Did not listen!

I did not listen to the promptings to go visit Carolyn Stock, my kids' fabulous piano teacher, and now it's too late. She was a sweet, kind, special lady, who had a significant impact on our entire family, but specifically on Julie and the boys. She passed away a couple of weeks ago, after fighting cancer for quite a while. Sunday night was the annual Christmas Choir devotional at the stake center and there was a huge hole without her there! She has been either leading the choir, playing the piano, or singing in her choir every year since we have lived here! 

Her funeral was today and was a perfect tribute to her! Her kids all spoke, as well as her husband, Bob, and the music was performed by members of the Tabernacle Choir, who overflowed the choir seats in the stake center; evidence of so many people who loved her. Shauna Johnson, a member of the choir and our stake, told me after, that when someone in the choir passes away, generally people are not assigned to go sing. Whoever wants to can just go. So awesome to be in the chapel early and hear the choir practice, under the direction of Mack Wilberg, for the service. I am so grateful for Carolyn and the influence she has had in our lives over the past 35 years! 

 

Pacific Area Mission Presidents' Reunion

Please Join Us

Pacific Area Get Together

Mission Presidents and wives and Area Office couples

Serving from 2013-2016

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

6:30 p.m.

Lion House

63 East South Temple, SLC, UT 84150

Dinner - $30 per person

Venmo: Charlie-Rudd-1

or payment to Charlie that evening (cash or check)

Please RSVP to Charlie Rudd by Monday, September 17, 2018

Text or phone: 801 598 5978

Email: ruddfam8@yahoo.com

Sunday Dress

Charlie organized and planned this reunion. Last night was the big night and a great success! There was a really good turnout and everyone seemed to have a great time!

Goal Completed

This may be one of the craziest things I have ever done! I wanted to begin reading the Book of Mormon again, but wanted to read it in a different way than I ever had. This is what I did. I typed the entire Book of Momon! I began on March 19, 2017, and ended today, September 4, 2018. A little weird, I know, but it was kinda fun! Be grateful I have spared you the 813 pages between the first page and the last! 

Damn Yankees

Tom has been wanting to be in a play every since he moved back home from England in September.  He has prepared well by taking some acting classes at Hale Center Theatre and began taking voice lessons a few months ago.  He auditioned at the Hopebox Theatre in Kaysville, just a mile or so from Sam's house, for a part in "Damn Yankees."    He was called back for the lead part but ended up getting the part of Sohovik, one of the baseball players.  He has put in a lot of time and worked really hard, having rehearsals every Monday through Thursday evening and on Saturday for the past two months, memorizing his lines, learning dances that he never knew he could do and, I think the most fun of all, learning to speak with a Russian accent!!!  It has been a great experience for him and he has had a lot of fun!  It is now over, which is sad for him, but he feels really good about how it all turned out and what he has accomplished.  It was fun watching him perform, but even more fun seeing him happy doing what he loves!  Debbie, Rick Charlie and I went on opening night, April 6th.  Deb wanted to go before she had the baby!  We stopped at Five Guys in Bountiful and ate before the play and had a great night together.   Annette Shaw, Lynn Harris and I went on Monday night, April 9th.  They had both been so sweet and excited for Tom when I told them he had a part.  So we had a girls night and went.  We left Sandy at 5:05 p.m. hoping to get up to the Orlando in Kaysville and eat before the play.  There was an accident on 1-15 which backed up Legacy as well.  We got to the restaurant at 6:25 but luckily they weren't busy and we were able to get right in and eat before going over to the play.  They both loved the play and we had a lot of fun that night!  Nancy, Marilyn, Grandma and I went on Saturday afternoon, April 14th.  We had a great day being together.  I picked up Kneaders for us and we ate that at Mom's before we left.  We stopped at the cemetery in Bountiful to see Dad's headstone and put some flowers on the grave.

Mom loves doing that every chance she gets.  Then we headed to the play.  They all loved it and Nancy was the first one up for the standing ovation!  Fred and Ashley Scheffner and Charlie and I went up on Friday April 20th.  I had gone to lunch with Ashley a couple of weeks before that and she had said how fun it would be to see the show, so we went up together.  It was so much fun catching up with them!  They are good friends and we spent a lot of time serving together in the five years they lived in the ward.  They loved the play and were so nice to come and support Tom!  Then closing night, Saturday, April 21st Sam, Karlee, Charlie and I went.  That was a fun night.  I'm glad we were there.  Tom was sad to have it all come to an end.  On closing night the Hopebox invites the recipient, or in this case recipients of the money that they make on the show, to come to that evening as their guests.  After the show, they are invited up and presented with gifts relating to the show and also  a check for the amount of money that was raised through concessions and ticket sales for that particular show.  That's what the Hopebox is all about.  Giving cancer patients hope for the future and helping them feel loved and supported.  This one was particularly heartbreaking because the mom of this cute family was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and four weeks later the dad was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.  They have three girls, 12, 9 and 6.  How sad is that.  They were cute and so grateful.

So proud of Tom for donating all his time so such a worthy cause and so happy for him that he has been involved in doing something that he loves!!!  Here are some highlights!

The cast with the Peterson family.  

New First Presidency

 

With the passing of President Thomas S Monson, the First Presidency was re-organized today, January 16, 2018. These photos and messages are from the news conference that happened this morning.

A Message from the First Presidency

January 16, 2018

-1-

Elder D. Todd Christofferson: Good morning. I'm Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and have been asked to conduct this morning's event

as Chairman of the Church Public Affairs Committee. We welcome you from the Salt

Lake Temple on this memorable occasion when we announce the call of a new First

Presidency. We've chosen to speak first to you, the members of The Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We remember with fondness President Thomas S. Monson, whose funeral was held

last Friday. When the President of the Church passes away, the First Presidency is

automatically dissolved. The men previously serving as counselors assume their places

in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and that quorum assumes leadership of the

Church, with the senior Apostle at its head. Soon after the death of a President of the

Church, members of the Quorum of the Twelve meet in the temple to consider

reconstituting the First Presidency. Throughout our history, the senior Apostle has

always become the successor President of the Church. This system precludes any

posturing or campaigning for position and provides continuity, seasoned maturity,

experience, and extensive preparation for the one who becomes President. As Elder

John A. Widtsoe observed: "This is a wise procedure. It places at the head of the

Church the apostle who has been longest in service. He's known well to the people and

trusted by them. He himself knows the procedure of Church affairs. He is no novice to

be trained for the position."

The new President is set apart by the Apostle next in seniority, joined by all the other

quorum members by the laying on of hands. Guided by the divine inspiration he

receives, the President selects his counselors and then, with the other Apostles, sets

them apart. Following the reorganization of the First Presidency, the Apostle who has

served the second longest is set apart as President of the Quorum of the Twelve. If the

second-longest serving Apostle is called into the First Presidency, the Apostle next in

seniority is appointed as Acting President of the Twelve.

That special meeting in the temple in this case took place last Sunday morning in a

setting of fasting and prayer. As a participant, I must say it was a sweet, sacred

experience in which the Lord's will was clearly manifest and all were in full accord. This

experience confirmed once again that Jesus Christ directs His Church. We're pleased to

announce to you this morning that President Russell M. Nelson was set apart as the

17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on January 14, 2018,

with President Dallin H. Oaks as First Counselor and President Henry B. Eyring as

Second Counselor in the First Presidency. President M. Russell Ballard was set apart

as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We will now hear from

President Russell M. Nelson, followed by each of his counselors.

A Message from the First Presidency

January 16, 2018

-2-

President Russell M. Nelson: Dear brothers and sisters, I'm humbled to be with you

this morning. Four days ago, we laid to rest a giant of a man, a prophet of God,

President Thomas S. Monson. No words can do justice to the magnitude and

magnificence of his life. I will forever cherish our friendship, with gratitude for what he

taught me. Now we must look forward to the future with complete faith in our Lord Jesus

Christ, whose Church this is.

Two days ago, as Brother Christofferson has said, all of the living Apostles met in the

upper room of the Salt Lake Temple. There, they made a unanimous decision first, to

reorganize the First Presidency now, and second, that I serve as President of the

Church. Words are inadequate to tell you what it felt like to have my brethren, brethren

who hold all the priesthood keys restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith in this

dispensation, place their hands upon my head to ordain and set me apart as President

of the Church. It was a sacred and humbling experience.

It then became my responsibility to discern whom the Lord had prepared to be my

counselors. How could I choose only two of the twelve other Apostles, each of whom I

love so dearly? I'm deeply grateful to the Lord for answering my fervent prayers. I am

very thankful that President Dallin Harris Oaks and President Henry Bennion Eyring are

willing to serve with me as First and Second Counselors respectively. President Dieter

F. Uchtdorf has resumed his place in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He has

already received major assignments for which he is uniquely qualified. I pay tribute to

him and to President Eyring for their magnificent service as counselors to President

Monson. They've been totally capable, devoted, and inspired. We are very grateful for

them. Each is willing to serve now where he is needed most.

As the Apostle second in seniority, President Oaks also becomes President of the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. However, given his call to the First Presidency, and

consistent with the order of the Church, President M. Russell Ballard, next in seniority,

will serve as the Acting President of that quorum. The First Presidency will work hand in

hand with the Twelve to discern the will of the Lord and move His sacred work forward.

We are thankful for your prayers. They have been offered throughout the world for us.

On the morning following President Monson's passing, one such prayer was offered by

a four-year-old boy named Benson. I quote excerpts from his mother's letter written to

my wife, Wendy. Benson prayed: "Heavenly Father, thank you that President Thomas

S. Monson could see his wife again. Thank you for our new prophet. Help him to be

brave and not scared that he's new. Help him to grow up to be healthy and strong. Help

him to have power, because he has the priesthood. And help us always to be nice." I

A Message from the First Presidency

January 16, 2018

-3-

thank God for children like this and for parents who are serious about their commitment

to righteous, intentional parenting—for every parent, teacher, and member who carries

heavy burdens and yet serves so willingly. In other words, for each one of you, I am

most humbly grateful.

As we go forward together, I invite you to think about the majestic manner by which the

Lord governs His Church. When a President of the Church passes away, there is no

mystery about who is next called to serve in that capacity. There's no electioneering, no

campaigning, but only the quiet workings of a divine plan of succession put in place by

the Lord Himself. Now, each day of an Apostle's service is a day of learning and

preparing for more responsibility in the future. It takes decades of service for an Apostle

to move from the junior chair to the senior chair in the circle. During that time, he gains

firsthand experience in each facet of the work of the Church. He also becomes well

acquainted with the peoples of the earth, including their histories, cultures, and

languages, as assignments take him repeatedly across the globe. This process of

succession in the leadership of the Church is unique. I know of nothing else like it. That

should not surprise us, because this is the Lord's Church. He does not work after the

manner of men. I've served in the Quorum of the Twelve under five previous Presidents

of the Church. I have watched each President receive revelation and respond to that

revelation. The Lord always has and always will instruct and inspire His prophets. The

Lord is at the helm. We who have been ordained to bear witness of His holy name

throughout the world will continue to seek to know His will and follow it.

Now, to each member of the Church I say: Keep on the covenant path. Your

commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those

covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available to men,

women, and children everywhere. As a new presidency, we want to begin with the end

in mind. For this reason, we're speaking to you today from a temple. The end for which

each of us strives is to be endowed with power in a house of the Lord, sealed as

families, faithful to covenants made in a temple that qualify us for the greatest gift of

God, that of eternal life. The ordinances of the temple and the covenants you make

there are key to strengthening your life, your marriage and family, and your ability to

resist the attacks of the adversary. Your worship in the temple and your service there for

your ancestors will bless you with increased personal revelation and peace and will

fortify your commitment to stay on the covenant path.

Now, if you have stepped off the path, may I invite you with all the hope in my heart to

please come back. Whatever your concerns, whatever your challenges, there is a place

for you in this, the Lord's Church. You and generations yet unborn will be blessed by

your actions now to return to the covenant path. Our Father in Heaven cherishes His

A Message from the First Presidency

January 16, 2018

-4-

children, and He wants each of us to return home to Him. This is a grand goal of The

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—to help each of us to come back home.

I express my deep love for you, love that has grown over decades of meeting you,

worshipping with you, and serving you. Our divine mandate is to go to every nation,

kindred, tongue, and people, helping to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the

Lord. This we will do with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that He is in charge.

This is His work and His Church. We are His servants. I declare my devotion to God our

Eternal Father and to His Son, Jesus Christ. I know Them, love Them, and pledge to

serve Them—and you—with every remaining breath of my life. In the sacred name of

Jesus Christ, amen.

President Dallin H. Oaks: My dear brothers and sisters, I have sat beside President

Nelson in the Quorum of the Twelve for almost 34 years. I know his love of the Lord

Jesus Christ and his commitment to our Heavenly Father's plan of salvation. I know his

love of the people. I know of his wisdom. I feel privileged to be called as a counselor to

President Nelson in the First Presidency. I likewise feel privileged to be able to work

with President Henry B. Eyring, whom I love and respect. With all my heart, I pledge my

loyalty and support for President Nelson's loving and inspired leadership. I rejoice in the

opportunity to give my full efforts to bear witness of Jesus Christ and to proclaim the

truth of His restored gospel. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

President Henry B. Eyring: I am grateful for the invitation to speak with you today.

This is a great time in the history of the Church. Prophets in the past have said that the

best is yet to come, and it has proved true. That is so because it is the Lord who leads

His Church. He watches over all His Father's children in the world, and He qualifies and

calls His servants to lead in inviting God's children to come home in heaven to Him.

Joseph Smith was the first prophet of this dispensation. At the start, he could speak to

all the members of the Church in one building, in one place. In just a few years, there

were faithful members in nations across the world. Today, President Nelson addresses

vast numbers of members who worship in thousands of buildings. The growth in the

number of members and their spread across nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples

are visible miracles. But the greater miracle, and the one which will accelerate, is the

growth in faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord has prepared and chosen President Nelson to

lead in that growth. He knows and loves the Lord. The growth will come as we each

pray, work, and live to have the Holy Ghost as our companion in our lives. We are

promised that blessing as we renew and remember covenants we make in the

sacrament and in holy temples and so have the Spirit to be with us. Every association I

have had with President Nelson and President Oaks has increased my ability to

A Message from the First Presidency

January 16, 2018

-5-

remember the Savior, keep sacred covenants, and find joy in the influence of the Holy

Ghost. I am so grateful for the increase of that blessing in my life. I testify that the Savior

and His Atonement make that gift possible. This is the Lord's true Church. President

Nelson was called of God and, as His President, to hold and exercise all the keys of the

priesthood passed to him from Joseph Smith through a line of true prophets. We are

becoming ever more nearly as one in love through the gospel of Jesus Christ working in

our lives. I express my love for the Lord and for His living prophet. This is a great time in

the history of the Church, and yes, the best is still to come, because of our faith in the

Lord, whose Church this is. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson: Thank you, brethren. We love and sustain you. We

invite all who have listened to or viewed this announcement to tune in on these same

channels to a news conference by the First Presidency beginning at 10:00 a.m.

mountain standard time. Now as we conclude, we express appreciation to all who have

joined us for this historic announcement. Thank you.