3rd Conference Talk
(Jeff & Kay - we left you #2 so you can catch up when you get a chance!!)

Julie B. Beck - An Outpouring of Blessings

She talked mainly about the blessings of the priesthood in our lives. She said, "Priesthood blessings are the great equalizer. Those blessings are them same for men and women, for boys and girls; they are the same for married and single, rich and poor, for the intellectual and the illiterate, for the well-known and the obscure." (baby blessing, baptism, receiving the holy ghost, taking the sacrament, patriarchal blessings, temple ordinances.)

President Benson said: when we go to the temple and are married and receive those blessings of the marriage covenant, we enter into the same order of the priesthood that God instituted in the very beginning with father Adam.

She also talked about how we receive equally in the blessings of spiritual gifts. Not that we all receive the same gifts, but all have spiritual gifts to bless others. She said, "Spiritual gifts are numerous and varied and come to us as we seek them and use them appropriately." She told a story of being sick frequently as a child and how her father was always willing and worthy to give her a blessing and how her mother also had been gifted to find answers about medical treatment and to comfort her.

We just want to challenge everyone to take a minute to think about and be grateful for all the times that you have been blessed by spiritual blessings and to think about something you want to ask Heavenly Father to bless you to become better at that might help you and others. Love ya all,
the Hodges Family

Here is a picture of our family on Easter Sunday and a couple other random shots. We are loving our new home and having some new furniture to go with it. We love not having to sit on the futon!! We are ready to have a yard though so hope we can get started on that soon.
Edison is teething again and making life miserable for all of us. He hasn't got any for a long time (and I guess i'm grateful for that) but forgot how bad it is. There is snot everywhere. He is wearing the new furniture in quickly!! He is such a big boy. He has gone potty in the big potty three times now! Actually he is just having some bowel issues and not too happy about using the big potty but we are so proud of him anyway. What an achievement to let us know when he has to go so early!!
Emma is a cutie. She just got her hair cut and looks much better without all the long uneven thin hair at the bottom. She never forgets anything and we are loving the things she remembers to tell everyone. She asked me why I was always wearing my jacket and I said because I am a "big baby" and cold all the time so now at correct context times but wrong situations that have nothing to do with being cold she tells everyone all the time that her mom is a "big baby". She also likes to tell everyone about the new baby girl we are going to have and what a helper she is going to be. When we talk in detail she always tells me (because I have explained this) that she's coming when she gets bigger, but she fails to mention that to anyone else. Emma has really been wanting us to go on another cruise so she can stay with the grandma with Ellie and Maeli. She loves the girls and wants them to come stay at her new house really bad.
Kimball is still commuting to Ephraim half the week so we hope now that we are up here they can get the office in Orem running and not have to leave so early and be able to get home sooner.

Here are a few pics of Hawaii. I guess Dad wanted me to put a few on here. The first is at the PCC at the Aeotera village, the Moaris. Mags and I look like drowned something at the Arizona memorial. It was pouring rain. Dad and I on the balcony of our hotel. It was a fun surprise to see the Stewarts at the temple. Mags and Dad preparing to snorkel at Haunama Bay. We didn't get to the beach until Sat. before we left. More pictures to come later if you would like to see more.
Love, Mom

The 1st conference talk is Elder Robert D Hales and the subject is on agency; I am going to past a few thoughts that impress my spirit and then after each quote make a few observations:

"men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil." This sacred instruction began in the heavens. There, in a Grand Council, our Heavenly Father would continue the gift of agency to prove us here in mortality, "to see if [we] will do all things whatsoever the Lord [our] God shall command."

As you know agency is what our Heavenly Father wanted each of us to have and our ability to have this great gift is what mortality is all about. Now we must choose whom we will follow, whom we will listen to, whom we will obey

Now we are here on earth, where opportunities to use our agency abound; for here "there is an opposition in all things." This opposition is essential to the purpose of our lives. As Lehi explained, "To bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, . . . the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other."

This one is very obvious; without opposites we can not make choices.

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
Sometimes we forget that our Heavenly Father desires that each of us have this joy. Only by yielding to temptation and sin can we be kept from that joy. And yielding is exactly what Satan wants us to do. President Spencer W. Kimball said the adversary can never have joy unless you and I sin."

Hevenly Father wants us to have joy and satan wants us to be miserable like he is; what do we want joy or misery?

the adversary cannot make us do anything. every decision we make, we are either choosing to move in his direction or in the direction of our Savior

I know that sometimes I sure feel like the adversary can make me do things but I really do understand that all he can do is entice; I make the choice thru my weakness to yeild to his temtations or thru the strength of God run from him as Joseph did and seek peace in my Lord

Are we following on the strait and narrow path that leads to God and eternal life? Are we holding onto the iron rod, or are we going another way? I testify that how we choose to feel and think and act every day is the way we get on the path, and stay on it, until we reach our eternal destination.

This is a good to day to answer this question for ourself. What path am I on?

Now, none of us are on the narrow path all of the time. All of us make mistakes. That is why Lehi, who understood the Savior's role in preserving and reclaiming our agency, taught Jacob—and us: "The Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon."

Oh how thankful I am for our Savior; truly as we follow him we will be free forever.

The promptings that come to us to flee evil reflect our Heavenly Father's understanding of our particular strengths and weaknesses and His awareness of the unforeseen circumstances of our lives. When these promptings come, they will not generally stop us in our tracks, for the Spirit of God does not speak with a voice of thunder. The voice will be as soft as a whisper, coming as a thought to our minds or a feeling in our hearts. By heeding its gentle promptings, we will be protected from the destructive consequences of sin.

I testify that there is no greater gift God has given us than his spirit; we can know all that we should do as we follow his promptings; is there a greater blessing than to be protected from satan and his influence and consequences (misery)?

May I suggest a few basic choices that you can begin to make now—this very day.

Choose to accept—truly accept—that you are a child of God, that He loves you, and that He has the power to help you.

Choose to put everything—literally everything—on the altar before Him. Believing that you are His child, decide that your life belongs to Him and that you will use your agency to do His will. You may do this multiple times in your life, but never, never give up.

Choose to put yourself in a position to have experiences with the Spirit of God through prayer, in scripture study, at Church meetings, in your home, and through wholesome interactions with others.

Choose to obey and keep your covenants, beginning with your baptismal covenant. Renew these covenants weekly by worthily partaking of the sacrament.

Choose to prepare to worthily attend the temple, make and renew sacred covenants, and receive all of the saving ordinances and blessings of the gospel.

Finally, and most importantly, choose to believe in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Accept the Savior's forgiveness, and then forgive yourself. Because of His sacrifice for you, He has the power to "remember [your sins] no more." You must do likewise.

Finally, remember our agency is not only for us. We have the responsibility to use it in behalf of others, to lift and strengthen others in their trials and tribulations. Our use of agency determines who we are and what we will be.

I add my testimony to Elder Hales; I know that following his suggestions above we will find freedom from the influences of satan and joy in doing the things that the Lord wants us to. May each of us find this joy and share it with each other and those we are blessed to come into contact with each day.

Love Mom, Dad and Margaret

I need a small reprive from the 1st conference talk. I have read it and have some ideas but will not have time to get with mom and mag's; so I will talk with them this weekend and get the 1st talk out by Sunday April 16th. I am just swamped here at work and have to go to Fillmore for a couple of days. Love you all. Dad

I am a little behind on notes on the blog so instead of trying to comment on individual posts I thought I would just drop this note to everyone. I am so happy to hear from everyone. This is a great way to stay in touch and know what everyone is up to.

Although mom and margaret and I ended up in Hawaii at the end of over 40 days in a row of rain, we had a great time. I have some special memories from being there a few years ago on my mission; and I emphasize a few years ago. I hope that mom will put a few pictures on the blog so you can see that it really did rain and also how pretty things are over there. We really did enjoy our trip. The PCC is such a wonderful place to learn about the culture of a number of polynesian islands and also to know that it helps the kids with their education. The sunny day we were blessed to have on the beach was awsome. We loved snorkeling and body surfing. It would be fun to get to the island with the whole family one day.

About conference talks. I will start things out as soon as I can find the talks on the internet. I have to go to Fillmore for a couple of days but will try to look at the internet on Sunday and do the first talk. I looked today and they are still not posted for reading. I will visit with mom and margaret and get some ideas from them and then post on the blog. The idea is for each of us to internalize the confrence talks and directions from our leaders. It is my hope that when it is my turn to post a talk that I will have the blessings that come from trying to help the family find what I think is important from the talk. When each of you post it is my hope that I will have read and discussed with mom and margaret the talk for the week and then be doubly blessed by what each of you have to teach us about the talk. I hope that this will bless each of our lives and that we can make it a growing and rewarding experince for each of us. I do not want it to be some huge production that we dreed or wish we did not have to deal with. I think that as we are moved with ideas from each others comments that we should share those thoughts and feelings with each other that we might grow in understanding and feelings for our Father in Heaven and for His only begotten. To respond to Rebecca's question; next would be Jeff and Kaynel and so on back to mom, margaret and I.

I too love to hear about what each family is up to and it is always fun to see pictures. It will be fun to have family together the 1st of May. Love you all, Dad

I also enjoyed what I heard of conference. Ryan was diligent in taking notes and I just tried to stay awake. I think we should get the talks off the internet and get started right away. I am excited to get this started. I just have to say Charles was really cute during conference. Starting with the Saturday afternoon session we had some bingo cards for him. He played bingo over and over again and listened really carefully for someone to say the words on his card. When we weren't watching conference he was asking if we could watch conference. He got a little wild when Joseph was awake because Joseph wouldn't sit still for nothing. Anyway, it was just fun to see Charles be excited, even though he just wanted to play a game.

So when are we starting the conference talk sharing and how is it going to work. Kimball must have been inspired in conference because he is talking to me about setting some spiritual goals and how we can make our home a better place. Like we aren't perfect or something. It's crazy!!! Anyway this is what I got out of the plan and tell me if I am wrong. One family is assigned to a conference talk for the week and shares their ideas and feelings on that talk and others can comment if they desire. So like Dad, mom, and mags would do the first conf. talk week 1, Jeffs fam would do the second talk the next week and so on. Is that right? and what about the financial talk, etc.? and do we start now and get the talks off the internet or are we waiting for the ensign? Anyway conference was good what I heard so I think it will be good to read and ponder.