TMM Revelation Matters

TMM Blog 1.28.20 Matters of Personal Revelation

Thursday’s institute class was amazing. You never know who will be in that class, but last week was unusual in that we had (besides or usual RMs and faithful YSAs) two newly-baptized members, two almost-baptized, and one boyfriend who has not yet met with the missionaries. We were studying Lehi’s dream, so we divided the class into groups and had them study parts of I NE 8 and then teach the rest of the class. What happened next was the surprise: the “investigators” (I know that is no longer the proper term) led out in teaching. It was amazing!  The boyfriend was willing and able to teach the rest of the class from his first reading of the Book of Mormon. As everyone left, the girlfriend said, “He already has a favorite scripture!” Oh, this mission is the best!

We spoke in 4^th Ward on Sunday. In two years we’ve only had to speak twice (and you KNOW how we love to talk!) It was great for us, anyway. So, we got a few notes, kindly thanking us, but I thought you would love this little message from the relief-society president:

“I have to tell you, during our Come Follow Me lesson tonight, Magnus asked “who was that president grandpa guy, that was in the chapel?” And it took us a minute, but he was talking about Elder Flanagan! And then Magnus says “yeah! He was the one who said “Heavenly Father said, hey! Dummy! And then he talked about Laman and Lemuel”

Tell that “president, grandpa guy” thanks for getting our little 5 year old to listen and remember something in sacrament meeting! We love you guys!” Ha, ha!

We had ten baptisms on Saturday! Because they do not have many music people in our stake (and two broken pianos at Los Presidentes chapel), two of the wards needed me to play, so I was running back and forth. The young women in one ward were singing “The Miracle,” and of course, it could not be programmed into the chapel piano. When my parents gave me piano lessons “so I could serve in the church,” they had no idea… Sometimes we get missionaries who can play a little, and that helps. We missed the baptisms in the other building, including one new YSA who had been so attentive and helpful in institute. He was escaping his family who were entrenched in the cartels, and he was coming unto Christ. There are some really special people here.

We LOVE teaching the Book of Mormon! I start crying when I think of leaving our students here. We love them so much! Ages fourteen to mid-thirties and in our hearts forever. I love learning Spanish, and I am getting better and better at understanding. This two years has been a great blessing.

This is 16-yr-old America who was baptized on Saturday. Her mother gave in and gave permission after canceling the baptism last week. Joy!

TMM Skills Matter

TMM Skills Matter 1.21.20

Those who know Jim best will appreciate all aspects of this story: We depend on our printer daily. When we had a paper jam, Jim spent a couple of hours trying to fix the printer—but he’s not exactly very mechanical or techie. I was trying to give advice from the other room where I was working on the technology of our seminary lesson (yes, you know me, too). I promised to take a look myself while he went running an errand to buy the “tree of life” at Michaels and a stop at Sam’s Club. He said he just could not get to the paper jam, though I assured him (from the other room, of course) that he could “get to” anything that would fix a paper jam. I glanced at the printer while he was gone, but when he called from Sam’s Club asking if he should buy another printer (the fourth since we got to Laredo!), I said to go ahead, but get the best he could since we use it like a workhorse every day. We have $100 in ink for the “broken” one, but Sam’s did not have another printer that could use that ink. There was one on-sale for a good price, but I encouraged him to get the more-expensive version at $198 because I am tired of buying printers that just break down.

Now, I will tell you that we have been teaching about all the tender mercies that God grants us while we are trying to do His work. When Jim got to the checkout, he spent a half-hour arguing with the checker and the manager about the price of the printer. The price came up at $24. They insisted that they could not change the price that came up on the scan! So, Jim came back with a $200 printer for $24 and a feeling that it was not quite right. LOL. He started to put the “old” printer in the car to take it away when I stopped him and took a last look. I opened up the printer and pulled out the paper jam! There is a lesson here: First, do all that you can do to solve your problems. And then sometimes God takes care of you, even when you could have done better. And, always ask your wife to fix the electronics.

This is Kathy. She was baptized a week ago. We have had a few opportunities to drive her around (to church, to her baptism, to her temple-recommend interview) and talk to her. She is 23-years-old and in a learning program for disabled adults. We have come to love her, and she feels like she can ask us questions, so the other day she asked, “How do I know if I am feeling the spirit?” We explained that it is usually a good feeling of peace and joy for us, but may be different for different people. Then at institute this week she shared how her little testimony grows every time she meets with the missionaries or goes to church. She says she can just feel it inside, making her feel good and happy every time. In our hearts and in our minds, sweet is the peace the gospel brings! 

I love gospel music and feel that YouTube is a blessing. I love “The Miracle” by Shawna Edwards, so I was thrilled to see four new songs that she has written for this year’s study of the Book of Mormon. They are fabulous: “Come Unto Christ” “He Knows” “The Tree of Life” and “Liken the Scriptures.” I also love “My Own Sacred Grove” by Angie Killian. Check them out for a spiritual feast! I hope you have the joy of reading in the Book of Mormon every day, discussing it with someone, watching available videos, listening to talks about it, and basking in the beautiful music that’s available. We love the Book of Mormon, and we bear witness that it is true! 

Matters of the Last Days

TMM Blog 1.7.2020

Were those fireworks or gunshots? You never really know if you live in a border town! Last Wednesday, New Year’s Day, we were in San Antonio putting Cameron on the plane to come home. The night before we were safely tucked into our hotel room, snoozing the old year out and 2020 in. The next morning as we checked out, we met a couple in the elevator who assured us that we made a wise choice as even in San Antonio things were WILD, crowded, and dangerous this New Year’s Eve. Our ride back to Laredo was uneventful—very light traffic that early in the day. As we drove, we listened to Gerald Lund’s book FISHERS OF MEN—a great way to cap our study of the New Testament. Our holiday was quiet and enjoyable despite the usual sirens (we live right near the main highway). A day or two later we learned, through the missionaries, that the “celebrations” got out-of-hand in Nuevo Laredo and spilled even across the border. The cartels were battling it out, and it definitely was not fireworks. The missionaries, especially the sisters who live a half-block from the Rio, were urged to take refuge elsewhere. They stayed with church leaders in northern Laredo until it was declared safe. We found out later from one of our YSAs who is a border-control agent that gun battles erupted all over Nuevo Laredo and surrounding areas. This included hospitals, churches, streets, and homes. We were pretty oblivious.

Yesterday we watched “Lara Logan Has No Agenda: The Border Crisis” on Fox Nation. It is all so much scarier than the worst we could imagine. Watch it. The cartels are not referred to as “drug cartels” anymore because they control crime—drugs, gangs, human trafficking, smuggling, (even the avocado trade) et al—in over 50 countries. They are in your neighborhood and mine. It seems so overwhelming, unresolvable, impenetrable. And then I read the Book of Mormon and remember that God is in-charge. That Jesus Christ will win the war against evil. That there is a happy ending. But in the meantime, evil is everywhere. No wonder President Nelson speaks with such urgency for the gathering of Israel and preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord.

We finished the Book of Mormon twice in 2019, studying it with Cameron twice a day. We are thrilled to have started it again! What a tender mercy it is to have this sacred record to guide and sustain us in these chaotic times. We are truly blessed. We challenge all of you to read the Book of Mormon this year and find the treasures God preserved for us. Happy New Year!