Meet Andrea..

 

This is Andrea on her baptism day!  We are so happy for her.  We cant wait to get to know her better as she begins this new journey.  She is an amazing person and I am so proud of her and the choices she has made. 

What we Believe

Missionaries in the Phillipines

hoto Essay —  17 November 2013

Mormon Missionaries Serve People in Tacloban Day After Devastating Typhoon Hits

Tacloban, Philippines — 

In today's Mormonism in Pictures, we feature photos of missionaries giving service after Typhoon Haiyan devastated parts of the provinces of Cebu, Leyte, and Samar. On November 8, 2013 one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, with sustained winds nearing 200 mph, struck the Philippines. One of several landfalls was south of Tacloban. The next day missionaries from the Tacloban Philippines Mission gathered in Tacloban to offer assistance to those in need.

Missionaries along with other volunteers in Tacloban pose prior to helping prepare relief supplies for people in the community. All missionaries in the 21 Philippine missions survived Typhoon Haiyan including 204 serving in the Tacloban Philippines Mission.

Missionaries alongside other volunteers wear Mormon Helping Hands vests as they repack rice inside a warehouse of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Tacloban.

Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serve for a period of 18 to 24 months and may begin service at age 18 for young men and age 19 for young women. In addition to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, they serve in the community.

Following the repackaging of rice, the missionaries along with Filipino soldiers distribute the goods in Tacloban to those in great need. Tens of thousands of residents lost all of their possessions with many perishing due to the destructive wind and storm surge caused by Typhoon Haiyan.

Philippine cabinet member Secretary Corazon Soliman of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (second row, third from right) was at the warehouse where missionaries assisted the government in food distribution to typhoon survivors.

Sister Yolanda Andaya (wife of Tacloban Philippines Mission President Jose Andaya) is seated (far left) together with missionaries serving in Tacloban. Because of the extreme damage caused throughout the mission, the missionaries have been re-assigned among 11 missions throughout the country and hope to return soon to the cities and communities where they have loved and served the people of the Philippines.

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Typhoon help!

News Release —  13 November 2013

Church Continues to Assist Typhoon Survivors

Church answers questions of those asking how they can help

Salt Lake City — Update (13 November 2013 - 1:00 p.m. MST) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to assist with relief efforts in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. Church Welfare Department personnel are working with Philippines Area leaders to establish a relief operations center and distribute supplies. Many areas affected by the storm are still without power or running water, and communication systems are not fully operational.
Seven of the 21 Church missions in the Philippines were impacted by the storm, but all missionaries are safe. Missionaries in the hardest-hit areas have been evacuated to safer locations, including missionaries assigned to the Tacloban area. Those missionaries are now safely in Manila, staying in Church housing near the Manila Temple and missionary training center. Mission and area leaders will meet with missionaries in the coming days to evaluate their needs and determine future assignments. It is possible that some missionaries who are approaching the conclusion of their service may choose to return home. Missionaries in areas less severely affected by the storm will soon begin organizing to assist with relief efforts.
Many Latter-day Saints and others who have seen the devastation in the Philippines have contacted the Church wanting to know how they can help. They are encouraged to pray for those affected by this disaster. They may also consider increasing their fast-offering donations and/or donating to the Church humanitarian fund (http://give.lds.org/humanitarian-fund). The Church draws upon these funds to sustain its humanitarian work around the world. There are many opportunities to support other reputable agencies that also respond to disasters.
The Church has a vast, local volunteer force among the members in the region and is not seeking volunteers to travel to the Philippines as part of its relief efforts. In addition, the Church has learned that the most effective way to respond to disasters is to work locally, purchasing needed supplies in country as near to the disaster as possible.  This not only ensures that the goods are appropriate for the area but it helps build up impaired, local economies. 

Recipe Blog

After some much needed advice.  I have created yet another blog.  The recipe blog.  The link is to the right. All of the recipes are there.  It will be easier to see them and search them.  I entered each one separately.  And, I have "labeled" them to make it easier to find a certain recipe. The recipes were forwarded around a couple of times and in the shuffle some of them were garbled a bit.  If you would check yours to see that it is correct. I would greatly appreciate it.   If you have any questions or suggestions they are welcomed.

NEW PAGES!!!

I finally figured out how to get the calendar uploaded. What a deal. I am such a novice at this but once I played with it a little it wasn't so bad. I am liking how it looks.
 The other new page is the recipe page. Sister Sommers will be uploading the recipes to it today. You can go there to access all the Yummy goodness from your recipe groups. I am so excited to try some of them.

Joseph B Wirthlin on Kindness!! Happy World Kindness Day!!

World Kindness Day!

Tomorrow is "World Kindness Day" Here is a little inspiration to get you started.

"Kindness is the essence of greatness and the fundamental characteristic of the noblest men and women I have known. Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes."     Joseph B Wirthlin

Veterans Day doesn't get the pomp and circumstance of some other holidays. But every year on November 11, we as Americans take the time to recognize the heroes among us. They are the men and women who served in our armed forces. They are the veterans of the United States military.

I am proud to know so many friends and family who have served this country and I am humbled to be counted among them.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Saints and Soldiers!

It was Feb. 24, 1945, at the site of some of the bloodiest battles fought in all of World War II. Iwo Jima, 660 nautical miles from Tokyo, was crucial to the United States war effort, and it had to be taken.
Army Air Force planes blasted Iwo for 72 days prior to the Navy's 3-day bombardment. It was a terrible battle. An average of 10 American ships per day were blown up by mines or hit by suicide planes. On the island itself the fire was equally deadly. In some units casualties ranged from 20 to 100 percent within the space of hours.
Lt. Cmdr. E. Wayne Stratford of Portland, Ore., was senior medical officer aboard the USS Lubbock (APA 197 attack troop transport). He worked feverishly to save the lives of half-dead men carried back on board with what he termed "garbage can wounds."
Then Dr. Stratford received an order so bizarre that he had difficulty in believing it could be true. For the first time in American military history, medical officers were ordered to designate wounded men who could return to the fight.
Scuttlebutt reached the wounded over the Navy's grapevine, and when the unhappy doctor stepped reluctantly into the wardroom he was spared the agony of having to make a choice. Every Marine who could struggle off his bed was lined up, in uniform, waiting for Dr. Stratford, volunteering to go back. One lieutenant colonel with five bullet wounds in his back pleaded for permission to return with his men.
Out of 500 patients on the Lubbock, 50 were patched up sufficiently to fight again, plus 32 who weren't up to doing battle but could handle supplies. They joined 3,500 wounded from other Navy APAs. These heroic volunteers were dubbed the Bandaged Brigade, and from their numbers came the five who were photographed raising the historic flag on Mount Suribachi.
These were desperate times, but men aboard Dr. Stratford's transport were luckier than most. The Lubbock was the first floating penicillin laboratory in the world. At that stage penicillin, barely known, was used only intravenously and was reserved for the most severe cases.
Dr. Stratford devised a method for growing the yeast in bottles. He originated the process of inoculating sterile bandages with the medication, ready for instant application to open wounds. His concept was later picked up and used by the entire Navy, and he was honored with a citation from President Franklin D. Roosevelt for the countless lives he'd helped to save.
The Navy — and all of America — owed Dr. Stratford an enormous debt of gratitude.

Dr. Eldredge Wayne Stratford was a Latter-day Saint who left his successful medical practice during World War II to serve his country in the Pacific theater in the U.S. Navy. He is also grandfather to Jane Clayson Johnson, noted journalist and media personality. (Source: Kris Mackay, Gift of Love: True Stories of Modern Miracles (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1990), 2–3.)

 

**This is an excerpt from "Saints at War: Inspiring Stories of Courage and Valor, published by Cedar Fort this month, which includes stories shared about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served in the armed forces

Craft Night at Melanes!

Here is one of the crafts done at the last craft night.  OH so CUTE!! Great Job Ann!!  So Sorry I missed it.
Here is the link: http://www.kerribradford.com/2013/10/20/jingle-all-the-way/ for instructions.

Pampering!!!

Last night the Young Women in our ward treated the Relief Society Presidency to a "spa night" (Relief Society is the ladies organization of the church).  They made facial masks from egg whites and plain yogurt.  It was cold and messy but I have to admit my face feels wonderful.  They made sugar scrub and messaged our feet!  My feet were so soft I was sliding around in my shoes on the way home. lol. We were served cookies and hot chocolate.  It was a real treat and they were real troopers to put up with us all night.  Thank you girls for being so sweet to us!

Welcome!