I Know Where I Stand As a Woman In My Faith and With God

 I was at Missy's Uptown Art in our little slice of heaven, to sit and paint demo while the annual Oregon Mountain Cruise Car show was happening right on our main street here in Joseph. A young mom came into the gallery with her adorable six year old daughter. The first thing I heard this mom say to her daughter was, "look for a painting that depicts either abstract, impressionism or realism." "Impressive!" I thought to myself, so when they wandered my way, I struck up a conversation with her. I told this mom I heard what she instructed her daughter and asked her if she home schooled. She beamed a yes, and proceeded to tell me about the classical music and art units she had been working on with her daughter. It did my heart good to see and meet a mom who took her role as mother seriously, in the way she knew best to do it. I know several young moms who home school, and the results are amazing. These moms all happen to be members of my faith, but I don't know if this mom was religious or not. She sure was dedicated to her little family though, and seemed very content in her role as mom and wife as I watched her interact with her husband and toddler son.

The next day I saw a Facebook post that linked to an article by former President Jimmy Carter. In the article he tells why he left his faith of sixty years because the leaders had done this, "quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service."

He goes on to talk about the way women are treated in various religions and countries, and yes, he's right,  there's a lot that needs to be changed in the way women are treated around the world. I would like to share my thoughts on all of this, as the difference in what I live in my faith, and what others experience, and how they look at leadership roles within religion is striking.

Sunday night as I lay in bed, I was thinking about what I had read, in contrast to what I've been through and done at church and elsewhere. Here's some of the things that came to mind.

1. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we start very young in speaking at the pulpit in church. My first talk in Primary was when I was about six or seven and it was two and a half minutes long. Do you know how long that seems when you are a little child? Eons, no centuries!!!! Primary is our children's organization for those who don't know.  I trembled,  I balked, but no I wasn't forced to give the talk. I was asked that I at least give it a try. I so wanted to do the right thing so I spoke, but I shook the whole way through. To this day I sometimes still tremble when public speaking, but that hasn't stopped me from trying. Some would say it's probably because I'm opinionated and like to share my opinions too much. My family didn't take the opportunity, but each week except for Fast Sunday, we have different families or leaders giving talks from the pulpit in sacrament meeting. Think about that! We don't hear from our bishop every week, everyone has a turn. On Fast Sunday we have the opportunity to share our testimonies with the congregation and that applies to everyone. So our children get leadership training from an early age, both male and female. We are often assigned topics, but are never told what to say, as that is left to us to seek divine guidance on what the Lord would have the congregation hear from us.

2. I can be and have been a valued leader in the congregations I have lived in. As a woman I can be a Relief Society president, Primary President, Young Women president, ward missionary, Family History consultant, or Center director, and more. I can teach Gospel Doctrine to the adult Sunday school class as well. Do I or will I hold the priesthood? No, but I believe in order, and organization. Does this mean I'm any less valued? Heavens no! I have served as a president in all the organizations listed, and have been sought out many a time by my priesthood leaders on my opinion or thoughts on dealing with certain issues or people, as well as how I would implement or organize an event or activity. There have been times when I didn't agree with what local leaders did, but I stood my ground based on church policy and was respected for that stand. In most cases the priesthood men know that if something is to be done, and done right, they ask the women to handle it. Are there priesthood holders who are top down, or micro managers? You bet! They are human, and flawed like us all, but they aren't picked to be in those positions because they are necessarily great leaders. We are all given opportunities to grow through the callings we serve in within our church, and the Lord knows what we need to grow and progress.

3. In our youth organizations the young men and young women have responsibilities as class leaders. They have a president and two counselors in most cases, and counsel with the bishop monthly on activities, as well as goals for the youth. The boys and girls are split up during this time, but they have plenty of opportunities to interact and work together.

4. We as women play a critical role in the plan of salvation. Without us, the spirits waiting to come to earth and gain their mortal bodies would never get that chance. Without Eve, Adam couldn't have fulfilled his mission here on earth. Without our mother Eve, none of us would be here today. We have been divinely gifted with the opportunity to directly work with our heavenly parents in a way that men will never be able to. For them to be the priesthood holders and not women is okay, because we are equal and yet different in the roles we play in God's plan. Our influence for good is immeasurable if we choose to be leaders, and not follow the ways of the world. That may mean different things to different women, but here's one thing I know, and that's that women are valued and cherished in my faith and by our Heavenly Father, and our Savior Jesus Christ.

I'm glad that I know where I stand. I so wish that all women of the world could have this blessing.

Genealogy and Indexing - A Mission Learning Curve

 My family tree is a growing by leaps and bounds in Family Search as well as at Ancestry.com. I want to offer thanks to all the people who are involved in indexing, which, if you're not familiar with it, is the transcribing and publishing of public records for the use of genealogists around the world.

 Think of that, people all around the world are able to help make public and give easy access to records of births, marriages, baptisms, and deaths for those of us who are searching for our ancestry and heritage. It's an amazing effort that has made it possible to find records that I would otherwise have to either pay for, and or travel to the communities of those family members who have passed on to sort through.
What used to take years to research and gather information on is now as easy as clicking on a "hint" at your preferred genealogy site. You can view documents in most cases, although sometimes there's just typed information, but along with names and dates you also find addresses, occupations, and even stories about someone you might be looking for. Sometimes I can almost see these people, feel their joy, their pain, and sense the challenges they faced. In one instance I have an ancestor who signed up for military service in WWI and within two months was lost at sea when the ship he was on was attacked and sank. As I read the death record and that the father had been notified of this young man's passing I could feel the grief he, the father, must have felt at the news. Here was a young man who never had the chance to marry or have a family. He was already well traveled as he had been to Guatemala, and lived in Mexico and then as a young salesman for the Goodyear tire company, went to Havana, Cuba on business. His passport stated that he was going back to the US as soon as possible.

To those who are involved in genealogy I want to offer some words of advice. As you access the links provided to records on a person, please please please take the time to view the actual image of the documents if possible. I've found over and over again names and dates misspelled or recorded, most likely as in the case of census records, as an estimate. You will clearly see a name spelled one way on the record, but the typed data on the page prior may have incorrect data. Don't assume that because a name is spelled slightly different, or a date is just not quite right on the hint page, that the record isn't a match. Do your due diligence, as I've found all sorts of new information, such as other family members, and so on by doing this. I've also realized that I might have passed on that "hint" and potentially lost some key information due to incorrect information on the initial hint page.
A good way to tell if a record is a match although the surname or some of the names are wrong, is to check the recorded address. Often people stayed in the same home for years, and in a lot of census records the street and address are recorded, although sometimes not. My guess is that when taking censuses folks would ask information of whomever might be home, and that person either didn't have all the facts and guessed, or for some reason didn't want to give out the right information. In the case of some of my ancestors they may have had accents that were hard to understand. In one instance the first Julius Proeger to come from Germany has three different immigration years listed in the various census records I've found. I'm not sure, except that I do have a birth record on his wife, what her preferred name was, because I've found Mina, which is on her headstone, Whilhelmina, Minnie, and Mine, and her birth name is Sibylla Mina.
If you are involved in indexing, please be very cautious and read through the record viewed very carefully. Sometimes they are hard to sort out, but most of the incorrect information I've found has been misspelled names. Dates are also an issue, although not as much.
If you are involved in genealogy or indexing I would love to hear from you and get some of your feedback as well as hearing your story.

The Power of Prayer

We recently had an opportunity to take a long trip and visit various family members. One evening we were asked questions about religion, and what we believe. It caught us off guard, but helped us realize that we need to be better at articulating what we know to be true. It's not enough to just know, we need to be able to share when asked.
One of the topics that came up was prayer and the reason we pray. I'm afraid we somewhat fumbled in our answers, but I've had a lot of time to reflect on that conversation and in particular that question. I know some of the reasons why I pray, to express gratitude for the blessings I have, to pray for the health or situation of either myself or those I know or know of.  In James 1:5-6 we read,

 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

 Even the Savior prayed as we see in Matthew 14:23 -  23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 

 So why do some prayers seemingly go unanswered? Perhaps it's because we don't understand the purpose of prayer. More often though it's because we don't see the whole picture the way our Heavenly Father and the Savior do. We might think that we, or someone we love needs to have a certain blessing, not realizing that while our request may be a righteous one, it may not be what that person needs to grow at the moment. Perhaps we don't recognize the answer because it's not what we asked for. 

Our society has put forth the idea that life shouldn't be hard, we should never have challenges, and everyone should have the same amount of material goods in order for life to be fair, or to prove that God loves us, or that He even exists. If our prayers aren't answered, then either there really isn't a God, or He is a mean and hurtful God. For those who are parents, most realize that if we give everything to our children and never expect anything from them, most will become lazy and ungrateful, even mean and hurtful sometimes. Our Heavenly Father wants us to learn and grow, and the way we do that is by learning to make choices that will bring us the most peace and happiness. Lest anyone mistake my meaning here, it doesn't mean that we must experience everything, even those things that God has said aren't good for us. Some things we must take on faith that they aren't in our best interest to indulge in or do. 

In Moses 1:39 it states "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." This earthly life is a test. We have a purpose for being here, and one of them is to gain a body, to have experience, and prove that we will do all we know to be right and good. Sometimes we are abused and hurt through no fault of our own, and while it is hard to watch the harm that others inflict on us or other people, Heavenly Father is mindful of our pain and suffering, and will be there to welcome us home on the other side. Some have a debilitating illness, either chronic, or deadly. How we handle what others have done to us, how we handle the lot given us in life, or whether we are willing to help those in need of help, comfort or care, determines our eternal destiny. 

Prayer, thoughtful and considerate, can give us strength to meet the challenges that beset us. Whether our challenges are with other people, financial, or physical, as we seek guidance, again asking for that wisdom, we will receive the help we need to be able to deal with each situation. Perhaps the issue will be ongoing, but the help and strength we receive as we ask for it, is immeasurable. 

Prayer can help us as we care for others. As I tended to my father-in-law as he was dying, the help I received was incredible. There were the long road trips back and forth each week that due to weather were sometimes quite dangerous. I was blessed with alertness to avoid the large semi trucks whose vans were sometimes blown about in the wind. I had several hair raising near misses as they struggled, or were just negligent in their driving and wandered all over the road. There were the many nights getting up over and over again to get a drink for or cover the feet of, or uncover the feet of, or move the legs back where they should be, or even just comfort Dad as he struggled to get through the night. He couldn't get up on his own so thankfully the nurses had a way of taking care of his bladder needs so we could all snatch a few minutes of sleep here and there. Most nights Dad and I were awake more than asleep, but the little cat naps during the day helped me be able to assist him and Mom in their daily routines. Lifting Dad off the toilet and helping him down to it should have put me down right away, but I was blessed to be able to help him until after he passed away. It was after he passed that my back went out and I spent months trying to get rid of the pain and be able to walk more that a few steps at a time. Again notice that I didn't avoid the aftermath but I was able to get back to walking again with the help of good physical therapists. The biggest surprise to me was cleaning Dad up after he had gone to the bathroom. I have the most sensitive sense of smell and I expected to gag my way through each bathroom visit, and yet, I have to say, his stuff didn't stink. It was the little things I was able to do, and with a tenderness in my heart and patience to be up all hours of the night that was a gift. Prayer, mine and those around me, helped me to be able to do all I was able to. I learned so much in the process. 

Prayer can help us when we have a disagreement or an issue with another person. When I was younger I used to pray that the other person would change, and do things or think the way I do. Now I ask that I can see a way to think about the situation differently, and I pray for the other person as well, that Heavenly Father will help us both do the right thing. 

There have been times when we as a collective body are asked to pray for rain, and I've seen the results of that collective prayer. 

I could go on but there are those much better at sharing their wisdom and thoughts than I so I will add this link to a talk by Truman G. Madsen. Souls Aflame: The Prayer Heritage of the Latter-day Saints

Please take a moment to read this if you will. Feel free to comment any time. My prayer is that prayer can be more meaningful to all of us.

Angels Among Us - Called to Serve, Going the Second Mile

This post isn't about Santa Claus, but in essence about the many giving men out there in the world today, men of faith, who do what they do without monetary compensation, because they've been called of God, to serve their congregations as bishops or in other leadership positions. Most importantly, they do what they do because they carry the light of Christ in their hearts.

One such man was my in-law's neighbor. He has been bishop several times over the years, most recently of a young single adult congregation. At the time he still had a full time job, yet he was also in charge of a a group of young adults of probably around 300 members. He and his two counselors not only saw to the spiritual needs of the congregation, but their physical and emotional needs as well. Our church has a unique leadership organization in that there are never just one person taking care of a group of people. Each leader typically has two counselors, and each organization whether over the women, priesthood, children or youth, have designated positions to help the bishop in his role as "father" of each ward, or branch, our terms for each congregation.

While this particular man was tending to his "flock" and working full time, caring for a wife who suffers from a debilitating illness, he still took the time to do things such as install guard rails for my in-laws after dad took a tumble. He would clear their driveway after each snowstorm, along with their sidewalks and the neighbors around him. Any time mom and dad needed something, he was there, and you can be assured that he kept his eyes open to their needs as they didn't ask for help unless it was an absolute emergency. What a blessing for us as we lived over 100 miles away at the time and couldn't be there all the time to help.

He is one example of the many men I've known, and known of throughout the years who don't get paid to serve their church, yet there they are, whether they live in Australia, or Iceland, Malaysia or Africa, sacrificing their time, their talents, their means to lift others. They are men, rich and poor, who will see a need and fill it, not caring about race, or religion or economic background. They work their full time jobs, they tend to their families, they serve in their communities, and they serve their congregations. They go beyond what is asked of them, because they care. They truly go the second mile.

Who Knew? Genealogy can be a lot of fun!

 As I've been searching for family information, I've found a wealth of knowledge about the talents of my family members. This glass pipe, and the bird pickle dishes below were designed by Julius Proeger, one of a line of Julius Proegers in my mom's side of the family. Pretty awesome I think!

 

 

 You may be wondering what Carmen Miranda has to do with my family, well, apparently my grandmother, my mother's mom, used to do hair for people in LA, and Carmen was one of her clients! How come I didn't know that before?! Very cool bit of information.

Here's a photo of the headstones for the first Julius Proeger in our family line to come to the US. Funny, there's another line, with a Julius Proeger, we are trying sort out, to see if he is related. Probably, but we can't say for sure right now.
If you think your family has nothing to learn about, you might be surprised! Genealogy is so fun, and it really turns the hearts of the children to their fathers, as is stated in Malachi. Of course we LDS folk believe that families are meant to be together forever, and that Heavenly Father has a plan for that, but even if you don't believe that, you will still find doing genealogy richly rewarding.

Happy Anniversary Honey!

We woke up to a cool and fresh morning, much like the one on our wedding day 12 years ago in Anchorage, Alaska. After having days and weeks of hot weather here, with no end in sight, the parched desert was drenched with torrential (isn't that a great word?!) rain. So this morning the air is clean, and the temperatures are what I would expect from a Labor Day weekend in Alaska.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, the day we married, with the birch trees starting to show promise of the gold dressing they wear for Autumn. The skies were a vivid blue, with puffs of clouds here and there. A perfect Autumn setting, which I had always wanted, for the start of a new life together. We did it right, no living together first, or any of what goes along with that. We put our faith in God that we were doing the right thing, and he has helped us endure the challenges and grow stronger together. Our love has grown, because we have faith and trust in each other, and we like each other, along with loving each other. We made a promise to each other to be faithful, true and work together to have a happy life.

Here's to at least 12 more years together on this earth, and eternity to come. If that seems to be a short time to ask for, well, you never know what will happen, but the beauty of knowing that this life isn't the end for us is comforting. The knowledge that on August 31, 2002 we started our eternal life together is a blessing! I love you Kent. Thank you for asking me to be your wife.

Monday Message of Hope

We thank thee O God for a prophet
to guide us in these latter days.
We thank thee for sending the gospel
to lighten our minds with it's rays!
We thank thee for every blessing
bestowed by thy bounteous hand.
We feel it a pleasure to serve thee,
and love to obey thy command.

I woke up this morning with this hymn running through my head, a wonderful way to start off the week. We celebrated our Autumn General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and were blessed to be spiritually fed by men and women of courage and fortitude, faith and love. So I share in part, the message of hope, that He lives and is real and loves us. May we all have a song in our hearts today!

Super Saturday!

Today is a special day for us as we go in to Salt Lake City to see my husbands sister get married to her fiance. This has been a long day, but is a fairy tale story of love and patience. We are so happy for her and her soon to be new husband!

Seek Ye First......

A favorite verse of mine that I created a counted cross stitch design for to hang up in the living room. A reminder for me to always search the scriptures and pray before I start my day. I can attest to the fact that it works every time I put it to the test. Do you have a favorite verse that motivates you?

Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts

Doctrine and Covenants 121:45 - "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God".
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and doing good to all men: indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul--We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. Articles of Faith 1:13
In a talk given by Bishop H. David Burton last October he pointed out that the spelling in English of many individual virtues concludes with the letters ity: integrity, humility, charity, spirituality, accountability, civility, fidelity and the list goes on. The suffix ity means quality, state or degree of being. He talks about the decline in society today as we push aside these virtues. He quotes President James E. Faust who suggested that integrity is the mother of all other virtues. President Faust also suggested that "integrity is the light that shines from a disciplined conscience." From both of these good men, the thought is that as we promote the "ity" virtues within our homes, families, communities and institutions will be improved and strengthened, and faith and integrity will bless individual lives. In closing Bishop Burton states, " I testify and declare that our Heavenly Father expects His children (you and me) to exercise integrity, civility, fidelity, charity, generosity, morality, and all the "ity" virtues. May we have the humility to take the opportunity to act upon our responsibility to demonstrate our ability to do so, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

I hope this touches your heart as it did mine.