Post
# 103 – Come, Follow Me --“Thou Art the Christ”
Week 15
Dear Family and Friends
Now
that Easter has come and gone we can try to get back on track with our lessons😊
Well, I guess we really haven’t been off-track. I am just slow at getting them
posted. I I will try to do better, but I can make you no promises. I am sorry,
but I get kind of busy this time of year what with my preschool graduation to
prepare for and with having lymphedema therapy three ties a week and my chemo
every three weeks and my bone shot every 21 days or so – and I am sure that it
is just about time for my round of tests to come up soon. then there are our
family activities – you do know that I am not complaining, I am just making you
aware that I do try, but I really can make no promises to you at this time😊
I do hope that you were able to watch,
attend, or listen to at least some of the messages from this past general conference.
I plan to share more of them with you on some of my upcoming posts. I hope and
pray that my sharing them with you is helpful and uplifting for you in some
small way, I really find them quite comforting and instructional as well😊
here’s a question for you: What messages did you hear or read from the most
recent general conference that can support the doctrine in that you have found
in these chapters as you read and study them?
In
studying the scriptures personally and with your families each week -- how is
your study of the scriptures blessing your lives and the lives of your family”.
For example, how did your study of these chapters influence your experience
with general conference?
A
testimony of Jesus Christ comes by revelation.
Have any of you ever had to explain to
someone how you know that the gospel is true? In Matthew 16:13–17, we find out what did
the Savior taught about how we receive a testimony? It is revealed to us
through the Holy Ghost – personal revelation😊
13 when Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom
do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou are
John the Baptist: some, Eias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, Bit whom say ye
that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed
art thou. Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
You
could learn how Alma gained his testimony in the Book of Mormon in Alma 5:45–46
45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose
that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know
that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know
of their surety?
46 Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit
of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed
many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself
that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his
Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.
or we can learn what the
Lord taught Oliver Cowdery about revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants:
D&C 6:14–15, 22–23; 8:2–3.
Doctrine and Covenants 6:14—15, 22-23
14 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of
me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received
instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come
to the place where thou art at this time.
15 Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me
and I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that
thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit
of truth;
22 Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further
witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart,
that you might know concerning the truth of these things.
23 Did
I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness
can you have than from God?
2 Yea, behold, I
will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy
Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.
3 Now, behold, this
is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the
children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.
What do you think
Peter or Alma or Oliver Cowdery might have said if someone asked them how they
know the gospel is true?
There
may be people in you know who are praying for personal revelation but do not
know how to recognize it when it comes. Elder David A. Bednar used two
common experiences with light to teach about how we receive revelation; I want
to share Elder Bednar’s insights with you (“The Spirit of Revelation,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 87–90; you can read this talk
here: https://www.lds.org/study/general-conference/2011/04/the-spirit-of-revelation?lang=eng see
also the video “Patterns of Light: Spirit of Revelation” . I found the video here:
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-01-012-patterns-of-light-spirit-of-revelation?lang=eng&_r=1
What other scripture
teachings or accounts can you think of that would help someone recognize
personal revelation? We can find some example if we look in these verses found in all of the books of the scriptures -- in the Old Testament: 1 Kings 19:11–12; New
Testament: Galatians 5:22–23; Book
of Mormon: Enos 1:1–8; Doctrine and
Covenants D&C 8:2–3.
11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before
the Lord. And,
behold, the Lord passed
by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small
voice.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace , longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no
law.
1 Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my
father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language,
and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the
name of my God for it—
2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had
before God, before I received a remission of my sins.
3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the
words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy
of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.
4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down
before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and
supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea,
and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the
heavens.
5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos,
thy sins are forgive thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie;
wherefore, my guilt was swept away.
7 And I said: Lord, how is it done?
8 And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in
Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away
before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath
made thee whole.
2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in
your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon
you and which shall dwell in your heart.
3 Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold,
this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel
through the Red Sea on dry ground.
Presthood keys are essential for our salvation.
We had a
good discussion about the priesthood answering questions like these: What are priesthood keys? Who holds the keys? How are priesthood
keys given?
Here are some scripture references
that will help us to answer these questions, such as in the New Testament in Matthew 16:19; in the Doctrine
and Covenants in; 128:8–11; Doctrine and
Covenants 132:18–19, 59; and Pearl
of Great Price Joseph Smith—History 1:72.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of
the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall
be loosed in heaven.
18 The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek
Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the
church—
19 To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of
the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to
commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn,
and to enjoy the communion and Presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.
8 Now,
the nature of this ordinance consists in the power of the priesthood,
by the revelation of Jesus Christ, wherein it is granted that whatsoever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven. Or, in other words, taking a different view of the translation,
whatsoever you record on earth shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you
do not record on earth shall not be recorded in heaven; for out of the books
shall your dead be judged, according to their own works, whether they
themselves have attended to the ordinances in their own propria persona, or by
the means of their own agents, according to the ordinance which God has prepared
for their salvation from before the foundation of the world, according to the
records which they have kept concerning their dead.
9 It
may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk of—a power which
records or binds on earth and binds in heaven. Nevertheless, in all ages of the
world, whenever the Lord has given a dispensation of the priesthood
to any man by actual revelation, or any set of men, this power has always been
given. Hence, whatsoever those men did in authority, in the name of the
Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of
the same, it became a law on earth and in heaven, and could not be annulled,
according to the decrees of the great Jehovah. This is a faithful saying.
Who can hear it?
10 And
again, for the precedent, Matthew 16:18, 19: And I say also unto thee, That
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys
of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven.
11 Now
the great and grand secret of the whole matter, and the summum bonum of the
whole subject that is lying before us, consists in obtaining the powers of
the Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these keys are given there is no
difficulty in obtaining a knowlege of facts in relation to the salvation of
the children of men, both as well for the dead as for the living.
18 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a
wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that covenant is
not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit
of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power,
then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because
they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are
out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods
are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit
my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God.
19 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a
wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant,
and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him
who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of
this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the
first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next
resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and
powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the
Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to
shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder
whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things
whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity;
and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass
by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and
glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be
a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
59 Verily,
if a man be called of my Father, as was Aaron, by mine own voice, and by
the voice of him that sent me, and I have endowed him with the keys of
the power of this priesthood, if he do anything in my name, and according to my
law and by my word, he will not commit sin, and I will justify him.
72 The messenger who visited us on this occasion
and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same
that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he
acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of
the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be
conferred on us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the
Church, and he (Oliver Cowdery) the second. It was on the fifteenth day of May,
1829, that we were ordained under the hand of this messenger, and baptized.
You can find additional
help by referring to Handbook 2: Administering
the Church (2010), 2.1.1; you will find it here: https://www.lds.org/study/manual/handbook-2-administering-the-church/priesthood-principles/priesthood-principles?lang=eng
Elder Neil L. Andersen’s
message “Power in the Priesthood” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 92–95); https://www.lds.org/study/general-conference/2013/10/power-in-the-priesthood?lang=eng
or True to the Faith, 126–27. https://www.lds.org/study/manual/true-to-the-faith/priesthood?lang=eng
We
had a good discussion about
Peter and the other Apostles receiving priesthood keys on the Mount of
Transfiguration. A discussion or study like this can help to strengthen your
testimonies of the restoration of priesthood keys in the latter days as we studied
in the New
Testament --Matthew 17:1–9
and Doctrine and Covenants 110.
We read the above-mentioned
scripture passages and noted similarities between the two accounts. Can you
find those similarities too?
1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and
John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his
face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking
with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is
good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one
for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed
them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and
were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and
be not afraid.
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man,
save Jesus only.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged
them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be
risen again from the dead.
SECTION
110
Visions manifested to Joseph Smith the
Prophet and Oliver Cowdery in the temple at Kirtland, Ohio, April 3, 1836. The
occasion was that of a Sabbath day meeting. Joseph Smith’s history states: “In
the afternoon, I assisted the other Presidents in distributing the Lord’s
Supper to the Church, receiving it from the Twelve, whose privilege it was to
officiate at the sacred desk this day. After having performed this service to
my brethren, I retired to the pulpit, the veils being dropped, and bowed
myself, with Oliver Cowdery, in solemn and silent prayer. After rising from
prayer, the following vision was opened to both of us.”
1–10, The Lord
Jehovah appears in glory and accepts the Kirtland Temple as His house; 11–12, Moses and
Elias each appear and commit their keys and dispensations; 13–16, Elijah
returns and commits the keys of his dispensation as promised by Malachi.
1 The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of
our understanding were opened.
2 We saw the Lord standing upon the
breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of
pure gold, in color like amber.
3 His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of
his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above
the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the
rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:
4 I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth,
I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.
5 Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are
clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice.
6 Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the
hearts of all my people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this
house to my name.
7 For behold, I have accepted this house,
and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in
mercy in this house.
8 Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and
speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments,
and do not pollute this holy house.
9 Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall
greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured
out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in
this house.
10 And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign
lands; and this is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out
upon the heads of my people. Even so. Amen.
11 After this vision closed, the heavens were
again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed
unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four
parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.
12 After this, Elias appeared, and committed
the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and
our seed all generations after us should be blessed.
13 After this vision had closed, another great and
glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who
was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said:
14 Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by
the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the
great and dreadful day of the Lord come—
15 To turn the hearts of the fathers
to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be
smitten with a curse—
16 Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are
committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and
dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.
The video “Priesthood Keys:
The Restoration of Priesthood Keys” (LDS.org) could also be
helpful. https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-02-0110-priesthood-keys-the-restoration-of-priesthood-keys?lang=eng&_r=1
Here
is the transcript of you would rather read it:
I was taught a great lesson once when I was on a trip to Denmark with President Kimball and President Packer. In between meetings, President Kimball came to us and said, "There's something in Denmark I want to show you." And he invited us to go with him to a little chapel.
As we entered the chapel, we immediately recognized Thorvaldsen's beautiful Christus. And around the sides, Thorvaldsen had carved each of the original Twelve Apostles. PresidentKimball said, "I want you to come over here." And he had all of us stand in front of Peter.
And he said, "What is in Peter's hands?" And of course, we responded, "He's holding keys." And President Kimball said, "That's right. The Savior gave
him the keys to preside over the Church after He had departed from the earth."
Then he said, "Today I hold the keys, just the same as Peter did in his days. The keys are invested in the prophet, seer, and revelator and President of the Church."
Then he turned to the custodian who let us in and said, "These are the original Twelve." Then he pointed to President Packer and me and said, "These are the modern Apostles today. They hold the keys the same as the Twelve Apostles did in the Savior's day."
That was a profound impression on me, to think that we held those keys. I've never felt thesame since. I've never felt worthy of the keys I hold. I'm always trying to strive to live up to thatwhich the Lord has blessed us with.
Do
you each understand how priesthood keys can bless your lives? I
have never had an active priesthood holder in my home, but I have received
blessings through the priesthood even before I became a member of the church. I
had the missionaries that lived next door to me when my oldest daughter was
born. She was born with a breathing disorder and they used their priesthood authority
to bless her when she was very sick. She had spinal meningitis, which most babies
do not recover from, yet, I am very happy to report to you that she did😊
All
the time I have been a member of the church my family and I have been blessed
greatly through the priesthood keys. We have received important priesthood
ordinances as well as priesthood blessings for the sick. My children have received
blessings to help them with school each year – these blessing are called ‘Father’s”
blessings and though it wasn’t their father that gave them the blessings, the
blessings helped them just the same because they were given by a worthy man who
held the priesthood keys😊
Auxiliary presidencies receive
delegated authority.
“All ward and stake
auxiliary organizations operate under the direction of the bishop or stake
president, who holds the keys to preside. Auxiliary presidents and their counselors
do not receive keys. They receive delegated authority to function in their
callings” (Handbook 2, 2.1.1). https://www.lds.org/study/manual/handbook-2-administering-the-church/priesthood-principles/priesthood-principles?lang=eng
I
have received blessings to set me apart for various callings that I have had. These
are only some of the ways my family and I have been blessed through the
priesthood, but I am sure that there are so many more ways that a person can be
blessed through the priesthood keys that I am not aware of. What I can tell
you, is that I am so very grateful to all of those wonderful men who have given
of their time to come and bless my children and I throughout all these years😊
Who are these people in your ward and stake? Can
you make a list of their names? How do they exercise the priesthood keys given
to them to direct the work of the priesthood within their callings? How are we
blessed by the service of these priesthood leaders? If you are not a member of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints you may not know about the organizations
within the church, so I will fill you in just a little bit: the Stake President
– who has two counselors and a secretary – he presides over all the Wards
within his Stake boundaries. There are also Stake Presidents for each auxiliary
– the Primary; Young Men, Young Women; Relief Society and Priesthood organizations
– within each of these organizations the president has two counselors and a
secretary. The primary also has a pianist and a chorister, I also think that
there may be a chorister and pianist for the stake as well, but I am not positive.
There
may be more, but these are the ones that I am aware of. Then each Ward has
their Bishop with his two counselors and his secretary, all of the other auxiliaries
are the same as for the stake only they are for each Ward. Then sometimes there
may be a Branch President – when the area is too small for a ward, and they too
will have the President with his two counselors and his secretary; with each of
the auxiliaries as listed above, and like I said before –these are the things
that I am aware of, but there could be much more to it than what I know. None of
these positions in the church are paid positions – they are callings from the
Lord to serve in His church here upon the earth. Hopefully this has been
helpful to each of you.
Priesthood keys are the authority to direct the use of the
priesthood.
When
seeking greater faith, we must first hold on to the faith we already have.
Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland used the account of a father seeking healing for his
son to teach how we should approach the Lord when we feel that our faith is
insufficient (see “Lord, I Believe,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013,
93–95). https://www.lds.org/study/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng
Three observations to help us gain more faith.
“Observation number
one regarding this account is that when facing the challenge of faith, the
father asserts his strength first and only then acknowledges his limitation.
His initial declaration is affirmative and without hesitation: ‘Lord, I believe.’ I would say to all
who wish for more faith, remember this man! In moments of fear or doubt or
troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is
limited. … Hold fast to what you already
know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. … The size of your
faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity
you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know.
“The second
observation is a variation of the first. When problems come and questions
arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading
as it were with your ‘unbelief.’ … I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do
not have. I am asking you to be
true to the faith you do have. … Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is
full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be
healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its
miracle. …
“Last observation: When
doubt or difficulty come, do not be afraid to ask for help. If we want it
as humbly and honestly as this father did, we can get it. The scriptures phrase
such earnest desire as being of ‘real intent,’ pursued ‘with full
purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God’ [2 Nephi 31:13]. I testify that in
response to that kind of importuning, God will send help from both sides of the
veil to strengthen our belief” (“Lord, I Believe,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013,
93–94).
14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great
multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.
15 And
straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and
running to him saluted
him.
16 And
he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?
17 And
one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my
son, which hath a dumb spirit;
18 And
wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth
with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should
cast him out; and they could not.
19 He
answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?
how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20 And
they brought him unto him: and when he saw him,
straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and
wallowed foaming.
21 And
he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said,
Of a child.
22 And
ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him:
but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus
said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him
that believeth.
24 And
straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I
believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25 When
Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul
spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb
and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26 And the spirit cried, and rent
him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said,
He is dead.
27 But
Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
28 And
when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could
not we cast him out?
29 And
he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
30 And they departed thence, and passed
through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it.
I
challenge each one of you to look for messages in this scripture account as
well as in the three observations by Elder Holland that can help each of you to
increase your faith. I do hope I have inspired you to learn more about the
priesthood, priesthood keys, and blessings of the priesthood.
I
may not know a whole lot about the priesthood, but I do know that it is one way
that our Heavenly Father blesses His children while here on this earth. Through
the Priesthood the Lord gives His authority for worthy priesthood holders to
bless their family members and others. I have received many blessings for
healing the sick for my children and myself.
I
believe my youngest so is still living because of a priesthood blessing he
received after he was born. He had pyloricst3enosis, which is when the bottom
opening of your stomach closes off and you eventually starve to death if it is
not detected in time. Through an answer to a prayer I was inspired by the Holy Ghost
to take my baby with me when I took my older boy to his doctor, only a couple
of days after I had taken the baby to see his pediatrician. He was called Dr.
Charlie and though he was only a physician’s assistant it was his diagnosis
that led me to the specialist at primary children’s hospital.
At this time in our lives we had ten children
all under the age of nine. When we went to see Dr. Charlie for Joshua’s
scheduled appointment, I took the baby with me and I told Dr. Charlie what his
pediatrician had said about his weigh and his constant throwing up. I told Dr.
Charlie that it seemed as if the milk he drank had no where to go but right
back up. It wasn’t until hours later that I found out that my words hit the
nail right on the head. I had never heard of pyloric stenosis before, so I did
not know what it was. Dr. Charlie asked me if he could look at the baby after
he was done with Joshua’s checkup.
After
checking the baby quite thoroughly he sent me over to the hospital for x-rays
and bloodwork, then we went home. i had Barely walked into the house when the
phone was ringing. I set the baby down and answered the phone only to find that
it was Dr. Charlie. He asked me how soon I could get the baby out to Salt Lake
City to Primary Children’s Hospital. I told him that I had children still in
school and others at the sitters. he told me to take care of the children and
get the baby to the city as soon as I could. It told me it was very important matter
that I got the baby to the city as soon as I could. He said that the doctors
were expecting us upon our arrival.
So,
I called and made arrangement for my son to get a priesthood blessing. Another phone
call and I had all of my children taken care of, and with a call to the school
all of the school aged children would be put on the right bus to go where they
would be cared for until our return from the city. By the time I had made all
the necessary calls and had the diaper bag readied and waiting, our home
teacher had arrived and given my baby a priesthood blessing for the healing of
the sick. I was also given a blessing of comfort to help with my worrying heart😊
I know that Dr. Charlie had tried not to worry me, but he needed me to act
immediately! I did hear the urgency in his voice.
We
were on our way to the city within thirty minutes. Salt Lake City was a two-and-a-half-hour
drive from our home. by the time we arrived the doctors were indeed ready for
us. They took the baby right in for a checkup. They told us that he needed
immediate surgery. After doing more labs they told us that the baby was too
dehydrated for them to do surgery. They had to rehydrate him, and they did the
surgery the next day after his level were more stable fort him to successfully make
it through the surgery. I believe that the priesthood blessing he had received
prior to our going to the city sustained him until they could get him re hydrated enough to perform the necessary surgery on him.
Well
my dear family and friends I think I have rambled on enough to help you realize
the power of priesthood blessings in my life as they can be in yours as well😊
I do hope I am not repeating my self too much. If I do, please forgive me. I know
that the priesthood has and still does play an important part in my life. I am
continually blessed through the priesthood on a daily basis. I know that the
Lord is very aware of my situation and each of yours as well. He is there for
me and for each of you. All you need to do is ask for His hand.
Please
continue to read and study the New Testament along with me😊
Remember that you – each one of you, no matter what your age—age a child of God!
You are of great worth and value, your Heavenly Father loves each one of you
and He wants to bless each one of you. So, if you have not received a priesthood
blessing, maybe now is the time to learn more about it. you can talk with a missionary
here: https://www.comeuntochrist.org/
Until my next post, happy learning and please make it a
great week!!
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