28 Jul 2024, Sunday

 28 Jul 2024, Sunday

Prioritized Daily Task 

8 am - set up chairs at Lehi 7th Ward Building

9 am - Sacrament meeting Lehi 7th Ward

10:15 am - Church at Abbington Memory Center

I did not set an alarm but woke at 7 am refreshed.  My internal clock wakes me when I have got 7 to 8 hours of sleep.  I had my personal prayer, made the bed, got dressed, and was at the church building before 8 am.  I started setting up chairs in the overflow.  The first to arrive was brother Gary Pyne.   He has been a counselor in the Elder's Quorum Presidency but was released to serve on the stake high council.  When his meeting with the stake presidency and high council was finished he came over to the Lehi 7th Ward and helped me.  Later other brothers and some wives arrived.  We finished setting up chairs for the overflow, the Priesthood, the primary room, and the Relief Society room.  We were finished by 8:50 am.  Our new stake president presided at our sacrament meeting today.                  *Note:  One of the songs we sang today was, "It Is Well with My Soul".  There is a story behind the sound that Lloyd Newell told during a Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square broadcast.  "Life can be so unpredictable—joys and sorrows, beautiful blessings and distressing difficulties can come unexpectedly. Our life’s dreams and plans can change in an instant. We all know this to be true. So how can we find peace amid such turbulence?

Horatio Spafford knew something about life’s unexpected challenges. He was a successful attorney and real estate investor who lost a fortune in the great Chicago fire of 1871. Around the same time, his beloved four-year-old son died of scarlet fever.

Thinking a vacation would do his family some good, he sent his wife and four daughters on a ship to England, planning to join them after he finished some pressing business at home. However, while crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship was involved in a terrible collision and sunk. More than 200 people lost their lives, including all four of Horatio Spafford’s precious daughters. His wife, Anna, survived the tragedy. Upon arriving in England, she sent a telegram to her husband that began: “Saved alone. What shall I do?”

Horatio immediately set sail for England. At one point during his voyage, the captain of the ship, aware of the tragedy that had struck the Spafford family, summoned Horatio to tell him that they were now passing over the spot where the shipwreck had occurred.1

As Horatio thought about his daughters, words of comfort and hope filled his heart and mind. He wrote them down, and they have since become a well-beloved hymn:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll—

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to know

It is well, it is well with my soul.2

Perhaps we cannot always say that everything is well in all aspects of our lives. There will always be storms to face, and sometimes there will be tragedies. But with faith in a loving God and with trust in His divine help, we can confidently say, “It is well, it is well with my soul.”

Brother Pyne took some time at the beginning of our Sacrament Meeting to handle some stake business and released David and Marsha Knutson from serving the residents in Abbington Memory Center and a new couple was sustained.  A young couple, Atunaisa and Kylee Rokobuludram, spoke in the Sacrament Meeting,  Atunaisa parents are from Fiji.  His grandmother, Selai Rokobuludram still lives there.  She taught in the church school before she retired.  Debbie texted me some pictures and told me that had just arrived in Fiji.  They are about 19 hours ahead of us.  Told her about the young couple and grandmother still in Fiji.  After our 7th Ward sacrament meeting.  I went to Abbington Memory Center.  They have two patients who passed away and several have moved.  After the meeting at Abbington Memory Center and the chairs, podium, P.A. system, etc. were stored, I drove back for Daniel Hammond's ordination to an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood by his father, Ron.  Dan's mother, Alisa, his younger brother Jacob, his wife, McKeny, and James their baby son.  Brother Gary Pyne was there representing the Stake President.  When I got home I fixed a late breakfast and lunch.  I watched some Come Follow Me on YouTube, part 3, Alma 39-42 with Jared Halverson.   I took some notes from the lesson today, Alma 42.  *Note:  This goes back to proving contraries or balancing; Sin, Punishment, Law, Obedience, Work, Justice, and SELF with Repentance, Atonement, Grace, Mercy, Faith, and JESUS.      A tightrope walker has to balance himself between the right and left sides or he will fall.  When you are on a bicycle you know you are balanced if you are moving forward.  Heavenly Father keeps a perfect balance between Justice and Mercy.  We need to keep a balance also.  If we are too zealous in doing what we think is God's will we can hurt or injure others.  On the other hand, if are too slack in keeping God's commandments saying He is all loving and merciful, He will not dam us for breaking a few small insignificant commandments, if we go too far on one side or the other we can fall.  We must keep a balance, moving forward, on the straight and narrow path, holding to the iron rod, feasting on the scriptures, to the Tree of Life, to the Love of God.                                                                         Jared came over this afternoon and brought Tate, Max, Porter, and Katie, Porter's girlfriend.  They dropped Jack off at a friend's house.  Porter got in the vibrating chair and Tate got on the vibrating platform downstairs.  Max played upstairs and Jared, Tate, Porter, Katie, and I played Uno game until they had to go and get Jack.  Michael called earlier and we had a good talk.  He helped me yesterday decide which electric accessories I wanted to keep and which ones I wanted to give to Deseret Industries.  I did some studying, and had prayer before going to bed at about 10:30 pm.