Remembering Easter On A Conference Weekend ~

In celebration of Easter, I thought I would share a poem written by my dear granddaughter, Sariah. She is presently serving a mission for The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the California Sacramento Mission. 

His Hands

His hands healed, and they raised the dead

His are hands, that loved and comforted

These hands were clasped in prayer

These hands washed feet with care

Hands that taught and broke the bread

In Gethsemane, they wept, as He fervently plead

His loving hands were then tightly bound

Nailed to a cross, then raised above the ground

A testament of His willingness to obey

These powerful hands are now scarred

Our Creator's hands, still outstretched this day

The embrace is from no creature barred

His hands will wipe away your tears

His gentle fingers are steadfastly reaching out

His humble hands will calm your fears

His hands are strong and unfailing, without doubt

By Sariah Workman

Thoughts by Elder Jefferey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of 12 Apostles as found in a message given in April General Conference 2015 entitled: Where Justice, Love and Mercy Meet. 

"So today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known, every discouragement we have ever had, every fear we have ever faced - to say nothing of our resurrection from death and forgiveness for our sins. That victory is available to us because of events that transpired on the weekend precisely like this nearly two millennia ago in Jerusalem. Beginning in the spiritual anguish of the Garden of Gethsemane, moving to the Crucifixion on a cross at Calvary, and concluding on a beautiful Sunday morning inside a donated tomb, a sinless, pure, and holy man, the very Son of God Himself, did what no other deceased person had ever done nor ever could do. Under His own power, He rose from death, never to have His body separated from His spirit again. Of His own volition, He shed the burial linen with which He had been bound, carefully putting the burial napkin that had been placed over his face "in a place by itself," the scripture says. 

.....That first Easter sequence of Atonement and Resurrection constitutes the most consequential moment, the most generous gift, the most excruciating pain, and the most majestic manifestation of pure love ever to be demonstrated in the history of this world. Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, suffered, died, and rose from death in order that He could, like lightning in a summer storm, grasp us as we fall, hold us with His might, and through our obedience to His commandments, lift us to eternal life.

I do know our Savior, and Redeemer lives and loves us all and gave His life that we might live. And, as we obey His commandments, we can return to live with Him and our Heavenly Parents again.  

Sharing with you some links to our Semi-annual General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which will be held this Easter Weekend. On Saturday, as members of the church, we will sustain our new Prophet and First Presidency and will also learn of and sustain our two new Apostles. These men will replace two of our beloved Apostles that passed away this past year. This will make up the Quorum of 12 apostles.

We believe in present day Prophets and Apostles. Here is one of our Articles of Faith. 

6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth. 

Here is our Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson and the First Presidency, President Russell M. Nelson, !st Councilor, President Dallen H.Oaks, and 2nd Councilor, President Henry B. Eyring. 

Live viewing options

All sessions will be streamed live on the home page of LDS.org. Sessions are also available via the Church satellite system, Mormon Channel, radio, television, satellite, and other digital channels. 

Our Jordan River Temple Past and Present~

My dear eternal companion and I are so excited for the Jordan River Utah Temple rededication on May 20th, 2018 which will then open for temple work on May 22nd. We consider this temple to be our temple. We have a history of this temple that I want to share. 

Several years ago in 1979, my husband and I moved back to Utah from Paradise, California and settled in Midvale. It was a hard move. We had loved living in California, especially Paradise city. It will always be one of our favorite places to live. 
While living in Midvale, we sold our home in Paradise and were looking for a home to build or buy in the Salt Lake Area. 
My husband and I have always loved attending the temples in the areas we have lived. While in San Jose and Paradise California we traveled to the Oakland temple, so it was a long drive. We were thrilled to be back in Utah closer to a temple. We were only 20 minutes away from the Salt Lake Temple. 

The Salt Lake Temple~

Oakland California Temple~

On June 9th, 1979, there was a groundbreaking for the new Jordan River Utah Temple. Living in Midvale we would be closer than the Salt Lake Temple.

Orginal Jordan River Temple - Dedicated On November 16th, 1981 By President Marion J. Romeny 

Here are some photos of the open house in 1981

One day we drove out by the Jordan River Temple site and noticed a new development of homes just to the west. The street was named Y worry Lane. 

We found a piece of property and felt strongly that this was where we wanted to live. Through a miracle we were able to buy this property with the proceeds from the home we sold in Paradise. The house faced the South East corner of the new temple. 
For the next year, we visited the property frequently as we made plans to build a home. Through some unforeseen circumstances, we had to leave our dreams and move to Richmond, Utah. 
We were there for about 6 months when we found a home and decided that we should sell our property. We were devastated because we still had the dream of building a house near that temple. While in Richmond, we frequently attended the Logan Utah Temple. 

Logan Utah Temple~

Our lives led us to many additional adventures. We were in Richmond for 3 years and then relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada for 7 years and later on to Spokane, Washington for 15 years. Throughout those years we continued to enjoy opportunities to attend each of the temples that were near us. 
The first few years in Las Vegas, we had to travel to the St. George Utah Temple, which was a 2 1/2 hours away. Later on, we were able to be part of the open house and dedication of the Las Vegas Nevada Temple. We loved attending that beautiful temple and have lovely memories of some of those moments. 

St. George Utah Temple and Las Vegas Nevada Temple~

Our next move took us to Spokane, Washington. For the first several years we were in the Seattle Temple district. Once again we had about a 4-hour drive. It is a beautiful temple, and we have many fond memories of our attendance there. 
Another memorable moment was being part of the open house and then later serving as ordinance workers in the new Spokane Washington Temple. We were only about 10 minutes from this lovely temple. We worked there for about 7 years and had some unique assignments. 

Seattle Washington Temple and Spokane Washington Temple~

Returning to Utah in was hard because we had loved Spokane and had such memorable experiences with our teenage children and a variety of opportunities serving in the church. As we bid farewell to beautiful Spokane, our hearts were troubled to have to move once again. However, we were coming home in a way because most of our younger years were spent in the Salt Lake Valley. It was comforting to return, where we could once again be near to our families.
As we looked for a home, we concentrated our efforts in the South Jordan area. If that home had been for sale on Y Worry Lane, we would have bought it on the spot. We found a lovely home near the temple and soon after began working in the Jordan River Utah Temple where we served for 8 years before it was closed for renovation. We enjoyed many assignments and learned more than we ever imagined we might. 
It was while the temple was closed for renovation that we served our full-time mission for the Utah Salt Lake South Mission.  
The new Draper Utah Temple, dedicated in March of 2009  and the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple dedicated in August of 2009 were great additions to the area. We have 4 temples now in the Salt Lake Valley.

Jordan River Utah Temple - Draper Utah Temple and Oquirri Mountain Utah Temple~

One day we took a quick drive to the Oquirrah Mountain Temple, and we were precisely 2.6 miles from that temple. We then drove to ou Jordan River Temple and found that we were 2.4 miles from that temple. Our hearts are full of gratitude for being brought back to this area to fulfill a dream we had nearly 30 years ago. We have been very blessed. 
We are presently serving as ushers for the open house for the Jordan River Temple. It's a sweet experience. We had the opportunity to take a tour, just the two of us, and experienced such joy in walking through this newly renovated temple. We are excited to begin working there again when it re-opens. 

Photo of  us as we finished our tour ~

Entry area and various photos of decor~
Temple Chapel~

Bridal Room and Marriage and Sealing Room~

Instruction Rooms~

Baptistry ~
Celestial Room ~

To me, the temple is our Heavenly Father's University. Here we go to learn more about His Plan of Happiness. Here we make covenants with our Father in Heaven. The focus is on our Savior Jesus Christ and His infinite Atonement. We provide temple work for our ancestors. Temples are the most sacred places on our earth. If we come prepared, we can receive revelation and direction for our own lives. It is a place of peace, comfort, and beauty. I love the temples and the exquisite joy that I find within. 

If you are in the area come and take advantage of the open house. It is a spectacular temple.