The Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple. Our First visit To A Temple Open House.

Going to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, with my family, was a marvelous experience. Unfortunately, Ahmad and Dodge did not get to go with us. Ahmad stayed at a friend’s house for the weekend, and Dodge went back home with his mommy. When we first arrived a couple of brethren were in the parking lot to greet us and show us where the open house began. They had several tents set up so that members and non members alike can go into these tents and view a special program of the apostles and the first presidency’s message about the sacredness and special meaning of the temples. I especially liked this part of the open house, because I got to hear the testimonies of some of my favorite general authorities. Their message was so strong that it heightened my testimony about the meaning of the temples and temple worship. I am so blessed to have had such a beautiful experience. After we watched the program, we toured inside of the temple. It was a joyous experience to walk my beautiful girls through the temple and explain to them the marvelous meaning of all that goes on there. I think they enjoyed it because; they were finally able to put all the lessons that we had on temples together with what they saw that day in the temple. It was a little hard to keep Tymesha to lower her voice, but she knew where we were and she had respect for them temple, just as we had. Once we viewed the baptismal area it was even harder to get Tymesha to settle down. She thought it was so cool and she tried to get into the font to see if the water was cold or warm. We then had to explain to her that that font was not for the living but the dead. She did not quite understand, but she knew she could not get in it. After we toured all the rooms, we went to a reception tent where they were serving cookies and drinks. That was especially fun too. They had the tents set up so pretty with pictures of Christ, a piano, and some lovely furniture. That’s our first Temple Open House Experience.
Now here are some facts about the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. The Oquirrh Mountain Temple is located in South Jordan Utah. It is the 14th Temple in Utah. The ground breaking and site dedication was done on December 16, 2006 by President Gordon B Hinckley. For those of you who want to know the open house will be from June 1- August 1, 2009; and the dedication will be on August 21-23, 2009. The first day the Temple will be open for ordinance work will be on Tuesday August 25, 2009. For more if about this temple or various other temples visit this website http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/. I have a testimony of the LDS Temples and of the divine power of our heavenly father and his son Jesus Christ. I know that these temples are constructed for our benefit as well as our ancestors. I am grateful to have the truth of the gospel of Christ in my life. It gives my life meaning, peace, and comfort. I hope and have faith in those things which are true and just, and the temples of Christ are one of the few things that I know with surety are true and just. The temples bring peace into my life in my darkest hours of life. I am grateful for them and my heavenly father who has given them unto me and his children for their benefit.

A Spiritual Experience at Patricia's Baptism

I got the beautiful opportunity to go to a dear friend of mine baptism, Patricia Durant. The spirit was so strong and he (the Holy Ghost) was able to testify to me things that I hold sacred in my heart from my own baptism. As I watched Patricia get baptized, I took a trip down memory lane myself and delighted in the covenants and promises that I made with my heavenly father. Seeing Patricia’s beautiful face light up with joy, anxiety, and nervousness brought back a lot of the feelings I experienced when I got baptized. Patricia is a beautiful person inside and out. She has great love for the gospel, her Savior, and heavenly father; she shares that love and peace that she feels from our Savior with everyone she meets. She is truly a blessing in my life. I feel connections with Patricia, every time we are together. It is a beautiful feeling, perhaps because she and I have had the same experiences with our family members and becoming a member of the church. She has struggled so much to get to the point where she is at right now in her life; I know heavenly father is so pleased with her for her dedication and faith that she demonstrates. Baptism is a remarkable, sacred, and exciting experience. Making and keeping our baptism covenants brings us closer to our heavenly father and our savior Jesus Christ. I am grateful to be a member of the true church in these latter days. I have a testimony of baptism and the divinity of baptism. Jesus Christ set the perfect example of how we should be baptized; I am grateful for this knowledge.

Austin John Grover:The Honorable Father, Husband, and Priesthood holder

The best entry on this blog to me is about my humble and loving husband, Austin John Grover. There are many ways to describe my husband, but for this entry I will focus on the qualities that I adore the most. As many of you know, Austin and I are both from previous marriages. We both have beautiful, loving, and honorable kids from our previous marriages that we have come to develop a profound and affectionate relationship with. It was hard for Austin to adjust to becoming a father of 4 kids, instead of one, over a period several months. I think the hardest time he had was with our oldest, Ahmad. Ahmad and Austin are almost half of each other’s ages, this terrified Austin, yet he still remained with me throughout the years and pressed forward in faith, hoping that Ahmad, as well as the other kids, would accept him as the father figure in the home. I am overwhelmed with joy of how much my husband do for my kids. He treats them as if they were his own, and provide the necessary support for their physical and spiritual survival. He goes to their parent-teacher conferences, takes them to mutuals, and spends time with them individually and as a family. He goes to recitals, plays, concerts, and field trips. He is truly a REMARKABLE FATHER.

Austin has many talents that I dream of developing in this life time. He is very patient, humble, submissive, and tender. When our children get in trouble he always approaches them sensitively and lovingly. He reminds me of the scripture that admonish our priesthood leaders in the church to exercise their priesthood through the power of love and longing suffering. Indicating more correctly in Doctrine and Covenants section 121 “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile— Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy; That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.”

I am delighted to state that my husband is one of the many honorable priesthood holders who reprove our children in sharpness, persuasion, long-suffering, and love through the Holy Ghost. I see his weaknesses and struggles every day, and I know he strives to do what’s right for our children. I guess the most touching characteristic of this whole situation is that, he has a great love for my children as if they were his own biological children. At first I did not think a person could ever love a child if they were not biologically theirs as they would love a child that is biologically theirs. But Austin has proved me wrong, along with other members of previous wards that have shown me that they love their step children or adopted children just as if they were their biological children. He takes the time to make sure that each child feels loved and appreciated in our home, which brings the spirit into our home.

Another attribute that I love about my husband is his dedication of being an exceptional husband to an imperfect wife, such as me. I know I fit the modern cliché wife by nagging and annoying my husband with unimportant drama that could be resolved with a simple apology or a kind expression, but I don’t always express my concerns through enduring kindness and love. He calls me his sunshine, but the fact of the matter is he is my sunshine, my ray of hope that shines forth from the darkness in any given situation or event. His faithfulness in the gospel keeps my hope and faith in the savior burning inside my soul. He was, without a doubt, sent to our family from our father in heaven to help heal wounds and mend spirits.

Austin has this attribute mastered, and I am pleased with how well his leads this family. He is an example to us all by dedicating his life to serve the lord through commitment of time, monies, and talents. He has an outstanding testimony of the gospel of Christ, the priesthood, Joseph Smith, and most of all the atonement of Christ. I am grateful that the lord blessed me with a righteous husband such as mine. Many days I feel so inadequate to receive such a blessing; nevertheless, he is a gift from God and I intend to take care of him, as I do all my gifts, with love and great care.

Forgiveness, A Required Attribute to Enter the Kingdom of Heaven

For this chapter in our family Chronicle I do want to demonstrate things which I have learned throughout the last several years; however, I will not express the qualities, attributes, or talents that I believe that I have acquired; I think that would be boasting, and we are commandment not to boast in our own strength, but to glorify God for that of which he has given us including our talents, qualities, attributes, families, homes, and food. So instead, I wish to elaborate on the beautiful words which have brought peace into my home and heart this past year or so. First I want to exemplify the wisdom I have gained from President James E Faust address in the April 2007 General Conference. The Focus on his talk was about Forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of the Godly attributes that I have struggled with immensely, in the past. I have always held grudges toward family members and friends for what I believed were unjustified acts. I would hold in anger for the “faults” they had and the “wrongdoings” that they have done towards me. My anger hindered my spiritual growth and development from becoming a more Christ like saint. I was so focused on revenge and making sure that the offender got justice promptly that, I had no time to forgive and love them for their faults, and realizing that they too are sinners just as I am, striving to seek forgiveness from their Heavenly Father. It was not until I heard James E Faust’s address that I realized that I am required to forgive all men their trespasses, so that in return I am forgiving for my ungodly deeds. We are taught in our church that if we want Heavenly to forgive our trespasses than we too need to forgive others trespasses against us. Certain principles of the gospel are easier for me to adapt to the teachings quickly and make a change within my actions or deeds, and others take revelation for a particular change in my behavior to change. This is where President James E Faust address comes into play in my change of attitude and behavior regarding forgiveness. In his address, President Faust gives the example of forgiving those who have offended you through love. Moving on, he declares; from hurt feelings enable the atonement of Christ to work miracles in our lives, so that we are able to continue in the healing process. I have been hurt several times in my life, just as I am sure many of you have been. I have been through a divorce, which has caused much anguish and resentment. I have made some unmoral choices in my life, which have caused me to be unforgiving to myself, and I have had some of my children say some really mean things that have taken me much time to “LET GO.” I know it is easier said than done but, forgiveness is a requirement to love and enter the kingdom of God. Without forgiveness there would be no atonement, for there would be no mercy, because there would be no love. But God does love us therefore there is hope, forgiveness and love. God in his infinite power has freed us from the band of spiritual and physical death, because he had in him the power to forgive all men their trespasses against him. In the scriptures we learn that we are to emulate the savior’s example “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27). Christ was the perfect example of forgiveness. He taught us much about forgiving those who trespass against us when he showed his compassion towards Judas Iscariot for betraying him for 30 pieces of silver. As declared by the apostle Jeffery R Holland in our time “Never in the history of this world has so little money purchased so much infamy. We are not the ones to judge Judas’s fate, but Jesus said of His betrayer, “Good [were it] for that man if he had not been born” (179th General Conference April 2009). Just as the apostle Jeffery R Holland stated, we are not the ones to judge Judas’s fate; however, I can feel the saviors compassion for Judas when he states, “Good were it for this man if he had not been born.” I delight in the comfort of knowing my savior personally and the love that surrounds him for all of his creations, including and especially humankind. Another example that the savior demonstrates, on this very same night that he was betrayed by Judas is, his love and forgiveness for Peter, the apostle who denied the savior “thrice before the cock crowed.” It is noted in the scriptures many times over that Peter had many mortal weaknesses, but he also denotes that “he overcame them by his faith in Jesus Christ. The lord Honored Peter by selecting him to hold the keys of the kingdom on earth… It was through Peter’s ministry that the gospel was opened up to the gentiles” (King James Bible Dictionary). There are numerous accounts within the Holy Scriptures that testifies of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness that he has towards his people. I am indeed very grateful for a father in heaven who was willing to sacrifice his only begotten to give us sinners a fighting chance to come back into his presence. I have a testimony of the divine power of forgiveness and the peace that comes through “letting go and letting god” work miracles so that we may become more like him and his son. Turning now to an example in our era, James E Faust demonstrates the love and concern from a group of Amish people toward a widow and her children, when the husband allegedly went into the Amish community and shot and killed 5 Amish girls and bonded the other 5 girls so that they could not move. Even in this time turmoil, the Amish community reached out their hand to the widowed wife and her children because they too believed that they were victims just as much as the families of those girls who were shot and killed. They extended their love and concern by sending flowers, cards, and monies for them to get through this difficult time. There was no anger or frustration among them, just forgiveness. This example has given me a testimony that I will be able to share throughout my life to family, friends, and those who desire to learn about the gospel.

Another gospel principle that I have learned throughout this year is from the apostle Jeffery R Holland’s book “Broken Things to Mend.” I have had many relationships to mend in this life, due to my imperfection in forgiving others. When reading chapter 3 in this book, I was able to gain a more proud understanding of Heavenly Father’s role as a father to me and my role as a mother to my children. Previously to reading this book, I had often punished my children out of anger for some misdeed that they have done, instead of punishing them out of love. As stated In 2 Corinthians 6 we are to teach “By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned.” I will be the first to admit that I was and still am not the greatest parent on this earth, but with the help with literature like that of Holland’s book, helps me to improve upon the skills necessary for becoming an eternal mother. When my children were smaller, than they are now, I had such a hard time being a mother. In my case I was a mother from the time I was 17years old. It troubled me to be a mother, because I did not have any time to be a young adult let alone a mother. I knew not the first thing of being a mother, all I knew was that it was a blessing. But having a 3 month old baby crying several times out of the day to be changed, feed, or rocked to sleep does not seem like a blessing at first. I grew to become impatient with them very fast, and my punishments were very stern, too strong most of the time. But once I became a member, I was able to receive additional help from the lord which lightened my burden immensely. One of the most influential and beneficial words to live by is these “If you try your best to be the best parent you can be, you will have done all that a human being can do and all that God expects you to do” (Broken Things to Mend, 28). I changed my tactics as time went on and I was able to express how I felt about their choices and how their choices have consequences, without spanking them or doing some ungodly punishment that would seem too many as abuse. As I grew in spirituality, I grew in my role as a parent. All the broken relationships that came with anger and frustration began to heal, and we were coming quite acquainted with one another. I enjoy my family; we have much fun with one another. But we had to mend many bruises and scars that we left in each others hearts. I was able to start the healing process with two fundamental truths found in Holland and Faust’s talks. First faith, then healing, are both the basic necessities that has helped my family begin the healing process and continue to strive to love and respect one another.

Adorable, Loveable Dodge

Dodge Asher is our youngest son; he is not biologically mine, but he is still my love. He is the sweetest boy a person can come in contact with. I have only known him for about four years; however, it seems like we have known one another forever. I don’t know a whole lot about Dodge, because he lives with his biological mother and only comes to our home on holidays and summer months. When I first met Dodge I thought he was going to be this disobedient child, who only listens to his mother, but that is not the case. Dodge is so respecting and loving to any adult. He minds his manners and always talks politely to others. It was hard setting ground rules for him, when he first came to the house because he was so adoring, cute, and patient that we did not want to damage his spirit. But of course, like any other child, Dodge made mistakes and we had to give consequences to his action. At first we tried to do it as carefully as possible and that did not work because the other children thought we were playing favorites, and Dodge would walk over us. As time went on we were able to know when he was walking over is or not. But all in all, he is a great kid.
The best quality about Dodge that I have come to love is his acceptance and love he shows towards me and the rest of our family. As many of you may know, it is not easy mending step families together; however, members in my family make it very easy to accomplish this goal. For instance, the first year that Dodge came to the house, he began calling me mom whenever he heard the other children calling me mom. At first he just thought that’s what everyone had to call me, so he did it because the kids did it. Now he knows he calls me mom, because I am the mother of the home who cares and loves them so dearly. Of course, Dodge began calling me mom on his own terms, which made me feel all the more appreciated, because no one forced him, he just accepted me as his “other mom.”
I appreciate that he adores and loves me so much. He tells me how much he loves me on a daily basis; this makes me feel loved. I am grateful that the lord gave me a child who accepts me for who I am, and that loves me just as much as he loves all the rest of his family members. Dodge is the type of child who loves to show his affection for his parents and loved ones, I often see that in him. He loves giving hugs, sometimes kisses, and playing with us; he also loves to sit and just talk with you. This year he has taken a liking to Traneice. He and Traneice have become best friends this year, which is pleasing to me because last year they were not getting along so well. Dodge has seemed to find his place within the home like all the other children had to do when Austin came into our lives. I am glad that Dodge has such loving qualities because it helps him feel loved and accepted with everyone in our family, just as we feel loved from him, when he expresses that to us.

Ahmad the Gifted Scriptorian

Ahmad has many good qualities, but the one that stands out to me the most is his knowledge of the scriptures and of our savior Jesus Christ, and his beautiful talent in music. Ahmad has most of the Book of Mormon stories memorized. He can tell you when an event occurred and the individuals who were affected, as well as the prophet of that era. Ahmad’s understanding of the scriptures is quite astonishing. He enjoys listening to scriptures and hymns on his MP3, which pleases me, because with all the evils of the world that he could be engaged in, he chooses to delight in scripture reading or listening. I have no doubt in my mind that he would have the scriptures mastered, once he serves a mission. Ahmad is a great example to many he comes in contact with. Since he has received the priesthood, he has brought 3 friends to church with him when he goes to mutual every Tuesday night, and he has only been in mutual for about a year. Ahmad has courage to preach the gospel to his friends, and he loves to share what he has learned from the scriptures, conference, and other church related materials that are considered doctrine. I am so proud of how he stands up for what he believes and that he is being an example to many of the youth who do not have the doctrine of Christ. Do not miss understand, I do not mean to boast of how knowledgeable my son is. Just like many of us, we have many weaknesses; however, this blog is not about his weaknesses, but his strengths; as a mother, I am proud to state the strengths that my son possesses. My family has a tendency to be either late or right on time for church, with the exception of Ahmad. Ahmad takes the imitative every Sunday to make sure that he is not late for sacrament; he walks to church without his family so he could be on time to pass the sacrament. What a beautiful blessing, to have a son who honors his priesthood.
There have been several times that I have been a witness to how much knowledge of the scriptures Ahmad has. The first time I actually realized that Ahmad had a deep conviction of the gospel was during a family home activity exercise. We had some friends over, and we decided to play an LDS board game called Righteous. This game is suppose to be designed for ages 8 and up, but it is clearly too complicated for many children and teenagers, if they are not familiar with the Book of Mormon at all. The couple that came to play with us that night had served a mission and was well exposed to the scriptures, but even they had a hard time. We also played this game with current missionaries who were serving in our area and they too had a hard time, but little Ahmad did not. He knew most of the questions, hymns, and scenarios of the game. I was very pleased that he knew so much of the scriptures. He was able to recite several scriptures. He truly is smart. In addition to him being wise, Ahmad is also gifted in secular knowledge as well. Ahmad had gotten honor roll three years in a row. By the time he got to second grade they wanted to skip him to one grade higher, because they thought he was too bored with the material the teachers were giving him. Ahmad truly has the gift of knowledge.
The next best thing that Ahmad loves to do other than reading and striving to master his scriptures is playing his viola, and he is very good at it. I am so pleased with him; he is a wonderful kid, when he wants to be. Ahmad also is very musically inclined. He loves to play the viola and violin. He prefers to play the viola, but he can play the violin as well. His first orchestra concert was this year at Brent Wood Middle School May 14, 2009, it was awesome. He had his own solo, which was played beautifully. We all had a good time listening to how well he played. Ahmad has advanced quite a bit this year with playing the viola. Currently, he is striving to play the piano; I can’t wait to see how that turns out.

Traneice My Symbol of Hope

The fun and special aspects about parenting is every child is different, and you do not know what you are going to get. You can raise your children all the same and they all can turn out very different from one another. Traneice is the perfect example of how a child can be different from the rest of their sibling. Traneice is the second child, which puts her in the middle; sometimes she hates being the middle child. It is a blessing that she is the middle child and a peacemaker as well, because she mediates between the oldest and the youngest, since they do not get along very well. Traneice has many qualities and attributes that have taken me many years to acquire. She is long-suffering, trustworthy/honest, kind, a peacemaker, and wise, she is smart, modest, and kindhearted, and submissive. Traneice is a very good example to our family; I often wonder if she was sent to direct and teach us, instead of us directing and teaching her. Her personality shines so bright that it acts as a beacon to this family, a symbol of hope and inspiration. I do not dare choose favorites among any of my children, because they all bring me an added measure of love and peace in different ways that the others may not; however, I do esteem Traneice as being our little symbol of hope in aiding this family in keeping the commandments of God. Her testimony of Christ is so strong, and she knows she is following the right path to get to her Heavenly Father.
One day we went to pick Traneice an Easter Dress out from Macys; the dress had spaghetti straps and she was not pleased. Traneice did not want to get a dress that looked immodest. I explained to her that after we purchase the dress, we can put a little dress jacket over the sleeves so that her arms would not show, but she was not convinced. This 9 year old little girl begged me to help her find another dress that looked more “modest.” She stated that “I do not like showing my arms, it is not right.” I agreed and explained to her that she was right. Little girls do not show their bodies, for any reason. Modest clothing is the best fashion when striving to keep the commandments. I was so pleased to have had that experience that day. Although I offered some words of encouragement and praise for the positive behavior that she demonstrated, it was really her who taught me the value of keeping the commandments by living up to the standards of our church and beliefs. She is an awesome example to this family and she is very dear to me. In addition to her modesty, Traneice is very long suffering/tolerant. Often times, she has to deal with her two siblings yelling and screaming at her, that breaks her little heart. But she is a good sport about it. When she gets upset with her siblings she go and sit down with them and take the time to talk to them and explain what they did to hurt her feelings. Her communication skills with others are exceptionally well for her age. She is a sweet inspiration to my spirit and in my life. She is my Traneice, my symbol of hope.