Week 20

Querida Hermana Lutze,

Gracias por tus buenas noticias la semana pasada. Ojala todo anda bien esta semana tambien!

I'm so grateful that you've been blessed with incredible companions. Where is Hermana Santiesteban from? How long has she been out on the mission? I will pray that you get your package this week. Hopefully it still tastes good. There's one thing in it that is not edible. Were you able to fix your watch? Do you need to go buy a new one? 

Your time with Elder Oaks sounded wonderful! I'm so glad you received that opportunity. I know you will never forget it. We sang "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go" in our Stake Women's Conference yesterday. The spirit as we sang together was glorious. Some of the people you found last week seem like they are golden. I hope this week went well with them. I laughed when I read your story about Hermana Gloria! The Lord works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform! 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the Holy Ghost. When I read it... I thought did she read my talk for Stake Women's Conference? I'm amazed at how similar our thoughts often are in a week's period of time!

Life here continues busy... (I know what you're thinking... I've never seen you not busy Mom!) It's true but it's the best way to be! I only worked two days last week and spent the other three on projects here at the house. I finished up my talk for yesterday. It went really well. The Spirit was present and teaching! We received numerous positive comments and compliments. It was so worth the work and the effort. I'm grateful for the experience of receiving personal revelation line upon line and precept upon precept... We had 260 sisters present. I know it was a result of our fasting and prayer the previous Sunday! I was able to lead a good discussion/talk with incredible comments from the sisters. Sister Crandall and President Lyman gave incredible talks as well. Today I will be attending the 28th ward for their Ward Conference. I'll be doing a great deal of that in the upcoming months! Some of that will include teaching a Relief Society lesson about the Sabbath day and/or bearing testimony in Sacrament meeting!

Hannah continues to work and go to school. She's really 'trunky." She so wants to be done with school. I have to keep telling her to keep her grades up... endure to the end... She's trying to decide which school to attend in the fall. Thanks for telling her to make it a matter of prayer. I took her and Natalie out to JCWs on Friday. We surprised Natalie. She loved it! Miracle of all miracles she was working on her Personal Progress when I came home from the Women's meeting yesterday! She must really want dad's S5 now that he has an i-phone through work. Hey, whatever works. I'm just glad to see her working on it. Oh, Hannah also passed her Civics test with a 100% that I've been trying to get her to take all month long. She can now officially graduate! :) Jakob and I went out for lunch on Thursday since he was home early for SEPs. We had Whistle Wok and then watched The Avengers together. I didn't quite finish it all, so I could take Natalie to volunteering and go the temple on the way back. I LOVE initiatories. The words give me such hope. Dad and I went to the Hale Theater Saturday afternoon to "The Pirate Queen" and then we ate at Freddy's afterwards.

Love,

Mom

I know this is really long but it was all so GOOD!

In Emily's class this week the following stood out to me:

Jehoshaphat

2 Chronicles 17:1-13 

Jehoshaphat's characteristics...

Strengthened himself

Fortified

Walked in the ways of David

His people only worshiped God

Sought the Lord

Kept the commandments

Heart lifted to God

Took the word of God to the people in cities around his own - missionaries

The people loved him and gave him gifts, but he wasn’t swayed by the gifts

Listened to the prophets

Read the scriptures

Can people like this make mistakes? Of course they can and he does... He aligns himself with Ahab (the most wicked king ever) and goes to battle even though Micaiah the prophet told him that if went to battle he wouldn't be coming back.The prophet told Jehoshaphat the he made a mistake aligning with Ahab, nevertheless, there is good in him. There will be consequences, but God is still on your side.When he was approached again to make an alliance, he proclaimed that all the people should fast to become closer to the Lord. (We can see that he learned from his mistake.) God doesn’t expect people to be perfect. What He cares about is how we recover from those mistakes.

We should avoid ungodly people (hate the Lord, irreverent, no morals, irreligious). They will lead us down wrong paths.

What is your greatest battle right now? Look at the pattern Jehoshaphat went through…

1)   Seek the Lord – pray deeply and sincerely

2)   Proclaim a fast to come closer to God

3)   Gather together… who is on your team? Who do you look to for strength?

4)   They gathered in the house of the Lord – the temple – remember the temple waiting room is available to anyone. You can access the spirit of the Lord there.

5)   Acknowledge God’s power

6)   2 Chron 20:9… in the temple, cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help

7)   They all stood together… with their young and old… and waited for the word of the Lord

8)   God said that the “battle is not yours, but God’s” Set yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Fear not, nor be dismayed.

9)   You will have to face the battle, but God will fight it for you. Keep your eyes on Him and He will fight before you.

a.     Our belief turns from us to Him. We can’t win the battle, but He can

10) If you believe in the Lord and His prophets, you will prosper

11)  Singers went before the army to praise the Lord… look at the power of good music

Who were Jehoshaphat’s pillars? Who made him strong?

1)   Prophets

2)   The Lord

3)   Parents

4)   The people working in the temple

Who are your pillars of strength? 

Hezekiah

2 Chron 31:20-21

2 Kings 18:5-7

Characteristics:

Wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord.

Sought God with all his heart

Clave to the Lord

Kept the commandments

Went to the Lord in EVERY work

Service was important

Trusted God

Prospered

Rebelled against the king of Assyria… who was wicked

There were none like him before or after… most righteous… perhaps like Helaman in the Book of Mormon

2 Chron 30

He decides to rebuild the temple and get it working again.

He invites others… even outside of the tribe of Judah

He wants to help the people return / come back

He prayed for all the people… God healed the people

The temple then functions again

2 Chron 31:5-10  

The Lord blesses the people who pay their full tithe.

Tithing and fast offerings in our day…

Malachi’s promise… Malachi 3:10… Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The widow’s mite…

2 Kings 20

Hezekiah is told that he is going to die. He wept sore and pled with the Lord. The Lord said he will add 15 years to his life and deliver him from Assyria

Hezekiah wanted a sign that it would really happen. He had a choice between two signs… he picked the more difficult sign… the sun went back 10 degrees.

Why did he get to ask for a sign? Gideon also asked for a sign… two actually.  These are men of God asking in humility. They asked with pure intent.

Signs often accompany covenants. But we must be careful in asking for a sign. These men of God asked through a prophet.

But we can ask for a confirmation by the spirit. 

How come Hezekiah got his prayer answered

The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them

Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent his mind, but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart.

2 Kings 20:5-6… Thus saith the Lord… I have heard thy prayer. I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee…

We must be present in prayer… God does care what we care about. He wants to hear from us. There are blessings God holds in store for us on condition of our asking.  But we must always seek God’s will.

Josiah

Started serving as king at 8 years old.

Got out the scriptures

Recognized that their problems were because they had been disobedient

2 Chron 34:31… The king stood in his place, walk after the Lord, keep the commandments and PERFORMED the words of the covenant… he promised to DO…

2 Chron 35:5… stand in holy places… and tell your families to stand in holy places.

Why do they tell us to “stand”?

At that very time there are two countries… one telling the people to stand, another prophet telling the people “Wo unto those who are at ease…”

What do we do in our homes so we are not at ease?

Follow the prophets

Sabbath day observance

Avoid the ungodly

Be in the right place yourself

Never depart from what we know

Fasting

Gather in prayer

Go to the temple

Turn to God