President Monson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

I am after this treasured item. A very spiritual man and a great writer

“The sweetest experience in mortality is to know that our Heavenly Father has worked through us,” says President Thomas S. Monson, sixteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But he does more than say it — he lives it. Throughout his life, he has been an instrument in the Lord's hands, one through whom the work of the kingdom of God is lovingly carried out.
President Monson cares about people by the millions; he has traveled the earth to bless countless lives in unnumbered lands. He may be known best, though, for caring about people one by one. He takes time for those who may have been mostly forgotten by others. He recognizes the person in the crowd who might need the extra bit of attention he can provide. He goes where the Spirit leads him — even if it means traversing continents to offer a priesthood blessing to a suffering friend.
To the Rescue chronicles the life and ministry of this extraordinary leader. It is filled with the heartwarming personal accounts so typical of President Monson — some that have become favorites over time and many others that have not been told before. Readers will be transported to his childhood, where he learned his first lessons about reaching out to others. They will glimpse his school experiences, his hobbies (especially his prize Birmingham roller pigeons), his military service in the navy, and his courtship with Frances Johnson, who would become his eternal companion and greatest support.
Most important, readers will observe Thomas S. Monson going “to the rescue” in his more than six decades of devoted Church service. Called as a bishop at age twenty-two, as a counselor in a stake presidency at age twenty-seven, as a mission president at age thirty-one, and as a member of a Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at age thirty-six, he became early on a skilled administrator and a tireless servant of the Lord. He oversaw the work of the Church in East Germany for more than twenty years, beginning with hushed meetings held in automobiles to avoid listening devices and culminating in the dedication of a temple behind the Iron Curtain. He played key roles in landmark programs in the Church, from correlation to welfare to the publication of the LDS editions of the scriptures. And through it all, he recognized people as individuals and ministered to their need in personal ways.
"I testify that each one of us can feel the Lord's inspiration as we live worthily and strive to serve Him,” President Monson has taught. To the Rescue demonstrates the truth of that teaching, illustrating its power in the life of one remarkable man.

President Uchtdorf

Fifty years ago, a young aspiring pilot in the German Air Force spent his free time helping with the construction of a chapel in Big Spring. This Sunday he will return, as one of the highest-ranking leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to rededicate that chapel.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf has served as Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the worldwide church since 2008. In 2004 he was ordained as an apostle and accepted into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Uchtdorf will be presiding over the rededication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Big Spring chapel, 1803 Wasson Road, at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The public is invited to attend.
Church buildings are dedicated at the time of construction and after any additions or remodeling projects, all of which are paid for in advance by the church. The church recently added a cultural hall to the chapel, allowing more seating for worship services as well as activities such as dances and meals.
"We needed to update the building a little bit and refresh it,” said Jerry Zant, president of the Odessa Stake, which includes congregations throughout West Texas.

Jane Austin - her biography

Jane Austen's writings have always appealed to me for the historical era that she writes about, giving me a wonderful view of life in the late 1700s. I love Pride and Prejudice, both book and movie. I was surprised to read of its popularity among the Saints, and then realized just how true what they say of Austen's morality in her writings and the modesty in her female dresses. I had not thought of that myself

Why Jane Austen appeals to LDS women
Angela Lankford - 21 hours ago
source: LDS Living
When author Howard F. Clarke published a re-formatted version of the Jane Austen biography, Jane Austen: Her Life and Letters, a Family Record, he discovered that book sales in Salt Lake City, Utah surpassed sales in all the other U.S. cities by a ratio of 8 to 1.
This unusual spike in sales caught Clarke’s interest, so he contacted Aspen Anderson, the Utah Regional Coordinator of the Jane Austen Society of North America to find the answer.
Anderson told Clarke she thought the reason for these statistics was largely based on a matter of morals. The relationship between the morals found in Jane Austen novels and the values of the LDS Church may in fact have largely influenced the sale of the biography in Salt Lake City with its 60 percent LDS population.
“Jane Austen’s society and the way that it was reflected in her writings reveal a time of manners and morals that are not present today in most of our society,” Clarke said, “except for in special groups like the Mormon ladies who adhere to nobility and moral standards handed down from parents that is different from the ideals of most of society.”
Although written in the early 1800s, the values present in Austen’s characters are similar to the values that LDS women strive for today. These similarities in characteristic values are what draw LDS women to Austen’s novels. Leslie Johns, an LDS fan of Jane Austen, believes that “Austen’s novels represent LDS culture in a way that transports the LDS woman’s experience today into a similar setting as a woman’s experience in Austen’s day.”

Now something on a more lighter note....

HUNDREDS of people lined Sydney Harbour to welcome the world's most majestic ocean liners - the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth - as they arrived this morning.
On the water, dozens of boats formed a guard of honour.
Business workers, joggers, workmen all watched on as Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 gracefully sailed through the harbour, just after 6.30am.
It is the first time the pair has arrived in tandem in Sydney.
A tourist Peter Basstle, from the UK, described the sight of the two Cunard liners together as "magic".
"Does it get any better than this, this is incredible," Mr Basstle said.
But while the superships had a smooth passage, it will be far different story on the Harbour foreshore.
The historic visit is expected to cause gridlock as thousands flock to the CBD for a glimpse of the royal rendezvous.
The stately sisters glided either side of Fort Denison, sounding their whistles as they passed about 6.30am before going their separate ways.
The luxurious 11-deck QE, complete with a croquet field and royal spa, will berth at Circular Quay's Overseas Passenger Terminal until midday tomorrow. Its opulent transatlantic sister, the QM2 - taller than the Eiffel Tower and featuring a planetarium - sets sail from Garden Island about five hours later.
The royal visit is expected to inject more than $3 million into the NSW economy, with around 6000 cashed-up passengers enjoying the delights of the Harbour City.
Sydney's Transport Management Centre is bracing for mayhem on the roads.

Queensland storms

ABOUT 470 homes and businesses remain without power in Brisbane's western suburbs and areas of Pine Mountain, Rosewood and the Fassifern Valley, near Ipswich this morning after severe storms lashed the southeast with hail, strong winds and flash flooding yesterday.
More than 50,000 homes and businesses in southeast Queensland had their power restored overnight.
Energex said lightning was the main cause of power interruptions, with more than 27,000 lightning strikes recorded between midday and 7pm yesterday.
Strong winds of around 80km/hr and heavy rain also affected parts of the power network.
About 150 Energex crews worked to restore power to about 40,000 customers by 9.30pm last night, with Ipswich city, the Lockyer Valley, Moreton Bay and Brisbane’s northern regions being the worst hit areas.
Storms struck the region from the Gold Coast to the Sunshine Coast and west to Toowoomba, including Beaudesert, Mt Tamborine, Kingaroy, Ipswich and Esk, although the southeast experienced the greatest thrashing.
A Department of Community Safety spokeswoman said the State Emergency Service received more than 130 calls for assistance with downed trees, sandbagging and damaged roofs from 1pm to 8pm.
A rescue took place in Alexandria Street, Bowen Hills, after emergency services were called with reports of two people trapped by flash flooding.
The men had seen a car with its hazard lights on and were attempting to check to see if anyone was inside when the floods struck.
"We did go out to a rescue where people were in trouble in a submerged car," she said.
"They were brought to safety and there were no injuries."
Police divers were sent in overnight on Widdop Street, on the border of Hendra and Nundah, to check if anyone was in two cars that were caught in flash flooding near the Toombul Shopping Centre.
Police said the water was up to the car windows by about 9pm, but no one was found inside the vehicles.
Once the water receded, the cars were towed.
A police spokesman said roadwork’s near the area often contributed to the flooding.
“It normally goes under because of the river that runs along there, but nowadays it’s the roadworks,” he said.
In Macgregor, a motorist was taken to hospital after a tree came down on a car at the corner of Mains Rd and Kessels Rd, with emergency services using a chainsaw to remove it from the windshield.
But the spokeswoman said there had been no reports of major damage or injuries.
"There's been no deaths or drownings that I've been notified of," she said.
Police said flash flooding occurred at Fortitude Valley, Bowen Hills, Spring Hill, Tarragindi, Durack and Acacia Ridge, causing commuter chaos.
The Inner-City Bypass tunnel at Breakfast Creek was closed to traffic in both directions due to flooding, while motorists experienced major delays on the Centenary Highway and Gateway Motorway.
The train system in the southeast was also heavily affected when localised flooding shut down inner city stations and cut lines throughout the network. All services in and out of the city were cancelled, with TransLink recording delays of up to three hours.
At Brisbane Airport, planes were turned back and flights disrupted when the tarmac was closed numerous times, affecting more than 1000 passengers.
The Bureau of Meteorology recorded winds of up to 90km/h and up to 100mm of rain in some parts of the southeast.
The heaviest rainfall was registered at Wacol where 98mm fell in an hour 70mm of that within 30 minutes.
Since 9am yesterday, Wacol received 138mm of rain.
Mitchelton received 99mm with Everton Hills receiving 95mm and Alderley receiving 96mm.
The City received about 30mm.
About 27,000 lightning strikes between noon and 7pm brought down powerlines.
Up to 55,000 homes in the southeast and more than 10,000 in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley were left without power.
But the rain brought some relief as the temperature dropped from 35C to just 22C.
Bureau of Meteorology senior Forecaster Bryan Rolstone said showers will continue throughout the week, but will decrease by Friday.
He said more hot days, reaching into the low 30s, could be expected by mid next week.
In Rockhampton, lightning strikes in The Range hit three buildings including the Rockhampton Grammar School, Cathedral College and McAuley Place Hostel, which suffered significant damage to its roof.
Further west, lightning strikes started multiple grass fires.

NZ Earthquake

MULTIPLE deaths were reported as a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch toppling buildings, igniting fires and sending panicked people rushing into the streets.
The widespread damage came from a shallow lunch-time tremor in a city of 340,000 still recovering from a powerful quake in September, which did not cause any fatalities but did weaken many buildings.

Christchurch airport was temporarily closed and police said they were evacuating the city centre as building frontages collapsed, with witnesses saying there were people trapped inside.

Cars were buried under rubble and roads buckled as the tremor opened ruptures in the ground.

``It was just unbelievable, it was so strong, nothing like I've ever experienced before, just horrible,'' local shopkeeper Julian Hogday told New Zealand's TV3.

Police feared multiple deaths, including in two buses that were crushed by falling debris.


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Related CoverageEarthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand
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``Multiple fatalities have been reported at several locations in the central city, including two buses crushed by falling buildings. A doctor and emergency services are attending,'' a police statement said.

``Other reports include multiple building collapses, fires in buildings in the central (city) and persons reported trapped in buildings.''

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key feared the worst after the shallow quake struck at 12.51pm (1051 AEDT).
``It is a very populated time with people at work, children at school,'' he said.

``Sadly I cannot rule out whether there have been fatalities or not, but we are aware of significant damage to buildings that had people in them at the time.''

On September 4, Christchurch suffered the most destructive quake to hit New Zealand in 80 years when a 7.0-magnitude tremor damaged 100,000 homes, leaving a clean-up bill estimated at $NZ4.0 billion ($A3.03 billion).

The city remained under a state of emergency for weeks with police cordoning off the centre for fear of collapsing buildings, as thousands of aftershocks hit the region.

Historic Cathedral destroyed

A large number of buildings have been destroyed by the quake, including a historic cathedral in the central city.

Twenty trapped in city building

Twenty people are trapped on the 12th floor of a Christchurch building.

One of those trapped, Gary Moore, says he and 19 other colleagues are stuck on the 12th floor because the stairwell collapsed in Tuesday's earthquake.

People were in a state of shock but were not injured, he told NZPA. He was not sure if people were trapped on other floors of the Forsyth Barr building, in central Christchurch.

Moore described the quake, which was followed by several aftershocks, as catastrophic.

``We watched the cathedral collapse out our window while we were holding onto the walls.''

``Every aftershock sends us rushing under the desks. It's very unnerving but we can clearly see there are other priorities out the window.

``There has been a lot of damage and I guess people are attending to that before they come and get us,'' he said.
Meanwhile, television pictures showed firefighters rescuing people trapped in other buildings in the city centre, including a woman plucked from a building believed to be a hotel.

Christchurch Mayor 'thrown across room'

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker told Radio New Zealand that he was thrown across the room by the quake, which some residents said shook for up to a minute.

Parker said there were scenes of ``great confusion'' on the streets, with roads jammed as people fled the central city.

``I know of injuries in my building, and there are unconfirmed reports of serious injuries in the city,'' Parker said.

New Zealand's Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences said the quake was centered near Christchurch at a depth of 5 kilometers at 12:51 p.m. local time and will have caused more damage than the original 7.1 earthquake on Sept. 4 because of its shallow depth.

The September quake, with an epicentre 30 kilometres west of the city at a depth of 33 kilometres, struck in the early morning when the central city was largely empty.

Today's quake brought down power lines and forced the evacuation of many buildings including the airport, university and hospital.

Communications into the area are difficult with phone systems disrupted.

Christchurch Hospital has not been evacuated and is in operation.

The Christchurch Police Station was initially evacuated but is operational again.

Twitter feed tells of quake horror

For many people social network site Twitter was among the earliest to provide on the scene reaction to today's big 6.3 magnitude Christchurch earthquake.

On Twitter people were providing instant reports on the quake.

One person tweeted: ``Holy f.... giant earthquake. city is in chaos! Buildings down everywhere.''

Another person said ``I now have no front or back doors. Shaking like a leaf.''

Another tweet added: ``In town.. Chaos. Cathedral came down. Came down! Getting out of the city.''

It's understood Lyttelton had also been badly hit, with buildings badly damaged, according to various tweets.
One tweet reported the quake felt huge on the fifth floor of the Commerce building with fallen concrete in stairwell.

8.58am

Sky News NZ quotes the civil defence minister as saying there are unconfirmed reports of fatalities. Several witnesses on the streets reported people injured in their offices when

the quake struck just after 1pm local time

8.56am Christchurch airport has been closed.

Earlier "You can see cars rocking as they go down the road," Sky News correspondent Kate King reports.

"I saw the ground role up in front of me. It lasted for about 20 to 30 seconds."

King said she saw fresh cracks appear in the road and "waterfalls of water" streaming as they pushed out of the ground.

"It's fair to say I'm a bit scared. There are people hugging each other. It's quite traumatic. Quite a lot of these people have lost a lot financially and mentally."

The shock measured 6.3 on the Richter scale.

Christchurch was rocked by a 7.1 earthquake in September last year causing widespread destruction.

This aftershock is the most severe of the thousands of aftershocks since then.

Local reports say buildings and houses had collapsed all around the city centre and the city's iconic cathedral had been destroyed.

Christchurch Hospital was being evacuated, a spokeswoman for the hospital said.

Witnesses have told local reporters there would be "deaths" this time.

Power was out in the city and phone lines were down.

"It was incredibly violent, very very scary," one visitor to the city, Philip Gregan told AAP over the phone.

"We're all standing out on the street with sirens going off around us.

"Oh no, there's another one,'' he said while on the phone.

"I want to get out of here."

Auckland GNS Science said the quake was centred at Lyttelton at a depth of 5km.

The New Zealand Herald reported that the jolt was felt in the capital Wellington to the north and the city of Dunedin to the south.

Residents say it lasted about a minute.

Tarmac on the road was cracked and water mains had burst, flooding the streets with water.

Christchurch was hit with a devastating magnitude 7.1 on September 4 last year.

The epicentre was 40km west of Christchurch at a depth of 10km.

The city, New Zealand's third largest, has been shaking regularly since, with aftershocks up to 5.1 magnitude recorded.

cyclone and tornadoes WA

A HIGH-level red alert is in place for communities in the Pilbara as category two tropical cyclone Carlos tracks along the coast.
Winds at the centre of Carlos are estimated to be up to 130km/h.

``There is a threat to lives and homes. You are in danger and need to act immediately,'' a Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) said in an advisory on Tuesday.

The red alert is for coastal communities between Whim Creek and Mardie including Karratha, Roebourne, Dampier, Wickham and Point Samson, with residents warned to expect high winds and possible flooding.

FESA urged residents in the alert zone to get ready to move to the strongest and safest parts of their homes or to a relocation centre at the Pilbara TAFE in Karratha.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a cyclone warning for coastal areas from Pardoo to Coral Bay and a cyclone watch for areas from Coral Bay to Carnarvon.


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Related CoverageMini-tornado hits Pilbara region
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At 5am (WST) Carlos was about 95km northwest of Port Hedland and 135km northeast of Karratha and moving southwest at 22km/h.

On Monday a cyclone-fuelled mini tornado ripped through parts of Karratha, damaging cars and buildings and bringing down power lines.

A number of roads have been closed while schools in Karratha, Port Hedland and Roebourne will be closed on Tuesday as the cyclone passes.

Oil, gas and port installations in the region have also been battened down in readiness for expected heavy weather.

FESA has issued a yellow alert for Pardoo, Port Hedland, South Hedland and surrounding communities with residents there urged to secure items around their homes and move vehicles under cover.

A relocation centre has been set up at the Civic Centre in Port Hedland.

A lower level blue alert is in place for communities between Mardie and Coral Bay including Onslow, Pannawonica and Exmouth.

The bureau says Carlos is expected to continue moving in a general west southwest track on Tuesday, close to the Pilbara coast.

It says gales with wind gusts to 100km/h are being experienced between Port Hedland and Karratha and they will extend west towards Exmouth later on Tuesday and towards Coral Bay early on Wednesday.

There was a risk of destructive winds with gusts exceeding 125km/h between Whim Creek and Dampier on Tuesday morning, the bureau said.

``Damaging waves and flooding of low lying coastal areas are possible particularly on Tuesday's high tide in the Karratha region,'' it said.

Elsewhere in Western Australia, flood warnings remain in place for the Greenough, Murchison and Gascoyne River catchments.

A yellow alert is current for people in or near the communities of Pardoo and Whim Creek including Pardoo, Port Hedland, South Hedland, Whim Creek and surrounding communities.

A blue alert is current for people in or near the communities of Mardie and Coral Bay including Onslow, Pannawonica, Exmouth, Coral Bay and surrounding communities.

TC Carlos is expected to gradually intensify during Tuesday as it approaches the Pilbara coast.

People in Pilbara coastal towns are warned that tides may rise significantly above the high water mark as the cyclone moves down the coast, even if it does not cross the coast. Damaging waves and flooding of low lying coastal areas are possible particularly on Tuesday's high tide in the Karratha region.

Heavy rain is expected to cause significant stream rises with possible localised flooding for Pilbara coastal streams during Tuesday.

Most of the rainfall is to the west of the cyclone, so rainfall is expected to ease soon after the cyclone passes.

ROAD CLOSURES:

A number of roads have been closed including:
- North West Coastal Highway from Pannawonica turn off to Madigan Road
- North West Coastal Highway from Port Hedland to Karratha
- Gibb River Road from Derby to Wyndham
- Marble Bar Road from Newman to Port Hedland
- Ripon Hills Road
- Nanutarra-Munjina Road from Bingarn Road to Youngaleena
- Nanutarra-Munjina Road from Paraburdoo-Tom Price Road to Bingarn Road

Motorists should avoid the area and should not drive into water of unknown depth and current.

For further details call Main Roads WA on 138 138 or visit www.mainroads.wa.gov.au

At Carnarvon, 910km north of Perth, the Gascoyne River's peak was among the highest ever recorded on Saturday because of rain from Cyclone Dianne.

This week, the town is expected to be affected by the re-formed Cyclone Carlos, which is now a category two storm.

After moving over the Top End from the east, Cyclone Carlos is expected to move west, southwest roughly parallel to the Pilbara coast and intensify over the next two days, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

A cyclone warning is current for coastal areas in or near Pardoo to Mardie including Pardoo, Port Hedland, South Hedland, Whim Creek, Roebourne, Wickham, Point Samson, Roebourne, Karratha, Dampier, Mardie and surrounding communities.

Parts of Port Hedland have tonight been told to 'prepare to relocate' as homes could be impacted by the cyclone.

Tornado hits Karratha

Meanwhile a mini-tornado has damaged buildings and cars in the Pilbara town of Karratha as residents there brace for more heavy weather bearing down with tropical cyclone Carlos.

The 10-minute burst of destructive winds hit just before 3pm on Monday with residents reporting cars being thrown about, roofing iron ripped off, power lines brought down, fences smashed and other debris blown about.

For the latest weather information visit

www.bom.gov.au