Enrichment-- A Change of Scenery with a Challenge to Excel

We have a new ward and we feel a part of it already! Our new home has brought us new opportunities to grow, learn and get acquainted with our ward family. Their friendliness is boundless and they go the extra mile to make sure we feel welcomed. The bishop called us one evening just after we moved in and invited us to a ward dinner activity at the park behind the ward building that we probably would not otherwise have realized to go ourselves.

Then the bishopric came to visit us as well and again we felt welcomed and got to know who they are and they to know who we were too. I attended Relief Society each week and love the teachers' lessons and participation with them. We were recently asked as members of the ward through an announcement to get involved in doing Family Search Indexing. They announced that they have about 25 Family History Consultants for the Family History Center. They also asked if we would be able to do Family Search Indexing at home. The supervisor,( Verona E) for that [project] came over to show me how to do the Obituary project the Church is currently doing. She is our bishop's wife and such a fine, delightful person to get to know. She reminds me of one of my former bishop's wife, Sister England.

The Stake Relief Society had a women's seminar in April, called "What A Holy Woman Do?" It was a beautiful challenge for the stake sisters to try an experiment for three days to ask ourselves the question, "What would a holy woman do?"
The R S Stake board did that since January and reported to us what they experienced. It was so uplifting and the reported how it changed so many lives as they chose to live those words. The idea came from a book written by Kristen W Nelson, the wife of one of our Twelve Apostles. It is a short book but very full of counsel and encouragement. They gave us each a spiritual "gift card" with the same words, "What Would A Holy Woman Do?" I decided to accept their suggestion to try the experiment.

I started reading the eBook of it and put into practice. I found it helped be be more attuned to the guidance of the Holy Ghost and listen to the still small voice in accepting a new church calling that made that experience so sweet. I figuratively went from night to day in my perspective in that decision. It was nothing short of a miracle. My husband and I went to the temple during that week of contemplation. I received a sweet confirmation and witness of what a holy woman would do and was convinced of the blessing it would become in that acceptance. I felt so much peace, love and support all around me that I have never known regarding the steps to accept what the Lord would have me do in this instance. I know I had a 'mighty change of heart' that would have missed had I not taken the time to really search for the answer I sought.

I hope anyone reading about this challenge will seek out the book and see the miraculous effect it has upon each of you. It is an incredible, life changing event.

New Place, New Experiences

Moving to Nevada has been a new wonderful adventure!

We are enjoying the warmer weather in our new home in Mesquite, Nevada. Ron has the garden plot in and a few rows with tomato plants, Anaheim peppers, egg plants, with seeds planted for cantaloupes, and Crenshaws. Our garden here at home he's planted a few tomato plants, and seeds for cucumbers.

He has been focused on having our front yard become an orchard. So far he has planted several trees. 2 pomegranate, one apricot, one peach and two fig trees. I even requested a Bouganvillea vine. He installed the drip irrigation system out front. (See photos)

He has been busy!

Conversation From A Deep Thought

I love my husband. I learn something from him every day. I learn who he is and how he has come to be who he is. We were having lunch and I had a question that I had pondered in my mind for a long time. We talked about when Jesus performed his first miracle with making water into wine at a marriage in Cana of Galilee.

I am in awe of the workings and miracles that Jesus performed while he was on the earth. We are reading the New Testament and are into the lives and writings of the Apostles. Some of those writings are not as easy to read as I would like. Nevertheless I continue to be touched by the "miracles" that Christ performed, as told and quoted by his apostles. His first miracle was noted at the marriage at Cana in Galilee.

It was a social gathering (a wedding) and the hosts ran out of wine. Mary came to Jesus to tell him there was no more wine. Then she told the servants to do whatever Jesus asked of them after she begged him to help as there was a need for wine for the guests. I thought about her insistence and realized that she knew in her heart her son was capable of making wine from water, no ordinary request.

He was obedient to Mary's request and instructed the servants to fill the stone pots to the brim with water. The next thing you know, there are pots of delicious wine served that even the ruler at the marriage gathering commented on the quality of the wine they were served.

Not much is said about how the actual wine was made, but the results of the crowd deemed that the wine served before was "not as good" but the "thou hast kept the good wine until now." John 2:1-11

Ron and I talked about what other miracles were performed and was pleased to hear his explanation with depth and understanding. I saw in him for that moment the instructor and professor he had been teaching me and answering my questions.

It was like drinking from a well of pure water that quenched the very thirst I had to know what he knew and taught me. I am most grateful for the scriptures and the blessing it is to study them with Ron.