This week we celebrated two of our favorite grandchildren’s birthdays. Scott, who turned twenty, is studying Organ Performance at UTSA and living at home. He also loves drum line. We appreciate his great musical abilities. I am sure Grandpa Tom relates to them especially. Eden, our oldest granddaughter turned eighteen. She is an amazing girl who faces her challenges head on and with much effort accomplishes the goals she has set. She is on the honor role at Lone Peak High School, on their swim team and is completing three internships. We feel such love for these two.
Last weekend our friend David was ordained an Elder after the Sunday morning session of Stake Conference. We spent an evening with him Thursday discussing the Come Follow Me lesson and then talking about some of the basic blessings that can be given through the Melchizedek Priesthood. He shared his testimony today about how the teachings of the Church had helped him change a difficult relationship at work into a friendship, as he practiced listening and putting his own ego in second place after the Savior’s teachings.
Today I (Tom) was assigned to teach the lesson in the priesthood meeting, and asked him prior to the start if he would be willing to consecrate a small vial of olive oil that I needed and had prepared, which he did with a bit of coaching. It has been a great testimony to see him grow from the first weekend we were here and attended his baptism.
The subject assigned was the talk by Elder Rasband from October about holding up the light of the Savior and sustaining leaders and each other as the Savior sustains us. “I am the light that you shall hold up: that which ye have seen me do”. Then we went to what we were taught in the leadership session of conference a week ago, based on this commentary by Elder McConkie: “Ministering is not a program. It is a skill.” We read through the story of the Savior and the two men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24), and we noted the ways that he had ministered to them.
I told my story from 45 years ago when we had a sudden death of a child in our ward. I felt so helpless because I didn’t know what to do to comfort or help the grieving family - and so I did nothing. By contrast, when Pres. Soulier died suddenly on a Saturday morning 2 months ago, I knew that we needed to go visit Sr. Soulier the next afternoon. I still didn’t know what to say or do, but I knew that we needed to be with her, and so we went. As it turned out, we were ministered to by those present, especially Elder and Sr McConkie. The Savior’s love was felt and shared and the Spirit brought consolation and peace to all.
This afternoon we went with Pres. and Sr. Catogni to visit a member who is having medical problems, including an infection and a lot of pain. A blessing was given and a tangible problem was assessed which could not be fixed except at the hospital, so back he went.
We were also able, thanks to Zoom, to hear the farewell talks given in the Big Fork, Montana, Ward by Pres. and Sr. Schow and their youngest son who are preparing to arrive as the mission leaders here in 3 weeks. Their remarks were inspiring and showed us that the Lord has called another servant couple to lead the mission.
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