Modern-day Miracles

Sometimes I think that miracles are common place to me. I think that almost every time I go to the temple, there is something that coincidentally happens to show me the Lord is in the details. There is the time when I grabbed a handful of names from the credenza in the temple to use for initiatory work. Then, when a patron asked to use names, I pulled 6, not  5...like I was supposed to, but 6. Turns out the 6th name was from her family tree and she had been searching to find who had that name, and there it was. She was in tears.

But on the 25th of October, perhaps one of the greatest miracles Michael has performed happened. We had traveled to San Antonio to surprise his mother for her 92nd birthday. Turns out the surprise was on us, because she was never home due to being in and out of doctors, emergency rooms, etc. due to complications from a previous bladder procedure, gone wrong.

Nevertheless, we were able to finally see her the night before her birthday. Carol answered the door: "Susan, it's so good to see you."--to keep the surprise going.

We walked in and she stared at us, not recognizing that we weren't Susan, until Mike went right up to his mom and stared at her. She looked at him quizzically, and stammered, "What are you doing here?"

After we finished up watching the end of a paused, Jeopardy, Louise came in to her chair in the living room, commenting on her pitiful apparel. (She was wearing a plaid top with a wild, 60's floral pattern on her pants.) She complained of being nauseous, but didn't want a throw up bowl. She just wanted to lay down and sleep, but Carol said it was too early and kept waking her up as she dosed off and on.

Carol brought a large file box of her mother's papers into the living room to go through it with all of us there, announcing all the information she found. There were her mother's report cards, Army retirement papers, letters, etc. Every once in awhile, Louise would wake up and interject a comment.

At one point, we heard an audible rush of air whir from her throat. I didn't look up, as I thought it was snoring (which she does on occasion) but both Mike and Carol rushed up to her face. Carol took her head in her hands, trying to wake her up by moving her head and tapping her on her cheeks. Nothing. She yelled at her mother to wake up. Nothing. "Mom. Mom. Not like this. This can't be how. Mom," she pleaded and wailed. She quit the rough handling of moving her head, and softly stroked her mother's cheek. "I love you, mother," she managed with a softer voice, almost in resignation that it was done...her mother had passed.

But, then Carol continued to try, giving her some puffs of air through the mouth. Nothing. "Check her pulse, Mike." she shouted, as she gave her mother another puff of air.

Mike, felt it his mom's wrist, but said he didn't know what he was feeling "...if it is my own pulse or her's?"

It had been about two minutes with all outward signs that she was dead. Carol, then snapped from the devastated, emotional daughter, to the nurse. "Michael, give her a blessing. Karen, call 911!" she commanded.

Michael immediately stood and placed his hands on his mother's head. I wondered if he would anoint. He didn't. He didn't even pronounce her name. He just said, "Mom." and then continued the blessing, as I quickly made the decision to use the land line phone. I heard him talking about her being wrapped in arms of love...and I thought,  'Of course! She is in Heaven.' Then I took the phone, pressed the talk button, but realized I shouldn't be the one to call 911 because I didn't know where we were so I handed Carol  the phone.

Mike was continuing the blessing. I hadn't heard much until the words, "You will get well again." I was shocked. Hadn't he said she was with arms of love wrapped around her? What was he saying now? How could he say she was going to be well again if she had been dead about three minutes?

Carol was now talking loudly to the 911 operator. Suddenly, startling us all, Mike's mom opened her eyes and started breathing. Mike took his hands off her head wondering what to do and Carol then told the operator that her mom was now breathing. Mike put his hands back on his mom's head to finish the blessing, but I didn't hear a word because Carol was talking to the operator in just as loud, (if not louder) voice, and I was listening to her to see what would happen with that call.

Mike's blessing finished and so did Carol's phone call. The EMTs were coming anyway to check her out.

At that point. Her mother kept pushing Carol's hands away and telling to get away and not touch her. She complained about being hot. Carol turned on the air conditioner and directed Mike to get a washcloth with water to put on his mom's forehead and back of her neck. All this time, Mike's mother was complaining about being hot and nauseous...and for Carol to quit touching her. (Carol was now taking her blood pressure and pulse.) Carol, then directed Mike to go out front and flag down the EMTs, who came shortly.

The EMTs got information from Carol, and Louise went through a couple bouts of throwing up. After that, it seemed as if she was going to be OK. The EMTs kept suggesting she go to the hospital and Louise kept declining, then she sat up straight and said, "What I need right now is for Mike to give me a blessing."

Carol and I both responded, "He already did."

"No, he didn't, " his mother answered.

I realized, Louise had no memory of what had happened. I looked at her straight in the eyes and said, "You were dead. You were gone for 2-3 minutes. You weren't breathing. You weren't responding.  Mike gave you a blessing that you would be well again and then you started breathing."

She looked at me with a question in her eyes. "Huh?"

The EMTs finally convince Louise to go to the hospital.She glanced at those floral pants she was wearing and exclaimed, "I can't go to the hospital dressed like something from Halloween!"

I grinned.  I knew she would be all right and that she had her wits about her with that comment.

Yes, she did go to the hospital...and came home that night. Yes, we did celebrate her 92nd birthday the next day, and although she seemed a bit wary and reticent, she was on her way to being her old self again.


I have wondered, as I tried to think what really happened. 'Was she just having a sleep apnea episode and I thought the time was longer than it was?' Then I remember Mike's episodes... how I could shake him and he'd instantly awake. She didn't. She was out. She was gone long enough for me to know she could not go that long without a breath. I know it was a miracle. I am so grateful that we were there. I am so grateful that Mike could, in an instant, be worthy enough have the power in the Priesthood to call upon God to resuscitate his mother. What a blessing the Priesthood is. What a blessing to have a worthy Priesthood holder...and for him to be there when he was needed!

My Goals from my 16-yr-old Past

Dear Errolyn, Clara...and all granddaughters who are going to turn 16 soon,

I found my journals from my Young Women's years. There was one for each age to record achievements for our awards. I turned to the back page of my 16-year-old journal and found what I had written under the title: "My hopes and dreams for the FUTURE." I thought you might find it interesting what was important to me back when I was your age.

All my life I had goals that had been planted in my heart and were directed in my patriarchal blessing. Here is what I wrote (minus the 'check', that I have since added.)

"1) I plan to be married in the temple in the beginning...(check)

  2) and have a marriage that will last eternally...(hopefully, check)

  3) I will have as many children as I can or is economically feasible  (check...only change
                                                                             'economically' to 'emotionally/physically')
  4) My husband will be intelligent (more so than me)...(check)

  5) and will love and cherish the gospel as much as I do...(check)

  6) I will have graduated from BYU...(check)

  7) and somehow, some way I will be teaching children...(check)

  8) including my own...(check)


I could die happy now, that all my dreams have come true. Life did not make any of them easy, but because they were important to me then, they served as an important pathway for my life.

If you have not received your Patriarchal Blessing by now, prayerfully consider it soon; you will need it through your high school years to keep you grounded and help make decisions regarding your future. Also, write down your hopes and dreams that are truly important. I say truly important, because I wanted a husband who could dance, but it wasn't important in the long run.

If you have goals, you can always get back to where you need to be even when life and life's mistakes lead you off the Covenant Path. If you have goals, you will always return through repentance and desire.

I love you very much. You come from long line of righteous ancestors. You have the faithful, believing, nurturing blood flowing in your veins. You are truly a daughter of your Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. You have their spiritual genetic makeup. "Be loyal to the royal within you."

Love,
Grandma Wideman

Words from Elder Jeffrey R. Parker at our stake conference in a letter to Cameron

Just an aside, I have chosen to write and mail letters to Cameron, so he has them to read constantly--not just on P-day on a computer. Here is what I wrote him about today from my notes from stake conference. It was such a spiritual feast, I thought y'all would also like to know what he said.

12/9/2018

Dear Cameron,

What a feast we have had in our stake conference! Our visiting General Authority was newly-called area authority Jeffrey Parker. He was serving as a mission president in Australia before his call, so much of what was said refers and is applicable to missionaries. I will attempt to re-create the messages from his talk on Sat. evening and Sunday that were important to me—I took lots of notes because Grandpa was home sick.

Elder Jeffrey Parker—Saturday Adult Stake Conf. 12-8-18

After assessing the needs of a region of multiple stakes, differing in socio-economic status, here were the stake president’s greatest concerns for their members:

“Apathy, casualness, lack of interest in meeting or hearing the prophet, believing that what the prophet says is like a ‘smorgasbord’ of items that a member can pick and choose what to do.”

When he was a mission president, he would ask the missionaries what their greatest weakness was. He said that quite a few would say, “I’m probably too casual”. He wondered what they meant by that, but soon found out that ‘casualness’ equated to disobedience of the Lord’s commandments. He quoted: “Casualness results in ‘casualties’.”

He talked about the need for URGENCY. President Nelson is on the move. [Just as an aside, he mentioned that Pres. Nelson, 95, had gone up the steps of the Church building and was a little out of breath, then a little later his security guard, 45, came in huffing and puffing. He was nearly half of Pres. Nelson’s age and could not keep up.] The time is hastening towards the 2^nd coming. He quoted Helaman 12: 2…”Yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.”

He cited scriptural incidences where people had been told to do something and they did it with haste and urgency. Examples included David when he was told of Goliath and he RAN to meet his brother’s army, the shepherds heard about the baby Jesus and they came with HASTE to the manger, when the women told the disciples of the empty tomb…Simon RAN to see, etc.

It is time to go. We must do our best in our circumstances, but we must move as quickly as we can. He cited CS Lewis’s story of The Screwtape Letters, where the 1^st demon says we can stop them by telling them there is no God. Then the 2^nd demon said, no, we can stop them by telling them there is no devil. Then the 3^rd one said no, we’ll tell them that there is a god and is a devil, but there is no need to hurry.

Elder Parker said we must hurry. We must have a laser focus on the covenant path. Pres. Nelson has said more about the 2^nd coming than all other prophets combined. “ Behold, I will hasten my work in its time.” Now is the time! Pres. Parker said instead of worrying about how our children are being attacked for hours in school, we need to worry about how we are diligently preparing them to resist and fortifying them in our homes.

He mentioned that the missionaries follow the same pattern as President Nelson when he teaches:

                T—Teach correct doctrine

                T—Testify of the doctrine

                I—Invite, challenge to participate

                P—Promises blessings will result

He gave an example of the above, by using the talk on using the correct name of the church.

                T—It is a commandment of the Lord: “Ye shall call the church in my name. ..

    T and I--The rest of his talk is testifying and inviting all to participate.

                P--"My dear brothers and sisters, I promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints,¹⁷ the likes of which we have never seen. We will have the knowledge and power of God to help us take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord."

Another example from Pres. Nelson is the challenge given to the youth in his fireside to them, and his challenge to the women in the Sat. evening conference where he challenged them to read the Book of Mormon before year’s end—highlighting all references to the Savior, to fast from Social Media for 10 days and write down their feelings during that time. The youth were to do that and also have a life assessment. Just as the adults were asked to join in the youth’s challenge, Elder Parker said that all these challenges to the women were meant for the men to do, too!

It is time for exact obedience. Faith is a gift from God based on personal righteousness. The time is not to be ‘casual’, but to ACT, not be acted upon!! And all these things are urgent.

Elder Jeffrey Parker—Sunday Stake Conf. session 12-9-18

What is the difference in the lives of the following true examples????

A.      The Chinese non-members, who had never heard of Christ and joining in droves a month in only a month’s time from hearing about Christ, reading the Book of Mormon, getting the discussions, gaining a personal testimony, joining the Church, then bringing a group of friends to Church to hear what they have heard…with this same process repeating. (Elder Parker was the mission president in Australia before he was called as an Area Authority).

B.      An elder returning from serving a mission and emailing and calling every one of his friends and prospective missionaries telling them that the Church is not true and they should not serve a mission.

C.      Another elder returning from serving a mission and bearing testimony of the truthfulness of the Church, being called to leadership positions and helping other prospective missionaries prepare for a mission.

The difference is CONVERSION!!! Conversion is NOT checking the boxes off of a path that your parents or Church tradition sets out for you. Conversion is NOT attending sacrament meeting weekly. Conversion is NOT partaking the sacrament weekly or even attending the temple frequently. Conversion is NOT a testimony. Conversion IS being consistently true to the gospel of Jesus Christ and having the gospel of Jesus Christ be the controlling influence in your life.

Never forget our purpose. What is the missionary’s purpose? (He read a paragraph which basically was to convert and be converted.) He picked up the home manual, Come Follow Me and opened it to read its purpose…'to bring about a conversion'.

Having the Holy Ghost with you constantly is the instrument and key to enduring conversion. Conversion is an ongoing process. For a conversion to endure, it must be more than a onetime occurrence. In Helaman 4 (read the whole chapter) we read of the people who had at one time been converted, but lost the Spirit. We read that they ceased to follow the commandments, so the Spirit withdrew from them and ceased to reveal to them. An enduring conversion must have obedience to the commandments and our covenants to have the Holy Spirit to be with us.

Elder Parker likened the Parable of the Talents to our having the Holy Spirit with us. If we have the Spirit and do not continue to enlarge and continue our experiences to frequent the experiences where the Holy Spirit will testify, our light will be taken from us. If we continue to seek to have and experience the Holy Spirit, greater revelation will be given to us.

Elder Parker apparently works as an eye surgeon. He compared the microcosm of the tiniest hole in the retina leading to a detached retina, which leads to eventual blindness, and finally complete darkness. And yet, that light can return if a procedure reverses the process. He said the light is like the Holy Spirit and the smallest of things can eventually lead to the loss of the Spirit if it is not corrected.

He said that it is time to set aside the things that don’t matter. Simplify our lives…get rid of the ‘good’ and ‘better’ and only do the ‘BEST’.

I will write the rest of the conference in a different letter.

Love, Grandma Wideman

Temple Worker Again

I used to be a Dallas Temple Excursion worker once a month for about 2 years when I was a Primary President and Mike was home out of a job...babysitting.

Now I am retired and finally healthy enough to work at the Houston Temple full time. My shift is the mid-day shift on Thursdays from 12 to 6 p.m.

When I was interviewed, Brother Childs did not know of my husband or that he was out of work, but somehow he knew about my health, so that was all he asked about prior to my calling.

When I was set apart as a temple worker these are the things I remember.
1. My husband and I would know that path that we should go.
2. My health would improve...and my memory and mental capacity would expand.
3. There would be many times the veil would be very thin, and especially when I read the scriptures, my mind would be enlightened to understand things I have never understood.
4. I would know the direction my life should take, what to do with my time.
5. Whenever I go to and leave the temple, angels will attend me.

If I remember more, I'll add it.

The 'Aha' Moment

I can distinctly remember when I 'really' became a teacher. It was when I was teaching the lesson I was supposed to teach and in explaining something, I found out they didn't know something else. I put aside what was supposed to be taught and took a good 10 minutes to explain what they didn't know. I soon found out that if I answered their questions they WANTED to know WHILE I was teaching what they were SUPPOSED to know, that more and more questions came and they became more engaged in their learning.

Similarly, I distinctly remember when I truly understood 'ministering'. At first, I was a bit taken aback because I really had been 'ministering' to those sisters already...I thought. It felt almost like a step backwards for me to not have to visit them monthly, but I soon looked for and prayed to know their needs. Well, in doing so, I was given my answers by observing other sisters in similar situations. Then it hit me. Why am I LIMITING my ministering to only those I've been assigned, when I can see the same need in other sisters? Eventually, my 'ministering' woke up other sisters to do what I was doing and a true unity began in our ward. We were reaching out to everyone the spirit let us know needed our help.

Similarly, when I was at Weight Watchers, I saw a young mother I had known from my former ward when she was a Young Women. She had a child that was NOT happy having to sit and be quiet at Weight Watchers. So. I saw a need...and I went to the store and filled a huge purse with toys. Toys that would rival any grandmother's purse. Toys that were ages 9 mos. to 3 years. The next week I brought it and her daughter was silent as she kept busy with my toys.

Long story, short, I bring it to my ward now. It was like a pre-nursery in Sunday School and Relief Society today. Four babies all wanting my toys. When I got home, one mother called to know where she could buy some particular toys I had. Uh...the one she wanted most was homemade, so I told her she could have the extra one I made.

I guess both examples are my epiphany-moments that we need to perform outside of the curriculum to meet the needs of students...just as the spirit will prompt us to minister to others, not necessarily confined to our assignments. Once we get past the set boundaries and truly meet needs, then we are as Christ would have us be.

How to Keep Someone (AKA: me) from Monopolizing the Comments in a Church Class

Often, a teacher asks a question and no one raises their hand, so when someone finally raises their hand, they call on that person. That student may not mean to monopolize the class comments, but because they process information faster than others and want to help out the teacher, they always raise their hand and usually the teacher always calls on them.

I am the person who processes information fast. I am the person who wants to help the teacher. I am the person who usually knows an exact answer if the question calls for a single correct answer. I know that I monopolize most classes, but few others raise their hands. I have had a teacher say to the whole class, "Karen, I'm not going to call on you because you talk too much."

Wow. Talk about hurt feelings!

I have had other teachers look right at me and after looking all around the room, rather than call on me, they give the answer themselves because they don't want me to answer again.

Today, I saw a professional teacher, do the correct thing to elicit participation and not hurt my feelings by avoiding calling on me. I thought I'd pass it on to you since you all will be teaching a class some day.

#1 Ask the right kind of question...one where there is no one answer and/or no right or wrong answer. (i.e. What are your thoughts about...? What is an experience you have had about...?)

#2 Give 'wait time'. When you ask the right kind of question tell them you are going to have them wait a minute to think about an answer, then wait a minute. (Initially, my mind races and my hand is up. It is a great answer, so great, no one else gives an answer when they have heard mine. When the teacher waits a minute, other people raise their hands and she/he calls on them first instead of me. I may or may not be able to give my answer, but at least 10 other people got to talk before I did.)

New Year: Re-prioritize

Relief Society was a discussion on priorities and keeping the spirit in our lives and homes. This is such an overdone topic because we talk about it every New Years. I did get one new insight. One lady talked about her time being taken with her children and that took the place of the time she used to spend with her husband. She said that they had to make sure they had husband and wife prayer and husband and wife scripture reading before they went to bed. Mike and I always do that...even when one of us had to stay up later for some reason, we still did that together first. It is something Mike and I have always done, but I want you to know that it kept us renewing the spirit and giving us opportunities to talk before we went to bed. If you have not made that a habit in your home, please do. It is important to you, your marriage, and your family.