Personal Revelation

As General Conference draws near, I have been thinking about the wonderful gift we as church members share. That is the gift of revelation; personal and from our Heavenly Father through our prophet. I am excited to listen, and ponder on the revelation this next weekend.

However, my mind had been focused on the wonderful gift of personal revelation. Today, I wanted to share with you my feelings and testimony of this wonderful blessing.

Yesterday, at the General Relief Society meeting, Sister Beck said, "We can do the Lord's work if we seek, receive and act on personal revelation. We must heed all revelation. We must be still; revelation takes serious mental effort."

As sisters of the Relief Society we all have a responsibility to organize, teach and aspire all. I am thankful for personal revelation to assist me in this effort.

I would like to share a few things that I have learned about personal revelation. Elder Robert D. Hales said, that prayer is the firm foundation for revelation. We should then study it out in our minds. Revelation comes on the Lord's timetable, so we must move forward with faith.

Please note: I am paraphrasing from his talk. When it is a direct quote I will note.

President James E. Faust also taught that the church has flourished because of the divine direction that is given to all individuals. This direction is to help lead us to eternal salvation. I am so thankful for this wonderful blessing to help lead me. I am now working on using it, and listening to it.

How do we use it? Personal Revelation does not extend beyond our own Stewardship. This includes revelation for us, our family, and our calling.

Where does the revelation come from? The Holy Ghost is the revelator.

How do we recieve personal revelation?
I will tell you in your mind and in your heart. (D&C 8:2)
By the Still Small Voice (1 Kings 10:11-12)
A still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul
(Helaman 5:30)

We really must listen if we expect to hear personal revelation, because most times it is a very quiet voice that whispers what we should know. I have often times had revelation when I am on a walk, in the shower or just quietly minding my own business. I will receive a thought in my mind, and it is often later on in the day that I recognize it as personal revelation.

President Faust gave us a few guidelines to follow when seeking revelation.
1. Keep the commandments
2. Be spiritually attuned
3. Ask in a humble prayer
4. Exercise your faith

Our responsibilities as members is to seek after revelation for ourselves, and listen to the responsibilities given to us. Just the other day I felt prompted to call a friend. I am so glad I did. She was in the hospital, and had just given birth to a new baby. I was able to wish her congratulations, and tell her I care about her. I am thankful I acted on the prompting to serve.

I have also had moments of revelation when I am reminded of the blessing I have been given. Almost as if, the Lord is telling me, "I gave that blessing to you to bless your life for this purpose." I love recognizing those thoughts, and knowing that they are put there to strengthen my faith. It also reminds me that I am loved by our Heavenly Father, that he knows me, and recognizes my needs. I know that it is through the small and simple acts of faith that miracles are wrought.

I want to close with this thought from Elder Robert D. Hales. He said, "Miracles will usually be tender mercies gently bestowed through impressions, ideas, feelings of assurance, solutions to problems, strength to meet challenges, and comfort to bear disappointments and sorrows."

I hope you can recognize the gift of personal revelation in your own life. I also pray that you can remember the blessing of Latter-Day revelation as we listen to our prophet this weekend. As one last reminder, President Wilford Woodruff said, "The church could not live 24 hours without revelation."

Resources:
Communion with the Holy Ghost by President James E. Faust
Personal Revelation by Elder Robert D. Hales

It's been a while...

Well, it has been a while since my fingers were typing up Swenson Family news on our blog. The last few weeks have gone by very quickly and have been very busy. I am happy to say that my lack of blogging has been for a really good reason.

WE HAD MORE VISITORS!!! YEAH!!

We were so lucky to have the Moes's stay with us while they waited for their power to come back on in Houston. I am sure it was not the best circumstances for them, but we were so happy for the visit.

They stayed with us for almost a week, and it was wonderful. We had such a great time. Our family feels so thankful to have such great friends. We also know that Heavenly Father has blessed us to live near them at this time in our life. It is so nice to know that we have someone to rely on that is only a 7 hour drive away, versus the 21 to our family in Utah. What a blessing!!It was wonderful to welcome them in to our home, and just enjoy their company.

Many of you know that Krysta is my best friend, so I am always so happy to have her here. Having a friend that you can trust, rely on and understand is an amazing gift, and I treasure it everyday. I think it is an even greater gift to have husbands and children that get along as well. I love her children like my own. I think you can relate it to how you feel about nieces and nephews. Jonathan and Casey are wonderful friends. Krysta and I value, and can see what wonderful husbands we have.

We had a whole week to play and have fun, so here is what we did:

Casey was able to set up shop and work from home. He had his own little office in our house, so that worked great. During the day, we would play with the kiddos, and enjoy our little chats. In the evenings we enjoyed dinner together, and dessert. One night we had apple crisp in the backyard. The kids always wanted a baseball game with the daddies. They would stand outside and chant "Baseball game, Baseball game." It was so funny.

The kids loved every minute of playing in the playhouse that Casey and Jonathan built back in June. It was nice to see them using it together after their daddies worked so hard on it. They even spent a whole day cleaning it, and decorating it.(yes, they do belong to Krysta and I) They all colored pictures, and then they hung them up all over the playhouse. It was so cute(I wish I had a picture of that, what were we thinking?)

On Friday night, when the kids didn't have school, we let them watch a movie and have a sleepover. I have to say it went pretty well. Once the kiddos were in bed each night, we did the typical Moes and Swenson activity; GAME NIGHT!! BOYS against GIRLS... girls won!!!(I think) It was so fun to laugh, and remember old times. (we used to play cards like this before we even had kids.)

On Sunday night, Krysta and I were way to tired to make dinner so... we had Brownies for dinner. The kids thought it was so cool. We got The mom's of the year award that night.

We also crossed a few things off our to-do list(blogging wasn't one of them.) We made hair bows for the girls out of flowers, a wreath for Krysta's door, and we had a Moes kid Photo shoot. I fell in love with Krysta's camera while she was here, and I kept snapping pictures. It was the perfect opportunity for me to play with it some more. The pictures turned out great. It was really fun for me. I can't wait to save my money and get a Fancy camera. (Christmas is right around the corner.)

On Saturday, we took a trip to Hot Springs because we had never been there before. It was a nice day out of the house. Hot Springs it a fun town, full of charm. While we were there we went to the car show, and BBQ cook-off. We also spent some time at a nice park and had a picnic lunch. We let the kids roam around, and run off some energy. (I had some fun with the camera again.)

Hot Springs had some fun shopping, I can't wait to go back and check that out. Maybe with the next visitors(who's next?)

After Hot springs, we went and enjoyed a nice dinner out. I guess you could call it nice, Isaac spent a good share of it screaming at me. We ate at a BBQ place called Corky's. We took my parents there when they came for a visit, and we enjoyed it. It was a nice day.

I am so thankful for my week of fun with the Moes's. Now it is back to business, and back to my normal routine. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Tune In!!

Tomorrow night on the food network, they will be showing the island of Saba. Jonathan and I lived here for two years. Alton Brown is traveling around and tasting some of the local flair on these Caribbean islands. Tonight, he was on St. Kitts(an island we visited while living there, and then St. Barths(the island we dreamed of visiting, but never got too)

Lets just say after watching it tonight... I am HOMESICK!!! I am a little worried about how I will feel after watching it tomorrow.

Anyways, if you would like to see a little taste of where we spent two years of our life, tune in!! It is on the Food Network 9pm central time, Sunday night. The show is called Feasting on Waves.

{Just the Two of Us}

Stella was asked to give a talk one of the first Sundays in our new ward. Guess who gave the talk? Yes, it was I. Anyways, she was asked to give another one a few weeks ago. We practiced with her, and then Jonathan promised her a surprise.

So Sunday came, and she did beautifully on her talk. When we came home from church, Jonathan printed out a note for Stella. It was a invite to go on a date with him. They could go anywhere she wanted, and buy any surprise treat she wanted.

So yesterday, I could tell she was having one of those starving for attention days, and even though we played games, snuggled up and watched a movie, and made cookies... it just wasn't enough. When Jonathan came home from work, I suggested he take her on her date. It was just the ticket. She was so excited, and when she came home she could not stop talking about it.

I think it is so sweet to see my handsome husband making time for our amazing daughter. Just the two of them.

They went out to eat at Macaroni Grill, and shared a dish. They ate fish! I am sure Jonathan loved that, since I won't share fish with him. Then they went and browsed around Target, which is Stella's favorite store. She got to pick a prize from the $ section, and then she brought home a treat for Jex. Which I am sure was her idea. She loves to buy for others.

I am so thankful to Jonathan for making a special effort. I know it meant a lot to Stella. It was a nice night for me, because I got to enjoy some time with Jex. It was a reminder of how important one on one time is.

Grandparents Week!!

My parents came out to visit us this last week. It was so wonderful to see them. We have not seen them since March, so this visit was much needed.

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I loved every minute of having them in our house, and finally having a house to have them in. While they were here we:

*went shopping at The Handbag store I love, Hobby Lobby, The Container Store, Pottery Barn, and an Antique Store (just to name a few) I am so thankful that my mom shares my same interests when it comes to shopping.

*we ate at Waffle House (a tradition when they visit, gotta have a pecan waffle) YUM!!

*went to the river market in downtown Little Rock, and just browsed around the city.

*spent a long day at church. While they were here, I was sustained and set apart as the new first councilor in the Relief Society. I will be over the Enrichment part. The best part is that is my mom's calling too!! We can share ideas. It was nice to have them here to be a part of that.

As a side note: Jonathan was just called to be the executive secretary in our ward. He will do a wonderful job!!

*my wonderful dad, spent two days (while mom and I were shopping) running the heating and the air conditioning to our bonus room above the garage. He also did some other little tinker projects while he was here. He is such a hard worker, I am amazed at how hard he works!!Thanks DAD!!!

*we also got a babysitter, and went to dinner at a great BBQ restaurant. We enjoyed ribs, chicken, catfish, and the best rolls on the planet. My mom loved the onion rings too!! It was nice to be out and enjoy some time just us!!

*we also played some games at night when the kids went to bed, I taught my mom how to digital scrapbook, and we watched movies.

So much fun, crammed in to six short days!! We can't wait until you come again.

Thanks for the great visit Mom and Dad!! We love you guys!!

As many of you know, Isaac's middle name is Mark after my dad. I have been teasing him that Isaac can give a scowl just like him. What do you think?

He also looks a lot like my dad, so I think that it is fitting that we named him after such a wonderful person. Isaac has a lot to live up to with that name. What a great namesake.

{Visitors are the best... especially when it is your sis!!}

My sister and her husband get the first visitor to our new home award. It was so nice to have family come and see us. Lindsay was able to come to our old house last year, but Dave wasn't able to come with her. It was so nice to have them both this time.

The kids enjoyed every minute of it. I think they wore them both out. Dave pretty much played with the kids all day. We enjoyed having them hang out in our house. We made yummy food, went for snowcones(twice), played games and watched movies.

We also went to the zoo with them. We haven't been to our zoo yet, so it was really fun to go and check it out. I think we picked the hottest day of the year to go, but luckily we didn't melt.

One of the nights, we got a babysitter and went out. It was a blast. We went and ate at a place called The Whole Hog Cafe. It is famous for it's BBQ. It was so YUMMY!! Then we went to an Arkansas Travelers Baseball Game. They are a AA Team.

We were also able to celebrate Isaac's birthday. It was so nice to have them here. It is so hard to be away from family. You miss that connection with others. It was so nice to reconnect again, and get to know LIndsay and Dave all over again. Because we grow and change, it is difficult to know everything about our siblings. I think having them in our home allowed us to catch a glimpse of just how wonderful Dave and Lindsay are. We knew it all along, it was just fun to see it again, and to be with two great people.

We LOVE you Dave and Lindsay!! Thanks for a great visit.

P.S. Lindsay has the pics of the baseball game on her camera. Hopefully I can get them, and post them.

{Just ride it out.... and be prepared}

Yes... we are having the effects of the Hurricane Gustav. It has been very windy, and rainy here. This morning, we lost power for 6 hours or so. It makes you realize just how hard the people in Louisiana have it. I am praying that there power can be restored soon. 6 hours was extremely hard for me. During that time, I learned....

*How important it is to have flashlights handy

*That you should always know where your candles, and matches are

*That we need to buy some kind of lantern

*We need to find a way to warm up food with out a power source.(Let's just say Isaac did not love his cold bottle this morning, and didn't like waiting while we warmed it up in warm water.)

*I learned how to open the garage manually(I know, you are all laughing at this one.)

Jex eating his cereal by candlelight!!

All in all, this was a good reminder that we need to be prepared. Is my family prepared? NO!!!

We are currently working on our 72 hour kits, car kits, and food storage. Was I prepared to be at home without power? NOT AT ALL!! It was a good lesson for me.... PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE. PREPARE FOR EVERYTHING!!

I am grateful for the blessing that I have, and for the safety of my family, and surroundings. I pray that those who are watching these storms may use it as a reminder to BE PREPARED!!

Birthday bash...."Toadally Amazing"

We finally celebrated Isaac's birthday with cake and icecream. I wanted to wait to have my sister and her husband here for our celebration. It was a nice evening. We had some friends over, and just enjoyed talking and eating cake. Isaac was thrilled with the cake, and I think he even loved the icecream more. He was overwhelmed with everyone watching him, but once he got his mouth on the sweets he couldn't stop. It was a nice night.

"TOADALLY AMAZING"

Sidenote: HOW DO WE HANDLE FOUR BIRTHDAYS IN A MATTER OF THREE WEEKS?

I decided to have friend parties on my kids odd birthdays, and family parties on their even birthdays. That evens thing up for me a bit. This year was family for Jex and Stella, and that meant friend for Isaac. That way we know what to expect and I don't have to feel like a crazy person because I am doing something big for all of them. I love this idea!!