2015 - 20th Anniversary

This is the year we celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Proclamation to the World about the family.  Interestingly, it is also the year that the UN celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Platform.

The first document to the world describes our Divine identity as women, and the beautiful role we play in our families. The second document sees motherhood in a negative light and seeks to dismantle our role in the family.

"In the preliminary document for the Beijing +5 Conference in 2000, one of the stated obstacles to human rights (translation: abortion on demand and same-sex marriage) was the "...persistence of traditional and stereotypical attitudes."
   In the section on Woman and the Media, there was language stating opposition to the 'negative images of women; and stereotyped portrayals;' (translation: mothers).  The women at this conference were urged to target journalists and media specialists, media associations, educational and training institutions to promote balanced and non-stereotyped portrayals of women." - Susan Roylance (Mothers & Fathers Defending Marriage and Family in the Halls of the U.N.)

Simply stated in "UN Beijing platform language" - "motherhood" and "traditional family" are bad words and damaging stereotypes and must be done away.

"In the gathering storm over defending marriage, the weather-vane pointing to our future is oscillating wildly.  Our destiny as a society will depend on whether we can protect our most fundamental social institution: marriage and the family.  As citizens of a democratic republic, we need not be at the mercy of judicial winds.  We can control our destiny!" - Richard G. Wilkins (Author of 'A Sacred Duty')

So how do we defend our most fundamental institution? The answer is simple.  We start in our own homes.  We seek to do all we can to strengthen our marriage and our relationships with our children, to build our home on a foundation of faith and trust in God. We embrace the complimentary unique and different roles of husband and wife. We always work with and for each other and never against. We strive to practice patience, kind words that build and uplift, habits that nurture and invite the Spirit.  We must be vigilant in safeguarding and monitoring closely the amount and content of media diet being fed to our minds and our family.  Wise mothers and fathers do not allow the rivers of filthy water to flow through the airwaves of their home.  They constantly ask themselves, "what is being taught" and "how is it being received".  Wise mothers and fathers seek the Spirit of the Lord in all they do through constant daily prayer and scripture study.

The Prophet Joseph Smith appeared to Brigham Young in a vision and said, "Tell the people to be humble and faithful and sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach [you what] to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren [and sisters] to keep their hearts open to conviction so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits. It will whisper peace and joy to their souls, and it will take malice, hatred, envying, strife, and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God. Tell the brethren [and sisters] if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord they will go right."

Malachi teaches about turning our hearts to our fathers and the most important Father we should turn to is our Heavenly One.  We are His children and His heart has been turned to us from the very beginning.  He loves us with an immeasurable and powerful love!  "We love Him because He first loved us." As we rightfully make Him first in our lives, everything else will fall into its proper place.  I know this. I trust this with my whole soul!

The Family Proclamation declares this irrefutable truth, "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."

The solutions of the world are not found in the works of the flesh, in the intellects, the philosophers, and talking heads. Show me a person who has innumerable followers, popularity, high accolades, degrees and doctorates, scholarly knowledge, who has read all the books and passed all the tests but who has never learned to care for their family, never learned to recognize and act upon the Spirit, never learned to reach beyond their obsession of self to sincerely love their neighbor, who has never learned to truly love and truly serve - and you've shown me a fool, indeed.

The Kingdom of God will crush the Kingdoms of the earth in a way that those who only see by the flesh won't be able to understand because they will not open their eyes.  The stone cut out of the mountain without hands means "without the flesh"... it will be by the power of the Spirit!  Those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts that understand will not faint but with hope will listen to "the distant triumph song."

-Alicia

Our Youth, Our Hope

Untied Families International invited our group of women to team up with them in an event the first of its kind at a United Nations convention.  Amelia from UFI informed me over the phone, "Its going to be like one big Family Home Evening."  The time slot given to UFI by the UN just happened to be on a Monday night, how fitting. We had a few powerful musical numbers and a panel of speakers planned to share inspiring stories of their mothers and grandmothers, to inspire the spirit of Elijah.  We hoped the people would walk away with a greater desire to return home and not only strengthen their families but encourage everyone in their sphere of influence to do the same.
http://utahvalley360.com/2015/03/17/lds-women-defend-motherhood-standing-room-un-event/

Early morning prior to our "combined effort event, " we stood in line with a host of nationalities waiting for the UN gates to open so we could get our badges that would allow us entrance to the convention.
I said to my friend Jeanette, "If we want a ton of people to come tonight, now is the perfect time to invite them.  Everyone is just standing here."
"I'm with you Alicia, let's go," she said.

One by one we went about shaking hands, introducing ourselves and inviting them to our event.  Among the crowd, we met a long line of about 25 youth between the ages of 17 to 21.  From the moment my eyes met theirs and I opened my mouth to speak to them, there was a connection!  Their faces bright and their spirits radiating out so tangible, "I know these youth," I thought to myself.  In my heart I swore I had seen each of their faces before.  They listened to my invitation intently.  They were Catholic students from universities in Mexico and Ecuador (The two countries my sweet nephews are currently serving in as missionaries.) I explained that the intent our event was to awaken an awareness of the importance of faith and family. They smiled affirmatively as if I needn't say anymore.  Their mission was the same on almost every level.  It was miraculous.

I watched them attend various presentations put on by other groups, opposing groups.  These youth were not afraid to stand up and speak. I was in awe of their equanimity!  For the duration of the week we showed support by attending one another's events...  Each time meeting up, building many more great stories to be told.

It's interesting that this is the year the United Nations sets the agenda in place that will be in effect for the next 15 years.  Currently as the Post 2015 Agenda stands, there is no wording at all to protect the family.  We came here to change that and never before has the UN seen such a large presence of pro-family/ pro-faith groups.  We pray our voices will be heard.

How fitting that this group of mothers would convene with these valiant youth at "such a time as this!" It makes sense, mothers and youth - the two parts of society that are targeted and exploited more than any others are the very ones who are standing up, charging forward bold and brave at the front-lines of the battle.

I came here to the UN expecting to be weighed down with the force of opposition undermining our basic institution.  And believe me, the force is heavy and I have learned things that have forever changed my perspective, some of which are nightmares realized, horrific and frightening beyond description, things that the majority of society is completely ignorant to, things that are hard for me to explain.

But with these youth, I was lifted.  

Last night was the final time I would see them.  I embraced each one of these young men and women and thanked them for who they are, for their courage, for the light of Christ that is so evident in their eyes.  With tears of gratitude I thanked them for giving me the unexpected at this convention....

 HOPE!

 -Alicia

To Know God

A week ago, last Sunday, I gave a lesson in Young Women's about the Godhead.  I wrote on the board this scripture: 

 "And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."  John 17:3 

I didn't have time to expound, but if I did, I would have liked to have switched the words around on the board from "life eternal" to "eternal life".  They are interchangeable, you see, because as we come to know God, our Father, and Jesus Christ, we can experience "eternal life" right here, right now.  We don't need to wait until heaven. 

Now, this next part, I is something I have thought deeply about.   What does it mean to know?  Webster's Dictionary defines it as follows: 

The third definition of know is used in the Bible to define the sacred intimate relationship between a man and woman.  Could this have meaning in the scripture, "And this is life eternal that they might know Thee..."?  I think it could.  There is great spiritual symbolism in the intimate nature of the husband and wife relationship. (See Ephesians 5:31) 

 Elder Jeffery R. Holland gave a beautiful speech on this topic years ago and is one of my all-time favorites, "Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments"  He said, "As delicate as it is to mention in such a setting, I nevertheless trust your maturity to understand that physiologically we are created as men and women to fit together in such a union. In this ultimate physical expression of one man and one woman they are as nearly and as literally 'one' as two separate physical bodies can ever be." 

(see my post Water and Rock)

In the physical sense and with the biblical definition of "know", there truly is no other union that is more perfect in the flesh.  So, I would conclude that in the context of "knowing God", this spiritual context, means knowing Him is much more than recognizing Him, it's more than confessing him, more than understanding and perceiving Him.  Yes, it goes so much deeper, "to know God" is to truly love Him, to have our spirit unite with His Spirit and be one in the most perfect union possible, because He is perfect. (John 17:22-23) It means His will is our will, His heart is our heart, His mind is our mind. 

 "These are moments when we quite literally unite our will with God's will, our spirit with His spirit, where communion through the veil becomes very real. At such moments we not only acknowledge His divinity, but we quite literally take something of that divinity to ourselves." - Jeffrey R. Holland

-Alicia

Love is...

Because God the Father and His Son are one, and we are to strive to become like Them, to be one with Them, there must be something Divinely powerful and real about the connection we feel with each other through our spirits.  Spiritual unity is what we strive for in the Gospel.  This is what it means to be the Lord's people. (See Moses 7:18) This is Zion.

True love brings us together as it pushes us outside of ourselves. True love never fades or wears away, never divides or diminishes, it always multiplies and magnifies, it grows more beautiful with age until it shines brighter than the sun.  It transcends space and time because it is eternal in nature.  It is communicated from soul to soul, it is fire in the eyes, and electricity in the atmosphere.  To purely love another person is to unite with heaven!  (See 1 John 4:7-19)

-Alicia