I Love The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

We had an area Stake Conference broadcast for Oregon today, and I really got a lot out of it. I enjoyed Elder Uchltdorf"s talk and it started me to thinking of my roots in the gospel. As some of you know I joined the church when I was 11 years old, and was the first of my family to see the light so to speak. If I hadn't of seen that light I don't know where we would all be at this time. It is sobering of me to think about. I started to go to church with my great uncle Jeff Ricks, and his wife Susie my grandmother's brother on my mom's side. My sister Leona went sometimes, but she was 4 years younger than I so it was harder for her to be committed. Also I was the oldest of all of the children in my family and that makes you a little more mature than the others sometimes. I loved to go to church and we met over the union hall upstairs. It was just a small place as the church wasn't built at that time. It must have been in the works, as I was one of the first ones baptized in the new ward building. I just don't remember that part of it, and I don't know the year that it was finished. I had a teacher named Annabelle Jackson for SS and I truly loved the stories about Daniel in the Lion's Den, Adam and Eve and their Sons Cain and Able, Moses, Abraham, the book of Mormon stories, of Samuel, Alma, and all of the others she told. She had a big flannel board and told lots and lots of stories. Sometime later the missionaries started to come out to our house and teach the folks, I am sure uncle Jeff put them up to it, but I suppose they could of come because of me. They went through a few missionaries before they started to really get interested. We lived in a small house at Spicewood Springs( wish I had that 10 acres of land today, it is worth millions.) We moved to a place on Herrigot lane and the missionaries still came and taught the folks. My mom had a hard time quitting smoking, and for Dad it was the coffee. Dad worked most Sundays at that time as he worked 7 days a week at the Tally Ho restaurant. After we moved he went to work for Arkies's Grill and only worked 6 days of the week. All of this time I am coming to know more and more of the church and it's teachings. I am getting older and I watch someone get baptized and I think of it for myself. I start to pray for me to have the opportunity to get to know more, so I start to read more of the Bible stories myself. I don't have a Book Of Mormon at this time, I don't know why, maybe the missionaries thought I couldn't have read it? I become really more and more interested, and at about 10, I start to bug mom about getting baptized, each day my testimony grows stronger, and I continue for the rest of that year to ask mom if I can get baptized please, please. She always says the same thing, that she will talk to dad and they will decide, and once she said I could wait until I was 16, and I told her that I wouldn't wait that long, please talk to dad about it. By the time I was 11 I know the gospel is true and that I am a Child Of God(even though that song had yet to be written) I save my money to buy a white dress and mind you I didn't have much money at the time, I save anyway and continue to pray for the folks to let me join the church, as I knew that it was the only true church upon the earth and that Joseph was a prophet, I knew and no one was going to tell me differently. I was so positive I continue to talk to my mom, and she says she will speak with dad. One day I was walking with daddy or at the store with him, and I decide to take matters into my own hands and ask him myself. He asked me if I believed it to be true, and I said that I was positive it was. He then said he would speak with the missionaries and uncle Jeff and as far as he was concerned I could. I couldn't believe it!!!! I felt it taken so long for me to be baptized, however I had only been attending for two years. Time goes so slowly when you are that age, I wish it would go more slowly NOW! I have a great respect for time and how it is spent in our lives and I feel we need to use our time here on this earth more wisely and enjoy all of our moments. Savor all of the joyful moments, and the ones of trial also, as you will not pass that way again. I know that when the children are small or you are waiting to get some, it is hard. Stop and enjoy, as time goes by on wings of lighting and enjoy to trip. I can truly say I have loved my life and I would not change anything or the way I have grown from my trials and all of the joy I have experienced. I will say that I don't think it would have been as wonderful without the gospel in my life. I joined the church of August of that year and I have been going in it ever since. Just 3 months after my eleventh birthday I joined The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. What a memory that is to me and as I said in the beginning, think of all of my family, it is the most wonderful thing in my life. I am so grateful for all of my four children, 19 grandchildren, and now the cute little 8 great ones. Not to mention my good husband without whom none of this would be possible. My parents joined about 2 years later and all of my sisters and my one brother. Four of my sisters have temple recommends and are active in the church. Of these my sister Leona has a daughter that will be married in the temple she has 5 sons also that were raised in the Catholic faith. Marie has 7 children of these 5 have been sealed in the temple and 3 of her boys served missions. Sherry has 4 boys one deceased and one single holding a temple recommend one sealed in the temple and 2 that served missions. Linda has 7 children and only one has really embraced the gospel and she has 8 children and of those 7 are sons and will probably serve missions and be sealed in the temple, my other siblings aren't active in the church. I have one son that has served a full time mission and all 4 have been sealed in the temple. I have several grandsons that have served full time missions and 8 grandchildren that have been sealed in the temple. It is a great blessing to me to look at all of you and think that it all started with a 9 year old's dream of getting baptized. I think also of all of the converts that have been baptized by all of the missionaries that have served in our family and I am humbled by the work of a wonderful Heavenly Father who knows and sees all and his Son Jesus Christ who gave us the ability to repent of our sins through the Atonement and become like Him. What a blessing and a privilege it is to have lived in this time when so many wonderful things are happening on this earth. How richly blessed we are to have this most precious thing in our lives and to be able to know that He Loves Us and Cares For Us. On another note Mike and Amy came to our house today and had dinner after the broadcast and we so enjoyed having them. It is a wonderful blessing to have grandchildren. I appreciate them so much and I love how they are so interested in the things that are happening in our world and the sane way that they all look at it. Abe came yesterday and took his voting ballot with him after he took the time to vote. I love you all and pray for all of you that you may have all of your needs met. Love Grandma aka Nonnie