Jezebel2011

Thanks. Have solved my problem by buying an iPad - can't beat them!

The Bruce R McConkie series is just superb - just be ready for a heavy but interesting and gripping read! Am on with the Millennial Messiah, the last of the series of 6 books

Wholeheartedly agree. For me it was as simple and as basic as that for me to be baptised.

Thanks both of you, will give them a go and see what happens

I have just bought a Kindle wifi - mainly for my Scriptures. Am trying to find a way of taking the ebooks I got from Deseret and loading them onto my Kindle. I have a 7" pad running Android, which I have used for the Deseret books in the past but I would really like to put them onto the new Kindle. Anyone managed to do this please?

You can send some of that Summer over here :) We have had really windy weather here and deep morning frost too although, thankfully, no snow - yet! Thought it was three weeks to Christmas when someone pointed out at Church today that it is two weeks to Christmas and three to New Year. Oh well. I think we are only having Sacrament Meeting here on Christmas Day, with the Carol Service on Christmas Eve. Not sure about New Year's Day, yet, but will probably be the full three sessions as usual. Got my Kindle yesterday, so downloaded the Scriptures onto that. It really is a useful little gadget! Really light too. Enjoy your Summer!

The best diet is Dukan, which is low-carb, low fat but has oat bran added every day, which sorts out any digestion issues

Apparently it is the whole three hour block twice a month in order to keep the Temple Recommend. I go every week anyway! Edited to add - the Temple Recommend Q8. Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made, to attend your sacrament and other meetings, and to keep your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel? stion is on attending Sacrament So the answer is the whole block of meetings, not just Sacrament

Got my cards written out today. Had managed to find some Christ-centred CHRISTmas cards which is very difficult these days. Don't know how you fare in the US? Wrapped presents for my Adult Institute Book of Mormon teachers, a husband and wife team whom are just fab. Got my close friends presents wrapped and organised (all Church members). After contemplating what I could buy for them that they would truly appreciate, since they are late 50's, 60's and 82 years of age, someone mentioned that the film "Jesus of Nazareth" is never shown on tv here. So, found the DVD on ebay and ordered those. Got them some choccies to go with it too, of course! Got a pressie for the Bishop and family - four children under 13 - got the new Monopoly World Cities. Am doing well this year, it has to be said. Planned ahead and got stuff from Deseret and lds.org store. Then will get Christmas and New Year over then planning for my trip to SLC for the April Conference. Can hardly wait for that. Am hoping that my two missionaries will be there too.

I have to say that when I first started VT I hated it too. My VT partner and I were given three non-active Members to visit - non-active for some 10 years or more. Two of them smoke very heavily and their homes - and my clothes - smelled after a visit. I didn't know them since I had only been baptised a couple of months. My partner only wanted to visit in the evenings, even though we are both free through the day. So, we had a change around of VT's.. I now have a new partner and four visits to do - two very active, one very active recently-baptised Member and one non-active. I am so happy with the new arrangement and all is going well.

I started in earnest on my family history in January this year. By June I was back to 1650 on all lines. I had never realised how addictive FH is! Have been filling in the marriages/deaths on the whole tree and in January am going to make a new start on going farther back. Need to go to the County Records and see what they have there.

Just received my copy of it today from Deseret. Can't wait to see it

Yes of course you can! Just say a prayer and ask for the help that you need to carry out the assignment. Make sure that you have written your talk down. What are you talking about, by the way? The Stake asked me to speak at our Stake Conference just 5 months after I was baptised and I was nervous!! My talk was on "The Joy of the Gospel" However, I did public speaking training so I will give you a tip - When you stand to speak don't look directly at anyone. Focus on a point just above the head of the seated congregation, on the back wall and then just glance around every now and again. It will stop you from being interrupted in your thoughts whilst you are talking. I am sure you will be just fine. You will be very aware of the Holy Ghost being present and the comfort that comes with that. Let us know how you get on. Hope all goes well

Thanks for posting this. I have just ordered the new Amazon Kindle, basically for carrying my Scriptures around. I note that it is also downloadable from that link for Windows PC too - which will be very usefuk, so thank you very much!

Hello, You need to remember one very important point - The Church is a perfect religion with imperfect Members. If we were 'perfect' we would not need to be here. There are problems with folks in every Ward and Branch simply because we all have an earthly life to live, along with all its associated problems and difficulties. I agree with others that the best place for you to do your learning now is at the Church and not via the missionaries. Of course they want you to be baptised!! All Church Members will want for you to be baptised - it is the most wonderful, cleansing, spiritual and amazing experience ever. I want you to be baptised. I take it that you are doing the full three sessions at Church? All are really important but you must attend the Sunday School which for you will be with the missionaries as they go through the Gospel Principles book. Once I was baptised I was kept in that Class, along with others for nearly 9 months before the Bishop moved us to the adult Sunday School. To my way of thinking once you have a Testimony that you know the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, that Pres Monson is the living Prophet then baptism is the only way forward. Other than that there is no point in waiting. Remember that you are not expected to know everything about the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the History of the Church, the Teachings of everything at that point in time, that comes throughout your life of learning. Go for it - it is the best thing I ever did. My only regret is that I didn't do it 30 years ago.

I have to say that both of those books are just superb!

Absolutely nothing changes my faith. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet. I know that the Church is true. So, when there are problems thrown in my pathway, people at Church whom are thoughtless and insensitive, difficulties that come to me, it doesn't matter, my faith is strong because I know that the Church is true. We have a perfect Church made up of imperfect people.

Have seen the Stake President. The Bishop has apologised. I now have my Full Temple Recommend.

Had a friend on the phone today who told me about a Temple Recommend interview when the Bishop asked " Do you watch Big Brother?" My friend had responded "yes, sometimes, if it happens to be on" The Bishop refused to grant the Temple Recommend because "Big Brother is soft porn"

That is not true. If I were getting married in the Temple I would be Endowed to do it. Nobody has been made to wait for Endowment when they wanted that done.

All I want is to be allowed to take the Temple Recommend Interview. The Bishop put me through the Temple Prep Classes. I have been through the Temple Prep Lessons that the Bishop takes too. The Bishop has not said that I am not worthy to enter the Temple. He just has not done the interview. However, I am being blamed for another Member leaving the Church. I don't know why I am being blamed, since I had NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. I have had a chat with the Member concerned and she is going to email the Bishop on the subject, since she knows full well her decision had nothing to do with me. The reason she has left the Church was that, because of her Calling as 2nd Councillor in Primary, she was required to do things with Primary for Hallowe'en, Remembrance Sunday and Christmas. She does not agree with teaching children that Christ was born on 25th December when we know that he was not. That comes from her teachings as a former JW of 30 years standing.

Actually, no there is not I have not done anything wrong in any way whatsoever. If I had been reprimanded for something I HAD done I would have accepted it. The reason I am not accepting it is because it is 100% not true. I am totally worthy in every single way. Considering we are taught to be 'non-judgmental' there is a lot of judging going on! Am waiting to hear from the SP

I have not done anything wrong in any way whatsoever. I had my Limited Use Temple Recommend on 25th October. I will not be reprimanded for things I have not done, whether he is the Bishop or not. I will not be accused of stuff I haven't done, or had any involvement in. Where age is concerned, I am old enough to be our Bishop's Mother! When the Bishop will not listen then the only way forward was to go to our Stake President. Our Bishop is a lovely man I just don't understand what is going on.

We don't have an Executive Secretary. I have an appointment booked with the Bishop after Church on Sunday but there is no way I am going through another hour and a half of what I have been through already. There isn't just the one issue, though. The Bishop accused me of all sorts of stuff that was totally untrue. Another issue was my doing service for a friend at church, "taking away the right of the vt's to serve" when she hadn't had any vt's for years and didn't even know who they were supposed to be. Also with the member leaving the Church - that the Bishop demanded that I go to see her. She hasn't heard from the Bishop at all, he hasn't bothered himself to try to even talk to her. It is HIS job to go and see a member, not mine The problem with the Bishop is that he will not listen to a word I say. That is why it had to go to the Stake. Our Stake President is just superb and I am sure that he will help out. Other than that I am prepared to wait four years to get my Full Temple Recommend and my Patriarchal Blessing, when we have a change of Bishop

I informed the Bishop at the beginning of September that I wanted to take my Endowments on 3rd December. It takes a few weeks to get an appointment with our Bishop so thought I would give him advance notice. He put me off with excuse after excuse. I started the Temple Prep Class late so can only have 6 and not the 7. Have had two one and a half hour meetings with him but he is still not forthcoming with a Temple Recommend Interview date. He reprimanded me for choosing a date for my Endowment. Then started accusing me that a member left the church because of me - I had no idea what was going on and it most certainly had nothing whatsoever to do with me. I had a Limited Use Temple Recommend Interview on 25th October with the 1st Councillor. I am really fed up that he seems to be stalling on doing the interview. Have sent a letter to the Stake President but am not sure what, if anything, he can do to help me. Any advice would be most helpful please