Highlights:
Spiritual
With our start to Sunday (See the Nathan Rice Family portion), Dad and I took Anna to church with us, and she was able to attend her Sunbeam class. We kept the girls happy so Nathan and Jessica to get some sleep after their sleepless night prior. Our Prophet, Russell M Nelson, was speaking at the State Farm Stadium that night, and we had been given three tickets, but Kayty did not want to go, and we thought the girls might need playmates, so we gave our tickets back and were given the URL so we could watch with Nathan and Jessica on the computer. Talks by President and Sister Nelson, and President and Sister Oaks were wonderful. I learned so much, especially from the talks given by the sisters. This is the piece he was invited to share in the Arizona Republic...
I attended a session a the temple on Tuesday morning and Dad attended a session on Thursday evening.
My cub scouts were a bit difficult, with eleven boys, but we did well and accomplished what we set out to do. Dad did not have scouts due to a Valentines Day dance.
I am still reading the Ensign magazine and read from my Book of Mormon every day.
I have indexed 3893 records and reviewed 3906 records so far this year.
My wife, Wendy, and I visited Paradise, Calif., last month to meet with and comfort those affected by the horrific Camp Fire that left as many as 86 dead and destroyed more than 18,000 structures last November.
When we planned our visit, we had no way of knowing that just 40 hours prior to our leaving, we would lose our daughter Wendy to cancer.
We flew to California with heavy hearts.
In Paradise, we witnessed utter devastation. The city was destroyed. The aftermath was staggering — families homeless, businesses gone, children still haunted by the night they fled for their lives.
But that tragedy also revealed the best of humanity — first responders racing to help others as their own homes burned, families helping older neighbors out of harm’s way, residents and neighbors working tirelessly to help the refugees.
Faith is a force for good in this world
As we tried to comfort those still reeling from the disaster, they seemed more concerned about how we were doing in our time of loss.
As we tearfully looked into each other’s hearts, the blackened chimneys and a sea of ash seemed to fade into the background. Our shared faith that God would heal our hearts and help us rebuild our lives knit our hearts together in love and allowed us to experience “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). We flew home sobered by what we had seen but also inspired by the goodness of so many. We were comforted by the reassurance that God watches over His suffering children.
If there is anything I’ve learned in my 94 years of living, it is that a life with God is far better — more filled with hope — than one without Him. Faith in God is, and has always been, the pre-eminent force for good in this world. It is the most enduring source of peace for minds and hearts.
What we experienced in Paradise, with men and women whose hearts were open to God, stands in stark contrast to much of what we see in the world today. I fear that many are standing on the edge of a spiritual and emotional precipice. Not long ago, belief in God was a given and expressions of faith the norm.
But in recent years, we have experienced a shift from a world in which it seemed impossible not to believe in God to one in which faith is simply an option — and far too often subject to ridicule.
Humans were made to seek meaning
When God is removed from our collective conscience, there are sobering ramifications. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, formerly Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth, insisted that “what the secularists forgot is that Homo sapiens is the meaning-seeking animal."
"If there is one thing the great institutions of the modern world do not do, it is to provide meaning” ("Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence" [2015], 13).
Indeed, human souls yearn to understand the purpose of life and to realize that God knows and cares about them.
As a young surgical resident at the University of Minnesota Hospitals in the early 1950s, I was on the research team that built the heart-lung machine that allowed the first surgical access to the open, beating human heart.
Working alongside brilliant minds (there and elsewhere) was exhilarating. But human intelligence has its limits. As a surgeon, I repaired hundreds of hearts. But my skills could not heal heartache, or erase grief, or salve emotional wounds. Nothing man-made can ever approach what God can do for His children.
The most able minds cannot offer redemption from sin or heal our hearts from emotional pain. They cannot generate enduring hope or joy. They cannot promise life after death or the potential of being with our loved ones beyond the grave. They cannot generate peace of mind.
But God can. Our spiritual DNA is His DNA. If our hearts are open to Him — if we believe in the divinity of the Father and His Son — we can rise from the ashes of our lives and become the men and women we were sent to earth to become.
Only He knows how to repair hearts
After three decades of doing cardiac surgery around the world, I thought I knew a little something about repairing hearts. Then I was called as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. In that moment, my focus shifted instantly to healing hearts another way — by turning all who will listen to the Master Healer, Jesus the Christ.
For the last 35 years, I have traveled the world, meeting with millions of men and women in more than 130 countries. I’ve witnessed the effects of poverty and wealth, seen the impact of education and the lack thereof, met the high in station and the humblest of souls, and been gratified by humanitarian outreach from so many who care deeply about the human condition — including the Church I now have the privilege of leading.
But the most profound thing I’ve witnessed is the unrivaled difference that belief in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, has in a person’s life. There is simply nothing to compare with the refining, ennobling strength and meaning that come into the life of a devoted believer and servant.
This is not to suggest that faith in God eliminates challenges. It does not. We will all experience the vicissitudes of life.
Financial stress, ill health, fractured relationships and dreams, personal loss, unfairness at the hands of conspiring men and women — each of these can fill our hearts with anxiety and fear.
But it is my conviction that our Savior can strengthen and enable us to reach our highest highs and be able to cope with our lowest lows. As an ordained Apostle of Jesus Christ, I invite you to seek to know for yourself that He is the Master Healer. He has the capacity to heal you from sin and sadness, from despair and heartache. I saw this healing balm among the people of Paradise, and I have felt it personally again and again, including recently in the passing of our precious daughter.
Whatever your faith tradition or personal circumstances, as a servant of the Lord, I invite you to look to Him and make Him the center of your life. Pour out your heart to God and ask Him for His help. He will infuse your life with meaning and fill your heart with hope that transcends anything the world can offer.
Russell M. Nelson is president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
My cub scouts were a bit difficult, with eleven boys, but we did well and accomplished what we set out to do. Dad did not have scouts due to a Valentines Day dance.
I am still reading the Ensign magazine and read from my Book of Mormon every day.
I have indexed 3893 records and reviewed 3906 records so far this year.
Family
The Wilkins Family
Wilkins had a busy but very good week. While they save and search for a new washing machine, family folding has gone
Marie Kondo and Adam spent his time of gratitude for his belongings by remembering who (female) saw him in that outfit.
Sam has become the family gift giver and spends every day meticulously locating and wrapping gifts for his family members.
Mike was busy fixing the car and painting the bathroom on his days off.
The Ethan Rice Family
I spoke via FaceTime with the family on Friday night. Ethan's front tooth that chipped off is in the process of being repaired, but the temporary looks good. He has been very busy hanging drywall and the basement looks amazing!
The kids had Valentine's Day Parties at school.
"Kaylee’s Class was asked to make their own Valentine boxes. Daddy was excited about the project, and thought it would be fun to make it out of wood instead of using a old shoe box. We used various colors of spray paint, stencils, and stickers."
The kids had Valentine's Day Parties at school.
"Kaylee’s Class was asked to make their own Valentine boxes. Daddy was excited about the project, and thought it would be fun to make it out of wood instead of using a old shoe box. We used various colors of spray paint, stencils, and stickers."
The Doran Rice Family
Doran and Amber had a good week and are still house hunting.
Morgan
I spoke with Morgan, Aimee and Emileigh on Friday. They are doing well, and are looking for a new place to live. They went to a nearby beach recently, and they shared some pics
Kayty
Kayty had a great first full week of official full time employment. She selected insurance coverage, and even found out benefits. She was given some vacation credit for her time worked in the year prior, so she took Friday off and headed to Vegas to visit Allison and family.
The Nathan Rice Family
Late Saturday, Nathan was working on a project on the table saw. A piece of wood became caught in the blade and has he used the appropriate tool to flip it out, it ended up launching toward him, hitting his head and right eye at full force. Jessica heard his yells and woke us up. Dad tried to stop the immense bleeding, but when he saw Nathan's eye, he rushed both Jessica and Nathan to Thunderbird Hospital Emergency room. They were treated right away, and while the cut was severe, they were more concerned with the eye. Two CT scans were performed, and he was sent home early Sunday morning with a patch on his eye and orders to remain sitting up, both awake and asleep. He did this for the two days until he was checked at an ophthalmologist referred by the ER department, who then told them that the Emergency Department had totally messed up his treatment. The expensive CT scans were totally unnecessary, and the microscopes available in that department would have been the better treatment, as well as a pressure test. (thus a fight with the hospital over unnecessary charges and treatment is in the future). Monday was spent resting, and the rest of the week, Nathan took it easy and didn't drive. Insurance was finally worked out on Thursday morning, so they decided on a good doctor for Jessica and the baby. Friday, the doctor liked the progress of the eye healing, but wants to check again next week. Nathan worked late to make up for hours missed, and they had a good Friday afternoon/evening shopping for Valentine discounts. He helped get the trailer prepped for repair.
Dad's Garden
While the garden does very well, we are still waiting to replace plants lost to the freeze. Cold weather is still in the forecast, which is totally unusual! I am still getting peas and carrots, plus a lot of cherry and roma tomatoes.
Other highlights
Dad had a good week at work and made much progress on assigments, plus had a great interview to be a transition manager.
I have been Marie Kondo-ing the kitchen. The island cupboards now only have things I love and use often in them, and things were moved to the hut that I love but do not use very often. Shelves are clean, labels are installed, and my car is full of things to take to Deseret Industries.
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