Searching for John

Family History Work,  preparing our family members to receive the blessings of Eternal Life...

This post is for me to provide resources and Family Search suggestions, more than telling my story about my ancestor; JOHN WILLIAM KREBS.

My Great, Grandfather’s name is John William Krebs. He was born in 1875 in South Weber, Davis County, Utah. When he was 5 years old his father (same name) disappeared. I have been hooked on searching for any information I can find on him for about a year! Family Tradition says…

   1. He was born in Ireland (or Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) on February 22, 1844.
   2. He was married to Hannah Maria Firth Winks around 1873 in South Weber, Utah.
   3. He lived in South Weber in 1880 (around the time that he disappeared). Their name was listed in the US Census for that area as Cribbs.
  4. He had three children; John William born 1875, Lola born 1877, and George born 1879.
  5. He was baptized and confirmed on November 9, 1889.
  6. He died in Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, Idaho on February 9, 1919.
  7. Temple work was done for him in 1975; where he was sealed to Hannah and to two people who we have not been able to confirm as his parents.

That last one is why I am working so hard to confirm his information and confirm or get the correct temple work completed. I also feel drawn to learn details about his life. No one knows when or where he was actually born or who his parents or siblings are (or if he had any). Why did he leave his wife and young family? What was his childhood like? I might not find all these details before I get to meet him in the next life, but everything that I find now is like finding treasures! *Keep in mind I am new at this. I will add updates to this post (after the last paragraph), if someone adds or makes corrections to my suggestions.

Our family has been searching for John for over 60 years! That was enough for me to take on the challenge of finding him. This is my first experience with Family History. Sometimes I regret that, sometimes I’m glad that I started on a difficult “investigation”, because of all that I am learning! Every other ancestor that I investigate is a breeze compared to him. I am doing small amounts of research and data integrity verification for other family members, but I always go back to John. For some reason I feel like he is where I need to focus my efforts right now. I even landed a temporary, part-time job, working for the Salt Lake Family History Library, knowing that this would allow me to search for him (and others) every day!

The Family History Library has paid and voluntary consultants who are trained to help guests. Two months ago I found a pension receipt on Fold3.com (you get limited access to this site as a registered member of Family Search and 100% free access when you are in the Family History library). I was referred by a consultant to a clerk (Eugene Buck) who works with the National Archives Records Administration (NARA). For a small price he retrieved a copy of John’s Pension Application. I sent him an e-mail (ebuck43@aol.com) with the information about the document that I was looking for and he sent me back a 20 page Application with an invoice for his services.

Gene is on the hunt right now to help me find John’s Army enrollment application and medical records. From the application, I discovered that he was actually born in 1838 in Baltimore, Maryland (or at least that’s what he said). He married Hannah in Evanston, Utah; a town in Summit County that existed for 3 months. They lived in South Weber and Burley, ID. When he filled out this application, he was in Idaho Falls, having no knowledge at that time where his children were living. He had a bullet wound scar on his left calf and one in the middle of his forehead from his service in the Army during one of the Indian Wars (1866 thru 1869).

I also learned from Sons of Utah Pioneers (SUP) that he worked for Union Pacific Railroad around 1869 in Omaha, NE.

I have searched hundreds of birth records, census records, marriage, death, and cemetery records. I have searched land ownership records and probate records on microfilm, books and online. I have learned about The Indian War, about the early settlers in South Weber and Idaho Falls. I have learned all about my other ancestors who were directly related to him; his wife Hannah, her family, their children, their grandchildren, his step-children, neighbors, friends, and their enemies all for the efforts to find any information that I can find on him. I got off on tangents. I ran circles. I reinvented many, many, many wheels to confirm his information and look for more clues. I discovered a lot, but I also added to my list of facts that I need to find and/or confirm.

I am learning all about organization and task management. I’m an Executive Secretary by occupation. Organization and multi-tasking is the entire nature of that position, but I have never had to organize so much information or manage so many tasks for one person! I am gaining the skills of paying close attention to details, and remembering them (another skill that I am developing). I am gaining a love for my ancestors and a deep respect for what they endured in their lives, nothing compared to what I think I have to endure. I am learning how to stay focused, stay on task, prioritize, and follow through ~ tons of following through!

Here is a list of some of my favorite sites. Some of them are free from any computer; all of them are free when you are in the FHL.
• 19th Century British Library Newspaper Digital Archive
• The American Civil War (via Alexander Street Press): Research Database, Letters and Diaries, Images, Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera, Social and Cultural History, Women and Social Movements in the United States
• American Ancestors (by New England Historical Genealogical Society)
• Ancestry.com - (in the library, you get the Institution Version)
• Findmypast - (in the library, you get the Institution Version)
• The Genealogist
• Historic Map Works - (in the library, you get the Library Edition)
• Kinpoint - (in the library, you get the Premium Edition)
• MyHeritage - Library Edition
• Access Newspaper Archive
• Paper Trail
• ProQuest Obituary Listings
• Puzzilla.org - Premium Services
• World Vital Records - All content has been added to MyHeritage.com (who purchased WVR).

In order to get free Premium access to these sites, type fhc.familysearch.org in your internet browser when you are at the library. Go to the Genealogical Research section and click on Premium Family History Websites. The Family History Center in our area is at the American Fork Tabernacle on 100 East and Main Street. I will provide more information here when I get it.

Family Search, Family History, Genealogy, whatever you’re doing, whatever you call it; it’s not for wimps or “old” people (like I used to think)!  

If you like reading, researching, investigating, writing, analyzing, organizing, tracking, planning, finding and/or problem solving, you will love Family History! But just a warning; once you get started, you’ll be hooked! That’s what the Spirit of Elijah does; it brings the hearts of the children to their fathers (and mothers) and the hearts of the fathers to their children. See LDS.org for more on "The Spirit of Elijah".

Being Financially Prepared

My Visiting Teacher asked me to help her for a few minutes in her lesson last Sunday. Her lesson was on Temporal and Spiritual Welfare. This is one thing that I have not written about yet on this blog. I have never considered it a strength of mine, in fact it served as a reminder that I needed. The topic that she gave me to share my thought on was section # 4 “The Peace and Contentment that comes when we save a portion of our earnings and avoid unnecessary debt.”  Helping with this lesson solidified these things in my mind and has proven to be perfect timing for me for two reason; first, my husband’s new job and second, Christmas Shopping.

I only had a few minutes, so I didn’t say all of this, but this is the full version of what I compiled before the lesson and I promised to post it here…

My grandfather was so great at saving money and staying out of debt. He counseled us to pay tithing and fast offerings first and then 10% to personal savings, but I am certain that he exceeded that counsel. I think he paid his tithing, paid his bills and saved the rest. With his savings in addition to insurance, he was able to take care of his family long after he passed away; my grandmothers’ 24 hour home health care and hospital bills before she passed away, my aunts’ home healthcare before she passed away and my father’s health care and living expenses (at the age of 75)! That is being prepared and leaving his family protected against financial storms.

I just want to highlight a few points that were made in this section of the lesson that spoke to me and talk about why and how this topic supports yet another way for us to be prepared for the unexpected…

The first thing that I quoted was; “The Lord desires his Saints to be free and independent in the critical days ahead. But no man is truly free who is in financial bondage.”

Pointing to myself I said; “This is what financial bondage looks like…” And then I said; “I’m sure I could be much worse.” But the truth is I could be better too. We don’t have any money saved right now. We live month to month, paycheck to paycheck. If we have anything extra after we pay our bills, we buy things that we want. Among those bills is one credit card that I use for emergencies and payments on our “new” fridge that we bought a year ago. We also have debt with the IRS, because of my husband’s self-employment job and unfortunate circumstances that were created by our CPA. 

If we had been able to make a few sacrifices and had money in savings, instead of buying what we wanted, we would have $200 extra each month right now to put into savings. Our fridge would have been bought with cash and our emergency expenses would have been covered. But instead we are in bondage, paying for things that we needed in the past in addition to interest and sometimes late fees.

Another quote from the lesson is this; “More than ever before, we need to learn and apply the principles of economic self-reliance. We do not know when the crisis involving sickness or unemployment may affect our own circumstances. We do know that the Lord has decreed global calamities for the future and has warned and forewarned us to be prepared. For this reason the Brethren have repeatedly stressed a “back to basics” program for temporal and spiritual welfare.”

Economic self-reliance…  Preparing for the Unexpected… The Brethren said it. That’s enough for me.

“In the long run, it is easier to live within our income and resist borrowing from future reserves except in cases of necessity – never for luxuries. It is not fair to ourselves or our communities to be so improvident in our spending that the day our income stops we must turn to relief agencies or the Church for financial aid.”

“Do not, I solemnly urge you, tie yourselves to payment of carrying charges that are often exorbitant. Save now and buy later, and you will be much further ahead. You will spare yourselves high interest and other payments, and the money you save may provide opportunity for you to buy later at substantial cash discounts.”

“Brothers and Sisters, peace and contentment come into our hearts when we live within our means. God grant us the wisdom and faith to heed the inspired counsel of the Priesthood to get out of debt, to live within our means, and to pay as we go – in short, to “pay thy debt, and live.”

My husband and I talked about this yesterday. He started a new j.o.b. that will bring us consistent income. He has been self-employed our entire marriage. This new job will provide security and consistency, allowing us to create and live within a budget. We will pay tithing and fast offerings before we pay anything else and after bills, pay off our debts. 

Eventually, hopefully sooner than later, we will be able to save the money that we have been putting into debt payments. For awhile we will be tight, living within our means and paying all excess debt that we have. Christmas is coming up. We will be simple in our gift giving and receiving this year (we came up with that plan in our discussion about this lesson). I know that the Lord will bless us as we follow this counsel. And in the long run it will all be worth it; the sense of peace and contentment and security will be worth it all.

Gratitude Brings Peace, Creates Joy and Instills Faith

Teachers and Missionaries are taught that expressing gratitude is one of the ways of inviting the Spirit into their discussions. It is among prayer, praising God in song and testifying of God's truths. To me that says expressing gratitude is important to God; the Spirit dwells where there is gratitude. 

November is the month for giving thanks. When I used to Facebook, I posted one thing every day in November, that I was thankful for. That was a good practice for me for one month, once a year. But my sense of gratitude ended shortly after I stopped focusing on my life through "Gratitude" lenses.

 Last year in our efforts to cultivate gratitude, our family started a practice of sharing with each other, one thing that we are thankful for, every day at dinner. 

We wrote them in a book and drew pictures or glued a photo to make it a keepsake. After about a month, our gratitude practice ended. We stopped when things got busy, not because we didn't have time, but because we didn't think about it. So we're giving it another shot this year. Like any other trait we want to acquire, we need to keep practicing gratitude. 

It's easy to be grateful for the things that make us happy. But when we make an effort to be grateful in the middle of our trials, we find joy, which by definition is greater than happiness, because it lasts beyond our circumstances. It is true, a grateful heart is a happy heart. I know that for a fact. 

BUT let me clarify here... When you are in the middle of trauma that is caused by unfortunate circumstances in your life, pain is deep ~ naturally! It won't be fixed by cultivating happy thoughts and that should not be expected by anyone. It's not bad or weak or broken, if you can't feel gratitude during those times. But I testify to you, that Christ will lift you when you turn to Him during those heavy times. I will show you how that works in a minute. Gratitude invites the Spirit and creates joy. I have a testimony of that.

In 1 Peter:1:7, Peter taught; "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." I feel the Savior closest to me during the most difficult times of my life. I find strength and light, comfort, growth, healing and peace through Christ. The peace that only Christ has to offer. He wants me to know that He is there and He shows me that through His tender mercies every day, sometimes several times a day. He also wants me to notice and remember the blessings of my trials. For that and other things that I am learning, I am extremely thankful!

The law of opposition does its finest work in our toughest trials, when we look to Christ for support. I learned the value of feeling drained emotionally, when I felt passion the very next day. I learned that in order for me to experience and appreciate beauty, I needed to experience ugliness. I need to feel insecurities, to know what genuine self-love and confidence feels like. I need to experience "humanness" and "life" to feel empathy and connection with others. And I need to truly repent to know true forgiveness. I know about the law of opposition; I learn these things from the scriptures. But it wasn't until I started experiencing opposition myself on a regular basis, that I really started to get it! "I must go through the valley to stand upon the Mountain of God", like that song says that is sung by The Christian band, Third Day.

Christ went through trials of loss, anger, abandonment, temptations, sadness and heartache to gain empathy for me. He stayed faithful to His Father's will through all of it. He is our best example of Gratitude! Job is also a good example, he praised God in his blessings and his trials. And as we know, he had plenty of trials! I also love the example of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. In 2nd Nephi, Chapter 4, Nephi acknowledged his trials. His father ~ his best friend in life ~ just died and members of his family were blaming him for their afflictions, some were even threatening his life. In the middle of his "humanness", his sadness and fears and frustrations, he turned his heart (like a super power) to delighting in the things of God.

In verse 17, he says; "Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth; O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities." I believe that he is referring to his lack of faith or ingratitude as iniquities. I can tell myself this, like Nephi is telling himself... 28 "Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul." <--(Satan)

Read 2 Nephi chapter 4 to learn more about what a super-power like faith is from someone who has a grateful heart. He said in vs. 34 "O Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever, I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh.. 35 I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold my voice shall forever ascend unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God."

Gratitude fasts are a good way to develop abilities that we need that are beyond our natural "human" abilities. Gratitude is being thankful before the blessings come, because you know that God WILL deliver. Instead of asking God for what you need or want, you thank Him for what he has already done for you; for always taking care of your needs and the needs of your loved ones. By doing this, you leave everything in God's hands and you can relax about needing to have control with the outcome. It is that faith that brings miracles.

One year before our daughter was born, my husband and I flew across the country to adopt a baby girl. A baby that we considered to be ours for 7 months. The baby that we named and spent thousands of dollars on in Social Work and Attorney fees and travel expenses. The one that had a birth mom that we grew close to, that we called Baby Mama and a birth dad that we called Baby Daddy (among other names that weren't quite as friendly). When the day came for us to take "our baby" home, Baby Daddy changed our plans. He refused to sign the papers to relinquish his rights, leaving mom with no other choice but to keep their baby.

I am thankful that God didn't listen to us in our broken hearts, begging and pleading with Him; "We'll do ANYTHING to have this baby! Soften Baby Daddy's heart, WHATEVER IT TAKES! Give Baby Mamma courage to do the RIGHT thing!"

This trial brought us closer together as a couple and closer to God. It showed us who our true friends are, it brought us closer to many of you, and it brought us our daughter who we adore more than life itself. Our daughter's birth mom watched us go through that trial. If we hadn't gone through that trial the way that we did, she may have turned to an adoption agency, instead of us to find a family for her baby, an agency with whom we were not associated.

God knows what He is doing, of that I testify to you. I am thankful to God for His Restored Gospel; for the strength and peace and knowledge that it provides, for the Principles and Priesthood Ordinances that provide us with hope and security and power and miracles! I stand as a witness of His miracles and tender mercies. I am thankful for every relationship that I have, especially the more difficult ones that help me to grow.

I am thankful for my health and the health of my family members, and our illnesses that cause us to depend on our loving and nurturing Father in Heaven. I am thankful for my husband's business and his talents and ambition in providing for our temporal needs and those times when we struggle financially, because of the miracles that we witness in our times of need. And for my husband and our adorable daughter who provide the perfect combination of joy and fun and struggles that all work together to make my life beautiful and fulfilling!

And more than any other blessing that I have, I am thankful for the knowledge and power that I am given because of Christ's Atonement. He suffered and died for ME! I am thankful for life's toughest moments, the refining fires that I need to make my life, with everything and everyone in it, more precious than gold!

Less = More

I am enjoying my experiences with finding creative ways to make money. Here is one of my experiences...

I have mentioned in one of my previous posts, that the Lord is helping me in my preparations for what is to come, (whatever that is). One thing that I have been impressed to do lately is to simplify and organize our home. Two months ago, I received a few promptings to cleaning out our "storage room" (aka the most disgusting, dust collecting, junk filled room we have had). I didn't act on the promptings right away, but before long, I discovered why it was such a good idea. 

One month later, my father needed a place to stay. His lease was ending and he had a hard time finding another place to live that was in his price range and in an area of town that he wanted to live. We invited him to live with us until he could find a home of his own. We had to clean out that storage room in order to clean out two other rooms for him and build a bathroom.

The rule that determined our simplifying decisions is if we haven’t used it in 6 months and don’t have definite plans to use it within the next three to six months, get rid of it. I dumped drawers and into boxes to sell or donate or take to the dump, and took out any items that I wanted to keep. Eventually, the only things that we will have left in our house are things that we use regularly. No more someday craft projects, no more clothes that may fit better someday, no more junk lying around for us to trip over or dust off or take up space. It feels great!

“Let’s turn our dust collecting, space taking items into money.” That’s what I said to my husband. Luckily he was on board. I am happy to report that most of the things in that junk room were treasures for others, who paid money to take them off our hands. A Yard Sale… It’s a lot of work, but honestly, it was worth it. Indoor/Online yard sales are great too if you want to take time to post pictures on those sites or Facebook pages. Our outdoor yard sale lasted three days. We took everything that didn’t sell to the D.I. and TAG at the end of each day. TAG is a Thrift Store that pays a small amount of money for your donations. 

I also found some things that I was able to cross off of our “Survival Shopping” list and I am making room for the things that matter most. “Things” don’t really matter, so de-junking hasn’t been difficult. What we have left now from our pile of things to get rid of, are items that are the most valuable, things that people don’t pay enough money for at yard sales. Those items will be on e-bay this week, auctioning off for the most amounts possible; like my husband’s golf clubs and my leather, Harley Davidson jacket.

We are using the extra funds to purchase food and other items that we have been wanting to add to our storage.

Our 4-yr-old daughter wanted to help us with our yard sale, but didn’t want to give up some of her stuff, even though it was stuff that she has grown out of and never plays with any more. So I made her a deal; “When someone buys your stuff, you can have the money to buy a new toy!” She also sold orange juice, donuts and candy.

One month later, my father is living with us. Our basement will be finished soon, which will increase the value of our home if we ever decide to re-finance or sell it. We have had that “someday” goal since we moved in 10 years ago. Things are working out better than I thought was possible. Where there’s a will, there’s a way; I have always believed that.

Ezra Taft Benson Talks About The Last Days

"Knowing what we know as His servants can we hesitate to raise a warning voice to all who will listen that they may be prepared for the days ahead?

Unto an otherwise gloomy picture, there is a bright side; the coming of our Lord in all His glory. His coming will be both glorious and terrible, depending on the spiritual condition of those who remain."

We know not the day, nor the hour of His coming, but of this you may feel assured; you stand close to the great day of the Lord! 

D&C 101:38

"As a special witness of our Lord, I humbly declare to you that he lives and He is close to His servants. His words shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled. Whether by His own voice or the voice of His servants, it is the same." 

President Ezra Taft Benson

Insurance, preparing for the unexpected

My husband is self-employed. For the first 9 years of our marriage, I worked and provided health and dental insurance. When I stopped working to be at home with our daughter, our benefits ended. We were without insurance for a couple of years. I tried to apply through the Federal Government’s “Health Marketplace” website (for Obama Care), but we were denied coverage, because according to their calculations, we qualified for Medicaid. So I applied for Medicaid through the Utah Department of Workforce Services site.

They denied us because we made too much money for their criteria. I gave up on applying for insurance, knowing that I was taking a risk and that we would have to pay penalties for having no insurance. Freedom from the runaround headache outweighed the loss from penalties, until… April of this year, when I found myself in the ER because of complications from a health condition that I have. My condition is not life threatening, but it is painful. My Dr. recommended that I have surgery ASAP.  A $25,000 surgery was not an option without insurance.

So I applied for insurance again two year after my first attempt. This time I applied for Medicaid first and was ~ you guessed it ~ denied coverage. This time, our denial from Medicaid became our ticket to Obama Care. You cannot apply for coverage outside of the open enrollment period (around Oct/Nov), but there are a few exceptions to that rule, like change in employment, change in family member count, and denial from Medicaid. Their denial letter was sent to the Market Place, which gave me the key to that locked door.

Long story short; I applied, we qualified for coverage including premium payment assistance. We now have better Health Insurance than we have ever had (even when I was employed by Intermountain Healthcare)! Our coverage started on July 1st. On July 2nd my husband was diagnosed with a disease that requires frequent medical attention and expensive medication that would have been beyond our ability to pay. Call it coincidence if you want, I call it miracles and Divine Intervention.

If you don’t have insurance, apply for Medicaid through the Department of Workforce Services. If you are disabled or over the age of 65, apply for Medicare. If you are denied coverage, apply for Obama Care through the Health Care Marketplace. If you need help with any of this, call or e-mail me. I can walk you through it or direct you to someone else who can. I can also tell you about financial assistance through Intermountain Healthcare. If your medical bills are beyond what you can pay, they will help you by setting up a monthly payment plan or in some cases, writing off a portion of what you owe.

Survival Kits Part II

I finished our 72 Hour Kits by the last day of July like I wanted to. With each of us having our own backpacks, we will survive for 72 hours; that is reassuring. Since then, I have been working on adding to our survival supplies, one item at a time.

We are going to experience earthquakes in Utah; that is a well-known fact and it's inevitable. Our dollar is losing its value; that is also a well-known fact. Companies are going out of business, people are losing their jobs and new jobs are becoming limited. Whatever the cause, we will need to survive off of the food and water that we save right now. And it will be for longer than 72 hours. That is why the Lord has directed His prophets for years to warn us to be prepared. Now is not the time to ignore those warnings!

I believe that the Lord will protect us by leading us away from here before the destruction hits, like He has done in the past. Whether you believe that or not, whether we leave or stay, we will need to be prepared. As much food and survival supplies as we can save right now. Survival supplies is not a directive from the Brethren. I added that part to my list, for personal preference. I will not go out of debt to provide our family with those things. And I will not preach this as doctrine or necessity, it is only my personal prference. 

My list is prioritized by the greatest necessity, not by the most affordable items. With our lack of funds and lack of knowledge of what we will need, we are relying on the Lord to guide us. He is helping me prioritize and showing me ways to make, save and spend our money. I have been prompted about what I should buy and in some cases, where I should buy it. But His council for you and yours may be different, so I won’t share our list with you at this time. If you need some suggestions, search Pinterest or Google and go with what YOU feel inspired to go with for your Survival Supplies.

The answer to the Trivia Question; "What is one thing that survivors of Hurricane Katrina didn't have that they wish they had more than anything else after their disaster?" - - - More than food, more than water, more than first aid kits ~ Official Documents... Family members were separated and many were brought to hospitals. Getting to them without the right documentation was impossible. We will need Birth certificates, Social Security cards, Photo IDs, Adoption Papers etc. For some of us, these will end up being the most important items that we have in our supplies.

The Lord's Day

Why are the leaders of the church so committed to instilling the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy right now? They teach principles that the Lord inspires them to teach. LDS.org is full of talks on the Sabbath Day; last month every time I turned to that site, it seemed like there was a new article or talk posted on the subject on their home page. Local leaders have been asked to focus on teaching and instilling the importance of this commandment. I want to share some points from a few of those talks that touched me, some points that inspired me to make some changes in my Sabbath Day worship.

There are many ways to improve our relationship with Christ. Our level of spirituality is determined by our attitudes and doing the things that will bring us closer to Him. I gain spiritual strength by attending the temple each week. Serving others, regular scripture study and thoughtful, regular prayers are other ways to improve our relationship with God. My husband has helped us tremendously by leading us in the habit of having Family prayer each morning before he leaves for work and every night before our daughter goes to bed. I have been leading us in the habit of Family Home Evenings every week and have seen the difference that this is making for our daughter. She remembers the things that we teach her, soaking all of it in like a sponge. It helps me in my daily teaching moments with her.

But of all the things that we can do to increase the spirituality in our homes, keeping the Sabbath Day holy is the most rewarding. I believe that this is where our connection with God begins; our spiritual growth is determined by how we honor the Sabbath Day. Blessings come in making an effort and the quality of our relationship with God depends on it.

One of the talks that I found on lds.org last month was from Neill F. Marriott, from the Young Women’s General Presidency. It was entitled Reverencing the Sabbath. After reading this article, I committed to doing better. The following is an excerpt from that article. “We deepen our discipleship as we prepare to keep the Sabbath holy and offer up our vows in righteousness (see D&C 59:11); we then receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost, even personal revelation, in our daily life.” When we commence each Sunday prepared and reverent, our depth of Sabbath understanding will be as spiritual food to all members of our family. Faith in the Lord will grow in our homes as we bring our Sabbath day reverence into our living places.” 

“Personal revelation in our daily lives...” I love that! I could use more! “Commencing each Sabbath prepared and reverent”, means preparing before the Sabbath arrives. Be ready by bedtime on Saturday night; clothes washed and ironed, Sunday bag packed and meals prepared if necessary. My daughter and I have been known to take hours to get ready. Starting on Saturday will save a lot of headache on Sunday morning. I also realized recently that Sunday morning, one hour before church starts, is too late to instill in our daughter, a sense of excitement and honor for the Sabbath, church and the Sacrament. It takes more than forcing excitement to go to church and more than anything we’ve ever tried, to instill a sense of honor in her for the entire Sabbath Day. It takes having it instilled in us first. Being better examples of sincere reverence and honor is the only way.

There are many families with more children than we have who make it to church on time every week. I know how it feels to be on time and what it tells others about my attitude towards the host and the event that I am attending. What am I telling the Savior every time I’m late to the most important meeting of the week according to Him? Those who are usually on time know that it is a sign of respect to show up 15 minutes early. It says; “I am happy to be here”, “I am ready and willing to participate” and “You and your meeting matter to me”. In my efforts to improve my Sabbath experience, I am committing to doing what it takes for me and my family to be on time every week, which for me means being ready one hour before church starts.

I love Sundays! That is one day that I get to rest from my weekly labors. It’s the best day of the week for me to focus on Family History work. I take extra time to write in my journal, write for my blogs, and visit the sick and afflicted. When we can be together as a family, it’s when we take our walks and visit family and friends. I get to immerse myself in the scriptures and gospel studies. I get to renew my covenants with my Savior during the sacrament and recommit my life to Him. I get to learn from others’ experiences and testimonies and I get to share mine. Even though we do all of these things, we also do things that defile the Sabbath.

The Sabbath is between us and the Lord; we don’t need someone to tell us what we can and cannot do on Sunday to honor the Sabbath. Some people believe that going to the beach on Sunday is inappropriate, for them it might be. But when I lived in San Diego, I found that a quiet, secluded place on the beach, a place where the Spirit of the Lord can dwell, was great for Sabbath worship of reading, writing and praying. Exodus 31:13 says Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. You can just ask yourself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” See Russell M. Nelson’s talk on LDS.org entitled; The Sabbath Is A Delight. 

How do you feel when you take the sacrament? I thought about that question recently during one of my studies. When I am annoyed with my adorable, active, and sometimes irreverent daughter during the administering of the sacrament, we are both missing out on the blessings of the Sacrament. In Sister Marriott’s words; “The effect of partaking of the sanctified bread and water gratefully and humbly is to make of us new creatures, spiritually reborn, as Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Week after week as we strive to live the sacramental covenant, we change.” Another way that I am committing to improve my Sabbath experience is to approach the sacrament ordinance differently.

Our children are expected to live the letter of a law that they don’t completely understand when they are asked to be quiet during the sacrament. There’s nothing wrong with that, but more than the habit of being quiet, I want to instill a reverence for our Savior in our daughter. It takes more than being quiet to feel reverence. “As the sacrament is passed, we allow the Atonement of Jesus Christ to enter into our being, individually and personally… With our symbolic action we are saying to God and man that we reach out to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, take it into our souls, and desire His atoning blood to be applied in our lives. In this holy moment we acknowledge our constant need of the Redeemer, our desire for His forgiveness and blessing, and our commitment to live our covenants.” Sister Marriott.

The Lord has given us the most important invitation of our lives: a chance to spend a day with Him. How are you going to prepare spiritually and physically for that day and what blessings are you hoping will come from your time with Him? That thought provoking question comes from another article on LDS.org, entitled “Blessings of the Sabbath Day”. The answers that you come up with tell you the blessings that you will receive from spending the day honoring and remembering our Savior and renewing your covenants with Him each week on His Holy Day.

Happy Pioneer Day!

The 24th of July; today is the day that Mormons remember our Pioneer ancestors. Every year around this time, I pull out the autobiographies of my Pioneer family members. One that I have been thinking a lot about lately is John Loveless. He was born in Ohio in 1807. John was a member of the church, baptized by Solomon Hancock, confirmed by Simon Carter, ordained a Priest by Thomas B. Marsh and Selah Griffin and ordained a High Priest by George W. Miller and Isaac Higby. 

He wrote about his family, his farming, and his church callings, miracles, trials and his testimony.

The members of the church were chased from their homes eight times in eleven years by mobs who hated the Mormons, some of the moves were within months of each other. This happened from 1833, just before the Printing Press was torn down, to 1846, as he and his family were among the last group of Saints in his area who left for the West.

In his words; “In the fall of 1838, the mob arose and we were compelled to sign over all our property by force of arms. In this I was an eye witness to scenes that until this day, when called to mind, make my blood run cold and would almost make me fight a legion. Women were ravished, men murdered, houses burned, property destroyed, the Prophet and Patriarch, with many others, taken and cast into prison.” 

When the Saints left for their trek to the west, John was asked by Brigham Young to stay behind to salvage any crops or farm land. Most of the Saints left in November of 1845, he left with his group on April 27th, 1846. He wrote, “I left the city of Nauvoo, the home of the Saints where I had counseled with my brethren, received direct instructions from the Prophet of God, associated with him, been instructed by him with many important commissions, worshiped the everlasting God, Eternal Father in His own temple, a house built and set apart by the Saints of God for His worship, and all the near and dear associations connected with this. 

I say when forced to leave all of this and after crossing the Mississippi River and sitting upon its banks, looking back over the country and associations that I had left; the bodies of the Prophet and Patriarch of God ruthlessly, foully and deliberately murdered by the howling and blood thirsty mobs, damnable spirits that had caused it all, my feeling became so excited and aroused that it seemed to me that if myself and each of my little boys were endowed with the strength of Samson and had the power and strength of body been commensurate with that of my will, I fear that it would have been accomplished.”

He wrote about the day when he fought a destructive, fire-branding mob with the Sheriff and a large posse. They stopped the fires and the mob; he took his family and neighbors with a few of their things and went to Nauvoo to guard everyone from the fury of the mob. On that same day, he received his endowments in the Temple.

The Pioneers inspire me in their faithful endurance and hope. They put blame where blame was due, never upon the Lord. I love reading about the miracles that occurred because of their faith in God and the power of the Priesthood. I love reading his testimony and his expressions of gratitude for God. In their hardest trials, they remained full of faith and gratitude. One of the miracles that he recorded was when he was sick with inflammation of the lungs and was near death. In that condition, I imagine most people would give up. Even after he received a Priesthood blessing, the brethren who administered to him gave him up for dead. But after talking to his wife, who refused to accept his death, they both determined that he was going to recover and in four days he was back to driving his team, praising God for the mercy and power that was manifested to him.

When they experienced the most severe hail storm he had ever witnessed, and the suffering from cold and exposure, he wrote; “But what cannot the Saint of God endure, while in the discharge of their duties?”

He wrote about the country being flooded which didn’t allow them to pass through easily on the path that the other pioneers had left for them. They had to walk three hundred miles and two months out of the way, to get back to the original path. But of that trek, he said; “We continued our journey for Great Salt Lake City, blessed in every undertaking, and good spirit prevailing all of the time. All enjoyed good health, met with no losses of consequence and on the fifteenth day of September, 1851, we arrived in Salt Lake City.”

And some of his last words in his autobiography; “How big with importance, love and almost adoration, did it appear unto us, and how straight to my heart did the tones pierce as I heard them sending a thrill of pleasure, thanksgiving and praise to my soul. Yes to my very heart’s core, calling forth shouts of exultation and joy, praise, honor and glory to God, a perfect burst of enthusiastic joy. 

What, though it was a burning desert. What, if the farthest extent of vision could discover nothing but burning, sandy plains covered with sage brush and high rocky and burning mountains. It was the place selected by God for the gathering of His people and after the trying vicissitudes through which we had passed ever since the first organization of the Church. It was here a place of rest, of rejoicing, of delight and finally above all, of happiness. 

Here we could worship God and love Him, receive instructions from His prophets and teachers without fear of fire, sword or bayonet, without expecting to hear the sounds of an infernal mob ringing in our ears. Salt Lake City; I have not language to express my gratitude to God when first I entered thy sacred precincts. There I met with the pioneer, those holy and indomitable spirits led by Brigham Young their Prophet and Seer, the successor of the immortal Joseph with Heber, the beloved and noble spirit. The saints of God who had taken the burden and borne it, given to them by God that the ancient prophesy might be fulfilled and the Saints find a home; a home, how sweet the word. 

Here again was my family united, and here the union with old and tried brethren, the grasping of hands, the shedding of tears and shouting, rejoicing and praising God by the President, friends, family and all. Salt Lake City, can it be wondered that I call thy precincts sacred? Can I ever cease to love and praise God as long as memory holds her seat upon her throne?"

He settled in Provo, and lived there for two years. Then they moved to West Jordan, where he assisted in the building of the canal to bring irrigation water into the West Jordan area. Then in 1855, he moved to Payson to continue his occupation of farming, where generations of my family were born and raised. I was born in Payson, lived in West Jordan when I was a young child and in Provo as a college student; my path in Utah reversed his path. I don't consider that a coincidence; I believe that our ancestors are more involved with influencing our lives and the paths that we take than we give them credit for.

Speaking about the challenges that we are asked to face today as modern-day pioneers, Elder M. Russell Ballard says; “May we remember the pioneers and their stories, remember that they came to build Zion in a united effort. And then accept the responsibility to instill such faith in all we meet, especially in the rising generation, and to do so through offering our own living sacrifice of a life moved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and anchored by the hope of good things to come through Him.” See Pioneers, An Anchor For Today (page 50); in this month’s Ensign, written by Elder Marcus B. Nash, of the Seventy.

Trivia Question:

What is one thing that survivors of Hurricane Katrina didn't have that they wish they had more than anything else after their disaster?

Anyone want to guess? Click here for the answer.

Planning For Survival

Calamities, Hard Times, The Last Days... I don't know where our family will be in the next 10 years or even the next six months or what things we will need to “survive”. All of our planning is being done in faith and guesses and following the Spirit. I trust people who claim to know, like Researchers, Geographers and Gospel Scholars and Apostles about what they believe is going to come. And I study the Scriptures. But more than anything or anyone, I am following the Spirit. We don’t know exactly what is to come or when, but we know it will and we want to be ready.

The idea of having a 72 Hour Kit is so that you will survive for 3 days after a natural disaster, before rescue services find you or you find them, but it could take longer than that. I am counting on that as I put ours together this month. I know… Most people put theirs together in two hours, or just buy one already put together. But the need to be prepared is more realistic for me now and more urgent this time. I am taking this project seriously, so I am putting more thought and effort into these than I have in the past.

The first time I put our kits together it took me 20 minutes. I bought ours years ago and added a few things of my own. I used to replace the perishable items every 6 months, on General Conference Saturday in April and October. But it’s been awhile. I’m in the middle of my process this time, so I will write about my first three steps today; research, making a checklist and personal inventory. I'll finish writing when I finish the kits.

My First Step, Research: I was curious what people are saying about 72 hour kits these days. I could guess what we might need, but thought I’d search Pinterest anyway to inspire my creativity. I came across some great ideas, but I also found that it can get overwhelming if you put too much time into it. This project can be simple and painless or intense and strenuous and very expensive.

How hard can it be? You need food and water and first aid and a little comfort <-- that is where all the effort is! Comfort to most of us is health, safety, shelter and sanitation, and for some fun and games and electronics with solar powered chargers is important to sustain sanity. What else is there? The thought that I keep having in all of my planning and at times stressing, is that the Lord will provide for our needs according to our faith. We do our part in faith and within our means, and He will provide the rest. I want our kits to be complete for what we NEED, but if they weigh us down so that we can’t walk, or put us into debt, they won’t do us any good.

There are some great resources on the internet if you need some help with your kits. I'll keep my favorite links and ideas summarized on my home page. And if you find some favorites of your own, feel free to share those with me. Lisa Bedford, The Survival Mom, is a well-known Prepper (someone who spends a lot of time preparing for survival after a natural disaster). She’s also a highly recommended Blogger (see her promotion for Brad Pitts’ movie, World War Z). She was in the military; she knows what it takes to survive and she tests her kits through periodic emergency drills. See her post; 36 Lessons from a 72 Hour Kit for some great tips.

My Second Step, Make a Prioritized Checklist: I figured out most of the things that I wanted, but I added a few things from Lisa Bedford’s checklist. I went shopping at the Dollar Store and bought a few things that I wanted and needed and kept the remaining things on my list for "some other day"; things are not urgent, but will be nice to have, like a Shemagh, (these are great for pillows, head and face coverings, blankets, first aid wraps, and for some people, fashion); a water filter, some Paracord or better yet, Fishing Kits with Paracords! 

Glenn Beck has some great ideas too; things that I have not found on other lists, like copies of legal documents and patriarchal blessings.

See also 72 Hour Kits; Emergency Preparedness on a budget from The Krazy Coupon Lady. I love her site! I have saved a lot of money from her coupons, which has allowed me to stock pile some of my purchases for my food and supply storage (including and separate from our 72 hour kits).

My Third Step, Personal Inventory: I pulled out our kits two weeks ago to replenish them because I knew it had been awhile. I had items in each of them that expired years ago! The clothes and shoes that I saved for our daughter fit her two years ago. I thought we were prepared! Our kits would have lasted 2 hours (if we were lucky). Following the every six months at Conference replenishing plan, allows me to not only have fresh food, but I also switch out the clothing, bedding and shoes that will work for the next 6 months; warm, winter clothes in October and cool, summer clothes in April.

Our Next Step, Family Council: Everyone in the family needs to be on the same page when it comes to surviving a disaster, but being prepared spiritually is more important for kids than talking about the what ifs or the could happens. Most people (not just kids) want to focus on God's love for us, on hope and faith and miracles. We will have as much or more of that to go with the hard times and having faith in that will be crucial for our survival.

Those of us who do well at packing for trips (like me), and planning for camp outs (like my husband), can take care of the boring stuff like what to put in our survival kits. Most kids don't care about what you're going to pack when you go camping. They're just excited for the adventure! They have faith that we will take care of them, and we will, if we are prepared.

Food For Thought

The title of my calling is the Family Preparedness Coordinator. I don't plan on preaching about food storage or making anyone wrong for not being prepared temporally. Even though that is important, being prepared will take more than having enough food and water to survive through the hard times. We are also counseled to gain and build our own testimonies of Christ. For those who want to add to their personal and family's spiritual and temporal preparedness, or feel inspired to start now, I will offer encouragement, suggestions and opportunities. And if you don't feel inspired right now, I hope to be able to change that.

"As for me and my house", we are preparing in every way that we can, every day, every chance we get. It's on our minds more than it ever has been. I have been finding tons of helpful information on lds.org. Click --> here to check it out! Read through the talks and stories and all of the great suggestions that they have about getting our wards and stakes educated and prepared. If you find anything on there that inspires you, feel free to give me your suggestions. I can't promise you that we will be able to do what you suggest, but I promise that I will give it serious consideration and effort whatever that means. I found an inspirational video clip about the saints in Joplin, Missouri. Click --> here to watch it.

I just learned that the direction from the leaders of the church now is to have 3 months of food and water and longer term supply of basic food items. It is no longer suggested or expected of us to have one or two years of food and water.

If you don't have two years or three months of food and water, save what you can now. Just do your best. There will be a day when we will have to depend on the supplies that we have saved. After that, we will rely on miracles with the one fish and loaf of bread that we have left. Nothing wrong with that, just sayin'. Do what you can, the Lord blesses us as we strive to do our best.

At this point, I believe that having a firm testimony or a spiritual reservoir, is more important than reserving food and water! If I had to choose between physical death from starvation or spiritual death; eternal damnation (stopped progression), I would choose starvation.

I love the quote by President Kimball that I have on my home page;

"Your faith will perform miracles, especially when you get your hands and feet involved!" 

I have a testimony of that; we are guided when we seek for it. When God knows your desires and you ask Him for His help, He will show you where to shop for the biggest sales, where to find coupons or even handouts for the things that you want or need to have. I have many stories to share of experiences that reminded me about the fact that He knows our needs, He cares about our wants and wishes and He provides when we do our part.

Now is the time!

The Gathering of Israel... People are coming out of the wood works, writing and publishing books about their spiritual experiences and visions of what is about to come in regards to the final Gathering of Israel. I have heard about some writing in detail about drastic future happenings, to come in the early spring of 2016. Disasters have been prophesied in the past, to occur on dates that came and went without anything happening. Remember January 1st, 2000? That was supposed to be The End.

I have not personally read those books, so I can’t recommend them yet, but many members of my family on both sides have. I don’t think there is anything wrong with reading personal accounts and testimonies of people who are not leaders of the church, but I believe, like my family does, that we need to be prayerful about the things that we choose to believe. 

I have read accounts in the scriptures and attended Institute and Missionary Zone and Area Conference meetings that taught me the same things that my family is talking about; refuge, protection, the gathering of Israel, establishing Zion, etc. We can believe the prophets. If nothing else, these accounts remind us of what we have been warned to do, be prepared! Vaughn J. Featherstone spoke about this 40 years ago. Click here if you want to read or listen to his talk.

I believe that Christ guides his church in every decision, through his chosen leaders. If we are prayerful about the things that we believe, and if we recognize God’s Spirit and turn to Him in faith for guidance and trust our leaders, we will be prepared. I also believe in false prophets and the power and wise designs of the Adversary. He is working hard right now and succeeding in his efforts to deceive even the elect. If the leaders of the church do not act according to our plans (which may be instilled in us by false prophets), we will likely fall. God will confirm the truth to us when we ask Him to, He will lead us in the way of truth and light to learn the things that matter.

The Leaders of the church will probably not tell us when to be prepared, that would cause disasters itself. They are not going to warn us anymore, they are going to say; "The time is here!" If we are not prepared, it will be too late. I want to be ready! The time is not near anymore, not soon or coming, it is now! 

“If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear” are words that keep running through my mind.

Well, I have fear. So apparently I need to do some more preparing. I don’t want to focus on Doom and Gloom of the last days, but the truth is our country is going to suffer because of the decisions that our Government is making to turn our country away from God. Rain will fall on the wicked and the righteous, we will all suffer to some degree. We don’t need to worry about ISIS as much as we need to worry about God’s wrath; natural disasters, fires, plagues and pestilences.

The Sunday before this calling was extended to me, I had a sleepless Friday night. I went to the Temple on Saturday morning, where I knew I would find comfort and instruction. I did! I read 3 Nephi 13, Consider the lilies of the field and the fowls of the air. God takes care of them; He will take care of us. I was also touched by several points in the session, as if they were directed at me to address every one of my concerns. And in 1 Nephi 22, quoting Isaiah, verse 17 reads; "For the time soon cometh that the fullness of the wrath of God shall be poured out upon all the children of men; for he will not suffer that the wicked shall destroy the righteous. Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power even if it so be that the fullness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved even unto destruction and their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear, for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved even if it so be as by fire". See also the Book of Isaiah, (especially chapters 48 - 66).

I recommitted my life to my Savior on Saturday morning. Since that day my prayers have been more heartfelt, my random and casual scripture reading has turned to pondering. I promised to serve my Father in Heaven wholeheartedly, no more sins of omission, no more laziness or excuses for why I can't do what I know I should be doing. My priorities have changed; the way I spend my time, the things I spend my money on. My Temple attending and Family History work is no longer random to fit my convenience. I want to be filled with the hope and the love of Christ and the Spirit of Elijah. I want to be full of faith for the future and excitement for the miracles that I know we will witness as believers and followers of Christ.

So what else can we do? How will we stay safe and make it through the hardest of all times in the history of this world? First of all, death is not the worst thing that can happen to someone. And for everyone else, we have the Power of the Priesthood to protect, comfort and guide us. The Priesthood is God's power. The power that he used to create you and me and the world that we live in; it's the power that Christ used to heal the sick, to raise the dead and caused the lame man to walk and the blind man to receive his sight.

It's the power that frees us from our sins, when we turn our hearts to Christ and repent, all of the blessings of God's Spirit; peace, hope, love, faith and light. The blessings of the Atonement, every blessing that we experience in this life comes from God's power. And in the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, worthy men are given the Priesthood, the power and authority to act in God's name, like the apostles did when Christ was on the earth!

We have nothing to fear. We have the blessings of the Spirit and personal revelation. My husband holds the Priesthood; the power that the Priesthood holds is within my husband! Priesthood is God’s power, the power of miracles, the power of creation! We can do this, we are doing it together, and now is the time!