (of whom I've never before heard and Google was unhelpful), who posits: 

The new and everlasting covenant is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The sum of all gospel covenants that God makes with mankind is called "the new and everlasting covenant" and consists of several individual covenants, each of which is called "a new and an everlasting covenant." It is "new" when given to a person or a people for the first time, and "everlasting" because the gospel of Jesus Christ and Plan of Salvation existed before the world was formed and will exist forever (MD, pp. 479-80).

Baptism, marriage, and all other covenants from God necessary for salvation are new and everlasting (D&C 22:1;45:9;66:2;132:4-7). Holy covenants have been introduced anew in each of the dispensations of the gospel from Adam to Joseph Smith, and have been available whenever the gospel of Jesus Christ has been upon the earth. Therefore, these covenants are spoken of as everlasting. Covenants of salvation and exaltation are everlasting in the sense also that once entered into they are forever binding and valid only if they are not broken by transgression.

All covenants between God and mankind are part of the new and everlasting covenant (D&C 22;132:6-7). Thus, celestial marriage is a new and an everlasting covenant (D&C 132:4) or the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. Some covenants, such as baptism, have force in all dispensations. Other covenants are made for special purposes in particular dispensations; circumcision as a sign of a covenant is of this type (MD, p. 479). The same eternal covenant conditions may be established through other ritual signs at other times.

Okay. That makes sense. But what else is out there? Who else thinks that? lds.org gives us a similar, yet more succinct, answer. "The fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (D&C 66:2). It is new every time it is revealed anew following a period of apostasy. It is everlasting in the sense that it is God’s covenant and has been enjoyed in every gospel dispensation where people have been willing to receive it. The new and everlasting covenant was revealed again to men on earth by Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith. It contains sacred ordinances administered by priesthood authority—such as baptism and temple marriage—that provide for man’s salvation, immortality, and eternal life. When people accept the gospel and promise to keep God’s commandments, God covenants to give them the blessings of his new and everlasting covenant."

Alright, I'm starting to get my answer. I can get that. It's the what everyone thinks put together. It's Jesus, the priesthood, every time the Lord makes a promise, it's the whole gospel. That makes sense. That's simple. (Why do I not like the simple answers? The church is full of them!) So I was right, partially. I was just incomplete. But now I know what exactly the New and Everlasting Covenant is. 

I'll let D Todd Christofferson (Quorum of the Twelve) close for me. The video sums it up quite nicely. I especially like the idea that it is "newly restored in each dispensation."

text of video: 

The scriptures speak of the new and everlasting covenant. The new and everlasting covenant is the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, the doctrines and commandments of the gospel constitute the substance of an everlasting covenant between God and man that is newly restored in each dispensation. If we were to state the new and everlasting covenant in one sentence it would be this: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

Jesus explained what it means to believe in Him: "Now this is the commandment [or in other words, this is the covenant]: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day" (3 Nephi 27:20). (Ensign, May 2009)

But here's more "proof" if you need it, plus they're nice quotes:

Joseph Fielding Smith (while in the Quorum of the Twelve)

What is the new and everlasting covenant? I regret to say that there are some members of the Church who are misled and misinformed in regard to what the new and everlasting covenant really is. The new and everlasting covenant is the sum total of all gospel covenants and obligations. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:156)

Now there is a clear-cut definition in detail of the new and everlasting covenant. It is everything—the fulness of the gospel. So marriage properly performed, baptism, ordination to the priesthood, everything else—every contract, every obligation, every performance that pertains to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise according to his law here given, is a part of the new and everlasting covenant. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:158)

Bruce R. McConkie (Quorum of the Twelve)

"The new and everlasting covenant" is the fulness of the gospel, and the gospel is the covenant of salvation that the Lord makes with men. It is new because it has been revealed anew in our day; it is everlasting because it has always been had by faithful people, not only on this earth but on all the earths inhabited by the children of our Father. (Brigham Young University, 6 November 1977) 

[Doesn't McConkie's read similar to lds.org?? :)]

Spiritual Sunday: Jonathon Napela

Today in Stake Conference, our Stake President spoke of an awesome man in LDS history, Jonathon Napela, and I couldn't help but try to learn more about him and share with all of you. 

One of the earliest coverts in Hawaii, Napela was a prominent member of his society and became an important member the church and helped George Q Cannon translate the Book of Mormon into Hawaiian. 

A stand-out story from the stake president's talk told of a time when Napela and Cannon prayed for good weather for an outside meeting. Cannon started to worry that the weather would not hold and began to make preparations to move the meeting inside. Napela was confused at Cannon's actions and asked him, "Did we not pray for good weather?" The meeting was held outside and the weather was not an issue. 

Napela was also instrumental in the missionary efforts in Hawaii. He taught his language to Cannon, who returned the favor. Napela offered to open his home to all incoming missionaries and teach them the language and the customs of his people before they began to teach and serve. He was setting the stage and planting ideas for missionary training, for the MTC. 

What stuck out most to me of the tales of the life of Napela was his devotion to his dear wife, Kitty. She contracted leprosy and was to be quarantined for the rest of her life. Napela applied to go to the leper colony with her. He said he was devoted to his wife and had promised before God that he would be with her "til death do us part." Though death would surely come soon, he could not abandon his wife, he could not break his promise. He was allowed to go into quarantine with his wife. In the leper colony he still taught the gospel and presided over the saints there. Eventually, Napela, too, contracted leprosy and after six years in the colony preceded his wife in death. 

Learning about Napela today was so neat. I had an abstract knowledge that the church grew early and strong in Hawaii, but I was not familiar with the people or the stories. I had never heard of Napela before, and his story touched me. He was a good strong man, devoted to his wife and his God. He is an inspiration. 

Spiritual Sunday: General Conference

This weekend was the 182 Semiannual General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Here's some of my favorite parts from today (not direct quotes, just kind of highlights and my thoughts).

Boyd K Packer

• We all make mistakes, what is important is fixing our mistakes and repenting of them.
• Our message [as members of the church] is one of Faith, Hope, and Jesus as our Savior.

Jeffrey R Holland

• I always forget how little knowledge Jesus's disciples had upon his death. Elder Holland reminded me of how limited their knowledge was in the gospel, especially as we understand it today. 
• Elder Holland told the story of the disciples after Christ's death and their return to fishing. It was a similar experience to when Christ first called them to serve. Once the disciples realized Christ was resurrected, they were once again called to serve him. 
• Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" three times, reminding him of experiences just days before. "Then feed my sheep!"
• Will God ask us the same question upon our meeting? 
• Love equals loyalty; if we love God, we are loyal to Him. 
• Christ's death was the beginning of Christianity, not the end. 
• The call is to come and stay true. The Lord expects our love at every stage of our lives. 
• Am I feeding His sheep? 

President Thomas S Monson

• Don't dwell on the negative, take a step back and find the positive.
• "Men are that they might have joy"
• Never postpone a prompting! 
• Allow yourself to be an instrument in the Lord's hands
• The opportunity to be a blessing in the life of another often comes unexpectedly.

Robert D Hales

• What does it mean to be a Christian? 
• Elder Hales retold the story of the disciples, but as an example to quickly return to the Lord after leaving him and receive his blessings. 
• Feed His sheep! 
• "The Savior will make us adequate to his work"
• "Through His love and grace we can become more Christian Christians"
• Am I a good Christian? 

If you watched conference, what was your favorite part? What did you learn? 

Grati-Tuesday

Welcome to Grati-Tuesday!

Today I am grateful for:

1. my lover and eternal families

2. This great big crazy family of mine! 

[as well as all my in-laws but I have no photos of everyone together]

3. Disneyland

4. Friends

5. Dance . . . especially this beautiful piece!

And, of course,  6. BOOKS! 

What are YOU grateful for today?

Hong Kong: Kowloon

For our last day in Hong Kong we went out to Kowloon to go to the temple.

It was amazing. The interior was very simple and elegant. It was the

perfect blend of the LDS church and Chinese feel. We did a session in Cantonese, 

so I had to wear the headphones, but that actually helped me learn a lot more.

It was a really neat experience!

If you look really hard you can see Moroni in the background! 

Lunch! 

That evening we took another lovely, winding bus ride up to Victoria Peak 

to look at the skyline. It was awesome and a great way to end our trip!

mmmm. . . fuzzy hair!

Hong Kong at night!

Church in Tsing Yi

For Sunday we had planned to go to the LDS church on the island, but I had one of my wicked migraines, so Cass let me sleep in. Once I felt like a human, we headed over to the closest church near us in Tsing Yi. We didn't know the meeting schedule so had to wait a while for the international ward and just hung out at the church. 

The ward we went to was mostly full of Philippina sisters. It's very common for women from the Philippines to leave there families, come to Hong Kong, and work. I never realized how close the Philippines is to Hong Kong, but you can see how close they are here: 

Some women even had babies back in the Philippines! Babies that they never get to see! But here they were, working so hard in Hong Kong, mostly raising other people's children. And they were the friendliest ladies ever! 

I haven't felt so welcome in a ward for a very long time. I think almost every single woman in that ward came up to introduce themselves. I was blown away by their kindness and testimonies. If we ever move to Hong Kong, that's  the ward I want to go to. Those ladies were an amazing example to me. 

Spiritual Sunday: Attitude of Gratitude

I am not a very grateful, or thankful, person. In fact, sometimes I make fun of other people for being grateful. I'm a hater; you know that [and sometimes, it's just cheesy, or borderline pathetic. Admit it. I'm right]. But I'm trying to be better. I found some of these quotes which help me understand the importance of being grateful.

"Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves.They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable." Joseph B Worthlin

"Mercies and blessings come in different forms--sometimes as hard things. Yet the Lord said, 'Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things' (D&C 59:7). All things means just that: good things, difficult things--not just some things. He has commanded us to be grateful because He knows being grateful will make us happy. This is another evidence of His love." Bonnie D Parkin

"We need to be more grateful. It's one of the marks of strong character, to have a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude for blessings that are ours. We need more of that spirit in our homes, in our daily associations, in church, everywhere. It's so easy to cultivate the spirit of appreciation." Ezra Taft Benson

In that spirit, here's my cheesy list of things I'm grateful for:

• My family, near and far. I'm grateful to have Cass as I husband. I'm grateful to have been raised by my parents, who are always showing their love for me. I'm grateful for my brothers and sisters, my  grandparents, my uncle and cousins. I'm grateful for Cass's family, who has welcomed me whole-heartedly.
• My jobs, both of them. They can be a struggle at times, but I am so grateful to be employed, and to be working while doing what I love. Teenagers can be a pain, but every so often it's worth it to work with them. And ya'll know how I'm addicted to dance.
• Books, my other addiction.
• Cassidy's job. Cass's job has been such a blessing, providing us with income and free board while still allowing him to take 18 credit hours. Life would be so much harder without.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know, sometimes I'm a hater. But I'm trying. And the church really has been a blessing in my life. And I'm so grateful that Cass and I will get to be together for all eternity. 

How about you? What are you grateful for? 

Spiritual Sunday: Visiting Teaching

I've been thinking all day about what I wanted to blog about today and nothing seemed quite right, til I remembered what I had done earlier this week. I did my visiting teaching! I don't really enjoy visiting teaching because I have a hard time talking to people I don't know very well and I just don't have much experience with it in general. Luckily, my companion is a member of the Relief Society Presidency, and she has been just great at arranging the visits and helping the conversation flow. This month it's my turn to do the lesson and I was really nervous; I had never done it before.

Wednesday came around and it had just been a rough day for me in general. I really did not want to go visiting teaching. I wanted to change into my jammies and watch tv and drink diet coke and eat junk food. But I told Dani I would go visiting teaching with her. And I went. 

The message this month is "If We Do Not Doubt" by Julie Beck. She discusses the stripling warriors and how 

“If they did not doubt, God would deliver them” (Alma 56:47).

saying:

“We do not doubt our mothers knew it” (Alma 56:48).

 She encourages us to strive to be like these mothers, so that our children, too, will not doubt we knew it. She concludes with

Latter-day Saint women who recognize that their strength comes from the Lord’s Atonement do not give up during difficult and discouraging times. As covenant keepers, we excel at upholding, nurturing, and protecting children and youth so that one day we might say of this rising generation, “Never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all” (Alma 56:45).

 Even though Sister Beck didn't say it, I think it's also okay to take out of this message that even as women, we can be as the warriors too. We can emulate both the warriors and the mothers. It takes all types of courage.

Dani and I discussed this message with our sister and I really had a great time. We were able to just talk about our lives, which isn't something I get to do with other girls very often. And I left with a smile on my face. I didn't want to go visiting teaching, but I'm glad I did. It totally changed my attitude, and it wasn't the message that did it.  

Spiritual Sunday: Jeffrey R Holland

Jeffrey R Holland is one of my favorite general authorities to listen to at general conference. He was set apart in 1994, so I don't really remember a time when he wasn't a GA. He spoke at a stake conference of ours around this time, and Mom broke the rules and took us up to meet him after. He gave Michael a kiss on the cheek! 

Interestingly enough, he got a BA in English before started teaching Institute. He also has two Masters and a Ph.D. I think he's absolutely amazing.

My favorite talk of his is The Other Prodigal. He really speaks to me, and it was nice to hear things from a different perspective. Here's a lovely snippit or two:

"He forgets for a moment that his faithfulness has been and always will be rewarded."

"But the older brother lives in some confinement, too. He has, as yet, been unable to break out of the prison of himself. He is haunted by the green-eyed monster of jealousy. He feels taken for granted by his father and disenfranchised by his brother, when neither is the case."

 And best of all:  

"How can we overcome such a tendency so common in almost everyone? For one thing, we can do as these two sons did and start making our way back to the Father. We should do so with as much haste and humility as we can summon. Along the way we can count our many blessings and we can applaud the accomplishments of others. Best of all, we can serve others, the finest exercise for the heart ever prescribed. But finally these will not be enough. When we are lost, we can “come to ourselves,” but we may not always be able to “find ourselves,” and, worlds without end, we cannot “save ourselves.” Only the Father and His Only Begotten Son can do that. Salvation is in Them only. So we pray that They will help us, that They will “come out” to meet and embrace us and bring us into the feast They have prepared."

In my life, especially growing up, it was so easy to align myself with The Prodigal Son's Brother, to find myself jealous of others and the attention they get. I always thought of this poor brother, this hard worker, who was continuously ignored, and I wondered when he would get his party, his fattened calf. But he already gets it all. Those who remain righteous get their reward, and those who return get theirs. Elder Holland ends by telling us that God loves each of us, regardless of the baggage we carry, and I have come to learn this for myself. Being happy for others does not diminish me or my work. And who are we to deny others the blessings of heaven? Should we all not want all to succeed?

And this is why it is my favorite talk. It came at a point in my life when I really needed to hear it, and it is still valuable today.  It is a good reminder to not place myself above others, nor judge them. I hope you all can give this talk a look and enjoy it as I have.  

What do you think? How does this apply to you?  Does this apply to you? 

Spiritual Sunday: An Intro & Disclaimer

After General Conference this past weekend, I've been thinking. And I want to join the conversation on Mormons, on spirituality, on religion, on the history of my people. So I'm going to start including this as a facet to my blog. I'm not sure what this means exactly, but I look forward to writing about my beliefs and my experiences. And if this turns you off, just skip these posts :)