let's go back to the weekend of june 5-7... this is a pic of me at a dinner for singles. we met at spring creek bbq before heading to a single's dance. i decided to try to enlist participation and fun and i think it went pretty well...! i think my lucky hat game was a hit: if you put the hat on, you were kissed- and of course there was a camera to capture it! i like to take pics and post them on facebook (FB) because i think the more it shows that we're having fun, and the more faces that are seen, the better chance there is of getting people out and mingling.
this photo is from the single's fireside that weekend. our stake was in charge, and jay, my good friend was solo in preparation, so i joined in and worked to make it a good one. in the end we had Pres. and Sister Thurston, and Sis Payne, who is related to Pres. Hinckley there to speak (all pictured) they did a great job of sweet testimonies and interesting insights and can you believe? just shy of 90 singles came! just amazing really! it was so worth the work and i hope that we can continue to build the program around the metroplex.
one of the men i met over the weekend told me that if the program had been as good one year ago, he believed he might not have married so quickly and in the end, be divorced a 2nd time. i don't know- but i do know that this group of people, MY group of people need lots of love in friendships, coupled with uplifting experiences to work through there individual 'issues'.
my next project is to get a temple night started... i'll keep you posted ;)
oh! before i forget- my friend ron rhoades held a b-day party for all the june b-days. this photo below is of me at that party with a new friend and convert jack; what a great guy and just one example of reaching out and bringing in! and, let me say- i really appreciate men like ron who open their homes up for get togethers. :)
so summer camps have begun...wheeee! my first two weeks i've only had one girl. wow- crazy!
and to add to the crazy, we were hit by a storm this past wed. that produced a category one tornado just a minute from my home:
it damaged my large old silver maple in the front and destroyed my huge tree in the back... along with the fence and probably some structural in the patio roof. actually, we were really blessed to only have that to deal with- but it has been a ton of clean up and it's still on-going. sigh. oh well!
i thought that rather than re-type everything that i wrote to tay this week regarding this and other things, i'd just post my letter to him: (oh and fyi, this looks normal in edit but on the blog the spacing is funky. sorry!)
so, you wrote tues and on wed, wed evening, we had a huge storm. actually, a tornado! right on morriss! it was close to the apartments and while it barely made a category one, it did cause some damage. our big old fron tree only has three branches left- and the back tree by the fort is gone completely. we had winds of 60-80 mph- it was crazy. mostly the house is ok, but, they are checking the patio roof for structural damage and the front corner of the garage for the same thing. oh- and almost all of the fence is down.
i was home alone, em was at dad's so i sent a text to him asking for him to get her in a safe place. and i actually sat in the closet! it was really cool tho- i had bro marks, and my home teacher, and bro coombs all at our home in minutes cking up on me- and the bishop called from high adventure! the next day a group of men and boys from the ward came and hauled all my dead tree stuff to the curb. it was so kind of them- i didn't even ask- they just arranged it because they knew i was in need. i felt very looked after and loved, and in sacrament meeting the prayers reflected a people who acknowledged their Father's hand in our protection and the service rendered.
many ward members lost power, too. i only had trouble for a few minutes but there were lots who lost it for days. anyway, the neighorhood and morriss look terrible because of all of the downed trees but for the most part, it is just a mess.
here's a really cool couple of mish stories for you from me (hehe): so- i did arrange to take katy to do baptisms, and she and em and i went to the temple sat afternoon. afterwards we went to lunch and had the opp to talk a little. she just graduated and had plans to move from her dad's to her aunts. katy's mom has never been a part of her life, and currently her dad has a new g/friend that doesn't like that katy was baptized- which is why she was moving. but then the aunts kids got involved and said they didn't want katy moving in because she was mormom...so now katy is stuck. i told her she was welcome to my home anytime- that em and i just hang out anyway. she seemed grateful. then at church our RS president came up and said that she's felt inspired to give me Katy's name for visiting teaching. i don't know what i'm supposed to do- but it feels like i'm supposed to be involved. we shall see! but the temple was awesome for all of us and we're going again as soon as i get back from all the family trips :) we took a couple of pics for you, too!
after the temple i was supposed to go home and try to get ready for mom and
dad to visit. with the storm, i was way behind- because i forgot to tell you that i had the Richards come to our home when i learned that they didn't have power. they didn't stay the entire time, but between that and working, i wasn't getting anything done. but i felt very impressed to go to a baptism that was scheduled, so i did. the sisters asked me to take pictures, and i was, when as we were finishing, a woman walked in that i had met at my camps. she had her son hayden enrolled. we really hadn't talked much until one day she came in late and shook up. it was the morning after the storm and we thought it was because of that- but it turns out she was trying to quit smoking and had a car accident on the way over to us. anyway, tay, she was at the baptism to see what one was like because she wanted to be baptized. i just hugged her and asked her to sit by me in the service. we talked and i answered any of her questions she had. she was like a child in her curiosity and spirit. i then found out that because she is getting a divorce and is in school, hayden will be in my camps all summer long! i told her that we would love on him and i hope that i showed her by by words and actions that i am someone she can talk to and become friends, with. she's scheduled to be baptized on the 20th!
oh- and here's another! you know bryce that came to help at your eagle project with that other guy (can't remember his name! starts with an m... curly dark hair) anyway- he went to high adventure and that's when bishop found out that he is Katy's brother! both of those boys apparently had a good experience going. so stay tuned!
i saw seth- he's leaving soon for hawaii... he said he wrote! yay!
my dad has been here since sat evening. they drove up and brought me that car- so nice of them! dad is leaving today. mom and i will leave for the reunion early fri and return sunday. mom goes home monday. we saw star trek and had dinner last night. we've had some good movies lately! i'm buying the DVDs :) on sunday we went to church, had a yummy roast dinner, and went to take pics.. so more for you. yay!
SO YOU FINALLY GOT THE JERICHO!!! WHOOO HOOO!!!! lol...so fun! k, i heard that you have newsletters within the mission- please save those and even send them home so i can, would you? i'd love to read the old issues! anyway, i'm so happy that the work is going so well and that you achieved that goal! i know that it is still onward and upward but man that had to feel great!
is the baptism still on the docket? i can't wait to hear!
LOVED the story of weed pulling service. i totally have a testimony of service- for many reasons. i can't wait for updates on these stories!
i put your and your comps names in at the temple. :)
i'm glad that there is some fun mixed in with the work. everyone needs to have down time and laughter. so fun that you get to play foosball!
I WISH I COULD BE AT THE BAPTISM- BUMMER! lol...but so glad that you're getting to do one so soon. i'm so excited for paige :) :) :)
it's so cool that you've developed a relationship with pres brady and sis brady. it makes me think of that salesman in mr macs who talked so highly of them. they must be amazing and it's such a blessing that good hearted people go on missions to bless the lives of missionaries and those they are teaching. honestly, i hope that dream doesn't pass me by.
i love you son. i miss you. im so freakin proud of you, too! you're a man that grows everytime i hear from you into a better and stronger man. yes, missionary work is your calling- and you've been blessed to be there at this time and moment. and you are so good at it- but you need to know that Heavenly Father has more work for you to do unpon your return to home. He (and many of us) know that your potential in education is untapped- that you will come back and apply yourself to your future because being a husband and father is the next great missionary work that you will do. when it's done right, just as your exact obedience and love is showing you now, you will be blessed beyone measure in happiness and love. it's really kind of exciting, actually... :)
can't wait to hear from you!!!!
mom
(this post may go down as my longest...!)
these pics are from mom and dad's visit:
we're having a great time! em has now left for EFY and dad has made it back home safely- and mom is watching the news while i'm catching up :)
we're looking forward to the reunion and seeing the family there! more on that, soon.
i think, finally, i can comment regarding my talk. it went well and i'm thankful for the opportunity it gave me to research reverence...some absolutely wonderful things to ponder- so to conclude i'm posting the talk below. read, or not- but here it is for my journaling purposes anyway...lol ;)
Good morning brothers and sisters! I’m so thankful to be here today. I feel that the Spirit has guided me to have experiences this past week that would teach me a deeper respect and understanding of this topic I’ve been given.
Today’s talk is ‘Showing Reverence for the Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament’- and I was asked to reference Elder Featherstone’s talk ‘Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament’. I also looked into the scriptures, and into some things that Bro. Bytheway and Bro. Truman Madsen had to say. There are many amazing thoughts on this subject.
Elder Featherstone offers a scenario: 'Imagine a person has come to sacrament meeting feeling desperate, lonely, and hurting. This person comes a few minutes early, being greeted in the foyer by loving members. He enters the chapel, where there is a spirit of reverence. The organist is playing worshipful music, having arrived early and selected from the hymnbook several pieces as prelude music. The organist might well have prayed, “Heavenly Father, help me to choose hymns that will soothe the troubled heart.”
The person sits quietly for 10 minutes and listens to the music. He can feel its soothing influence in his soul.
The bishopric is on the stand six or seven minutes prior to the meeting. The meeting starts on time. The congregation joins in singing a spiritually uplifting hymn. A thoughtful prayer is given on behalf of ward members and others, and it contains expressions of gratitude, love, and pleading for the needs of the members and others.
A sacrament hymn is sung, and again the Holy Spirit rests upon the congregation. The sacrament is blessed and passed with great dignity, and the congregation partakes, renewing their covenants made at baptism.
Youth and adult speakers address subjects that can bind the broken heart, lift the downtrodden, and provide rest for the weary and hope for the despairing. A choir sings a hymn, or some other kind of sacred music provides an additional spiritual experience for those who have gathered.
The concluding remarks are made, followed by a beautiful closing hymn from the hymnbook. A closing prayer of thanksgiving and supplication on behalf of ward members is given, after which appropriate postlude music is played.
Greatly encouraged, the person leaves this meeting feeling he can make it for one more week. Expressions of love are shared in the foyer or hall in reasonable tones so that the chapel may remain a reverent and holy place.'
I believe that there is more than one person in this chapel today that is here needing this very experience- and the question is, are we doing our part in being reverent for the Spirit to attend?
Brothers and sisters, because of the storm, this week was very chaotic and that’s an understatement. Earlier this month I had talked with Katy and and Emily about attending the temple and doing baptisms for the dead. Our appointment was for yesterday- and when we were in the car, listening to ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing’ I was beginning to see how excited I was to be headed for the temple. We entered and the quiet peace surrounded us. It wasn’t too much longer that my body, and my mental and emotional self- exhaled and I was ready to inhale the Spirit there.
The Lord has said that while he may or may not be able to remove the storms from our lives, He can and does promise us peace. It is my testimony that this is tied into being in sacred places, with a reverence and attitude for the Spirit to be with us.
I’m quoting Brother Bytheway when I say, our great grandfather’s referred to this day as The Holy Sabbath, our grandfather’s called it The Sabbath, our parents called it Sunday, and today it’s often referred to as the weekend…
Reverence toward the Holy Sabbath and The Sacrament begins with an attitude.
We each came here, today, with a container of sorts- perhaps yours is a cup- and you are barely aware of being thirsty. Perhaps another came in with their cup, but they have their hand over the opening, resisting any filling. Still, there are some of you, that came with a jug, as large as possible to carry…and you are anxiously awaiting a fill.
The temple, our homes, and this chapel are three sacred places that we have to turn to when (amongst other things) we need a ‘spiritual fill’.
There is a primary song that I love- and one that I believe has the ability to teach us perspective in our actions, in our attitudes:
If the Savior stood beside me,
would I do the things I do?
Would I think of His commandments,
and try harder to be true?
Would I follow His example?
Would I live more righteously
if I could see the Savior standing nigh,
watching over me?
I would like to suggest that if we had walked in today… and saw the Savior waiting for us, our meeting would be reverent and one to remember forever. And in essence, our Savior wants to be among us- with the Holy Spirit- and can only do so if we invite him. If through our reverence we hold out our jugs- our broken hearts, meaning our open hearts, He can fill it.
Bro. Madsen shared this dream in a woman’s conference talk given in 1999: It was in Amman, Jordan some years ago. We had just come from a parched visit to Egypt where even the native Bedouin can survive, at most, three hours without water. We had said to some of our friends, "This should remind you of the two words spoken from the cross, the only self-regarding words which are a sure sign of the loss of blood. Jesus said: 'I thirst'" (John 19:28).
That night I had a dream. I was beaten down to my hands and knees and was conscious of a burning thirst. In the illogic of dreams there was somehow a small cup filled with liquid—an unearthly liquid. It was radiant. It was delicious. It was cool. But as I lifted it to my lips it was as if two hands were placed behind me, not touching, but close to my head, and from them came a kind of throb, a comfort, a warm feeling, and then the miracle. As I drank in relief, the cup filled again and again. The more I sought to quench my thirst, the more it flowed. A wave of gratitude came over me to the Christ—for in the dream it was Christ. My impulse was to turn around, stop drinking, and thank him. But then came the sweet assurance that my drinking was His thanks—that this was what He most wanted—that this was His reward, even his glory, like a gracious hostess, who takes delight in seeing her family and guests eat heartily. I knew and I knew He knew, so I drank and drank until I was full. Only then was He gone.
I loved that Bro Madsen shared this… and as a side note- I will miss him.
Bro Bytheway suggests in his ‘The Best Three Hours’ that we can be measured by a spiritual yardstick by asking two questions:
1.What do you think about in the Sacrament?
2.And, How do you treat the Sabbath day?
If we were to go back to our scenario, where Christ is here with us today, and the sacrament song is now playing, where would our attention be? How would our hearts feel? How would the sacramental prayers be offered? And how would they be received?
Jesus said (Matt 18:20) ‘where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them’.
This was shared by Elder David B. Haight while he was standing in the Last Supper room with Bro Madsen:
This man, shortly before, after a heart attack, had been clinging to life, unconscious in a hospital, and was given a repeated dream-vision of Jesus' last week on earth. He said what he had said in General Conference: "I heard no voices but was conscious of being in a Holy Presence and atmosphere. The first scene was of the Savior and his apostles in the upper chamber on the eve of betrayal. Following the Passover supper he instructed and prepared the sacrament for his dearest friends as a remembrance of his coming sacrifice. It was so impressively portrayed to me—the overwhelming love of the Savior for each. I witnessed his thoughtful concern for significant details: the washing of the dusty feet of each apostle; his breaking and blessing of the loaf of dark bread and blessing of the wine; and then his dreadful disclosure that one would betray him. Then followed the Savior's solemn discourse when he said to the eleven: 'These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.'"
Then Elder Haight turned to Bro Madsen and said, "We do not appreciate the sacrament enough. It happened! It is real! It is our access to the Savior."
If the Savior stood beside me,
would I say the things I say?
Would my words be true and kind
if He was never far away?
Would I try to share the gospel?
Would I speak more rev’rently
if I could see the Savior standing nigh,
watching over me?
This makes me think that when our Priests kneel at the Sacrament table, in our hearts, we are kneeling too. And just as wonderful as we felt on our baptism, to participate in that ordinance, we would look upon the passing of the sacrament with that kind of joy- because it is a renewal of everything that we believe and love about the Gospel and for what our brother, Christ did for us when He died for us.
Behaving just as we would were He in this room- because he has said: Levitcus 26:2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
D&C 109: 21 'And when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which thou hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall breverence thee in thy house.'
And The Psalmist said, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10.)
We’ve been given a tremendous blessing in having a Holy Sabbath Day. Let us do as He asks, and remember Him. Let’s remember Him as we prepare to arrive and enter the chapel. Remember Him as we participate in inviting the Spirit to join us. Remember Him as we partake of the sacrament. Remember Him in our reverence, always.
mom and i then got ourselves together after a crazy week of my camp/piano schedule (mom is a great camper helper:) and took off for the 2009 Cook reunion in Stephenville, TX. it was great seeing lots of familiar faces and catching up- but mostly we loved the time spent with Grandma and Grandpa Cook and Aunt Bobbie. we talked, took pictures, and enjoyed good meals :)
mom took this photo of me (in the tye-dyed shirt that i made with emily) and it's my favorite: yes, both the shirt and the picture! i really will always just treasure getting to interact with these gorgeous, sweet creatures!
