Family History Night

 I didn't take many pictures today.  I only snapped these pictures of Lizzie and William while on a run/walk on our dirt road.

I love the fact that we live on a dirt road.  I couldn't be happier!  I have convinced myself that we live in the best house on the best corner in all of Antelope Valley.  I couldn't have imagined 15.5 years ago that I would have the life that I am currently living.  That I would be living in this house with such a wonderful husband who loves me (I'm not sure why, ha ha) with 5 beautiful children.  That we would be so financially blessed.  That we would be living through a pandemic in which we would be required to work from home, home school, and have church from home.  That we would have something called "Come Follow Me" which has blessed my life in more ways than I can count.  At this point in time, my Mom has already been gone for nearly 8 years.  She never even got to meet Caitlyn or William.  She was never able to see me grow into myself and become the woman that I am today.  I was never able to truly appreciate or understand her until she was gone.  The great irony of life.  We have a tendency to not fully appreciate things until they are no longer with us.

I have trained for and ran 2 half marathons in the past few years.  And I didn't do too shabby either!  I still exercise regularly.  I still have a passion for all things health.  I also have a desire to go to nursing school at some point in the future.  I have a passion for the gospel and for reading the scriptures.  I wish that I could read and learn and study the gospel all the day long.

I was thinking about church callings today and the various ones that I have been blessed with.  Over the years, I have been the Relief Society 1st Counselor, Relief Society 2nd Counselor, Relief Society Secretary, Compassionate Service Leader, Visiting Teacher Coordinator, and Visiting Teaching Supervisor.  I have been the Primary music leader and a primary teacher.  I have been the Laurel Advisor, the Beehive Advisor, the Young Women 2nd Counselor, and currently the Young Women President.  I have been the Stake Librarian in college.  I have been ward chorister.  I have been on the Family Home Evening Committee.  And there are probably more, but I just can't think of them at the moment.  All of my church callings have helped me to grow and I am grateful for them all.

Tonight for our youth activity, we had a family history night.  We discussed the importance of family history and everyone shared a story from their family history.  It was a very neat activity!  Bryce shared the story of Jon's great-great grandmother.  She worked as a cook and she was very poor, but very generous.  She would often make food for her family, give some to her children, and then go out and give her portions to the neighbors.

Lizzie shared the stories of Jon's parents' conversion stories.  How Sandy noticed the Los Angeles Temple and she walked right in, only to be immediately escorted out and taken to the visitors center.  She was given a Book of Mormon and read it in 2 weeks.  She met with the missionaries and was a golden investigator.  Dwight was in his home one day and he heard a knock on the front door.  Without being able to see who was on the other side of the door, he knew that they were messengers from God.  He opened the door and he met the missionaries for the first time.  Beautiful experiences!

I briefly told about my great-great-great Grandpa, Theodore Turley.  He immigrated to Canada from England.  He met Parley P. Pratt, who was an apostle.  Parley baptized him and Theodore proceeded to bring 13 people into the church within the first 3 weeks after he was baptized.  He followed the saints to Nauvoo and he was known for having built the 1st home in Nauvoo built by a Mormon.  He went on a mission to England with Heber C. Kimball.  While on his mission, he was in jail for 3 weeks.  He practiced plural marriage, experienced the death of 4 of his wives and many children.  Made it across the plains, helped settle San Bernadino, and then ended up back in Beaver, Utah.

Though Theodore was well known, I wanted to tell the story of another relative whom is not going to be famous in the eyes of the world, but she will always be famous in my mind.  It's Nana.  Grandma Duncan.  She is my hero and I hope that I can be a little bit like her one day.  She grew up in a family with 10 kids.  Her dad died when she was 10 years old and she was given a lot of responsibility at a very young age.  She stayed strong in the church even when most others in her family did not.  She stayed strong and married Grandpa Duncan (who was not yet a member of the church).  She remained strong until Grandpa was eventually baptized and they were sealed together as a family when my Mom was 13 years old.  Nana earned her bachelors degree in her 60's in psychiatric nursing.  What an example to me!  These are the kinds of stories that my future family tells about me.  I don't want to be famous, but I want my family to know that I had a strong testimony and that I love my Savior and my family.