Happy Birthday, Steve

The goofy shot

Hello!

Happiness is...

Sparkle!!

We had an enjoyable day together as a family. Carlos provided the yummy pizza and a Western movie Steve picked out, 3:10 to Yuma with Russell Crowe (as the bad guy) and Christian Bale as the hero. Yes, it is rated R, HOWEVER, with the great editing program Carlos got our family for Christmas called ClearPlay, all the swearing and extreme violence was gone. The movie had a powerful message about following your core beliefs no matter how matter the cost. We also sang Happy Birthday with a huge chocolate chip cookie with a sparkler for the candles.

Steve is a wonderful person as you all know. He's gone through a lot this year as many of us has and he has kept his optimism and strength. We love him. Thanks to all of you who sent him a card or called him.

We enjoyed a nice meal at mom Diamond's house the day before.

Sometimes, I Just Don't Feel Like a Child of God

Wow, the story below really hit home to me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

by Kris Belcher
January 16, 2009
Our shopping trip did not go well at all. My husband and I had taken our six-year-old son, Benji, along with us to the store, and, when he didn’t get his way, he threw a royal tantrum. We listened to - tried to ignore - him weeping the entire way home about what mean parents we were. All this because we said that evil word, “no.”
When we arrived home, Benji followed me into my room and crumbled into a heap on the floor in tears. I knelt down beside him and asked him what was wrong (as if I didn’t already know.)
His answer surprised me.
“I just don’t feel like a child of God!”
I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. I promised him that he was indeed a child of God and that both Heavenly Father and I loved him very much. We prayed together and asked Heavenly Father to let Benji know that he was his special child. That seemed to help and Benji was off to his next adventure.
I’ve thought of this experience frequently and have smiled at his dramatics. However, Benji was one hundred percent sincere. Our "no" had been translated into his not feeling loved by either his earthly parents or Heavenly Father.
I wonder how often that happens with us. Do we mistake a “no” or a “not right now” answer to our prayers as meaning we aren’t loved by the Father? Do you or I ever have those moments when we crumble and say in our hearts, “I just don’t feel like a child of God”?
I know that Father in Heaven loves each of us perfectly. He, like us as earthly parents with our own children, knows that we don’t “need” everything we ask for. His answers to our prayers, or even his silence, does not equate to how much we are loved. You and I are, and always will be, children of the Most High God. The answers we receive are what an all-knowing God knows is best for us. He communicates those answers precisely because he loves us.
If you are having one of those “I don’t feel like a child of God” moments, I promise you what I promised my sad little Benji. You are definitely God’s child and he loves you. I wish I could hold you and reassure you that you are infinitely loved by both the Father and the Son.
I invite you to kneel down and ask the Father in prayer to fill your heart with the knowledge that he loves you. He will send the peace and assurance you so desperately need. He loves you. You are his precious child.

Sending off another missionary

It has been wonderful to have our entire family together, especially during the holidays. Now everyone in our family is in school in some form or other. Carlos and Christine are attending UVU. Marie is a sophmore at Mountain View High School, Lori teaches English as a Second Language at Sunset Elementary School in Provo and Steve is back working at BYU.

We had the special priveledge on January 3 through the 7 to have a missionary in our home just before he entered the MTC. His name is Elder Tyler Brown from Orlando, Florida. Carlos met and taught Tyler the gospel in Michigan about two years ago, now. His conversion story is a wonderful one. He was one of those choice people searching for the truth. Short version: He found a "Pass Along" card in the drawer of a house where he was the care taker of a mentally handicapped man. He had the impression to call the number. They sent the missionaries. They visited with him one time and then were transferred to another area or for some reason didn't come back. However, Carlos (Elder Diamond and Elder Williams) followed up on the contact and he continued to progress in the gospel until now he, is serving as a missionary two years later. He is now in the MTC preparing to go to Barcelona, Spain. Carlos was his temporary companion until he went into the MTC. We enjoyed having him in our home.

Awesome message of New Beginnings

"Moving Forward"December 28, 2008, Broadcast #4137
When things go bad, can we really start over? When life takes a turn for the worse, can we actually begin again with hope that things will get better? After losing much of his life savings due to someone else’s mismanagement, one man said, “Starting over was tough, but if we didn’t try, we would have been hurt twice—once by our loss and once by our own giving up.” Each of us is bound to lose now and then, and once in a while we may want to quit. But even the worst setbacks can be opportunities to make a new beginning.A small boy, playing a rough-and-tumble schoolyard game, was frequently knocked to the ground. Each time, he picked himself up, dusted himself off, and rejoined the game. When asked why he didn’t just quit, he declared, “Quit? I’m here to play the game!”The New Year is a perfect time for starting over. This is a special time when we can decide to get back up when we’ve been knocked down. We can find renewed courage to keep going. We may need to forgive someone who has offended us or forgive ourselves for mistakes we’ve made. Perhaps we need help learning to do things differently so we aren’t knocked down again—but we can always move forward. Each New Year represents a new beginning. And hope for a brighter future can dawn with each new day. So even when life hits us hard, we can get up, dust ourselves off, and get back in the game.