Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Conference is coming!

I am so looking forward to conference this weekend, I love hearing from the General Authorities. Joy and I will head to the church for the first session and then Joy will be at work during the second session so I will drive there by myself for that one. I can't wait to have pages of notes to take home and read over and over again and "fill my cup" as Joy said in her talk.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Will I go and do or just sit and stew?

Some of my notes from church today: Am I the kind of Mother I want my daughters to be? The example I want my sons to look for in their spouses? The gospel is there, use it and follow it. We must all lose our life in unselfish service. Do we act when we see something that needs to be done or do we wait until asked to do it? In our service, do we worry that it takes time away from what we want to do or are we grateful to be helping Heavenly Father? Lose ourselves, think of others. Take time to enjoy life along the way, cherish your family and always be there for them spiritually as well as temporally. Stand by our word, be a foundation of trust. We have a responsibility to hold up our end of the Lord’s work so be honest in all our dealings whether at work or in any other area of our lives. So many people have made sacrifices greater than I, stop complaining about the ones I have to make. Why are we here? Is it just for the mansion? We are here to be tested and to serve with love. Ask yourself, is what WE want what the Lord wants? We can receive further light and knowledge when you do what you are commanded to do. Pray to be lead to where we are supposed to be not where we want to be. I’ve asked you to do this, are you going to do it or not? Your promptings could be the answer to someone else’s prayers. If we are asked to do something great we would do it, why do we struggle doing the little things?
What do I get out of all this? So many times today during church I was prompted by The Spirit to stop trying to control things. I am to go where Heavenly Father needs me to go even if that means to a neighborhood where I do not know anyone, where I have never been. My success in my mission here on earth depends on how much I follow Heavenly Father’s plan for my life not how much I can do on my own. Sometimes I have to step back and realize that Heavenly Father sees the whole picture and I can just see a tiny piece of it. I know without a doubt that it is time for us to move and be there for our children. I now accept the fact that I am not to push my wants on Heavenly Father and simply go when he wants me to go, where he wants me to go and stop murmuring. It is not REALLY a hard thing he asks of me, so I will go and do!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Missionary Trip

I watched as Jack said Good-Bye to people in Arkansas and we headed out to Utah. Jack was so excited to go but was sad to say good-bye to his many friends. It was the beginning of a life changing experience for him and a bitter sweet time for me. I know it is time to let him go and that Heavenly Father will protect him while he is gone and he will make a great missionary but at the same time it is so sad to know that I will not get to see him or hug him for two whole years. Jack had become the Spiritual head in our home and took a bit of the weight off of me for a while and now he is leaving. That sounds selfish but being the Spiritual head was meant for a priesthood holder and I just am not strong enough to carry that burden. We are back to no priesthood holder in the house and last night when Jack was set apart as a full time missionary I felt the load come back to me. The day was a good day, Janet (a dear friend),Jeremy, Jack and I went to the Salt Lake Temple to support one of Jack's best friends growing up as he took out his endowments preparing for his mission to Brazil in October. Then Lora brought Jennifer and Joy down and Janet and I watched as Jack preformed baptisms with first Joy then Jennifer and then Jeremy did Lora. As the others were getting dressed, Jeremy continued to help several other people who were there waiting. Then we drove home and prepared Jack's farewell supper which we had to hurry and eat and leave everything sitting on the table while we went to the stake center for Jack's setting apart. Robert was there and he was at work when Jeremy was set apart. It was a wonderful time as Kyle played the piano and we sang Be Still My Soul and then Jack said the prayer. Jeremy gave a spiritual thought which was fabulous and then President spoke. After his words of advise the priesthood holders were called up to set Jack apart. It was great to see Kyle be able to stand in the circle to support Jack along with all the very close friends who have supported us since we joined the church. Then we were all reminded that Jack is now a full time missionary and no more hugs for people just handshakes and he must have a companion with him at all times now. He went home with Jeremy and we will pick him up this morning on the way to the MTC. I did not sleep at all last night and was up at 4:30 this morning trying to write a letter to give to Jack to open tomorrow and then one to mail to him so it gets it on Friday. We do not know how long he will be at the MTC with assume 3 weeks, they will tell him after he arrives there. Today is a hard day but a happy one.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Jack's Farewell Talk

Jack’s Farewell Talk July 19, 2009 – He had no notes for the talk he just spoke from his heart, this is what we recorded him saying. (it was 9:25 in the morning so this shows he was a little nervous!)

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters, as Brother Bradford said, I will shortly be leaving to serve The Lord in the Baltimore Maryland Mission. I report Aug 5. For those of you who don’t know me, My name is Jack Deaton and if you don’t already know me you probably won’t get to know me because I’ll be leaving soon. Last week Brother Bradford approached me and asked me to speak and at that time right before he approached me I was sitting there thinking to myself with a nice big grin on my face, they forgot I’m leaving so I’m not going to have to speak, this is pretty cool. And right as I went to walk out of the building he grabbed my shoulder and shook my hand and as I said Hi he didn’t release it or let go he kind of held on and I knew, yea he got me.
This talk that I stand before you to give, I’ve not only been thinking about for the past week, but for my whole life. Since I joined the church, I’ve always wanted to serve The Lord. And to me, two years wasn’t that big of a deal because of all that He has given to me, two years is something very small. Throughout my life I’ve seen, oh I don’t know, at least a hundred missionaries go out and I have been able to have the privilege to serve with hundreds of missionaries and have them in our homes and feel their spirit and to go out and teach others with them. Many years ago, just like the Prophet Joseph Smith, my family had a few questions and because of those questions the missionaries showed up at our door and brought us the answers, it was the gospel. I’ll be eternally grateful to those two elders who gave up their time to serve their Lord to bring that message to me. If you read in James, chapter one, verse 5 and 6, it is a very familiar scripture to me, it reads: If any of you lack wisdom, Let him ask of God that giveth to all me liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be give him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
That scripture brings great meaning to my life, knowing that if we ask in faith, unwavering, that the answers will be given to us. I stand before you this day testifying to that, because I too have asked, as did the Prophet, many questions of the Lord and have received my answers. So it says to ask in faith, not wavering, but what is faith? We flip over to James chapter 2 verse 17 it says “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” And continue on to verse 26 it says “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
So we come to this earth knowing that if we have faith without works we are dead. So as we see, Faith needs works. Without work, it doesn’t show that we have faith, it doesn’t show The Lord that we believe in His commandments, knowing that if we do them we can return to Him, believing in the Lord himself, Our Savior Jesus Christ, knowing that if we walk in His footsteps we will not only become closer to God, but be a happier person in general. As we turn to the Articles of Faith, some of the many things we learned from the Prophet Joseph Smith are in these great words. Article of Faith 4, as many of the primary children have memorized and know, reads: We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
These four principles, brothers and sisters, are some of the strongest things you will ever hear in your life. Faith in The Lord Jesus Christ is one of the biggest things that people have in our days. Throughout regions, throughout religions, throughout the world, they believe in The Lord himself in many different ways, but unlike other churches, repentance and baptism by immersion and the gift of the Holy Ghost they do not have, as we have these principles and the great priesthood in our church, ladies and gentlemen, we have the true living gospel in our hands. As I prepared for my mission I found out that opening your mouth can be one of the hardest things there is, but if we do it with faith in The Lord and the Holy Ghost guiding us, it can become the easiest thing that we will ever do. When you let the Holy Ghost take over and use your body as a vessel you can easily open your mouth. If we turn to D & C 60 verses 2-4, I have found some great peace in this scripture myself. It reads:
But with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. Wo unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them. And it shall come to pass, if they are not more faithful unto me, it shall be taken away, even that which they have. For I, the Lord, rule in the heavens above, and among the armies of the earth; and in the day when I shall make up my jewels, all men shall know what it is that bespeaketh the power of God.

I found this scripture at EFY, my last EFY last year when our director Brother Chang challenged us on the first day to write down a question and seek out the answer throughout the week. I found my answer one day when I was reading in section 60 and I asked myself a question, what could I do to better open my mouth? Well this scripture here answered it for me because I wondered to myself, am I the type of person who would not open my mouth and will have the talents which the Lord has given me taken away? Or will I be one of those jewels that He has chosen in the last day to stand as a witness before men, to preach unto those that would not hear? Just like the prophets of old and the prophets of the latter days, they have all stood before men preaching the gospel and teaching repentance. I am so very excited to go to Maryland and be able to do the same as they have, to stand before anyone and everyone and teach unto them the gospel that has been brought to me.
In D & C 59:8 we read: Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
In this principle here, we learn that the greatest sacrifice we can give to The Lord is a broken heart and a contrite spirit, throughout my life in this church I have heard that many times, but I have often wondered what is a broken heart and contrite spirit. To me I feel that a broken heart is one that is completely submissive to The Lord, we have given up the worldly items and don’t care about that anymore, all you care about is The Lord and what He holds, above everything.
As we read in Moroni 10: 3 through 5 it read: Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
When the missionaries came to our home and we received the Book of Mormon, they asked us to read this scripture, knowing that through it we will know. This scripture has great meaning to me, because I have come to do with it, as Moroni has asked, and I have prayed upon these things and I too have found that these are true. The words of The Lord have been given through many prophets in many ages and at all times and they still stand true today. If we would only read these things and ponder them in our hearts and have some faith, The Lord will show us what is true in all things. The Spirit is a great thing brothers and sisters, it not only can comfort us in time of need but it can strengthen us in the time of our weaknesses. I find great strength in The Lord knowing that He is always there with me. I’d like to end with my testimony, that I know this church is true, I’ve come to find it for myself. I know that the Prophet Joseph Smith was a true living prophet, I am eternally grateful to him and the many things he has taught us and shown unto us and brought us. In D&C 135 verse 3 we find:
Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.
I am so grateful that Joseph Smith prayed and did as The Lord asked and came unto Him with those questions for if he did not I would not be here today. I love this gospel with all my heart and I am so grateful for it and I can’t wait to share it with the people of Maryland. I know, if you just pray, and let the Spirit enter into your heart and surround you, you will find peace with anything you struggle with. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

President Kimball speaks to me??

This has been a hard month for our family. Jeremy lost his job, Jennifer found out that she did not qualify for financial aid for college and has to pay everything up front, my mother's heart failed and stopped completely but with prayer it started up again, Robert has not been getting miles but has been stuck sitting in different states over and over again so his paycheck has been very small, we are STILL trying to figure out how we are going to pay for Jack's mission and Joy is still not enrolled in ANY high school for the fall and we can not do homeschooling again.
We have been praying and praying for answers and today I have been watching church DVDs and then it came . . .
President Spencer W. Kimball, who was gone long before I joined the church, spoke to me. I was not paying full attention to the DVD but it was playing in the background when he spoke and my heart started burning and I knew that somehow everything would work out. In 1981 President Kimball said, "ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT IF THIS WERE NOT THE LORD'S WORK, THE ADVERSARY WOULD NOT PAY ANY ATTENTION TO US. WITH FAITH AND GOOD WORKS, THE TRUTH WILL PREVAIL. THIS IS HIS WORK, THERE IS NONE OTHER LIKE IT, LET US THEREFORE PRESS FORWARD, LENGTHENING OUR STRIDE, AND REJOICING IN OUR BLESSINGS AND OPPORTUNITIES."
Oh my gosh Mary, let's take the time to rejoice in our blessings and the many opportunities we have and have faith that we will receive all the blessings we have been promised. We have given away all the blue Book of Mormons we have and I had to take Joy's that she was given in YW because someone asked me for one (sorry Joy, I know it had your notes in it but it was all we had and when we get to Utah I will buy more to replace it). We have all shared the gospel more in the past few months than we have since we moved here, all because people can not believe we are sending ANOTHER son away for two years! If we were not doing something right, the adversary would not be working so hard to take us down and we must rely on our faith to keep us up!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Memphis

We arrived at the church at 6:05am and Bishop arrived shortly afterwards. It was nice that Jack had a mentor to take to the temple, I would be of no use to him but if Jeremy could not be here, there was no one else Jack would have rather had take him through than his most important friend. We talked about many things on that 2 1/5 hour drive (it takes 3 from home) and Jack slept off and on the entire time. When we arrived I felt like a fifth wheel (or 3rd wheel in this case). Jack and Bishop entered the President's office for their interview and I was all alone for the next two hours. A trip down memory lane and suddenly I was crying but softly so no one would notice. I watched as a group of youth came in and one of the boys was so small and was smiling ear to ear talking about how this was his first time to the temple. I clearly remember Jack's first time and the crowd of friends he had with him and how happy they all were even though it was early in the morning. I finally went and got dressed and sat around in the dressing room waiting. It seemed like forever before we were allowed to go in and sit. Jack and Bishop came in a little bit later and I was so very proud of the choices he had made and seeing him there in all white and taking it all in. When we go to Utah, Jeremy is going to take him to the Salt Lake Temple and he will get a different experience there. Afterwards we just sat in the room and Jack was deep in prayer. I touched his knee, Bishop has to get back they are packing today to move. Jack nodded but made no attempt to move. After a while longer I got up and left to go change and Jack sat quietly praying. We finally got photos out front and then left. We stopped at Burger King on the way home. Bishop and his family are moving and this was their last weekend here in Arkansas. His wife gave up alot for us that day and I will be eternally grateful to her to allow Bishop to leave on that hectic day for them to be there for Jack.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Temple Trip

Jack will be going to the Memphis Temple on Saturday. This is a big step for me. Jeremy does not get to come and be his escort so our old bishop is going to take Jack through. He is very excited about going. I am sad that Jeremy and Lora won't be there. When we go to Utah the end of July, Jeremy will do a session with Jack and that will be good. We had to order all his stuff and have it shipped, so different than renting at the temple or going to the local distribution center to pick it up! I look forward to going to the temple, I need it right now.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Missionary Acceptance

I was very impressed with the Acceptance letter Jack wrote to accept his mission call. I could not believe how grown up he sounded in the letter. I guess all the preparing these past few months has really changed him. I have noticed it in his prayers too. He sounds so mature and prays for such grown up things, no more let me get to the swing set first at recess now it is please help me to have compassion to those who get on my nerves. WOW what a difference!!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

No Regrets

I have been doing a lot of studying and reading and learning lately and I have decided to make my motto "No Regrets". I need to do my best at whatever I am doing, put it all on the line, leave it all on the field, however you want to say it. I need to do my best in every situation and then I will have no regrets in life. I need to do my best in my relationships with others and be the friend, mother, sister that they deserve. Not only do I need to live with no regrets, I need to enjoy the journey along the way.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

The prep begins

Jack and I have read every word of his mission call and the book they send along with it. We have talked about what we need to do next and how the process is going to go. We are trying to decide what he can buy after he gets there and what he can buy in Utah and what needs to be bought now. The sadness is beginning to overtake the excitement for me and Jack is beginning to get more excited as each day passes. Tomorrow he will announce it in church. I have been very careful not to talk about it much so that Jack can be the one to talk to people. It is an exciting time for him and the experience is different in the mission field than it was in Utah. People out here don't understand very well but in Utah all you had to do was say he is going on his mission and everyone knew what we were talking about and what we needed, just getting suits was an experience here but when Jeremy got his we walked into Mr. Mac's and told them he was going on a mission and they when around the store getting things he needed for that area and recommending the proper stuff and saying no he will not need that where he is going. Here they wanted to try and sell him everything in the store and the expensive stuff like $60 for one white shirt, etc... What a difference a state makes!!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

MY SECOND MISSIONARY

Jack has been called to the Baltimore Maryland Mission. This will be my second missionary, Jeremy went to the London England South mission. Jack leaves Aug 5 from the Provo MTC. Jeremy flew to the MTC in England. These will be totally different experiences for us. Jeremy was the first to leave home and there were three younger kids at home. Jack and Jennifer will leave home on the same trip to Utah and then it will just be Joy and I left at home. I will be able to blog my experiences with Jack and hopefully he will write every week, Jeremy began his mission writing well but the last year was hit and miss. At least Jack saw what it was like not having news every week and he vows he will write every week, that is a comfort to a heart that is full of emotions right now. I am glad he is serving a mission but I am hurting because he will be leaving in just 8 weeks. I remember how hard the last mission was on the family and I dread the hard times ahead but I am very grateful that Jack is worthy to serve a mission and he will do very well. At least he is going to a place with heat in the summer and snow in the winter!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Another Bishop already

This makes Bishop number 9 for us and we have just made our 13 year mark in the church. That is not even a 2 year average per Bishop. We had 4 Bishops in our first year but that was because we had one in Colorado then in Kaysville while we were looking for a house then our Bishop was released about 4 months after we bought our house. Our ward split 3 times when we lived in Layton because of reshaping our stake. Our ward here is so spread out that it takes almost an hour to drive from our house to some of the other ward members. There are so many changes all the time that it is hard to feel close to people. I miss being able to walk to church! I love you all,

Friday, May 8, 2009

God is Great, God is Good

God is Great, God is Good, Let us thank Him, for our food, AMEN
When we were children we took turns saying grace over our food. Each one of us had a prayer memorized and we would say it every time. This was my prayer. It was short and sweet. As I have gotten older it has taken on a whole new meaning for me. This past week I was reminded of this prayer and all that it means. Sula was not only a co-worker but a friend. She was a special lady who loved everyone. We have seen God work miracles in her life and the lives of those she touched. Last week Carl, her husband found her on the floor unconscious when he woke up in the morning. She was taken to the hospital and after a few hours we received the report that she was awake and alert. Jack got to spend time with her during his lunch break and then again after work on Thursday. I am very grateful for this, he can make anyone laugh and feel better. Then Friday she got worse but was hanging on because her daughter was out of town and trying to get back. Saturday with everyone there they decided to take her off the life support and they called her death around 5pm but Ms Sula was not quite done and her heart started up again. It beat strongly for a bit and then stopped again. The machines read flat lines and they thought she was gone but time after time she left and came back. I am told that throughout the night she continued this, at least 10 times the machines showed flat lines for around 2 minutes or longer but her heart would not quit. Finally on Sunday morning she took her last breath. This was typical of Sula, she had the greatest heart I have known. She was always concerned about everyone and made each person feel special. She always gave you a hug and a smile and when she said It's nice to see you, she meant it. She made everyone feel special. We were able to leave a couple of girls at the office and the rest of us go to her funeral on Wednesday. Jack and Jennifer were able to get off work and join Joy and I there. Our work filled the front few pews and it was nice to hear all the things said about Sula and to give comfort to Carl in his time of need. The little miracles that have taken place this week is showing everyone that our God is a great god. Through him, people who did not know about Sula called and said they had food they could not use and could we put it to use. Through God, family members were blessed to be here when they did not think they could make it. Through God, little everyday miracles were noticed for what they were - His loving touch. We do thank Him for our Food, but not just that food that going into our mouths but the food that goes into our heart and our soul. The food that fills us up both spiritually and physically. The food that we need to keep going. Yes, Mrs Sula touched many peoples lives while she was here on this earth as well as after she left here. We will meet again someday, of that I am certain!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Losing a friend

Today I lost a dear friend and a co-worker. My heart is heavy. I know that she has suffered so much the past couple of months and she was tired of fighting. She is finally resting and I know this but it does not make the sadness go away. The next couple of days will be so hard on her family, her husband of 51 years, her kids and grand kids. She is dearly loved by many people. They do not have the same faith as I do and I know that their pain is much more than mine because I know that she is in a restful paradise now and that all is well with her. I am so grateful for the gospel and the Book of Mormon and other scriptures that explain so much about our journey in this life and all eternity. I love my Heavenly Father!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Blessing come big and small

We had the missionaries over for dinner this week and were left with a scripture that spoke about the small things. It was a nice ending to a fun meal but even more important than that, Robert was here. To some it may seem like a small blessing to have the missionaries in your home but to me, this one visit was a big blessing. They were able to talk to Robert and spend a bit of time with him. They were not pushy but their presence was felt by all.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

If everyone knew what I knew

Sometimes I get sad because I know that not everyone knows what I know. God sent His Son into the world to die for me. That is the greatest gift, the eternal life I now have because He did that for me. How do I get people to understand that? I talk to people about it but they just don't get it. I know that no one can convert anyone, that it is the Holy Spirit that helps them see the truth and that they must make the decision on their own. We can not force them to see the truth, that is what Satan wanted but that is not how it is suppose to be so I have to do my part by praying and talking and teaching and then maybe they will see. I believe the unbelievable. I know that God lives and that He love me and someday He will say to me "Well Done Thy Good and Faithful Servant". I look forward to that day but until then, I must teach and serve!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Temple Experiences


I am so happy for Joy, she is out in Utah visiting Jeremy, Lora and Bailey and she gets to spend the weekends with her friends. Janet and McKenna took her to the Draper Temple Open house the day after she arrived in Utah. Then last Sunday she was able to attend the Dedication ceremony with the Coopers! When she was being interviewed by their Bishop for a recommend to go, he asked her to speak in church on Sunday before they all went to the ceremony. She spoke on temples. She had not attended their ward before and I was very surprised that she accepted the opportunity to speak but from what I am told, she did well. It just goes to show you that the church is the same everywhere and she felt at home with our very dear friends who were also speaking that day. I have never been to a dedication ceremony before so I made her tell me all about it. What a blessed event! She now has a deeper love for temples.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

72 hour kits

Throughout the past 13 years I have worked on my family 72 hour kit. I found every list I could and made sure that I had everything on it so my family would be prepared. The past few weeks I have gone through my kit and reorganized it for our current situation. I realized that I am home most of the time by myself or with just one child being here and there was no way I could carry all the kits if I had to evacuate. I now have them all down to just two buckets. You have to pick and choose what is best for you and your family, just like in your food storage, pack what you need, what may work for someone else may not work for you. What worked for you 5 years ago does not work for you now. This is one of the reasons we are asked to update our kits each year. Conference weekend is the perfect time to see what you have and what you need to get. Make it a family project, something to do in between sessions. Commit to it and then just do it!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Put Yourself in their shoes . .

During my 13 years in the church I have known people who, for one reason or another, could not take the sacrament for a period of time. I have often wondered why this is done. If you are struggling with something how could NOT taking the sacrament help you? I decided all on my own to NOT take the sacrament, repent of any sins I committed during the week and see what happens. DON'T DO THIS. I had a terrible week. It was harder to stay happy and upbeat. It was harder to see the positive in people, instead I dwelt on the negative. It was harder to make the time to read my scriptures and say my prayers. Let's face it, the Sacrament is a very important part of our lives. I am having an even harder time now trying to figure out why they tell people NOT to take the sacrament when this time in their lives should be the time they need it the most. I am grateful I have not done anything to cause me to not be able to take the sacrament and I will not try to put myself into others shoes in this way again. Maybe someone can explain how this is suppose to help those who are struggling already???

Monday, February 2, 2009

13 Years ago

It was 13 years ago that I began reading the Book of Mormon for the first time. I read it all the way through while the Missionaries were teaching us for those 24 days. I did not study it, I just read it to make sure there was nothing in there that I did not agree with. I wanted to make sure there was no contradicting messages and that there were no cult teachings. There were not any. It was a peaceful feeling when I read, very familiar messages. I believe with all my heart that the Book of Mormon is true and that it is just another testament of Jesus Christ. I love the way that Christ taught everyone and not just a select few. I love the fact that everyone was important to Him and He left no one out. If the Savior stood beside me is such a wonderful song. I had looked up the history of the song and had it prepared to share with the Young Women's class I was subbing for last week and then when I got there I found out that they were beginning to learn it for an activity this next week. I was grateful to know that I was in tune enough to listen to The Spirit and prepare the way I did. The song is all about stopping and thinking if I would do the things I do if the Savior was standing right beside me, watching over me. I hope the girls take to heart the things the song says and treat people with the respect they should.