Motivators from the Air Force

This was given to me in the form of a PowerPoint presentation from someone at work and I liked and so i converted it to a video to put on my blog. There is no music but some great motivators.

Great insights from Gordon B Hinckley

Last night I was reading from the Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinkley volume 2, Laie, Hawaii Regional Conference. I was very touched with what he said. The messages were for me and possible for you as well. He shared this story about this lady by the name of Toma. She was converted with her family to the Gospel and shortly after came a war that devastated her island. A few people hid in caves and ate bugs and leaves and this is where she was. Her husband got sick and she prayed that the Lord would just take her and the answer came back, "Do not forsake your husband and your children." This gave her the strength to carry on. After the war, they bought a small home and started a business. Her husband died but not before he found the church meeting house. He was the first Branch President in Naha, Okinawa. He had suggested a location but Hinckley told him that would not work. They walked around town and Hinckley suggested this area but it turned out to be the burial of a Nahan king. Hinckley said to try and get it. They did get it and then the husband died leaving the Toma alone. Their business partner pulled out. She worked from 5 am to 11 pm. Some nights she would come home and say lets just sing hymns tonight. The children knew that they were not getting food those nights. Somehow they survived. Her boys went to BYU Hawaii and then to BYU Provo and did very well and bought Toma a home and everything worked out. Toma's motto was: "Morning will come. Morning will come."

For me this was very tear jerking because how often do we feel that we are at the end of our strings, but if we can say to ourselves "Morning will come. Morning will come" we can get through it and things will work out in the end. Almost never on our time table but the Lord knows best and he will not forsake the faithful.

Thoughts in the Temple

While I was in the Temple today I kept thinking about how in ancient times the oldest son usually if not all the sons were required to learn a sacred language and memorize major portions of scripture. I realized that I too can help my family to gain in the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by following a similar pattern. As a family we could set goals each year to read certain books and memorize scriptures or quotes, and so forth. I thought it would be fun to tie that in to family vacations as a prerequisite or something. It is just a thought and I will think about it to see if I could come up with a good plan.

Feed my sheep

The other day I told Alexa (who was at the table eating) that I loved her so much and then she said, "then feed me." This hit me hard because the Savior said similar things to Peter:

John 21:14-17
14 This is now the ^athird time that Jesus ^bshewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

15 ¶ So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, ^aFeed my sheep.

17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, ^aFeed my ^bsheep.

The Lord's sheep need us to feed them because they can't feed themselves the Gospel. Some are like my daughter who could eat by herself but asked me to help her if I loved her, and we must help those that need extra help to feast upon the words of Christ and to come unto Him. We have the power of God on our side if we will but go forward.

Mary Did you Know (just audio)

Lacie went Home Teaching with me

I never posted this, but back on 11/26/06 Lacie went with me Home Teaching becasue my companion was not able to go with me. We taught the lesson that Alexa's picture was in. Lacie loved it, she said it is like goin on a Daddy-daughter date on Sunday. We had fun together.

From 2006-11-26

My First Christmas
In Heaven

I see the countless Christmas trees
around the world below with tiny light,
like Heavens, reflecting on the snow.
The sight is so spectacular, please
wipe away the tear, For I am spending
Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs that
people hold so dear. But the sounds of
music can't compare with the Christmas
Choir up here. I have no words to tell you,
the joy the voices bring, For it is beyond
description, to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me,
I see the pain inside your heart.
But I am not so far away,
We really aren't apart.
So be happy for me, dear ones,
You know I hold you dear,
And be glad I'm spending Christmas
with Jesus Christ this year.

I sent you each a special gift, from
my heavenly home above. I sent you
each a memory of my undying love.
After all, love is a gift more precious
than pure gold. It was always most
important in the stories Jesus told.
Please love and keep each other, as
my Father said to do. For I can't count
the blessings or love he has for each
of you.

So have a Merry Christmas
and wipe away that tear, Remember I
am spending Christmas with Jesus
Christ this year.

** This poem was written by a 13 year old Ben
to his mother before he died of a brain tumor.
He died in 1997, and that year his spent his
first Christmas with Jesus.

http://pws.gamewood.net/~byoung/holidays/christmas/heaven.htm

What should our focus be?

Today I met with an individual that we may hire as a company to do some training for us, and found out that he has served as a Mission President, taught at BYU, and is now a Stake President in BYU Idaho area. This interview made me think about several things. I realized that our focus should not be on obtaining a calling or anything of a short term nature but that our focus should be to become sanctified by Him who is mighty to save. Our focus must be on developing ourselves to be worthy to return to Him someday. If we will put our priorities straight, then along the way the Lord can use us as he sees fit.

Monument symbolizing faith, and courage

When we first walked into Temple Square we saw this statue. It really hit me hard because I had never seen it before with snow covering the wagon. It brought their struggles and faith to a new level. To realize that they traveled by handcart with snow covering their wagons it was amazing. It was snowing while we were walking in and it was cold and our girls were complaining and they were bundled up very good. I have such reverence for their sacrifice and pray that I too can sacrifice in a manner that can leave a legacy for my children and their children and so forth.

Salt Lake Temple lights

We wanted to go out to the Christmas lights at Temple Square and this is one of our only chances to go since we are leaving on Friday to go to Arizona for Christmas. We had a blast and as you can see they are absolutely beautiful.

This one makes a very nice background for your desktop on your computer.















This one makes a very nice background for your desktop on your computer.



Kiera could not resist making a snow angel, because earlier as you can see in the next picture I make one in shorts at our house. And yes, this is Kiera on the side of the road just outside of Temple Square acting like a little girl. I could not take a picture of Lacie because our camera was out of batteries but she had also made about three snow angels as well. Lacie was so funny the entire night she was throwing snow balls at us, it was so cute.

White early Chistmas

Nothing like waking up on Christmas to about 9 inches of snow. We wrote Santa and asked him to come early and bring the big things because we would not have room for everything when we came back from Arizona.





Lacie and Alexa got Playdough and craft tables. They played with them all day today.



Ashlyn got a rocking horse and at first was a little scared of it, but now she loves it. It is broken so we will have to have Santa bring us a new one that is not broken.



I got a set of golf clubs from the family (Santa allowed them to set it out with his gift), and I got an indoor putting machine that will eject the ball back if I make it in.



Kiera got black Airwalks, she has been wanting those for a few years now. I need to get a picture of her with them.

Inspiration given to Kiera regarding my Excel Class

I was taking 4 classes this semester: Spanish 102, Healthful Living, Public Speaking, and Excel. Excel was an open entry which means that I have until the last day of class to turn in all the work.
Well, about a week ago we noticed that I had been auto-withdrawn from Excel. I was in the middle of turning in all my finals at that time and was too swamped to think about it and so I had just accepted that I would have to just re-take it next semester. Well, Kiera was feeling just sick about it and so yesterday she called me at work at asked me to call real quick and leave a message with my teacher (she gave me her number) since she would most likely take a while to respond back. I am glad that she had me call right then because she answered. I explained how we noticed that I was auto-dropped from the class and that I would like to have a chance to still get a grade sine the deadline is not till tomorrow. She looked into it and found out that my end date was 11/10 and that the system had given me an extra month to complete it. I told her that I had seen emails that said that my end date was the 15th. Anyway she checked with another group (involved in grading) and said that if I could submit everything by 2:00 pm today that she would accept it. I told her that that was impossible since I was at work until 6:00 pm. She said that they were all going on vacation at 2:00 pm and that was the latest they would accept it. I told her that I could not do and then called Kiera to tell her the bad news. Kiera and I talked and I decided to just try. i left work, called my teacher, and raced home. I had not even opened my book yet. Once I got home around 10:30 am I opened my book and went to town. I was racing the clock. I am good with Excel and so I was not that worried until I found out that I had to use all their concepts data and spreadsheets. With the Lords help I was able to get everything turned in by about 1:45 pm and then she told me that there was a final as well. The final was a three hour final and luckily I was able to finish it in about 14 minutes. I called my teacher to report that I had finished the entire class at 1:59 pm. I could not believe it, I had finished an entire semester in 3 and half hours. To make things better I got a 96% in the class as well.

I am so glad to be married to such a spiritually powerful women. She is so in tune with the Spirit it is amazing. I am also so thankful to Heavenly Father for helping me to focus for those 3 1/2 hrs which is a feet in and of its self, but also to help me to finish on time. It is impossible to overlook His hand and I am indebted to Him for he blesses my life every single day. (He also helped me get a B in Spanish).

Opening Christmas Dresses

So great shall be his anguish

Mosiah 3:7
7 And lo, he shall ^asuffer ^btemptations, and pain of body, ^chunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can ^dsuffer, except it be unto death; for behold, ^eblood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his ^fanguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

I think that it is very interesting, how it says "so great shall be his ^fanguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people." It is more graphic than just saying he suffered for our sins. I can actually feel and sence his anguish for my wickedness and my abominations.

Ashlyn wants her food

We were feeding her in her high chair and left for one second and came back and she had got out. She up on the table helping herself to Daddy's food. She is so funny.

My Persuasive Speech for Public Speaking

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3807913880026014428

My Outline- http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dfxzqmc4_43pdk76h

Hear His voice and know Him

My NT: Hear His voice and know Him

St John 10:2-5, 14-15
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the ^asheep.

3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his ^avoice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and ^bleadeth them out.

4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they ^aknow his ^bvoice.

5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of ^astrangers.

14 I am the good ^ashepherd, and ^bknow my ^csheep, and am known of mine.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so ^aknow I the Father: and I lay down my ^blife for the sheep.

I was pondering these scriptures and was given insight into the meaning of hearing and His voice and knowing His voice. This is revelation, and that is how we hear Him and know His voice. We must draw closer to the Lord and become more sensitive to the Spirit.

Lacie is growing up on me

Lacie did her own hair for me, Kiera told her that I love straight hair. She is getting so grown up on me.

From 2006-11-26

Flavor of what Judment day will be like

This morning I received a call to meet with the Stake President after church at 4:20 pm. It is hard to explain how I felt and some of the feeling that were going through my mind all day today. I did not feel worthy to meet with the Stake President and it cut me to the core, I felt as if to flee from this interview simply because of how I felt. I know that the way I felt was ridiculous and incorrect for the Lord will qualify whom ever he calls but still I went through this. I felt that I had a glimpse of what the unprepared would feel as they are preparing to interview or to stand before God and their Christ. It is not a feeling that I would recommend, and it came as a call to be better and draw closer to my Savior. I am committing today to make greater efforts to prepare myself and to bring others to prepare themselves as well.

The interview went good, but it was with the second counselor, the President and first counselor got called away on an emergency. It was an interview to get to know me better and I was not very sociable. I tend to have a hard time being sociable and know that I need to work on it especially after today.

This morning before church I felt impressed to give the Stake President my talk on Journey Toward Righteousness. So I told him about my feelings and gave this talk to the second counselor and he said that he would like to read it but that he will give it to the Stake President first and then ask to read it. I was glad that I did this, because back in Arizona when we attended Power Ranch ward I felt to send a copy to my Stake President and did not and always felt bad about it. So now I have acted and it feels great.

Idea for Home Teaching

Kiera and I were talking about Home Teaching and how it is hard to check up on your families because if you ask, "Is there anything we can do for you?" They will usually say no or we are doing great. As I was thinking about it I had a great thought and that was why not say, "We would like to at least do one thing for you this month, what can we do." I think that would provide a different response. Kiera suggested saying, "We would like to help your family in some way this month, how can we help. So I will be testing this out to see what kind of a response I get and then report back.

My Crazy A-Pashy

Ashlyn is getting so big. She is doing all kinds of funny things as seen below.

Here she is trying to feed her baby a bottle, I do not know how she figured this out because she has never taken a bottle before.


She is trying desperately to put this dress up shoe on.


And here she is just flat out cute.


Now she got tied of feeding her baby so she decide to try it herself.

The Lord answered my prayer

The Lord is truly involved in our lives. I find it amazing that even the simple prayers are answered as if they were very important. Today, we were all in the car and we stopped before getting out of the apartment parking lot to find Ashlyn's pacifier. It was no where to be found so we turned back to go up and get it. Well I could not find it anywhere, so I said a prayer. I searched the family room and nothing, but then I had a thought to check the toy box that was in the family room. Sure enough there stood a pacifier. It was not one that she liked that much, but it could do. I felt impressed to just look a little harder in the toy box and sure enough he favorite one was right there. I was overwhelmed with the love that my Father in Heaven has for me and my family.

Santa comes to Orem Mall

Kiera took the girls to see Santa (I was not there) with her friend and her two kids, Eden and Judd. Ashlyn was not very happy as you can see.

Faith Anne Coats was born yesterday

My dad called me just now to enform me that they were in Salt Lake and that they (him and Mom) were on their way to visit Grandma Young on their way to visit Kim's new baby. She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz.