Mom's Musings

Here we sit, bracing for another school year, looking back on another wonderful summer. Remember last spring when we thought school would never end? And now we wonder how the time flew by so fast! At least we have an abundance of joyful memories to contemplate. As I meandered through our reunion pictures looking for a few to post in the newsletter, I struggled to narrow it down to a mere thirty-three! These precious memories linger on to remind us of why we love our family so much. We all look forward to more fun times together, as cousins long for their cousins, nieces and nephews miss their aunts and uncles, and Grandma and Grandpa crave more of the joy that comes of feasting on the sight of their proud posterity. These experiences help our children figure out who they are, and what they want to become. As special aunts and uncles, you have all fastened yourselves to their hearts as people out there in the world who care about them and want to help them succeed. It reminds me of the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." Not that parents should expect someone else to shoulder their responsibilities, but rather as family members we can all fortify and enrich each other's children, so they can grow up knowing that special people care about them. We applaud you all on your hard work to build and maintain righteous families, and reflect on the notion that these children are the first of many more to come. Love, Mom & Dad

Chris & Summer

Hello to everyone, and I hope everyone made it home safe and sound. We sure enjoyed seeing all of you at the reunion. We had a great time. Leslie is excited to start school but not as excited as her mom. We took one last summer trip this past weekend. We went up to Brian Head Friday to do some hiking and just relax in the cool mountains. On Saturday we rode on the chair lift to the top of the mountain. What a great view! As we walked around at the top I thought it would be a great LITTLE hike down. So after much hesitation Chris reluctantly agreed to the LITTLE hike. We made it about three minutes into the hike and Madyson refused to walk. To make a long story short we carried Madyson and Bronson both down the steep ski slope with no aid of a snuggly. It was a mile down the slope and it took us about 3.5 hours. By the time we made it to the parking lot all the kids were crying and sunburned. Chris and I were laughing so hard by that time I am sure we were quite the sight. Today we went to dinner at Mom's and saw McKay. Then we all went over and "picked up" a trampoline. It was preassembled, so we had to load it on the back of Dad's trailer and haul it home in one piece. Matt, McKay and Chris rode on the back and held it down while Dad drove. Keresa did not find McKay's trick funny. His trick was to jump on the trampoline while Matt and Chris were holding it down and Dad was driving.

Jeremy and Martha

What a great summer! Before the summer began we had pains in our stomachs trying to figure out how we would make it through. We had just got our home and spent the remains of our student loans, the home had so many improvement jobs to do, plus I missed the dry heat of the west dearly! Somehow, we made it through everything and feel wonderful. Jeremy got the job at Nordstrom's and learned all about women's shoes (and how much people will spend on them!). I am very satisfied with the work Jeremy did on our home, and thanks to Matt deciding to go on a mission, we were able to go to the west!!! (It's too bad we missed him speaking in church!)The trip west was a highlight for us. It was so nice to get dry boogers again and chapped lips! The unexpected surprise was the sore throats we got from the dryness?.?.? Anyway, it was inspiring to see Mel and the difference of her standard of living comparing to dental student to post-dental student! We loved the 3 day pool party at the Casa Blanca. It is so refreshing to play with all the way cute children. Their energy amazes me. We had a great time there. We also had a good time in California. All in all, it was fun to see Lyle get so much love and attention. I know this is not the most healthy habit but my pride for that boy only grows bigger and bigger and it makes my heart swell to see other people love him too! Now we're back home and feel so nice and refreshed. We are adjusting to our moistened noses and soft lips. Lyle is still pretty demanding of our attention (I think he got majorly spoiled by his grandmas and cousins!). Of course I don't mind this one bit!

Jeremy starts school soon and I'm making lists of what still needs to get done before the new baby.He is excited to get back to school. I'm excited for him also. I'm ready to get back on a routine. Lately we haven't even been eating dinner before 8:00 pm. One night we even forgot to give Lyle any dinner. He woke up in the morning hysterical. When I finally realized why I let him inhale 2 1/2 glasses of milk. Then he devoured a banana and some peaches. Then he stopped suddenly, looked at me and threw up everywhere. I guess it wasn't the best idea to let him drink so much milk. He still has that hairy cough so I'll make a doctor's appointment for him tomorrow. There are no other symptoms so hopefully it will not be something serious.

Last night we went to our neighbor Ron's surprise 40th birthday party. We took Alice along with us. She wrote him some words of wisdom. I can't remember them word for word but they went something like this: "For all the many years after you turn forty you will spend all your days involved in experiencing and performing many acts of uselessness." For being 90 years old, Alice is quite a witty gal! We had fun at the party and Lyle loved all the new faces to show off for. He danced, blew kisses and even did a little of "Eensy Weensy Spider." Then Ron took him around to personally meet all the guests. It's so much fun to see your child loved so much! I still can't shake my pride for that little stinker!

Lyle's begun singing lately. He just started it last week. He has a toy in his crib that sings Twinkle Little star. Whenever he wakes up, he will pull it now and keep pulling it until we get him. Last week, he was playing quietly with some toys when he started singing some gibberish to the tune of Twinkle Little Star. It was the cutest thing in the world! In Cal., we got a book that has the words to Baby Beluga in it. On the airplane I sang the words to him while we flipped through the book. This lasted long enough for us to go through the book 1 1/2 times. The next day when I was unpacking, he picked up the book and began to sing Baby Beluga! Since he does his "ba" sounds so well anyway it really sounded great! Since then I've been trying to sing to him more often. However, there is one song I can't sing to him, "Five LIttle Monkeys." For some reason whenever I start to chant Five Little Monkeys to him, He'll excitedly take both his pointer fingers and deeply stick each one right up each nostril! I can't figure out what the correlation is but he does it every time! Do you think Matt or MK showed him how monkey's can pick he nose?!?!? Probably not Matt, but I"m really beginning to think MK?????!!!! (editor's note: perhaps Jeremy?)

So we're doing well. There's been a lot of new Temple Dental student families moving in our ward--5 total. Jeremy and I went around meeting them today. We're having a get together on Friday so all the new dental students can meet all of us in our ward. This is such a fun place to live!

We miss our families dearly in the West but are savouring our time experiencing the East! We wish everyone the best of luck for this new school year--whether they're attending, teaching or sending their children off to it! Matt, we just wish you good luck on your mission! Take care!

McKay & Keresa

Our summer fun was climaxed by something other than the reunion ... we saw a baby girl at our ultra-sound! We are sure glad to have all our bros and sisters available to consult for our trials of school and work and being broke and pregnant and all the other rigors of young family life. It seems like an impossible feat to be able to finish and live the dream like we have planned, but the rest of you are doing it and showing us that yes, it is possible. We had a fun trip to Phoenix right after the reunioin. We met with Keresa's 2 sisters. We spent the day with them shopping and remeniscing. We also got to meet up with one of my amigos from the MTC. We went to dinner with all of them and had a great time. McKay is now ready to substitute teach in CCSD. We are excited for what fun that will be. We are scheduled to install a ceiling fan for one of Keresa's friends, but I am somewhat hesitant. Her dad told me of a time when he installed a cheap wal-mart cieling fan for a lady in his ward, even though he knew it was a low quality product. It ended up falling apart during a ward party a year later and the bishop, releived that no injuries occured, asked ,"Who put that fan up anyway?" The lady responded- Kerrry Gifford! So he says be careful in the wide work you choose to undertake. We also helped her brother scrape his popcorn cielings yesterday. It is good to get all this practice on home reparations so that when we begin upgrading our home, we will be up to speed. Had fun at the reunion. good bye (not like goodbuy auto auction ha ha ha) mk and keresa

Matt's Talk

Missionary service with charity

In the book of Mosiah, we read King Benjamin's famous sermon to his people. In chapter 2, verse 17, he gives us a precious truth on service:

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

It is the same in missionary work. A missionary devotes two years of his life teaching the gospel and serving the people. But just as King Benjamin taught, the two years are ultimately spent "in the service of...God."

But are all offerings of service equal? Perhaps two people performed the same service. If one person served with love and the other person was serving because his mom forced him to serve, would it make a difference? In the Old Testament, 1 Samuel 16:7:

...for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

And as it says in Matthew 5:8:

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

The Lord knows us and knows our intentions and will bless us accordingly. Also the success of our service can also decline as our motives move away from pure love. There is more to service than simply our actions, but also our hearts.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks gives six reasons for serving a mission and orders them from the lowest reason to serve to the best:

Number six: Serving for worldly riches or honor. Sometimes a missionary serves only for the immediate rewards. Perhaps his dad promised him a new car when he came home. Or maybe the missionary serves only to receive honor from family and friends as a "return missionary." Elder Oaks rates this reason as the absolute worst reason to serve.

Number five: Serving for other people. This missionary wants to serve only because his parents wanted him to serve. He has no real desire to spread the Gospel or serve the Lord, but only wants to please his parents, his friends, or maybe a girlfriend back home. This too is not a good reason to serve.

Number four: Fear of punishment. It is true that doing good deeds, such as serving a mission, can bring rewards and blessings, but this missionary doesn't even serve to obtain these. He serves only to avoid reprimand and punishment. Even though the scriptures do command us to "fear God," fearing His or worldly punishments is not a valid reason to serve a mission.

Moving towards the top of the list is number three: having a sense of duty. Sometimes we don't know why we should obey certain commandments or serve in certain ways, but we only know that we should obey. That is where these missionaries fall in. They've known since primary that when you turn nineteen, you serve a mission because you are supposed to. That's great. Much work is done in the church by the dutiful. But that's still not the best reason to serve a mission.

Number two: The hope of eternal reward. These missionaries know that serving a mission is the right thing to do. They know that the service will strengthen their testimonies and give them great spiritual growth that will benefit them their entire lives. They have faith that Heavenly Father wants them to serve a mission and that obeying his commandments will bring blessings in this life and throughout eternity. But there is still one better reason for serving a mission.

Number one: Charity, the pure love of Christ. Many people have told me that no matter what happens on my mission, if I love the people, the mission will be successful. That is because when we do missionary work, we need to remember that we are sharing the good news of the gospel and the way to eternal life to our brothers and sisters. And when we serve because we love, the message becomes much clearer.

After all, Jesus Christ suffered infinitely for the atonement and then died because he loved each of us so much and wanted us all to have a way to come back to him and to Heavenly Father. This love is charity. This love is the pure love of Christ. Moroni 7:45-47 says:

And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in truth, beareth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren , if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

Brothers and sisters, I have a testimony of charity. I've seen and felt its goodness in my life and I know that only the pure love of Christ could work like it does. I have a testimony of this Gospel and I know that it is true. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to serve a mission. I hope that I can serve with charity from day one and that after my mission, charity can continue to be abundant in my life. I am grateful for the opportunity I've had to speak to you today, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Dad's August Talk

Elder M. Russell Ballard in a recent general conference admonished us with this statement, "We must prepare ourselves to assist the missionaries in finding those of our Heavenly Father's children who will embrace the message of the Restoration." In the time of the New Testament the Savior in Matthew 28:19-20, asked that the apostles, "go . . . and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world". But the Savior was not just talking to the Apostles. He was also talking to every person who has been blessed to hear the gospel and is a member of His Church. In Doctrine and Covenants 88, verse 81 the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith in very simple terms, "It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor."

For the last Stake conference, the High Counsel was giving a list of new members in our stake. We were instructed to ask after the new members and report on their status. Brothers and sisters, I was pleased to note that the Muddy River Branch, although the smallest unit in the stake, has far more new members than any other. Why? You know that the gospel leads us to a better life and eternal happiness, and you want others to have the same joy. Remember, brothers and sisters, we're not marketing a product. We're not selling anything. We're not trying to impress anyone with our numbers or our growth. We are members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, empowered and sent forth by the Lord Himself to find, nourish, and bring safely into His Church those who are seeking to know the truth.

Viewed from that eternal perspective, what we are to do seems so simple and clear, but I know that member missionary work can be challenging and sometimes frightening. Please allow me to suggest three simple things that we can do to assist in this divinely commissioned responsibility. First, we should exercise our faith and pray individually and as families, asking for help in finding ways to share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Ask the Lord to open the way. Remember, brothers and sisters, this is the Lord's Church. Let Him guide you through constant prayer. With a prayer in your heart, talk to everyone you can. Don't prejudge. Don't withhold the good news from anyone. Talk to everyone, and trust in the promised power of the Spirit to give you the words you should say. Let them make the decision to accept or reject your invitation. Over time, the Lord will put into your path those who are seeking the truth. He is the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep, and they will know His voice, spoken through you, and they will follow Him.

President Gordon B. Hinckley recently said, "It will be a great day when our people not only pray for the missionaries throughout the world, but ask the Lord to help them to assist the missionaries who are laboring in their own ward"

Second, leaders must lead by example. The Spirit will prompt and guide you in finding those interested in our message. Your personal worthiness will give you the courage and the spiritual power to inspire your members to actively help the missionaries.

Third, member missionary work does not require the development of strategies or gimmicks. It does require faith - real faith and trust in the Lord. It also requires genuine love. Turn to Matthew 22: 37 & 39. The first great commandment is to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. . . . The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself".

So let the power of love guide us in sharing the gospel with family members, friends, neighbors, business associates, and any other people we encounter as we go through life. Most everyone wants to enjoy peace and happiness. That is a natural human desire. People want to find answers to the problems they face. This is increasingly true in the world we now live in. Professional advancement, increased income, bigger homes, or newer cars and recreational equipment do not bring lasting peace and happiness. Happiness comes from understanding God and knowing that He has a plan for our eternal joy and peace. Happiness comes from knowing and loving the Savior and living our lives in accordance with His teachings. Happiness comes from strong family and Church relationships based on gospel values. Some members say, "I'm afraid to share the gospel because I might offend someone." Experience has shown that people are not offended when the sharing is motivated by the spirit of love and concern. How could anyone be offended when we say something like this: "I love the way my church helps me" and then add whatever the Spirit directs. It's when we appear only to be fulfilling an assignment and we fail to express real interest and love that we offend others. Don't ever forget, brothers and sisters, that you and I have in our possession the very points of doctrine that will bring people to the Lord. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ has within it the power to bring deep and abiding happiness to the human soul - something that will be valued and cherished for the rest of time and for all eternity. We are not just trying to get people to join our Church; we are sharing with them the fullness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. But as powerful as our message is, it cannot be imposed or forced upon people. It can only be shared - heart to heart, soul to soul, spirit to spirit - by being good neighbors and by caring and showing love. We need to be watchful for one another and reach out to one another. And as we do so, we will radiate the gospel in our own lives, and it will radiate to the people the blessings the gospel has to offer.

The Lord trusts His true disciples. He sends prepared people to His prepared servants.

All of us who are under the baptismal covenant have promised to offer the gospel to others. Remember what is says in D&C 88:81? Sometimes, fear of rejection or of giving offense looms before us like an impassable obstacle. Yet some members clear that barrier with ease. There is no single pattern in what they do. There is no common technique. Some always carry a Book of Mormon to give away. Others set a date to find someone for the missionaries to teach. Another has found questions which draw out feelings about what matters most in life to a person. Each has prayed to know what to do. They each seem to get a different answer, suited especially to them and to the people they meet.

But in one way they are all alike. It is this: they have a common way of seeing who they are. They can do what they have been inspired to do because of who they are. To do what we are to do, we will have to become like them in at least two ways. First, they feel that they are the beloved children of a loving Heavenly Father. Because of that they turn to Him easily and often in prayer. They expect to receive His personal direction. They obey in meekness and humility, as the children of a perfect parent. He is close to them.

Second, they are the grateful disciples of the resurrected Jesus Christ. They know for themselves that the Atonement is real and necessary for all. They have felt cleansed through baptism by those in authority and the receipt of the Holy Ghost for themselves. And because of the peace they have experienced, they are like the sons of Mosiah, "desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble." Those who speak easily and often of the restored gospel prize what it has meant to them. They think of that great blessing often. It is the memory of the gift they have received which makes them eager for others to receive it. They have felt the love of the Savior. For them the words found in 1 John 4: 18-19 are their daily, hourly reality:

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. "We love him, because he first loved us." Even having felt that love, the true disciple sometimes feels anxiety. The Apostle John was clear about that: fear will be gone when we are made perfect in love. We can pray for that gift of perfect love. We can pray with confidence that we can feel the Savior's love for us and for all we meet. He loved us and them enough to pay the price of all our sins. It is one thing to believe that. It is something far more to have our hearts changed to feel it every moment. The command to pray to feel the Savior's love is also a promise. This is what Mormon said in Moroni 7: 46-48, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail...

"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure."

The Lord trusts His true disciples. He sends prepared people to His prepared servants. To be part of that miracle, you must not wait until you feel closer to Heavenly Father or until you are sure that you have been purified through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Pray for the chance to encounter people who sense there could be something better in their lives. Pray to know what you should do to help them. Your prayers will be answered. You will meet people prepared by the Lord. You will find yourself feeling and saying things beyond your past experience. And then in time you will feel yourself drawing closer to your Heavenly Father, and you will feel the cleansing and the forgiveness the Savior promises His faithful witnesses. And you will feel His approval, knowing you have done what He asked of you, because He loves you and trusts you.