I just realized there are a few things I really should mention from 2013....
Nathan and Serita got married!
...December 14 in the St George Temple.
So glad to have another daughter and another grandson!
We now have 2 Liams!
AND, we had 10 of our 16 grandchildren wake up in our home in Cedar Hills for Christmas!
Sure missed the other 6!
Oh wait, this post is supposed to be about NOT traveling...
So, back to our other home in merry old England!
Seriously, this year is flying by already.
Because I have traveled more than normal with Rick,
I had to stop and think hard about the other things I have done since Christmas.
I realize the most noteworthy things are churchy.
We do a lot of that here....churchy things.
And I love it.
It feels good, makes me happy, and makes me a better person.
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Here is a facebook post from January 19:
Arrived at the Hyde Park Chapel to meet Rick and head to the Lea Valley chapel where we were both on stake assignment to speak. Looked in my bag and my talk was not there. What to do. We had an hour tube/walking trip to Lea Valley...no time to take the 35-45 minutes to head back home for it. All I could do was hop on the tube, pull out a notebook and start writing a talk again...minus all my cool family history quotes, of course. Actually went quite well, but hope I never do that again!
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Here is a facebook post from January 26:
Happiness is sitting through 3 hours of church with a person you visit teach who hasn't been to church for 26 years, sending her home with a Book of Mormon, Gospel Principals manual, an appointment with the Sister missionaries, and another appointment for Visiting Teaching this week. Then another 3 hours of meetings with the YSAs, baptism of 4 people, and the CES Devotional...gone from home 11 1/2 hours...dinner eaten at 9 p.m. Life is good!!!
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...And one from January 29:
Done.
Finished.
Four years and almost four months later, I have again finished reading "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ".
Why did it take so long? Reading every footnote as I went along took time. And who knew that occasionally you can spend two weeks on one chapter...or three days on one verse....
My conclusion? No doubt in my mind and heart that this is the word of God, that He lives and knows me personally, and that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer.
Only regret? That I didn't keep a journal through this amazing experience.
Finished.
Four years and almost four months later, I have again finished reading "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ".
Why did it take so long? Reading every footnote as I went along took time. And who knew that occasionally you can spend two weeks on one chapter...or three days on one verse....
My conclusion? No doubt in my mind and heart that this is the word of God, that He lives and knows me personally, and that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer.
Only regret? That I didn't keep a journal through this amazing experience.
...And more...that I didn't share on Facebook...
We had the missionaries and an investigator over for dinner one night,
and were thrilled to be able to participate in a discussion.
When she chose to be baptized, she asked me to speak at her baptism,
and asked Rick to confirm her.
It was awesome to be involved in her conversion process.
It is even more amazing to watch as she grows in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I was also given a rare opportunity to attend a training for about 16
Area Family History Advisers from Europe...
Let's just say that spending all day on a Saturday with Family History experts and then half of that day also with 4 members of the Quorum of the Seventy,
and receive training on
"Hastening the Work of Salvation"...
WOW!
and again...
WOW!
I feel so blessed as the love, purpose, and importance of Family History
burns even more brightly in my heart!
If you thought I was obsessed before....just you wait!
And my dear friend whom I Visit Teach and is finding her way back to the Church...
I love every moment I spend with her.
Her yearning to know and figure out and gain a true testimony
inspires me.
Her delight to understand more about the Priesthood and have enough
faith and courage to ask Rick for blessings
thrills me.
I am strengthened as we interact together.
As Rick Home Teaches in 3 different wards,
together we Home Teach 11 people in one of those wards,
and I Visit Teach in one ward,
plus we both work with the Young Single Adults,
spending Sundays and 2-4 evenings a week at the church,
plus Rick is on the High Council,
plus I help man the Family History Centre...
our lives are very busy, full, and churchy.
This is a very amazing time of life for us.
A time of learning.
A time of growth.
A time of introspection.
A time of service.
A time of missing our family.
A time of joy.
A time of sadness.
A time to strengthen.
A time to be strengthened.
A time to count our blessings.
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