Why Marriage, Why Family? ~ Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Taught by Tifanee G. 

Our Heavenly Father’s plan for happiness included families.  He sent us to earth as members of families.  A successful, happy, Christ-centered home is established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work and wholesome recreational activities.

It was said “Happiness does not spring from perfection but from applying divine principles.”  Prayer, love, and forgiveness are three principles, that when applied, can help us to have Christ-centered happy families.

Prayer with our families align our will with our Heavenly Father, resulting in blessings of strength, comfort, and inspiration.  It creates a loving bond.

            

Sue G. shared that her most important prayer of the day was her afternoon prayer right before her kids got home from school.  She would ask for strength to help her be the Mom that her kids needed.

Ligia B. shared that prayer is the most powerful tool she has in her arsenal for raising her children.  Without prayer, she wouldn’t know what her teenage kids needed and how she should respond as a parent in a way that helps them.  But she believes through answers to her prayers, Heavenly Father lets her know what her children need.   

Cari H. shared that in a recent experience where she attended a temple sealing, the sealer advised the newly married couple to pray for one another and to allow their spouse to hear them praying to Heavenly Father on their behalf.  She returned home and implemented this in her own family and was amazed to see how in such a short time, praying on behalf of not just her spouse but also her children has made them grow so much closer as a family.

Love as President Monson said, “should be the very heart of family life.”  A Christ-centered home is where the gospel is taught, covenants kept, and love abounds.

Carolyn R. shared that love is allowing a person time to change.

Heidi H. shared that as a child she and her sister kept a journal where they would write their thoughts of love back and forth to one another.  She now has children, some of whom don’t express their love very openly so she continues this tradition with them. 

Forgiveness was founded on Heavenly Father’s plan.  Because forgiveness connects principles, it connects people.  It is one of our best hopes for a happy family.

Tela F. shared that sometimes forgiveness is one sided, meaning that sometimes we seek forgiveness for something we’ve done wrong, but the person does not want to forgive.  Or we have been wronged and the person who has wronged us is not remorseful.  The Atonement still offers peace and healing for those who may be in these types of situations within their families.    

Weekly Challenge; Take time to look into our family life and incorporate one of the three principles discussed in the lesson to help build a more gospel centered home.

Know Your Neighbor ~ Johnson's

The Johnson Family

The Johnson family recently moved into our ward. They bought the Larsen’s home on Pony Express Way. Before moving to our ward, they lived for eight years on Main Street in Centerville.

Troy was born in Fountain Green, Utah, but grew up in Bountiful. He is the youngest of four children—three boys and one girl. He served in the New Hampshire, Manchester mission. Troy received his Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Weber State University and currently works for Wells Fargo and does insurance on the side. He enjoys sports, playing basketball, hunting, fishing, and being outdoors.

Courtney was born in Payson, Utah. She lived in California for 5 years when she was young, but grew up in Centerville. She is third child of six, and has three sisters and two brothers. Courtney received her Associates degree from Salt Lake Community College. Prior to having children, she did some marketing for secondary and proprietary schools. But now she is lucky enough to be home with the kids. She loves sports, biking, and playing softball, soccer, and volleyball.

Troy and Courtney met while working on the Bangerter’s farm when she was 12 and he was 14. They worked several years together, but she didn’t really like him then. He was an acquaintance of her brothers. After Troy came home from his mission, Courtney was hanging out with some of Troy’s friends and soon, Troy and Courtney began to pair off. They dated for eight months, were engaged for three, and were married in the Bountiful Temple. They will have been married twelve years this June.

Troy and Courtney have three children:

Nash is 6 years old and is in the Chinese Immersion Kindergarten at Stewart Elementary. He loves playing with his friends. Nash also enjoys playing on baseball, soccer teams, and basketball.

Chaylee is 4 years old and thinks she’s 21. She likes to play with her big brother, Nash and loves makeup, jewelry, and pink, pink, pink!

Avinley is almost 2. Her birthday is in May. She loves being outside and keeping out with her older siblings.

The Johnsons have a cat named Frosty. He is all white, fat, and old.

As a family, the Johnsons love to do active things together. They love family time and visiting St. George. They are excited for an upcoming trip later this year to Disneyland where they will celebrate Courtney’s parents’ 60^th anniversary.

Welcome back to the Willow Wood Ward Johnson Family! We are happy to have you in our ward.

Know Your Neighbor ~ Larsen's

The Larsen Family

The Larsen Family moved into the basement apartment of the Horsley’s home a few months ago. Though they are new in our ward, they are not new to our ward. They lived in our ward four years ago for about a year. They will probably be in our ward through the fall.

Dana grew up in West Valley, Utah. He is the youngest of five children and has two brothers and two sisters. He served in the New Jersey, Morristown Mission. He recently got his Bachelors of Medical Laboratory Sciences degree from Weber State University and works at the University of Utah Hospital in the lab doing testing. Dana is currently applying to Masters’ programs to be a Physician’s Assistant. He likes learning, playing xBox, BBQ’ing, and smoking meat.

Holly grew up in Orem, Utah. She is the fourth child of five and has two brothers and two sisters. She is currently a part-time student at Weber State. She used to work as a dog groomer before her baby was born. Holly loves animals—especially dogs and horses. She likes being a mom, taking care of her baby and the house and being at home. She also enjoys hiking, running, walking, and watching movies and TV shows.

Dana and Holly met on eHarmony.com. They met and hit it off, dated not very long, and then got married in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. They have been married for five years.

They have a baby girl, named Abigail. She is 6 months old. She is a smiley happy baby and loves walks, her cat and dog, baths, and music.

The Larsens have a dog, Maven, that is a golden doodle and a black cat, Bagheera. As a family, the Larsens enjoy watching movies, hiking, walking, and visiting family and friends.

Welcome back to the Willow Wood Ward Larsen Family! We are happy to have you in our ward.

Know Your Neighbor ~ Waddoups

The Waddoups Family

Jeremy and Nicole Waddoups live on 400 W. They have lived in our ward for 9 years. Before living in our ward, they lived in Woods Cross and in another home in Centerville.

Nicole grew up in Centerville, Utah. She is the oldest of three girls. She went to three different colleges: Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs; Mary Crest University in Davenport, Iowa; and Weber State University. She played basketball for both Western Wyoming and Mary Crest. At Mary Crest, she also played soccer and softball. After Nicole married Jeremy, she transferred to Weber State where she graduated with a teaching degree. She majored in History and minored in Physical Education. Nicole is a part time PE teacher at Centerville Junior High and coaches the girls’ basketball team. She also coaches her sons, Kaleb and Kelby’s, basketball teams. Nicole loves basketball, reading, biking, and chocolate.

Jeremy grew up in West Bountiful, Utah. He is the oldest of four children and has one sister and two brothers. He served in the Independence, Missouri mission. Jeremy graduated from Weber State University with a degree in Logistics and Operations management. He works as a shipping manager for the LDS Distribution Center. Jeremy enjoys playing and watching basketball and hunting and fishing.

Jeremy and Nicole met playing basketball. Nicole was home from school working for the summer and Jeremy had a basketball group he played with regularly. Nicole had a friend who was the daughter of a neighbor to Jeremy’s dad and this neighbor knew about the regular basketball group. So he asked if Nicole and her friend could come play with the group too. After they had played basketball together a few times, Jeremy asked her out on a date. They started dating in May and dated all summer. Then Nicole went back to school. They continued dating long distance via email and phone calls and got engaged the next May. They were married four months later in September in the Salt Lake Temple. They have been married for 18 years.

Jeremy and Nicole have four children: Kaleb, Dylan, Kelby, and Rynn.

Kaleb is 15 and is in the ninth grade at Centerville Junior High. He likes playing football and basketball, spending time with his friends, listening to music, and beating up on his brothers and sisters. His favorite sports teams are the Pittsburg Steelers and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Dylan is 12, almost 13 (his birthday is Feb. 3^rd) and is in the seventh grade at Centerville Junior High. He likes acting, football, and basketball. His favorite sports teams are the Eagles and the Raptors.

Kelby is 11 and in the sixth grade at Stewart Elementary. He likes to play football and basketball. His favorite sports teams are the Warriors and the Oklahoma Thunder.

Rynn is 11 and is also in the sixth grade at Stewart Elementary. She likes to play soccer and basketball and watch football.

As a family, the Waddoups really like to play basketball. They also like to go camping and watch sports and movies together.

We are happy to the have the Waddoups family in our neighborhood!

Know Your Neighbor - Burningham's

The Burningham Family

Todd and Tina Burningham live on Pony Express Way. They have lived in our ward for 23 years.

Tina grew up in West Bountiful, UT. She is the youngest of eight children—two boys and six girls. She is the sister of Craig Salmon, who also lives in our ward. Tina’s family had a little farm and Tina grew up milking cows and mowing lawns. She attended Viewmont High School and LDS Business College where she received her Associates Degree. She has worked at Alphagraphics for 10 years and is a Marketing Consultant for them. Tina loves to play tennis, spectate any sport (especially her kids’ ball games), try new recipes, sew, and create. She is always game to try new things.

Todd grew up in Bountiful, UT right across from the rec center. He is the fourth of five children and has three brothers and one sister. His dad passed away from a heart attack when he was only 10. So his mom raised him and his siblings alone. In high school, he played basketball and baseball. Todd served a mission in Barcelona, Spain. He currently is a Sales Manager at FL Smidth. They sell minerals processing equipment. He manages the International sales team. He likes sports—basketball is his favorite—and playing softball. He’s also a handyman and likes to tinker.

Todd and Tina met in a singles’ ward.  Todd was the Gospel Doctrine teacher and she was the FHE coordinator. He asked her if she would consider going out with someone his age. “How old are you?” was her reply. He was 30 and she was almost 21. She said yes.  The rest is history.  They were married in the Salt Lake Temple in June of 1990 and will have been married 25 years this year.

They have four children:

Sydney is 22. She recently returned from a mission in Knoxville, Tennesee. She is currently going to Salt Lake Community College and works at Alphagraphics. Next year she hopes to go to school in Provo or Logan. She is working towards a degree in Elementary Education. Sydney loves tennis and played Varsity at Viewmont. She also enjoys fashion, photography, and hanging out with her friends.

Wilson (Willey) is 19 and recently moved into his own apartment. He is working full time as a paralegal at the Lexington law firm. He loves sports and plays on a rec soccer team. He also likes to play Xbox, cook (he worked in the kitchen at the Mandarin for 4 years), and watch the Food Network.

Salmon (Sam) is 15 and in the 9^th grade at Centerville Junior High. He enjoys school, football, and playing Xbox.

Brigham is 13. He is in the 8^th grade at Centerville Junior High. He loves baseball, the outdoors, bush craft, and his long hair.

The Burningham family has two cats, Bug and Tiger. When Sydney was on her mission, they fostered kittens--actually saved their lives—and they decided to keep two of the kittens. The boys love the cats, but Sydney is allergic (She secretly loves them).

As a family, the Burninghams like to be outdoors and play different sports together. Right now, their current favorite is Pickleball. They also love to go to Disneyland and Universal.

We are happy to have the Burningham family in our neighborhood!

The Power of the Word of God

 Taught by Heidi H.

"However diligent we may be in other areas, certain blessings are to be found only in the Scriptures"

The lesson this week was titled, “The Power of the Word of God.” I started the lesson with an object lesson. I showed the class an old, dried out sponge. It was hard and rigid, or as they say in the scriptures hard hearted and stiff-necked. Some examples in the scriptures of rigid sponges are Lamen and Lemuel, the evil king Noah, and Korihor. President Ezra Taft Benson talks about how the word of God has the power to fortify the Saints and arm them with the spirit so they can resist evil, hold fast to the good, and find joy in this life. In other words, becoming like that dry sponge. 

As we gain power of God by reading and studying His words our hearts begin to fill with what we have learned. As I explained this I poured water on the sponge. Soon we are so filled we begin to “ooze” what we have filled our souls with. Our testimonies flow easily. 

 In class we spent some time talking about what a blessing it is that we have these words so readily available to us. It is not only written, but on the internet, there are apps, audio versions and television re-broadcasts all the time. Any time we have a question we can find the answer pretty easily. 

President Benson says that out of all the responsibilities we have in life the most important thing is to nourish our souls by studying His word. We must study personally and as a family. President Benson promises us that as we immerse ourselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently other areas of trouble in our lives will fall into place. Testimonies will increase. Personal revelation will flow. Commitment will be strengthened. Why do you think scripture study would lead to such results? 

We are also taught that saints must see studying as a marvelous blessing and opportunity, not as a burden laid upon them by the Lord. I asked how we can help a friend or family member who feels studying the scriptures is a burden. As the class gave ideas I pulled out another dried up sponge and laid it next to the first “oozing” sponge. When your testimony of scripture study if so great that it “oozes” it cannot help but affect those around you. It becomes a part of who you are. Slowly the dry sponge soaked up some of the “oozing” sponge’s water until it wanted to learn more for itself. We can be instruments in the Lords hands in many ways. 

I want to share one of my favorite ideas from President Benson. He says,”however talented men may be in administrative matters; however eloquent they may be in expressing their views; however learned they may be in the worldly things – they will be denied the sweet whisperings of the Spirit that might have been theirs unless they pay the price of studying, pondering, and praying about the scriptures.” It is hard for me to think that I may have missed out on sweet whisperings that were meant for me because I wasn’t immersed in the scriptures as I should have been. Also, what does it mean to pay the price of studying? 

In closing I urged the class to do as President Benson did when he said, “His word is one of the most valuable gifts He has given! I urge you to recommit yourselves to a study of the scriptures. Immerse yourselves in them daily so you will have the power of the Spirit to attend you in your lives.”