a letter

 Rather than type all my thoughts twice I just copied my weekly letter to Elder Utzinger and put it here.  I covers mainly the important parts of the weekend.

"Hi Bub,

How are you?  Did you get your hair cut?  How is the weather?  What’s new?  We miss you.  I missed you the other day when I was pumping gas and you weren't there to do it! And also when I thought about putting up our Christmas lights.  You are always such a cheerful helper.  Dad had asked Bro. Gooch to help him assemble something and then I ended up helping him. Andy felt bad and said dad told him anytime was fine.  I told him about the lesson you learned of if I ask you to “put away the dishes today” I didn’t actually mean today but right now.  He laughed.

 

We got a lot of rain this week.  I was grateful not to be teaching elementary school. Indoor recess is the worst, in middle school a little rain just makes wet kids, but that’s fine.  I had my formal observation, which went fine & my data meeting with the principal and that went fine too. I’ve been told I’m a good teacher…I don’t know my kids test poorly, they are mostly kind of on the low end so that’s probably why but I wish they were doing better and that I knew how to make that happen.  I got some fancy grinch pants and can’t wait to wear them in December.

 

I got a new counselor today.  Sister Roddy can never come to YW because of Sage’s rowing schedule.  Sister Yachtman is new to our ward and she got called. 

 

I had a most fabulous weekend.  I got to spend 5 hours with Elder Renlund and Sister Renlund.  Also 3 members of the 70.  It was like sitting on the hillside at the sermon on the mount.  It was so instructive and the spirit was so very strong.  I can not even put into words how wonderful it was. Friday night was a fireside for women.  We had 8 stakes in attendance and it was PACKED! I got there 2 hours early and was able to get a seat in the chapel on the nice pews.  I saved a seat for Ann, my counselor, and when she got there we had a great time visiting together. 

Some of the things that were talked about that first night were:

 

How can we make the Savior more real in our lives?  Answer: consistent personal private acts of devotion.  Done by ourselves and most often not witnessed by others but that builds our foundation.  More meaningful prayer.  Reading and studying the scriptures and general conference addresses. Going to the temple. Doing Family History work.  Preparing for and taking the sacrament each week.  Recognizing the hand of the Lord and giving thanks for it in our daily lives.  Quite moments of communing with God. Nothing invites the spirit more than fixing your focus on Jesus Christ.  Make time for the Lord in your daily life. Make the Sabbath a delight. 

(I always wanted to serve a mission and am so glad you have this time of life to concentrate to building your relationship with Jesus)

 

Covid.  (let me interject with in the weeks leading up to the conference women had submitted questions that’s what was answered. I am skipping about half and sharing just a few that I thought would be most interesting to you).

Anyway I guess people are wondering when the temples would be open to full capacity, why the prophet recommended vaccinations and various other covid related concerns.  So Elder Renlund presented the question and then began to his answer like this- Jan 2, 2018 Pres. Thomas S Monson died.  2 weeks later the 14 remaining apostles met in the celestial room to discuss the reorganization of the first presidency.  I (Elder Renlund) was the junior most apostle present.  We went around the room and unanimously agreed that we were to  reorganize the first presidency at that time and that Russel M Nelson would be the prophet.   He then sat in a chair and the 13 of us surrounded him and laid a hand on his head, and the other hand on the shoulder of our fellow apostles.  Dallin Oakes acted as voice.  No sooner than he had said Russel Marion Nelson a spirit that could only be described as pentecostal  in nature filled the room with such peace and joy.  It was such a powerful experience and I know that he is our prophet seer and revelator.  (and when he shared this story the spirit testified to me that this was true).  We have a living prophet he went on and his primary audience, the person he cares about serving and pleasing is, only the Savior Jesus Christ.   Then he went on with some specifics about covid and vaccines and what not but the important messages for me was that we have a living prophet and how amazing is it that the Lord speaks today!

 

He talked about women and the priesthood, repentance, faith crises, wayward children, LGBQ, garments, balance, and Heavenly Mother.

 

Saturday Dad went to Maverick’s first birthday party, Grace went to band, and I went to a 3 hour meeting for YW presidents, RS presidents, Bishops and EQ presidents. It was a smaller group and so, so instructive.  I imagine the school of the prophets was like that.  We were a group of people who spend all their free time serving in their callings and who (at least for now) have calls of responsibility.  You can imagine the spirit that was there and the power in the room.  Elder Meredith (who I love! Remember him from this last conference?) was there.  Elder Amato (who lives in Keenes point and who I told you about before I also love him, he’s super funny!) and Elder Stanfill (who I had never heard before) plus Elder Renlund and Ruth were there to speak to us.  We covered a lot of ground in that time.  They talked about: hymns, how grateful the Lord is for those who serve, the overexpressed guilt gene so many of us have, a culture change that needs to happen, being more than disciples, loving people, transgender issues, being faithful, God’s love, coordination meetings, mental health, unprecedented times, divisiveness, the rated R chapters of the BOM, and the first Nephi 1:1 paradox.

 

I will just share a thought from that meeting that I think will be most beneficial to you.  If you want to know about any of the topics I listed but did not elaborate on I will be happy to share. 

 

So he talked about how we put all our efforts into our callings, our families, trying to be like God but the outcomes aren’t always what we hope for.  We ourselves sin and make mistakes, our children and spouses struggle, we may not baptize anyone or have our YW come every week and stay on the path, or any number of other things that inevitably happen in life.  But he said God does not judge us by outcomes.  He looks at our commitment.  Our commitment to helping God’s children become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. If you do your duty it will be as well with you as if every man embraced the gospel.  Success is measured by commitment. Of course we want so much for everyone to embrace the gospel and live it.  We want everyone to be happy and to do better than we ourselves do but what a blessing that that is not the measuring rod of success.  I loved that.  I can control my commitment and the things I do.  The rest I leave in God’s hands.

 

I felt so lifted up.  I remember at one point looking at Elder Renlund standing up there on the stand and he was talking about Jesus and I knew that he knows Him.  He is His friend.  He speaks for Him and that Jesus loves us so much.  That Jesus is our Redeemer.  What good news! What glad tidings. What a blessed people we are.

 

Bub, I love you so much.  I am so proud of you for going and doing what the Lord commands.  I hope you are using this sacred time to become strong and valiant and to know Jesus so well that you will walk with Him all your days. 

 

Love, Mom"

It was amazing.  I enjoyed the weekend so much and I enjoyed coming home and sharing all that I learned with Rob.  We had some good talks those two nights. I wish every day could be spent being instructed.  We spent a lot of time in the scriptures and one principle that was shared can be found in Matthew.  We follow Jesus as he goes about preaching and teaching and healing.  This goes on for a few chapters and his disciples follow him.  He has many disciples and many followers who enjoy learning at his feet.  Then we get to the part where he laments that he needs servants who are ready to go out and harvest, the field is white and ready.  We can not just be disciples but we have to step it up and go and do.  Jesus gave authority to others to preach, teach and heal.  That authority if found on the earth today and we have a responsibilities to do that.  I love to sit and be taught and to soak it all in and that part is wonderful! (remember Mary?) but we also need to go out and work, to serve, to become His servants.  We can't be like Him until we act like He did.

Elder Renlund loves the hymn "How Firm a Foundation" . He shared with us how special the last verse is to him and testified that the Lord will not desert us and will save us from all the powers of hell.

“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to his foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!”