Jensen Update for Feb. 6th, 2022...
Hola Familia!
These past couple weeks have been pretty eventful! Dad & I had Covid, JJ/Z had finals, we went snowmobiling, JJ/Z started a new semester & started play practice too. Those are just to name a few things. We had mutual activities too (before & after we got sick or well). JJ & Z never got Covid (We all tested negative when we got back from Sunriver this past Monday, Jan.31st). I don't really understand how the kids didn't get Covid, but they did keep their distance from us for those couple weeks and wore masks all the time around us. Lol! I guess that worked!
We have an eventful week coming up too…Someone will be turning a BIG, OVER the HILL # that we will not mention, the kids have play practice several days and then on Sat. we'll be going to do Baptisms for the Dead in the Portland Temple. It's taken a long while to get a Saturday appt. at the Temple, so the YW are very excited to finally be able to go to the Temple. One of their activities these past weeks were to learn how to gather Temple names. Jenelle said she found 4 names to do. Hopefully several of the other YW will be able to bring names this Saturday too. There are still many restrictions in doing baptisms as a group (meaning we'll have to be in 2 groups, etc.), but at least we got something scheduled. It will mostly just be the YW and then a few boys to fill our allotment & a few priests to help do the baptizing. We all should have a good time! Then after the Temple Trip, there is a Tri-Stake Dance back in Albany. That should be fun for the kids! "Nacho Ordinary Valentine's Dance" or something like that. The flyer has Nacho Libre on it. ;)
I keep forgetting or procrastinating typing down my thoughts from the past couple Sundays. Sorry, I don't like "writing" and "writing spiritual things" take me even longer to do because I read and re-read things so many times. It's hard to write what is in my head. My brain thinks WAY faster than what my fingers can type. And I am horrible at all the grammar stuff, so that makes me put things off!! Sorry! (We won't mention that my thoughts are often jumbled too, so that doesn't help! Lol!)
Two Sundays ago (when we had church in our PJs.;) Sis. Ashdown spoke and first quoted the primary song "My Life has a Plan" and she gave a good little rhyming "list" of what we should do to get back to H.F./J.C. à Desire, Inquire, Require, Retire à 1st we need to have a desire to follow God. It started in heaven; we all chose to come down here to earth to have that chance or desire to follow God and his plan as we learn it. And we have our free agency to do so. As we learn of God's plan & his love for us, we will develop that Desire to follow him always. 2nd we need to Inquire or ask God our Questions. We should be continually seeking knowledge about the gospel and asking God to help us in our trials and applying the gospel to our lives. He will answer us (of course that comes in many dif ways), but from this, when we get answers, we need to do what God Requires of us. Which is usually a change in our life. Sometimes it's just a little change, sometimes it's a big change, but it's the action that is the important thing. Then we're doing what is Required of us. Then we'll be able to Retire – (ultimately in the here after), but in the mean time we'll be able to feel peace and contentment along the way here on earth - be at rest. Sis. Ashdown quoted the scripture about 'take my yolk upon you and I'll give you rest…your burdens will be made light." As we follow God & Jesus Christ in our life we'll be able to have rest along the way. This whole "list" will be repeated many times throughout our life, or even every day, until we reach the Ultimate "Retire" or rest. I thought Sis. Ashdown's talk was interesting & nice how it boiled things down simply. And it blended with the next talk who was one of the Elders in our Ward. He talked about the talk in G.Conf. about being just 1% better each day. By small and simply things, we'll be able to follow God's plan for us!
The other Spiritual story I wanted to share, but keep forgetting too, is about a lesson in Come follow me several weeks ago, or rather last year. D&C section 138 which is about how Pres. Joseph F. Smith saw in vision the spirit world and how there were people preaching to those that were dead who hadn't heard the gospel yet. Well, on my mission I had a definite "testimony" of this section happen to me. I was teaching a family about the Plan of Salvation and we were explaining about all the pieces of the Plan (we had laid out the visual aids for the Plan of Salvation) and we were explaining about how if people don't get to hear the gospel here on earth, they will get a chance to hear it in the spirit world. I got the distinct thought that basically there were missionaries there in the spirit world teaching spirits just like we were here teaching people. I also got the distinct feeling that my sister Rochelle was one of those "missionaries!" That experience was a neat testimony builder to me and I've thought about it off and on throughout my life. It's a neat concept to think about the fact that my sister was still able to "serve a mission" even though she had passed away as a young adult. And her "work" was just as important as my "work" that I had done in serving on this side of the veil. Neat connection to her! (of course her mission/work has technically never ended, has it? And I guess my "mission" hasn't either – we're always a member missionary, uh?) Hopefully that experience can ring true in your hearts and when you're telling people about the spirit world (any of you having a "missionary moment"), you can know that our relatives who have passed on ARE helping in that important work beyond the veil too. The rest of the Story about that family…Unfortunately that "Golden Family" never got baptized while I was there. They actually asked us to stop coming after another lesson or two. They had some hang ups, but I KNEW that what I taught them was true and it was cool to see the "full circle" that the gospel has in a way. Heavenly Father is going to provide a way for every person to hear the gospel some how! Either in this life or the next!
I'll close now and send this out finally! I hope everyone has a great week!!
Love you ALL lots!
Love, Madre
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