Christopher becomes a priest

 January has proven to be a filled month thus far.  Sunday (1/18) before church, Christopher was ordained to the office of a priest. It was beautiful seeing Jake, my dad, and my son participate (Adam also stood in, I love him too but those 4 others are really a big part of my heart). My dad thought Jake's blessing to ordain him was beautiful and told him, he would not be surprised if Jake was a patriarch one day.  The way I see it, he already is in our home.  Christopher was also able to bless the sacrament with his brother.  My heart was happy seeing the two of them sit up there together.   

That evening (Sunday) we had the youth over for Sundaes on a Sunday with the bishop. There were 28 youth there, so not too bad. After everyone left, there was a priest ordination at our house Christopher was able to stand in on his first ordination as well of his friend, Jonah Donald. Will also stood in on it.  It was a great Sunday. 

 

Last night Aubree was chatting with me a minute about various things and how glad she was that the doctor made her partial weight bearing and able to drive and just life.  She shared that for a small moment she had questioned blessings but was realizing again they are real. She recalled an evening she was sad but dad told her he felt she would heal when he gave her that blessing and he knew it.  She also stated, it has been a "faith evolution, not crisis" for her and she reflected on things I shared about my evolution of faith this year, and if I turned to look for reasons to believe and try to become strengthened, she could too.  So maybe sharing our struggles with our kids as we overcome them and work through them is a good thing. 

On a different note, I feel like I may be a little sad when Jake is released from bishop. This year will be 5 years but we are hoping he stays in a bit longer.  Sunday evening, one of the last youth to be picked up parents came in a minute.  The father is military and they expressed they had lived in a lot, with emphasis on a lot, and have never been as happy or welcomed in any ward.  They said ours was a different feeling and it stemmed from Jake and I.  He is a phenomenal bishop and truly does love this sector of Heavenly Father's people. Attendance is averaging a touch over 200 each week, which is growth and the youth are close. A couple weeks ago, I received this text from another very strong willed and opinionated lady in our ward randomly after I thanked her for sending Jake and update on a member in the hospital. "We love him. I'm not just saying this but he is the best bishop we've ever had. EVER. And you are the best bishops wife. I love you both to pieces." Now, I may not agree about me but I for sure do about him. I appear good because I want him to serve and do let him.  He is contentiously touching lives...maybe he was still needed to bishop for this time. 

Christopher's talk & Will's Patriarchal blessing

 Yesterday was a beautiful Sunday for your family. Sacrament meeting was great with Christopher speaking first on Joshua 1:9, followed by a talk on the gift of testimony, referencing Elder Brown's general conference talk, and the last talk was on the power of our words. I had my first week in primary. Class was a little iffy for me but then we went to singing time and the kids sang "When I am Baptized" and my eyes began to water a little. It was beautiful; I felt not only blessed to be sitting there but God's love.  After church, Will received his patriarchal blessing. His dad commented after the blessing that is was a "beautiful blessing", that boy has so many good things in store for his life...he just needs to get it together and get some direction in his life. He is the last of our children to receive their blessing and it is not something we pressure them about because we want them to want it but we are glad he made the decision to get it. 

Christopher's talk - he wrote it by himself too.  

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Good morning. I am Chris Farrell and I decided to talk about my favorite scripture. It is Joshua 1:9, which I just shared. I find this verse to be 3 great sections: what to do, what not to do, and why. 

      To start things off, the verse talks about being strong and of a good courage. To be strong is a number of things. It’s resisting temptation and doing all things to Christ. Temptation comes in all forms. Whether it’s cheating on a test or seeking fights, you overcome it and stay strong through Christ. Furthermore, being courageous can be standing up for what you believe you in. Like wise, doing things that don’t have to do and doing them anyway. For example, you don’t deny Christ. Matter of fact you testify of him. An experience I had with that was in school a year ago or technically two now. I had a friend names Luis. We’ve been talking and he brought up his plans for the weekend. I later told him my plans which included going to church. He asked me why I would go and I told him it’s see people and renew my covenants. I then was courageous and invited him to join me for the best Sunday. He said yes and l joined us for the next few Sundays. That is why it’s so important for us to strive to be strong and courageous because Christ strengthens you

       Moving on, the second section says don’t be afraid neither be discouraged. Fear is all around us in our daily lives. It there when we try new things and even our wild thoughts. All of that does sound frightening but we shouldn’t be afraid because that is part of being humans. Can you guess what else comes in the package? Yep, discouragement. This also happens daily. It can come in thoughts and trying to change but there’s no results. There’s no need to be hopeless though because Christ felt what we are through and can help us. For example, during Covid I was scared that someone I cared about would die. I decided that every Sunday I would pray for everyone’s safety. After the pandemic and all the fear, I looked back and I didn’t loose anyone. I know that God heard my prayers and protected everyone. That’s why it’s such a powerful reminder to not be discouraged or afraid because through Christ you can do anything. 

      Next, the last section explains that God is with you wherever you are. I personally find that to be the best part of this verse. You save the best for last, right? God is with you always, even if you’re at home, at school, or halfway across the world.  One of the most amazing ways He stays with us is through the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a constant companion who can guide us, comfort us, and warn us when something isn’t right. He helps us feel peace when we’re anxious and gives us courage when we’re unsure. The choices we face may be small or big, clear or confusing, simple or complex. However, the Holy Ghost can help us with all of them. For the last experience, a couple of years ago got a ring for Christmas and I wore my t all the time. It snowed a couple of weeks later and I threw a snowball. That snowball ended up loosing my ring because the ring slipped off. I looked and looked and I couldn’t find it. I then prayed and afterwards a got a rake to find it. A couple of minutes later I found it in the flower bed. I know that the Holy Ghost prompted me and guided me to the ring. That’s why I feel so loved to know that the God is with us always because he helps us. 

        Finally, it also connects with other verses. For example 2nd Timothy 1:7 states “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear⁠; but of power⁠, and of love⁠, and of a sound mind.”  God doesn’t want us to fear. He wants us to haw power and love. Moreover, Philippians 4:13 exclaims “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” We can overcome any hardships that come our way through Christ. The hardships can be any size or shape and the lord helps us overpower them.

        To conclude, I would like to bear my testimony on Joshua 1:9 because I know the, strength, relief, and love it holds for all of us. I also know that God is with us and he will never leave our side and in the name of Jesus Christ, our beloved savior, amen.

 

And 2026 begins

 2026 began with Jake flying to Idaho for Chyna's wedding and the boys and I going to Jackson to hang out with my parents and sisters.  My sisters and I tried to recreate some moments for our brothers that we thought were funny. We sent them to them but I am not sure they felt they were as funny as we did.  The weekend rolled around and the kids and I spent Saturday running errands and hanging out.  

 

I found out Friday that I had been called to teach primary so I had a good little cry but decided that I needed to do it and will give it my best.  Here is the thing, I can choose to be a covenant maker or a covenant keeper and not just a covenant keeper of convenience.  I was teaching Sunday School this past Sunday and it dawned on me that maybe this is my opportunity to simplify the Old Testament and understand it more and through a child's eyes. I can do it.  I decided to start 2026 out with bling so I wore all sparkles to church on Sunday. I am convinced that it will be a much better year for me.