Dear Family and Friends,
We went to see Brother White Monday. He is doing okay but is taking a long time getting his strength back. The doctor told him the operation would be very hard on him so its not unexpected that it is a lengthy recovery. He has a cousin that has been coming just about every day and checking on him and spending a few hours with him. Sister Owens was still finishing up getting over her cold.
Tuesday morning we picked up the sisters at 6:00 AM and headed to Birmingham for our Zone temple session (see attachment). We get to go every other transfer (about every three months) so we really look forward to it. Unfortunately I felt my sore throat coming on as we were driving there in the morning. By the time we got home my cold was well on the way.
In the doctor’s follow up visit last week with Brother White he (the doctor) said he wanted someone to call him in a week. Brother White told me he would prefer that I make the call. I wanted Brother White to be with me when I called incase there were any questions that he would have to answer. Sister Owens was just getting over her cold and mine was just starting but we drove to Greensboro to make the call to the doctor. The last thing we wanted to do was give Brother White our germs, so we opened and closed the door with our elbow and didn’t touch anything while we were there and kept our distance from Brother White. Of course when we called the doctor we were transferred to his nurse and it went to voice mail. The message said making multiple calls would not get our call returned sooner. Of course they never did return the call and have not called Brother White all week either. We have been soooo impressed with the medical services since we have been in Alabama (that is totally sarcastic incase anyone isn’t sure). We came home and I promptly became very serious about my cold.
We spent Thursday and Friday in the apartment trying to get me over the cold. And when Saturday came I still wasn’t all that much better. A couple weeks ago I received an email informing us of our cleaning assignment at the temple scheduled for this Saturday. We were the only ones from the Branch that went last time and we still only have six current recommend holders in the branch besides ourselves. President and Sister James are gone this week and one couple is to old to make the trip. Sister Shreeve found out a convert from her first area was being sealed on Saturday and got permission from President Sainsbury to go with us so she could be there for the sealing. I was not over my cold yet so we decided we were not going to help clean the temple but since the sisters couldn’t go to the sealing if we didn’t take them, we said we would drive them there and then bring them home after the sealing.
Today I thought I better stay home from church because I’m still coughing and when I do, people look at me like I have the plague. I stayed home and it was a good thing I did, I coughed more today than I have all week, but things are loosening up and I think I am just about done with it. There were only twenty-two people at church today because so many were staying home because they were either sick or they didn’t want to get sick. Whatever this is, it seems to be getting everyone in the whole area. A lot of people think it is caused by the smoke and pollen that is here now from the California wild fires.
I read some conference talks form President Packer while I was home today. Here is a quote from one of them referring to D&C 124:
During a very difficult time, the Lord gave the sternest warning that I know of in all scripture. It had to do with the building of the Nauvoo Temple. The Saints knew from experience that to proceed to build a temple would bring terrible persecution, so they delayed. The Lord extended the time and said, “If you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God.”
Often overlooked in that revelation is a marvelous promise: “If my people will hearken unto my voice, and unto the voice of my servants whom I have appointed to lead my people, behold, verily I say unto you, they shall not be moved out of their place.”
Remember this promise; hold on to it. It should be a great comfort to those struggling to keep a family together in a society increasingly indifferent to, and even hostile toward, those standards which are essential to a happy family.
The promise is a restatement of what the Lord told the multitude: “Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants.”
I repeat the promise that those who hearken to the voice of these men whom the Lord has raised up “shall not be moved out of their place.”
But the promise was followed with this caution: “But if they will not hearken to my voice, nor unto the voice of these men whom I have appointed, they shall not be blest.”
October 1996
General Conference
Boyd K. Packer
Another interesting thing he said:
President Harold B. Lee told me once of a conversation he had with Elder Charles A. Callis of the Quorum of the Twelve. Brother Callis had remarked that the gift of discernment was an awesome burden to carry. To see clearly what is ahead and yet find members slow to respond or resistant to counsel or even rejecting the witness of the apostles and prophets brings deep sorrow.
October 1996
General Conference
Boyd K. Packer
Conference is coming in a month!!
We are planning on the coming week being a much better week. Keep the faith.
Keep the commandments and read your Book of Mormon
We love y’all,
Elder and Sister Owens
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