Family

Grandma & Grandpa Richens

At the Richens' Homestead

I have been thinking a lot about my family the past few days. The older I get the more important family becomes to me. I so enjoy getting on the internet and reading the blogs different family members have written. We may have miles between us but we are close in heart. I thank you for that!

Grandma & Grandpa Cope

I met a lady the other day that is married to my cousin. I have never met this cousin. His father sort of chose to stay away from his family. My cousin has now passed away. His wife and two of her sons came to meet Grandma Richens. I went up to meet them. As we visited we thought of how sad it was that all of these years have gone by and we have not even known each other. My Mom took them to see where Grandma and Grandpa Cope are buried in Roosevelt. Then she took them up Ioka Lane to point out places that they had lived when Grandpa Cope taught school. They also went down into Arcadia to see where the old Cope homestead had once stood. There is nothing left of the old homestead. Grandpa Cope sold it back to the Ute Tribe sometime after he left the Uintah Basin. I went to the old homestead years ago and the only thing left was a row of trees. That is even gone now after a fire along the Lake Fork River burnt everything down.

Grandma Cope on the Cope Homestead

I love to listen to Mom talk about the past. I know when she is gone I will think of a million things I wish I had asked her.

"The Cousins"

A Prayer Answered

I went to the temple with Mom yesterday. It was a great day. The sisters in our Relief Society get together once a month and go to the temple. I usually can not go because I am working. Well, I decided to go yesterday. I had talked to my sister-in-law, Barbara the day before about going and she wanted to go too. Mom and Barbara were each going to drive down to my house and meet me at 8:00AM. At about 8 I walked outside and there was Barbara but no Mom. I thought that was strange because Mom is always prompt. Barbara said she was surprised that Mom was not there. We decided to go look for her. When we got to the head of Mom's lane, there was her truck right in the middle of the road but no Mom. I looked up the lane and there was Mom just a hiking back to her house. (Right here you need to know that my Mom is 92 years young.) When we pulled up beside her she looked pretty upset. She says her truck had just stopped and would not start, she prayed that I would come. I told her it is a good thing that she is always prompt or I might not have come looking for her yet. Barbara said, " Yea, if you had been Ken we would have just left you." We were going to move her truck off the road. I got in and just tried to start it. The truck started right up. I moved it off the road. We got back in my car and headed for the temple.

Now I have some thoughts that keep going through my head.
1. Was there a reason Mom's truck stopped? Did the Lord not want her on the highway at that time? We will never know.
2. How much does the Lord love a little 92 year old farm woman in a little know place like Myton, Utah that he would answer her prayer that fast? That one I know. The Lord does hear and answer prayers! He know who my Mom is and he has time to answer her prayers. How lucky am I that he could use me to answer her prayers.
3. Often in the temple we hear prayers that our homes and our families will be blessed while we are in the temple. We were headed for the House of the Lord. He was ready to protect us before we ever left our homes He protected my Mother!

Isn't this just the most beautiful day ever?

Jesus Christ, The Son of God - Testimonies of Him - The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent

Jesus Christ, The Son of God - Testimonies of Him - The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent:

"Our first and foremost article of faith in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”2 We believe these three divine persons constituting a single Godhead are united in purpose, in manner, in testimony, in mission. We believe Them to be filled with the same godly sense of mercy and love, justice and grace, patience, forgiveness, and redemption. I think it is accurate to say we believe They are one in every significant and eternal aspect imaginable except believing Them to be three persons combined in one substance, a Trinitarian notion never set forth in the scriptures because it is not true."

Jesus Christ, The Son of God - Special Witnesses - Video - President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008)—Sacred Grove

Jesus Christ, The Son of God - Special Witnesses - Video - President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008)—Sacred Grove

Standing as the 15th in line from Joseph Smith and bearing the prophetic mantle which came upon him, I solemnly declare my testimony that the Prophet Joseph’s account of these events is true, that the Father here bore witness of the divinity of His Son, that the Son instructed the boy prophet, and that there followed a train of events which led to the organization of “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which,” He declared, “I, the Lord, am well pleased” (D&C 1:30).
Of the reality and personality of the living God and of His Son, our Redeemer, I stand as a solemn and reverent witness, speaking these words by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEsjYm6Av4w

Be Not Ashamed

While the Apostle Paul was in prison he wrote a letter to his good friend Timothy. He said:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

"Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord"

(2 Timothy 1:7-8)

Wow, those words tell me that I really need to get control of my fear of talking to others. I need to let others know how much I love my Savior. I know He lives and that He loves us and wants us to return to Him. He has made it possible to return to Him by restoring all the covenants and ordinances that the ancient apostles and prophets had. Those covenants and ordinances were restored to a young boy named Joseph Smith in the early 1800s. Joseph Smith became the first prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We still have a living prophet upon the earth who receives revelation from the Lord just as ancient prophets did. It gives me peace and comfort in this world of turmoil that the Lord is at the head of His church and is mindful of me.

Life passed away as it were a dream

I have always liked the scripture in Jacob 7:26 where Jacob is talking about growing old and he says "...that the time passed away with us and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream,..." I can relate to that statement. My life is passing as it were a dream. I am not sure that I will be able to accomplish everything that I would like to accomplish. So many things I would like to do and so little time to do them in. When you are little you think you have all the time in the world to do what you want to do. Now I see how time flies on wings of lighting.

One of the things I would like to do is help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have wanted to have a missionary experience, but I have such a hard time talking to people that I don't know. I have a fear of speaking to strangers. Then I learned that my next Relief Society lesson is called "Proclaim Glad Tidings to All the World." In other words missionary work. I was feeling so unqualified to even think about teaching this lesson.

Then a miracle happened. I was reading in Alma 17. The sons of Mosiah prepare themselves for going in their missions and they tell us how to prepare ourselves for missions too. Verse 2 says, "...for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently that they might know the word of God." The verse 3, "...they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore the had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation and when they taught they taught with power and authority of God."

So, there are three of the keys to being a great missionary.

1. Search the scriptures diligently

2. Pray often

3. Fast

Then the Lord gave them the spirit of prophecy and the spirit of revelation so they could teach with the power and authority of God.

That is not all. In verse 11 the Lord tells them to "be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls." Those words "good example" tells me a couple of things. First, you must be a good example during your afflictions and your sufferings. To be a good example when things are going great is easy. Being a good example during trials is something else. It means all trials. Even the trial of playing a ball game when a bad call is made. The Second thing I thought of is I am always worried about talking to strangers and trying to teach strangers about the gospel. Now, being a good example might influence a stranger but in order to teach someone they need to be your friend first. I remember getting into some pretty good gospel discussions with Pat Woodbury. But, she was my friend first. I could have never talked to her about my beliefs otherwise.

One last thought. Maybe I have been doing missionary work. Would teaching a primary class, a young woman class, a Sunday school class or a Relief Society lesson be doing missionary work? How about doing your home or visiting teaching? Would you be doing missionary work then? I think so. If you are teaching with the spirit and are trying to influence minds to gain or strengthen their testimony of Jesus Christ, then I believe you are doing missionary work. Yes, I still want to do more. But I will be patient as I learn more about the gospel. I will try to be a good example to students I teach and parents I come in contact with.

Perhaps I have pondered long enough for one night. Perhaps I should have named this blog ramblings.