So, for the past seven months or so, my calling has been the ward choir accompanist. It is a great calling. In fact, it has been perfect for me while having a new baby and adjusting to life with BJ in graduate school. But, just the other day, I was telling Sarah that I felt like I was ready to do more. Well, Heavenly Father must have heard my ramblings because today I received two new callings…in addition to my calling as choir pianist! I am now a girls activity leader and the 4th Sunday Relief Society teacher. I am excited because the 4th Sunday lesson is from the conference Ensign. I love to read the words of the modern day prophets and ponder on revelations given for us in our day. Oh, and just had to mention that we heard today that President Monson announced another temple this past week-in Phoenix! I was sure that is must just be a crazy rumor, but BJ looked it up on lds.org and it is true! It is very exciting.
Also, our air conditioner is working again. Thank goodness. Thanks to Chantel, Sarah and Karli for letting us hang out at your houses rather than melt in ours last week. However, the weather was on our side because it was only hot for half of the time our A/C was out, then the cold front moved in. We took advantage of the amazingly cool weather and did LOTS of canning. We canned by ourselved, with Cheri and with Grandpa Dave (aren’t we lucky?) We canned pasta sauce, Costa Vida pork, pinto beans, chicken and Dr. Pepper roast. I also tried out the jar sealer attachment for our Food Saver and sealed some dehydrated peppers and some brown sugar. We are using a chunck of our tax return to work on our food storage. It is pretty exciting, really. What I would love to do is purchase 6-8 months of Mountain House food (the freeze-dried food) to put away in a closet and forget about it for 30 years unless we needed to use it in an emergency. Then, everything that I could can or stock up on would make up the difference. But, in the meantime, I am just thankful for what we have been able to set aside. I also think it is benficial for our children to be involved in the process and see the work put into following the prophets counsel. Kennady was in the kitchen with me listening to the jars seal. It is one of my favorite sounds. Back when I served in the Primary Presidency, I taught a sharing time lesson about how making raspberry jam was similar to a family being sealed in the temple. That lesson prepared me to be able to share the analogy with Kennady. We were able to talk about how if we left meat sitting on the counter for even a week or two, it would get moldy, stinky and disgusting. We would have to throw it away. But, if that same meat was sealed in a jar, it would last for years. We compared that to our family and talked about how Heavenly Father has promised us that our family can last forever because we are sealed together in the temple. I found the raspberry jam article and am going to include the story because it is just so cute. The story was written by Brad Wilcox and was printed in the July 2004 Friend Magazine:
The raspberries were red, ripe, and juicy. Whitney had never seen quite so many. Mom had bought several large containers when they were on sale, and now she wanted Whitney to help her make jam. Whitney loved jam on toast in the mornings or on hot rolls when they came out of the oven. Her mouth watered at the thought of the treat.

Mom lifted a sack of sugar out of the storage bucket. “Start putting the raspberries in the strainer,” she instructed. “Then run them under the water in the sink until they’re clean. Be sure to pick out any bits of leaves you find.”

Whitney filled the strainer, cleaned the berries, and dumped them into a big bowl. She refilled the strainer and went through the process again and again. It hardly felt like work to her.

After Mom finished measuring the sugar, she took lots of clean jars out of the dishwasher and stacked them on the countertop. Once the dishwasher was empty, she pulled several more jars out of a cardboard box and placed them in the dishwasher.

“Why are you doing that?” Whitney asked. “They don’t look dirty to me.”

“Some of the jars have been sitting on the shelf downstairs for a while. I just want to make sure that they are all clean before we fill them with jam.”

Mom and Whitney worked together for several hours before Dad and Wendee, Whitney’s sister, came home. “Put on some aprons and come give us a hand,” Mom called to them. Dad started mashing up the last of the berries while Wendee began labeling the finished jars.

“Honey, before you put away those jars, make sure all the lids are sealed,” Mom said to Wendee.

Whitney stopped stirring and laughed. “Sealed?” she asked. “Are they getting married or something?”

Now Dad, Mom, and Wendee laughed.

“Well,” Whitney said defensively, “Mom told you to make sure the lids are sealed. So what are you going to do? Take them to the temple?”

Wendee picked up a jar and showed her younger sister the lid. “See, the lid has to seal to the jar so the jam won’t spoil. If the lid doesn’t seal, the jam won’t last. We’re not talking about the temple.”

“Well,” Dad said, “maybe we are. Think about it—isn’t it the same with families? The ones sealed in the temple by priesthood authority can last forever. Those that aren’t sealed aren’t going to last.”

“Keep mashing the rest of those berries while you preach your sermon,” Mom said as she started spooning finished jam into the jars. Whitney reached out to steady the jars while Mom worked.

“I thought getting sealed just meant getting married,” Whitney said.

“Not exactly,” Mom explained. “A man and a woman can get married anywhere, but when they marry outside of the temple, it’s only for this life. Couples married, or sealed, in the temple can be married forever.”

“Now who’s preaching?” Dad asked with a smile.

“Sealed means linked together or hard to break apart,” Mom explained. “When you get married in the temple, you are linked eternally to your spouse and your children. We seal the lids to preserve the jam. Being sealed in the temple preserves families.”

“These berries are all mashed. What’s next?” Dad asked.

“Just take those last few jars out of the dishwasher.”

“I feel another lesson coming on,” Dad said. “See, Mom cleaned the jars before she filled them with jam. Sealing jam in a dirty jar would not work. It’s the same way with the temple. We have to be clean and worthy to enter the temple. That’s the only way the sealing counts.”

“I’m impressed,” Wendee said. “Dad, you’re pretty good.”

“So is this jam,” Mom said. “Now, who wants some before we put it all away?”

Over the next few weeks, everyone in the family enjoyed the jam. Whitney liked it best of all.

One Sunday Sister Garcia assigned Whitney to give a talk in Primary the following week. Whitney didn’t usually like giving talks because she never knew what to say. But this time was different. Whitney could hardly wait to get home and begin writing.

“What are you supposed to talk about?” Wendee asked on the way home from church.

“Well,” Whitney said, “Sister Garcia said the theme should be ‘families are forever.’ The way I look at it, forever families are a lot like making raspberry jam!”

“With the Lord, families are essential. … He provides temples so that families can be together forever.” -Elder Russell M. Nelson

Another fun thing is that a couple of weeks ago, I went to an emergency preparedness meeting. When I got in my car to drive home, I realized that BJ’s ipod was no longer playing music like it was when I went into the meeting. It was playing a general conference talk. Can you imagine my surprise when I realized that the talk playing was all about canning pickles by Elder Bednar! Here it is for your enjoyment:
Ye Must Be Born Again
My boyhood home in California was located relatively close to large orchards of apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, and other delicious fruits. We also lived near fields of cucumbers, tomatoes, and a variety of vegetables.

As a boy I always looked forward to canning season. I did not like scrubbing the canning jars or working in our hot kitchen. But I did like working with my mom and dad. And I loved eating my work! I am sure I ate more fruit than ever made it into any of our canning jars.

My memories of time spent in the kitchen with Mom and Dad are stirred every time I see a bottle of home-canned cherries or peaches. The basic lessons I learned about temporal self-reliance and provident living while picking and canning produce have blessed me throughout my life. Interestingly, simple and ordinary experiences often provide the most important learning opportunities we ever have.

As an adult I have reflected upon the things I observed in our kitchen during canning season. This morning I want to discuss some of the spiritual lessons we can learn from the process by which a cucumber becomes a pickle. I invite the Holy Ghost to be with us as we consider the significance of those lessons for me and for you as we come unto Christ and are spiritually reborn.

Cucumbers and Pickles
A pickle is a cucumber that has been transformed according to a specific recipe and series of steps. The first steps in the process of changing a cucumber into a pickle are preparing and cleaning. I remember many hours spent on the back porch of my home removing stems from and scrubbing dirt off of the cucumbers we had picked. My mom was very particular about the preparing and cleaning of the cucumbers. She had high standards of cleanliness and always inspected my work to make sure this important task was properly completed.

The next steps in this process of change are immersing and saturating the cucumbers in salt brine for an extended period of time. To prepare the brine, my mom always used a recipe she learned from her mother—a recipe with special ingredients and precise procedures. Cucumbers can only become pickles if they are totally and completely immersed in the brine for the prescribed time period. The curing process gradually alters the composition of the cucumber and produces the transparent appearance and distinctive taste of a pickle. An occasional sprinkle of or dip in the brine cannot produce the necessary transformation. Rather, steady, sustained, and complete immersion is required for the desired change to occur.

The final step in the process requires the sealing of the cured pickles in jars that have been sterilized and purified. The pickles are packed in canning jars, covered with boiling hot brine, and processed in a boiling-water-bath canner. All impurities must be removed from both the pickles and the bottles so the finished product can be protected and preserved. As this procedure is properly followed, the pickles can be stored and enjoyed for a long period of time.

To summarize, a cucumber becomes a pickle as it is prepared and cleaned, immersed in and saturated with salt brine, and sealed in a sterilized container. This procedure requires time and cannot be hurried, and none of the essential steps can be ignored or avoided.

A Mighty Change
The Lord’s authorized servants repeatedly teach that one of the principal purposes of our mortal existence is to be spiritually changed and transformed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Alma declared:

“Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;

“And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God” (Mosiah 27:25–26).

We are instructed to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny [ourselves] of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32), to become “new creature[s]” in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), to put off “the natural man” (Mosiah 3:19), and to experience “a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2). Please note that the conversion described in these verses is mighty, not minor—a spiritual rebirth and fundamental change of what we feel and desire, what we think and do, and what we are. Indeed, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ entails a fundamental and permanent change in our very nature made possible through our reliance upon “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8). As we choose to follow the Master, we choose to be changed—to be spiritually reborn.

Preparing and Cleaning
Just as a cucumber must be prepared and cleaned before it can be changed into a pickle, so you and I can be prepared with “the words of faith and of good doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:6) and initially cleansed through the ordinances and covenants administered by the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood.

“And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;

“Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins” (D&C 84:26–27).

And the Lord has established a high standard of cleanliness.

“Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence” (Moses 6:57).

Proper preparing and cleaning are the first basic steps in the process of being born again.

Immersing and Saturating
Just as a cucumber is transformed into a pickle as it is immersed in and saturated with salt brine, so you and I are born again as we are absorbed by and in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we honor and “observe the covenants” (D&C 42:13) into which we have entered, as we “feast upon the words of Christ” (2 Nephi 32:3), as we “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart” (Moroni 7:48), and as we “serve [God] with all [of our] heart, might, mind and strength” (D&C 4:2), then:

“Because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters” (Mosiah 5:7).

The spiritual rebirth described in this verse typically does not occur quickly or all at once; it is an ongoing process—not a single event. Line upon line and precept upon precept, gradually and almost imperceptibly, our motives, our thoughts, our words, and our deeds become aligned with the will of God. This phase of the transformation process requires time, persistence, and patience.

A cucumber only becomes a pickle through steady, sustained, and complete immersion in salt brine. Significantly, salt is the key ingredient in the recipe. Salt frequently is used in the scriptures as a symbol both of a covenant and of a covenant people. And just as salt is essential in transforming a cucumber into a pickle, so covenants are central to our spiritual rebirth.

We begin the process of being born again through exercising faith in Christ, repenting of our sins, and being baptized by immersion for the remission of sins by one having priesthood authority.

“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

And after we come out of the waters of baptism, our souls need to be continuously immersed in and saturated with the truth and the light of the Savior’s gospel. Sporadic and shallow dipping in the doctrine of Christ and partial participation in His restored Church cannot produce the spiritual transformation that enables us to walk in a newness of life. Rather, fidelity to covenants, constancy of commitment, and offering our whole soul unto God are required if we are to receive the blessings of eternity.

“I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved” (Omni 1:26).

Total immersion in and saturation with the Savior’s gospel are essential steps in the process of being born again.

Purifying and Sealing
Cured cucumbers are packed into sterilized jars and heat processed in order to remove impurities and to seal the containers from external contaminants. The boiling-water-bath procedure enables the pickles to be both protected and preserved over a long period of time. In a similar way, we progressively become purified and sanctified as you and I are washed in the blood of the Lamb, are born again, and receive the ordinances and honor the covenants that are administered by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

“Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God” (Helaman 3:35).

The word sealing in my message today does not refer exclusively to the ordinance of eternal marriage performed in the house of the Lord. Rather, I am using this particular word as explained in the 76th section of the Doctrine and Covenants:

“This is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just—

“They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—

“That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power;

“And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true” (vv. 50–53).

The Holy Spirit of Promise is the ratifying power of the Holy Ghost. When sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, an ordinance, vow, or covenant is binding on earth and in heaven. (See D&C 132:7.) Receiving this “stamp of approval” from the Holy Ghost is the result of faithfulness, integrity, and steadfastness in honoring gospel covenants “in [the] process of time” (Moses 7:21). However, this sealing can be forfeited through unrighteousness and transgression.

Purifying and sealing by the Holy Spirit of Promise constitute the culminating steps in the process of being born again.

“In the Energy of My Soul”
My beloved brothers and sisters, I pray this parable of the pickle may help us to evaluate our lives and to better understand the eternal importance of spiritual rebirth. With Alma, “I speak in the energy of my soul” (Alma 5:43).

“I say unto you that this is the order after which I am called, yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren, yea, and every one that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto you the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry unto them that they must repent and be born again” (Alma 5:49).

I witness the reality and divinity of a living Savior who invites us to come unto Him and be transformed. I testify His Church and priesthood authority have been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Through faith in Christ, we can be spiritually prepared and cleansed from sin, immersed in and saturated with His gospel, and purified and sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise—even born again. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Just as Elder Bednar remembers lessons learned through canning, I hope that my children will have these lessons planted in their hearts as well…that they will realize that canning is about more than just food. There are eternal principles to be learned.

On Saturday, Addy and I went to watch her cousin’s dance recital. On the way there, we were stopped at a red light next to a couple of big, burly guys on their Harley’s. She exclaimed, “Mom! Those guys don’t even have training wheels!”

A couple of weeks ago, I was giving each of the girls a job to do if they wanted to watch a movie. I suggested that Kennady clean her bathroom. She looked straight at me and in all seriousness relied, “No. I’m not that kind of a girl.” Then, when I could not contain my laughter, she was very upset that I laughed at her. I’m sorry. How could I not laugh? Kids are so funny!

Last week, BJ was on break from school. So, he decided to take some vacation time from work as well and take the family camping. We went on a Monday evening. So, when we arrived at Alderwood campground, we were happy to see that we had the entire campground to ourselves. We set up camp and got the girls settled in for the night (when I say “we”, I really mean BJ). Jase and I slept in the Durango. Our camping spot was about 30 feet from the best little stream. It was a beautiful location!

Jase enjoyed his first camping trip. This was a good age for him to go camping. Once the babies start crawling, I try to avoid camping until they are good little walkers. Otherwise, there is just way too much dirt! Jase hung out in his Daddy pack, the pack ‘n’ play or in our arms.

After making our breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and biscuits over the fire, we cleaned up and headed down to the stream. We spent the morning talking, playing, and watching BJ try to catch a fish.

Later, we took a nature walk and had some lunch. Then the kids took a nap. Well, all except for Addy. She cannot nap. If she ever does actually fall asleep at naptime, she will be up until 2:00 in the morning. I heard somewhere that smarter people need less sleep. So, I am expecting her to be a genius So, Addy laid down until the other kids fell asleep, then joined BJ and I down at the stream.

She totally lucked out. BJ caught a fish and she got to reel it in! It was very exciting.

Now that Addy had caught a fish and we knew they were biting, I was determined to catch a fish too. I was kind of surprised to realize that I think fishing is really fun. I caught one fish but it escaped as I was trying to reel it in. Then, later I caught this fish… See it on the end of the line there? I know that it looks small, but it was actually a pretty decent sized fish. We determined that we would eat it for dinner. So, BJ was trying to attach it to the stake thing to keep it fresh until dinnertime and it slipped right out of his hands! I think he was just jealous that my fish was bigger than his

When the kids woke up from their naps, they straggled down to the stream.

You can see what type of fish Brighton was interested in catching!

After awhile, BJ got in the stream to try and set a trap for a particularly big fish that he wanted to get. Brighton wanted in on the fun as well. She was standing on this rock with her feet in the water, shivering cold. I kept warning her to be careful or get out because she might fall in. Well, what do you think happened? That’s right. She fell in. And she was not happy about it!

We went back to camp to warm her up and start cooking our dinner. Addy’s fish provided enough meat that each of us could have a little taste. Addy didn’t want to taste it, but she was pretty proud of her “rainbow fish” for dinner. We were trying to get everyone in warm clothes, finish dinner, etc. when we realized that we had pretty much experienced everything we came for. So, we finished dinner, let the kids make some smores, packed up and drove home. That way we could all sleep in our own beds that night. On the way out, we saw several elk and deer. Look closely and see if you can spot the elk. It was pretty amazing. So, though it was a quick camping trip, we had fun together and made some great memories.

We now have three new pets: two kittens and one duck. That’s right…welcome to webkinz world! (my favorite way to have a pet. A cyber pet. Does it get any better than that?) Kennady chose a duck and named her Cheeky. Addy got a black and white kitty and named her Freezy. Brighton got a little orange striped kitten and named him Stripey. Notice that Brighton decided that her kitty was a boy? Well, that only lasted until she got home and earned some money to buy her pet some accessories. The first thing she bought for him was a princess hat. When the girls laughed at a boy cat having a princess hat, Brighton immediately changed her mind. Her kitten is now a girl too!

Jase started making a new expression. He makes his lips form a perfect tiny circle. The girls think it is the funniest thing ever and spend a lot of their time looking at him and saying “ooooo” hoping to encourage him to make the face. And, they are right. It is pretty funny

Remember that garden we planted? Well, the only things that grew were some carrots and the cilantro. Right after we planted the garden, there was a sacrament meeting talk on obedience. The guy speaking specifically gave the example of gardening. He said that if we planted a garden as we have been commanded by the prophets, that we would receive blessings even if our garden didn’t grow. So, maybe our harvest is better than just a few carrots and some cilantro

I am always behind the lens, so I rarely am in pictures with my family. So, a big thanks to Karli for snapping some pictures of our family all together.

I am about a week late posting about this, but President Monson announced two new temples last week…and both of them are in Arizona! One is in the Gila Valley and one is in Gilbert! So, my parents are super excited about their new temple and we are super excited about our new temple. The Gilbert temple will be built on Greenfield and Pecos, close to the Costco we shop at, the mall we shop at, etc. The second that I heard rumor of the new temple, I immediately felt the connection that it was MY temple. The artist rendition shows how beautiful our temple will be:

Yesterday, BJ and I attended the temple. It has been a New Year resolution for us to go monthly. We were really good about that until we started having kids and before we moved out to Queen Creek (all excuses, I know). Well, when my Mom worked at the temple, she told me of a couple who attended the temple regularly and did initiatory work. The husband would sit in the visitor’s center with the kids while the wife attended the temple and then they would switch. So, that is our new system. Yesterday, BJ did initiatory work and I participated in sealings. I love the temple and am so thankful for this new determiniation we have to attend and feel of the peace available inside the temple.
One extra bonus of our new system: Karli pointed out to me the benefit of taking our kids with us. They get to see the temple often and feel of the spirit on the grounds. I hope they will understand and remember that their parents love the Lord and delight in serving Him. I have very distinct memories of my parents attending the temple. We didn’t go along (that I can remember), but I remember the pink suitcase. My Mom had a little pink suitcase that she kept her temple clothes in. My favorite part was that she also kept mints in that little pink suitcase. Now, we did not get treats very often (aside from Family Home Evening treats) so it was extra special to us that we got a “temple mint” every time my parents prepared to go to the temple. I will always remember my parents devotion to the Lord.
I am so thankful for a new temple in our area!