Sunday Lesson: Feb 15th

Our lesson this week, Living Joyfully in Troubled Times, was given by Sis. Kay Bashford. She pointed out that the majority of the lesson was taken from a presidency message given by Pres. Benson in the 1986 Ensign entitled "Do Not Despair." 

Doctrine & Covenants 1:35-36 says, "For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion. And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst, and shall come down in judgment upon Idumea, or the world." 

Pres. Benson teaches us that, "Of all people, we as Latter-day Saints should be the most optimistic and the least pessimistic." We know that the Lord will give us His divine protection if we are living our lives righteously and in accordance with His laws. "With the assurance that the Church shall remain intact with God directing it through the troubled times ahead, it then becomes our individual responsibility to see that each of us remains faithful to the Church and its teachings."

Pres. Benson says, "We will all have disappointments and discouragements - that is part of life. But if we will have faith, our setbacks will be but a moment and success will come out of our seeming failures. Our Heavenly Father can accomplish miracles through each of us if we will but place our confidence and trust in Him."

Being optimistic instead of pessimistic in our lives takes much faith. There is great counsel from Pres. Benson, but he reminds us that we have to work for it. "We have no cause to really worry. Live the gospel, keep the commandments. Attend to your prayers night and morning in your home. Maintain the standards  of the Church. Try and live calmly and cheerfully...Happiness must be earned from day to day. But it is worth the effort." He also tells us that, "There are times when you simply have to righteously hang on and outlast the devil until his depressive spirit leaves you. As the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith: "Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high." (D&C 121:7-8)

There are 12 points from President Benson from his message, "Do Not Despair" that we learned about in class to help us overcome feelings of despair, discouragement, depression, and despondency. President Benson tells us that if we follow them they, "will lift our spirits and send us on our way rejoicing.They include:

1) Repentance- Make sure your life is in line with the laws of God. 2) Prayer- Never stop communicating with God. 3) Service- When we serve it gets our mind off our troubles and helps us stay in focus. 4) Work- The antidote for worry is work. 5) Health- Our bodies house our Spirits; keep it healthy. 6) Read- It can be enlightening, educating, and a good distraction. 7) Blessing- Ask for a priesthood blessing and partake of the sacrament worthily. 8) Fasting- Matt 17:21 9) Friends- Don't forget that your family should be your best friends. 10) Music- The right music can be uplifting and inspiring. 11) Endure- Hang in there and don't give up. 12) Goals- Press forward and accomplish something, even if it is small.Sis. Bashford added one last point, her own, and that is gratitude. Don't forget to be ever grateful for the blessings you have.

Being optimistic and having faith during trials and difficulty is not easy, but our Father in Heaven will always be with us to bless us. He wants us to be successful and He wants us to be happy. He will do His part if we do our part.

Sunday, Feb 8th

Sis. Jenny Maxwell is our new 2nd Sunday RS teacher. She is so excited for her new calling! Her first lesson was Ch. 3,  Freedom of Choice, an Eternal Principle from our Ezra Taft Benson Manual. This day also happened to be her birthday :)

With Pres. Benson's experience of growing up on a farm as a foundation, "he frequently reminded Latter-day Saints and others of the importance of agency - the freedom to choose the course they should follow. His teachings about the principle of agency included more than just a reminder to "choose between right and wrong." He spoke of agency as the ability to 'make important decisions that will have bearing on our salvation' and that will 'affect our happiness in eternity'. He encouraged Latter-day Saints and others to use their agency to 'act on their own,' without waiting to be commanded in all tings. The principle of agency, he said, 'runs like a golden thread throughout the gospel plan of the Lord for the blessing of his children'."

The first principle of agency is that it is a God-given eternal principle. "The great plan of liberty is the plan of the gospel. There is no coercion about it; no force, no intimidation. A man is free to accept the gospel or reject it. He may accept it and then refuse to live it, or he may accept it and live it fully. But God will never force us to live the gospel. He will use persuasion through His servants. He will call us and He will direct us and He will persuade us and encourage us and He will bless us when we respond, be He will never force the human mind."

The second principle that Pres. Benson teaches us about freedom of choice is that we, His children, are free to choose between good and evil. "That the Lord is displeased with wickedness is true. That He desires that it not occur is also true. That He will help those who oppose it is true. But that He allows wickedness to occur at all through His children here in mortality is proof of His having given them their freedom to choose, while reserving for Him a basis for their final judgment."

Sis. Maxwell was kind to us all in the class and made cookies for us. There was one plate, however, that had two yummy looking cookies on it. One had been made with a lot of salt in it, and the other was supposed to taste good. The point of Sis. Maxwell's object lesson is that we have the freedom to choose, but we do not have control over the consequence of our decision. If the salty cookie was chosen, no matter how good it looked, it still tasted salty. 

President Benson teaches us, "The biggest business of any life is making decisions. While one of the greatest gifts of God to man is . . . the right of choice, he has also given man responsibility for these choices . . . We put our own lives in the direction of success or failure. We may not only choose our ultimate goals, but we also determine and decide for ourselves, in many cases, the means by which we will arrive at those goals, and by our industry or lack of it determine the speed by which they may be reached. This takes individual effort and energy and will not be without opposition or conflict."

Something that many of us forget is that when we make individual choices for ourselves, the consequences they bring can be far reaching; much farther than we can imagine. The boy Joseph Smith made a decision to pray and ask for wisdom. His decision to do so directly impacted the lives and salvation of millions of men and women. "We must keep in mind that individuals do matter and that decisions they make may greatly affect the lives of others."

"Wise decisions are usually arrived at following work, struggle, and prayerful effort. . . In decisions of crucial importance, fasting combined with prayer can bring great spiritual insight." Doctrine and Convenants 9:8 says, "But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right."

President Benson pleads with us that, "We should be 'anxiously engaged' in good causes and leave the world a better place for having lived in it."

Sunday, Feb 1st

The lesson this week was given by Sister Lisa Lara. 

What happens in the Spirit World? It is where deceased persons who have not had the opportunity to hear the gospel are taught of its truths by those who have already accepted it. Bro. Larry Peterson’s funeral was almost like a missionary farewell. He loved missionary work and was sure he would be teaching others the gospel after he died. Why do we teach the gospel in the Spirit World? So that those who have not been taught the gospel have a chance to learn it and hopefully accept it. 

In the book True to the Faith it teaches us that "In the spirit world, the gospel is “preached to those who [have] died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets. These [are] taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and all other principles of the gospel that [are] necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit” (D&C 138:32–34).

Many in the spirit world embrace the gospel. However, they cannot receive priesthood ordinances for themselves because they do not have physical bodies. In holy temples, we have the privilege of receiving ordinances in their behalf. These ordinances include baptism, confirmation, Melchizedek Priesthood ordination (for men), the endowment, the marriage sealing, and the sealing of children to parents."

So now we know a little bit about WHY we do Family History work, so we can do for the dead what they cannot do for themselves. Another reason why we should do family History work is because we are commanded to. In Elder Allan F. Packer’s recent conference talk, The Book, he teaches us that we are all trying to qualify for exaltation., and that it is the quest of a lifetime. “As explained in the Church handbook: 'In fulfilling its purpose to help individuals and families qualify for exaltation, the Church focuses on divinely appointed responsibilities. These include helping members live the gospel of Jesus Christ, gathering Israel through missionary work, caring for the poor and needy, and enabling the salvation of the dead by building temples and performing vicarious ordinances.' These four focuses and all other laws, commandments, and ordinances are required and not optional."

Doctrine and Covenants 128:18 says, "For we without [our ancestors] cannot be made perect; neithe can they without us be made perfect." – it’s a continuous circle.

Elder Allan Packer says, “Like partaking of the sacrament, attending meetings, reading the scriptures, and saying personal prayers, doing family history and temple work should be a regular part of our personal worship.”

Sis. Charlene Browne shared with us her experiences doing family history and helping to perserve important events and stories from her family. Through family history work she has been able to connect with distant cousins all over the country and help with countless ordinances.

“Family history also includes the present as we create our own history. It includes the future as we shape future history through our descendants. A young mother, for example, sharing her family stories and pictures with her children is doing family history work,” teaches Elder Allan Packer.

I have realized in the past few months that many of the stories I know about my grandparents are not written down. There are also very different perspectives of the same story depending on who tells it. I shared a story of my grandparents traveling from Chicago to St. George, Utah during WWII to be married in the temple. My mother had shared that story with me. I later mentioned to my aunt that I had shared the story in a RS lesson, and she then recounted the same story, but with many different details that my Mom hadn’t included. It is my job now to write down the story including information from my aunt and my Mother. FamilySearch.org has a place that I can record that story, with a picture even, and it can be shared with all my relatives. 

How hard is it to do Family History work? Many of us feel that is can be overwhelming looking for data and searching for documents. Elder Packer says, “To assist members, the Church has gathered records and provided tools so that much of the work can be done in our own homes or in the ward buildings and the temple. Most obstacles have been removed. Whatever your past perception, it is different now!”

In True to the Faith it tells us our 3 basic responsibilities: 1) Receive the temple ordinance for yourself and help immediate family members receive them. 2) Hold a current temple reccomend and attend the temple as frequently as circumstances allow. 3) Gather family history information so you can help your ancestors receive the blessings of the temple.

There are suggestions to help us start gathering family history information so that our ancestors can receive the blessings of the temple. “While you probably will not be able to do everything, you can do something.” 

• Record important details about your own life. Record your birth date and birthplace and the dates of your baptism and confirmation. Keep a personal journal to record the highlights of your life, including personal experiences that will strengthen the faith of your children and other future generations.
• Learn about your ancestors. Begin by recording information from your memory and from accessible sources at home. Record the vital information you accurately remember or can find about siblings, parents, uncles and aunts, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Where possible, obtain copies of certificates or other documents that include this information. As you gather more information, you may want to search in other locations, such as public records. The local ward or branch may have a family history consultant who can help you. You may also want to visit the Church’s official Web site for family history, www.familysearch.org.
• As you identify your ancestors, use pedigree charts and family group forms to record the information you find. These forms are available on paper and also in Church-produced software programs, such as Personal Ancestral File.

Did you know there are even missionaries that are called to help us do our Family History work? There are missionaries like Sis. Debbie Orvin called to answer questions you may have as you work on FamilySearch.org. These missionaries are available around the clock, 24 hours a day, to be of help to you. Believe it or not, the majority of the people they help are not members of the church. So many people from all walks of life are interested in Family History work. We need to be all the more interested because we can help with saving ordinances for our ancestors.

Elder Allan Packer tells us not to hesitate in doing this work. “All it requires is a decision and a little effort. It does not require a large block of time. Just a little time on a consistent basis will yield the joy of the work.” I think of the time that I spend on social media, or doing this or that. Perhaps that is not time spent in the best way. “We must not sacrifice our exaltation or that of our families for less important interests.”

This video from Pres. Eyring and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was shared at the end of the lesson. Hopefully it touches your heart as it did mine.

February Newsletter

Presidency Message by Marty Rozeski
I read a commentary, by John D. Lamb, a chemistry professor at BYU. The writing is entitled “Why Everyone Should be a Scientist.” Here are a few of his insights:
The word science derives from the Latin scientia, meaning knowledge. Literally, a scientist is a person who makes it his or her business to know stuff. And really everyone should be a scientist-a knower of things, a seeker of light and knowledge. (see Abr. :2).

“Whatever principle of intelligence we obtain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” (D&C 130:18-19) There is intrinsic and eternal value in gaining knowledge. It is one way of drawing closer to God; it is one way of becoming more like him.

Is it any wonder that over the ages Satan has done everything in his power to impede the progress of knowledge? The Library of Alexandria was burned; schools of the Roman Empire were destroyed; works of Beethoven and Goethe were replaced by Nazi barbarism.

As Latter-day Saints, we need to be standard-bearers of enlightened learning. Learning is an integral part of building Zion and a central feature in our mission. That is why one of the first things Joseph did in Kirtland was establish a School of Elders, and in Nauvoo a university. That is the main reason BYU exists. Its mission is more than preparing students for a profession. It is preparing for the millennial reign of Christ. It is preparing for eternity.

Open your eyes to light and minimize the things that distract you from what has real value. There are so many inviting but hollow distractions around us these days.
Your destiny is to be better than what this world alone has to offer. Your destiny is to build Zion. You were sent here to change the world.

Let’s have faith in each other. Let’s learn together, and become God’s children of light.

Love, Marty, Lisa, Jan, Debbie, & Jenny

Birthdays
2 Jeannette Stone
8 Jennifer Maxwell
8 Jerry Whiting
18 Katherine Toone
19 Margaret Agnew
20 Amber Johnson
20 Rachel Mason
23 Kathy Conley
25 Sabrina Hankal

Lesson Schedule – (Ezra Taft Benson)
Feb 1 Lesson by Lisa Lara
Feb 8 #3 “Freedom of Choice, an Eternal Principle” taught by Jenny Maxwell
Feb 15 #4 “Living Joyfully in Troubled Times” taught by Kay Bashford
Feb 22 "The Sacrament & the Atonement" by Elder Hamula AND "The Sacrament" by Cheryl Esplin taught by Mary Kay Bashford

Upcoming Events
Jan 19 – Feb 23 Temple Closed
Feb 12 – Learn Make-Up Techniques at 7 pm at Rozeski home taught by Nikita Bledsoe
Feb 24 – Temple Open
Feb 25 – Project Night at 7 pm at Welling home
Mar 12 – Relief Society Meeting 7 pm
Mar 18 – All Day Temple Day

Other Opportunities
Feb 10 Lunch Bunch 11am at KFC/Taco Bell 58th & Garrison
Feb 18 Book Club 7pm at the Mauger home “The Winter Sea” by Susanna Kearsley
Thursdays 9:30 am playgroup
Saturdays 8 am pickup basketball Stake Center
Mon & Wed 9 am Aerobics
1,2,4 Wednesdays Family History classes 7 pm

Protect Our Nestlings

Sunday Lesson: Jan 25th

Sister Shelley Pack, our Stake Relief Society President, gave the lesson today on Prayer. Most of her lesson came from two talks, The Supernal Gift of Prayer by Elder Richard G. Scott, and Pray Always by Elder David A. Bednar. She wrote two questions on the chalkboard for us to think about during her lesson:

1) How has the routine of daily prayer been a blessing to you?

2) How has the routine of daily prayer inhibited your Spiritual growth?

These two questions may seem contradictory, but it helps you think about your prayers and how you go about communicating with your Father in Heaven. Prayer depends on us. We should ask oursleves how we are saying our prayers.

President Gordon B. Hinckley says, "The trouble with most of our prayers is that we give them as if we were picking up the telephone and ordering groceries - we place our order and hang up. We need to meditate, comtemplate, think of what we are praying about and for and then speak to the Lord as one man speaketh to another." Comments in the class also suggest that we have constant, heartfelt prayer; as we plead to our Father in Heaven we also need to have faith that our Heavenly Father is listening.

There is a sometimes overlooked connection between our prayers and scripture study. Sis. Pack asked us, "How can the Book of Mormon help us have a better communion with God?" We should be having an intimate conversation with our Father in Heaven, and meaningful scripture study can help us do that. As we study the scriptures it opens up to us a conduit to our own personal revelation. We may read something in scripture that opens our mind, or we may have a specific thought as we read that answers a question in our mind. 

When we receive answers to our prayers, what kind of feelings do we experience at that moment? We should feel gratitude that our prayers were heard and feel that Heavenly Father knows me and knows my need. Think of the characteristics of your prayers when it was offered. Our prayers should be sincere, persistent, and full of faith.

Elder Richard G. Scott shares an experience he had with prayer: "Once I had an experience that caused me immense anxiety. It had nothing to do with disobedience or trangression but with a vitally important human relationship. For some time I poured my heart out in urgent prayer. Yet try as I might, I could find no solution, no settling of the powerful stirring within me. I pled for help from that Eternal Father I have come to know and trust completely. I could see no path that would provide the calm that is my blessing generally to enjoy. Sleep overcame me. When I awoke, I was totally at peace. Again I knelt in solemn prayer and asked, "Lord, how is it done?" In my heart, I knew the answer was His love and His concern for me. Such is the power of sincere prayer to a compassionate Father."

As a class we read extensively in 1 Nephi chapters 17 and 18, when Nephi and his family had reached the land Bountiful and Nephi was commanded to build a ship. Nephi showed much faith and submitted his will to the Father when he did not hesitate about the enormity of building a ship. He even asked the Lord where he could find the material to make tools in order to build a ship. He had pure faith in his Father in Heaven that a way would be provided. If we submit our will to the Father, our "workmanship will be exceedingly fine" just as Nephi's was (1 Nephi 18:4).

Sis. Pack shared with us a Prayer Scale from Preach My Gospel that can be found at this link:

https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/images/gospel-library/manual/36617_000_004_03-prayerScale.pdf

Study this scale and privately evaluate your prayers. In your journal write answers to questions like these: Where would you place yourself on this scale? Where would you like to be on this scale? How are you going to change?

"It matters not our circumstance, be we humble or arrogant, poor or rich, free or enslaved, learned or ignorant, loved or forsaken, we can address Him. We need no appointment. Our supplication can be brief or can occupy all the time needed. It can be an extended expression of love and gratitude or an urgent plea for help. He has created numberless cosmos and poplated them with worlds, yet you and I can talk with Him personally, and He will ever answer." Elder Richard G. Scott

Sunday Lesson: Jan 18th

Sis. Kay Bashford always does such a wonderful job teaching from our manual. This past weeks lesson was Pray Always Chapter 2 from our new Ezra Taft Benson Manual. Opening the chapter Pres. Benson says, "All through my life the counsel to depend on prayer has been prized above almost any other advice I have received. It has become an integral part of me, an anchor, a constant source of strength, and the basis for my knowledge of things divine." He was counseled by his father that he could always reach out to his Heavenly Father and receive his aid through prayer. 

Pres. Benson followed his father's advice, even to the White House. When he was appointed to serve as the United States secretary of agriculture, he "prayerfully and carefully" selected a group of men to work with him. At their meetings he asked if anyone would object if they opened the meetings with prayer. No one dissented, and from that time on for eight years they all took turns praying. One staff member later said, "We stumbled and fumbled for words, but the Boss [President Benson] never let on that he noticed. And after a few trials everybody was at ease."

President Hinckley served as President Benson's first counselor in the First Presidency. He had many opportunities to hear Pres. Benson pray. He said of the former prophet: "His prayers were always interesting. Almost without exception they consisted for the most part of expressions of thanks. He asked for very little. He expressed gratitude for very much." The Benson's also were very influential with their children regarding prayer. Their son Mark said, "When Dad knelt down to pray, he didn't rush things. There was meaning behind his words. It came through loud and clear that he was communicating with our Father and Heaven."

Our Savior taught us that we should pray always. In the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) Jesus taught us a pattern for prayer: "After this manner therfore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." In this dispensation the Lord admonished us, "Pray always lest that wicked one have power in you, and remove you out of your place." (D&C 93:49)

Sis. Bashford asked us, "What would your children say about your prayers? Do they know that their mother prays for them?" President Benson teaches, "The differences and irritations of the day melt away as famiies approach the throne of heaven together. Unity increases. The ties of love and affection are re-enforced and the peace of heaven enters."

There are five ways to improve our communication with our Heavenly Father:

1) We should pray frequently

2) We should find an appropriate place where we can meditate

3) We should prepare ourselves for prayer

4) Our prayers should be meaningful and pertinent

President Benson concludes his thoughts on prayer by saying, "It is my testimony, my brothers and sisters and friends, that God does hear and answer prayers. I have never doubted that fact. From childhood, at my mother's knee where I first learned to pray; as a young man in my teens; as a missionary in foreign lands; as a father; as a Church leader; as a government official, I know without any question that it is possible for men and women to reach out in humility and prayer and tap that Unseen Power; to have prayers answered. Man does not stand alone, or at least, he need not stand alone. Prayer will open doors; prayer will remove barriers; prayer will ease pressures; prayer will give inner peace and comfort during times of strain and difficulty. Thank God for prayers."

Sunday Lesson: Jan 11th

Sis. Debbie Orvin was kind enough to subsitute for our RS lesson today. The lesson was Chp. 1 of our new manual by Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, The Great Commandment - Love the Lord.  Sister Orvin pointed out to us that there are many kinds of love: love for our children, love for friends, love of food (or chocolate!), love for our spouse, and even love for things that aren't good for us. The most important kind of love there is, however, is love for Heavenly Father. Mark 12:30 teaches us, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

Pres. Benson said, "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives." This prophet's life reflected his love for the Lord and his commitment to live the gospel. An extended family member once said, "To Ezra and his family religion is a complete way of life - something to be lived seven days a week." Just like our opening hymn says, "I'll go where you want me to go, I'll say what you want me to say. I'll be what you want me to be." (Hymns, no. 270), we would all be better people if we lived our lives this way. "If we could all do that, we would be assured of the maximum of happiness here and exaltation in the celestial kingdom of God hereafter."

The great test of life is obedience to God.

The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it.

The great commandment of life is to love the Lord.

"Come unto Christ," exhorts Moroni in his closing testimony, "....and love God with all your might, mind and strength" (Moroni 10:32). Pres. Benson says, "It is the pure love of Christ, called charity, that the Book of Mormon testifies is the greatest of all - that never faileth, that endureth forever, that all men should have, and that without which they are nothing." He also taught, "To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and stregth is all-consuming and all-encompassing. It is no lukewarm endeavor. It is total commitment of our very being - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually - to a love of the Lord."

We all know what the 10 commandments are, however, if we keep and follow the 1st and 2nd great commandments - Love the Lord and Love thy Neighbor - then the rest are all taken care of. If we truly love God we will want to keep all of His other commandments.

Think about your home. What is the condition there? Are we striving to put the Lord first and to please Him? How are we doing it? The primary answers that we are all familiar with will help us. If we pray, read the scriptures, hold Family Home Evening, keep the commandments and make sure we are worthy for the temple, His blessings will come in abundance.

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life."

Read from the Manual Here

Sunday Lesson: Jan 4th

Our first lesson of the year was given by Marty Rozeski. She did a wonderful job introducing us to President Ezra Taft Benson and the new manual that we will be using throught the year. It is interesting to note that the introduction to this dear prophet is 33 pages long; much longer than any of the lessons we will cover throughout the year. Please take the time to read about the life and ministry of President Ezra Taft Benson on your own.

As we read about Ezra Taft Benson as a boy growing up on his family's farm, we begin to understand about why he grew to be the amazing man that he was. He was taught at a very young age about the value of work and learned so many life lessons growing up the way he did. Some of these life lessons include:

• The Capacity to work
• Early to bed, early to rise
• Patience
• Being responsible
• Appreciation for creation
• The simplicity of life
• Dicipline
• Labor = Harvest
• Self-reliance

President Benson learned from the example of his parents as well. When his father was surprisingly called to serve a mission, leaving his wife and family of seven children and one on the way behind, he was expected to help run their farm and do more than most 12 year olds could ever imagine. From this experience young Ezra learned about family unity, obedience to the Lord, sacrifice, the strong love that can develop in a marriage, and of course the importance of missionary work. President Benson later said, "My Father knew a greater vision of love. He knew that 'all things shall work together for good to them that love God' (Romans 8:28)...While we missed him greatly during those years, and while his absence brought many challenges to our family, his acceptance proved to be a gift of charity...Yes, there came into our home, as a result of Father's mission, a spirit of missionary work that never left it."

Throughout his life President Benson had to learn how to balance his family life and the life of great service in the church. There are so many examples that we can read about where President Benson is serving in some capacity and he is overcome with love for those he served. Whether it be serving as a scout master, serving as a missionary, or serving in President Eisenhower's cabinet, President Benson always put the Lord's work first. He loved those he served and he always had his family's support as he did so. He teaches us that service equals love and that we always need to obey God's will for us.