~Right Place

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Let's Facilitate Some Training
This is Bill and my 2nd semester working with Steve and Jeanne Anderson (who are the most amazing leaders over the Self Reliance Program).  Tonight was our first meeting with a few of our YSA's (young single adults) down at BYU; they're getting trained on how to be facilitators at the Wednesday/Sunday SR classes.

 

Billy and I bring refreshments (usually 20 kids on Sundays and about 150 on Wednesday night which include the Institute kids) and decorate the tables 

(that's mostly my part)! Tonight we had Ice Cream and Apple Pie!

This was at the end of the evening - the table didn't look too exciting by this time!

Jeanne was helping distribute the BYU Creamery ice cream!

There were only 5 kids that showed up tonight, a few had excuses and the others must have had something come up or forgot.  We'll have the huge kickoff Devotional this Sunday with, hopefully, about a hundred kids.

Kierren, our London Church Leader, asked if I got a new hair cut - 

I just pointed out a few of these split ends 😂😉😝!

~welcome, welcome Sabbath morning

We went to church with Willie, Grace, Sadie and Isla!  It was a beautiful day and all the meetings were especially wonderful! During Sacrament Isla shared her stickers with the family down the row!

Sadie concentrated on putting her stickers in her sticker book!

After church Sadie and I were comparing our "cool" (warm) boots!

~what a way to spend a day

The Face to Face event with President Eyring and Elder Holland 
focused on the 2017 Mutual Theme, found in James 1:5–6.

Our grandson, Kobe, shaking hands with one of the Apostles of the Lord!

This worldwide broadcast featured a discussion with President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Face to Face event.  It was held in Palmyra, NY on March 4, 2017.  The kids prepared and practiced together on Friday and were able to spend time with these 2 great men before the Broadcast on Saturday.  There were 2 youth groups joining via video conference from Johannesburg, South Africa and Plymouth, England. Thousands of youth all over the world were streaming this event live!  The last dispensation came about in the early 1800's because a 14 year old boy wanted to know which church he should join.  Joseph Smith read in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him". So that is what Joseph did; he went to the grove behind his home in Palmyra, NY and asked God in sincere prayer.  In response to this prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph and told him the true Church of Jesus Christ was not on the earth and They had chosen Joseph to restore it.

https://www.lds.org/topics/joseph-smith/testimony?lang=eng&old=true

President Eyring: 

“James 1:5 seems to me an ideal theme both for the youth in 2017 and for this Face to Face event.  

Today there are so many ways to find information—some of it true, some of it partially true, and some 

of it completely false. But wisdom, true wisdom, comes from God, and the way to find it hasn’t changed 

since the day James wrote his epistle or the day Joseph Smith read it. I hope the youth will see this 

event as an opportunity to seek wisdom from God and they will find, as Joseph did, ‘the testimony of 

James to be true—that a man [or woman] who lacked wisdom might ask of God, and obtain.”  

Elder Holland: 

“I’ve had the chance to work closely with President Eyring for many years—long before I was a General 

Authority.  I’ve seen his deep spirituality, his wisdom, and most of all his love for the Lord Jesus 

Christ and His gospel. That love carries over to the youth of the Church. I couldn’t be more

 thrilled to accompany him to Palmyra, New York—the birthplace of the Restoration—and 

bear our shared witness of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his divine work.”

I tried to get some whimsical pics of these two great men! Even though most of the meeting was 
filled with warm insight and spiritual knowledge it also showed the sweet side of these disciples of Christ as we gained from their wisdom and understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
President Henry B. Eyring was ordained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 1, 1995 and Jeffrey R. Holland was ordained on June 23,1994.

Kobe and Natasha fielded questions from: the audience, audiences online and from previous questions that were sent  in to face2face.lds.org.  

Such a great hour and a half with this incredible group of people!  

If you missed it you can view it here at: 

https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/face-to-face/eyring-holland?cid=HP_SA_4-3-2017_dPFD_fArchive_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng

~celebration

Monday, February 27, 2017

We got to celebrate again with Baset as friends and ward members wished him "Congratulations" on his Ph.D. Defense Presentation!!  We are so proud of him!

~so fresh and clean

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Our International Ward is in charge of cleaning the church once a month!

Many times I have to ask Billy to take pictures (and then I am in control of the poses 😌) but today he went all out with the snaps and did a fine job!

 

Unfortunately, there are only about 12 adults that show up to clean each 

time so it takes us a bit longer to get the whole building cleaned!

I have to wear the mask cuz, even though all the cleaning supplies

 are diluted, all of them seem to have a large amount of 

windex in them so the products all smell pretty toxic!

This is Eowyn, her family was here today and she is a real hard worker!  

She also happens to be in my Sunday School Class and is the Best!!!!

Billy loves to tease all the kids and they all think he is pretty funny 

(which he is 😜😜😜)!

Oh, and as a reward we went out for a 
little Mexican food afterwards! Scrumptious!

~git bizzy

Bill and I wore many hats at church today~
Sunday, February 19, 2017

When we first arrived at church I had to go and set up 2 separate class rooms then get back to the Chapel and find someone to pass out the fliers/announcements (that we had made the night before).  I then got the Hymn numbers for the Sacrament songs up on the board and begin playing the prelude music. Everyone else in the Branch Presidency were out of town so Bill ended up conducting.  Last Sunday the Branch President asked Bill and I to speak in Sacrament today, so we both spoke.  I played the piano (I had mentioned this once before in a blog but I didn't clarify that I do not know how to play the piano - it is a "self-playing" piano/organ so I just get to sit there and look awesome - yes, I mean AWESOME!  I just think it is spectacular if someone actually knows how to play the piano [my sister-in-law, Cindy] so I will assume that that is how everyone feels about me when I am up there as well (wink, wink)😜😜!)!

After Sacrament meeting I run downstairs to my SS class and spent the next hour with those 

adorable teens.  After Sunday School I run back upstairs to be in the nursery with Charlie (Chantel
was sick today).  There was another gal running the nursery while we were back in the States over Christmas vacation but she got a new calling and was released.  They didn't have a nursery leader anymore and since all the kids graduated to the older Primary class, except Charlie and Chantel, these 2 had just been going to Sharing Time and then just playing with toys the last hour.  I love the nursery and felt that there was no reason to not spend the last hour in there with them and get the program running like before!  I must say that with me being out of the nursery for just a couple months I was a little surprise that my organized closet was in such a disarray.  During snack time, while Charlie ate, I re-organized, got rid of stuff, and cleaned up the closet! Phew ~ it feels like home again!

Bill was also  asked to speak in one of the Primary classes!
Needless to say it was a very "bizzy" day!

SIDE NOTE: The piano thing is a hoot!  It is bit tricky cuz after each verse you have to push "start" to begin the next verse and it has a pause before you can push it so sometimes my chorister (usually a YW) waits a couple seconds waiting for me to start the music cuz I wait a few beats too long or I'll accidentally double push the button cuz I'm too anxious worried about me being late with the beat.  Pretty funny - I also have to make sure I push the "intro" button before each song, then the "start" button for the first verse ~ it is very complicated!  And if that's not bad enough I have to hurry (especially if there are no announcements) and find the Sacrament song and get it up and ready right after our opening song or there is a big wait!!!  So stressful 😂 They should have these piano's everywhere - they are the bomb!  I should go practice and see if I could get used to using the organ part! - Oh and sometimes the hymns in the piano do not coordinate with the hymn numbers in the book and we've had to change a song midstream during the meeting (like the week before when I tried to pull up the Sacrament song and it came up with a number that was different than the number in the hymn book -  I had to go over and tell Bill to tell the BP and then I went back and changed the numbers on the board - talk about pressure 😜!)!

~teacher, teacher

having the time of my life~

I always thought teaching the youth Sunday School class at Church would be the best calling in the whole world . . . guess what? . . .   I Was Right!!  I have the opportunity to teach the 12 to 18 year olds each Sunday and I am loving it! Not only is it a great calling ALL the kids in the class are outstanding!!  I mean REALLY!

We have a YM (young man) and a YW (young woman) from Nigeria, a brother and sister from the Philippines, 1 YM from Sri Lanka, 1 YW that parents are Cambodian/American and 3 YW from America!  It is a diverse class with spirit, strength and courage! They have such great attitudes and a love of the scriptures!  They challenge me and each other!
The fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ is designed to bring about man's immortality and eternal life. It includes the 3 pillars of Eternity; the Creation, Fall, and the Atonement, along with all God-given laws, ordinances, and doctrines.  This plan makes it possible for all people to be exalted and live forever with God (2 Nep 2,9).  The scriptures also refer to this plan as the plan of salvation, the plan of exaltation, the plan of redemption and the plan of happiness.

For January we studied about the Godhead. We learned that there are 3 separate persons in the Godhead: God, the Eternal Father; his Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost. We believe in each of them (AoF 1:1). From latter-day revelation we learn that the Father and the Son have tangible bodies of flesh and bone and that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit, without flesh and bone (D&C 130:22-23). These three persons are one in perfect unity and harmony of purpose and doctrine.**  

 The Holy Ghost is the true teacher and I can only hope and pray that I can teach these precious children about the nature of the Godhead and that they can gain a testimony of these sacred things.
These Young Women and Young Men respect and revere their Heavenly Father and their older brother, Jesus Christ.  They know the names of Deity are sacred and use them with reverence. I am so proud of them!  I LOVE SUNDAY'S!

** https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/god-godhead?lang=eng&letter=g

~all around the mulberry bush

welcome~

Reverence is an attitude of deep respect and love for Heavenly Father 
and Jesus Christ. It is much more than being quiet and sitting still during 
a lesson, although our reverence is often evident in the way we act at 
church and in other sacred places. As we strive to become more reverent, 
we will feel the influence of the Holy Ghost more strongly in our lives.
 

Each Sunday (before Sacrament Meeting) we set up 3 of the 7 
stations of the Nursery (it's a little more like a junior primary class 
~18 mos to 6yr olds)! We do this early so that right when the children 
start gathering for a fun filled day . . . we. are. ready. !!!

   

 

 

Our "Welcome Song" is alway so fun! 
I'm not sure who gets more excited about it ~ me or the kids!!!
"Kobe, Kobe we're glad you're here today, Kobe, Kobe won't you stay and play?" 
I've been singing this Welcome Song since the first time I was in the nursery.  
(Kobe is my 15 year old(est) grandson)!

 
Our newest member of the Nursery is Sasha Evans - she is a Canadian Elementary School Teacher and we are lucky to have her in the nursery with us!

Anna paid me the highest compliment today!  After class her Mom, Michele, 
came up and said that Anna wouldn't leave the house until she got, "a headband like Sister Matthews'."  Is that not the sweetest thing in the whole wide world!?!   IT MADE MY DAY!