Long month

Does anyone else feel like April has gone on forever??? Maybe its just me then. Nothing much has happened. Matt and i started a financial peace university class together on Thursdays. It's a 13 week course, we have already been twice. its good, hasn't taught us anything we didn't know, but forces you to look at your finances and figure out where everything is going. It also points out things we should be saving for like tires for the car, car maintanace and repairs, stuff like that- usually we just cut back on something else the month those things have to be payed for..needless to say this way is better. I think we have thought more about our budget and where money is going more these last 2 weeks than ever before! we have sat down and worked on a budget on at least 3 seperate occasions, Until we are both happy with it and sure we havent forgotten anything!

What else? Emma sang in the choir for the preprimary play. Considering the oldest person in the show was 6, They where amazing! it was about the 3 billy goats gruff, it lasted about 30 mins but it was great.They sang a lot. Next year when she has a part we will remember to bring the camera!

Emma gave her first talk in primary today, she has said prayers and recited scriptures but this was her first talk. Of course she only told me about the talk this morning but i managed to write a talk out and get her to memorize most of it before she gave it in Primary. Her very proud daddy was with her to give her prompts, and every one told her and us what a great job she did! hopefully next time we will have a bit more notice!( note to self Ask Emma every sunday if she has an assignment)

Matt is going to be on call from Tuesday for 2 weeks the first week isnt a big deal as he is a secondary so will only be called if something goes majorly wrong and the person on call needs help. The second week though.....he will be the first called so heres hoping for a smooth week that week.

The other news is that Matt was granted his H1B visa(work visa) for october, so we are here for the next 3 years!!! Emma and I will have H4 visa's so i still cant study or work but i will get over it!

we have had quite a few beautiful not too hot not too cold days lately and Friday evening we introduced Buddy(our puppy) to the beach what fun he of course tried to drink the water, eat a dead crab and catch the sticks that matt threw into the sea, since he is a snifer we arent confident about letting him of his lead yet ,so i had to hold the lead and be pulled into the water! we also found out that buddy can indeed swim!! anyway we all had a great evening there, but now buddy needs a wash!

So I have been thinking about Marriage and the Gospel a lot lately. I was thinking how in our marriage we make decisions about wether to grow closer or further apart with every kind or angry word or deed we do. These choices are made daily. So to it is in our relationship with the saviour, every day we can and do make the decision wether to move closer to, or further from Him. Are we living his word- the gospel -the way we should? are we striving to improve or are we just going through the motions. Both have consequences but only one will result in happiness. I guess the reason i have been thinking about this is because we have been looking more at our choices regarding how we spend our money.. Sometimes we lose sight of the bigger picture and when this happens you know we are moving in the wrong direction!

Any way heres to the end of April woohooo!!!

Easter

Where is my BABY???????

She looks so much older! so SO so different

she loves it! her hair looks a lot thicker, and her fringe orbangs whatever you want to call it is short enough to be out of her eyes and long enough that we can put a clip in it if we want
but my BABY *sniffle sniffle* is gone!!!


In other news and luckily you cant really see it but she got a black eye at school yesterday! her 'best friend' either jumped on her nose or kicked her in the eye she told me both things at different times yesterday its her right eye and if you look really closely at the pic you might see her eyelid is a little swollen but i doubt you will see the purple!

conference weekend

so what was your favourite part? favourite talk? favourite line?
Mine was Elder Holland's talk , as soon as he stood up i said uh oh the heavy hitter! i didnt take any notes i just cried the whole way through it did encourage me to ask matt for a blessing which i have wanted for a while now but didnt want to ask for.

this has been an amazing conference

Tia the flash card worked better than any conference activity pack i have ever used!!! Emma payed attention in the 3 sessions we used them in and in the last session didn't care about the candy!

i cant wait to get the conference Ensign to re read all the wonderful uplifting hope giving talks!

i put down all my thoughts in the previous posts read if you want, but dont feel obliged they are long!!!

final session of 179th annual general conferance

Dallin H Oaks

unselfish service, deny your own wants and serve
missionary service
temple work
"Forget yourself and go to work"
lose yourself in the Lords service,
you can never love the lord until you serve his people

Sacrifice our time and talents
work in cooperative ways in the community
faith leads us to service

you cant be a life saver by looking like all the other swimmers on the beach

nothing but God will make you happy

sacrifice is out of fashion

the 'ME' generation

entitlement is selfish ,blessings are obtained by obedience to the law upon which it is predicated

getting something for nothing is contrary to gospel

attitudes in attending church-
dont go to church for me go for others to think of others to say hello..etc
we are happier and more fulfilled for what we give not what we get.

David A Bednar
in the ordinances of the temple we more fully take upon us the name of Jesus Christ

blessing of protection from going to the temple

we do now and will face great challenges to the work of the lord, but God will never us forsake

use your temple recommends,


Gary E Stevenson

You are never lost when you can see the temple, guidepost so you dont get lost in the mists of darkness

pitch your tents toward the temple

visit temple more often

young children should visit temple grounds
we can make our homes a house of the lord

understanding the eternal nature of the family will draw us to the temple, the temple

say temple as if it is capitilized
Temple House of the Lord Home

the ultimate purpose of all we teach is to unite families eternally,
make your sacred home the house of the Lord

Jose A.Teixeira
we are not alone
the ability and power to choose is a gift
choices have consequences attached which may or may not be immediately identifiable
we have an internal gps -right and wrong because of the light of christ-conscience
maintain a strong signal with the divine

follow the prophets and receive the blessings promised

F. Michael Watson

book of mormon will bring us closer to the saviour than any other book,
pray with thankfulness

L Tom Perry
are we missing in action? when friends neighbours and family members need us
3 objectives for the members of the church
it becometh every man who has been warned to warn his neighbour
we should be finding people to hear the gospel so the missionaries can concentrate on teaching

open your mouth,
the good shephard is calling after you, dont let a ravenous wolf in among us so we will not be destroyed

lost ewe

President Monson
study the messages and apply them in your life
live closer to the lord
pray always
express love to your children ,pray for them
word of caution: avoid destructive content wherever they may be, be clean...dont let satan entice you down any path
if you have a problem with pornography STOP NOW (at least i felt he was saying it in caps!)
going to the temple is a privilege

sunday morning session

Elder Uchtdorf

running from one idea to the next to find the answers to the souls questions,
all ideas fall short
the gospel of Jesus Christ can unlock the door to true happiness,

the more we are filled with the spirit the more we extend ourselves to others,
to keep your testimony strong
..stay with it!
nourish it

get of the sidelines and practice what we preach
strengthen family by commiting to live the gospel
start where you are, it is always the right time to walk in his way, it is never to late.


Elder Neil L. Anderson
(newest member of quorum of 12)
You are a nobody if you ever forget it the lord will remind you and it wont be pleasant
-said by pres packer at a stake conferancethat elder Anderson was attending with him

be a light to the world

we are not alone in wanting to good or in praying to our Father in Heaven,

there is much we can learn from the good people all around us, we must not shrink what is uniquely found , Priesthood, Book of Mormon, Prophets of God


Elder Steven E Snow-presidency of the seventy

change is essential,
how can we prepare for change
-follow the prophets
listen to what they say they offer
- keep eternal perspective
-have faith
move forward with faith as we face a world of negativity, faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind
- be of Good cheer!!
He has not forsaken us
laughter and a good sense of humor can help with the bumps of life

how do we deal with unexpected set backs? same way!

Sister Barbara Thompson-counselor in relief society presidency

each of us will at some point be poor in some way and need help are we not all beggars?


Elder Jeffrey R Holland

i didnt take any notes, i just cried

President Monson

it would be easy to become cynical about the future,
focus instead on our blessings as members of the church
make Saviour center of our lives
persevere
pray
our knowledge of the gospel and the testimony of Jesus and our Father in heaven will sustain us and bring joy into our hearts,

heavens blessings await us

saturday afternoon session

we instituted the hear this word and show me the picture on your flash card and get candy.....emma had 2 before the choir started singing... its gonna be a lucrative session for emma i reckon maybe i shouldnt have used this as the candy



new rules!!!! everytime she hears one she gives us the card until she has heard most or all of the words!!!! that way maybe we can keep sugar overload at bay!!!!!


presentation of general authorities etc

wow sunday school presidency and sunday school board all released and also the young mens preidency ... changes happening??

robert W cantwell
managing director of church auditing?
Brook P Hales
church numbers etc

Elder M. Russell Ballard
listen and learn... some of lifes most meaningful leassons come from those who have walked before you

parents and others..examples of faith..duplicate

for your most important questions - scriptures,
learn form history and others lives and dont repeat it
pride cycle throughout scriptures..

our choices individually and collectively result in spiritual consequences for us and our posterity.

boundaries of good taste and public decency are being pushed to the point that there are hardly any boundaries at all

pride cycle- where are we today in the cycle

you dont have to spend time being a laman or a lemual to know that being nephi or jacob would be better.

meaning and message should be written on your hearts.
be open and receptive to the influence of the spirit in your lives.
you cannot do a google search to gain a testimony, you cant txt faith!!!!-LOVE THIS!

Quentin L Cook

Stumbling blocks to faith

when we live according to the gospel we are looked on favourably
our attitude toward other churches-they do much good,repsect and appreciation towards those with differing beliefs...

love teach and never give up, persuade all men to repentence

Kevin K Pierson

True faith must be centered in jesus christ
faith is a spiritual gift
do your children know that you know

faith -an attitude of complete obedience

personal righteousness is a choice

continually holding fast to true principles nothing wavering

opposition in all things,

6 destructive d
doubt-not a principle of gospel, negative emotion inconsistence with our divine iddentities as children of God

Discouragment.inevitable part of life but need not lead
destraction
lack of diligence
disobedience
disbelief- decision

all attack and erode our faith

choose faith not fear

Rafeal L Pino

Their tragedy helped them live more faithfully so they can be worthy to be parents to their daughter who died at 3.

there is no tragedy in death

adversity touches everyone being in the gospel just means we can be more ready to face it confidently.

Richard G Scott

when a temple is nearby , set goals to go to it so other things dont get in the way

what is there that is more important?

leave enough time so you are unhurried

remove your watch

we can do the best we can the final outcome is up to the Lord

when we keep the temple covanents and live faithfully come what may we have no reason to dismay or feel despondant.

Russell M Nelson

salutation to our father
respect and worshipful attitude
request for spiritual nourishment
acknowledge

lords prayer serves as a pattern to follow not as a prayer to repeat

pray to be of one heart and one mind with our leaders,

if companionship of the holy ghost is that important we should pray for it too

ways in which our prayers can be enhanced
song of the righteos
fasting- 24hrs is plenty- dont do too much or uncessery

length of our prayer
Public prayers should not become unscheduled sermons, private prayers can be long but public should be short

language formal and proper, thee thou thy and thine these words help us be humbe and can enhance our prayers

we should pray whenever we desire. counsel the Lord in all things, dont cease to pray in our hearts

pray with faith and trust

the flash card game worked wonders it made Emma pay attention and we had to listen harder to make sure she wasnt trying it on!!!!

all in all the only card she had left was Pioneers.....maybe we missed it? anyone hear it?

all in all since she got 3 before we changed the rules she got a total of 18 rolls of smarties ...

hope you all enjoyed this session I definately did!

conference opening session

A great opening session of conference! definately lots of talks i will enjoy re reading! Hope you enjoyed it too



President Monson, opening remarks

Neal L Anderson called as newest member of the quorum of the 12

53,000 missionaries,

serving each other helps the Lord accomplish his work


Elder Robert D Hales
children are growing up in times of economic uncertanty

some debt may be necessary but when we cant control our wants we get into unneccessary debt,

hope in the saviour and the doctrines ofhis gospel
,
Our situation is not beyond his reach
wont suffer beyond what we can endure
"get thee behind me satan" learn to say
learn to ask for help

what s a provident provider
we are all responsible to provide for ourselves and our family
avoid excesive debt, "thou shalt not covet"

debt weakens relationships

how to overcome temporal wanting- addiction of wanting things

we cant afford it- 4 most caring words

are you buying this for yourself?- is the purpose of this gift to show you love me and are a great provider or so you can look better,

we can afford it but we dont need it

pay tithing, fast offering

family budget

dont satisfy every immediate want

the appetite for worldly things can only be overcome by turning to the Lord



Margeret S Lifferth- primary presidency

great need to nourish youth and children, respect and reverence,
showing respect to each other are critical for youth and children
are we being the examples we need to be

teach line upon line
self mastery is root of self respect


Michael A. Neider- young men presidency

to discern message of spirit priesthood must do their homework

seems like this will be a good talk for young men and their leaders to use.

Allan F Packer

though there are serious challenges ahead this is still a wonderful time to live, these are the days when prophecies are being fullfilled

we need to recognize prompting from the spirit, we need to practise and apply gospel principles until they become automatic, we need to be aquainted with the spirit




Elder D. Todd Christofferson

we need strong christians who can persevere , make important things happen through faith.

covenants supply strength

in times of stress let your covenants be paramount


Elder Henry B Eyring


God gave us the gift of living in mortality so we can recieve the gift of immortal life

we must be transformed through making righteous choices

Book of mormon is the assurance that the Lord has the power to comfort us


if you endure the trials and afflictions well- you will be exalted
we are being prepared for eternal life. Accept trials as an opportunity to grow.

did we do everything we could to prepare for these times??

dont let tragedy erode your faith