The Book of Mormon

My own testimony of the The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. It testifies of Jesus Christ. It is the history of the people who lived upon the earth on the American Continent from 600 B.C. to about 421 A.D. The Bible is also a testament of Jesus Christ and it is the history of the people in the Holy Land. So as you can see they are both written histories, of people in two different parts of the world that have recorded the events of their times from before the birth of Christ until shortly thereafter.

They both foretell of Christ's birth and his ministry. Jesus ministered to the people of the Bible while he lived and walked here upon the earth. After his death and crucifixion he came and ministered to the people here on the American continent.

In the Bible, in John 10:16 we read

"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."

Where were these sheep? Some of them were on the American continent. They were the people spoken of in the Book of Mormon. One my favorite stories from the Book of Mormon, which tells of Christ ministering to these other sheep is found in 3 Nephi 17.

The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel.

The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.

If you would like to read the Book of Mormon you may order a free copy by going to Mormon.org (free media box). You can also order a free copy of the Bible-King James version (and there are also a number of free videos you may enjoy).

Before you read the Book of Mormon, I would like to suggest that you read this verse first ...

Moroni 10:4

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost."

I read the Book of Mormon for the first time 29 years ago and received a witness by the power of the Holy Ghost that it is true. I cannot express my testimony as eloquently as Elder Holland did at General Conference last week but I want to add my simple testimony that I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Because of this, I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I know that he did not write the Book of Mormon but translated it by the power of God. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God on the earth today, the only man on the earth who holds all the keys of the priesthood and has the right to exercise them. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He lives. I know that Heavenly Father lives and loves us. Through the teachings in the Book of Mormon we learn the plan of salvation and what we must do to gain peace in this life. When you read the Book of Mormon if you do so with real intent, you will have a feeling of peace come into your life and you too can know that these things are true.

Quote for the week

One of my favorite moments from October General Conference ...

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, of the Quorum of the Twelve, holds a Book of Mormon during the Sunday afternoon session of general conference that early church leader Hyrum Smith read from to comfort his brother the Prophet Joseph Smith before their martyrdom at Carthage Jail.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's testimony of the Book of Mormon ~

"Love. Healing. Help. Hope. The power of Christ to counter all troubles in all times—including the end of times. That is the safe harbor God wants for us in personal or public days of despair. That is the message with which the Book of Mormon begins, and that is the message with which it ends, calling all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.” That phrase—taken from Moroni’s final lines of testimony, written 1,000 years after Lehi’s vision—is a dying man’s testimony of the only true way.

May I refer to a modern “last days” testimony? When Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum started for Carthage to face what they knew would be an imminent martyrdom, Hyrum read these words to comfort the heart of his brother:

“Thou hast been faithful; wherefore . . . thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.

“And now I, Moroni, bid farewell . . . until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ.”

A few short verses from the 12th chapter of Ether in the Book of Mormon. Before closing the book, Hyrum turned down the corner of the page from which he had read, marking it as part of the everlasting testimony for which these two brothers were about to die. I hold in my hand that book, the very copy from which Hyrum read, the same jcorner of the page turned down, still visible. Later, when actually incarcerated in the jail, Joseph the Prophet turned to the guards who held him captive and bore a powerful testimony of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Shortly thereafter pistol and ball would take the lives of these two testators.

As one of a thousand elements of my own testimony of the divinity of the Book of Mormon, I submit this as yet one more evidence of its truthfulness. In this their greatest—and last—hour of need, I ask you: would these men blaspheme before God by continuing to fix their lives, their honor, and their own search for eternal salvation on a book (and by implication a church and a ministry) they had fictitiously created out of whole cloth?

Never mind that their wives are about to be widows and their children fatherless. Never mind that their little band of followers will yet be “houseless, friendless and homeless” and that their children will leave footprints of blood across frozen rivers and an untamed prairie floor. Never mind that legions will die and other legions live declaring in the four quarters of this earth that they know the Book of Mormon and the Church which espouses it to be true. Disregard all of that, and tell me whether in this hour of death these two men would enter the presence of their Eternal Judge quoting from and finding solace in a book which, if not the very word of God, would brand them as imposters and charlatans until the end of time? They would not do that! They were willing to die rather than deny the divine origin and the eternal truthfulness of the Book of Mormon."

111!

Memories of my dear Grandmother to honor her on her 111th birthday! "Grandma Federer Day" at the First Nazarene Church in Cheyenne. I don't know many people who are honored in such a way. Aunt Kay said Grandma's advice to us would be to do what is right, serve God and go to church.

The pastor of the church presented Grandma with a distinguished service award for 43 years of faithful service on December 11, 1983.

August 1983

This was the first time Grandma held Mark. I am glad he got to meet her!

May 1984

I loved visiting Grandma with Christopher and Mark. She would bring out her box of toys which consisted of spools and empty bottles. You can see they loved playing with them!

Grandma's son Marion was killed in World War II. To honor his memory she joined the American Gold Star Mothers and gave many years of service to them. The organization was for mothers who had lost a son or daughter in the service of their country. She attended a number of meetings and conventions. They held bazaars and used the money raised to make improvements at the Veterans Hospital. From donations they received, they were able to buy televisions and a grandfather clock for the center. They also felt is was important that each patient have a clock in their room. In took about two years, but they were able to achieve that goal. It was an ambitious project as there were only 12 active members of the Cheyenne chapter at that time ~ and most of them were senior citizens. Of course Grandma donated one of her beautiful quilts to raffle off. It took her at least 150 hours to finish. Members of the Gold Star Mothers presenting a check to the director of the V.A. hospital.

Gold Star Mothers

One of reasons Gold Star Mother's wore white at their conventions ~ While black was the traditional color of mourning in Western cultures, the decision by AGSM to wear white, rather than black, was a strong statement of how the women wanted to be perceived as they participated in the organization's business. Yes, they mourned the loss of their child, but white made a symbolic statement that went beyond mourning, a statement of peace, sacrifice, innocence and goodness. Those were the things that their children represented and had died for - wearing white celebrated their children's contributions while the gold star acknowledged their sacrifice.

This is beautiful lilac bush in Grandma's yard. She loved flowers and to this day whenever I see lilacs and enjoy their beautiful scent, I always think of her.

Sisters ~ Aunt Mabel and Grandma

Behind them on the shelf, there is a bottle of Oil of Olay. Grandma always kept a bottle on hand, it was her "beauty secret." I put some on occasionally but I always felt guilty using her special lotion.

Grandma with her first born son, Ernest Cecil. He was born September 16, 1916 and died two months later on November 17. Back then they called it a "crib death." Now we call it SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Regardless of its name, it must have been so hard on her. She was so young. What a difficult experience for her.

I am not sure how old Grandma is in this picture. Aunt Kay sent this picture to me. I love it because this is one of the few picture I've seen when she was younger. She is so cute! I hope Grandma spent her birthday relaxing with a good book. But I know she probably went about her regular day feeding the heavenly chickens and making one of her delicious dinners. Her family and serving others was what brought her the most joy. I spent a summer with Grandma after I graduation from high school. It was one of the best summers of my life. She taught me how to quilt. A few times when she couldn't get a appointment to have her hair done, I washed her hair and set it with curlers. We went for walks and had many cherished conversations.

Happy 111th Birthday Grandma!

Happy Birthday Lee

Lee is 60 today!!

Lee A.K.A. ~ The Queen's Storyteller!
December 2002

Lee adds a special spice to every Christmas. For many years he has written an original Christmas story that he reads at the Williams family Christmas party. We all looked forward to his costume that is also a Lee creation! This is the Christmas that Chris and Mark were BOTH away on their missions. I was not looking forward to any celebrations without our boys. Holley was sweet to invite us to her home in Idaho that year. Celebrating Christmas with Holley's family and listening to Lee's story saved our Christmas.

I love this picture, Lee makes every family gathering more fun. I have seen him laugh like this many times.

Lee is a very thoughtful, giving person. Through the years he has given Chris and Mark many fun toys or gadgets. We still have some of the things he gave them when they were younger. Chris enjoys bouncing around ideas with him. He often brings me flowers or something that caught his eye. He is respectful and as I have said many times, would give the shirt off his back to someone in need. I am most grateful to him for the sweet way he cares for Johnnie Belle. He places her needs above all else and has been a wonderful example to us all.

This is a card Lee gave me several years back, I treasure this note. His handwriting is so artistic and classy!

You don't LOOK 60
You don't ACT 60
And I know you don't FEEL 60
I'm sorry ~ I'm gonna need to see some I.D.

Happy Birthday Lee!

I hope the coming year is filled with many wonderful surprises!

We love you!

Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Parker #6

Great-Great Grandparents
James Thornton Parker and Mary Taylor "Molly" Zion (I think!)
George Johnson Parker's parents

This is my Great-Grandfather, George Johnson Parker. I think is he so handsome. Great-Grandpa was the third son of nine children who were all born in Missouri. My Aunt Bernice tells me he was a kind and loving man, who of course worked very hard to take care of his family. I have heard he had a cute sense of humor that Grandma Federer inherited!

This is my Great-Grandmother, Ivor Nora Stevens. Great-Grandma was the second daughter of 7 children who were also all born in Missouri. I guess Great-Grandma was a little stern and also worked so hard.

Aunt Bernice thinks this a picture of their children, my Grandmother, Edna and her sister, Mabel and brother, Frank.

This is Grandma Federer's sister Mabel with her husband Wiley Warner. I love this picture!

This information will not be in the Homestead Book since the focus will be on Grandpa and Grandma Federer. However, I do have a few stories I want to share about my Great-Grandparents.

Grandma Federer tells of a time that they were having potato soup for dinner. Grandma was carrying the pot of soup to the table and dropped it. She spilled the entire pot of soup on the floor. Great-Grandpa Parker was a very mild-mannered man. He got up then sat down and did this two more times but never said a word. Of course there was no plan "B" to order out for pizza. Sad, they probably were hungry that night. Often things were very sparse at Christmastime. They didn't have much and would get an orange in their Christmas stocking. Grandma Stevens heard about the hard times they were having and sent the money that she had been saving to buy a winter coat.

Grandma's parents also hopped a train and headed west. Their homestead experience was very difficult and they nearly starved to death. They burned cow chips for heat. They had to give up the farm and moved to town were Great-Grandpa Parker got a job with the railroad.

Temples...

The first 55 temples in operation by Daniel Bishoff

"And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;" ~ (Doctrine and Covenants 109:22)

This past weekend was the 179th Semiannual General Conference of our church. In the first session on Saturday, President Monson announced plans to build five new temples ~ Brigham City, Utah; Concepción, Chile; Fortaleza, Brazil; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and Sapporo, Japan.

Brigham City will be the fourteenth temple in Utah.

President Monson also mentioned that 83 percent of the 14 million church members, now live within 200 miles of a temple. That's incredible, we are SO blessed! There are 130 temples in operation, 16 in some phase of planning or construction and so with this announcement of 5 new temples, it will be bring the total to 151 worldwide.

Red ~ Operating temples
Blue ~ Announced or under construction
Black ~ Proposed sight

Just for fun, these are the temples I have attended:

1. Billings, Montana
2. Bountiful, Utah
   
3. Copenhagen, Denmark
4. Denver, Colorado
5. Draper, Utah
   
6. Hong Kong, China
   
7. Jordan River, Utah
8. Logan, Utah
9. Los Angeles, California
10. Manti, Utah
11. Mesa, Arizona
12. Monticello, Utah
13. Mount Timpanogos, Utah
14. Nauvoo, Illinois
    
15. Oquirrh Mountain, Utah
16. Orlando, Florida
    
17. Provo, Utah
18. St. George, Utah
19. Salt Lake City, Utah
20. St. Louis, Missouri
21. San Diego, California
22. Taipei, Taiwan
23. Vernal, Utah
24. Winter Quarter, Nebraska
    

I would like to go to many more in the coming year!!

Tillykke Mark!!!

"If you done it, it ain't bragging." ~ Walt Whitman

Mark was salesperson of the month
in August AND September!!

We are bragging because he
works hard and we love him!!

Grandma Federer - Homestead Book #5

Edna May and Mabel Nannie Parker

Frank Mirlen Parker

My Great-Grandfather, George Johnson Parker was born August 31, 1874 in Missouri. His father, James Thornton Parker was born in Indiana and his mother Mary Taylor "Molly" Zion was born in Virginia.

My Great-Grandmother, Ivor Nora Stevens was born March 3, 1877 in Missouri to Oliver Howard Stevens and Lizzie Bell Hocker.

My Great-Grandparents were married in 1897 and had three children who were all born in Missouri ~ Edna May (My Grandmother), Mabel Nannie and Frank.

When Grandma was 9 years old they moved to Wyoming. All their relatives were very concerned about them going out West and thought they would be killed by Indians!

I remember visiting Aunt Mabel at her yellow house in Cheyenne. It was always very neat and tidy. Sadly she never had children. My Mom helped her many times when she needed a room painted or new wallpaper hung. Aunt Mabel crocheted this beautiful afghan for my high school graduation. Her stitches were perfect, small and so uniform. I also remember she always gave me a new pair of pajamas every Christmas, a tradition I started with my sons.

Grandma Federer was loved by all who knew her. I cherished the quilts she made for me. She belonged to several charitable organization. She made this quilt for the Stride Learning Center. Some lucky ticket holder won this quilt at a bazaar held by the "Know Your Neighbor Club." Grandma donated many quilts to help raise money to benefit Stride. Someone asked why she donated a quilt year after year and she replied, "It's just something I want to do." She looks so cute in her pantsuit!

I love this poem that was written by Phyllis Beving.

The Quilt

Little scraps of gingham bits of calico

Saved from sewing baskets many years ago.

Countless tiny stitches each one like the last

Hidden little knots to hold the stitches fast

Hour after hour under candlelight

Grandma sat there sewing far into the night.

Flashing silver needles covered now with rust

Loving hands that held them long have turned to dust

Though her few possessions didn't seem like much

She created beauty with her gentle touch

Legacies of beauty so a wise man told

Fill our lives with beauty richer far than gold.

I miss her loving ways, her simple faith and steady guiding hand. I could devote an entire book just to her and all the ways she blessed our lives.

I don't remember Uncle Frank and I can't remember hearing stories about him so I will keep searching.

More about Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Parker next time.

Quote for the week

It's nice to be important,

but it's more important to be nice.

~ John Cassis

Fall Colors!!!

Tim and I enjoyed a crisp autumn day and a drive up the beautiful American Fork Canyon. The Alpine Loop is about 20 miles through the canyons of the Wasatch Range. The views are incredible.

We love living so close to the mountains.

No way ~ there's one of Tim's biker buddies!

Hurry up the canyon before the colors are all gone!