Finding Hope, A Taste of Christmas, A trip to Winnipeg, Penny Farthing, Big things from James & George

Finding Hope in the Light and Life of the World

This week in our institute classes we enjoyed discussing the doctrine of finding Hope in our lives and the role of the Savior in that process.  When we put the Savior at the center of this process we can see such brightness in our future.  In John 8:12 we read:  

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:  he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

We discussed choosing a flashlight if we were to take a hike in the darkness of night-- would we be happy with a 500 lumen light that gets dimmer over time, or would we be happier with a 5000 lumen light that sustains its brightness for eternity.  What choices would we need to make in our discipleship that would allow us to have a non-diminishing 5000 Lumen light on our journey?  Staying focused on the Savior, our covenants with Him and His promises, will help us get through our lives with a 'perfect brightness of hope'.  Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said: 

"Hope is a gift of the Spirit [see Moroni 8:26]. ...[It is] the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us. It is confidence that if we live according to God’s laws and the words of His prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. …No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations. (“The Infinite Power of Hope,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 21, 22)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2009-09-0036-the-power-of-hope?lang=eng

Refreshments for Institute

We keep busy buying groceries and making meals for our two institute classes.  We made some snickerdoodles for the dessert last week.  To our surprise many in the class had never tasted a snickerdoodle.  One young lady in the class, Acacia, bit into the 'doodle and then said, "wow, this tastes like Christmas".  We thought that was a very cute comment and a great description. 

Talks in Newcastle Ward

We had the opportunity to speak in Newcastle ward on Sunday.  Sister Betteridge spoke on living Peaceably.  The Apostle  Paul in Romans 12:18 taught us:  "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."  Sister Sheri Dew said: 

"None of us needs one more person pointing out where we've fallen short.  What we do need are each others' compassion, prayers, and support.  What if we were to decide today that we would make just one assumption about each other -- that we are each doing the best we can?"

Our beloved prophet leader President Russel M. Nelson, wrote on his social media page in January 2022, the following: 

"Resolve to be kind to others.  When the Savior Jesus Christ visited the Americas, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, one of the first things He taught was the need to eliminate contention in our lives.  So, please be compassionate, be understanding, be slow to judge and be quick to forgive." 

Elder Betteridge spoke on the principle of forgiveness.  He pointed out that often times warm contentions arise between us and within our families which may sometimes drive us to feelings of anger.  He pointed out that it has been said that "Anger is like drinking poison and then hoping that someone else dies".   Such negative emotions usually fester and never resolve themselves unless we draw upon the power of the Savior's atonement to help us forgive others who we feel have offended us and often times we too need to seek forgiveness for our own actions and emotions. President Nelson recently taught that the Savior offers us the ability to forgive:  

"Through His infinite Atonement, you can forgive those who have hurt you and who may never accept responsibility for their cruelty to you.  It is usually easy to forgive one who sincerely and humbly seeks your forgiveness.  But the Savior will grant you the ability to forgive anyone who has mistreated you in any way.  Then their hurtful acts can no longer canker your soul." 

Dylan's Mission Call

We were so incredibly delighted this week to watch our grandson Dylan open his mission call (Son of Justin and Radene Betteridge). He will be serving in the Winnipeg, Canada mission for 24 months beginning September 4.  He is still growing and has reached the height of 6' 4 1/4" -- the taller he grows the lower he can sing;  he currently can hit 2 and 1/2 octaves below middle C which is a low, low F. We are proud of this physical and spiritual giant. 

Penny Farthing on the Waggonway 

As we were on a stroll with Peter and Polly Kennedy on the Wylam Waggonway, a path near the Tyne river, we were passed by a Penny Farthing cyclist going very fast on an original design bike.  The name comes from the size difference between the two wheels by comparing the relative size and value difference between two English coins, a Penny and a Farthing (1/4th of a Penny in value and size).  They stopped minting the Farthing in 1961.  This design was created by an English engineer James Starling in 1871.  The challenge with riding these things is if you stop too fast you somersault over the front and do a head plant.  Great design for the hard headed-- Elder Betteridge would be good at this!

On our walk on the Waggonway path we passed the boyhood home of George Stephenson (1781-1848).  He was the inventor of the first steam locomotive engine.  The English are pretty smart!