Crazy Roadblocks

Me trying to purchase a "Preach My Gospel" for each of my 4 children has turned into a comical event full of roadblocks.

As I've mentioned, I have been having the kids give lessons for FHE out of the book, but I've just been printing out sections for them to teach from.  It occurred to me that this wasn't the wisest approach and I should just get them their own books.  This would be extra beneficial since they could take notes and answer little question prompts that are in the margins of the book as a really great pre-missionary journal.  They can have a well read and marked up copy to take with them on their missions or just keep for posterity. 

This crazy little adventure of trying to acquire 4 PMG books started on Thursday.  It was the day I worked at the temple and then had to bust a quick move straight over to the elementary school across town for my daughters halloween party.  I was going to have to eat lunch at 10:30am if I was going to eat before 5 so I decided to leave even a little earlier so that I had time to stop at the distribution center that is right next to the temple.  

Here's the silly thing.  I had to stop at Trader J's first to get my salad and stuff I needed for dinner (I've gotten over my snobby nature and usually just eat the cafeteria food, but I'm trying to keep the couple pounds off I lost)  which is just past the LDS bookstore.  But I thought no, I'll just go to distribution.  

I pulled in and noticed a sign on the door......closed for 2 days due to a computer system upgrade.  Really?  Well, it was too early for me to go in and eat my lunch and get ready so I figured I would just go back in the direction I just came from and get the books at the book store.

I started wandering around until someone came to help me discover that they were out of the full size pmg books and only had the minis.  Well, I didn't want a mini.  

No worries, I'll just come home and order one.  Nope, website down until Nov 2 so I couldn't order them.  I just wanted to have the darn books before Mon when Emma and Jared were going to be giving another lesson.  

Even though Monday came and went and it all worked out the old way with the printed papers, I figured that I would be back at the temple today so I would just get them from distribution and all would be well with the world.

I was off to a good start, they were open, but they sold their last one last week.  I tell you there must be a run on the darn things!  When she told me they were out all I could do was laugh.  

I just ordered 4 from the website, fingers crossed that they don't get lost in the mail :0)

Ok, I'm not going to keep doing this every week, but one last one...at least for now.  Emma gets frustrated at the chaos that usually occurs in our FHE lessons.  She started her lesson out be throwing out a "talking stick." You were only allowed to speak if you were holding the stick/pumpkin flashlight.  Luckily it didn't have any batteries in it or it would have been even less effective than it was.  

Emma always goes the extra mile and had a little puppet show for us.  She had "the power and authority of your calling."  She decided that didn't apply to the kids so she made up something that did, the bishop asking you to give a talk.  She talked about where the inspiration to ask you to give a talk comes from.  Heavenly Father and then the bishop asks you.  Self doubt starts creeping in...the adversary whispering all kinds of nonsense in your ear and you telling the bishop that you wouldn't give the talk.
You then read your scriptures, 1 Nephi 3:
7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I ^awill go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no ^bcommandments unto the children of men, save he shall ^cprepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. 
After you read that verse you feel the comfort and confidence provided by the holy ghost and have a change of heart.  So you call the bishop and accept the assignment and then Heavenly Father is happy and so are you.  (kinda fun and coincidental that the example she decided to depict goes along quite nicely with my last blog entry)

Jared's lesson was teaching by the spirit.  He had us look up a bunch of scriptures and then we talked about them.  He did a good job as well, just not as flashy :0)

Don't worry, the look on Emma's face is not really indicating that Jared is teaching false doctrine, Emma just likes to see if Jared can handle being heckled while giving a lesson.  :0)  Oh and Ethan was the photographer of the night but it quickly escalated into paparazzi type picture taking, which was very distracting, so he got shut down.