This week's update

      This week was a pretty slow relaxing week for us. We went up to Hollywood beach again and took one of the young men in Brandon's class. The big thing we did was apply for medicaid becuase there is just no way for us to afford health insurance for me right now so we are hoping we will be able to get it and have the rest of my pregnancy covered. It was a big blessing when we went to the medicaid office there were two nice ladies standing outside who we happened to talk to who knew a person we could just sit down and apply with instead of having to wait hours in line to apply; so that was really nice. The Spanish people here are so friendly once Brandon starts speaking Spanish to them. They love that he speaks Spanish and are so sweet and helpful to us.
      I taught my first relief society lesson in Spanish today on President Monson's talk about the temple. I was so nervous! It went pretty well though. The sisters could tell I was trying my best and lots of them participated and made comments so I was really grateful for that. Our ward is so interesting because so many sisters are from different Latin countries and have had so many different experiences. Especially with the temple lesson some of them shared experiences of how much they would have to sacrifice to go the temple and it was humbling to me who has never had to sacrifice anything more than my time to go to the temple which is not really a sacrifice at all. So I was glad I was able to at least understand their comments and learn from their examples. I know I pronounced a lot of things wrong in my lesson because I was kind of shaky and nervous but they were really patient with me. Hopefully the next lesson will be easier now that I have given one. My Spanish is slowly getting better but I still can't really hold a substantial conversation with anyone. I'm reading Twilight in Spanish to try to expand my vocabulary but it is just going to take a lot of practice and time.
     Brandon and I also found some free tennis courts nearby so we have been playing lots of tennis lately. We are watching Wimbledon on t.v and it makes both of us want to get out there and hit the tennis ball like a pro, haha. Brandon is getting very good at tennis; its fun to play with him. It is really hot to play here though because of the humidity. We are both drenched after we play and have to bring towels to sit on in the car, haha, its pretty gross.

Here is my Lesson on Temples- the English version :)

The Holy Temple- A beacon to the world

The lesson today is on the temple. President Monson gave a great talk on the temple in the last general conference. The talk is called the Holy Temple: A Beacon to the World.

I want to start with the history of temples. Who knows what the first temple was to be built in this dispensation?

•      It was the Kirtland temple in Ohio.

·     Reader #1- President Monson said: “The Saints at the time were impoverished, and yet the Lord had commanded that a temple be built, so build it they did. Wrote Elder Heber C. Kimball of the experience, “The Lord only knows the scenes of poverty, tribulation and distress which we passed through to accomplish it.” And then, after all that had been painstakingly completed, the Saints were forced to leave Ohio and their beloved temple. They eventually found refuge—although it would be temporary—on the banks of the Mississippi River in the state of Illinois. They named their settlement Nauvoo, and willing to give their all once again and with their faith intact, they erected another temple to their God. Persecutions raged, however, and with the Nauvoo Temple barely completed, they were driven from their homes once again, seeking refuge in a desert. The struggle and the sacrifice began once again as they labored for 40 years to erect the Salt Lake Temple, which stands majestically on the block just south of those of us who are here today in the Conference Center.”

President Monson Said: “Some degree of sacrifice has ever been associated with temple building and with temple attendance. Countless are those who have labored and struggled in order to obtain for themselves and for their families the blessings which are found in the temples of God.”

Question: Why are so many willing to sacrifice so much to receive the blessings of the temple?

·        President Monson said: Those who understand that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings. It is worth every sacrifice and every effort.

Question: What do we sacrifice to go to the temple?

I want to read a story about the family Tham who sacrificed so much to go to the temple and receive the blessings of sealing.

Reader #2

·        At that time the nearest temple to the Mou Tham family was the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, more than 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to the southwest, accessible only by expensive airplane travel. The large Mou Tham family, which eked out a meager living on a small plantation, had no money for airplane fare, nor was there any opportunity for employment on their Pacific island. So Brother Mou Tham and his son Gérard made the difficult decision to travel 3,000 miles (4,800 km) to work in New Caledonia, where another son was already employed.

·        The three Mou Tham men labored for four years. Brother Mou Tham alone returned home only once during that time, for the marriage of a daughter. After four years, Brother Mou Tham and his sons had saved enough money to take the family to the New Zealand Temple. All who were members went except for one daughter who was expecting a baby. They were sealed for time and eternity, an indescribable and joyful experience. Brother Mou Tham returned from the temple directly to New Caledonia, where he worked for two more years to pay for the passage of the one daughter who had not been at the temple with them—a married daughter and her child and husband. In their later years Brother and Sister Mou Tham desired to serve in the temple. By that time the Papeete Tahiti Temple had been constructed and dedicated, and they served four missions there.

 

Question: Have any of you had an experience with sacrificing to go to the temple that you would be willing to share? It can be a sacrifice of time, effort, money, anything.

-     I have not had to make any big sacrifices like those in the stories, but I do sacrifice my time to go to the temple. I used to live 5 minutes away from the temple in Provo but it was still hard to attend the temple regularly. Satan will always try to fill up your life with so many things that it seems impossible to go to the temple.

Question: What are some things that distract us from going to the temple? Question: How can we overcome these distractions? I think prayer is a big way to avoid distractions and also setting goals for yourself.

President Monson said:

·        If you have not yet been to the temple or if you have been but currently do not qualify for a recommend, there is no more important goal for you to work toward than being worthy to go to the temple. Your sacrifice may be bringing your life into compliance with what is required to receive a recommend, perhaps by forsaking long-held habits which disqualify you. It may be having the faith and the discipline to pay your tithing. Whatever it is, qualify to enter the temple of God. Secure a temple recommend and regard it as a precious possession, for such it is.

·      Reader #3- Until you have entered the house of the Lord and have received all the blessings which await you there, you have not obtained everything the Church has to offer. The all-important and crowning blessings of membership in the Church are those blessings which we receive in the temples of God.

Question: What are some blessing we receive in the temple?

·        Families can be together forever

·        Getting to know the plan of God

·        Peace in your heart and mind

·        Answers to your questions

·        Making covenants with God

Question: What questions do we need to answer to obtain a temple recommend?

·        Are you keeping the word of wisdom?

·        Are you keeping the law of chastity?

·        Do you sustain the leaders of the church?

·        Do you pay tithing?

·        Do you attend your meetings?

·        Are you honest?

·        Do you keep your baptismal covenants?

Question: What are some differences between the church and the temple?

·        In the temple we do much more than we can in the church. You need a recommend to enter the temple, we make covenants that we cannot do in the church such as sealings, endowments, and baptisms for the dead.

We also need to be good examples to our children. If we do not have the goal to go to the temple then our children will not have our example to look up to. President Monson said:

·     To you parents of young children, may I share with you some sage advice from President Spencer W. Kimball. Said he: “It would be a fine thing if … parents would have in every bedroom in their house a picture of the temple so their children from the time they are infants could look at the picture every day until it becomes a part of their lives. When they reach the age that they need to make the very important decision concerning going to the temple, it will have already been made. I plead with you to teach your children of the temple’s importance.

Conclusion: President Monson concluded that :

·        The world can be a challenging and difficult place in which to live. We are often surrounded by that which would drag us down. As you and I go to the holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we will be more able to bear every trial and to overcome each temptation. In this sacred sanctuary we will find peace; we will be renewed and fortified.

·        My beloved brothers and sisters, may we make whatever sacrifices are necessary to attend the temple and to have the spirit of the temple in our hearts and in our homes. May we follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us, that we might have eternal life and exaltation in our Heavenly Father’s kingdom. This is my sincere prayer, and I offer it in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord, amen.

Bear Testimony