At the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, there is a tall structure named "The Chapel." Inside of the chapel is an exquisite, lofty, piece of art made out of tile. I am not sure if you can see from the pictures below, but the entire piece, which includes every inside wall of the structure, is made up of tiny pieces of tile. The inside of the chapel is breathtakingly beautiful. The tiles have been in place for over 60 years.

"O Lord support us all the day long until the shadows lengthen and our work is done. Then in Thy mercy grant us a safe lodging and a holy rest and peace at the last."

(The outside of the chapel)

 Yesterday I was in a bad mood and was snappy with my husband.

The internet was not working in our home. I could not use my phones or laptops to do mission work unless I went to the mission office. 
A kleenex went through my load of dark clothes and left pieces of kleenex on everything.
I organized a senior outing to a Butterfly Sanctuary and it was a flop. We saw one butterfly. I wrote an honest and negative review.
A missionary was not being obedient and I felt anger towards him.
We ordered dinner on grab and it was delivered an hour later than expected.
Yard workers were using weed whackers around the perimeter of the mission home all day.

I know, I know. These are silly and inconsequential things, and these happenings are no excuse for my behavior. External circumstances cannot determine my happiness or my mood because I choose my mood and whether to be irritated or not. I prayed and read scriptures, but still my mood prevailed. "O wretched man (woman) that I am" (2 Nephi 4:17).

"Nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions and he hath preserved me. He hath filled me with his love." God can lift me out of this.

I played the day over and over in my mind. What could I have done differently? How could I have reacted in a more controlled way? I need to school my feelings and my reactions. No matter what is happening around me or to me, I want to choose calmness and control. I apologized to Matthew and to Heavenly Father. I realize that I cannot get tomorrow back; I need to move forward.

I need to lighten up a bit on myself and on life. Sometimes I am intense, and sometimes my expectations are too high.

I need to treat Matthew kindly no matter what I am feeling inside. Sometimes I take out my emotions on the people closest to me.

I will continue to check in with Heavenly Father on a regular basis, repent daily, and make plans to improve.

 

"...I want one thing only on that plate. And that’s you and your relationship with Jesus. Start there. How do we turn our life over to someone like Jesus? Well, we’ve got to get to know him. We’ve got to talk with him. This is the beginning of the journey of turning your life over to God."

Follow Him Podcast, Old Testament: EPISODE 34 (2026), Steven Sharp Nelson.

Isaiah 63:7 "I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord...according to all that the Lord hath bestowed upon us and the great goodness."

CFM Manual, October 12-18 "What loving kindnesses of the Lord can you mention?"

I have been blessed with many loving kindnesses from the Lord and my heart is full of gratitude. First of all, I am encircled by God's love and the grace and mercy of my Savior Jesus Christ. I am indebted to my Heavenly Father for His marvelous plan of happiness, and to the Savior for making every good thing in life possible. The third member of the Godhead also plays an important role in my life. By the Spirit I am directed, guided, comforted, and led, and I rely on the Holy Ghost daily. If I had nothing else in life but the three members of the Godhead, I would be rich!

I am blessed with health to get up and do things every day. My eyes work, my teeth are solid, I can hear, walk, lift, and stand. I am blessed to serve alongside my husband and to serve among the friendly and courteous Filipino people. I live in a comfortable home with access to clean water. I know how to read and I own a cell phone. Though far away, our family is supportive and keeps in touch. We are blessed to have siblings, children, and grandchildren whom we adore. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I live at a time when a prophet is on the earth. I am blessed with scriptures to study coupled with current revelation. The gospel brings me peace and I can face the future with faith, knowing that God is in charge.

No matter what I do, or how I strive to repay God for the multitude of blessings I have been given, I will always come up short and be indebted. I honor His name by showing Him respect and reverence, by keeping His commandments, and in the way I treat others.

When we went home a month ago for a few days, it meant that we needed to say goodbye all over again to grandchildren, which was not easy, but it wasn't as bad this time because we know we can do it! We have figured out how to keep in touch even though we are miles apart, and we know the Lord is strengthening and blessing our family while we serve.

 

In Doctrine & Covenants 97:13 we read that the temple is a "place of thanksgiving for all saints." The new, beautiful Lindon temple became a holy place of thanksgiving for me on September 10. 

I sat in a large sealing room with seats positioned around an altar. My husband was seated across from me. My hand was holding the hand of my 96 year-old mother-in-law who was present at the wedding, representing Logan's four grandparents and Ashley's four grandparents who are all on the other side of the veil, besides her. It was a tender moment. I was remembering my wedding and how I felt that day many years ago.

In walked children and their spouses, and siblings and their spouses, not all, but many of them. The sealer spoke of Jesus Christ and how He has made everything good in our lives possible. We covenant with Him, and we covenant with our spouse. What a magnificent, wonderful triangle of commitment and love! 

Our son Logan waited many years for that day to happen. He prayed and hoped and dated dozens of women. Ashley is such a blessing to him, and to our family. We love her and welcome her to our family.

We have been asked if it was hard for us to come back to the Philippines after being home for a few days. It was not. This is where we belong right now. We are filled with such gratitude to the Lord for our many blessings that we wanted to come back to serve His children and be about our work here.

No matter how much we try to serve Him, we are always in His debt. I love Jesus Christ and praise Him!

Sometimes I have entered the temple heavy with burdens and asking for help. I have sought refuge in the temple from the storms of life, and have found direction and light. On this day, I went to the temple with a heart full of thanksgiving and basked in the light of our Father's house. Joy and gratitude filled my soul.

 

We thought when we arrived in Salt Lake City for the wedding festivities that we would hurry to the car rental place and be on our way, never dreaming family members would be at the airport to greet us! They brought a delicious snack tray and helped us with our luggage. We loved seeing them!

 

 

While on the long flight from the Philippines to Utah, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The main characters are enjoyable, the side characters are hilarious, and the music throughout the movie is delightful.

A seasoned Filipino priesthood leader drew this tree and showed it to the gathered saints. "This tree represents The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines. The tree is big! The top of the tree is blooming and large. The Philippines almost has a million members of the Church. The trunk is small. It represents priesthood holders. We need to strengthen the trunk and baptize more men into the church. The roots are not deep. The roots represent gospel knowledge. The members need to become more fluent in the scriptures and build their testimonies. This is the work we are about."

 

I am not sure why, but I enjoy taking pictures with interesting people, or people in interesting suits. Sister Shumway was here for a visit and we came upon this gentleman:)