The Challenges and struggles in life!

We have been visiting with a special young couple that just had their first baby about three and half weeks ago and it passed away about 10 days ago. They knew early in the pregnancy that the baby would have deformities   They chose not to abort the baby as they were encouraged to do, but instead carry it and give birth. The baby was taken several weeks early as the mother developed high blood pressure.

At his birth they were told he would probably pass away within 24 hrs and nothing was done to keep him going,  but he surprised everyone and kept living and breathing so they hooked him up to oxygen, IV fluids and other monitors in the baby intensive care unit. He had such a sweet spirit and kept fighting to live so he became the Hero of the NICU.  Even with some deformities the parents loved that baby. The parents would stroke him, talk to him and sing to him.  They so loved their little boy and it was obvious that he loved them. Finally they could hold him and snuggle him and kiss him for a little while at a time and she could pump breast milk and tube feed it to him.  They purchased a small stuffed animal to put in the incubator with him.   Most of their family members lived too far away so they were mostly by themselves with the ward members supporting them well. 

A couple of times they thought they would loose him but he kept going.  Finally he became too weak to struggle further   They told the parents he was getting too weak to keep fighting and all the NICU things were just prolonging his misery--even just giving him oxygen made him struggle more.  So  the parents decided they wanted to take him home where it was peaceful and quiet with no bells and whistles to keep disturbing him and where they could enjoy him as a little family even if only for a short time.  Carefully they transported him home and took oxygen just in case he needed it.

 After arriving at home, they held him, talked with him, hugged him, kissed him and sang to him.  The Dad talked to him of wanting to throw the football with him and other things and would miss him but was so glad they had been able to spend time together for awhile. The mother told him she loved carrying him in her tummy and holding and feeding him since birth and that she would miss him terribly.  They carefully placed him in his darling little crib with his stuffed  animal to sleep and the parents went to bed where they were able to relax for the first time in weeks. When the mother awakened, she knew even before looking that he had passed away.

 This couple is a special couple.  They have been members for one to two years. It meant so much to them when their home teacher told them that the main purposes we come to earth is to get a body and have choices.  They gave him that opportunity. 

They were also very happy and grateful for us to give them this article from the church web site that explained that when we are resurrected we will receive a perfected body

    http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/special-lessons?lang=eng&query=Elder+Rasband,+"special+lessons"

(if you can't get this,  let me know and I will copy and paste the article)

They were also happy to know that the mothers will be able to raise their children, who passed away in childhood after they are resurrected.  This is found here:

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church;  Joseph Smith Chapter 14, Words of consolation at the time of Death.   
http://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-14?lang=eng

I will quote this here:

"President Joseph F. Smith, the sixth President of the Church, reported: “Joseph Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child that was laid away in death would come up in the resurrection as a child; and, pointing to the mother of a lifeless child, he said to her: ‘You will have the joy, the pleasure and satisfaction of nurturing this child, after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of its spirit.’ …

“In 1854, I met with my aunt [Agnes Smith], the wife of my uncle, Don Carlos Smith, who was the mother of that little girl [Sophronia] that Joseph Smith, the Prophet, was speaking about, when he told the mother that she should have the joy, the pleasure, and the satisfaction of rearing that child, after the resurrection, until it reached the full stature of its spirit; and that it would be a far greater joy than she could possibly have in mortality, because she would be free from the sorrow and fear and disabilities of mortal life, and she would know more than she could know in this life. I met that widow, the mother of that child, and she told me this circumstance and bore testimony to me that this was what the Prophet Joseph Smith said when he was speaking at the funeral of her little daughter.”^8''

We attended the viewing and the graveside service Wednesday sept 5. It was an open casket and the baby was dressed so darling in a baby blue suit and blanket.  It was so touching to see how much the mother and father loved this baby. There was such a strong sweet loving spirit there.  I felt at the viewing and graveside service that the baby was very grateful and happy that his parents gave him life.

Visiting with them in their home later,  I related to them an experience that I had  about 30 years ago.

"I remember attending a meeting where A woman from the Relief Society General Board who helped intitate the adoption services for the church spoke and told the story of speaking in England about the adoption program the church has and she was wondering why she was the one asked to do this.  After the meeting a young women from the audience came up to her and told her that as she was speaking,  the young women's mind opened up and she saw a large congregation all dressed in white in a large room.  The Savior stood at the front said,  "we need someone to go down and start this program.  The women who spoke raised her hand along with several others.  The Savior looked at her and said,  "yes,  I think you can do this."  and choose her." 

That story has meant to me that we both volunteer and are chosen for our missions in life and I feel  that this sweet baby volunteered and was chosen to come to them in this manner. 

They now have a burning desire to set their lives in order so they can go to the temple to be sealed as an eternal family as soon as possible.

These pictures are the copies of the program for the beloved infant.

THE SPIRIT IS WORKING!

We continue to have new and exciting missionary experiences! Two weeks ago we met with a sister who has been taught the Gospel by the missionaries during the past year. We are trying to encourage her to read the Book of Mormon as we know it will strengthen her testimony. She did read some for a while but it didn't make sense to her so she quit. Her husband is a member but stopped attending at the loss of his 7 yr. old son in a battle with cancer. They both are very nice people. The missionaries arranged for all of us to meet together with them in their home.

She wanted to learn more about the Church and your Mother was able to share some experiences from her childhood (thanks to Aunt Rae) about the Book of Mormon that really helped her feel how important it is in her conversion to the truth. Your Mother (and Grandmother) has a gift that is helping this woman feel the spirit of the Holy Ghost. She is a great missionary. The elders called us the other night and said she wants to be baptised. She is trying to stop smoking so that she can be baptised.

This last Sunday, Sept 2, '12, she stood and bore her testimony that the Book of Mormon is a true book. She said in the past she hasn't been able to understand it very well but as she began to read it diligently every day these past two weeks, it became easier to understand. One day as she was reading, she suddenly had an "aha" moment and she knew --just knew--the Book of Mormon is a true book and now it makes more sense to her. She was radiant. She had such a light in her face!! She is so excited to be baptised this Saturday.

Saturday, September 8, 2012 9:pm

We just returned from her baptism!!! Here are a couple of pictures taken after the baptism



left to right:
Elder Daybell, Sister and Brother Peters, Brother and Sister Francom. Brother Knight (an old friend who baptised her) and Elder Snow.

Elder Snow gave a great talk about baptism and Elder Daybell gave an awesome talk on the Holy Ghost. The ward RS President spoke and welcomed her to Relief Society and gave her a manual and the Bishop welcomed her into the ward as the newest member. There was such a great spirit there. And I got the blessing of playing the piano. She will be confirmed a member of the Church and given the Holy Ghost tomorrow during Sacrament meeting.

Note from Mom: I am so grateful to have the Holy Ghost. Since I learned to recognize it's promptings, the Holy Ghost has been my best friend!!! I have been reminded of things, helped in understanding many things, warned of some things , directed in other things and helped to know what is true and what is false. I wouldn't know how to live with out it's help.



This is some of the Peters family that were in attendance. He was married before. She has no children of her own but she dearly loves his children and thinks of them as her own. Brother Peters seems as excited about her baptism and she is!

Emergency preparedness for you and your families

Saturday August 25, '12. We had the privilege of attending the Emergency Preparedness Fair in Arkansas. This is a huge occasion that has been held for several years in the Stake building of Church of Jesus Christ in Bentonville, Arkansas. There were many booths inside the building plus the parking lot was full of more. We manned the booth that represented LDS Family Services. This is the first time anyone has addressed the issue of social and emotional challenges that happen in an emergency and how to handle them.

Here is a picture

of the invitation:

There were over 5,000 people who attended this event.  We got there about 8am which gave us time to set  our booth up.  It was done in time for the doors to open at 9 am.  The very first couple that walked up to our booth said,  "We want your book."........   

 I was wondering what book we had about emergency, so I responded with,  "a book? 

 He replied,  "Ya,  you know,  that book that you have."  

I  said,  "Are you talking about the Book of Mormon?"

 He excitedly replied, " yes,  that is the one" 

Sadly,  I had to reply that we didn't have one because we were not allowed to do any proselyting at the fair but I told him that the missionaries were around and if he saw any to ask them. 

I got his name, address and phone number to get one for him if he didn't find the missionaries.

Later when the missionaries came by  they said he found them and they got a book from their car for him, but they forgot to get his number, so I had that for them.  Yahoo!!! what a great way to start a day!!

I intend to follow up later with the missionaries to see how the gentleman and his wife are doing.

Below is a picture of the booth we had

Below is the graph that was on the table in the picture. It shows the range of emotions before, during and after  an emergency/disaster.

Some people that came thru saw the picture in the Ensign of the destruction of the tornado in Joplin, Missouri last year and stopped to tell about helping with the cleanup.  It was extremely meaningful for them to be able to help  One man said he would have loved to come back because he got such a rewarding feeling to be able to help.  Here is a link to Emily's story as a first responder to disasters.  She was there in Joplin within 6 hours of when it hit.  It is an incredible story

.http://housewifeclass.com/2011/05/23/joplin/

I have to share a  picture of the land that we travel thru.  Even though they have been in a drought for about

 l 1/2 years, it is mostly flat with rolling hills that are green with beautiful trees.  It amazes me that that the sides of the road are quite wide and always mowed.  It is beautiful and it super amazes me that when i walk out side I feel like I am in a hot sauna.  When we arrived here it was around 113 degrees.  today it is l03,  but the moisture in the air is keeping my skin soft and clear. The moisture doesn't get below 30% and somedays is 85% after a rain. 

flowers and children

This is Sasha and Sophie coloring eggs at the Grandparent's home Easter 2012.  With the help of Spencer and Shannen we all made some very creative eggs! (We just can't see them very well)

These next pictures were taken in Red Butte Gardens

 left to right: Ella, Sasha, Sophie and Naomi.   Sophie and Sasha belong to Shannen. Naomi and Ella belong to Jared.

About a month to 6 weeks before leaving for the MTC, we enjoyed spending  part of a day with Shannen and her girls, Sophie and Sasha. We also took two of Jared and Eliza's children, Naomi and Ella with us, We met Shannen at Red Butte Gardens by Utah State University in SLC, Ut. The beauty of these gardens is amazing! We thoroughly enjoyed watching the girls have a great time.  Part of the garden is gorgeous flowers, herbs and other things. They also have a very creative place for children to play and enjoy.

This pond had lots of gold fish in it and a place to purchase food for them.  The girls purchased some food for the fish and then found that the two mother ducks and the little ducklings would eat the food from their hands.  It was such an enjoyable day for all of us.

This place made me wonder what the Garden of Eden was like.