The Saunders - Texas Mormons

In our Church we celebrate “Mormon Pioneer Day” in July—it is one of my most favorite. We revere our Mormon Pioneer Saints, who valiantly endured hardships, sacrifices, and persecutions. They traveled across the country in harsh weather conditions, with minimal supplies at times—many died before they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. The journey took a great toll on their lives and others died shortly after arriving due to weak health and suffering. I am ever so grateful for their perseverance, dedication, and profound testimonies of their faith.

One of my favorite quotes comes From Francis Webster of the Martin Handcart Company:  “We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of criticism? Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.”  

See also The Pioneer Story:  http://www.lds.org/gospellibrary/pioneer/pioneerstory.htm

The Panama City Panama Temple has experienced a wonderful response from visitors during the open house, which was opened to the public! We now have a total of 127 temples worldwide. A recent article in the LDS Church News reported “More than 5,000 people passed through the temple in just the first two days."

Our temples are sacred. The main reason John and I moved to Lubbock was to have the privilege of living near a temple. We are very blessed to work and serve in our Lubbock Temple and receive great joy in doing so!

FYI  

See Article:  http://mormontimes.com/WC_aroundChurch.php?id=1561

Purpose of Temples:  http://www.lds.org/temples/purpose/0,11298,1897-1,00.html

We would like to thank Mark for posting his comments on our GUESTBOOK in reference to the article published by our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, distinguishing Mormons from the FLDS group in Texas. 

A primary reason for our blog is to help eliminate the confusion that exists and often times perpetuated by the media. Thank you, Mark, for opening the discussion on this new thread. We wish to state unequivocally that we are not associated or connected in anyway to the FLDS group in Eldorado, Texas, or any other polygamous groups. Those belonging to the FLDS group are not Mormons! We believe in participating in the communities we live in and do not segregate ourselves from the world. We encourage others to learn of us and invite them to attend our meetings. 

We take opportunity to personally define ourselves and share our beliefs through our blog and invite you to ask questions and welcome your comments as well. We are not about attacking anyone else’s beliefs but instead sharing our own beliefs and dispelling misunderstandings.  We encourage you to read the article in helping you with your comments. Please see the article link below:

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/church-seeks-to-address-public-confusion-over-texas-polygamy-group

Sincerely,
John and Sue

I love attending church on Sundays! It makes the rest of my week go so much better! If I am sick and unable to go, I tend to feel out-of-the-loop for that week. Sunday worship gives me spiritual fuel and strengthens my resolve to do better in my life. In class, I love to learn and join in discussions of gospel principles! On the first Sunday, during the first hour, which is our Sacrament Meeting, we are given the opportunity  to bear our testimony of Jesus Christ to everyone. Sunday is a special day in my life and very uplifiting! If you have never attended, please feel free to attend wherever you live. We are listed in the phone book!

Happy July 4th! Today I pondered the many struggles our nation's founding fathers must have experienced--both personal and political. Drafting the constitution was a painstaking process, which layed the foundation for the words "We the people". Bitter warfare and the courage of thousands defined the words, "We the people". The dedication of political giants wove the American tapestry of
"We the people". Even though they were not perfect, they were quietly prompted by the Lord's Spirit to endure and to proceed. Through their diligence and the dedication of thousands, who gave their lives in defending the constitution, we have the opportunity to experience personal freedom. Us, "We the people."

I was thinking today, what a blessing to live in the good ole’ USA! I am grateful for all the freedoms we enjoy each day that too often we take for granted. The 4th of July is a special day indeed. I am thankful to live in the United States of America—the Promised Land. I also know that as American people we have a huge responsibility in protecting our freedoms and Constitution. I believe our founders were inspired men of God. We live in a day when threats to erode our rights and principles upon which we were founded are becoming a reality. We were founded upon Christian principles and when we as a people turn away is no wonder the rampant moral decay and corruption that has permeated. However, these are the greatest days to live upon the earth, just the same, because of all the miracle wonders of technology, medical breakthroughs, new opportunities and developments like never before. God bless America where opportunity and freedom rings!

Today, I had another opportunity to attend the temple. Upon returning to Texas, Sue and I decided to choose a city with a temple. We narrowed it down to San Antonio or Lubbock. After a couple of trips to San Antonio and fighting the traffic and road construction, we decided to move to Lubbock. We are only 1 1/2 minutes from the temple. What a blessing! More later . . . .

We are very excited in starting our new website and blog! We love to share our testimonies of all we believe to anyone desiring to learn about our faith and church--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons or Latter-day Saints (LDS). It is astonishing how much misinformation exists about us and how it is perpetuated by the media and those who know little or nothing about us.

One of our goals is to help inform others desiring to learn gospel truths and about the Plan of Salvation. The purpose of life is to search out truth, come unto Christ and keep His commandments. We know this blog may not be of interest to everyone, however, we believe there are many that are sincerely searching truth. We do not engage in contentious exchanges or bashing anyone else’s beliefs. We share openly and believe that spiritual learning is accomplished by sincere desire and through prayerful contemplation.

We believe the Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon to be the word of God. We know the answers to where we came from, why we are here on earth, and where we are going after this life. We worship our Savior Jesus Christ and strive to live our daily lives by His gospel teachings.

We are christians who enjoy life. We love to entertain and socialize with friends and family. We enjoy good music, dancing, singing and living a full life. We cherish our testimony of Jesus Christ and grateful to share it with you. It is our prayer to help you sprout a seed or desire to learn more about gospel truths that continually bring us great joy in our everyday life and have helped us endure through trying times and personal challenges.

Your friends,

John and Sue Saunders