Why Do We Fast?

Lance is beginning to fast now that he is baptized, and he was doing great for the first few hours, excited to fast for those in Hurricane Sandy.  But as the lunch hour neared he began having a tough time.  (He  has tons of energy and loves to eat.  His need for replenishing his body with fuel is probably much greater than average.).  We looked up these scriptures that I found on Little LDS Ideas, and now he's not thinking about the hunger as much, he's actually still reading scriptures on my phone.  After each scripture, I asked him again why we fast, and the answer's right there.  Perfect.  Here they are:

Why We Fast:

Doctrine and Covenants 88:76—To obey God’s commandment.

Luke 2:37—To serve God.

Alma 45:1—To worship God and show gratitude to him.

Mosiah 27:22–23—To receive special blessings, such as healing.

Alma 5:46—To gain a testimony.

Alma 17:3—To gain the spirit of prophecy and revelation and the ability to teach.

Alma 6:6—For the conversion of people who are not yet members of the Church.

Isaiah 58:6–7—To feed the hungry and clothe the naked.

Joel 2:12—To draw closer to God.

 

Also another great story  that the writer used by Joseph B Wirthlin and his wagon as a little boy right here:

5. I am using Joseph B. Wirthlin's red wagon story from "The Law of the Fast". I'm going to bring a red wagon to fill. I will tape quotes about prayer and fasting (when we fast, the examples of the sons of Mosiah and Nephites, why we fast, etc.) onto cans and boxes of food and a blanket. The children will pick one item at a time, discuss the quote, then place the item in the wagon to fill it by the end. Here is the wagon story: How well I remember my father, the bishop of our ward, filling my small red wagon with food and clothing and then directing me—as a deacon in the Church—to pull the wagon behind me and visit the homes of the needy in our ward. I remember visiting one family in particular: a sickly mother, an unemployed and discouraged father, and five children with pallid faces, all disheartened and hungry. I remember the gratitude that beamed in their faces when I walked up to their door with my wagon nearly spilling over with needed supplies. I remember how the children smiled. I remember how the mother wept. And I remember how the father stood, head bowed, unable to speak. Brothers and sisters, in a sense, you too can bring to a needy family a wagon brimming with hope. How? By paying a generous fast offering. -JOSEPH B. WIRTHLIN (Idea shared by EmmaLee Hammond / ga06282012)

Here's another story from another 8 year old boy in the Friend Magazine.  I'll use this next time he's having hunger pangs:

Prayer and Fasting Work

Andrew Schurman, age 8
LaSalle Ward
Montreal Quebec Mount Royale Stake

Andrew Schurman, “Prayer and Fasting Work,” Friend, Apr. 2000, 48
Before I was baptized, I decided to invite my friend Thomas to church. He said OK, and we went to sacrament meeting and then to Primary. When everything was done, we went home.

I thought that next time I needed to invite every member of Thomas’s family to come to church. On the next fast Sunday, I decided to fast for Thomas and his family. In the morning when I got up, I prayed to Heavenly Father that all of Thomas’s family would agree to come to church. I didn’t eat breakfast or lunch. I took the sacrament but had nothing else to eat or drink. During the day, I prayed about four times for Thomas and his family.

That night we went to the chapel to hear the Christmas Devotional broadcast from Salt Lake City, but the satellite dish wouldn’t work, so we sang Christmas hymns and bore testimonies instead. I got up and bore my testimony for the very first time, and I asked everyone to pray for my friend and his family. A couple of Sundays later, he and his family did come to church, and his mom is now taking the missionary discussions. I think prayer and fasting work.

Going to church can help you learn about Heavenly Father and all that He has given you. If you are a child like me, you can enjoy fun activities while you are learning. Jesus is our Savior, and if you don’t believe me, read the scriptures. I feel good because I can share this with other people, just like the Savior did. They need your help and mine.

 

Learn to Live!

Just notes from President Uchtdorf's talk in General Conference 2 weeks ago but I must have missed and got to read today...

Doesn’t it seem foolish to spoil sweet and joyful experiences because we are constantly anticipating the moment when they will end?
Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition.
Do we say our prayers with only the “amen” or the end in mind? Of course not. We pray to be close to our Heavenly Father, to receive His Spirit and feel His love.
We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.”

My dear brothers and sisters, dear friends, we must begin to walk that eternal path today; we cannot take for granted one single day. I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live.

Uchtdorf, 2012 Oct Conference

My Laborer in the Vineyard

This morning I read the conference talk by Jeffrey R. Holland, given last April, Laborers in the Vineyard.  Later, with Lance, I retold the parable about the householder that hired laborers for the harvest. I told him that his family wouldn't have any food for dinner if he didn't get a job.  I put Lance in the first group of people hired at 6am.  Then I told him about the others that were hired at 9am, then noon.  Then 3pm, then the "11th hour" at about 5pm, who only worked for one hour.  He listened without any opinions.  So when the day was over, Lance got to go and receive a whole $10 to feed his family, as did the rest of those in his group.  And I told him the next people came to get their wages, that had worked 3 less hours than him.  He didn't blink when I told him that they were paid the same $10.  I asked him what did he think the people that came at noon got paid.  He answered, "$10"?  I asked him if he'd heard this story before and he hadn't.  So next question was what did those that only worked 3 hours get paid.  He said, "$10", pleased with himself that he knew the answer.  And finally, those that only worked one hour, of course, got $10.
But, Lance, you worked the WHOLE DAY!  They only worked ONE HOUR. 
"It's fair."  He said.  "They should get the same amount that I got".  End of story.  No more lessons to be learned.  I wish I had learned it so easily as my eight year old.
Looking forward to his baptism next month....

Also here's part of my journal entry I wrote last night:
(... want to note that Lance is a super mover when it comes to cleaning.  I wish I cleaned like that.  Our whole house would benefit.  He went the extra mile when I asked him to put the toys by the door to take to the donation place, he went out and opened the back of the van and loaded it!  He also took the garbage upstairs and dumped it.  Did a lot of the sweeping downstairs.  Man, I love that little man.  I remember thinking his temper was the most difficult thing I had to deal with as a parent.  Now I’m grateful that’s all I have to worry about with him, almost J

Lance with one of his Mod Podge projects this summer, a pinewood derby car from his Boys' Life magazine

Spring Break Thursday and Friday, and a little Sat.

Oh my good ness I cannot remember what we did on Thursday and even Friday, for that matter.  Lots of basketball and outdoor fun at home.  I was just glad to try and catch up on laundry and floors.  Friday, Lance and Jace had Dr. checkups, and they both averaged out to being slim and tall, in the 75th percentiles in height, just like Kyle was.  I think Kyle might end up being the tallest one out of his brothers, wouldn't that be great?  The youngest and tallest, like Nephi :)  Random fact, Kyle's favorite Primary song right now is, "Nephi's Courage".
So after the appt., we went home for more basketball, then Lance and Kyle went to a friend's house that we're carpooling with for Tae Kwon Do.  It was such a blessing that she was driving this time because my friend's baby boy had to go to the hospital for being dehydrated, and so we got to watch their cute little girl with big blue eyes.  Cami enjoyed having another girl around, and begged to have her crib in her room so they could share.  Cami has said in the past that she doesn't like being alone in her room.  Isn't that sad?  I've tried giving her dolls and teddies to sleep with, but she knows the fact.  So we ended up having this friend sleep overnight with us, and I just had Cami sleep in my room with us, because I didn't want to mess with girls waking each other up in the middle of the night.  I've gotten way too comfortable with getting my full nights' sleep.  At least Cami wasn't alone. 
So... Saturday was my birthday.  I have a few pics to post tomorrow if I get a minute.  My hair is really cute after I had it cut. colored, and done.  I really spoiled myself with the cash my family sent me.  This place offered drinks and had a changing room where we change into a smock.  I was a little out of my comfort zone, but I quickly got comfortable :)
Anyway more on that tomorrow.

Spring Break Wednesday

Today we took a road trip to Elephant Rocks. It's about an hour and 45 min. away, give or take. It was kinda spontaneous because we were heading out that direction anyway to get a tool for Jared to be able to finish the framing in the basement. When I woke up Kyle and told him where we get to go, he said, "But first we have to get the nail gun.". I thought it was so great how his sharp mind was so quick to remember the awesome tool Dad was going to get. He loves watching Dad work on the house.
The following photos are pretty random.  I'm trying to figure out how to blog again.  I can't keep up with the new and improved, I guess :)


the "Engine House" ruins

Inside the Engine House

All of 'em! Jace's friend, Tom, and Lance's friend, Isaac.  Bringing them made this road trip so much more fun.

Tadpoles

Tadpole fishing

 Then back home just in time for Lance's piano lesson, then a little basketball before hamburgers, showers and bed (except Jace, who went to basketball practice with Dad.  Someone was bummed about not having enough basketball time today, but they didn't take very long to crash once the head hit the pillow!  

Spring Break Tuesday.

Yup.  Just another boring day of NO SCHOOL!  I don't think it really matters what we do; just that the kids are having fun and feel that sense of freedom and togetherness.
We went on a bikeride to the "mini house."  A little shelter at the entrance of the subdivision that's probably more for show.  Kyle continues to improve his endurance.
Kyle had a friend over during the early afternoon, and Lance had a friend for the late afternoon and during their Tae Kwon Do class that they take together.  I have yet to get pics of that, hopefully Thursday I will.  Jace always has the kids on the block over for basketball.  He's pretty much been playing every spare minute that he has.  He's on his way to the NBA.  In fact, he's at church right now with Dad hopefully finishing up basketball practice.
Cami just goes with the flow.  She's getting to be quite a pro at dribbling the ball. 

Spring Break Monday

We did some boring stuff first so we could do the fun stuff.  After rooms were clean, we went on a short bikeride.  It is fun to only pull Cami behind me and watch Kyle working those muscles as we go up the hill.  He used to get frustrated (last week when we began bikeriding - long time ago!), but his endurance and focus seem to have improved a ton!  Hopefully mine will, too :)  Kyle has a friend a few streets over from us that have him over to play sometimes so Cami and I can sweat through some more hills and get a workout.

Later, we went... Fishing!

This is the first time I have ever taken all four kids fishing without Jared.  Our awesome neighbors, who have a son Jace's age, invited us, and the day was perfect for it.  86 degrees.

 Jace packed a bunch of cheddar cheese cubes and he caught 6 fish!  He reminisced about fishing at the cabin and using cheese as bait.  Look closer at the fish's belly.  It's yellow.  Maybe too much cheese.  I told Jace it was probably the same fish he was catching each time.

 Persistance...

 Pays off!

 I am so grateful to our neighbors.  We probably would have just done more boring stuff today! 

I didn't want to mess with bothering Jared at work to ask him about our fishing poles that are SOMEWHERE in the huge basement downstairs (that he's been finishing this week - I'll post pics!) so I just grabbed some wooden poles and asked Jace to grab some string and we were off!  You can tell Cami was really into this fishing thing with her red pole propped so she can use her hands for more important things like Goldfish Crackers.  We took a detour during a bathroom break to enjoy the playground. But the boys couldn't get enough of this!  We'll definitely visit Des Peres Park again.

Later, Lance and Kyle got to go to their first Tae Kwon Do class and got their white belts.  Earlier this month, Lance was invited to a birthday party at the Martial Arts Academy, and one of his party favors was 2 weeks of free classes!  Plus, they said his brothers can join him!  Everyday.  Monday thru Friday.  (Cami was fine, we just did cartwheels and handstands in the other room) 

They earned their red tape, by breaking wood with their hand. 

We got home, planted some Pea seeds, and Jared later cooked some Teriyaki Elk steaks. 

Family Night Activity:  Limbo - Lance's idea.  We wanted to do something with the "Sticks" (2x4's) that the kids helped Dad unload from the car for more basement work, thus Lance's brilliant activity idea.  We played the Limbo Rock and had a little limbo party downstairs.  I forgot how fun that is.  I remember doing that on roller skates.  I wanna get some roller skates and skate around our basement before it's finished.

  Tomorrow will probably be just boring stuff.  I don't know if I can top today's excitement.

Cami's THREE!

When I asked what kind of birthday party she wanted, she said, "Pink!"  So easy to please.  I can do pink, and have fun at the same time ;)

Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.  This is Cami's best friend, Kylie.  They adore one another.  It is so sweet to watch.  When Cami has her hair curled, she says it looks like Kylie's.  Kylie's family came  over to celebrate with us.  Her dad is also a resident, same year as Jared, in radiology.   And her brother goes to the same preschool that Kyle goes to.  Kylie gave Cami the dress up outfits, and they "had a ball" trying them on!

Kyle showing Cami how the baby fits in the carrier from Jared's parents.

Putting the crown on this baby from Beauty and the Beast.  Cami picked this out over the Christmas season while we were supposed to be picking out her toy she was to give Kyle.  She loved this. and insisted that we buy it.  Would have been easier to just buy it then and there.  I went back later and bought it (with the grandparent $$!).

Happy Birthday, Dad! Luv! Jared!!

29 and a half?  Right?  It's hard to keep count anymore, but that sounds about right.  He got home after a long day at work to kids waiting up past their bedtime to sing to him and watch him open presents.  He got a cool hunting shirt from my parents, something special from his parents that he got early and I can't remember what he said it was, cuz I'm an awesome wife that listens intently to her husband at all times.  He got some nice jeans from Cabela's from my grandparents, and an awesome, cool rug from Cabela's, for the elk room from all of us.  I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of it, will post later.  Jared was so exhausted he went to bed pretty soon after presents were opened and cake was eaten.  I love the pic of Jace singing his heart out to his Dad.  Ah, he loves him!