Sunday in San Antonio

Last updated on: June 16, 2015 at 12:22 am by Dan Peterson

Sunday in San Antonio 2015-06-16T00:22:19-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

It was rainy and rather dark when we snapped this shot after meetings, so that, unfortunately, the very attractive color of the chapel’s stone — which reminded me more than just a bit of the oolite stone with which the Manti Utah Temple is clad — seems much darker than it actually is.
(Click to enlarge. Click again to enlarge further.)

My wife and I attended church at my niece’s Canyon Springs Ward today. They meet in an unusually pretty chapel, surrounded by woods, meadows, and pastures.

The congregation was large, and there were two sacrament meeting speakers.

The first, Elder John Armbruster, had just returned a week ago from two years of service in, if I heard correctly, the Philippines Olangapo Mission. He spoke well, about building faith.

I especially liked one of his stories. He told about a woman that he and his green, newly-arrived companion were trying to teach, very early in his own mission when his Tagalog was still very rudimentary. (He himself put visible “quotation marks” around the word teaching when he began to recount the story.) They were discussing the three degrees of glory — celestial, terrestrial, and telestial — but she was growing more and more frustrated. Finally, she said “All I can understand is that there’s one heaven and three hells.” They said “No, no, no. That’s not what we’re saying. Here’s a pamphlet in Tagalog about the topic. Read this, pray about it, and we’ll come back next week.” When they returned, she was beaming. She had read the pamphlet. She understood it. She had prayed. And, she said, since their last visit she had had a dream in which a blonde man, dressed all in white, had appeared to her and told her that the doctrine they were trying to convey to her was true.

We’re not always left to our own power in trying to teach the Gospel. We have to make the effort, but help is available.

There followed an exceptionally good talk by a member of the stake high council named Neil Mickelsen. He had sought and obtained permission from the stake president, feeling inspired to do so, to deviate from his assigned topic and to speak, instead, on coping with sorrow, loss, pain, and adversity. The talk was so very good that I asked him for a copy of it — as, it turned out, did my wife and my niece. I may seek his permission to share the text here.

After church, those of our family who’re still in the area gathered at the home of my niece and her husband for lunch. I’m very proud of him and my niece. They’ve done well financially, but, even more importantly, they’ve remained faithful to each other and to the Gospel, and they’ve raised a faithful family. (He was just released from the bishopric three weeks ago. Among many other things, she’s taken care of the altar cloths for the temple every week for six years now — a service that I find especially . . . well, in a way, touching. Their eldest daughter was married in the temple yesterday, their next daughter is currently serving a Spanish-speaking mission in Idaho, and their other kids are very active.) They’re passing the Gospel on to the next generation.

Again, my brother would be — and, I feel confident, is — very, very happy.

One really pleasant surprise at the lunch was offered by my nephew, visiting with his wife and two very young children from California. He’s spent many, many hours recently digitizing old family photos — including embarrassing baby pictures of me, along with photos of my brother when he was quite young and pictures of my parents (his grandparents), of the family construction business when it was new, of long-gone aunts and uncles, of my niece and nephews when they were kids, and so forth. I had thought those photos were lost. He presented us with an electronic copy. It’s a priceless gift, and much appreciated.

Posted from San Antonio, Texas

Uncategorized

Previous Post

June 14, 2015

Deliverance Day

Next Post

June 14, 2015 "Right on Target: Gidgiddoni"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Bethel" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

House of God City of Light Holy Ground God's Dwelling