Fast Sunday

Fast Sunday

August 2, 2015

     Happy Birthday to our Jett! It is such a good day to turn eight years old. It is Fast Sunday. Now, when you get baptized later this month you can begin to learn to fast. That is a hard principle to master, but with plenty of blessings attached. Like we asked Max in June, can we count you as one of our converts? We want to! We always pray for you and hope you will want to serve a mission for the Lord someday. We know it is a big week for you and your Show Low cousins with school starting. Just think this year in second grade, you will have the Holy Ghost on your side now. You are a blessed boy.
     We have had a fun week with Lamell and Connie coming over this way to see us. We took them to Liberty Jail and Far West just like we took your family. We also went to Haun's Mill. It was bare, quiet, and muddy but it is so cool to get to see where many lessons were learned after many hardships took place. Jett, I especially love the story of young Alma Smith who got his hip blown away from a gunshot from the mob. His heartbroken mother had gone to Lord to ask in prayer if the Lord would help her to help poor Alma who was in so much pain. She had already lost Alma's father and his older brother on that dreadful day when the mob rode into the clearing and began shooting. The Lord directed Alma's mother and Alma had faith enough to do as his mother asked him to do. He knew the Lord could heal him. After five weeks of laying on his stomach with his mother applying poultices made first from ash, then bark from a tree, he was healed. That is a beautiful story of a young boy like you who was obedient to his mother and who also had faith in the Lord.
     We always love, love to see any familiar face from Home out here. It makes it seem not really that far away. And it's not. We met a visitor from Holbrook at sacrament today. She was so happy to see us. I think she thought we were celebrities or something. It sure is funny what a nametag of the Lord's means to some members of the church. We look forward to seeing you, Ethan, Kyson, Noah, Cash, Zane, Max, Ezra, Teag, and Elijah wearing one with honor someday. So Jett, have a happy, happy day. More importantly, have a happy year being eight. It's the beginning of your walk back to Heavenly Father when you get to be baptized. Now, one last thing.....tell your mom and your aunts that Lamell and Connie will be back in business Monday morning. Tell them I got to go with them on some of their stops. Tell them that truck is loaded with some real treasures and they better get in the car before they are all gone.

My Love, love, love
Sister Seaman....aka Grandma

Doing the Hard Thing...

     Today in Fast and Testimony meeting, the priest who was saying the sacrament prayer on the bread, had to say it over several times.  He kept adding the infamous "it" to the prayer. After a couple of tries, the counselor in the Stake Presidency, who was on the stand today, got up, went over to the priest, knelt down with him and showed him what he was doing wrong.  It was touching to me to see a priesthood leader handle it so well.  It was also touching to see the priest get it right after several tries.  It was definitely the hard thing to do, but it was the right thing to do.  The priest was probably embarrassed and may have been thinking that he would never say the blessing again.  He will.
     Having had a similar experience in my young life, I am always empathetic with those who have to live through this experience.  My experience was so similar in many respects.  There was a General Authority on the stand of a tri-ward sacrament meeting when it happened to me.  After three tries I got it right somehow.  These kinds of hard experiences stay with you.  They also teach you, if you can live through them.  Caution becomes your by-word. 
     The sacrament part of the meeting today was as quiet and reverent as any I have ever been to.  The Aaronic Priesthood handled it as well as any I have ever seen.  I have written about them in this blog before.  All dressed in their dark suits, all doing it just right.  The congregation was so quiet.  I know that when we go home, it may not be like it is here.  We may never see it like this again and I will really miss it.  I think the Lord is very appreciative of this ward for the way they reverence the sacrament.
     Taking the sacrament worthily renews our covenants.  To take the sacrament, with people who believe as you do, and do everything they can to make the experience a sacred one, is a great and valuable blessing.  So, even when there is a mistake in the sacrament prayer and it has to be repeated several times, and even when the presiding authority has to come to the priest's aid, we know that doing the right thing, even though it is the hard thing, blesses the lives of many and strengthens our testimony of the Savior and His atonement.  I know it and so do you.

Sincerely,
Elder Seaman