Dinner with the Ambassador

Last night we had dinner at the mansion of the Chinese Ambassador to Suriname. He is a BYU graduate and Dad knows him from the International Society. Here are a few pictures of the very fine evening.

Jill - The Celestial Dog

Nineteen years ago, in the Millcroft subdivision in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, there was a very special event in the home of one of our neighbors. Their Golden Retriever was expecting a litter of puppies and the pleas of the 5 J's prevailed....we got a puppy.

In that litter, there were 6 little puppies -- one of them was very active, energtic and outgoing. One of the puppies was more reserved and seemed the perfect match for the 5 J's. One of our neighbors purchased the active puppy and we took home the puppy that the 5 J's had picked. The neighbors quickly discovered they had a dog that just wouldn't behave. They called the puppy Keena and did they ever have their work cut out for them. This dog became the trial of their lives. Keena would jump on the kitchen counter and eat the food that was being prepared, she would jump up on the kitchen table, she would sneak into rooms where she was not allowed to go and just refused to behave. Her owners soon claimed they did not have any fun with Keena and had to always keep Keena locked up in an outdoor kennel behind the house.

Jill, however was the celestial dog. She was obedient in every way. She would never do anything that family or friends told her was a "no, Jilly!" In fact if your tone of voice was too stern, she would appear dejected. Jill would come up to Mom and Dad's open bedroom door and rest her nose on an imaginary line. She knew she should never go into that room.

Jill would dive for rocks in the swimming pool, in the pond behind the house, or in Lake Ontario and actually retrieve the same stone a person would toss for her. She loved chasing slimy tennis balls and when you would pet her, she would nudge your hand gently if you stopped. Jill would wag her tail and greet every visitor that came to the home. She would not have made a good watch dog, because she would roll over to have her stomach rubbed by even a robber.

Jill had a best friend named Bordeaux (a kitten the 5 J's got at the same time that Jill was a puppy). This patient, friendly dog would let the kitten curl up with her and even try to nurse her for long periods of time.

Now, what is the difference between Jill and Keena? Jill was obedient and because of this she was happy. Keena was disobedient and was a handful. Her owners did not like to have her around. Keena was kept locked up all the time and could not have been happy.

Why was Jill called a celestial dog?

Why was Jill treated like one of the family and allowed to live in the house?

At the end of Jamie's mission, he told us about his favorite missionary scripture for extending commitments.

3 Nephi 27:20 "Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day."

How do we stand spotless at the last day?

Verse 21: Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do."

What is it that we must do?

A prophet of God named Howard W. Hunter once asked this question? "What was one of the most important questions ever asked of mortals by the Savior?" He then referred to this same chapter of 3 Nephi (27) and read verse 27: "What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am."

Jesus taught us: "come follow me," "do the things ye have seen me do," "love one another," "drink of my water," "eat of my bread," and "look unto me and ye shall live," just to mention a few admonitions.

We should always ask this question of ourselves in every situation: "Lord, what would you have me do?" (Acts 9:6)

The scriptures give us the answers. It is why we take the Sacrament each week. We are to always "remember Him." (D&C 20:77,79). We are to look unto the Savior in every thought (D&C 6:36).

Remember, the most successful life is the life most closely aligned with His. What manner of men ought we to be? Even as He is.

How does this relate to the story about a celestial dog? Do you not see that "wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10)?

If we are obedient, we will be happy. Jill was obedient and we called her the celestial dog. If we are disobedient then we will not be happy. Keena was not obedient and was not happy. She was kept locked up.

Josh - A Story about a two year old in Grandma & Grandpa's Mission

A mission experience: Dad and I went to the Princes Town Branch today - the furthest from the mission home. While there I met the Roopnarine family who were baptized in mid August. The dad received the priesthood today. They have a darling little 2 year old boy (three in October I think) named Josh. He has the sweetest smile. He walked around the church during the three hour block like it was his second home.

Josh's Story: I sat and talked with Sister Roopnarine after church and asked her to tell me her conversion story. She said that she met the Elders at her brother’s house and they took some time to share a message with her husband. The Elders then asked if they could come to the Roopnarine home and Sister Roopnarine told me that if they hadn’t asked, she was going to invite them. The Elders taught the discussions and Josh just loved having them over. He also loved church and would often ask when he could go to church again and when the missionaries would be coming over.

Early trials: He seems to be a very spiritually sensitive little boy. Maybe that is because he wasn’t supposed to live as a baby. The doctors did an ultrasound during Sister Roopnarine's pregnancy and found that one of Josh’s kidneys was not developed and the other one was blocked. He was delivered 2 weeks early by C-section and was seen by a doctor who found one kidney was just a fluid filled sac and the other was damaged. The doctors had a hard time finding a specialist who could help them.

Meanwhile the baby was in great pain and cried all the time. A doctor decided to try to remove some of the fluid in body by using a large needle. The medicine that was supposed to put the baby to sleep didn’t work and they had to do it while he was awake. Sister Roopnarine said it was a terrible experience. Eventually they found a doctor at Mount Hope hospital who could do surgery on Josh’s kidneys. Sister Roopnarine said that he was in so much pain the night before the surgery that she couldn’t even set him down. But, right after the surgery he was happy and relaxed. She said that prayer is what got them through the crisis.

Meeting the elders: The family met the missionaries about 2 years after this terrible ordeal and Josh was drawn to them. During the time the family was being taught, the father was terribly sick with a series of migraines. He went to bed one night in terrible pain and had a dream where the two missionaries and one other person--all dressed in white gave him a blessing. He immediately felt and warm and peaceful relief from his pain. The interesting thing is that shortly after this dream, in the middle of the night, Josh work up and said ‘when are the missionaries coming back?’ It was almost as if he felt their presence in the dream. (Related by Grandma Robison)

What is the history of the Church in Trinidad?

We can trace the start of the history of the Church in Trinidad back to the conversion of Elizabeth Ann Rogers, whose maiden name was Ali. Elizabeth, who was from Trinidad met and married a young LDS man named Emil Paul Dopson at the age of 19 while on vacation to England. The Dopsons had moved from Trinidad a few years before. Having been introduced to the gospel by Emil’s mother, Dora, Liz was baptized on April 21, 1974.

During a vacation to Trinidad two years later, Emil and Liz brought their 2-year old son Ben and were visited by a close relative of Liz named Lucy Payne. Liz secretly left a Book of Mormon and a Joseph Smith pamphlet with Lucy as a gift and then returned to England. Lucy read the literature and told her husband that she felt Joseph Smith’s testimony was something “special and serious.”

During a visit to Trinidad in October of 1976 of the Dopsons including Dora, Liz said she wanted to share the message of the gospel to her friends and relatives. Liz wrote a letter to the prophet of the Church, who was President Spencer W. Kimball and asked that missionaries be sent to Trinidad.

The letter was referred to President Howard B. Marsh of the Venezuela Caracas Mission, who immediately sent two young missionaries to Trinidad. When they arrived at the Trinidad Airport, the elders were intensely questioned by immigration officials.

Immigration officers were sent to Liz’s move in Diego Martin and after cross-examining the family, told them to “graciously think of returning to England if your intentions are to pursue the establishment of the Latter-day Saints’ Church in Trinidad.” They then deported (sent back) the two elders back to Venezuela.

Two more elders were then sent back to Trinidad to see if they could get in to the Country. Their names were Elder K. Don Bigalow from Salt Lake City, Utah; and Elder La Mae Olds from Hurricane, Utah. This time the elders easily entered the country with little objection from a different immigration officer who examined their passports. (Some people tell the story by saying the missionaries sneaked into the country by dressing up like American tourists with baseball caps and did not look like missionaries. However that is just a story.)

The first Sacrament meeting was held in Trinidad in November 1976, barely one month after the letter had been sent to President Kimball.

On June 2, the following year, Lucy Josephine Payne became the first member baptized in Trinidad. She was assisted in her study of the gospel by Dora Dopson and taught the lessons by Elder Steven W. Walters and Elder Michael Willis. She was baptized by Emil Paul Dopson and confirmed by Elder Daniel Rector, son of General Authority Elder Hartman Rector, Jr. at the Galfar Beach in Cedros. (Elder Rector is the man who performed the sealing in the Salt Lake Temple of Grandpa and Grandma Robison on March 29, 1974.)

Later that summer, August 31, 1977, Basil, Felicia, Anna and Jean Borde converted to the gospel and all but Jean were baptized. Jean was just 5 years old at the time. The Borde family was the first family to be baptized in Trinidad at Small Boats, Chaguaramas. The young Elder Rector recalls that he and his companion fasted for many days that a family would be baptized and while fasting their prayers were answered in the baptism of the Borde family.On September 4, 1977 Ulric Edison Ferran, Lieba Amanda Payne, and her father James William Payne were also baptized. Sacrament meetings at the time alternated between the Payne home and the Borde home.

Questions:

When did the Church first get to Trinidad? (Did you know that was the year Justin was born?)

Who was the prophet when the Church was started in Trinidad? Did he have anything to do with missionaries coming to Trinidad?

What happened to the first missionaries who tried to come to Trinidad? Were the immigration people happy to see them?

What is the Church like today in Trinidad? (There are 9 branches in Trindad and two districts comprised of 1850 members. There are also 35 missionaries serving in Trinidad.)

What do you know about Trinidad?

The above images reflect the culture of Trinidad.
Do you know what the Trinidad flag looks like?
Do you know the name of the soccer team?
What about Cricket? Do you know the rules of Cricket and who plays it?
And Steel Pan...what is a Steel Pan and did you know there is one in the mission home now? And finally, why are those children dressed up in costumes? What is Carnival? It all began in Trinidad, you know.

Have fun in Family Home Evening studying up on the culture of where Grandpa and Grandma live.

Are you a seven dip Mormon?

Here is a story that is easily understood by all ages: It begins with the Old Testament record of Naaman who, as the commander of the armies of Syria, had “given deliverance” to his country. He became a leper and the king of Syria feared he would die.

An Israelite slave girl who served Naaman’s wife spoke of prophets in Israel who had the power to heal.

The king of Syria sent a message to the king of Israel saying, “I have … sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.” The king of Israel suspected a plot and complained, “He seeketh a quarrel against me. … Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy?”

Elisha, the prophet, heard of the king’s distress. And “he sent to the king, saying, … let him come now to me.” Elisha would heal Naaman, and he told why: that “he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

When Naaman was near, Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in Jordan seven times, … and thou shalt be clean.” Naaman was angry. There were rivers aplenty in Syria, as good, he thought, as the Jordan. He had expected Elisha to perform some impressive ceremony like clapping his hands upon him. And he “turned … away in a rage.”

But one of his servants (it seems there is always a servant) courageously chastised the general and said, “If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it?”
Humbled by his servant, Naaman “went … down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: … and he was clean.” (2 Kgs. 5:1–14; italics added.)
Human nature hasn’t changed over the years. Even today some of us expect to be bidden to do some “great things” in order to receive the blessings of the Lord. When we receive ordinary counsel on ordinary things, there is disappointment, and, like Naaman, we turn away. “ (Boyd K. Packer, May 1972 Ensign, The Gospel A Foundation for our Career)

The moral of the story is: are you a seven dip Mormon? Or are you a six dip Mormon? Do you have enough faith to follow the instructions of the Lord when you can not see the end from the beginning.

Summary of the Story Points

1. Naaman, a Syrian, was a brave man and the captain of his king’s army. Sadly, he had leprosy, a skin disease that had no cure. (See 2 Kgs. 5:1.)
2. His wife’s Israelite maid told her mistress about a prophet in Israel who could heal Naaman. When the king of Syria heard this, he sent Naaman to the king of Israel with gifts of silver and gold and a letter asking the king of Israel to heal Naaman of his leprosy. (See 2 Kgs. 5:2–6.)
3. The king of Israel could not cure Naaman. He was frightened that Syria would start a war with Israel if Naaman was not healed. The King was so unhappy that he tore his clothes. (See 2 Kgs. 5:7.)
4. Elisha was then the prophet. He told the king to send Naaman to him. So the captain went to see Elisha. (See 2 Kgs. 5:8–9.)
5. When Elisha told Naaman that he would be healed if he washed seven times in the Jordan River, Naaman was angry. He said that there were better rivers in Syria. Why couldn’t he just wash in those rivers? He decided not to do what the prophet counseled. (See 2 Kgs. 5:1–12.)
6. But Naaman’s servants asked him why, if he would have done something difficult to be healed, he wouldn’t do something easy. Naaman repented and obeyed Elisha’s instructions, and he was cured. And from then on, although he had been worshipping false gods, he worshipped only the Lord. (See 2 Kgs. 5:13–17.)
7. Did you ever wonder what would have happened if Naaman would have only dipped himself 6 times in the river? Are you a 6 dip Mormom or a 7 dip Mormon? How are each of us today with God’s commandments. Do we obey all of them except one?

(Here is a more simple version of the story to tell the smaller children: (See 2 Kgs 5:1–17.)

As captain of the king’s army, Naaman was an important man in the country of Syria. He was a good and valiant man, but he was a leper.

Naaman’s wife had a little maid from the land of Israel. She told her mistress that if Naaman were with the prophet in Samaria, the prophet would heal him. When the king of Syria heard this, he sent Naaman to the king of Israel with gifts of silver and gold and a letter asking the king of Israel to heal Naaman of his leprosy.

The king of Israel rent his clothes because he knew that he could not make Naaman well. When Elisha the prophet heard about the situation, he sent this message to the king: “Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him [Naaman] come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

So Naaman went with his horses and his chariot and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. The prophet sent a messenger out to tell Naaman that if he washed himself in the Jordan River seven times he would be healed. This message made Naaman angry. He exclaimed, “Behold, I thought, He [Elisha] will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and [heal me].

“Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean?”

Naaman stomped off in a rage. But his servants followed him and said, “If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?”

Naaman thought it over, then went to the Jordan River and washed himself seven times as the prophet Elisha had instructed him. When he came out of the river, he was completely healed.
Naaman returned to Elisha’s house, happy and thankful. He told the prophet that he knew that he had been healed by the power of God, and he promised that from then on he would worship only God.

Baptism Lesson

Baptism: Why is baptism necessary?

Prophets have taught about this since the beginning. Look in the Book of Moses. (6:52)

Adam asked the same question and was told about original sin, personal sin and that he had to teach it to his children. (Moses 6:53-59)

What does the fourth article of faith teach us about baptism?

Faith in Jesus Christ and repentance prepare us for the ordinance of baptism and confirmation.
An ordinance is a sacred ceremony that shows we are making a covenant with God.

Covenants: A covenant is a solemn agreement between God and man.
Heavenly Father sets the conditions, which we either accept or reject.
Keeping covenants brings us blessings in this life and in the life to come.

What does Heavenly Father promise us? To bless us.
What do we promise Him? To obey him.

How does Heavenly Father bless us in this life? (By keeping covenants we are promised the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost after we are confirmed. You can not have baptism without confirmation of the Holy Ghost. We are also given a forgiveness of our sins and we are born again.)

What does it mean to keep our covenants? (We give up activities that keep us from honoring our covenants or promises.)
For example, we do not shop or have play sports or recreation on Sunday so we can keep the Sabbath Day holy.
We repent every day of our life.
We keep the commandments and serve others to retain (hold on to) a forgiveness of our sins.)

Through ordinances we learn about God's power. Doctrine and Covenants 84:20 -Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. Isn't it wonderful to experience God's power?

Jesus set the example for us by being baptized. Jesus taught that we must be baptized by immersion for the remission (forgiveness) of our sins. In order to be saved we must be baptized. No person can enter the kingdom of God without being baptized.

Baptism by immersion is a symbol of the death, burial and ressurection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Here is a wonderful connection to that example:
Baptism represents the end of our old life of sin and a commitment to live a new life as a disciple of Christ.
Jesus taught that baptism is a rebirth.
When we are baptized we begin the process of being born again and become spiritual sons and daughters of Christ.

Mosiah 5:7-8

7 And now, 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.

8 And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

This ordinance is a law of God. It must be performed by His authority.

Before baptism we show our willingness to make a covenant and keep His commandments.
After baptism we show our faith by keeping our covenants.

Partaking the Sacrament weekly is a commandment. It helps us stay worth to always have the Spirit with us. It reminds us weekly of our covenants.

Jesus introduced the Sacrament to His Apostles just before His Atonement. He commanded that priesthood holders administer the Sacrament in remembrance of His body and His blood which was shed for us.

He restored this ordinance through the Prophet Joseph Smith. By worthily partaking of the Sacrament every week, we promise to always remember Him and keep his commandments. As we do this, we receive the promise that His Spirit will always be with us.

Now a footnote to this lesson on Baptism from Section 68 of the Doctrine & Covenants:

25 And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.

Just recently, I learned that it is not enough to teach our children the doctrine of faith, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost, but we must teach them to understand. Teaching is a process and understanding is an outcome.

Doctrine and Covenants 50: 13, 14 helps clarify this principle: "Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question—unto what were ye ordained? To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth. " We are to preach the gospel by the Spirit. It is the Spirit that does the teaching. Do you see the difference between teaching and preaching? These are insights that one misses at first glance at these two scriptures.

So what is our action plan? We need to take this lesson on baptism and present it in such a way that each grandchild understands the concepts.
1. Baptism has been on earth since the beginning.
2. Baptism must be in water by immersion.
3. Jesus set the example by being baptised.
4. One must be baptized by proper authority, the priesthood.
5. We make promises to Heavenly Father when we are baptized.
6. Heavenly Father promises us blessings for being baptized and obeying His commandments.
7. We must take the Sacrament every week to remember these promises.
8. We must live worthily to always have the Spirit with us.

Sixteen White Stones

The Lesson on the Sixteen Stones: Grandma taught a wonderful lesson to the missionaries about the lesson we learn from the Brother of Jared in Ether. Have you ever though about why the Lord gave the Brother of Jared an answer to one of his two quesitons so quickly but really made him for for the answer to the other question?

Background: Ether 2:6 - These people built mang barges, crossed many wathers and were directed continually by the Lord. Verse 13 - Finally they arrived near the sea and lived in tents for four years. Verse 14 - The Brother of Jared was chastised for not remembering to call upon the name of God. Verse 15 - The Brother of Jared was forgiven and told they would be lead to the promised land.

Question: How could someone as good as the Brother of Jared possible forget to call upon the name of God?

Possibilities: Perhaps this means his prayers were not as sincere as they should have been?
Now, here is the exciting connection to be made in this study:
After the brother of Jared was commanded to build ari tight barges, he approached the Lord in verse 19 and said "there is no light, how can we steer?" This was their first problem.
He also said "we cannot breathe" so we will perish (second problem).
Mortal life is given to us freely: The Lord immediately answered the second question and just told the Brother of Jared what to do. He told him to cut a hole in the top and fashion a stopper to plug the hole if the barged flipped over. He told him to do the same for the bottom.

Eternal life must be worked for: But when it came to the first question, the Brother of Jared was told to go figure it out. He told him he could not have windows for light because the glass would be "dashed in pieces" and he could not take fire for light on his voyage. So what would he do? The Lord asked the Brother of Jared "what would you have me do?" - in other words, he was told to go figure out the answer. (Isn't this the way so many of life's questions get answered?)
Isn't it interesting that the Lord immediately responded to the quesiton of breathing. This symbolizes our life here on earth. We have been given breath freely.
But as for light, we must really work (to have the Spirit with us). We must do all we can and then call on the Lord.

Brother of Jared's idea: How symbolic is it that the Borther of Jared would take a rock and heat it until it melted and became clear, white, and transparent glass. Then he did this 15 other times and took all 16 stones to the top of the mount (verse 1 of Chapter 3). This represents the temple.

Solution:There he humbled himself before God, acknowledging all his weaknesses, asking for pity and for the Lord's anger to be turned away. And he praised the Lord for all his power. And then....given that he had great faith...he saw the finger of the Lord as he had asked him to touch those 16 stones so they would have "light" on their journey.

Model for us: And so the pattern is laid out for us. To get light, we must be humble, faithful, work hard, and seek the Lord in a temple.

Adam & Eve

Mom & Dad acting out the story of Adam and Eve? What Robison J will ever forget the memorable Family Home Evening where Mom and Dad told the story of the garden of eden?
A particularly important gospel insight to teach about the garden of eden is the principle of "inspired questions."
The Lord always teaches with a question. In the Garden of Eden, the Lord asked Adam: "Where Art Thou?" Do you think Heavenly Father did not know where Adam was? (He needed to know whether Adam knew where he was?"
So often in the Doctrine & Covenants, revelations came in response to a question that the Prophet or the Brethren took to the Lord.
What is another lesson to be learned from the Garden of Eden?
You could talk about the 2nd Article of Faith and everyone could memorize it.
You could talk about our first parents and their part in our Father's plan.
This lesson is an opportunity to teach about spiritual death and physical death.
It is also a chance to learn about temptation and why we should avoid Satan.
One other thought for the grown-ups is found in Moses 5. You could title this discussion "how to have a celestial marriage in a terrestial world?
Key in on 5 points from 5 verses:
v. 1 - And Eve is wife did labor with him (you need to learn to work together)
v. 2 - And they began to multiply and to replenish the earth (you need to have children)
v. 5 - That they should worship the Lord their God (you should worship together)
v. 12 - They made all things known unto their sons and their daughters (you teach your children)
v. 27 - And Adam and his wife mourned before the Lord, because of Cain and his brethren. (your share disappointments and joys together)

Robison Grandchildren

This is the generation this blog is particularly designed to reach. Bottom row: Cooper, Taylor, Sylie; Middle row: Amanda, Tessa, Emily, Grace; Top Row: Rachel, Dallin, Julia (all left to right)

Welcome to the On-line Family Home Evening Blog

Hopefully, each family will join in this family blog and add lessons and photos that will be of interest to the grandchildren.