FAITH IS SPOKEN HERE #3

Another Story from Betsy Nagel's Women's Conference talk BYU 2006


3. Seek comfort and peace from the scriptures (Nancy)

Let me tell you about another shining face. Nancy grew up in the little Louisiana bayou town of Thibodaux. She joined the church as a young adult and married a lifelong member who was in Louisiana to work the oil rigs one summer. Twenty seven years and seven children later, Nancy found herself divorced, moved out of their beautiful Uptown New Orleans home, and living in student housing with three teenagers and an eight year old, while she was finishing a degree in order to support her family.


When Katrina hit, they evacuated to Thibodaux where most of her large Catholic family still lived. Since it would be a few months before they could get back into New Orleans, she put the children in school, enrolled in classes herself and arranged for a place to live. It had been an abandoned cottage, across the street from her parents and next door to the family meat market. With the help of about 20 extended family members, the cottage was renovated and made habitable. Nancy proudly showed us pictures of the new kitchen, and the tidy bedrooms.

She expressed gratitude for the safety of her family and the help of extended family and friends, but also great anxiety about the future and special concern for her children. A few days later I was reading 3 Nephi 22, where Jesus is quoting Isaiah. He speaks of the floods of Noah. I thought of the floods of Katrina. He talks about the Lord hiding his face for a moment. I thought of Nancy trying to figure out her life alone. Isaiah speaks of foundations with sapphires and windows with agates and gates of carbuncles. Then it says, "Great shall be the peace of thy children…..This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord." (3Ne 22:13.17) The words jumped right off the page and I could see Nancy’s little cottage, studded with jewels, her children, faithful and loving and supportive of her. So I wrote her a note and told her of this experience. I want to read to you the note that came in reply.


"I was on my way to Baton Rouge on Friday night to attend the temple when I checked the mail and found your card. I took out my scriptures to search for the reference you mentioned. In doing so, I realized the verses you referred to were part of the chapter that the Lord led me to, 2 days after the hurricane. I was praying and crying and figured I’d better open the scriptures to search for comfort. The electricity was still out and I was in a hot room reading with a flashlight. The page opened to the Topical Guide on the "W" page and my tear-filled eyes fell on the word, "widow." I went to 3 Ne 22. It truly comforted me on another one of my moments of enlightenment amid hardship. So it was with your card as I re-read the verses and this time pictured my new little sanctuary set in gems and my children being blessed and watched over by a loving Father in Heaven."


As we learn to feed our spirits and find comfort through the scriptures, our "assurance of things hoped for" will increase. A new song, or as Nancy says, "a moment of enlightenment" can come, even in the midst of great hardship and heartache. "With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." (3Ne 22:8) With this comfort, we can continue to step forward towards the light ahead, dim as it may sometimes seem.

MOVIE REVIEW - PENELOPE

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi92274969/ You can get a good idea by seeing the trailer.

Penelope was a little goofy but enjoyable anyway. It had an old fashioned fairytale feel to it. We watched it with Mike's sister and her husband and everyone liked it. Yes, even the men. It is a nice reminder to women that it is not about being perfect.

FAITH IS SPOKEN HERE #2

This is the second story from the talk "Faith is Spoken Here" by Betsy Nagel given in the 2006 Women's Conference at BYU

2. Express our faith through service to others (Beverly)
I remember attending church for the first time in Philadelphia. It was fast day, and one woman spoke of attending the temple in Washington, D.C., the day before. I remember thinking her face was glowing and she was perfectly beautiful and I wanted to get acquainted with her. After the meeting she came up to me and introduced herself. She was the RS president and noticed I was new. I noticed that up close she wasn’t that perfect. Who is? She looked tired, her hair was a little out of place, her make-up was gone - but she still had that shining countenance.

Over the next few months I became well acquainted with Beverly as I served with her in the RS. She spent every waking moment attending sweetly to her large family or to sisters in the ward, many of whom lived as much as an hour from where she lived. She loved to read, sing, and play the piano, but rarely indulged in these activities for lack of time.

On her birthday I decided the best present I could give her would be a day off, so I offered to tend her pre-schooler while she had a day to do what she wanted. I felt so proud of myself for thinking of such a generous present! When she returned late in the afternoon I couldn’t wait to hear what she had done with the time. Imagine my disappointment when she told me she had spent the day visiting a couple of sisters who lived in the most depressing place I have ever seen. It was called "The Philadelphia Home for the Incurables." It looked as bad as the name sounds. It was an old gray stone building with so many trees around it that no grass could grow. It smelled bad. It was dank and musty and not air conditioned. I had visited these sisters a couple of times with Beverly and couldn’t think of anyplace worse to spend time.

When she told me of her day I was obviously disappointed. "But I wanted you to do something for you," I protested. "Betsy, you don’t understand. I did it for me. That was what I wanted to do and I don’t usually have enough time to do it." I was humbled and realized why she had a shining face. I remembered Alma’s words to the brethren of the church. "Have ye spiritually been born of God? (Alma 5:14) "Can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?" (Alma 5:19) Remember the primary song, "If you’re happy and you know it – then your face will surely show it."

Today Beverly continues to sing her song of faith through service as a temple worker in the DC temple, getting up at 3am every Saturday to make the drive from Philly to Washington. And yes, she still has a shining face."

CURRIED SQUASH SOUP

Years ago Mike and I went to Boston in October. We happend onto a home botique and had a cup of Curried Squash Soup. I couldn't stop thinking about it and came home to create my own version. I make this every fall when winter squash are fresh. It is kinda "chick" soup. Mike will eat it but doesn't adore it like me. So, I usually make a pot and eat it for lunch for a week or so. I also like to make it as a dinner starter and serve in cups to sip while dinner is waiting to be served at Thanksgiving or Christmas. If you are not a big curry fan just add a touch. I find the reason most people don't like curry is because it is often overdone in dishes.

Peel, scrape seeds and cut up a 3 lb. winter squash. This can be an acorn, butternut or banana squash. (acorns are hard to peel butternut is my favorite) Place in a soup pot and cover with water. Add 1 onion cut up, 2 ribs of celery cut up and 2 large cloves of garlic to season. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or when all the veggies are nice and soft. I have a hand blender that works great for blending the soup right in the pot to get it smooth (you can purchase these for about $10…very handy for lots of things). Or put in a blender in batches until smooth. Add salt, pepper and curry powder to taste. (About curry: I like Golden Curry Paste. It comes in a box next to the oriental foods. It is very mild and sweet. Add a piece at a time until you like it) Add ½ C whipping cream or 1 C half-and-half . I like the soup better if it is not very thick so adjust the water. I like it best served in sipping mugs.

FAITH IS SPOKEN HERE

Two years ago Maren and I attended Women's Conference at BYU in May. We were lucky enough to hear this talk by Betsy Nagel entitled "A New Song--Faith is Spoken Here" Maren and I loved this talk so much I got online after to find a copy and was able to get it. Betsy Nagel told 3 stories and I will print them all in time. Margaret in this story was with our friends the Hoffmans in Mexico City when they were there. Oh, what beautiful people love the Lord!
1. Express gratitude – learn to see the Lord’s hand in all things . Learning to recognize the hand of the Lord in the many good things of our lives will help to increase our faith in Him.


My friend Margaret and her husband had planned for years to serve several missions. They sold their house in New Orleans last May and retired early so that they could go while they were healthy and young. They were in the MTC and watched the reports about Katrina on TV, feeling very fortunate that they had dodged a big bullet. As soon as they arrived in Mexico City, Margaret had trouble with shortness of breath. "You’re moving from sea level to this high altitude. It will take a little while to acclimate." After 7 weeks of not getting better, the area doctor decided she ought to come back to the US for some tests. She was quickly diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.

I had the opportunity to visit with her several times in December and January. With each visit she assured me that her life was in the Lord’s hands and he would do for her what was best. When I questioned the fact that her pre-mission physicals didn’t turn up the problem, she said to me, "That is just one of the blessings in this whole thing. If they had found the cancer earlier, we wouldn’t have been able to go on a mission. Instead, we were blessed with a wonderful seven week mission."


On another occasion she said, "There are only blessings in life. The Lord blesses us with opportunities every day. It is up to us to use them well." I attended her funeral on Valentine’s Day, knowing that Margaret left a legacy of faith for her family, enhanced by her gratitude for the Lord’s hand in her life.


In Exodus we read, "The pillar of the cloud was darkness to the Egyptians, but it gave light by night to the Israelites." (Ex 14:20 – JST) If we are looking for the light, it is there and we can find it - no matter the circumstance. As we express gratitude, and even thank him for the trials themselves, we can find a hymn of thanks to sing.

OUR WILL BY C. S. LEWIS

The non-believer often accuses the Christian of letting the doctrines of their church control them. What they don't understand is that we gain freedom by choosing to follow the precepts we see as good. "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32) No one tells me what to do. I choose and feel joy and direction with my choices. The following is a quote by C. S. Lewis from Screwtape.

 
Satan’s aim is the absorption of our will into his, the increase of his own area of selfhood at our expense. But the obedience which God demands of men is quite a different thing. God loves us, and He wants us to be like Him. He wants to fill the universe with us; He wants our lives to be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed us but because our wills freely conform to His. Satan wants cattle who can finally become food; God wants servants who can finally become sons. Satan wants to suck in, God wants to give out. Satan is empty and would be filled; God is full and flows over. Satan’s war aim is a world in which he has drawn all other beings into himself; God wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct.

THE WELLINGTON GIRLS IN PHOTOS

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THE WELLINGTON GIRLS

Tomorrow I am going to Wellington to hang out with the Wellington Girls. Well, we are not quite girls anymore unless 60 something can still fit in that category. Maybe more like old girls. I want to write a tribute to the part they played in my childhood and growing into young womanhood. My family could easily have been in the "poor white trash" category. But when you grow up in rural Utah a good part of the town could fit somewhere here. Most of our fathers worked for the coal mine. All of our homes were small and humble. Mine may have been at the bottom of the rung but it didn't matter. There were about 10 girls this age that went to school together in Wellington. These girls were good, and kind and tolerant of differences. I didn’t see this kind of niceness in my daughters friends when she was growing up. She seemed to be tormented with a lot of little stinkers. I feel so lucky and blessed to have grown up in Wellington. In all the humility of this town there were spiritual giants. I feel like I was encouraged with many cultural experiences as music, plays, dancing and singing. The church was a facilitator for much of these experiences but also the school. So, hurrah for Wellington, which is 12 Miles East of Price. It is the last town before you hit the desert.