Doran's Letter

Dear Ward Members,

A number of years ago, Jody and I bought a book to listen to while driving in the car. It was an excellent book and I highly recommend it to youth and families. The book is by Brother Gerald N. Lund. It is called “The Guardian”. The Guardian is a story about a teenage girl named Carruthers, but her father nicknamed her, and she always went by the name “Danni”. Danni was a young girl who had special gifts.

In the book Danni’s grandfather taught her about four important things, that if she remembered them, they would always guide her in her life.

These were called “the Four Remembers of Life”. They are:

1. Remember - YOU are unique.
2. Remember - YOUR life has a purpose.
3. Remember - YOU are free to choose who you are and who you will become.
4. Remember - YOU are not alone.

Remember – YOU are unique.

YOU are a unique son or daughter of our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. You have been born into this world and have had individual experiences that have shaped your life and has made you who you are. You have had, and will have, trials and tribulations as well as happiness and joy. Your family dynamics, your associations with friends and others, and your life experiences, whether in or out of the church, have been unique to you.

Remember – YOUR life has a purpose.

Because you kept your first estate, and chose to follow Christ, you have been born into this world with the purpose of attaining exaltation. Our Heavenly Father has a purpose for you in the roles you play in your family, in your associations, in your friendships, in your community, and only YOU can fulfill YOUR purposes. “My life is a gift; my life has a plan. My life has a purpose; in heav’n it began” (Watkins, V. 1981, I Will Follow God’s Plan).

Remember – YOU are free to choose who you are and who you will become.

No matter your age, you are free to make choices that affect your life now and in the future. Our Father in Heaven has given you the blessing of making choices now to correct mistakes of the past. Good or bad, the past can have an affect on us but does not have to define us. Because of this freedom of choice, YOU have the power to dictate who YOU will become.

Remember – YOU are not alone.

No matter what your current situation is, Heavenly Father has blessed you with people in your life to support and sustain you. You may be blessed with ward family, with friends, with co-workers, with loved ones on both sides of the veil, with angels to attend you, with the Holy Ghost, and especially with the Savior, Jesus Christ and your Heavenly parents. No matter what you may encounter, Remember, YOU are not alone.

Brothers and Sisters, we recognize that this has been, and is, a challenging time in our lives. Yet it has been, and is, a time of great blessings, a time in many ways to slow life down and see the great blessings from our Father in Heaven. We have all seen many changes in the past months. Some of our beloved ward members have passed through the veil and are, and will be, missed very much. We need to be mindful of those loved ones who remain here with us. Our high school seniors have graduated in a year that will certainly be memorable. We love them and wish them the best. Although in many ways it may seem that the world has gone crazy, we need to have faith in the Lord, and to be encouraged by the optimism of our beloved prophet Russell M. Nelson. And as President Thomas S. Monson taught, “YOUR future is as bright as YOUR faith.”

Love,

Brother and Sister Shelley

Doran's Letter

Dear Ward Members,

On this beautiful Mother’s Day my thoughts are with my Mother, my Wife, and all of the other Mothers out there who have had such a great influence on their families. To all the sisters out there I express great reverence and thanks for all you do, and for all you mean to the families of our Heavenly Father’s children.

As I contemplate the situation we are all in, with “Home Church”, in many aspects I am grateful that we can focus this Sabbath day on the dear Sisters in our lives. How grateful I am for the example and influence that the Sisters have, not only in my life, but on our Heavenly Father’s kingdom as a whole. Women have many characteristics of such importance to the salvation of mankind that exaltation would not be possible without them. Elder Matthew Cowley was quoted at saying, “You sisters belong to the great sorority of saviorhood. You may not hold the priesthood. Men are different, men have to have something given to them to make them saviors of men, but not mothers, not women. You are the co-creators with God of his children.” Jack R. Christianson said, “You, as a woman, whether or not you have the opportunity to bear children, belong to the sorority of saviorhood. I don’t know of anything more beautiful than that.”

Sisters, and Brothers also, we often feel we fall short in our efforts to be all that we can and should be. Six years ago, as I was preparing to speak on Mother’s Day in our ward for a high council speaking assignment, I had been praying to know what I should say to the sisters in the ward. About 2:30 A.M. on the morning I was to talk, I was awakened with a thought that was so powerful to me that I had to get up and write it down before I forgot what it said. It was this, “Your imperfections may be exactly what your children need to help them come closer to God, and to help them get to the Celestial Kingdom.

I pray that the Lord’s choicest blessings will be with you at this time. Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Love,

Bother Shelley