Week of October 4 - 10, 2020

Highlights:

Spiritual

General Conference Sunday was wonderful again. I know the messages we heard will continue to have meaning and touch my life that I didn't even grasp this weekend. We enjoyed Sunday visits and phone conversations. 

No living ordinances at the temple yet. 

I continue to read the Book of Mormon and study Come Follow Me daily. I also began reading each of the General Conference Talks.

I have indexed 16047 records and reviewed 93543 records so far this year. 

Family

The Wilkins Family

The Wilkins Family is doing well. For General Conference watching, they enjoyed their traditional homemade cinnamon rolls. This month, they celebrate Sunday with special Halloween meals. On Sunday, they ate tasty Tombstone Meatloaf and Ghost Mashed Potatoes. They were really excited! They have decorated the outside of their home with the biggest spooky spider web, complete with a spider named Charlotte. Mike is doing well and had an interview coming up. He is also awaiting word on Amazon positions. Adam continues remote high school and is doing well. Grace is very conscientious about her school work online and keeps her teachers on their toes. Josh spent his no school Friday catching up on some school work. He is supposed to get his orthotics next week sometime. Josh and Sam are also hoping to be able to start soccer-playing soon. Sam has two loose teeth and is looking forward to being added to the classroom loose tooth chart. Allison continues to work at the temple at night and is working hard to help unite their ward Young Women after this difficult separation.

The Ethan Rice Family

Ethan, Cameo, Kaylee and Wade are doing well. Ethan and Cameo continue to work remote from home. Kaylee loves attending school. I love getting her texts when I am out jogging when she is on her way. Cameo says it has made such a difference in her, being able to be with friends and at school. 

On Friday, her school celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness Month and she was very pretty in pink.

We had a good phone facetime visit on Saturday and Wade gave me a tour of their neat Halloween decoration outside. They have the best spider web over their garage door. Cameo has the inside decorated beautifully as well. 

The Doran Rice Family

Doran, Amber, Kelsie and Kooper are doing well. They received the sad news that Kelsie and Kooper will continue remote learning until at least after Christmas. On Friday night, they headed out for a great week vacation in Galveston Texas. There were great deals on hotels since it's hurricane season and they were having a wonderful time! 

Morgan

No news from Morgan this week. 

Kayty

Kayty had a good work week and had lots of overtime. She spent her spare time watching the hockey drafts. Some good and some bad news as some players were let go

One major and one minor save. 

The Nathan Rice Family

Nathan and Jessica, Anna, Ellie and Emma had a good week. They stopped for a visit and playing a couple of times. They really enjoyed the swings on Thursday night. 

They took a nice walk in their neighborhood on Wednesday evening and were able to meet a few more neighbors. We went and watched Anna's soccer game on Saturday. 

They came by later that afternoon and Nathan helped Dad change the oil in my car. 

Dad's Garden

Dad's plants are doing very well. Snow peas are coming up too. He has so many covers and bird netting everywhere that we hope no creature will invade.

Other highlights

I enjoyed nice jogs and walks all week. 

Dad was up before the sun and changed his car oil. 

Work for dad has been so very busy! With only three quality engineers, their days are very full of driving and inspecting on site and then meticulously going through the paperwork to make sure every number and item is verified. He traveled to Tucson on Monday, all over Phoenix and Tempe on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and Friday he drove to Prescott and then to other suppliers. 

This blog and the book I print end up being my family history book. Times have been very difficult and I just haven't recently posted much of the details outside our home and family. I have voted many times and seen many elections, but never before like this. I pray daily for the United States of America and for the Constitution and have all year long, following the counsel I saw from M. Russell Ballard after he spoke in Boston. 

OCTOBER, 2020

Dr. Dobson's Open Letter To Christians Regarding The Election

AUTHOR:

DR. JAMES DOBSON

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Dr. Dobson's October Newsletter

Dear Friends,

This will be my final letter to 800,000 people before Americans cast our ballots on November 3rd. It is a breathtaking moment in the history of the United States. Perhaps I will be permitted to repeat a brief comment I made in my August letter because of its relevance to today. Many political commentators have stated that this election is the most significant since 1864, when Abraham Lincoln vied for a second term against Democratic nominee, George McClellan. The future of our beloved nation hung in the balance that year. If Lincoln had lost, the Civil War would have ended precipitously and the wretched evils of slavery would have remained legal in the Confederate States, and perhaps even in the North. Had Lincoln been defeated, the Union would have been torn asunder. Thank God Mr. Lincoln won, even though it cost him his life!

Now we are approaching another presidential election that carries enormous implications for the stability of our democratic system of government. Indeed, Newt Gingrich said that what we are facing now might bring an end to civilization as we have known it. He may have been referring to a possible revolution. Regardless, I believe his grave concern for our nation is valid. For centuries, America has stood as a shining light for liberty and freedom in our nation and around the globe. If we abandon our founding core values, the world will suffer for it. The binary choice before us is that stark.

How will Americans, and how will you, decide who to vote for as our Chief Executive Officer? I have heard from dozens of friends and acquaintances in recent weeks who tell me they will base their decision solely on a candidate's rhetoric, tone, style, or likeability. Does that describe your thinking process?

Just now, as I was about to react to that idea, my wife, Shirley, brought in an email that she had received a few minutes before from a friend. It quoted an anonymous statement that gets to the heart of the issue, as follows:

"This is not a junior high or high school popularity/personality contest. I'm not voting for the person—I'm voting for the platform!

I'm voting for the Second Amendment. I'm voting for the next Supreme Court justice. I'm voting for the electoral college. I'm voting for the Republic in which we live. I'm voting for the police and law and order. I'm voting for the military and the veterans who fought and died for this country. I'm voting for the flag that is often missing from public events. I'm voting for the right to speak my opinion and not be censored for it. I'm voting for secure borders. I'm voting for the right to praise God without fear. I'm voting for every unborn soul that is at risk of being aborted. I'm voting for freedom and the American dream. I'm voting for good and against evil. I'm not just voting for one person.

I'm voting for the future of my country!"

I couldn't have said it better, although I want to add to the writer's list. I'm also voting for candidates who will exercise sound leadership internationally. I'm voting for those who will support Israel. I'm voting for those who will protect children from leftist curricula. I'm voting for the nation's fiscal integrity. I'm voting for parental rights. I'm voting for school choice and home education. I'm voting for freedom in the suburbs. I'm voting for Little Sisters of the Poor and other Christian organizations. I'm voting for racial unity. I am voting to support "In God we trust" and school prayer. I'm voting for freedom of conscience for physicians and other professionals. I am voting for marriage. I am voting for life in all its dimensions. I am voting against euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. I'm voting for wisdom in handling the pandemic. I am voting for protection for the Church from oppressive politicians.

One final thought: With all respect, this election isn't about you. It certainly isn't about me. It is about our kids and grandkids. It is about those who are yet to come, if they are allowed to live. This vote has awesome implications for future generations and the nation we love. It is about our Constitution and the immutable, God-given rights it protects. It is about values, and truth, and greatness, and hope. That is why the notion of choosing a president based on frivolous personality characteristics is so unfortunate.

In summary, this election is for all the marbles . . . the Presidency, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Supreme Court. Together, they set the agenda for this country.

If you love America and don't want it to be "fundamentally transformed," it is time to do three things:

Pray like never before that God will spare this great nation from tyranny and oppression of religious liberty.

Volunteer to help your candidates.

Vote for the candidates who will best uphold your values and convictions.

Also, consider forwarding this letter to your friends, family, and others whom you might influence.

May God bless America!

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