Wednesday, June 26, 2013

going, going, gone!

Unbelievable! Wonderful! Delightful! What more can I say! Three cheers for dispensing with this unwanted Prime Minister. I did not like her right from the start. Why? Because she unceremoniously ousted Kevin Rudd from the Prime Ministership; because she doesn't want to be saddled with children, she doesn't like them,; because she doesn't believe in God; because she doesn't believe in marriage and openly lived in the Prime Ministerial residence with a man. What kind of an example does she portray to our younger generation? What kind of a society are or would we be dealing with if the population followed her ideals, which many are. I have always felt threatened by her. She certainly did nothing for the pensioners either. In her goodbye swansong tonight, she used the word 'proud' many times as she bragged of her achievements, including being the first woman Prime Minister of Australia. I wouldn't say that was anything to brag about. What DID she do for this big, vast, brown nation of ours that the Chinese are buying into at an alarming rate! Where is national pride in being Australian? Where are our better education systems teaching our children literacy? Where are our hospitals and staff, including doctors, that will care for the poor as well as the wealthy and those in between? where is the helping hand for the struggling man on the land who feeds our nation? That is just a few of my complaints of where is the help we need! Okay so she has gone, Kevin Rudd is back as Acting Prime Minister until the elections in September. I've often had my arguments, or tried to put across my point of view, of why I am neither Labour or Liberal, or any of the groups in between. Because I don't vote for any political party. I search out the one who is likely to do his, or her, best for my nation and its people! Now who can fit that bill? What is interesting for me is that Shane took his family to the Labour Day march in Brisbane in early may and they had their photos taken with Julia Gillard, even one with her arms around my grandsons Dylan and Nicholas!

Dylan and Nicholas with Australia's prime Minister
Julia Gillard at the Brisbane Labour Day March in May 2013

Theresa with Australia's prime Minister Julia Gillard

My Shane with Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard

Kevin Rudd takes on Julia Gillard for the Labor leadership. But how did we get here?

by: Jessica Marszalek Federal Politics Reporter
From: News Limited Network
June 26, 2013 3:45PM

Gillard v Rudd Source: News Limited

IT'S been a tumultuous day in the federal Parliament but the catalyst for tonight's leadership showdown was no one event.

It all started when Australians awoke on June 24, 2010 to news they had a new Prime Minister - the nation's first woman.
It was meant to be the dawn of a new Labor after MPs fed up with Mr Rudd's erratic behaviour, rushed policies and increasingly unreasonable demands tossed out a first-term PM.
Ms Gillard declared a good government had lost its way and she had been left with no choice but to seize the reins.
But it was a bumpy road at the outset when damaging leaks caused Labor to bleed votes gained in the election euphoria that was Kevin '07.
To her credit, Ms Gillard has achieved a lot with a hung parliament, with one of her most recent victories the creation of DisabilityCare.
But her broken carbon tax promise, continuing streams of asylum seeker boats, a mining tax collecting little money, support for Craig Thomson and the political faux pas that saw her elevate the now disgraced speaker Peter Slipper struck blow after blow.
Polls have shown for some time Labor is now in a hole it is unlikely to climb out of, meaning election defeat is almost a certainty.
Despite that, MPs have insisted for the past fortnight Ms Gillard would remain as PM and that they took Mr Rudd at his word that he would not return to the top job.
Mr Rudd now says he's here to rescue the party, echoing the sentiment of Ms Gillard back in 2010.
That's despite the character assassination that was brought down upon him before he lost a February 2012 ballot, and the fact he refused to put his hand up in March when Ms Gillard declared a Caucus vote.
The party will at least be able to put the issue to bed once and for all, with the loser promising to quit and fade away.
###

President Monson and healing

What can I say about this great man? He has been a source of inspiration to me for years, especially since I first purchased and read Faith Rewarded. This book, excerpts from his journal, tells of his trials and troubles, heartbreaks and laughter, when travelling to and spending time with the Saints in a country that was then behind the forbidding Iron Curtain. A plucky American who faced the unknown crossing a border where nine times out of ten Americans were shot! He did it because he loved and obeyed his Saviour. He did it to spread His word and bring love and hope to an impoverished but believing people. Now one of them, president Dieter F. Uchtdorf, his second counsellor in the First Presidency. Here is another story of President Monson's quiet achievements, working for his Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ and setting a great example to us who also believe.

A Miraculous, Little-Known Story About President Monson

Thomas S. Monson

Every time I see or listen to President Monson, I’m always reminded of (and deeply impressed by) his loving character and his private ministry.
Here’s a little-known story about him that touched my heart:

In 1971, when Mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, the doctors said she had less than a 20 percent chance of surviving two years. Mother did not know this. Dad did. I found out only because I overheard the conversation between my father and the doctors.
Months passed…it was stake conference, a regional gathering of church members that meets four times a year. My father was a member of the stake high council, a group of high priests who direct the membership on both organizational and spiritual matters. President Thomas S. Monson, one of the Twelve Apostles, directly beneath the Prophet, who at that time was Joseph Fielding Smith, was conducting interviews for the position of stake president.
Before the conference, President Monson met with my father privately, as he did with all councilmen. he asked him, if called, would he serve as stake president? My father’s reply was no. In a religion that believes all leadership positions are decided by God, this was an unorthodox response.
“Brother Tempest, would you like to explain?”
My father simply said it would be inappropriate to spend time away from his wife when she had so little time left.
President Monson stood and said, “You are a man whose priorities are intact.”
After conference, my father was returning to his car. He heard his name called, ignored it at first, until he heard it for a second time. He turned to find President Monson, who had put his hand on Dad’s shoulder.
“Brother Tempest, I feel compelled to tell you your wife will be well for many years to come. I would like to invite you and your family to kneel together in the privacy of your home at noon on Thursday. The Brethren will be meeting in the holy chambers of the Temple, where we will enter your wife’s name among those to be healed.”
Back home, our family was seated around the dinner table. Dad was late. mother was furious. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he opened the door. He walked over to Mother and held her tightly in his arms. He wept.
“What’s happened, John?” Mother asked.
That Thursday, my brothers and I came home from school to pray. We knelt in the living room together as a family. No words were uttered. But in the quiet of that room, I felt the presence of angels.

The mother of Terry Tempest Williams was healed and lived until 1987, sixteen years after President Monson had made the quiet, prophetic declaration that she would “be well for many years to come.”
Source: Williams, Terry Tempest. Refuge: an unnatural history of family and place. New York: Pantheon Books, 1991. Print.

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Friday, May 17, 2013

Frances Beverly Monson

I have thought what to write about this tragic news. Its not really tragic, not really. Frances Beverly Monson has finally gone home after living a long and rewarding Christ-like life. President Monson is now bereft of his companion of many years. But he knows, as I know, that parting is short, and he will be with her again when he is called home. Later their children and grandchildren will arrive up there. There are many of her and President Monson's family already there to greet her with open arms. We are so blessed to have this knowledge, to know for a surety that families are together for Eternity. Hence we strive to do our family history work, perform the ordinances for our ancestors in the Temples, strive to lead a righteous life and those of us who are single, hold fast to faith and hope that our Eternal companion will find us, will find me. Prayers I offer for President Monson and his family and his wife's beautiful story I add here. What a wonderful example she is.

News Release — 17 May 2013

Frances B. Monson, Wife of President Thomas S. Monson, Passes Away

Salt Lake City —

Frances B. Monson, wife of Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away at 6:35 a.m. this morning in a Salt Lake City hospital surrounded by family. She had been hospitalized for several weeks and passed away peacefully of causes incident to age. Sister Monson was 85 years old. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Recognized by her husband as the family’s beacon of love, compassion and encouragement, Sister Monson lived a Christ-centred life in word and deed. She will forever be remembered for her kindness and quiet, sustained support of her husband in his Church duties.

President and Sister Monson wave to the congregation following a session of general conference

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Born on 27 October 1927, Frances Beverly Johnson was the youngest and only daughter of Franz E. Johnson and Hildur Booth Johnson’s five children. Her parents were delighted to have a little girl in the family, whom they promptly named Frances, after her father Franz.
She grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a child of the Great Depression and learned the value of hard work and thrift, which served her well throughout her life. She graduated from East High School and the University of Utah, where she excelled in math and science. When asked why she enrolled in these difficult classes, she replied with a twinkle in her eye, “Because that is where all the cute boys were.” Frances was also an accomplished pianist and was often seen playing tennis in Liberty Park during her teenage years. Later, she worked in the accounting department of a large department store to help pay for her college education.
It was also during her university days she met a handsome, strapping young man also of Swedish descent, Thomas Spencer Monson, at the time known as Tommy. “The first time I met Frances, I knew I’d found the right one,” he would later say about their courtship. They met in 1944 and were married on 7 October 1948 in the Salt Lake Temple.
The couple was blessed with three children: Thomas Lee, Ann Frances and Clark Spencer. The children soon learned that they had a very special mother. She helped her sons learn about, buy and raise Birmingham Roller pigeons, at one point helping her son to travel to England to meet a Birmingham Roller expert. She allowed one son to keep a pet snake in the bathtub. Most mothers would shudder at the word snake, let alone have one in the tub. The herd, gaggle and flock of family pets eventually included chickens, more pigeons, a dog, geese and other animals.
Daughter Ann Dibb said her mother was always good at bookkeeping, budgeting and “being mindful of where the best bargains could be found.” Ann’s mother followed the Church’s provident living advice of thrift and self-reliance, making her grocery money go further by researching and buying items on sale and then storing them at home. Up until recently she continued to read both Salt Lake newspapers looking for coupons and bargains.
She was known as the family assembler and fix-it person. Early every Christmas morning found Frances assembling bikes, toys and doll houses and on other occasions fixing an electrical switch or plumbing leak. Ann said this was something her father readily admitted was her mother’s talent, not his.
She served in the Relief Society and Primary and spent many hours preparing lessons for those callings. She also served alongside her husband when he was called to preside over the Church’s Canadian Mission, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, from 1959 to 1962. Both concur that the mission was a beautiful experience that gave them many opportunities to learn and grow both spiritually and intellectually.
Frances was blessed with an endearing sense of humor, a part of which President Monson shared in a general conference talk: “Several years ago my dear wife went to the hospital. She left a note behind for the children: ‘Dear children, do not let Daddy touch the microwave’ — followed by a comma ‘or the stove, or the dishwasher, or the dryer.’ I’m embarrassed to add any more to that list.” Her recipe for life included plenty of encouragement, kindness and hard work, with a dose of humor thrown in for good measure.
Most importantly, Frances will be best remembered for the love and support she showed to her husband and family and the service she rendered to others. Ann said, “She dearly loved my father and recognized his talents and the gifts that he’d been given and took pleasure in supporting him and helping him magnify the talents that were his.” She completely supported her husband in all of his Church duties. She also delighted in being a mother, continually teaching her children the importance of sacrifice and serving the Lord.
Ann shared a tender example of her mother supporting her father in his Church callings. As a newly called member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the then Elder Monson was assigned to speak in general priesthood meeting. Frances tried to stand in the doorway of the Salt Lake Tabernacle to listen to her husband speak, but the ushers wouldn’t allow it, so she stood as near to the window as possible to hear the talk. She loved to listen and show her support and accompanied him many times on his visits to the elderly and those with poor health.
Frances radiated patience and compassion when serving others. She tenderly cared for her mother, who suffered from cancer for more than six years. In April of 1988, the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s Villa, an elder-care facility, presented Frances and her husband with the Continuum of Caring Humanitarian Award, honoring both of them for their dedicated and untiring service to the senior citizens of Utah.
Never purposely in the spotlight, Frances Beverly Johnson Monson was always gracious, kind and supportive in everything she said and did. Her quiet influence felt around the world will be missed.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Perth Australia Southern River Stake and Birthing Kits

Packed 1000 in an hour we did! It was a tremendous effort by us all of the Perth Southern River Stake, a wonderful afternoon where we learnt just how these small and unusual kits were used in third world countries. No western would-be Mum has had to go through such an ordeal in modern times. I was both proud and humbled to have been part of it. The news was published by The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint's newsroom on April 15. Many friends were gathered in the great hall which we affectionately call The Barn to pack these kits. The event was followed by a scrumptious afternoon tea. I am so blessed to be a member of the Lords' Church and the oldest worldwide Women's organisation - Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

Relief Society sisters of the Perth Australia Southern River Stake packing birthing kits in the Stake Centre's 'The Barn'

A few busy fingers....

We sisters with our packed boxes of birthing kits. I am fourth from the left in the front row and my friend Aileen is second from the right in the front row. A great effort

The Newsroom stated:
They joined more than six million women in Church congregations worldwide in honouring the establishment of the Relief Society.

Relief Society began on 17th March 1842 in Nauvoo, USA. Today, its work continues in building faith, strengthening home and family, and providing relief. This is reflected in its motto, “Charity Never Faileth”.
Latter-day Saint women join its ranks beginning at the age of 18, mingling with women in all stages of life.

Amongst the Australian service projects, members in Adelaide and Perth observed the anniversary by assembling and then donating 1200 birthing kits to new mothers in developing countries.

The 171st Anniversary called for “a meaningful service project,” said Jan Addis, Adelaide’s Firle Ward Relief Society President. “A really important part of the work of Relief Society is to provide relief and give compassionate service, not just as we celebrate this milestone but right throughout the year.”

“Often the needs we meet and the help we give are focused within our own community, but for our anniversary project we looked at broader humanitarian concerns,” she said.
“We felt that the 200 birthing kits that we created would benefit women who are in great need of supplies and education. The women in our ward (congregation) were very interested and happy to be involved.”
While the Adelaide birthing kit project was conducted on a ward level, nearly 100 members of the Relief Society of the Perth Southern River Stake gathered in Thornlie to pack 1,000 birthing kits as part of their service project.
The Relief Society members in both cities were supporting the work of the Birthing Kit Foundation (Australia), an organisation dedicated to improving conditions for women in developing countries who give birth at home, often on dirt floors.
The foundation provided the strict hygiene guidelines for assembling the birthing packs as it does for all community groups wanting to support its aim of reducing childbirth-related deaths.
An estimated 385,000 women die annually in childbirth, many from infections acquired during labour.
The kits contain a plastic sheet, soap, gloves, sterile scalpel blade, cord and gauze squares, and are principally designed for home birthing in remote and rural areas where the maternal death rates are much higher.

“As well as providing the kits, the foundation trains local women in the recipient areas to assist in safe childbirth delivery which has an enormous impact,” said Adelaide’s Jan Addis.
“We found it really uplifting knowing that an initiative like this is literally life-saving; we felt connected with women across the globe.”

“It was also good to remember that among Relief Society’s six-million-strong membership throughout the world, many similar service projects took place in conjunction with the anniversary.”

Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the governing council of Twelve Apostles has said, “Latter-day Saint women, strong in faith and testimony, have truly been given the errand of angels. Every sister in this Church who has made covenants with the Lord has a divine mandate to help save souls, to lead the women of the world, to strengthen the homes of Zion and to build the kingdom of God” (Daughters in My Kingdom, p. 25).

Relief Society is one of the oldest and largest women’s organisations in the world.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Members of the Twelve Apostles speak at the Saturday afternoon session of April General Conference 2013

Some homes have a father who is a worthy priesthood holder joined by a faithful, devoted mother who together lead in righteousness. Many homes have a different configuration. Regardless of your circumstances, you can center your home and your life on the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the source of true peace in this life. Be certain that every decision you make, whether temporal or spiritual, is conditioned on what the Savior would have you do. When He is the center of your home, there is peace and serenity. There is a spirit of assurance that pervades the home, and it is felt by all who dwell there........Doing all we can to invite the gentle, guiding influence of the Holy Ghost into our lives is critical in our attempts to center our homes on the Savior. Acting obediently on those promptings strengthens us even more......We need not worry if we can’t simultaneously do all of the things that the Lord has counseled us to do. He has spoken of a time and a season for all things. In response to our sincere prayers for guidance, He will direct us in what should be emphasized at each phase of our life. We can learn, grow, and become like Him one consistent step at a time....

As there is no Priesthood in my home I can pray for guidance, seek Heavenly Father's help and strive to listen to the Holy Ghost. I can obey Christ's commandments and have faith and hope that one day the Priesthood will be in my home! I am so blessed to have a home, somewhere to lay my head, to participate in service activities, seeking out more names for the Temple of my family, to attend to my calling and to love my family, doing what i can with my limited means for my grandchildren...great blessings indeed

and in times of trials and disasters...

Confused about what they had witnessed and concerned about further attacks, they made their way to a safer area and then to the Manhattan stake Church building at Lincoln Center. When they arrived, they found that dozens of other members in lower Manhattan had made the same decision to gather at the stake center. They called to let us know where they were. I was relieved that they were safe but not surprised at their location. Modern revelation teaches that the stakes of Zion are a defense and “a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.”²^...In contemplating these events, I have been impressed with the doctrinal difference between universal or world peace and personal peace.³...Agency is essential to the plan of happiness. It allows for the love, sacrifice, personal growth, and experience necessary for our eternal progression. This agency also allows for all the pain and suffering we experience in mortality, even when caused by things we do not understand and the devastating evil choices of others. The very War in Heaven was waged over our moral agency and is essential to understanding the Savior’s earthly ministry....Think not that I am come to send peace on earth.”⁷ It is clear that universal peace did not exist on the earth during Christ’s mortal ministry, and it does not now....

In the Lord’s preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, a number of very important principles are taught. With respect to those who do not repent, His Spirit (the Spirit of Christ), which is given to every person who comes into the world,⁸ “shall not always strive with man.”⁹ Also, “peace shall be taken from the earth.”¹⁰ Prophets have declared that peace has indeed been taken from the earth.¹¹ Lucifer has not yet been bound and exercises power in this dominion.¹²

The heavenly aspiration of good people everywhere has and always will be for peace in the world. We must never give up on achieving this goal. But, President Joseph F. Smith taught, “There never can come to the world that spirit of peace and love … until mankind will receive God’s truth and God’s message … , and acknowledge his power and authority which is divine.”^13...

This principle is succinctly captured in the Doctrine and Covenants: “But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.”¹⁴

President John Taylor taught that peace is not only desirable, but “it is the gift of God.”^{15...President Heber J. Grant described the Savior’s peace this way: “His peace will ease our suffering, bind up our broken hearts, blot out our hates, engender in our breasts a love of fellow men that will suffuse our souls with calm and happiness.”¹⁷}

The peace to which I am referring is not just a temporary tranquility. It is an abiding deep happiness and spiritual contentment.¹⁶

I can find peace by praying and doing my best to dissolve contention between us in the home and by visiting the Temple as often as I can, attending Sabbath day meetings, giving service and striving for a loving and caring nature.

Conference for me!

I said I would write and post more conference information after reading. I was looking for comfort and strength because I do not have the sealing power or the Priesthood power in my home, which I share with non-members!

Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve recited a beautiful poem that had taken half his life to write and copied here. When he finished he spoke of the finches in his garden that were attacked by snakes and he wondered if evil had penetrated his Garden of Eden and thought yes, we have been warned time and again, and he added this statement that I hold to myself about my family:
'We live in a very dangerous world that threatens those things that are most spiritual. The family, the fundamental organization in time and eternity, is under attack from forces seen and unseen. The adversary is about. His objective is to cause injury. If he can weaken and destroy the family, he will have succeeded. Isaiah said, “The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.”That peace is also promised in the revelations in which the Lord declares, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.”...The consummate power of the priesthood has been given to protect the home and its inhabitants. The father has the authority and responsibility to teach his children and to bless and to provide for them the ordinances of the gospel and every other priesthood protection necessary. He is to demonstrate love and fidelity and honor to the mother so that their children can see that love.' Well I have no Priesthood in the home, so its go it alone with me and Heavenly father. I think perhaps that is why Kemp and Martha were trying to get me to be sealed to Les. But that will not bring the Priesthood power into my home as the Temple President said. The priesthood holder needs to be living; marriage and sealing. After reading that bit of his talk and thinking no Priesthood holder here for me, I went around the house, room by room, except Danny's room which was locked, and banished the evil one as Moses did. I used the back veranda for Danny's room. But I do have my Heavenly Father and I know I have His protection. And I know that my family is being attacked by the adversary and making my life miserable, or it could do if I allowed it. And here is Elder Packer's beautiful poem:
“Unfinished Composition.” The first
part of that work goes like this: By Boyd K. Packer and read at the 183rd
General Conference April 2013
I had a thought the other night,
A thought profound and deep.
It came when I was too worn down,
Too tired to go to sleep.
I’d had a very busy day
And pondered on my fate.
The thought was this:
When I was young, I wasn’t 68!
I could walk without a limp;
I had no shoulder pain.
I could read a line through twice
And quote it back again.
I could work for endless hours
And hardly stop to breathe.
And things that now I cannot do
I mastered then with ease.
If I could now turn back the years,
If that were mine to choose,
I would not barter age for youth,
I’d have too much to lose.
I am quite content to move ahead,
To yield my youth, however grand.
The thing I’d lose if I went back
Is what I understand.

Ten years later, I decided to add a
few more lines to that poem:

Ten years have flown to who knows where
And with them much of pain.
A metal hip erased my limp;
I walk quite straight again.
Another plate holds neck bones fast—
A wonderful creation!
It backed my polio away;
I’ve joined the stiff-necked generation.
The signs of aging can be seen.
Those things will not get better.
The only thing that grows in strength
With me is my forgetter.
You ask, “Do I remember you?”
Of course, you’re much the same.
Now don’t go getting all upset
If I can’t recall your name.
I would agree I’ve learned some things
I did not want to know,
But age has brought those precious truths
That make the spirit grow.
Of all the blessings that have come,
The best thing in my life
Is the companionship and comfort
I get from my dear wife.
Our children all have married well,
With families of their own,
With children and grandchildren,
How soon they all have grown.
I have not changed my mind one bit
About regaining youth.
We’re meant to age, for with it
Comes a knowledge of the truth.
You ask, “What will the future bring?
Just what will be my fate?”
I’ll go along and not complain.
Ask when I’m 88!

And last year I added these lines:

And now you see I’m 88.
The years have flown so fast.
I walked, I limped, I held a cane,
And now I ride at last.
I take a nap now and again,
But priesthood power remains.
For all the physical things I lack
There are great spiritual gains.
I have traveled the world a million miles
And another million too.
And with the help of satellites,
My journeys are not through.
I now can say with all certainty
That I know and love the Lord.
I can testify with them of old
As I preach His holy word.
I know what He felt in Gethsemane
Is too much to comprehend.
I know He did it all for us;
We have no greater Friend.
I know that He will come anew
With power and in glory.
I know I will see Him once again
At the end of my life’s story.
I’ll kneel before His wounded feet;
I’ll feel His Spirit glow.
My whispering, quivering voice will say,
“My Lord, my God, I know.”

And I do know!

Its a beautiful poem of a good man's life, one that believes in and loves the lord with all his heart, might, mind and strength! I am inspired to try and write one myself!

Friday, April 12, 2013

183rd General Conference in Salt lake

My hearing is so bad now that I have taken to watch and read this 183rd General Conference online as I did the last conference session in October last year. In the Saturday morning session President Monson spoke in his opening remarks of the conference of all the travelling he had done in six months since the last conference. Of special significence was the opening of the Tegucigalpa Temple in Honduras for the dedicated Saints in that land. Further Temples were announced to be constructed in Cedar City and another in Rio De Janiero. It seems at each copnference now more Temples are announced. I think we now have 158 Temples built around the world.

Ground was first broken for the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple on Saturday, June 9, 2007—one year from the date of its announcement—at its originally chosen location adjacent to the institute building on the eastern side of the city. President Spencer V. Jones of the Seventy presided at the event, which was attended by invited priesthood leaders and their families—several of whom participated in the first ceremonial scoops of dirt with gold-colored shovels. Stake presidents from Nicaragua expressed gratitude that the temple would be only four hours away, allowing them to spend more time doing ordinance work than traveling, as had previously been the case.
President Monson went on to tell us that there are now 65,634 full-time missionaries now serving, 20000 who had calls issued and a further 6000 in the interview process since he announced the lowering of the missionary age in October. He marvelled how many of the youth had sprung forth to serve missions after that announcement. Because of the sudden spirt in growth, a further 58 mission fields have been prepared! We have all been asked to contribute to the mission fund and I am thankful that I have already started doing that about three pensions ago. I am awed that I anticipated our Prophet's words and the Spirit had been whispering to me and I heeded his whispers. There may be more conference addresses written in this blog as my reading progresses!
And as I write this, because of the rain we have had, the perfume of the bush drifts through my front door. It is deligthful and I want to jump in the car and head for Jarrahdale to wander through the trees near Wungong Brook as in my junior years.

Sez O'Grady

family In The Wars