Truly Thankful Fall and Thanksgiving
"My favorite color is October" Maybe November in "Sweet Home Alabama" There are autumn colors everywhere now and the beauties of nature as the air gets a little crisper and thermostats go up.
While traveling to Branch Sacrament Meeting in Sylacauga, we snapped a few delightful photos.
The last three Saturdays, we have been feeding the missionaries and last night we made them breakfast for dinner. Serving waffles, scrambles eggs with cheese, bacon and onions, orange juice, little smokie sausages and cinnamon rolls with ice cream. Then we shared the leftovers with the Sylacauga missionaries for their lunch!! Both sets of missionaries are always grateful for a home cooked meal and are very gracious with compliments and leave spiritual messages. Twice they have secretly hidden missionary shirt thank you notes that make us laugh when we find them later!!
One of the outstanding lessons in Sunday school was #39 "The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn to Their Fathers." The lesson purpose states, "to help class members understand the need to seek out their ancestors and receive priesthood ordinances in their behalf." I really loved how Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery restoring the sealing power of the priesthood so families can stay together through the eternities. ''
Under the direction of President Wilford Woodruff in 1894 the twelve apostles established family history research and temple service as one work in the Church and the First Presidency organized the Genealogical Society. When President Woodruff served as president of the St. George Temple, over 100 spirits of prominent men appeared to him saying, "We laid the foundation of the government you enjoy, and we ...remain true to it and were faithful to God." They wanted to know why we did not redeem them..."There has been nothing done for us." These were signers of the Declaration of Independence, John Wesley, Columbus, William Wadsworth and others. These men waited on me for two nights. I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon Brother McAllister to baptize me for these 100 men." The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, sel. G. Homer Durham(1946), 160-61
Joseph F. Smith's revelation on his sick bed of Doctrine and Covenants 138 about the redemption of the dead, gives us ideas about how busy those faithful Saints are who are serving on the other side of the veil.
I loved the story about Brigham Young's daughter, Suza Young Gates, who was privileged to see the new revelation before it was canonized for the church members. Suza journaled, "How blest, O how blest I am to have the privilege, to read the revelation before it is published and to know the heavens are still opened, that Mother Eve and her daughters are also involved in this great work." Suza and Joseph F. were childhood friends and had served on missions in Hawaii with their families.
During October Conference, President Smith made a surprise appearance, even though he had been on his sick bed for five months. He stated, "I have not lived alone these five months. I have dwelt in the spirit of prayer, of supplication, of faith and of determination; and I have had my communication with the spirit of the Lord continuously. In his remarkable vision he saw hosts of the dead waiting for the Savior's arrival. President Smith saw that the Savior had organized his forces and appointed messengers from among the righteous spirits. Jesus spent 'his time during his sojourn instructing and preparing the faithful spirits of the prophets who had testified of him in the flesh' to carry the message of redemption to those spirits who had not received the gospel message in their mortal lives."
What depth of Gratitude do we all possess in regards to these wonderful predecessors who paved the way for us to embrace the truths of the restoration of the gospel!!
While traveling to Branch Sacrament Meeting in Sylacauga, we snapped a few delightful photos.
The last three Saturdays, we have been feeding the missionaries and last night we made them breakfast for dinner. Serving waffles, scrambles eggs with cheese, bacon and onions, orange juice, little smokie sausages and cinnamon rolls with ice cream. Then we shared the leftovers with the Sylacauga missionaries for their lunch!! Both sets of missionaries are always grateful for a home cooked meal and are very gracious with compliments and leave spiritual messages. Twice they have secretly hidden missionary shirt thank you notes that make us laugh when we find them later!!
Under the direction of President Wilford Woodruff in 1894 the twelve apostles established family history research and temple service as one work in the Church and the First Presidency organized the Genealogical Society. When President Woodruff served as president of the St. George Temple, over 100 spirits of prominent men appeared to him saying, "We laid the foundation of the government you enjoy, and we ...remain true to it and were faithful to God." They wanted to know why we did not redeem them..."There has been nothing done for us." These were signers of the Declaration of Independence, John Wesley, Columbus, William Wadsworth and others. These men waited on me for two nights. I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon Brother McAllister to baptize me for these 100 men." The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, sel. G. Homer Durham(1946), 160-61
Joseph F. Smith's revelation on his sick bed of Doctrine and Covenants 138 about the redemption of the dead, gives us ideas about how busy those faithful Saints are who are serving on the other side of the veil.
I loved the story about Brigham Young's daughter, Suza Young Gates, who was privileged to see the new revelation before it was canonized for the church members. Suza journaled, "How blest, O how blest I am to have the privilege, to read the revelation before it is published and to know the heavens are still opened, that Mother Eve and her daughters are also involved in this great work." Suza and Joseph F. were childhood friends and had served on missions in Hawaii with their families.
During October Conference, President Smith made a surprise appearance, even though he had been on his sick bed for five months. He stated, "I have not lived alone these five months. I have dwelt in the spirit of prayer, of supplication, of faith and of determination; and I have had my communication with the spirit of the Lord continuously. In his remarkable vision he saw hosts of the dead waiting for the Savior's arrival. President Smith saw that the Savior had organized his forces and appointed messengers from among the righteous spirits. Jesus spent 'his time during his sojourn instructing and preparing the faithful spirits of the prophets who had testified of him in the flesh' to carry the message of redemption to those spirits who had not received the gospel message in their mortal lives."
What depth of Gratitude do we all possess in regards to these wonderful predecessors who paved the way for us to embrace the truths of the restoration of the gospel!!
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