Menu Monday

I saw an article on LDS Living (online) titled "The Perfect Family Reunion Menu".  It caught my eye because we have a family reunion this summer and we need to plan an easy menu.  So this week I thought I would make it my family's menu!

Recipes from the Article:
Monday's Breakfast:  Chunky Monkey Pancakes!  The peanut butter syrup sounds delicious.

Super Simple Sloppy Joes and Coleslaw, veggie tray

Pork Chile Enchiladas, Spanish Rice

Creamy Noodles, Malibu Chicken, Caesar Salad

Chili, Corn bread, Greek Salad

Other Menu plans:
Chicken Tacos from the Food Nanny, Seven Layer Dip & Chips
Whole Wheat Banana Buttermilk Nutella Muffins
Canadian Bacon & Pineapple Quiche

Menu Monday

Monster BLT, crock pot BBQ beans, fruit smoothie

Hawaiian Haystacks

Amatriciana pasta, green salad & spinach/strawberry salad, bread, corn, Best Ever Chocolate Cake (missionaries coming for dinner)

Chicken Noodle Soup, rolls

Taco Night

Weekend:
leftovers
Egg McMuffins, fruit
Biscuits & gravy, cinnamon rolls, Spinach Quiche Cups
Costa Vida Salad Bar for Sunday Dinner

Motherhood is about Teaching Souls to Fly

On Pinterest I came across an interesting article titled, Motherhood is about Teaching Souls to Fly (printed in the Desert News).  A sister asks her older sister with three children, "why would anyone want to be a mother anyway?" The article is the answer to this question.  It is inspiring. I hope you all take the time to read it and give yourself a big hug for being a mother.  The article mentions Elder Ballard who said that we, mothers, are the first line of defense against the wiles of the world.

The story mentioned in the above article is one of the stories that is published in the book, Choosing Motherhood:  Stories of Successful Women Who Put Family First.  I would love to read this book.

Amazon book description:  Motherhood or a career? Which one truly matters? Both are important in their own way, but in Choosing Motherhood learn how these bright, young LDS women from the Yale community, while their peers were putting off motherhood or forgetting it entirely, decided to become mothers and make an eternal difference in the lives of their children and their communities.

Porter's Story is Shared

Porter is showing Grandma Ramsey how to use Family Search.

At the temple, President Belliston, the 1st counselor of the temple presidency met with our group and spoke with us.  After his message, I spoke with him one-on-one and told him we were at the temple because Porter found the names for us.  He then asked Porter how many people he had found (750 on that day...he found another 130 the following day), his age, his name, and which ward he attended.  He was so impressed with Porter that he asked if he could share Porter's story at a fireside that he was speaking at the next day.  Of course, Porter was honored to share.

The next morning before sacrament meeting, our bishop came over to us and said that President Belliston had called him the night before because he was so impressed with Porter.  He asked if the bishop would have Porter write down his story and then give it back to him.  Pres. Belliston said that he believed that Elder Bednar would also love to hear Porter's story.  

How exciting!  Porter came home and quickly wrote up a little sketch of where this passion for family history began.  He forwarded the message onto the Bishop and now we will see where it goes from there!

Here is Porter's letter to President Belliston.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

You asked me to write about my recent experiences with family history. Earlier this year, my bishop challenged me and the other youth in our ward to find just one ancestor that needed temple work. We were preparing for a youth temple baptism trip and my bishop said we were short on names. I felt a strong desire to find as many ancestors as I could.

As soon as I started doing family history work, I loved the way it made me feel. Sometimes, I wouldn’t even play any video games that day. As I was finding name after name of my ancestors who needed temple work, I could feel their joy.

So far, I have found 880 people who need temple work. My parents have not been able to keep up with all of the work that needs to be done, so we have called on other family, friends, and ward members to help. Last night, I brought 160 of these names to the temple. My parents, brother, aunt, uncles, cousins, Grandma, and friends met me there to be baptized and confirmed for my ancestors. I felt so grateful to them for helping me help others. It was the best kind of family reunion.

As I have done baptisms for them with my family members, I could feel their joy again as they got the chance that they have been waiting for, to be able to repent and be in spirit paradise.

By Porter W...
K. 11th Ward, K.East Stake (I edited this info....for this blog post)

At the Temple with Family & Friends

Those that came included:  Cousin Clay and triplets (Brigham, Cooper, Isabelle along with two girl friends), Craig along with Emily and Allie (and one friend), Tisha & David, Chad & Braden, my mom, Corbin, Porter, Paul, and me.

Last Saturday we were able to reserve a time at the temple to do baptisms for the dead.  Porter had found 160 family names that needed this work done.  I was thrilled to have so much support from family and friends.  It took all of us to get this done!  The girls (10 of us) each performed eight baptisms while the boys (5 of them) each did 16!  Holy Cow!  I learned that next time we will need a few more boys and a few more men to make it run more efficiently.

But who can complain about being in the temple.  It was a wonderful evening.  For the very first time, my brother, Chad baptized Mom, Tisha, and me.  I gave Chad the experience that he will never forget.  For some reason, I was creating huge splashes in the font and making quite a scene - it was probably the cause of my bloody nose (which started after I got out of the water).  My new nickname is "Splash".  Maybe next time I can perform it with more grace.

After performing this work, I revisited the talk from Elder Richard G. Scott's titled, The Joy of Redeeming the Dead from the Oct. 2012 General Conference. It is a powerful talk that I encourage you all to read again.  In there many phrases stood out to me.  

"In an epistle written over 150 years ago, Joseph Smith stated: “The Saints have the privilege of being baptized for … their relatives who are dead … who have received the Gospel in the spirit, through … those who have been commissioned to preach to them.” Later he added, “Those Saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own salvation".

He talks about temple and family history being one work with two parts.  And that blessings come from doing each part of the equation.  Then he emphasizes that "there are some members who engage in temple work but fail to do family history research on their own family lines. Although they perform a divine service in assisting others, they lose a blessing by not seeking their own kindred dead as divinely directed by latter-day prophets. …

“I have learned that those who engage in family history research and then perform the temple ordinance work for those whose names they have found will know the additional joy of receiving both halves of the blessing.

Any work you do in the temple is time well spent, but receiving ordinances vicariously for one of your own ancestors will make the time in the temple more sacred, and even greater blessings will be received. The First Presidency has declared, “Our preeminent obligation is to seek out and identify our own ancestors.”

Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you grow older, you will be able to participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can think of no greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life."

 What a powerful statement!  As a parent, I want to make the temple and family history work the top priority, especially knowing the protection that it provides.  That is more than enough motivation.