不怕缺貨 面紙DIY變活性碳口罩

更新日期:2009/04/30 17:32 黃志偉

新型流感全球蔓延，國內已經出現口罩缺貨現象，但其實民眾自己在家裡面，也能夠製作口罩！彰化一位化工老師，教民眾把面紙放進熱鍋中，經過碳化過程，DIY作成活性碳口罩，成本只要區區幾毛錢，就能夠取代市面上，一個15元的活性碳口罩，最重要的是，不用擔心會缺貨。

市面上買來的口罩，用久了別急著丟，只要經過簡單的幾個步驟，民眾就能夠自己在家DIY，做出一模一樣活性碳口罩，最重要的步驟，就是這一個，把薄薄的面紙放進熱鍋碳化。化工老師楊仁住：「鍋蓋已經開始有煙霧冒出來，就表示面紙已經開始在分解。」

紙經過4分鐘的乾燒過程，熄火之後，等個20秒再掀開鍋蓋，面紙已經由白轉黑，這時候用夾子，把經過碳化的面紙，放到乾淨紗布上，對折之後用雙面膠黏起來，一個活性碳口罩就完成了。楊仁住：「面紙是純木漿製造，所以高溫的狀況加熱，就會留下這種碳，碳具有吸附和過濾的效果。」

自己DIY的活性碳口罩，成本不到1元，比起市面上活性碳口罩，1個動輒15或20元，實在有夠省，差別只是要多花一些時間製作，想到這個點子的，是彰化一位退休化工老師，他說，新型流感來襲，讓口罩漲價甚至出現缺貨情況，民眾只要學會DIY口罩，就算買不到也不用擔心了。

Friends Again at Last--Spoken Word Given by Lloyd D. Newell

Friends Again at Last

Delivered By: Lloyd D Newell

Ella Wheeler Wilcox probably wrote from personal experience when she said: One great truth in life I’ve found, . . . The only folks we really wound Are those we love the best.1 It seems ironic, but it is true that by a careless word or a thoughtless or selfish act we do the most harm to those who are most precious to us. And if we don’t do something to correct the problem, our most valued relationships can be permanently damaged. The key to repairing much of the hurt can be summed up in two words: “I’m sorry.” It takes a wise and strong person to say these words, and it may be hard to do, but a renewal of love and friendship are worth it. Life is too short and friendships are too few to waste time fighting or holding a grudge when an apology will set things right. One man who thought he had been offended by some of his friends reacted to his hurt feelings by spreading lies about his former companions and even putting their lives in danger. Later, when he was finally able to recognize how much he had lost and how he wanted to rebuild those friendships, he wrote to them saying, “I have done wrong and I am sorry.” Quick to forgive, his friends responded, “Come on, dear brother, . . . for friends at first, are friends again at last.”2 Perhaps no two words can do more good than “I’m sorry.” They can overcome anger and mend the broken heart. An apology, when followed by sincere effort, can bring peace and put derailed relationships back on track. Even if we think we aren’t at fault, if we apologize for whatever we might have done to contribute to the hurt, “friends at first” can be “friends again at last.” 1“Those We Love the Best,” in Poems That Touch the Heart, comp. A. L. Alexander (1956), 166. 2 History of the Church, 4:142, 164. Program #4154

Taiwan welcomes Elder Bednar

Church News

Taiwan welcomes Elder Bednar

By Elder James L. Phillips and Sister Judith L. Phillips

Public Affairs missionaries

Published: Saturday, April 25, 2009

TAIPEI, TAIWAN

At the conclusion of a five-day visit to Taiwan, April 16-20, Elder David A. Bednar praised the faith of local Church members and missionaries.

"We have felt the strength of their testimonies and the power of the Spirit in every gathering," he said. "This has been a faith-promoting experience for Sister Bednar and me."

Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve began his Taiwan tour meeting with the missionaries of the Taiwan Kaohsiung Mission on the south end of the island. It concluded with a meeting with the missionaries of the Taiwan Taipei Mission in the island's capital city of Taipei in the north.

Sandwiched between those meetings were a half dozen member and missionary meetings, plus a stake conference. In total, approximately 5,000 Taiwan members and missionaries were taught in the presence of one of the Lord's apostles. Hundreds more witnessed the various meetings by closed-circuit television broadcasts to outlying meetinghouses.

"We loved the people," said Sister Susan Bednar, who accompanied her husband. "They've been warm, they've been friendly and they have strong testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

The member meetings were conducted by Elder Joseph Chung, an Area Seventy in Taiwan. Elder Chung joined the Church at age 17. As a young man, he served as a missionary in Kaohsiung. Elder Sam Wong, an Area Seventy from Hong Kong, participated with Elder Bednar in the Taichung Taiwan Stake Conference.

Sister Liang Zhi-kai of Yuan Lin, Taiwan, a missionary in the Taiwan Kaohsiung Mission, considered it a high honor to be in the presence of Elder Bednar. "He taught me to rely on the Spirit in my missionary teaching," she said at the conclusion of the Kaohsiung Mission's three-hour meeting. "It is the Spirit that teaches."

Commented Elder Laren Helms of Manassa, Colo., of the same mission: "I learned that people are converted by the Spirit which has no language barrier," Elder Helms, like all of the non-local missionaries in Taiwan, has had to learn to teach the gospel in Mandarin Chinese.

At all of the mission and general member meetings during Elder Bednar's visit, his primary teaching method was to solicit questions from the congregation. He would then respond to the questions, always concluding his comments by asking the questioner, "Have I responded to your question?" He encouraged children and youth to participate along with the adults.

In both the missionary and member meetings, Elder Bednar emphasized that it is the member's job to find and the missionary's job to teach. He told the missionaries that they are now full-time missionaries, but when they are released they will become "lifelong missionaries."

At the meeting with missionaries of the Taiwan Taichung Mission, Elder Bednar emphasized that missionaries must listen, observe and discern when they teach the gospel. Unless such an approach is used, there can be no teaching, he said.

Commented Elder Zanazir Alexander of Bay of Islands, New Zealand, "Elder Bednar brings the Spirit into the meeting. He gives you a desire to change and to do better. His teaching style will help me in my missionary teaching."

At the member meeting in Taichung, Elder Bednar explained to the congregation that the pursuit of gospel knowledge is something that should be lifelong. "Our gospel knowledge is not the responsibility of the Church. That responsibility rests upon each one of us," he said.

At times, Elder Bednar's teachings were short, simple and direct. For example, he taught the brethren attending the priesthood leadership session of the Taichung stake conference with these words: "Living the gospel is not hard, not living the gospel is hard!"

The next morning, at a meeting for new members of the Taichung stake, he emphasized: "Membership is not a spectator sport. New members should not expect to sit on the benches. You will be expected to work." Later that morning, at the stake conference general session, he said: "A testimony alone is not enough; it must lead to a continuing conversion. A testimony is a beginning, not a conclusion."

Accompanying Elder and Sister Bednar during their Taiwan tour were Elder Kent D. Watson and his wife, Sister Connie Watson. Elder Watson of the Second Quorum of the Seventy is second counselor in the Asia Area presidency. Elder Watson served his first mission in Taiwan in the 1960s and in the 1980s was president of the Taiwan Taichung Mission. When he was asked to speak at the member and stake meetings, he did so in fluent Mandarin.

Photo by Elder James L. Phillips

From left, Sister Susan Bednar and Elder David A. Bednar are greeted in Taichung by Elder Kent Watson, Elder Sam Wong and Elder Joseph Chung.

When called upon by Elder Bednar to speak at the Kaohsiung missionary meeting, Elder Watson's emotions came to the surface. He told of how, as a young man in 1963 and 1964, he had spent the first six months of his mission working in Kaohsiung. He and his companion were two of the four missionaries assigned to Taiwan's second-largest city. "Everything that I am I owe, in large measure, to my mission in Taiwan," he said to today's 109 elders and sisters of the Kaohsiung mission.

Photo by Elder James L. Phillips

During their tour of Taiwan, Elder Bednar, right, and his wife, Susan, visit with Taichung Mayor Jason Hu and his wife, Shaw Hsiao-ling.

Later, he told the members and missionaries in other meetings that in 2009, 45 years after his first mission, that Taiwan, with its 10 stakes and two districts and nearly 50,000 members, is a beacon for the Church in Asia."

Abby Haung, a young single adult from the Kaohsiung 3rd Ward, is a freshman student at a Kaohsiung medical university. She left the Kaohsiung member meeting wanting to know more about the gospel and to come closer to the Lord.

"Everyone is worried about the world economy," she noted. "But Elder Bednar taught us that we will find comfort in our faith and in our families. He answered our questions."

Photo by Elder James L. Phillips

Following the Taichung Taiwan Stake Conference, members congregate outside the stake center where they were counseled by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve. It was one stop on Elder Bednar's tour of Taiwan.

Elder Bednar's soft-spoken, yet powerful messages to the Taiwan saints are captured in a comment he made at the Taipei member meeting. "Because I love you, I simply want to serve and assist you," he said.

Photo by Elder James L. Phillips

Elder David A. Bednar, right, visits with Taiwan Kaohsiung Mission President William Hsu. Elder Bednar spoke to missionaries in Taiwan's three missions.

For the members and missionaries of Taiwan, the memory of an apostle's visit will long be held in their hearts. Elder Paul Meyers of Provo, Utah, serves in the Taiwan Taipei Mission. He said he was touched deeply by his mission's meeting with Elder Bednar.

"I came away knowing that I had shaken the hand of [an apostle of the Lord]," he said. "It is something that I will never forget."

© 2009 Deseret News Publishing Company

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/57194/Taiwan-welcomes-Elder-Bednar.html

Missionaries learn about life, sacrifice

Sunday APRIL 26, 2009

BY JENNIFER KANNON

Walking or riding bikes throughout Huntington in black suits, two Mormon missionaries spend two years of their lives talking about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

“The message we share is for everyone, the whole world. Everywhere we’re allowed,” said Elder Camaron Stevenson, 20, from Gilbert, Ariz.

Stevenson and Elder Allan Staheli, 20, from Sandy, Utah, were both selected by the church to go throughout Indiana to spread their ministry as well as spend time volunteering in the communities, including working on exotic animal farms and doing flood relief in southern Indiana. In Huntington, the missionaries spend four hours a week helping at the animal shelter and the Red Cross.

“It lightens the load on the limited staff we have,” said Capt. Mike Sell of the Red Cross. “They’ve just made such a tremendous impact on the services we provide, they don’t turn down anything. They step forward and they do it.”

Mormon men are encouraged to go on a mission upon graduation from high school. The church prophets decide where in the world each person will go. The missionaries save and raise money with a goal of $10,000 per person and obey strict rules for two years devoted to the church.

“Once the time came, I knew I had to do it for the right reasons,” said Staheli. “I’ve met a lot of great people; it’s just a great experience to see the joy that comes and to help out in their lives.”

They must adhere to a daily schedule, waking up at 6:30 a.m. and in bed by 10:30 p.m. with only two hours to rest. One day a week they are given a few hours to shop and do laundry. They cannot watch television, surf the Internet, listen to the radio or date. Christmas and Mother’s Day are the only days they can call home for a 40-minute conversation.

“It actually helps us grow closer to our family because it shows how much we miss them,” said Stevenson.

Both Staheli and Stevenson feel they have learned a lot about life on their mission so far, and are looking forward to the last summer of their mission and being able to eventually go home. One thing they will take with them, however, is the challenges and discouragement they faced at times in the past two years and the faith to overcome them.

“There’s a scripture about a kid who was asked to do something crazy. ‘I will go and do the thing that the Lord has commanded . . . prepare a way and I will accomplish what he has commanded,’” said Stevenson, quoting First Nephi 3:7 in the Book of Mormon. “There’s nothing that comes up against me that I won’t be able to accomplish it.”

With only a few months left to go before returning home, both missionaries hope to go to school, have a good job and get married someday.

Stevenson wants to go to school for film studies while Staheli has been thinking more about mechanical engineering. Even though they have been out of school for nearly two years, having to learn the scriptures has helped establish good study habits they feel will help them in college.

Staheli said he has also learned a lot about patience and commitment. He felt he was given a fresh perspective and time to focus on goals.

“We see people from all walks of life. There’s a general reason people end up (where they are) in life,” said Staheli. “It’s helped figure out how I want to live my life.”

From http://www.h-ponline.com/articles/2009/04/24/news/680mormons.txt

FamilySearch indexers pass milestone

The FamilySearch indexing project sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rolled past an eye-opening number earlier this week. The project, which transcribes genenalogical data from a variety of sources to searchable online media, is now more than one-fourth of the way to its first billion individual records. FamilySearch officials said in a news release that the 250 millionth record was an entry in the Nicaragua Civil Registration database. The entry was added to the system after being confirmed by three different volunteers, in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras -- all records are entered by at least two indexers, with a third indexer taking part if there are any discrepancies between the first two entries.

The project is driven by the efforts of more than 100,000 volunteers worldwide and is open to participation from anyone with an interest in genealogy.

Additional information about FamilySearch indexing is available online at indexing.familysearch.org.

使徒台訪特別祈禱會

使徒台訪特別祈禱會

分類：我學‧故我在

2009/04/17 00:06

剛剛從圓山參加完使徒 Elder David A. Bednar來訪特別祈禱會

覺得應該很快地記下我的心得和感動，否則可能會忘記

這個特別祈禱會，真的很特別，貝納姊妹先做了一個短講，講述了貝納長老被召喚使徒的經驗，

並為貝納長老的召喚作見證，之後就是一連串的問與答。

不是制式的演講模式，貝納長老邀請我們提出問題，然後他再回答，

他說他只能夠教導我們那些我們已經準備好要接受的事情，

而我們提出的問題可以讓他知道，我們已經準備好到怎樣的程度。

他也說所有的問題都是好問題，不用怕問了不好的問題，但是如果能問有啟發性的問題會更好。

他舉了兩個範例。

一：貝納長老，請問雷班劍在哪裡？　他會說：他不知道，而且他不關心這種問題。

二：貝納長老，和先知一起祈禱有什麼感覺？　

　　這他可以說，因為十二使徒成員是少數有幸與先知一同作祈禱的人，

　　這樣的問題會比第一種問題好一點。

他又告訴我們不要記下他所說的每一句話，以免忽略聖靈的啟發，

應該專心聆聽，當有聖靈的啟發或想法時再把那些事記下來。

我沒有記下所有的問題與回答，只有一些我學習到的部份以及我被啟發的感想。

在今天晚上提出的問題與回答中，我學到幾件事，大概可分成四個方面：

第一：傳道事工　第二：教義與事工　第三：面對逆境　第四：個人的行動與啟示

＜傳道事工＞

即使我們不是全部時間傳教士，也無須擔心是否無法回答每個慕道友所提出的每個問題，

即使我們不清楚那些問題的答案，我們可以幫他們去找到那些答案。

我們不需要完美準備應付每個慕道友可能提出的疑問，福音是很簡單的。

而或許我們常在祈禱中祈求神讓傳教士找到那些心地純潔或是準備好的人，

但貝納長老很直接地告訴我們：『尋找』不是全部時間傳教士的工作，是我們的職責。

教友去尋找、準備那些願意聽福音的人，而傳教士藉的聖靈及他們由神召喚的權柄教導。

他舉了兩個例子，李海的夢和以挪士的悔改。

李海的夢裡，當他吃了生命樹的果子，就渴望家人來吃。

生命樹＝神的愛＝基督　　而那果子就是基督贖罪的祝福

（神愛世人，甚至將祂的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信祂的，不致滅亡，反得永生）

以挪士在終日祈禱後，他的罪被神赦免，然後他馬上想到的是他的弟兄們的福祉。

他們是傳道事工的榜樣。

貝納長老繼續提到一個原則，很清楚，也很直指（刺）人心，他說：

" 一個人歸信的程度就是他開口與人分享福音的程度 "

" 傳道事工不是一個計畫（program），是我們歸信的結果 "

由於其中一個問題是剛返鄉的張弟兄提出的，貝納長老給他一個建議，但我覺得那是給所有RM的建議：

" 你返鄉了，不再戴著名牌作一個全部時間傳教士，但你還是一個傳教士，終生的傳教士 "

我希望我能做好一個終生傳教士。

＜教義與事工＞

這個部份也有提到傳道事工，但更多是提到家庭教導和聖殿崇拜。

家庭教導不是只是去一個家庭拜訪，而是應該要看顧和鞏固（watch over , be with, strengthen）

做這些事工，要去瞭解其中的教義，如果我們瞭解我們與神所立下的聖約的意義，

我們會更好地去做這些事工，而有時，教導這些教義比安排活動或計畫的細節還有用。

例如：去聖殿

　　　安排聖殿車固然很好，但當不再有聖殿車活動呢？可能很多人就不去聖殿了

　　　但如果教友們真的學習到在聖殿裡崇拜所得到保護及提升的力量以及與神立約的意義，

　　　那麼會比安排聖殿車更能鼓勵教友去聖殿。

　　　他也提到一個他在擔任主教時所發生的事（他請主教們不要學他），

　　　那時有一個弟兄很久沒有繳付什一奉獻，貝納長老與他面談，

　　　問那位弟兄是否願意讓他的孩子與貝納長老和貝納姊妹印證在一起。

　　　那個弟兄很驚訝的問他：貝納主教，你瘋了嗎？

　　　貝納長老那時告訴他：如果你沒有繳什一奉獻，就無法去聖殿，

　　　　　　　　　　　　　你的孩子們無法和你被印證為永恆家庭，與其如此，

　　　　　　　　　　　　　不如讓你的孩子和可以在聖殿裡印證的人印證在一起。"

　　　那個弟兄說他從沒想過什一奉獻跟這些事有關，而當他瞭解這些教義後，

　　　他一直繳付什一奉獻，未曾停過。

　　　這就是教導教義的力量。

在教會中會有很多計畫和活動，有時我們太關切細節而忽略了教義與教導教義的重要。

貝納長老說：任何計畫，都是以教義為基礎。

當教義清楚地教導及運用時，那些細節會自然而然地順暢運作。

＜面對逆境＞

有人問了在經濟危機與各種挑戰中，教友（特別是領袖）如何保持屬世屬靈的平衡，

不但鞏固自己還能幫助其他人？

也有人問了當別人逼迫或傷害自己時該如何面對。

針對經濟問題與負擔，亞洲區域第二副會長孫小山會長說了幾點，提到愈是這種時刻，

愈是要忠信地為神服務，並且強調什一奉獻，他說當我們拿到收入，先把什一奉獻繳出去時，

就可以懷抱著神會給我們祝福的大希望（這也是神所應許的），

但我們若沒有這樣做，就無法有這種希望。

而貝納長老要我們看摩賽亞書24：13-14　阿爾瑪和他的人民被艾謬倫人欺壓，有很大的負擔

就像我們有很多負擔一樣，但當他們祈禱增強力量後，神加強了他們的力量，使他們能愉快承受

就像尼腓在被拉曼和雷米爾捆綁時，他沒有祈求讓他奇蹟般獲救，只是祈求神能依照他對祂的信心

讓他有機會運用他自己的選擇權及努力，並且在神的幫助下去獲得自由。

那些負擔和束縛都沒有立刻消失，但他們能承受的力量增強了。

他也說，當我們離開世上時，世人的評價與財富都不再有意義，

那時只會關切兩件事：福音和家庭。

所以面對經濟危機，也未必要很難過，在經濟考驗與回歸儉樸的此時

也是一個讓我們可以重新思考優先順序，看到哪些是真正重要事物的轉機。

而當別人使我們憂愁甚至生氣時，貝納長老提醒我們，

那些負面的事物是來自那敵對者－撒旦的，但他無法控制我們，只有當我們允許他這麼做時。

我們可能常常會說是誰誰誰讓我們生氣，

但他教導我們：" 沒有人可以讓你生氣，生氣是一個你所作的選擇 "

我們都有道德選擇權，我們應該做我們自己的主動者。

恨意與虔誠的祈禱無法同時並存，恨意也無法與聖靈的啟發同在，

真誠的祈禱吧！讓這些事遠離我們的心中。

我們都不是完美的，但只要每天比昨天更好，不斷地進步就好了。

＜個人的行動與啟示＞

這個部份是以單成選擇伴侶為主，以及一些比較個人的狀況。

有人問說如何選擇另一伴，也有另一位問說如何知道那個人就是對的。

有些人提出自己已經很忠信地服從，但身邊還是充滿阻礙。

談到擇偶時，有很多人會列出條件清單（like shopping list）

可能不符合那個清單，就不考慮，但是貝納長老說，就算你找到那個符合你所有要求的人，

憑什麼那個人一定要跟你結婚？？？？？！！！！！

如果列出了那個條件清單，那應該是用來要求自己的，而不是用那個去篩選你的未來伴侶。

而在『確定』一事上，貝納長老也請孫小山會長分享，

孫小山會長是對孫姊妹一見鍾情，一眼就確定那是他的未來伴侶。

但貝納長老完全不是。

貝納長老來自加州舊金山，貝納姊妹來自懷俄明州的一個鄉下小鎮，兩人有很多不同之處，

他們在猶他時是同一個支會的，當他們第一次約會時並沒有很特別或很好的感覺，

但他們又再約會了幾次，從中去培養對彼此的瞭解與欣賞，

他們約會了一年半（一年多？？忘了）才結婚。

他說每個人的狀況都不太一樣，所以應該真誠祈禱來尋求個人的指引。

他也提醒單成們，不要只是約會一兩次沒有什麼火花就放棄。

（我想這真是切中要害，我們的單成就是太快過篩了.....）

他又說，選擇伴侶時要找那種可以幫助自己進步的，就像他跟貝納姊妹在一起時，

總是會想要變得更好~

而當我們忠信服從時，或許一時看不到祝福，

對於一些比較個人的難題，他無法給出細節來回應，我們都要為我們自己努力尋求個人啟示，

但他提到一個應許：『對於忠信服從的人，沒有祝福會被扣留。』

整晚真的很美好，貝納長老很直接但也很幽默，

看似在回答那些提問者的問題，但也在許多方面讓我得到目前一些難題的解答。

讓我有很多悔改和反省。

最後有人問到在食物儲藏和準備的部份有何建言，使徒說，我們應該再去回顧此次總會教友大會

總會教友大會上所說的，不只是一場演講，那些是神藉著祂的僕人所說的話，是來自神的指引。

確實如此。

雖然東拼西湊地寫了很多，福音真的很簡單，綜觀上述我所學到的，

就是要遵守誡命（什一奉獻總是一再被強調）、忠信、善用選擇權、不斷祈禱、跟隨先知。

我真的很感謝我能在教會中學習。

ps...我又想到貝納長老回答如何幫助非教友家人的經驗，但實在是太晚又太睏

　　明天再寫，希望自己到明天還會記得（最近有老化現象，記憶力衰退）

筆記寫得很少，大部份是靠回憶，希望睡一覺起來不會忘記....

貝納長老分享關於非教友家人

分類：我學‧故我在

2009/04/17 14:12

昨天的特別祈禱會充滿靈性的力量

使我對使徒的見證再次堅強，並感謝神透過召喚祂的僕人來表達對我們的愛。

生活中總有考驗，在通往超升的路上總是衡亙著許多難題，最近雖沒有太大的難關，

也著實在事工、家庭、婚姻這幾方面思考著一些進步的方法，

然後我在這個特別祈禱會中得到了答案，真的知道使徒所說，是從神而來的指引。

整晚有很多的啟發與學習，但有一個部份讓我沒來由地熱淚盈眶

（沒來由是因為我真的不知道為什麼，並不是一個我特別有想法的部份，但當使徒在講時，

淚腺就自動分泌了淚滴，但我心裡是一片祥和，波濤不驚呀~~~）

所以我還是稍微留心了這一段，就是當一個10-11歲的小男孩問使徒如何幫助非教友家人的部份，

貝納長老就此一主題敘述了他自己的經驗。

他的母親是教友，他的父親是一位天主教的準修士，兩人結婚後生下了他，他也受了洗，

而差不多跟這位提問者相彷的年紀時，他很積極地想幫助他的父親加入教會，

甚至他覺得他自己是為此而出生的。

那時他的父親每週會陪他和他的母親去教會，但一直沒有受洗，

那時年幼的貝納長老每次會問：「爸爸，你什麼時候要洗禮？」

而有一次他父親被問到煩了，就告訴他：「我不會為了你而受洗，也不會為了你母親，

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　如果我要受洗，只會因為我自己知道這些事是真實的。」

但是隔週他還是再問了他的父親：「何時要加入教會？」

後來，貝納長老的父親問了他一個問題，一個很難的問題，在當時他那個年紀是難以回答的問題。

他的父親說，每週在參加聖職聚會，那些聖職領袖不斷地提醒弟兄們要履行聖職的職責，

他覺得很不可思議，如果這個教會真如同他所聲稱的，有復興的權柄，

而他的天主教沒有這個聖職權柄，那為何做的比他們還要少？

（大意如此，完整的句子因為沒有抄，實在記不得了....好在有Pearl提詞..）

貝納長老那時無法回答這個問題。

他說他的父親在一件事上錯了，在另一件事上對了。

錯的是他不該用教友的行為來決定這個教會是否真實。

對的是，聖職弟兄確實應該光大其聖職，

教友確實需要與世人不同，不是做好或更好，而是要有所不同。

他對那個小男孩的建議就是，做一個好男孩...

我不禁反省...我一直說希望我的家人成為未來的教友，

但我在家中的行為和世上的人似乎也沒有太多不同，

感慨呀...真理如此刺中我這個惡人的心....

希望我可以做到不是每次都說著" 教友就是不完美，才在教會裡學習.."

而是能堂堂正正地說出" 因為還有很多弱點，所以才要在教會裡學習，而且確實每天都在進步 "

（寫到這就讓我想到對岸一句挺流行的話：努力學習，天天向上）

From http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/hestia-htw/article?mid=758&next=754&l=d&fid=26

Elder Kent Watson--Second Counselor in the Asia Area Seventy

His mission defined every aspect of his life

'I learned to love the Chinese language, people, culture'

By Sarah Jane Weaver
Church News staff writer

Published: Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008

When Cedar City, Utah, native Elder Kent D. Watson received his mission call in 1963 to the Southern Far East Mission, he thought he had been called to serve in Florida.

Photo by Brian Nicholson/Deseret Morning News

Elder Kent D. Watson and his wife, Sister Connie Lingmann Watson, have spent many years serving and working in Asia.

"I was raised in a small town in the 1950s," he said. "The first time I rode on a jet airplane was when I went on my mission."

Yet that call to the most unexpected place defined his life. There he would become proficient in the Chinese language. It would set in motion a career path that would climax with Elder Watson serving as chief executive officer of PricewaterhouseCoopers China, a major international accounting firm. And through a missionary companion, Elder Watson would meet his wife, Connie. Together they returned to his former mission, where he served first as a mission president, then interim mission president in Taiwan.

In total, he would spent 17 years of his life in Asia.

Now he will return to Asia again, this time as a General Authority serving in the Second Quorum of Seventy.

"I owe everything to my mission," he said. "It was on my mission that I really strengthened my conviction as to the truthfulness of the gospel.... It was because of my mission that I decided to study accounting, which is a profession that I enjoyed, and had the opportunity to live in several cities and work for several major industrial companies. It was because of my mission that I had the opportunity to serve again as a mission president. Also, it was as a result of my mission that the capstone of my career was helping to establish my (accounting) firm in the People's Republic of China."

Elder Watson said an important moment in his life came during an interview in the mission field by then-Elder Gordon B. Hinckley. "In the interview, he advised me to continue to study Chinese, which I tried to do for the next 40 years."

Sister Watson said her husband still studies Chinese every single day. "That is how he became so fluent; it is his hobby. He loves it."

The passion for Chinese was something a young Kent Watson could not have imagined before his mission call.

The third child of L. Dee and Joyce Judd Watson, Elder Watson spent his first 20 years in Cedar City, a small town in central Utah. "I was born to wonderful parents," he said. "They taught me the gospel when I was a young boy and I have always been a believer. I had three awesome brothers and one sister."

Really, he said, he lived "just a regular childhood."

After high school graduation, he attended the College of Southern Utah before entering the mission field.

In the early 1960s, the Southern Far East Mission included Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines. Elder Watson spent two and a half years in Taiwan.

The Church was young in Taiwan, which then had 13 little branches that met in rented facilities with missionaries serving in priesthood leadership positions.

Twenty years later when the Watsons returned to Taiwan — this time so he could serve as president of the Taiwan Taichung Mission from 1989-1992 — Elder Watson could not believe how the work of early missionaries like himself had taken root and grown. When he returned as mission president, there were two missions in Taiwan, all the major cities had beautiful LDS meetinghouses and local leadership. The Taipei Taiwan Temple had been dedicated in 1984.

When the Watsons returned again to Taiwan in 2003, so he could serve as an interim mission president, they found the Church had continued to grow and thrive in the country. Now there were second- and third-generation Church members, beautiful stake centers and many more cities with LDS meetinghouses. More important, all the leadership in the Church, including the Area Seventies, were local members, he said.

"The biggest blessings in our lives have come from having the privilege of knowing and serving with members throughout the world, but specifically in Asia," he said. "The story is one of the stone rolling, how the Church is expanding, and my testimony as to the Lord's blessings in that territory."

With his wife, Elder Watson said he has enjoyed serving in the Church in many locations and raising their family in several different cities globally. "That is sort of the face of our family."

Born in Coleville, Utah, Sister Watson, the daughter of Raymond and Wilma Lingmann, also could not have imagined spending so much of her life outside the United States. "I have had many wonderful years as a companion, mother, homemaker, corporate wife and family relocation manager," she said. "That is, honestly, what I have been doing for 40 years. We moved and we moved all the time."

In fact, she said, the family moved so much that all five of the Watson children graduated from different high schools. As a result, however, the family communicates worldwide very easily.

A blessing, they say, as Elder Watson will continue his service in Asia, being assigned as second counselor in the Church's Asia Area Presidency.

"I loved my mission," reiterated Elder Watson. "It was there that I learned to love the Chinese language, people and culture, and I have had a passion for that part of the world ever since."

E-mail to: sarah@desnews.com

Good Days Ahead--Spoken Word Given by Lloyd D. Newell

Good Days Ahead

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

“Humility is the realization that not everything that happens in life is all about you,” said Rabbi Harold Kushner. “True humility, grounded in a view of life that has taught us to keep in mind that we are not the only ones hurting, would have us think, All right, . . . things like this have happened to lots of people and they got over it. I’ll hurt but I’ll get over it too. Life is a chain of good days and bad days. I’ve just had a bad day, so there ought to be good days ahead.”1 Difficulties and disappointments come to us all. Some things happen because of our own actions and attitudes—the choices we make. Other things that happen to us are outside of our control—the result of chance, biology, or other people’s choices. Humility is accepting responsibility for some things in our lives and knowing that some things are beyond our control. The challenge is to recognize the difference, be grateful for the opportunity to learn and gain wisdom, and go forward with faith. Humility is not weak resignation, but a combination of resolve and acceptance that comes of experience. Without this kind of humility we come to resent those who appear to be happy, healthy, and prosperous. Without humility we see others as competitors for a limited supply of good fortune and goodwill. Without humility we feel self-pity, even bitterness, for the inevitable bad days and hard knocks that come our way. Life may not be fair, it may not be easy, but it is filled with many possibilities and sweet compensations. Humility will help us to hold on through the hard times with hope for the good days ahead. 1 Overcoming Life’s Disappointments (2006), 120, 131. Program #4153

內政部一千五職缺 八成都在抄戶籍

更新日期:2009/04/13 02:51 顏瓊玉／台北報導

不景氣搶救失業，公部門卯起來釋出工作機會，截至十二日統計，內政部預計釋出一五五二個工作職缺，不過，其中有超過約八成、共一三三五個職缺由戶政司包辦，工作內容是抄謄戶籍資料的半年約聘人員。

根據內政部「就業資訊」網頁，一三三五名定期契約人員工作內容有四大項：查詢及調閱戶籍簿頁及戶籍登記申請書、人工抄寫謄錄戶籍資料、繕打戶籍資料，以及校正核對抄錄與繕打的資料。這項工作預計僱用期間為今年七月一日至十二月三十一日。

戶政司、營建署及警政署是內政部所屬單位，提供工作的三大重要來源。營建署預計在加速生活圈道路交通系統建設計畫釋出三十個職缺、都市更新關聯性工程計畫三職缺、加速都市雨水下水道建設計畫五十職缺，以及擴大汙水下水道建設計畫三十職缺，總計一一三人。

警政署方面，則是辦理九十八年度擴大公共建設「加強監視系統建置案」，補助各縣市政府加強辦理監視錄影系統建置及整合，預計招募一○四名短期聘僱人員，各縣市警察局都有職缺，以台北市為例，要找業務助理六名、管理維護人員十四名，日薪新台幣八百元。

The Soul Playing Catch-up--Spoken Words Given by Lloyd D. Newell

The Soul Playing Catch-up

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

A world-renowned anthropologist who spent several years among the natives of the upper Amazon in South America once described leading a rapid march through the jungle to the nearest settlement. The group pushed through the undergrowth for two days with great success, but the third morning, rather than preparing to start, the natives, it was reported, were “sitting on their haunches, looking very solemn.” No one was moving. “They are waiting,” the chief explained to the explorer. “They cannot move farther until their souls have caught up with their bodies.”1 The natives understood the importance of spiritual renewal. Nature too seems to follow this principle. After a vigorous summer of life, growth, and activity, winter finds nature at rest. By spring she is refreshed, ready to display her buds, blossoms, fields of growth, and bursting streams. Every spring testifies to the promise of renewed life, and the entire cycle serves as a reminder that life is eternal. In our jam-packed work weeks and over-programmed lives, many struggle to find time for spiritual renewal. We all know there’s more to life than endless streams of busyness, but we need to pause, think, watch, and listen to give our souls time to find it. In fact, the “more” we’re searching for is most often found when there is less pressure, less cost, even less structure. An exotic location or quiet mountaintop isn’t necessary; a morning walk will do. Playing sports, planting petunias or carrots, taking a side trip on the way to a pressing appointment will not make worries go away, but the change of pace and scenery can bring renewal. And we soon will grasp the power that comes from sitting still and letting our souls catch up with us. 1 In James Truslow Adams, The Tempo of Modern Life (1931), 93. Program #4152

Obama nominates BYU law professor to lead Indian Affairs

Obama nominates BYU law professor to lead Indian Affairs

By Lee Davidson

Deseret News

Published: Saturday, April 11, 2009 2:34 a.m. MDT

President Barack Obama announced Friday that he intends to nominate Brigham Young University law professor Larry EchoHawk to lead the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, ending months of speculation that EchoHawk might not be selected because some tribes worried he may oppose tribal casinos.

EchoHawk, 60, a Pawnee, was the first Native American to be elected to a statewide office when he served as Idaho's attorney general from 1991 to 1995 after previously serving as a state legislator. He was the Democratic nominee in the 1994 Idaho gubernatorial race, but he lost the election. The former BYU football player has taught since then at BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said of the nomination, "Larry EchoHawk has the right leadership abilities, legislative experience and legal expertise to bring about the transformative improvements we all seek for Indian Country. He is a dedicated public servant and an excellent choice."

BYU President Cecil Samuelson also congratulated EchoHawk, calling him a "superb choice" who was well-respected by his peers.

"At BYU, he is greatly admired by his colleagues and students for his leadership, his practical wisdom, his legal expertise and, perhaps most importantly, his willingness to tackle and work toward solving difficult issues," Samuelson said in a prepared statement.

Speculation about EchoHawk's expected nomination has been controversial among some tribes. Several loudly voiced concern that when he was Idaho's attorney general, he tried to block tribes there from gaining permission to operate casinos (which they would eventually do anyway) — and wondered if he might do the same in federal office.

Others contended he simply did his job to advise state officials who felt Idahoans had passed a constitutional amendment to allow a lottery with a promise it would not allow other gambling forms. When federal officials said the amendment's loose wording should allow tribal casinos, EchoHawk's office suggested a special legislative session to tighten it.

Various tribal newspapers reported in recent months that EchoHawk had talked with tribes to calm fears. And Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, had urged leaders of tribes at a conference in California to support EchoHawk for his "long and honorable record of public service."

EchoHawk declined comment until confirmation by the Senate — which is routine for nominees.

A law journal article he wrote in 2001 may show his view of the historical result of federal relations with Indian tribes.

"Over the past seven generations, Native Americans have been severely impacted by federal laws and policies that have reduced tribal sovereign powers, taken away valuable tribal lands and natural resources, inhibited the exercise of Native American religious practices and forced changes in traditional tribal ways of life."

He added, "Because of these laws' devastating impact, Native Americans as a group have become the poorest of the poor in America."

EchoHawk gave a speech to BYU students in 2007 that told much of his personal history and how he overcame poverty where he was raised in Farmington, N.M., to attend college and become a lawyer.

"For me, life began to change at the age of 14, when two missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints … came into my home," he told BYU students. He said he was baptized without a true testimony at the time, but "my father quit drinking, and family life was much better."

He said a church leader of youths, Richard Boren, later took a special interest in him and told him, "You can do anything you want." At that point, EchoHawk enjoyed football but said he was not a good player — although he was inspired to work hard and improve. He became his high school's football-team quarterback and captain.

Before the start of his senior season, an injury to his eye threatened blindness. He said that for the first time, he prayed intently about whether the church is true, and pleaded for his sight. When the bandages came off, he could not see in his eye — but the sight returned over a few days. And he soon became the star of his football team.

Amid that, he started reading the Book of Mormon intently. "It seemed to me that the Book of Mormon was about my Pawnee Indian ancestors. The Book of Mormon talks about the Lamanites, a people who would be scattered, smitten and nearly destroyed. But in the end, they would be blessed if they followed the Savior. That is exactly what I saw in my own family's history."

He later accepted a football scholarship to BYU, and played every game as a defensive safety from 1967-69. In 1968, he led the Cougars in interceptions. "My hard work, encouraged by Brother Boren, had paid off, opening a door to a college education. But, more importantly, a seemingly freak accident had opened a spiritual door through which celestial blessings have continued to pour on me and my family."

He was the first BYU recipient of the prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award that recognizes former standout college athletes who excelled in the 25 years after their college sports careers. The other BYU Silver Anniversary Award winners are Gifford Nielsen, Danny Ainge and Steve Young.

EchoHawk also said in his BYU speech that former LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball became a mentor to him, and EchoHawk was inspired by a speech where President Kimball told American Indians at BYU that he saw in a dream where many of them were lawyers looking after their people.

"To me, it was like a patriarchal blessing and a challenge from a prophet of God: 'Get an education. Be a lawyer,'" he said. EchoHawk went on to law school at the University of Utah and later worked as a lawyer for Idaho's largest tribe, the Shoshone-Bannock.

When he ran for Idaho attorney general in 1990, he said, an Idaho political writer wrote, "Larry EchoHawk starts with three strikes against him: He is a Mormon, Indian, Democrat." EchoHawk said he overcame it with hard work anyway.

EchoHawk also told BYU students about the origin of his last name. He said it is the English translation of the name given to his great-grandfather.

"Among the Pawnee, the hawk is a symbol of a warrior. My great-grandfather was known for his bravery, but he was also known as a quiet man who did not speak of his own deeds. As a member of his tribe spoke of his good deeds, it was like an echo from one side of the village to the other. Thus he was named Echo Hawk," he said.

Contributing: Wendy Leonard

E-MAIL: lee@desnews.com

© 2009 Deseret News Publishing Company | All rights reserved

The Culture of Taiwan

President Ma Ying-jeou's symbolic gestures matter.

By MICHAEL TURTON | From today's Wall Street Journal Asia.

Earlier this month Ma Ying-jeou, the president of Taiwan, presided over a ceremony honoring the Yellow Emperor, the mythical ancestor of all Han Chinese. This event may seem minor at first blush, but it demonstrates a growing trend: The Ma administration is gradually redefining Taiwanese culture as more "Chinese" than Taiwanese. This subtle nod to China's mandarins undercuts Taiwan's unique cultural identity -- and by extension, its very sovereignty.

Reuters

Chinese culture warrior: Ma Ying-jeou observes Confucius's birthday, Sept. 28, 2005.

Mr. Ma was elected last year by promising closer economic ties with Beijing, and since then he has succeeded in establishing direct air, cargo and postal links to China. But China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, and some Taiwanese are starting to wonder if Mr. Ma has given up too much, too fast in his quest for better relations.

His embrace of "Chinese" culture, as opposed to Taiwanese culture, is just one example of this. Even in his inaugural address, Mr. Ma raised the idea of a racially based polity, the zhonghua minzu, or "Chinese people," saying that "both sides of the Strait are zhonghua minzu." Mr. Ma's approach thus incorporates all local Taiwanese cultures -- many of which are indigenous to the island and emerged separately from Chinese culture -- into a single "Chinese-ness," downplaying any claims of local uniqueness.

In that address, Mr. Ma lauded a return to "Taiwan's traditional core values of benevolence, righteousness, diligence, honesty, generosity and industriousness." Fair enough. But a closer look shows that while invoking "Taiwan," Mr. Ma was actually indexing core Confucian Chinese values, positioning the island within the greater stream of Chinese culture.

The inaugural address was just the beginning. Over the past year, Mr. Ma has on several occasions participated in ceremonies that show the Chinese-ness of his government by positioning it within the ritual symbolism of a Confucian polity. After the president officiated at the ceremony honoring the Yellow Emperor, a presidential spokesman announced that because worship of the ancestors was important to the Chinese people (zhonghua minzu), the president had decided to personally lead the ceremony -- making him the first Taiwanese president to ever do so.

Similarly, last October Mr. Ma presided over ceremonies for Confucius's birthday. He entered Taipei Confucius Temple through a door traditionally reserved for the emperor, and was greeted with a dance once used to pay homage to the emperor. Through these acts, Mr. Ma invoked Confucius as a symbol of Chinese-ness, not as a new moral order for society.

By engaging in ritual and rhetorical expressions of Chinese-ness, Ma concretely aligns himself with Beijing's increasingly culturally based claim that Taiwan is part of China. These actions are a strong reassurance to officials in Beijing, who watch Mr. Ma's actions closely for any sign that he might stray from the path of annexing Taiwan to China, as well as to the Kuomintang old guard in Taiwan, who also support annexation.

Mr. Ma is not the first Kuomintang leader to do this. The KMT embraced "Chinese-ness" for an entirely different reason: From the 1950s to the 1970s the dictatorial KMT-led regime legitimated its rule over the island by declaring that Taiwan was "Chinese," brutally suppressing local identities. Acceptance of local identities grew after Taiwan's transition to democracy in the 1990s.

Given this history, the claim that the people on both sides of the Strait belong to the zhonghua minzu is clearly colonialist: To say that someone belongs to the zhonghua minzu is to assert that they and their territory are part of the Chinese nation. It is thus common to hear Chinese nationalists define such disparate peoples as Manchus, Tibetans, Mongolians, Uighurs and Taiwanese indigenous peoples as "Chinese" and therefore, inevitably, part of China. To the Chinese, who constantly refer to their "brothers and sisters" across the Strait, this language legitimates China's drive to swallow Taiwan.

Seen from this perspective, Taiwanese are the ultimate Chinese dissidents, not merely asserting democratic values against authoritarianism, but dissenting from the very core of Chinese-ness itself: the fundamental idea that Sinitic peoples must be part of a Chinese polity. The majority of Taiwan's citizens see themselves as Taiwanese. Convincing them otherwise while placating Beijing will be a major challenge for Mr. Ma.

Mr. Turton is a Ph.D. student in international business at Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan.

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Pres. Monson and David Archuleta, a memorable visit

Pres. Monson and David Archuleta, a memorable visit

Published: Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Photo by Kristen Cannegieter

David Archuleta visits with President Thomas S. Monson.

President Thomas S. Monson invited David Archuleta to visit him in his office March 27 when the teen singer was in Salt Lake City in preparation for a concert that evening in West Valley City, Utah. The "American Idol" runner-up and his parents, Jeff and Lupe Marie Archuleta, were visiting another office in the Church Administration Building when the invitation was extended to visit with President Monson. The young singer treated President Monson and his office staff to an impromptu concert in a board room in the Administration Building. He sang "How Great Thou Art" from the LDS Hymnal. One office staff member said the rendition was "phenomenal."

Photo by Kristen Cannegieter

David Archuleta sings "How Great Thou Art" from the LDS Hymnal.

© 2009 Deseret News Publishing Company

Come Home --Spoken Word Given by Lloyd D. Newell.

Come Home

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

Home can be the most inviting place we know: the cozy place where we love, the warm place where we rest, the happy place where we laugh, the comforting place where we learn, the welcoming place where we know we really belong. In so many ways, home is more a feeling than a place. When we eventually leave the home of our childhood to make a home of our own, we usually model it after the home we left. Of course, we make a few adjustments. We improve upon weaknesses and build upon strengths; sometimes we have to remodel completely. But more often, the home we build resembles the one we knew. Even if the floor plan and the furnishings differ, we try to re-create the love and tenderness, the mercy and sweet forgiving. Few stories reflect these characteristics of home better than the story of a son who, anxious to leave home, claimed his inheritance from his father and wasted it on “riotous living.” Destitute, he finally “came to himself” and journeyed home to a forgiving father, who embraced him with open arms. When his older brother, who had dutifully stayed home, protested his brother’s special treatment, his father gently reminded him: “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” In a sense, the older son also had wandered from home, losing his awareness of his father’s love: not in a far country but in the fog of selfishness and resentment. (See Luke 15:11–32.) Truly, both sons needed to come home. And so do all of us. Something inside us seems to yearn for our heavenly home, and each time we selflessly love and freely forgive, we not only re-create that home here on earth, but we also, in a very real way, come home. Program #4151

Strong earthquake hits central Italy; 20 dead

By MARTA FALCONI, Associated Press Writer Marta Falconi, Associated Press Writer 3 mins ago

L'AQUILA, Italy – A powerful earthquake struck central Italy early Monday, killing at least 20 people, causing entire blocks of buildings to collapse as residents slept inside and leaving thousands of people homeless, officials said.

In the city of L'Aquila, near the epicenter of the quake, twisted steel supports, slabs of walls, furniture and wire fences were strewn about the streets and a gray dust carpeted sidewalks, cars and residents alike.

Officials said the death toll was likely to rise as rescue crews clawed through the debris of fallen homes, searching for the dozens of people still unaccounted for.

Parts of L'Aquila's main hospital were evacuated because they were at risk of collapse, forcing the wounded to be treated in the open air or taken elsewhere.

"It's the worst tragedy since the start of the millennium," said Guido Bertolaso, the head of Italy's Civil Protection Department.

As ambulances screamed through town, firefighters aided by dogs worked feverishly to reach people trapped in fallen buildings, including a student dormitory where half a dozen university students were believed still inside.

Outside the half-collapsed dorm, tearful students huddled together, wrapped in blankets, some still in their slippers after being roused from sleep by the temblor.

"We managed to come down with other students but we had to sneak through a hole in the stairs as the whole floor came down," said student Luigi Alfonsi, 22. "I was in bed — it was like it would never end as I heard pieces of the building collapse around me."

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude of the quake was 6.3, though Italy's National Institute of Geophysics put it at 5.8.

The quake struck about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northeast of Rome at 3:32 a.m. local time (0132 GMT), officials said. The Civil Protection Department said the epicenter was near L'Aquila, in the mountainous Abruzzo region.

By early morning, the death toll stood at 20, including five children, with some 30 people unaccounted for, carabinieri paramilitary police said. In addition to L'Aquila, the town of Castelnuovo appeared hard hit, with five confirmed dead there.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency, freeing up federal funds to deal with the disaster. He scrapped a visit to Russia and planned to go to L'Aquila to deal with the crisis.

In L'Aquila, residents and rescue workers hauled away debris from collapsed buildings by hand while bloodied victims waited to be tended to in hospital hallways or outside in the hospital courtyard.

The regional health director, Roberto Marzetti, said only two operating rooms were working at L'Aquila's hospital because the others were at risk of collapse. Civil protection crews were erecting a field hospital to deal with the influx of wounded.

On the city's dusty streets, as aftershocks continued to rumble through, residents hugged one another, prayed quietly or frantically tried to call relatives. Residents covered in dust pushed carts full of clothes and blankets that they had hastily packed before fleeing their homes.

"We left as soon as we felt the first tremors," said Antonio D'Ostilio, 22, as he stood on a street in L'Aquila with a huge suitcase piled with clothes he had thrown together. "We woke up all of a sudden and we immediately ran downstairs in our pajamas."

Nearby, firefighters successfully pulled a woman covered in dust from the debris of her four-story home. Rescue crews demanded quiet as they listened for signs of life from other people believed still trapped inside.

Agostino Miozzo, an official with the Civil Protection Department, said between 10,000 and 15,000 buildings were damaged. He said stadiums and sporting fields were being readied to house the homeless.

"This means that the we'll have several thousand people to assist over the next few weeks and months," Miozzo told Sky Italia. "Our goal is to give shelter to all by tonight."

ANSA said the dome of a church in L'Aquila collapsed, while the city's cathedral also suffered damage.

The Israeli Embassy in Rome said that officials were trying to make contact with a few Israeli citizens believed to be in the region who had not been in touch with their families. Embassy spokeswoman Rachel Feinmesser did not give an exact number.

A series of jolts have struck the area over the past two days.

L'Aquila, a medieval city, lies in a valley surrounded by the Apennine mountains. It is the regional capital of the Abruzzo region, with about 70,000 inhabitants.

Bertolaso likened Monday's quake to the temblors that struck the central Umbria region on Sept. 26, 1997. That quake killed 10 people and devastated medieval buildings and churches, including Assisi's famed basilica, across the region.

The last major quake to hit central Italy was a 5.4-magnitude temblor that struck the south-central Molise region on Oct. 31, 2002, killing 28 people, including 27 children who died when their school collapsed.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Anniversary trip to general conference

Anniversary trip to general conference

By Greg Hill
Church News staff writer

Published: Saturday, April 4, 2009

Aberdeen Scotland Stake President Chris Payne and his wife, Jeni, celebrate their anniversary each year by going on a trip, often to someplace nearby in Europe. To celebrate their 20th anniversary this year, they decided to travel to Salt Lake City to attend general conference.

Photo by Shaun Stahle

Aberdeen Scotland Stake President Chris Payne and his wife, Jeni, spend time on the Church plaza between general conference sessions Saturday.

President Payne, whose parents joined the Church when he was 2 years old, grew up in Montreal, Canada. Sister Payne grew up a member of the Church in Topeka, Kan. They met while attending BYU, married and spent 10 years in Canada before a job opportunity took them to Scotland 10 years ago.

Between Saturday's general sessions, they told the Church News they were delighted to be attending general conference in person for the first time. Sister Payne was impressed by the spirit in the Conference Center when President Thomas S. Monson entered prior to the Saturday morning session.

"I was overwhelmed by the reverence, love and respect shown for this man and what he represents," she said.

President Payne said it has been many years since he graduated from BYU and it was good to be back in Utah.

"It took a long time to come back here and feel the spirit of conference in person," he said.

Their trip also included attending the Scotland Mission reunion Friday night. President Payne spoke in the general assembly, sharing words on the state of the Church with those who labored to share the gospel there.

"Scotland is not an easy mission," he said, "but when people are converted, they are hardy." He told the returned missionaries there is great appreciation for the work they did.

A reunion with her sister was an added benefit of attending conference for Sister Payne. When Julie Atkinson learned her sister would be at conference, she and her husband, Mark, of the Allen 4th Ward, Allen Texas Stake, arranged to attend also. The two couples were all smiles as they approached the Conference Center for the Saturday afternoon session.

© 2009 Deseret News Publishing Company

179th Annual General Conference Sunday afternoon

179th Annual General Conference Sunday afternoon

Published: Sunday, April 5, 2009

"I pray heaven's blessings be with you," said President Thomas S. Monson as he brought the 179th Annual General Conference to a close Sunday afternoon, April 5. "May your homes be filled with harmony and love. May you constantly nourish your testimonies, that they might be a protection to you against the adversary. ...

"I love you. I pray for you. I would ask that you would remember me and all the General Authorities in your prayers. Until we meet again in six months' time, I ask the Lord's blessings to be upon all of us."

After the conference concluded, President Monson took his time leaving the podium. He paused to shake hands and speak with various members of the Quorum of the Twelve. He stood for a moment, facing the vast congregation in the Conference Center, and then waved. The response was immediate: thousands of hands waved in return.

President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, conducted the Sunday afternoon session, during which Elder Spencer V. Jones and Elder Robert C. Oaks of the Seventy offered the invocation and benediction, respectively. Music for the session was provided by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, directed by Mack Wilberg and Ed Thompson, with Linda Margetts and Bonnie Goodliffe on the organ.

Following are quotes from addresses delivered during the Sunday afternoon session of conference:

President Thomas S. Monson

My brothers and sisters, may we strive to live closer to the Lord. May we remember to "pray always, lest [we] enter into temptation (3 Nephi 18:18)."

To you parents, express your love to your children. Pray for them, that they may be able to withstand the evils of the world. Pray that they may grow in faith and in testimony. Pray that they may pursue lives of goodness and of service to others.

Children, let your parents know you love them. Let them know that you appreciate all that they have done and continue to do for you.

Now, a word of caution to all ?— both young and old, both male and female. We live at a time when the adversary is using every means possible to ensnare us in his web of deceit, trying desperately to take us down with him. There are many pathways along which he entices us to go — pathways that can lead to our destruction. Advances in many areas that can be used for our good can also be used to speed us along that heinous pathway. I feel to mention one in particular, and that is the internet. On one hand, it provides nearly limitless opportunities for acquiring useful and important information. Through it we can communicate with others around the world. The Church, itself, has a wonderful Web site, filled with valuable and uplifting information and priceless resources.

On the other hand, however ?— and extremely alarming — are the numbers of individuals who are utilizing the internet for evil and degrading purposes, the viewing of pornography being the most prevalent of these purposes. My brothers and sisters, involvement in such will literally destroy the spirit. Be strong. Be clean. Avoid such degrading and destructive types of content at all costs ?— wherever they may be! I sound this warning to everyone, everywhere. I add — particularly to the young people — that this includes pornographic images transmitted via cell phones.

My beloved friends, under no circumstances allow yourselves to become trapped in the viewing of pornography, one of the most effective of Satan's enticements. And if you have allowed yourself to become involved in this behavior, cease now. Seek the help you need to overcome and to change the direction of your life. Take the steps necessary to get back on the straight and narrow, and then stay there.

May we say, with Joshua of old, "choose you this day whom ye will serve; ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15)."

Elder L. Tom Perry, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

It should be "with great earnestness" that we bring the light of the Gospel to those who are searching for answers the Plan of Salvation has to offer. Many are concerned for their families. Some are looking for security in a world of changing values. Our opportunity is to give them hope and courage and invite them to come with us and join those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord's Gospel is on the earth and will bless their lives here and in the eternities to come.

The Gospel is centered in the atonement of our Lord and Savior. The Atonement provides the power to wash away sins, to heal and to grant eternal life. All the imponderable blessings of the Atonement can only be given to those who live the principles and receive the ordinances of the Gospel — faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Our great missionary message to the world is that all mankind is invited to be rescued and enter the fold of the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ.

Our missionary message is strengthened by the knowledge of the Restoration. We know that God speaks to His prophets today, just as He did anciently. We also know that His Gospel is administered with the power and authority of the restored priesthood. No other message has such great, eternal significance to everyone living on the Earth today. All of us need to teach this message in order to bring power and conviction. It is the still small voice of the Holy Ghost that testifies through us of the miracle of the Restoration but, first, we must open our mouths and testify. We must warn our neighbors.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

We live in a time when sacrifice is definitely out of fashion, when the outside forces that taught our ancestors the need for unselfish cooperative service have diminished. Someone has called this the "me" generation — a selfish time when everyone seems to be asking, "What's in it for me?" Even some who should know better seem to be straining to win the praise of those who mock and scoff from the "great and spacious building" identified in vision as the pride of the world (1 Nephi 8:26-28; 11:35-36).

This worldly aspiration of our day is to get something for nothing. The ancient evil of greed shows its face in the assertion of entitlement: I am entitled to this or that because of who I am — a son or a daughter, a citizen, a victim, or a member of some other group. Entitlement is generally selfish. It demands much and it gives little or nothing. Its very concept causes us to seek to elevate ourselves above those around us. This separates us from the divine, even-handed standard of reward that when anyone obtains any blessing from God it is by obedience to the law on which that blessing is predicated (see Doctrine and Covenants 130:21).

The effects of greed and entitlement are evident in the multi-million dollar bonuses of some corporate executives. But the examples are more widespread than that. Greed and ideas of entitlement have also fueled the careless and widespread borrowing and excessive consumerism behind the financial crises that threaten to engulf the world.

Elder David A. Bednar, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

We live in a great day of temple building around the world. And the adversary surely is mindful of the increasing number of temples that now dot the earth. As always, the building and dedicating of these sacred structures are accompanied by opposition from enemies of the Church as well as by ill-advised criticism from some within the Church.

Such antagonism is not new. In 1861 while the Salt Lake Temple was under construction, Brigham Young encouraged the Saints: "If you wish this Temple built, go to work and do all you can.… Some say, 'I do not like to do it, for we never began to build a Temple without the bells of hell beginning to ring.' I want to hear them ring again. All the tribes of hell will be on the move.… But what do you think it will amount to? You have all the time seen what it has amounted to" (In Journal of Discourses, 8:355-356).

We as faithful Saints have been strengthened by adversity and are the recipients of the Lord's tender mercies. We have moved forward under the promise of the Lord: "I will not suffer that [mine enemies] shall destroy my work; yea, I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil" (Doctrine and Covenants 10:43).

Elder Gary E. Stevenson, First Quorum of the Seventy

I remember a warm sunny afternoon when spring was trying to nudge its way through a long winter in Cache Valley, Utah. My father, whose Saturdays were always filled with chores for his grandsons, stopped by our home with an offer to "go for a ride." Always happy to ride in Grandpa's truck our four- and six-year-old sons scurried into the back jump seat, and I joined my father in the front. Our drive took us through the streets of downtown Logan which wrap around the Logan Temple, prominently situated on a hill, centered beautifully in the city. As we moved further away from the city, we turned from paved busy streets to seldom used dirt roads where we crossed old bridges and weaved through trees far into the country. We were far from any other traffic and all alone. Realizing his grandsons were in a place they had not been before, my father stopped the truck. "Do you think we are lost?" he asked the wide-eyed boys as they gazed out the windshield across the valley. Followed by a moment of silent assessment, came the profound reply of a young child. "Look," he said pointing his finger, "Grandpa, you are never lost when you can see the temple." Our eyes turned, focusing with his, seeing the sun glistening off the spires of the Logan Temple, far across the valley.

You are never lost when you can see the temple. The temple will provide direction for you and your family in a world filled with chaos. It is an eternal guidepost which will help you from getting lost in the "mist of darkness" (1 Nephi 8:24). It is the "House of the Lord" ("Temple, House of the Lord," Holy Bible (King James Version) Topical Guide, 519). It is a place where covenants are made and eternal ordinances are performed.

Elder Jose A. Teixeira, First Quorum of the Seventy

I remember one day as I drove into an underground parking lot, I was introduced to a new feature of [a pocket size GPS receiver] – a warning voice struck me. … "Lost satellite reception." The concrete structures that surrounded me had interrupted the satellite signal and caused the devise to lose connection.

As I came back again into the open air I also realized that extra time was required while the device recaptured the needed signal.

We, too, have within us a "GPS" allowing us to know at all times what is right and what is wrong as well as assisting us in making correct choices.

We are born with a natural capacity to distinguish between right and wrong because of the Light of Christ that is given to every person. This faculty is called conscience. The possession of it makes us responsible beings.

Additionally, as members of the Church we have been given the gift of the Holy Ghost to comfort, protect and guide us.

Elder F. Michael Watson, First Quorum of the Seventy

It is President [Thomas S.] Monson whom we sustain as the prophet, seer and revelator and who serves as the resounding voice to the widow, the fatherless and to all who stand in need. He has truly exemplified in his life the pattern of the Master and the sincere desire to always be found in His service. It is President Monson who is the Lord's mouthpiece and whose counsel and direction we are admonished to follow. In a very real sense, the Master speaks to us through His prophet. I know, and have recorded, in meetings of the brethren assembled, this to be true.

As one who has been taught at the feet of living prophets, and of these latter-day witnesses whom I have known and love, I testify, in all truthfulness, as members of this Church heed the words and commandments the Lord gave to the prophets of the Testaments, and followed by the Lord's prophet even today, we will more fully understand, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).

© 2009 Deseret News Publishing Company

179th Annual General Conference Sunday morning

179th Annual General Conference Sunday morning

Published: Sunday, April 5, 2009

During the Sunday morning session of the 179th Annual General Conference, newly sustained apostle Elder Neil L. Andersen addressed a worldwide Church congregation for the first time as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve.

Jason Olson, Deseret News

President Thomas S. Monson conducted and spoke at the session. Elder Daryl H. Garn and Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, both of the Seventy, offered the invocation and benediction, respectively.

Music for the session was provided by the Tabernacle Choir, under the direction of Mack Wilberg and Ed Thompson, with Andrew Unsworth and Clay Christiansen on the organ.

Following are quotes from addresses delivered during the Sunday morning session of conference:

President Thomas S. Monson

Since last we met together in a general conference six months ago, there have been continuing signs that circumstances in the world aren't necessarily as we would wish. The global economy, which six months ago appeared to be sagging, seems to have taken a nose dive, and for many weeks now the financial outlook has been somewhat grim. In addition, the moral footings of society continue to slip, while those who attempt to safeguard those footings are often ridiculed and, at times, picketed and persecuted. Wars, natural disasters and personal misfortunes continue to occur.

Jason Olson, Deseret News

It would be easy to become discouraged and cynical about the future — or even fearful of what might come — if we allowed ourselves to dwell only on that which is wrong in the world and in our lives. Today, however, I'd like us to turn our thoughts and our attitudes away from the troubles around us and to focus instead on our blessings as members of the Church. The Apostle Paul declared, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

None of us makes it through this life without problems and challenges — and sometimes tragedies and misfortunes. After all, in large part we are here to learn and grow from such events in our lives. We know that there are times when we will suffer, when we will grieve, and when we will be saddened. However, we are told: "Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25).

Jason Olson, Deseret News

How might we have joy in our lives, despite all that we may face? Again, from the scriptures: "Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you" (Doctrine and Covenants 68:6).

The history of the Church in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times, is replete with the experiences of those who have struggled and yet who have remained steadfast and of good cheer as they have made the Gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their lives. This attitude is what will pull us through whatever comes our way. It will not remove our troubles from us but rather will enable us to face our challenges, to meet them head on and to emerge victorious.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency

We live in a time when many worry about their livelihood. They are concerned about the future and doubt their ability to resolve the challenges that confront them. Many have experienced personal misfortune and sadness. They hunger for meaning and purpose in life.

Jason Olson, Deseret News

Because there is such great interest in these issues, the world is not bashful in offering numerous new answers to every problem we face. People run from one new idea to the next, hoping to find something that will answer the burning questions of their souls. They attend seminars and buy books, CDs, and other products. They get caught up in the excitement of looking for something new. But inevitably, the flame of each new theory fades, only to be replaced by another "new and improved" solution that promises to do what the others before could not.

It's not that these worldly options don't contain elements of truth — many of them do. Nevertheless, they all fall short of the lasting change we seek in our lives. After the excitement wears off, the hollowness remains as we look for the next new idea to unlock the secrets of happiness.

In contrast, the gospel of Jesus Christ has the answers to our problems. It is not a secret. It is not complicated or hidden. It can unlock the door to true happiness. It is not someone's theory or proposition. It does not come from man at all. It springs from the pure and everlasting waters of the Creator of the universe, who knows truths we cannot even begin to comprehend. And with that knowledge, He has given us the gospel— a divine gift, the ultimate formula for happiness and success.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Jason Olson, Deseret News

Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone we do not have to do so. His solitary journey bought great company to us for our little version of that path — the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, and friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said, "I will not leave you comfortless. [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you]" (John 14:18, 23).

My other plea at Easter time is that these scenes of Christ's lonely sacrifice, laced with moments of denial, abandonment, and at least once, outright betrayal, must never be reenacted by us. He has walked alone once. May I ask that never again will He have to confront sin without our aid and assistance, that never again will He find unresponsive onlookers when he sees you and me along His Via Dolorosa in our present day. As we approach this holy week — Passover Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross, Resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb — may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times, but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ "at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death" (Mosiah 18:9), for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely alone.

Elder Neil L. Andersen, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

I profoundly thank you for your sustaining vote. In so many dimensions, I feel inadequate and humbled. I take solace that in one qualification for the holy apostleship, where there can be no latitude extended, the Lord has deeply blessed me. I do know with perfect and certain clarity through the power of the Holy Ghost, that Jesus is the Christ the beloved Son of God....

I express deep gratitude for you the faithful members of the Church. As a young missionary in France my testimony blossomed as I witnessed members giving their full devotion for the gospel of Jesus Christ. During the past 20 years, we have lived 10 years outside of the United States on Church assignments. In lands and languages different from my own, I have seen the power of God at work in your lives. How wonderful you are, the great family of believers in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Elder Steven E. Snow, Presidency of the Seventy

It would be nice if we could anticipate all the changes that would occur in a lifetime. Some changes we see coming. Certainly all Latter-day Saint young men are taught to prepare for a full-time mission, a life changing experience. Every worthy young single adult understands the importance of choosing a spouse and being sealed in the holy temple. We know these changes are coming and we can plan for them. But what about the changes which are thrust upon us rather unexpectedly? These are challenges over which we seemingly have no control. Economic downturn, unemployment, debilitating sickness or injury, divorce and death are examples of change we do not expect, anticipate or welcome. How do we deal with such unexpected setbacks in life's journey?

The answer is the same. By listening to the prophets, keeping an eternal perspective, having faith and being of good cheer we can face life's unexpected challenges and "get on with our lives."

Sister Barbara Thompson, second counselor in General Relief Society Presidency

President Spencer W. Kimball said, "God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that He meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other."

Last summer when I was away from home a fierce wind and rain storm blew through our neighborhood. A huge tree had fallen from my neighbor's yard filling my yard and knocking down power lines. The tree needed to be removed before the damage could be repaired and power restored to my home.

Early in the morning I called my brother who planned to find some equipment and come as soon as he could. I also called my bishop. Within minutes, my bishop, home teacher, former stake president, and ten men from my ward were there with their chain saws and made quick work of this disaster. My visiting teachers brought in dinner that evening. Many more men from the high priest group, the elders quorum and the neighborhood came on subsequent evenings to assist me and my family in cleaning up the mess.

I was needy on that occasion. I needed help from others. My discouragement turned into joy and gratitude. I felt loved and cared for. These people were quick to recognize one in need. They lived their testimony and demonstrated the reality of their covenants.

At Church headquarters we often receive thank-you notes from people not of our Church who have been served by you after a flood, hurricane, earthquake, or other disaster. Thank you for always being willing to serve, love, give, and, thus, be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

© 2009 Deseret News Publishing Company

外國傳教士 打掃無名荒墓

 更新日期:2009/04/05 04:09

〔記者唐在馨／台中報導〕「咦？怎麼有那麼多外國人來掃墓」？福林路第13號公墓昨天來了一群外國傳教士，他們在豔陽下揮汗打掃無名墳墓，吸引許多掃墓民眾的目光。傳教士們表示，敬愛祖先、愛護家庭本來就是他們的教義，選在清明節來打掃無名墓，就是要體會台灣人慎終追遠的精神。

由耶穌基督後期聖徒教會外國傳教士組成的墓園清理志工服務隊近40人，昨日一早就前往13號公墓掃墓，每個人都穿上背心，拿著掃把等工具，在大太陽下認真地拔草、清掃垃圾。

多數傳教士來自美國、也有人來自加拿大，他們說，「緬懷先人無國界」，他們不拿香、不燒紙錢，在美國，他們會到先人墓前獻花紀念先人、親友，在台灣則感受到台灣人的文化。

耶穌基督後期聖徒教會公共事務主管熊觀明表示，清明掃墓是中華民族特有紀念祖先的方式，清明來到祖先墓前清掃環境、追思祭拜祖先，藉由家人一起掃墓，讓後代子孫記起先人建設家業的艱辛。

他說，一般人都是幫祖先掃墓，但據他了解，公墓中有一些墓園沒有人清掃，即使清明節，也沒有子孫來祭拜打掃，在外國傳教士辛苦打掃下，這些墓地都變乾淨了。

昨天不少來掃墓的民眾，都很肯定這群外國友人的付出，感謝說「他們辛苦了」。

老外掃墓！　40基督傳教士掃無名墓

 更新日期:2009/04/04 12:45 林隆士

基督教不祭拜祖先，但台中有40位基督教傳教士，在清明節這天，和台灣人一樣掃墓！他們熱心擔任志工，幫許多無名墳墓清理打掃，傳教士說，其實掃墓就像基督教宣揚的教義，也是一種愛家庭的表現。

基督教傳教士：「看到這些有名字的、有墓碑的，我們不要碰。」

掃墓初體驗，還得叮嚀老外可別動到台灣人的祖墳，大夥兒戴好斗笠和工作手套，彎下腰來，看到哪髒就清哪！他們都是基督教傳教士，總共40位，清明節這天，特地到台中市的公墓，擔任打掃志工，一群高鼻深目的外國人也來掃墓，不少民眾第一次親眼看到。

民眾：「他們剛來的時候，我們感覺很驚訝，欸？怎麼是外國人，而且穿的背心是耶穌基督的，那我們這邊有很多是信佛的，這讓我們很驚訝，感謝他們這麼勤快，對環保有認同啦！」

基督教傳教士：「很感動，知道台灣人很愛他們的家人。」

尊敬祖先在傳教士口中，就像愛護家庭的基督教義一樣，清明掃墓這項台灣傳統習俗，也能擁有不同解讀。