On Sunday 17 May Eileen enjoyed "Music & the Spoken Word" and the Book of Mormon discussion on Mormon 1-6 on BYU-TV and we enjoyed attending our Ellijay Branch.

Opening hymn was #30 "Come, Come, Ye Saints" text by William Clayton (1814-1879) and music from an English folk song.

Sacrament hymn was #171 "With Humble Heart" text by Zara Sabin (1892-1980) and music by Thomas L. Durham (b. 1950).

The first speaker was Elder Cleverly.  He spoke on praying with real intent. He told of the Prophet Joseph Smith's desire to know of the true church.  "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" in Ephesians.  James 1:5.  JS-H 1:17. He had a sincere and righteous question. He received his answer as the Lord knew he would act on that answer.  Gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon.  Elder Cleverly read it every day on his mission and gained a testimony while in the temple. 3 Nephi 18:20. We must desire to know the answer to our question. Search the scriptures and seek for the answer.  "Seek and ye shall findeth" in Matthew. Joseph acted upon his answer and shared it with others. Worked at Grand Canyon though no church nearby. Could save for his mission. Sought the Lord's answer if he should work there again or put in his papers for a mission.  His answer led him to know that he should go on a mission. Bore his testimony.

Elders Cleverly and Ross

The next speaker was Brother Charles Bowen who is away a lot at Southern Virginia University.  They were just in Amherst, Massachusetts, for 10 days. Son graduated from college and also saw grandson. He spoke about family.  So many talks about family in general conference.  Families need to be strengthened. Reviewed talks in the Ensign about family. President Packer and the plan of happiness. Elder Perry about why marriage and family matter.  Elder D. Todd Christofferson. Elder Brent H. Nielson of the Seventy. One of the Bowen's sons is struggling though an RM.  Quoted from 2 Nephi 32:9, one of my favorite scriptures, and 2 Nephi 31:17-20. Enduring to the end. What should we share with others about the Church? D&C 84:85, 88. Bore his testimony.

Intermediate hymn was #123 "Oh, May My Soul Commune with Thee" text and music by Lorin F. Wheelwright (1909-1987).

The concluding speaker was Brother Tony Stanley as Rey Hawkins could not make it. Having peace, comfort, and faith in Heavenly Father.  On the road in Michigan. Had a lot of time. Encountered guys with horrible language. Thought of Elder Nelson's talk about disagreeing without being disagreeable. Told them of his experience years earlier working on a mobile home. The guys were focused on what he was saying. Warned by the Spirit about their precarious position under the mobile home. Helped the guys know that there are things beyond our control.  Their language in days ahead was toned down. Kidding about avoiding Brother Stanley who may ask you to speak. Intent as branch presidency to improve the sacrament meetings. Life is supposed to have difficulties and struggles.  Seek the Spirit to help. Learn to be like the Savior.  Grandson preparing for a mission.  Decisions made 25 years ago have brought their family to where they are now. He prayed with real intent and the Lord answered his prayers about the gospel, the Book of Mormon, and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Closed with his testimony and fond remembrance of Brother Godwin.

Tony and Dorrie Stanley

Closing hymn was #131 "More Holiness Give Me" text and music by Philip Paul Bliss (1838-1876).

Gospel Doctrine with Harry Spooner was lesson #18, “He Was Lost, and Is Found" using Luke 15; 17. 

The purpose of the lesson is to help class members understand the joy that comes when we repent and when we help others repent.

Brother Spooner made reference to Jeremiah 20:9.

1. The Savior teaches the worth of souls.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said: 

“Some of our own … cry out in pain and suffering and loneliness and fear. Ours is a great and solemn duty to reach out and help them, to lift them, to feed them if they are hungry, to nurture their spirits if they thirst for truth and righteousness. … 

“… There are those who were once warm in the faith, but whose faith has grown cold. Many of them wish to come back but do not know quite how to do it. They need friendly hands reaching out to them. With a little effort, many of them can be brought back to feast again at the table of the Lord. 

“My brethren and sisters, I would hope, I would pray that each of us … would resolve to seek those who need help, who are in desperate and difficult circumstances, and lift them in the spirit of love into the embrace of the Church, where strong hands and loving hearts will warm them, comfort them, sustain them, and put them on the way of happy and productive lives” (in General Conference, Oct. 1996).

President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008)

2. Jesus teaches that Heavenly Father rejoices in forgiving the repentant.

Referring to the parable of the prodigal son, President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “I ask you to read that story. Every parent ought to read it again and again. It is large enough to encompass every household, and enough larger than that to encompass all mankind, for are we not all prodigal sons and daughters who need to repent and partake of the forgiving mercy of our Heavenly Father and then follow His example?” (“Of You It Is Required to Forgive,” Ensign, June 1991).

Luke 15:31 "And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."  Compare with D&C 84:38 "And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him."

3. A man whom Jesus has healed of leprosy returns to thank him.

Bishop Merrill J. Bateman taught: “In becoming a whole person, the grateful leper was healed inside as well as on the outside. That day nine lepers were healed skin deep, but only one had the faith to be made whole” (in General Conference, Apr. 1995).

Bishop Merrill J. Bateman

We feel great joy when we repent and return to the Lord and when we help others return. We appreciate Jesus’ parables and other teachings that show God’s love for his children and his desire that we love one another.

Additional Teaching Ideas 

1. The parable of the unprofitable servant.

2. The parable of the laborers in the vineyard.

The hymn in priesthood was #14 "Sweet Is the Peace the Gospel Brings" text by Mary Ann Morton (1826-1897) and music by Alfred M. Durham (1872-1957).

The priesthood lesson was #9 from "Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson" entitled "The Book of Mormon--Keystone of Our Religion."  See last Sunday's notes.

I was to read the following to conclude the lesson but we ran out of  time:

"The Doctrine and Covenants is a glorious book of scripture given directly to our generation. It contains the will of the Lord for us in these last days that precede the second coming of Christ. It contains many truths and doctrines not fully revealed in other scripture. Like the Book of Mormon, it will strengthen those who carefully and prayerfully study from its pages.

"Do we, as Saints of the Most High God, treasure the word He has preserved for us at so great a cost? Are we using these books of latter-day revelation to bless our lives and resist the powers of the evil one? This is the purpose for which they were given. How can we not stand condemned before the Lord if we treat them lightly by letting them do no more than gather dust on our shelves?

"My beloved brothers and sisters, I bear my solemn witness that these books contain the mind and the will of the Lord for us in these days of trial and tribulation. They stand with the Bible to give witness of the Lord and His work. These books contain the voice of the Lord to us in these latter days. May we turn to them with full purpose of heart and use them in the way the Lord wishes them to be used."

Eileen said Deb Fisher's class in Relief Society on the same chapter went well.

We both napped at home and after a yummy supper Eileen worked on handouts for the sisters whom we home/visit teach and I worked on e-mails about cleaning the church building on 28 May.  I called the Ray's first to check on their availability and he is off that day.  Later Phil Messina called and said that they wouldn't be able to do it anymore due to health challenges.  I replied to several people's e-mails and e-mailed Jane Colmenares in hopes we'll be able to get another project to work on in the Wiki.  She's been busy with everything up in Nashville associated with her dad's passing away.  I sent two articles from the New York Times columnist Paul Krugman to Colleen.

I tried to subscribe again to the Church News as I am down to three back issues from December to read.  However the Deseret News website where one would do that is retarded.  It wants the expiration date of your credit card which is fine, but it gives no example of how to format it.  It doesn't like the way it is on the credit card or several other ways that I tried it, so I'll have to call them tomorrow.

I finished reading "King Lear" by William Shakespeare which I began on 21 February.

Eileen's laptop has not allowed her to watch the Live TV on BYU-TV.  I played with the settings in Safari>Preferences>Security for Allow Plug-ins and website settings, changing Ask for BYU-TV to Allow Always.  Then I registered Eileen with Adobe and downloaded the latest latest Flash plug-in. Voilà!  It worked!

In my reading to Eileen tonight I read Elder Brent H. Nielson's talk, "Waiting for the Prodigal," from the Sunday morning session of general conference.  It will be the lesson next Sunday in priesthood and Relief Society.

Elder Brent H. Nielson of the Seventy

I began and finished reading "Tape-Measure Murder A Miss Marple Short Story" by Agatha Christie.

Agatha Christie (1890-1976)

On Monday 18 May we slept a little later than usual. Actually Eileen did so as I read the New York Times and the Deseret News e-mails.  I finished reading "The Innocents Abroad" by Mark Twain which I began on 2 March 2014.

Mark Twain (1835-1910) 

We went to Bryant Physical Therapy for our workout. The receptionist said "yes" to my two Book of Mormon questions!  We then headed to Blue Ridge to shop at Ingles and get gas for $2.229 with their 10-cent discount.  We home/visit taught Darlene Burgess and dropped off the check from CareFirst to Mountain Periodontics which should have been made out to me, so it will be a credit to our account with them.

We stopped at R&A Orchards for some more strawberries and Eileen took some pictures of the apples coming along in the orchard.

I called the two new sisters on our home teaching route.  One phone number has been disconnected and one was a wrong number!

I called Capital Resorts to look into arranging a place to stay near Salt Lake City.

We went to Zaxby's for supper and the fundraiser for Kids Ferst.  We also got a gift card for the elders who are in Jasper as they are too far away to come to our home for dinner.

Eileen in front of Zaxby's

Rena Ashworth, Judy Harvey, Eileen, Eileen Below, Jacqueline Poole, and Sue Marler 

Back at home I worked for a while in the office and on my laptop.  I scanned documents into my office desktop and e-mailed them to Marcy Kelly in Glen Burnie.  I downloaded pictures of Weston and Liam as well as ones of Eileen and myself at our presentation last Thursday and at Zaxby's tonight.

I finished reading President Henry B. Eyring's talk, "Priesthood and Personal Prayer," to Eileen from the priesthood session of general conference.

President Henry B. Eyring

I began and finished reading "Sanctuary A Miss Marple Short Story" by Agatha Christie.

On Tuesday 19 May at about 4:42 am the power went off and the generator kicked in.  It ran for a couple of hours, I believe, before power was restored. Then at 8 am the power went off again and the generator was running when we left home at 8:40.

We went to Dr. Raisig's for our bloodwork.  Then to the post office and bank, and on to Walmart.  We bought a set of two splatter shields as we cannot find the one we have had for years!

We then waited in the parking lot for Ralph and Holly to go to lunch with them. We rode with them to Pappasito's Cantina in Marietta and enjoyed lunch with them.

As we afterwards approached Ellijay we were caught in a cloudburst (though the Weather App on my iPhone had shown no rain until next Tuesday).  By the time we reached the Walmart parking lot the rain had stopped so we could return to our car.  As we began to drive through Ellijay it poured again until we got out of town.

At home I e-mailed the handout with all 34 screenshots from my Wiki presentation to Holly as she had asked for them when we told her and Ralph about my presentation.  Perhaps this is an answer to our prayers. 

I replied to Isabel (Isy) Allen whom I have met online via Judy Lawrie.  She is related to me through the Durham line.

I e-mailed the Zaxby photo that Judy Harvey took of Eileen and myself with the Times-Courier to the newspaper.

Eileen and Ben with the Times-Courier

I was able to renew the Church News as the website accepted the expiration date of my credit card today.  The part of the Deseret News website having to do with subscriptions leaves a lot to be desired.

I paid the transfer fees to the timeshare trade-in company in the process of divesting ourselves of the two Oak Plantation properties.

I checked out the time on the generator that it is supposed to run its self-check.  It is set for 12:10 on Friday, though it's been running at 00:10 Saturday morning. So we'll see if my resetting it fixes the problem.

I prepared the 24 family file cards, 12 male and 12 female, to send to Bud and Jan Farr in Mesa, Arizona. Then I prepared the Book of Mormon for the Bryant Physical Therapy receptionist.

On Wednesday 20 May we were up early and volunteered at the food pantry.  We helped nearly 100 families. 

Then on to Ingles and we visited Bill Kazy and his family.  His son was there from Tennessee. We then went to Walmart and the post office.  We got the Times-Courier at R&A Orchards. Our odometer reached 102700.

We watched "Say Yes to the Dress" as we ate our salad and leftovers from Pappasito's.  Yummy again!

Our generator has been running at 12:10 am Saturday morning.  I had checked the setting and it was correct.  Then it occurred to me that the current time might be wrong. I checked it and it was 12 hours early!  So I changed it from 5:18 am to 17:18 pm.

After supper we covered the Family History Center at church from 6-8:40 helping Debby and Chuck Young.  Elder and Sister Rumsey came by and I gave them the Zaxby gift card for Elders Ross and Cleverly.

I finished reading President Thomas S. Monson's talk, "The Priesthood - A Sacred Gift," to Eileen from the priesthood session of general conference.

President Thomas S. Monson

I finished reading "Cat Among the Pigeons" by Agatha Christie which I began on 10 May.

I began and finished reading "The Case of the Caretaker A Miss Marple Short Story" by Agatha Christie.

On Thursday 21 May we were up early and I finished reading the 7 December issue of the Church News. I enjoyed the First Presidency Christmas message (here is the link for the message: https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/2014-christmas-message-from-the-first-presidency?lang=eng)

'He is the Gift,'

"Temple Square Christmas lights,"

"Feast of sight and sound,"

Mesa Temple Christmas Lights

"Christmas in Nauvoo,"

On December 1, students and community members gathered in the Education in Zion gallery
in the Joseph F. Smith Building on the BYU campus to hear about Christmas in Nauvoo
from actors portraying Eliza R. Snow and President Wilford Woodruff.

and "Families are forever - beginning today."

The Meneses family on Temple Square during the morning session of the
183rd Semiannual General Conference of the Church on October 6, 2013. 

We went to North Georgia Eye Clinic for my eye appointment. All was fine with my eyes.  No problems with cataracts yet or diabetes and my prescription doesn't need to change.

We met with Dr. Raisig for our lab results and he was, as we had hoped, very impressed!  Eileen did very well in regards to her triglycerides, cholesterol, and A1C (7.5 to 6.6).  I did phenomenally!  My A1C dropped from 7.3 to 5.9 and my triglycerides from 240 to 102!

We stopped at North Georgia Diamond as Eileen wanted some silver cleaner for her jewelry.  She has jewelry cleaner but it is only for gold.  They didn't have any for sale so Bill Craig gave her some that they themselves use.

Eileen enjoyed working on her next painting on her new table easel and I took a nap.

We tried to confirm our stay in Park City, Utah, for 4-10 July and were told it was no longer available.  We were furious with Capital Resorts! They seemed incompetent.  However one of the gals tried really hard to take care of us.  She found a resort in Snowbird closer to Salt Lake City than Park City by contacting Interval International.  The time frame is much better, 10-17 July, which will give us more time with the White's in California.  Eileen called Lynda White and filled her in.

We went to our appointment with Peggy Espersen at 5 pm and she wasn't there.  We called her and her grandson answered as she had left her phone there! So we returned home and enjoyed supper.

I finished reading the April issue of the Ensign to Eileen.  We enjoyed especially "Four Tools That Bring Promised Blessings" which I had referenced in my talk the end of March.  They are prayer, scripture study, family home evening, and temple worship. 

Promised blessings of prayer

Promised blessings of scripture study

Promised blessings of family home evening

Promised blessings of temple worship

We also enjoyed "It Isn't A Sin To Be Weak,"

The Promise of the Atonement

“Restoring what you cannot restore, healing the wound you cannot heal, fixing that which you broke and cannot fix is the very purpose of the atonement of Christ. …

“I repeat, save for the exception of the very few who defect to perdition, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ.”

President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 19–20.

"The Savior's Selfless and Sacred Sacrifice" by President Boyd K. Packer,

“The Lord has suffered and paid the penalty if we are willing to accept Him as our Redeemer.”  Pres. Packer

"Pure Religion" by Elder W. Christopher Waddell of the Seventy,

"Selfless service—forgetting ourselves, responding to the needs of others, and laying down our lives in their service—has always been a characteristic of disciples of Jesus Christ." Elder Waddell

"The Spiritual Influence of Women," "Faith & Works in a Secular Society" by Bishop Keith B. McMullin, formerly of the Presiding Bishopric from 1995 to 2012,

"It is our singular privilege to be true to the faith and to press forward in good works." Bishop McMullin

"I Need Thee Every Hour," "I Am Not A Son,"

Decide to Take a Step

“[Family history] does not require a large block of time. Just a little time on a consistent basis will yield the joy of the work. Make the decision to take a step.”

Elder Allan F. Packer of the Seventy, “The Book,” Ensign, Nov. 2014, 101.

"He is Risen" by President David O. McKay, Ninth President of the Church,

David O. McKay was born on September 8, 1873. He was ordained an Apostle on April 9, 1906, at age 32, and on April 9, 1951, he was sustained as the ninth President of the Church. The article is excerpted from an address he gave at the April 1966 general conference. 

President David O. McKay (1873-1970)

and nearly all the other articles in the issue!

On Friday 22 May we slept late which was very nice.  As Eileen slept I finished reading "Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories" by Agatha Christie. Only two of the "other stories" had I not read before, "Next to a Dog" and "Magnolia Blossom."

When we got up we mailed the check to the NFCU for our long-term care insurance payment.  We went to Bryant Physical Therapy for our hour workout.  We then stopped at Rite-aid for a prescription which was not quite right so we need to call Dr. Raisig's office on Tuesday.  We went by R&A Orchards for strawberries and peaches.

Back home I began and finished reading "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" by Agatha Christie.  In this case I had not read but one of the stories and that was a Miss Marple short story entitled "Greenshaw's Folly."

I spent time on the phone with North Georgia Eye Clinic and CareFirst about vision claims for Eileen.  Since CareFirst only covers routine eye exams, we need to be sure that when Eileen just goes in for an update to her prescription and new glasses that her eyes are NOT checked for diabetes, otherwise the visit will be considered medical and CareFirst will not cover it. 

I also looked into how to submit claims to TRICARE and registered both of us on the TRICARE4U website.  I need to send TRICARE the CareFirst information that they only cover vision and dental, not medical.

And I need to contact North Georgia Eye Clinic in Gainesville about EOBs from CareFirst to be sent to TRICARE.

We drove to the Ogles' home and I met Glen Ogles, having a long chat with him. Barbara was at work.  We left the Visiting Teacher (VT) message with him. Then we drove to Melanie Pardue who wasn't home.  We left the VT message and note. Finally we visited Peggy Espersen who is going in for knee replacement surgery on Tuesday.  She is in a really bad situation due to her grandson living with her, sponging off of her and she can't get rid of him.  He was already kicked out of his parents' home.

I did research on Harold Sorensen, nephew of Eileen's grandmother Nora Sorensen Pucker, and his wife Mary Andreoni and her family.

I finished reading President Thomas S. Monson's talk, "Blessings of the Temple," to Eileen from the Sunday morning session of general conference.

President Thomas S. Monson

I began and finished "The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael A Short Story" by Agatha Christie.

On Saturday 23 May we slept late and I enjoyed reading while Eileen slept.  After reading the Deseret News and New York Times e-mails, I read a chapter each of "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" by Henry Fielding, "The History of Pendennis" by William Makepeace Thackeray, Act I of "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare, "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell, "The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte Vol. 2" by William Milligan Sloane, "The Prince and the Pauper" by Mark Twain, and "Ride Proud, Rebel!" by Andre Norton.  Later I finished my 15 March blog entry and published it.

We went into town, dropping off our trash and recyclables at the dump, and shopping at Walmart, Ingles, and Food Lion.  We filled up at Walmart for $2.399.  I chastised a young blonde covered with tattoos for smoking while she was pumping gas.  Maybe she'll not do it next time!

I sure enjoyed grilling a steak for the next couple of suppers.  Eileen enjoyed Margaritaville Jammin' Jerk Shrimp and a salad (which is always my job to make).

Eileen enjoyed an episode of "This Old House" that she had recorded and "America's Test Kitchen" and "Cook's Country" that I had recorded today.

Bridget Lancaster and Christopher Kimball

I began and finished "The Unbreakable Alibi A Tommy & Tuppence Short Story" and "The Bird with the Broken Wing A Harley Quin Short Story" both by Agatha Christie.