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I loved the two morning devotionals, in both of which we received instruction on the Camp Theme from wonderful family presenters.
Friday devotional: “What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?”
The word “Gospel” is an old English term whose meaning was originally “God story.” It was translated from a term that in the Greek means “Good news” or “Glad tidings.” The word Gospel is very near to the meaning of the Book of Mormon phrases “the plan of redemption”, “the plan of salvation”, or “the great plan of happiness.” Devotional talks followed the outline for the third missionary lesson, from the manual “Preach My Gospel.”
1. The atonement of Chri
st. Valerie taught that atonement was like a friend paying off our debt, providing mercy and at the same time meeting the demands of justice. In this case, of course, the debt come from our sins. The remaining talks described the steps we must follow to make the atonement applicable in our lives.
2. Faith. Paul
3. Repentance. Britain
4. Baptism. Andrew
5. The Gift of the Holy Ghost. Bruce
6. Enduring to the end. Daniel
Saturday devotional: What does it mean to be grounded in the Gospel? (Ephesians 3:17; Colossians 1:23; 2:7, D&C 109:24)
The origin of the Lewis Family theme was from the writings of Elder Neal Maxwell. For simplicity’s sake the word grounded was used, but originally the statement included all of the following words. Speakers presented on the meaning of these metaphors pertaining to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. Grounded. Matthew spoke from the vantage of an electrician. He explained that grounding is creating a
low-resistance pathway to the earth to protect agai
nst electrical faults. Proper grounding is also a protection from the effects of lightning strikes. Buildings catch fire and persons may be seriously injured or killed if they accidently become the conduits for electricity. In the same way that we protect buildings and people from electrical contact and shock, we needed to be spiritually grounded, so that the trials of life cannot hurt or destroy our faith.
2. Rooted. Angela, as a gardener, used the example of a Petunia plant which to maximize its blooms must first become well-rooted. Sometimes a gardener has to make the hard choice to remove early growth in a petunia’s top or even pick off the first buds in order to force the plant to spread and to grow a stronger root, so that there will be more and prettier blooms later in the season. The lesson for us in the Petunia is that we also must make sure our spiritual root system develops before the trials of life come and so we can eventually enjoy the full fruits of our faith.
3. Settled. Quin, using the understanding of a civil engineer, demonstrated the need for settled foundations for roads, bridges, buildings, etc., so that they will be able to stand and to guard against their cracking or falling. In the same way, we need a firm foundation for our faith so that we may not fall as the challenges and storms of life come upon us..
4. Established. Alison, from a lan
dscaping point of view, compared the needs of bare-root plants and of established plants in the process of transplanting. She showed us examples of a bare root plant that has to be tended carefully every day so that it will not die, and also a plant with a root system already well-established in soil so as to be a able to easily acquire the water and nutrients it needs to sustain itself. Established plants can withstand lots of rough treatment and still thrive. Being established in our faith and testimony is an important protection for us as we face the trails of life.
When we are grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have responded to the "Good News"of the Restoration, we are firmly committed and faithful to the principles taught by the scriptures, the prophets, and current Church leaders, we have partaken of the basic ordinances of salvation, and we have received assurances of the Spirit that we are on the path to eternal life.
I am grateful for another wonderful family camp, with nearly every family member there. We missed David, Rebecca and their boys, Katrina who was heavily involved in school at BYU-I, and Heidi who in Romania with a BYU service program. Staci was able to come on Friday afternoon. Andrew's fiancee, Britain, joined us for a while on Friday.
Thanks to Matthew and Valerie for their pictures.
I believe the prophet Joseph once answered a question about the major difference between our Church and others, with the statement, “We have the Holy Ghost.” After we are baptized, each of us is entitled to personal direction from the Spirit for our lives and responsibilities. These revelations are sometimes clear but also can be subtle and difficult to understand or interpret. For example, the Book of Mormon tells us that a group of Lamanites “at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and knew it not.” (3 Nephi 9: 20)
I am thinking that there might be at least three types of answers or directions that arise from the Spirit, that it would be helpful to be ale to interpret correctly according to the Lord’s intent. One type is a warning of something not to do or say. Valerie has written well on this option as Mother's Spirit School- Lesson Five (Sunday, March 14, 2010). She identified feelings of discomfort, uneasiness, unrest as spiritual warnings of something to avoid. In my own life, I have most often experienced or identified this kind of spiritual reaction as I have begun to say something that might be seen as unkind or gossipy. I hope I am getting better at recognizing these kinds of feelings and acting on them correctly.
Positive answers are often experienced as feelings of peace or joy (for example, see Mosiah 4:2-3, where these feelings communicated forgiveness from God), or as a burning in the bosom (D&C 9:8). The following incident suggests that there might be two types of “Yes” answers. Paul Warner, in a BYU Education Week talk, described a situation in which a young man had been dating a young women that he really liked, had prayed to know if they should marry, and seemed to have received a positive answer to his prayers. However, the young women had rejected his proposal of marriage, in spite of his protestations that the Spirit had answered his prayers with direction that they should marry. The Church leader taught the lesson that the positive spiritual promptings meant that the Lord approved or “was OK” with this young man pursuing marriage with this particular girl, but did not communicate that she was the “one and only” for him and he for her, and did not compromise her freedom to choose or act for herself. (Paul R. Warner, “Divine Answers to Personal Concerns” BYU Eduation Week address, Aug 18, 1997 --http://www.byub.org/talks/Talk.aspx?id=1662)
In a similar vein, I recall the experience as Bishop of determining various callings to be extended to ward members. For major callings, especially those of executive positions (presidents of auxiliaries, Aaronic Priesthood presidents, other callings involving special needs) we sought for a burning, ringing confirmation regarding the specific person. On the other hand, we moved ahead with the majority of callings with a lessor spiritual witness. I do not recall making any calls about which I and my counselors did not believe we felt the peace of the spirit. However, we relied to a considerable extent on our own judgment as persons holding presiding keys, acting in the capacity to which we had been called, in order to maintain staffing across all church programs. We were cognizant that a number of ward members were available and could have performed these particular callings equally as well as those we called, and that the Lord would probably would have also consented to our using them in these capacities, but, in our judgment, the persons we selected were a good choices and our preferences at the time of call.
Therefore, I am suggesting that the Spirit may give to us two types of “Yes” answers. One is that the response by the Spirit identifies the only correct answer. This very action, or choice, or person is the Will of the Lord. No other correct option exists. The second “Yes” answer means something a little different, that the Lord accepts or supports your choice but your choice may be one among many that the Lord might affirm if asked.
Here is a letter I sent to 10 missionaries currently serving from our Wolf Hollow 2nd ward. Some of them are pictured: Clay Kerecman, Cole Hunter, Brandon Davis, Steven Harding, and with his parents, Travis Reynolds. Other missionaries are Ryan Jackson, Max Livingston, Jason Simons, Brad Voorhees, Caleb West,
Dear Elder
Sister Lewis and I got back from our mission in Raleigh North Carolina a month ago and were so pleased and proud to see the number of missionaries from our ward who were a part of the Priests Quorum when I was privileged to be its advisor. The communication we received from the ward while we were away did not give much in the way of details about people and missionaries. We are excited to see so many missionaries and to hear your parents tell us of the fine service you are giving.
We are so proud of you for your service as a missionary. Our mission reminded us first-hand about the challenges you face and the determination and strength of character you must have to persevere. Also the joys.
We filled multi roles in our mission. During the week, we served the young missionaries as we had charge of cars and apartments, and had the blessing of interacting with them constantly. We loved them and enjoyed their commitment, testimonies, and desire to serve. We loved to hear of the miracles that they experienced as they did their work.
On weekends, we were the proselyting missionaries in a branch about 100 miles south east of Raleigh out in the farming country of NC. This was our greatest thrill. We developed wonderful relationships with the members of the branch, and experienced a couple of baptisms, several reactivations, and one couple being sealed in the Raleigh temple. In addition to teaching the standard missionary lessons, we were able to teach the Gospel Principles lesson manual in its entirety in the Sunday School and also the Temple Preparation lessons. We have two more couples we worked with who should be ready by the end of the summer to be sealed in the temple.
We were excited to find Trevor Randolph speaking in Sacrament meeting yesterday, and to be entering the MTC this week preparatory to going to the Korea Pusan mission. We also understand that Jace Johnson is in the process of submitting mission papers.
Is there anything we can do to help and support you in your missionary labors? I am extremely grateful for the association I have had with you and hope and pray that the Lord will continue to be with you.
Love, Brother Lewis
On our way back home from The Grotto, we drove by the site for the new Payson temple. It is supposed to be planned for this field on the west side of the town. We clocked the time and distance from our Spanish Fork home: 10 miles and 14 minutes.
The Chandler's arrived at Grandma Bell's in Draper on Sunday evening. Meanwhile a favorite relative of Wendy's was visiting in Salt Lake. This is Wendy's sister Sue's daughter, Kimberly Fulkerson, and family. We attended a family picnic at Sugarhouse park Monday evening, where I met them for the first time and Wendy had a happy reunion. As a teenager, Wendy baby-sat Kimberly, and in turn Kimberly tended Wendy's older children when they were small before she married and moved away. They currently live in Springfield IL. In the pictures we see Kimberly, her husband Glenn, and their five children, Kaitlyn, Ashley, Maddy, Thomas, and Benjamin.
Pictures show Kimberly's family together and with Grandma Annette, and also four generations of girls, Annette, Sue, Kimberly, and daughters
Valerie arrived at our place in Spanish Fork with eight boys as we arrived back home from Salt Lake, her four youngest and also the four youngest Soderquists.
When I was 8 years old, I was looking forward to my baptism. The months went by and all of a sudden I was nine years old and hadn’t been baptized. My mother told me later that my father (who was not a member of the Church) didn’t want me to be baptized until, as He said it, “I was old enough to make the choice by myself.” I began to say in my prayers each night, “Please help me to be able to be baptized.”
Months and years went by. We lived an hour’s drive away from the branch and didn’t get there too often. Still I had the desire and kept the wish to be baptized in my prayers. When I was 17 years old, the week after I had graduated form high school, the President of the branch visited us, and said, “We have reserved the baptism font at the Hood River Ward next Saturday. Why don’t you come and get baptized?” Somehow we got there and I did get baptized. I felt so clean and pure. For a few days it was like I was walking around two feet off the floor.
As I thought back about those years, I wondered, “Why did I feel so strongly about being baptized?” The answer is that I knew in my heart that was what God wanted me to do. Here are three important things I have learned about my baptism, and they are also true for you.
First, I wanted to be a member of Heavenly Father’s church. Baptism is the way to become a Church member. I recall being frustrated when I reached age nine unbaptized, because, as I understood it, I would then be classified as a convert when I was baptized. I identified myself as always being a member and wanted it to be official. You lucky guys. You are able to get baptized today. You are making promises to God and he is making promises to you. You are becoming members of Heavenly Father’s Church.
Second, I felt vulnerable when I wasn’t baptized. What if something happened to me and I wasn’t baptized? I needed to have my sins washed away through the atonement of Christ. I worried about not being able to be clean and return to God’s presence. Forgiveness is a great blessing to you. You have reached a point where you know right from wrong and are becoming accountable for your sins. We all make mistakes. After being baptized if you sin and then repent, Christ will pay the price for your sin and you can again be forgiven. You will have this blessing for you entire life if you continue to repent as you make mistakes and seek for forgiveness from Heavenly Father.
Third, I needed the gift of the Holy Ghost to give my life direction. I didn’t begin to really understand this until after I was baptized and received that gift. All of a sudden things were different in my life. I felt an influence that had not been present before prompting me about things I should do–where and when to go to college, what things were most important for me to fulfill my purposes. You will receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost today. It can be a wonderful blessing to you, just as it has been for me. You will need to listen for its promptings and keep your life pure to have this gift with you always.
I know these things are true. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
st. Valerie taught that atonement was like a friend paying off our debt, providing mercy and at the same time meeting the demands of justice. In this case, of course, the debt come from our sins. The remaining talks described the steps we must follow to make the atonement applicable in our lives.
low-resistance pathway to the earth to protect agai
nst electrical faults. Proper grounding is also a protection from the effects of lightning strikes. Buildings catch fire and persons may be seriously injured or killed if they accidently become the conduits for electricity. In the same way that we protect buildings and people from electrical contact and shock, we needed to be spiritually grounded, so that the trials of life cannot hurt or destroy our faith.
dscaping point of view, compared the needs of bare-root plants and of established plants in the process of transplanting. She showed us examples of a bare root plant that has to be tended carefully every day so that it will not die, and also a plant with a root system already well-established in soil so as to be a able to easily acquire the water and nutrients it needs to sustain itself. Established plants can withstand lots of rough treatment and still thrive. Being established in our faith and testimony is an important protection for us as we face the trails of life.
