History of the Earth

Earth\See this page in the original 1992 publication.\Author: Petersen, Morris S.

Latter-day Saints believe that God created this earth to provide his children, the human race, with the opportunity to receive physical bodies and to hear and accept his gospel that they might be prepared for life with him on a celestialized earth hereafter. They also believe that this earth eventually will become a celestial, glorified world. Jesus Christ, under direction of God the Father, was the creator of the earth and all things in it (John 1:1-3). Creation was first a spirit creation followed by a physical creation of the planet and life on it. One LDS scholar observed, "The Latter-day Saints are the only Bible-oriented people who have always been taught that things were happening long, long before Adam appeared on the scene" (Cwhn 1:49). Because God created the earth for these eternal purposes, Latter-day Saints view its natural resources and life forms as a sacred stewardship to be used in ways that will ensure their availability for all succeeding generations. Latter-day scriptures also teach of a plurality of worlds. In itself this is not a unique concept among the religions of the world, but the LDS doctrine is distinctive (Crowe, pp. 241-46).

THE AGE OF THE EARTH. The scriptures do not say how old the earth is, and the Church has taken no official stand on this question (Old Testament, pp. 28-29). Nor does the Church consider it to be a central issue for salvation.\Discussions of the age of the earth feature distinct interpretations of the word "day" in the creation accounts. Very few Latter-day Saints hold to the theory that the days of creation were twenty-four hours long. Some have attempted to accommodate scientific theories to scriptural accounts of creation by extending creation day lengths to one thousand years each. Intriguing potential support for this view has been found in scriptures suggesting "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years" (2 Pet. 3:8; cf. Abr. 3:2-4;5:13; Facsimile No. 2).\But because even seven thousand years fails to approximate the billions of years suggested by contemporary scientific accounts, many Latter-day Saints have emphasized the possibility that the scriptural days of creation may have been vastly greater time periods. They point to the fact that "the Hebrew word for day …can also be used in the sense of an indeterminate length of time," and to Abraham's account of creation in which he "says that the Gods called the creation periods days" (Old Testament, pp. 28-29; see Eyring; Abr. 4:5, 8).\

THE ORIGIN AND DESTINY OF THE EARTH. Joseph Smith wrote, "We believe…that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory" (A of F 10). LDS revelation declares that the earth is destined to become a celestial body fit for the abode of the most exalted or celestial beings (D&C 88:18-20, 25-26). This is a unique departure from the traditional Christian beliefs that heaven is the dwelling place for all saved beings, and that after fulfilling its useful role the earth will become uninhabited, or be destroyed. Doctrine and Covenants 130:9teaches that finally the earth will become sanctified and immortalized, and be made crystal-like. The "sea of glass" spoken of in Revelation 4:6"is the earth, in its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state" (D&C 77:1). Elder James E. Talmage wrote of this earthly regeneration: "In regard to the revealed word concerning the regeneration of earth, and the acquirement of a celestial glory by our planet, science has nothing to offer either by way of support or contradiction" (AF, p. 381). [v- Sorry science! This is way beyond any science! It is prophecy. science has nothing to offer either by way of support or contradiction]\Latter-day Saints understand the entire history of the earth to be directly linked to its role in God's Plan of Salvation for his children, his work and glory, "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). The earth was created as a paradise. Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, it was transformed to a telestial state, or the present mortal earth. This interval will end with the return of the Savior, after which the earth will be changed to a terrestrial state and prepared during the Millennium for its final transformation into a celestial sphere after the Millennium (D&C 88:18-19). The ancient Nephite concept derived from Christ's teachings to them includes the idea that before the final judgment the earth will be "rolled together as a scroll, and the elements [will] melt with fervent heat" (Morm. 9:2), "and the heavens and the earth [shall] pass away" (3 Ne. 26:3). This historical account is linear, marked by unique, important events that link the theological and physical history of the earth, that is, creation, fall, renewal at the second coming of Christ, and final glory.\Against the backdrop of this progressive history is the constancy of spiritual and physical law immanently affecting succeeding generations of God's children on earth. In this context President John Taylor said, "Change succeeds change in human affairs, but the laws of God in everything are correct and true; in every stage and phase of nature, everything on the earth, in the waters and in the atmosphere is governed by unchangeable, eternal laws" (Gospel Kingdom, p. 70, Salt Lake City, 1987; see Law).

THE GREAT FLOOD. The Old Testament records a flood that was just over fifteen cubits (sometimes assumed to be about twenty-six feet) deep and covered the entire landscape: "And all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered" (Gen. 7:19). Scientifically this account leaves many questions unanswered, especially how a measurable depth could cover mountains. Elder John A. Widtsoe, writing in 1943, offered this perspective: The fact remains that the exact nature of the flood is not known. We set up assumptions, based upon our best knowledge, but can go no further. We should remember that when inspired writers deal with historical incidents they relate that which they have seen or that which may have been told them, unless indeed the past is opened to them by revelation.\The details in the story of the flood are undoubtedly drawn from the experiences of the writer. Under a downpour of rain, likened to the opening of the heavens, a destructive torrent twenty-six feet deep or deeper would easily be formed. The writer of Genesis made a faithful report of the facts known to him concerning the flood. In other localities the depth of the water might have been more or less. In fact, the details of the flood are not known to us [Widtsoe, p. 127].

SPECIAL CONCERNS OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS. President Brigham Young taught: "The whole object of the creation of this world is to exalt the intelligences that are placed upon it, that they may live, endure, and increase for ever and ever. We are not here to quarrel and contend about the things of this world, but we are here to subdue and beautify it" (JD 7:290). Viewing themselves as tenants upon the earth, Latter-day Saints regard its resources as a sacred trust from God for the use of all while upon the earth: "I, the Lord…make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures" (D&C 104:13). The earth was created by Christ for specific purposes: "We will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them" (Abr. 3:24-25). President Brigham Young taught that the dominion God gives human beings is designed to test them, enabling them to show to themselves, to their fellow beings, and to God just how they would act if entrusted with God's power (Nibley, 1978, p. 90; see Purpose of Earth Life: LDS Perspective). Brigham Young supervised the relocation of the Church to the American West, which in the late 1840s was sparsely inhabited. His strong commitment to preservation of the environment and wise use of all natural resources influenced early Church colonizing efforts. Such prudence and wisdom in the use of land, water, air, and living things are still encouraged throughout the Church. In modern days of widespread concern for preserving the fragile relationships between the earth and its biosphere, Brigham Young's counsel remains vital: There is a great work for the Saints to do. Progress, and improve upon, and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the earth and cultivate your minds. Build cities, adorn your habitations, make gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labours you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations [JD 8:83].\As I read this entry from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism I noticed:\a. It is extremely concentrated/ potent.\

b. Darn, you mean there are some things I can't understand?\

c. Some things really do have to be taken on faith.\~~~~~~~~~~\My conclusion: Some BYU professors offered to update all the science teachers in the state on evolution. Our class was held at DMS. After it was over I asked to ride in their car. I asked them point blank, What about Adam? They had different answers! None of them knew. But they believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ from beginning to end and they believed in evolution. Evolution really means natural change over time.  What about unnatural change over time? Sorry, not covered!  SEE!\V\PS.\~~~~BoM on Trial, the book/ comic manual I gave you, does a fantastic job of pointing out how strong the testimonies of the witnesses of the BoM are. Satan would have us take one unknown and get stuck on it. God would have us take the dozens of truths and bask in them.\As you can tell, this was a fun question for me to respond to. :) @@@ Well, bps, I left Gayelinn 11 vmails today, I left Scott 7 tonight, I sent you and MichaelJ letters. I raked leaves and shoveled doggie doodoos this morning. I have worn my pajama bottoms under my pants all day to keep warm. It has been a wonderful day! @ I am taking a couple of ibuprofen every 7-13 hours instead of every 4 so I am very hopeful my body is handling this tooth problem. @ Have I indexed or reviewed? Nope. It is 10:30 pm and not a single name has been indexed at my house today. Strange. I’ll just say, if FS can go on vacation, so can I! :) As I was walking I began to think are their any nice round numbers I would like to reach by the end of the year so it will be easy to count for next year’s efforts. I will have to go look and see. @ Love you. See you later. @@@

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOTues. 12/26/17 Hello Brandon, Only a few days of 2017 left. It was a huge year for you! Congratulations on making it through! Big changes. @ I sent your letter today. You may remember the two talks I only pasted the title to from MRB. Sometimes I put pastes in your letter just to make it more interesting, and because I can. I got to respond to a follow-up email. Let me share:Julie Ahlberg \6:49 PM (3 hours ago)\to me \Hi Vern,\I hope you had a merry Christmas.\I listened to "The Savior's Touch" and "Spiritual Development" by Elder Ballard. Both were really good talks. I was thrown off a little with how young Elder Ballard looked. I enjoyed them both, but the "Spiritual Development" was my favorite out of the two.\I told you at lunch the other day how I am studying the Savior from the topical guide and I came across a scripture where Christ talks about being slain. (I'd tell you which scripture but that would mean I would have to stand up and walk across the room to grab my scriptures.) Lol. Anyway, we read all the time how he "willingly gave his life" but for some reason the word "slain" stood out to me that day. I looked up all the definitions I could find of the word slain and boy, did that scripture become even more powerful to me. For me, I tend to forget how violent of an act Christ had to endure, and yes, I'm very grateful he willingly gave his life, but when I think about "willingly being slain" it takes on a more powerful meaning to me. I better get my act together, that's for sure. I've caused enough grief for the Savior and I don't want Him to suffer any more than he already has on my account.\Vern, I have a question and a favor to ask. My son who is 14, almost 15 years old, and who is very bright, struggles with the gospel and science (particularly how old science claims the earth is and then how the seven days of creation are explained.) I try to explain to him that science and religion go together and we do not know everything about God and his workings, and science doesn't know everything about our world and universe either. So, my question is this...Do you know of any talks, books, etc. that discusses this subject at all? And my favor is that if you do know of any good talks I could refer him to, would you send me a list of them? No pressure, but I thought I would ask. Thank you! Julie @@@ Yippee!\An email!\Slain. Interesting.\The two talks I sent you were my way of saying I couldn't find the one you suggested. ____________\Your request:I admire that your son dares to confront the issue!\It really is a pain.\I have two atheist brothers. Science is their religion. The holy grail.\Right off the top of my head, no I don't know of any resources.\Possible helpful concepts.\1- Our God is a god of miracles. Science isn't.\2- This life is a test of our faith.\3- Is there really a fight between good and evil? Is there really a Satan and God? If so. . . then where are Satan's teachings and what are his teachings? If so. . . then where are God's teachings and what are his teachings?\4- mr. lust, loves conspiracy theories. He attended class for a while last year. I think he is bipolar. He goes from one extreme to the other. He was telling me how the peaks in the Grand Canyon match constellations in the sky, like Orion's belt etc. and that they are ancient temples. I pointed out that the earth has moved. It was once near Kolob and will be again. The constellations have changed.\That was a real pain to him!\So what about the earth being "wrapped together as a scroll?", what in the heck does that mean? And where did all the water go that flooded the earth in Noah's day? And what about the layers of rock in the grand canyon that show the simplest creatures at the bottom, bacteria, and the most complex in the layers at the top? Isn't the sun 10 billion years old and the earth 5 billion? And isn't there evidence of evolution? And my big one: What about the cave paintings in France that are 20-40,000 years old? Was Adam really the first man? Did he live on the earth 6,000 years ago?\Damn, how is my faith supposed to oppose all the scientific evidence?\5- If we don't feed our faith regularly we lose it. How do we feed our faith?\6- One last consolation. How long are we here? The spirit world should prove to most of us that Satan is real and God's plan is real. And we'll be there shortly. :)\~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~\I wanted to be a seminary/institute teacher like my mission president. Where better to put my life's effort? HF knew better. Good thing I had a double interest, major.\Science is awesome because we use our senses of observation. I absolutely loved teaching my students to use all 5 of their senses to detect the world around them and then to analyze what their observations meant.\But what about our spirit? What about spirituality? Aren't we spirits living in a temporal world? Sorry. That is not a part of science. But it is a part of Satan and God! That is their realm. And as that p.24 that I shared with you Friday points out. . . Who believes in miracles or Satan anyway? The minority.\But isn't that the most important? Aren't our spirits the most important?\~~~~~~~~~ \So I went hunting when I quoted that wrapped together as a scroll scripture. Consider this:http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Earth

Earth\See this page in the original 1992 publication.\Author: Petersen, Morris S.

Latter-day Saints believe that God created this earth to provide his children, the human race, with the opportunity to receive physical bodies and to hear and accept his gospel that they might be prepared for life with him on a celestialized earth hereafter. They also believe that this earth eventually will become a celestial, glorified world. Jesus Christ, under direction of God the Father, was the creator of the earth and all things in it (John 1:1-3). Creation was first a spirit creation followed by a physical creation of the planet and life on it. One LDS scholar observed, "The Latter-day Saints are the only Bible-oriented people who have always been taught that things were happening long, long before Adam appeared on the scene" (Cwhn 1:49). Because God created the earth for these eternal purposes, Latter-day Saints view its natural resources and life forms as a sacred stewardship to be used in ways that will ensure their availability for all succeeding generations. Latter-day scriptures also teach of a plurality of worlds. In itself this is not a unique concept among the religions of the world, but the LDS doctrine is distinctive (Crowe, pp. 241-46).

THE AGE OF THE EARTH. The scriptures do not say how old the earth is, and the Church has taken no official stand on this question (Old Testament, pp. 28-29). Nor does the Church consider it to be a central issue for salvation.\Discussions of the age of the earth feature distinct interpretations of the word "day" in the creation accounts. Very few Latter-day Saints hold to the theory that the days of creation were twenty-four hours long. Some have attempted to accommodate scientific theories to scriptural accounts of creation by extending creation day lengths to one thousand years each. Intriguing potential support for this view has been found in scriptures suggesting "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years" (2 Pet. 3:8; cf. Abr. 3:2-4;5:13; Facsimile No. 2).\But because even seven thousand years fails to approximate the billions of years suggested by contemporary scientific accounts, many Latter-day Saints have emphasized the possibility that the scriptural days of creation may have been vastly greater time periods. They point to the fact that "the Hebrew word for day …can also be used in the sense of an indeterminate length of time," and to Abraham's account of creation in which he "says that the Gods called the creation periods days" (Old Testament, pp. 28-29; see Eyring; Abr. 4:5, 8).\

THE ORIGIN AND DESTINY OF THE EARTH. Joseph Smith wrote, "We believe…that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory" (A of F 10). LDS revelation declares that the earth is destined to become a celestial body fit for the abode of the most exalted or celestial beings (D&C 88:18-20, 25-26). This is a unique departure from the traditional Christian beliefs that heaven is the dwelling place for all saved beings, and that after fulfilling its useful role the earth will become uninhabited, or be destroyed. Doctrine and Covenants 130:9teaches that finally the earth will become sanctified and immortalized, and be made crystal-like. The "sea of glass" spoken of in Revelation 4:6"is the earth, in its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state" (D&C 77:1). Elder James E. Talmage wrote of this earthly regeneration: "In regard to the revealed word concerning the regeneration of earth, and the acquirement of a celestial glory by our planet, science has nothing to offer either by way of support or contradiction" (AF, p. 381). [v- Sorry science! This is way beyond any science! It is prophecy. science has nothing to offer either by way of support or contradiction]\Latter-day Saints understand the entire history of the earth to be directly linked to its role in God's Plan of Salvation for his children, his work and glory, "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). The earth was created as a paradise. Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, it was transformed to a telestial state, or the present mortal earth. This interval will end with the return of the Savior, after which the earth will be changed to a terrestrial state and prepared during the Millennium for its final transformation into a celestial sphere after the Millennium (D&C 88:18-19). The ancient Nephite concept derived from Christ's teachings to them includes the idea that before the final judgment the earth will be "rolled together as a scroll, and the elements [will] melt with fervent heat" (Morm. 9:2), "and the heavens and the earth [shall] pass away" (3 Ne. 26:3). This historical account is linear, marked by unique, important events that link the theological and physical history of the earth, that is, creation, fall, renewal at the second coming of Christ, and final glory.\Against the backdrop of this progressive history is the constancy of spiritual and physical law immanently affecting succeeding generations of God's children on earth. In this context President John Taylor said, "Change succeeds change in human affairs, but the laws of God in everything are correct and true; in every stage and phase of nature, everything on the earth, in the waters and in the atmosphere is governed by unchangeable, eternal laws" (Gospel Kingdom, p. 70, Salt Lake City, 1987; see Law).

THE GREAT FLOOD. The Old Testament records a flood that was just over fifteen cubits (sometimes assumed to be about twenty-six feet) deep and covered the entire landscape: "And all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered" (Gen. 7:19). Scientifically this account leaves many questions unanswered, especially how a measurable depth could cover mountains. Elder John A. Widtsoe, writing in 1943, offered this perspective: The fact remains that the exact nature of the flood is not known. We set up assumptions, based upon our best knowledge, but can go no further. We should remember that when inspired writers deal with historical incidents they relate that which they have seen or that which may have been told them, unless indeed the past is opened to them by revelation.\The details in the story of the flood are undoubtedly drawn from the experiences of the writer. Under a downpour of rain, likened to the opening of the heavens, a destructive torrent twenty-six feet deep or deeper would easily be formed. The writer of Genesis made a faithful report of the facts known to him concerning the flood. In other localities the depth of the water might have been more or less. In fact, the details of the flood are not known to us [Widtsoe, p. 127].

SPECIAL CONCERNS OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS. President Brigham Young taught: "The whole object of the creation of this world is to exalt the intelligences that are placed upon it, that they may live, endure, and increase for ever and ever. We are not here to quarrel and contend about the things of this world, but we are here to subdue and beautify it" (JD 7:290). Viewing themselves as tenants upon the earth, Latter-day Saints regard its resources as a sacred trust from God for the use of all while upon the earth: "I, the Lord…make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures" (D&C 104:13). The earth was created by Christ for specific purposes: "We will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them" (Abr. 3:24-25). President Brigham Young taught that the dominion God gives human beings is designed to test them, enabling them to show to themselves, to their fellow beings, and to God just how they would act if entrusted with God's power (Nibley, 1978, p. 90; see Purpose of Earth Life: LDS Perspective). Brigham Young supervised the relocation of the Church to the American West, which in the late 1840s was sparsely inhabited. His strong commitment to preservation of the environment and wise use of all natural resources influenced early Church colonizing efforts. Such prudence and wisdom in the use of land, water, air, and living things are still encouraged throughout the Church. In modern days of widespread concern for preserving the fragile relationships between the earth and its biosphere, Brigham Young's counsel remains vital: There is a great work for the Saints to do. Progress, and improve upon, and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the earth and cultivate your minds. Build cities, adorn your habitations, make gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labours you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations [JD 8:83].\As I read this entry from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism I noticed:\a. It is extremely concentrated/ potent.\

b. Darn, you mean there are some things I can't understand?\

c. Some things really do have to be taken on faith.\~~~~~~~~~~\My conclusion: Some BYU professors offered to update all the science teachers in the state on evolution. Our class was held at DMS. After it was over I asked to ride in their car. I asked them point blank, What about Adam? They had different answers! None of them knew. But they believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ from beginning to end and they believed in evolution. Evolution really means natural change over time. What about unnatural change over time? Sorry, not covered! SEE!\V\PS.\~~~~BoM on Trial, the book/ comic manual I gave you, does a fantastic job of pointing out how strong the testimonies of the witnesses of the BoM are. Satan would have us take one unknown and get stuck on it. God would have us take the dozens of truths and bask in them.\As you can tell, this was a fun question for me to respond to. :) @@@ Well, bps, I left Gayelinn 11 vmails today, I left Scott 7 tonight, I sent you and MichaelJ letters. I raked leaves and shoveled doggie doodoos this morning. I have worn my pajama bottoms under my pants all day to keep warm. It has been a wonderful day! @ I am taking a couple of ibuprofen every 7-13 hours instead of every 4 so I am very hopeful my body is handling this tooth problem. @ Have I indexed or reviewed? Nope. It is 10:30 pm and not a single name has been indexed at my house today. Strange. I’ll just say, if FS can go on vacation, so can I! :) As I was walking I began to think are their any nice round numbers I would like to reach by the end of the year so it will be easy to count for next year’s efforts. I will have to go look and see. @ Love you. See you later. @@@

lauowhy

Thursday, 12/14 Good morning Brandon, Looks like my letter to Scott was not well received. 1-9 to appear later.10- I have responded without having you even identify the parts that felt like a "harsh sentence passed" on your head. [bps, this was when I realized I had jumped the gun. He might not even need the 10 rebuttals I had written. So instead I asked him which words made him feel that way?] @@@ Lauowhy=foreigner in China. This guy knows Mandarin and married a beautiful chinese girl, and I mean beautiful, and lives and works there and I watched 4 or 5 of his videos last night. Haven’t you ever been curious about China?

Here are some things I learned. 1- The weirdest thing is they think drinking cold water is bad for you! They serve and drink hot water! Everyone has a hot water dispenser in their house for water to drink. Yuck, I can’t imagine! 2- The walls are made of cement. No wood, no gypsum board, cement. His wife can’t help tapping on walls that are not cement because they seem so flimsy to her. 3- No carpets. No floor coverings in China. They are seen as unclean. 4- No bathtubs nor shower curtains in China. There is just a drain in the floor at the bottom of the shower and they can spray off the toilet and sink all at the same time. The bathroom floor is almost always wet from showers. 5- Foreigners can get away with murder. They are thought of as dumb and unable to understand the language and the rules/ laws. 6- No world wide internet access. Everything is from within the country. They have their own Facebook and Twitter and Youtube but all with different names. Insular country. 7- I watch at 1.5 or 1.25 speed so the videos seem quick and interesting. This guy has talent. His wife has the biggest prettiest white toothy smile, dimples and pretty lips. Her family speaks cantonese which he understands but can’t speak. What an interesting relationship. @@ Did you know the biggest greatest artifact left by the anasazi is Chaco Canyon? The weather was moist in the 4 corners area for 250 years around 1,000 AD. So the nomadic anasazi settled down and grew crops and built a huge religious city! Kivas are circular worship chapels dug underground with alcoves in the walls. The biggest one could fit a chapel/ whole church inside it. An east window up in the top would shine on a certain alcove at the summer solstice.

The descendants are the apache, hopi and other southern tribes. Not the navajo, they came later and have a different language. I grew up in SLC so finding indian artifacts in St. George area has been a novelty to me. I have wanted to understand the anasazi for decades. @@@ Geronimo is a famous apache chief from 1890 that ended up in Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains to escape US soldiers. I watched a documentary on him last night. I sat at the library browsing books and skimmed one called Native American Myths from South, Central and North America. The pictures of the chiefs intrigued me. I have never much cared about their personalities but in my old age I try to imagine their personalities from their faces. You may remember my foray into languages. I am still amazed at how many languages there are. I can’t believe that the Book of Mormon will ever be printed in every language. Perhaps when the scriptures say every man will hear the gospel in his own language it is not referring to the Book of Mormon. @Wiki: Central America and Mexico[edit]\In Central America the Mayan languages are among those used today. Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million indigenous Maya, primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize and Honduras. In 1996, Guatemala formally recognized 21 Mayan languages by name, and Mexico recognizes eight more. The Mayan language family is one of the best documented and most studied in the Americas. Modern Mayan languages descend from Proto-Mayan, a language thought to have been spoken at least 5,000 years ago; it has been partially reconstructed using the comparative method.\1-Alagüilac (Guatemala) †\Chibchan (Central America & South America) (22)\Coahuilteco †\Comecrudan (Texas & Mexico) (3) †\Cotoname †

Cuitlatec (Mexico: Guerrero) †\Epi-Olmec (Mexico: language of undeciphered inscriptions) †\Guaicurian (8)\Huave\Jicaquean\Lencan\Maratino (northeastern Mexico) †\Mayan (31)\Miskito\Misumalpan\Mixe–Zoquean (19)\Naolan (Mexico: Tamaulipas) †\Oto-Manguean (27)\Purépecha\Quinigua (northeast Mexico) †\Seri\Solano †\Tequistlatecan (3)\Totonacan (2)\Uto-Aztecan (United States & Mexico) (33)\Xincan

Yuman (United States & Mexico) (11)\ bps Did you count? 27 Mayan related languages. @ The US had 58 original languages. SA had 138. Interesting isn’t it! @ Remember that only Central America had written language. Codex/ book. That is how we suspect they Jaredites and then Nephites lived there. @@@ Fri 12/15/17 Good morning Brandon, A new day. “10 movies the critics panned but shouldn’t have”, was a video I watched last night and then I picked a couple of them to go see. I ended up watching most of one about a self appointed superhero who chooses a pipe wrench for his weapon. His wife leaves him for a drug dealer and he tries to get her back but can’t. He sees a Jesus commercial fighting Satan at a High School and dreams he is chosen, touched by God to fight crime. At one point it shows him reconsidering and praying for a sign that he should continue fighting crime or give it up. A cute little woman wants to be his sidekick helper and it is quite satisfying to watch them beat the criminals one at a time. I would never have watched it without that 10 panned movies video I watched to begin with. It sort of prepared me for the obnoxious stuff. So, one more way of adventuring. @ Elder SLC Chenney came in to FS at 5 last night. I so wanted to touch base with him. He is so inspiring. I love updates on what is happening in the foreign language indexing world. One of the bylines used to encourage foreign language indexing is: “Did you know there are 20 times more records available in English than all other languages put together?” Doesn’t that sound like a compelling reason to help? It sure makes me feel needed! Well, in past years the indexing done has been 5% foreign, 95% english. This year is different: 20% foreign, 80% english. That is headway! Next, we were 1.8million behind in Spanish last year. Currently only 35k behind. Next, he said that arbitrators/ reviewers are encouraged to find a project, index it until they understand all the ins and outs, then start reviewing and stick to that project until it is all done. That way they become experts. This was a relief to hear because it means it is OK for my to push a project ahead! I have been indexing 50 morti and reviewing 1k Paraguay each day. Next, I dared to ask if our indexed records are used to find the originals. The answer was yes. The index is not an original source. Thank heavens! So that means it does not have to be perfect! Those are not the names nor information that will be taken to the temple, although I did not ask that question specifically. I should have. It is just used to give hints to those seeking records of ancestors. On family search program it shows the hints in a blue button. Peru has started calling them Celestial blue hints. Fun huh! By following the hint you can follow it back to the original record and see what the clerk really wrote! This is so extremely important to me because I have been checking the indexer when I review and not every record. I see my most important responsibility as seeing if the indexer did it right, not checking every single record/ entry. It is the same way I used to grade papers. I found a mistake that was common to make and then focused on that specific question and answer. If they got that one right they probably got the rest right, so it was just spot checking for full credit. I found it way too boring trying to find a mistake on every line! The old arbitrating program compared Key A’s indexing with Key B’s indexing and all the differences were highlighted in red and needed arbitration. Elder Chenney will probably discover in time that we are a dozen times faster with reviewing than we were with arbitrating. Arbitrating Spanish records was tedious. Some indexers used accents, some didn’t etc. etc.. Reveiwing Spanish records works great. My biggest issue is when the indexer can’t find the information because it is split on two pages. My second biggest issue is having them skip people/ records. There might be 2 or 3 records on a page and they just do the top one. Those are the ones we send back for reindexing. @@ The brother who died multiple times and was brought back by his indexed buddies from Chicago was here last night. He has a chip on his shoulder. He feels angry at those who try to run up their numbers by indexing wrong. Once he starts reviewing he will see that you don’t get credit for ones done wrong. In fact I believe the people who index them incorrectly just don’t understand yet, they haven’t figured it out yet, they haven’t been taught enough yet. I know, I have been there. And how many people are there like me who actually index for hours and hours each day? No one! And how can you understand it all unless you do? You can’t. In fact, I only understand one type of Italian indexing after all these months and years: forms. I do understand more Spanish indexing because I know the language. Elder Chenney said the Italians were extremely apprehensive about Americans indexing their records. He rubbed/wrung his hands to show their worry. And he is in charge of all the foreign indexing so he got the brunt of that worry and concern. Evidently we have succeeded because we have many additional languages now. @@ I know this indexing world makes little sense to you and may be of little interest but it is the Lord’s work and we are pushing it along. @@@Serious us vern jensen <phonev6@gmail.com>8:21 AM (14 hours ago)to Spot

Firstly, Why was I abandoned by all my brothers and sisters to sociopaths and murderers? At least you had siblings growing up around you. At times, many times ( I know this from having Gayelinn there until I was 12, then she went to University ) it was a liability, something that our parents used against us. But, at least you had each other, and I know you watched out for each other. This is the sentence I'm referring too, sentence as in prison sentence.

Secondly, why did you feel I needed "a seed of self honesty, to spark his understanding of our parents, and prompt the end of deceit in his own mind, and the beginning of self acceptance and humility on his own part." I strived from my earliest memories to have self honesty at all times. I went out of my way to go back to people minutes, hours, days, years later in order to pay reparations for things my parents did that I witnessed. I didn't have to do that, I was compelled to do it. I have always strived for introspection, self improvement and self acceptance.

I'm wonder what made you feel I did not have self honesty or self acceptance.

When the State of Utah did their official interrogation on me, 4 hours long, no adult present, at age 13 ( I think ) did they ask anything about child abuse? Or nieces and nephews being abused? Did they give me and opportunity to say anything. NO. They ask 5 questions over and over and over, that I only realized later in my live, was them fishing to see if our parents did the temple ceremony in our home and if I had witnessed any part. I hadn't and I knew nothing about it. Why would the STATE care about RELIGION? That is not their jurisdiction.

No one asked me to stay with our parents. No one asked me if I wanted to defend them. No one asked me if I had been abused. I was alone and scared and abandoned by the only ones that actually showed me love. Water under the bridge, but yet, still questions in my head.

I love you very much and cherish our relationship now and before. As you can see questions I may never have answers to, and I might have to learn to just accept and move on. Abandonment was and is still hard for me.

bps, I took spot on a long inner child therapy session by email (not included) and then sent this:For understanding only: vern jensen <phonev6@gmail.com>8:58 AM (14 hours ago)toSpot

Secondly, why did you feel I needed "a seed of self honesty, to spark his understanding of our parents, and prompt the end of deceit in his own mind, and the beginning of self acceptance and humility on his own part." I strived from my earliest memories to have self honesty at all times. I went out of my way to go back to people minutes, hours, days, years later in order to pay reparations for things my parents did that I witnessed. I didn't have to do that, I was compelled to do it. I have always strived for introspection, self improvement and self acceptance.

I'm wonder what made you feel I did not have self honesty or self acceptance.

~~~ ~~~

First, of all let me admit that I make mistakes. I am stupid many times. There are so many things I don't understand.

I am also damaged. I will probably never be whole. I am walking wounded.

I deal with overwhelming feelings regularly. And they are not fun nor comfortable. I usually have at least one huge debilitating issue a week. I also have allergies that I test, and often end up being sick for a day or two each week. Last night they had candy canes, red and green frosted cupcakes and frosted sugar cookies for treats at BoM class. I ate none. I was sick 2 or 3 days after eating a Halloween sugar cookie at class. No way do I want to do that again.

I take 10mg paxil/paroxetine each day. I have a prescription for 4/day=80mg. I stock up/store them so I don't have to visit the doctor as often. I would love to get off it, but I don't trust myself. I don't dare. If I am this bad taking a half a pill each day, how bad would I be if I stopped taking them?

Secondly, I wrote the succeeding response yesterday. And when I got to the bottom I realized I hadn't even had you clarify which feelings you had. So this is for understanding only. It is not meant to defend or debate. Forgive me if anything seems adversarial. I do not intend to be adversarial, not like in a court of law.

1- Up until the church court time period I believed, "Jensen's are different". That dad was called and elected, soon to take on his full apostleship and die in Jerusalem and lay in the street for 3 days. I too honored them. I was obedient.

2- Their strange actions were aberrations to me. I did not know they were abusers, murders. I have pages and pages in my journal from a couple of years before the funeral where I defended them and recorded all their good deeds. It took me weeks to figure out that there might be some truth to Julie, the "liar's" accusations. Kathy couldn't stand them and knew something was wrong, but not me. They were my loving parents. Honor thy father and thy mother.

3- Why did I abandon you to them? I was abandoned to them as well. I didn't know I needed to be rescued. Why would I think you did? I was raised in that same household only some 20 years before you. Plus, my weird wife was all I could handle. She wouldn't even allow relatives to sleep in the house when they came in to town to visit. I thought that was absurd. But she had been abused and, didn't know it either.

4- Pre-judging. As I said in parentheses, I worried about revealing to you my projections of your intents/position. I don't mind if you are angry with me for not removing you from that situation. I am disappointed with me as well. But I did not have a clue.

“I sat near the middle and began to write Scott. I wanted him to have something to read and consider after it was all over and the memories of what was said have all become jumbled. I wanted to help him feel respected *[no issue, positive] and loved (accepted) *[no issue] and also to plant a seed of self honesty *[I couldn't be honest with myself until I understood the deception, if you already understood the deception you were way ahead of me at that age], to spark his understanding of our parents *[Did you already understand them? I hadn't] , and prompt the end of deceit in his own mind *[I am not saying you were deceitful, I was saying you were deceived, I had been. Why honor wicked parents? Defy wicked parents, honor righteous ones. ], and the beginning of self acceptance *[we have problems with this, we don't dare own our feelings, they are liabilities so we deny them, bury them when they come out, and in my case explode, geyser back then.] and humility on his own part.” [Scott, I hesitated to share the word humility with you. It turned out you already are. We have to be humble to make changes.]

5- I do not fault my desires to improve your life. I wanted to spark your understanding. Understanding is the first step. Then comes desire. Then comes action. Perhaps you were too young to dare to desire and act, if you understood.

6- You understand the label sociopath. Interesting. I still wonder. I find that label reassuring. I know a man without a conscience, same age as MichaelJ. I don't understand it all the way and some people can't even accept there are such things as conscience free people, sociopaths.

7- In my opinion I prejudged you in no unfair ways. I was reaching out to try and help in the only way I knew how. How could I write you if I did not have an intent? The letter is gone. But my intent is revealed.

8- So are you allowed to sorrow? Are you allowed to wish? Are you allowed to be angry? Absolutely!

9- Adrian's motivation was extinguished by his tax confrontation. The most productive years of his life, wasted! It wasn't fair. We have all been handicapped and wounded by our formative years in hell. I am so sorry for us and for you.

10- I have responded without having you even identify the parts that felt like a "harsh sentence passed" on your head.

Friday: Lastly, I hope this doesn't wipe you out, especially if you dare to go visit little Scott and feel with him. Big stuff. If it does wipe you out, it would make sense. Healing is hard work. I am intensely proud of us even having this conversation. What a treat! What a blessing! I love it and I appreciate it.\God bless you, Vern\
This is how he responded:Spot 9:09 AM (13 hours ago)\to me \​My dear brother Vern,

Thank you so very much for responding. I was worried I overstepped myself in asking what I did. Thank you for caring and understanding. Thank you for your advice.

I understand things much better now. There is no need for you to follow up any further on this subject unless you feel the need to. I love you so much more, I didn't think loving you more was possible, but it is.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

​Love, Spot​\Brandon, He hopes to try my advice, the inner child journey I led him on. It will be absolutely exhausting, devastatingly depleting, if he can go deep enough. He won't be able to respond for hours or days afterwards. So much healing is needed. It is like recuperating at a hospital after a serious operation. Hard to imagine isn't it? But Mark Clayton understood well. He encouraged us to treat our inner child after hard work like that.\

Kathy used to reward MichaelJ with a subway sandwich if he would do a therapy session with Mark. I couldn't see it. But Michael's therapy session eventually came to an end so I'm glad she was smarter than I was.

Sunday, 12/17 How big is Africa? Because the equator goes through Africa and makes it look smaller on a map. The countries away from the equator get expanded because the earth is round, not flat. Earlier I told you how many languages were in America and Central and South America. How many in Africa? [The whole continent of Africa with more than 30 million square kilometers and one billion inhabitants might be considered a very large linguistic area. About 1,500 languages (25 % of the world's total) are spoken across this vast territory. They are grouped in four phyla of very different magnitude: Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo and Khoisan.<v- I think this is more accurate than the earlier ones. For example it says:  When the Europeans arrived to North America there were perhaps 300 to 400 languages spoken by several million native people. Due to continuous wars, disease, forced displacement and cultural marginalization, only 250,000 native Americans were still alive in the territory of the United States at the end of the 19th century, and only about half or less of the indigenous languages of North America survive today. Most of them are endangered and many have only a few speakers left.] So the scripture about every people hearing the gospel in their own tongue couldn’t mean the BoM will be translated into all of them.

How much does it cost to raise a parent?

12/13 Good Wednesday morning Brandon, Momentous things have been happening. Spot’77 went and found 40+ minutes of vmails he left me last week: 12/1. [I gave him my password and he went and found them in my gmail.] His story is harrowing! Unimaginable. Dad died in ‘92. He turned 15 that year and got a job and supported Mom. She had a revelation to invite another family with 3 sons to live with them. They all lived off of Spot’s meager $660 a month. After 6 months Mom was at her wits end. Spot, will you please get them to move out. He is 15 and he is supposed to kick them out? @ The story is a good one and it didn’t end there. Mom invited another family to come live with them. Spot told them up front 6 months was it and how to get a great job using his skills. Paul, a convert and an experienced cook, got a job, saved his money and moved out. Success! @ Back to the funeral. Spot told me the letter I wrote him that day has always haunted him. 25 years ago Brandon! He was obedient to Mom and threw it away without reading it. He asked me if I could remember what I had written him. Are you kidding? I didn’t even remember writing him! :)  I reassured him it was probably just more of the same. I have always loved him and our relationship right now is evidence of that. @He squirmed a bit when he heard his own voice on a vmail I returned to him. He said he sounded like a 13 year old. I squirm when I hear my voice too. @ I told him I keep good journals and I would go see if I mentioned anything about it and what might have been in that letter. I was not very hopeful.  I pulled out my light blue journal for that year and started reading and hunting. I found 2 pages he might enjoy so I vmailed and read them to him. This morning he texted me that it made him cry. Woah! Cool! That is why I keep journals. Hoping they will be of use in the future. And if my brother who can’t feel anything, is going to cry over it. . .  Is that a reward, a payoff, or what?  So why not copy it and send it to him. I did and here it is:

Subject:
Silly me. I was inspired by how much those vmails meant to you. So I took an hour and dictated it out on Dragon speak.
vern jensen <phonev6@gmail.com>10:40AM (3 minutes ago)to Spot

7:20 AM January 16, 1992 I'm in room 127 the Thunderbird Motel in Spokane Washington. We drove back from Grangeville Idaho yesterday evening. At the Grangeville Ward house (LDS) the funeral was held. He (Louis – dad) was buried at the cemetery in Harpster. It was quite a long slow distance from Grangeville. It was a tiny cemetery up on a hill. It gave me the creeps to imagine satanic rituals taking place in that isolated place some night. The cemetery was 2 miles below their 20 acres and the roundhouse they have covered with a roof recently. We drove up and saw it.
I wasn't sure what to expect and how I would need to be able to respond. After writing yesterday I went to bed and still was busy in my mind with thoughts. I began to pray while laying on my bed, on my back, and I felt so at peace and in touch but not peaceful in my mind. I had chills run down my skin and body three or four times as I prayed and thought about my life and my family (children and wife). I felt like it was a calm confirmation (possibly) from the spirit of heavenly father saying he loves me and I am doing right and he approves of and loves me. And a new thought I valued was that the most valuable aspect and influence I can be in my life is the constancy, of me in my family. My home in St. George, my wife and children, my job and education, are the best possible influence I can be in my extended family. There is no action I need to take or words I need to say.
Thank you heavenly father for allowing me to keep this part of my life the same for the last 10 years. Perhaps it is been a blessing he has given me partially as an example of the possibility of “normalness” and steadiness to my siblings. This might sound like I think I meet and like I'm bragging but the thought came as an answer to “how Do I fit in the scheme of my family and what do I need to do to help them?” Answer: Nothing, perhaps,… Just live a good life.[Spot, can you detect the tentativeness? I'm never quite sure. (possibly), perhaps]
{Brandon, this is where I started my vmail to Spot, to tell him about his letter eventually.}
My number one goal was to be honest and true to myself during this funeral occasion. Not to be deceitful or false in any way, if possible.
My number two goal was to case things out and investigate. See where my mom is coming from, and what Louis' siblings thought, and how they were reacting and how he was excepted and thought of in his community.
My third desire, which began as top priority was to confirm that my father's death was real, and that it was safe to put my caution of him aside.
We arrived in Grangeville at 10 AM and after filling up with gas at the Maverick we arrived at church at about 10:15. I entered to write Spot a letter in the Chapel. Lloyd Wright, Junius Jensen, and Reggie Jensen were there at the front side bench talking. I shook hands. Junius introduced himself as did Reggie then Lloyd. (Junius was bearded – gray and curly). Reggie asked who came with me and I gave him the rundown and explained why Julie and Adrian wouldn't be here.
Reggie was preparing to give the “life sketch”. He did a good job. He was a brother just three years older than Louis. It was best to have someone dad's age give the perspective of his life.
I sat near the middle and began to write Spot. I wanted him to have something to read and consider after it was all over and the memories of what was said have all become jumbled. I wanted to help him feel respected and loved (accepted) and also to plant a seed of self honesty, to spark his understanding of our parents, and prompt the end of deceit in his own mind, and the beginning of self acceptance and humility on his own part.[Spot, I hesitated to share the word humility with you. It turned out you already are. We have to be humble to make changes.]
I gave mom a one armed hug when she entered the front of the Chapel for first time. Later she approached me from one bench behind me, and was alone in the Chapel with me. I turned to face her and we had this conversation. Of course one of my goals was to see if Dad might have left a letter of apology or if mom would admit and own up to to the cause of their isolation and move to Grangeville.
Mom – I hope you won't feel offended that I included you as a pallbearer. I called your house yesterday but you had left so I couldn't ask you.
Vern – No, I don't mind and it is what I was expecting from what Brent said. If there is anything else that needs to be done on the program I would be willing to help.
Mom – I hadn't talked to you so I didn't know, and I hope you won't feel bad that I have asked Brent to give the family prayer.
Vern – No, that's fine.
Mom – I hope we can go on and progress from here. I want to put the past behind us and be able to move on and progress. I love you and your dad loves you and if there is anything you ever want to talk about or need resolved I would be glad to talk with you about anything. I want to put the past behind us and if there is anything that is holding you or any of the other children back I am willing to talk with you anytime.
Vern – There needs to be some admission…(Pause)
Mom – Yes, there does.…
Vern – I feel like I have done my part in admitting.…
Mom – I feel like I have done my part two.
Vern – I wondered if you felt that way.
Mom – Yes!… Definitely!… Definitely!
[Spot, true to form, I wrote Louis and Myrna of letter, a confession, and invitation two years before at the excommunication. In that letter I confessed the most heinous sin of my life: masturbation. I can't tell you how difficult that was. In front of the stake presidency and the high Council I confessed that sin and invited Louis and Myrna to confess theirs. Looking back I can see that there is really no comparison. How could masturbation be compared with child abuse and murder.]
The façade is still on. The farce is still intact and being promulgated. Nothing has changed. The woman who raised her arm to the square and testify of no wrongdoing at the church disciplinary counsel on March 4, 1991 is still putting on the show. Sad. So sad. But she is living a lie of righteousness that she can't let go. Not even for the reward of an honest relationship with her own children. But ostracism is a tremendous driving force. Appearances must be maintained if one is to survive In peer pressured, social world.
I knew then (after that conversation) that the day would be a sham. It was, and it was extremely dry and slow and boring for me. Nice things were said; and the plan of salvation explained; touching words were sung; and thoughtful prayers were given, but it was all pretend. The honesty was not there. I could not be touched nor could I feel or respond because it was not real or sincere. I won't be untrue to my feelings by thinking the beautiful truths of the gospel applied to unrepentant, proud interlopers. The truth is not within them. Mom has lived a life of deceit and not having her US citizenship has been just one persistent evidence of that. How sad. How else can she act? Her world would fall apart if she tried to be honest, so she is locked in her pattern.
This one is to make you smile. You had to raise your Mom!

Whatcha doin' for Thanksgiving?

No heat at my house yet this time of year. Saving money and only one person lives there. 63F said the thermostat, I checked outside, 44F says the weather station. So my house is 20F warmer than outside. Now I am at FS and it is 72F. Nice! :) Wed 11/15 I mailed your letter. Hello Brandon, I decided to turn my heat on tonight. I set it at 70F. I loved DFU’s talk. I only said a couple of things about it when I sent it to you. You have had some time to process it and answer the first 2 questions he posed. He is so accepting of physical and mental illness I decided to do a little research.  It comes from Newsweek:
Kessler estimates that the prevalence of mental illness might range from 25 to 30 percent of American adults. A 2011 report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pegs the number at 25 percent.\ Every year, about 42.5 million American adults (or 18.2 percent of the total adult population in the United States) suffers from some mental illness, enduring conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, statistics released Friday reveal. NEARLY 1 IN 5 AMERICANS SUFFERS FROM MENTAL ILLNESS EACH YEAR
BY VICTORIA BEKIEMPIS ON 2/28/14 @@@ [OK if 20% are mentally ill each year. What about healthy? What proportion are healthy?-v] A sick world: More than 95% of us are ill by Jennifer King
The bulk of the world's population is unwell, with just one in 20 healthy during the year, according to a new analysis. But what are we sick with? We're a sick lot, a large-scale inventory of global illness levels has found. [bps, good thing God gave us an immune system isn’t it!-v]

More than 95 per cent of the world's population is ill, the new analysis based on the 2013 Global Burden of Disease Study found.
What's more, a third of those had more than five chronic or acute illnesses – and Australians were among these. Low back pain and depression were the top two major health problems in Australia, in terms of their impact on people. [I really, really believe in walking and exercise for lower back pain. Teachers don’t have to use their muscles much. Painters do. My body weakened and deteriorated when I did not exercise and walking the dogs for an hour a day ended up making all the difference. It still does, even though I weigh 270 lbs!-v]
The study, published in The Lancet, examined and evaluated chronic and acute disease and injury across 188 countries from 1990 to 2013 using a tool known as Years Lived with Disability (YLD), which measures the impact of health problems impairing mobility, hearing or vision, or those causing some kind of pain.
Significantly, the study found rates of disability are rising, as people live longer and experience more illness. For example, the incidence of diabetes worldwide has increased 43% over the past 23 years while death rates from the disease have only increased 9%.
So what did the study discover about us?
The 10 leading causes of YLDs in Australia are:

1. Low back pain
2. Major depressive disorder
3. Other musculoskeletal disorders
4. Neck pain
5. Migraine
6. Anxiety disorders
7. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
8. Asthma
9. Age-related and other hearing loss
10. Diabetes mellitus

-Diabetes YLDs in Australia increased by 212% for women and by 198% for men in Australia between 1990 and 2013.
-In both 1990 and 2013, the leading cause of YLD in Australia's women was a major depressive disorder while the leading cause in men was low back pain. These were among the top 10 greatest contributors to disability in every country in the study.
-The incidence of major depressive disorder in Australia's women has increased by 46% over 23 years while the incidence of low back pain in Australia's men has increased by 60% in the same period.
-The number of people within the entire study who suffered from 10 or more ailments increased by 52%
-Disease is not confined to the elderly, with 81% of those studied with more than 5 ailments being younger than 65 years old.
-Just 2 acute diseases – upper respiratory tract infections and diarrhoeal disease – caused more than 20 billion new cases of disease globally.[Our population is not yet 8 billion-v]
-Over the past 23 years, the leading causes of health loss around the world have hardly changed.
These findings should sound alarm bells for governments seeking to provide health care into the future for ageing populations experiencing longer life together with increased poor health.
"The health of Australians is increasingly threatened by non-fatal ailments like back and neck pains, and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety," says co-author of the study, Professor Louise Degenhardt of the University of NSW.
"At the same time, deadly disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetes are also costing Australians many years of healthy life.
"It is critical that we understand which diseases and injuries are causing disability so that we can effectively allocate resources." Published 11/06/2015 @@ So 1 out of 20 was healthy last year!  I suspect if we did a test of DFU’s Spiritual illness we would find the same. We have to nourish our faith and testimonies to keep them alive and healthy. Did you see his metaphor about shadow? >>>Bearers of Heavenly Light by Dieter F Uchtdorf\"So, then, what is night?

Night is nothing more than a shadow.

Even in the darkest of nights, the sun does not cease to radiate its light. It continues to shine as bright as ever. But half of the earth is in darkness.

The absence of light causes darkness.

When the darkness of night falls, we do not despair and worry that the sun is extinguished. We do not postulate that the sun is not there or is dead. We understand that we are in a shadow, that the earth will continue to rotate, and that eventually the rays of the sun will reach us once again."

[What is this metaphor?

Can you see it?

Woah, honkin'!

Crud, that is so true about God!! That is what the world says about God! But it is not true. 11/15]@

If someone says they are a liberal I don’t know what that means. This next article comes from a liberal American news and opinion website and blog. Wiki: {In July 2012, The Huffington Post was ranked No. 1 on the 15 Most Popular Political Sites list by eBizMBA Rank, which bases its list on each site's Alexa Global Traffic Rank and U.S. Traffic Rank from both Compete and Quantcast.[9] In 2012, The Huffington Post became the first commercially run United States digital media enterprise to win a Pulitzer Prize.[10]}

19 Statistics That Prove Mental Illness Is More Prominent Than You Think

Whether you’re aware of it or not, chances are you know someone who has been personally affected by a mental health disorder.

Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and other mental health disorders are growing in numbers.

And while mental illness is starting to be considered the serious medical condition that it is, when it comes to healthcare, we still have a long way to go before mental health patients are treated with the respect afforded physical health patients. Research shows there’s still stigma surrounding these disorders.

Below are 19 statistics that prove these disorders touch more people than you might think.

61,500,000The approximate number of Americans who experience a mental health disorder in a given year. That’s one in four adults.

$100,000,000,000The estimated economic cost of untreated mental illness in the U.S. This includes unemployment, unnecessary disability, substance abuse and more.

70 - 90%The percentage of individuals with mental illness who saw improvement in their symptoms and quality of life after participating in some form of treatment.

800,000The estimated number of people globally who die by suicide each year.

25%The approximate amount of people with a mental illness who feel that others are compassionate or understanding toward those suffering from one of the disorders.

350,000,000The number of people worldwide who are affected by depression.

79%The percentage of all U.S. suicides committed by men.

40,000,000The number of adults who suffer from anxiety disorders in the U.S.

7.5%The number of college students who reported feeling depressed to the point where it negatively impacted their ability to function. Approximately 7.5 percent of college students also reported earlier this year that they seriously considered suicide in the last 12 months.

22The (potentially underestimated) number of veterans who die by suicide each day, according to a 2013 report by researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

10%The percentage of children and adolescents whose mental and emotional disorders disrupt their day-to-day lives.

3,500,000The number of Americans who suffer from schizophrenia. The disorder usually develops between ages 16 to 25.

60%The percentage of adults who didn’t receive mental health treatment in 2012.

6,100,000The number of individuals in the U.S. who suffer from some form of bipolar disorder. [Kelly Owens has this. He says he feels so alive since he moved to Saint George and got off all his medications. He can go on, non stop for minutes on end but he is very serviceful! Put in as a counselor to Charlie Mienkey our HPGleader.]

21%The percentage of mothers polled in a recent BabyCenter survey who stated they have been diagnosed with postpartum depression. Approximately 40 percent of them did not seek medical treatment.

5,200,000The estimated number of adults who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder in a given year.

7The number of people who die by suicide per hour in the Americas.

11%The percentage of adolescents who have a depressive disorder before the age of 18.

90%The percentage of people who die by suicide who also had a mental health disorder.

@@Were there any of those facts that caught your eye? The one that caught mine was about veterans. :( @@Thursday 11/16 Elder Shurtz just came and updated me for his second time today. I must be his father figure away from home. :) He used Puzzilla to help a guy find 45 names to take to the temple. The guy tipped him $5! He was so excited to share it with me. Isn’t that cute! @ I walked Molly this morning. When I went out again last hour it was all overcast. I didn’t even notice the weather this morning. Was it overcast then? I didn’t think so. I took my cell but I did not call anyone. Just warming up and my brain was restful. No need to say anything. But now I am dying to share. I texted Varlo at the end of my walk: How many cars have you sold, did you sell? Varlo-90+ this year. Woah! Yippee! He responded. It has been months since he responded. As I neared the back block I had that idea come into my mind and low and behold it worked. It was the right question to get an answer. Magic! @ You have to know the secret special words for magic to happen. Abracadabra only works occasionally. @ My other home teachee, Bruce Randall-trucker texted me from IL. He doesn’t have much patience at times. He has a big busty loud live in girlfriend with a 19 year old son. Liz has her mother’s ashes to bury, who died 6 months ago. She has been getting him out to church! Yes! They lost the paper telling them the number of the ward to contact for dedicating the grave. He wanted me to look it up on lds.org and send it to him. Guess what I did instead? _____  A couple of weeks ago Bruce got a wild hair and told me to come visit as a hometeacher when he is in town. Then he promised to let me know when he is in town. I responded, Sounds Good!  Do I think he will ever do it? Not unless Liz reminds him. Does it mean I will stop texting a Sunday update each week? Nope. OK time is up. What did you guess?_____ Well as you know I am a risk taker. I sent him my ID and password for lds.org-1 plus I went and looked up the steps for dedicating a grave and emailed that to him as well-2.  Did you guess either? I asked him if my ID and password would be what he needed. He said, probably. You see Brandon, this way he has the tools and can fix and adjust to each problem that comes up instead of strictly depending on me if the phone number I found did not get answered. He has access to everything on lds.org plus, if no one comes to dedicate the grave he knows the steps for doing it himself. This last one really makes me giggle.  Why is he asking others to do it? Why did Liz get the info from our ward months ago? Answer: because beer and priesthood don’t go together. Tithing does, Sabbath day observance does, fulfilling your church calling does, temple attendance does, studying the gospel and living the commandments do, but the opposites don’t! How many blessing do you think you have had to give in your life? We know Varlo has sold 90+ cars this year. Are those as important as the blessings we have given in our lives? I watch the AP perform the ritual of the sacrament each Sunday and it is such an honor to act in the name of the Lord. What a sweet opportunity. The Quaker society has meetings where all they do is sit and meditate and pray and no one says a word. That would be a very long sacrament wouldn’t it!  So I am giggling inside. I gave him the tools but he won’t feel worthy to use it. @ When I had 6 baby blessings to perform and 6 baptisms and confirmations I did not feel worthy either. What do you do when you don’t feel worthy? Pass it on to someone else? @@ next, One computer has a blurry screen #B27 and the next one #B28 has a clear one. You don’t really notice to start with but when it comes to trying to see old Italian morte records it can really make a difference. I have been getting bored with these death records. Today I decided to break it up by using the blurry computer on the new web indexing/review program. They were clear and it worked just fine. I zipped through a couple of reviews but then I found one that was missing 4 of the 20 records. I had to stop and fill them in. That indexer didn’t know how to read the age of the deceased on about half of them either. When I finished that batch I felt very useful. There is a learning curve to these, of course. I told the big wig from Salt Lake, Elder Cheney that indexing is really where the rubber meets the road. He disagreed, saying the records can’t be used until they are reviewed! So reviewing is like grading papers at school. You have to correct all the mistakes. In my opinion, people on the other side will be pleased with those who index their records, just like a teacher is pleased with the creator of the story or writer of the test. Who cares about the corrector? Can you see where I am coming from? @ Do you remember the group Foreigner [Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in New York City in 1976 by veteran English musician Mick Jones and fellow Briton and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm.]

They are still going! 40 years later and they are still going! I am surprised. I speed watched a Youtube documentary on them last night. I love the music interspersed with the interviews and commentary. One super group after another that everyone worshipped as teens has had their problems, especially personal. Addictions have taken their toll. So if a band has new members are they still the band? This band started with 6 members but there was too much testosterone so they whittled it down to 4. See the black bars that go from top to bottom? Those are the studio albums produced. They did one in 2010. One funny thing. They had a wonderful hit song but it was soft rock instead of hard rock and they lost their following!

Fri11/17/17 Hello Brandon, Last night was BoM class. I sent Janice D an email at noon inviting her to Arctic Circle to use my get one free coupon. After class she accepted and off we went! We went to Texas Roadhouse about 6 months ago after class and now we went to Arctic Circle. I don’t notice what I am eating when I eat in public. So it is only the first bite that I really notice and judge. She told me the funniest story about Dakota, her old lab who ate 5 lbs of raw potatoes fresh from the store, sack and all! I am not sure I believe the story. The other story I do believe. She found all the wrappers in her back yard after having left the net package of babybel cheeses out.  How could her dog unwrap all the cheese balls and leave the net and the wrappings but eat a 5 lb potato sack. No way! I am a cheap cheese buyer. 2lbs for $4 is the price I buy at. @@ I got a welcome but sad text response back from MichaelJ. He sounded angry. In essence he said, Dad, you have got to be kidding! I have not had a Thanksgiving off for 5 years! I have worked graveyard for 17 of the last 24 months! No, don’t come. @ It was my second time of asking so I was so glad to hear back, but doesn’t it sound sad to you? As I mentioned I sent him 15 sheets from Tom Schroth’s book this week. At the end of the letter I offered to pay for his schooling again. I hope he feels my love and support from that offer, especially since he felt so put out at my request. @ We have crazies and walking wounded at BoMc. Mel took the time to apologize last night about denying the 12 Nephite apostles. He had told us they were disciples not apostles. I didn’t remember the occasion but Janice did. @ I started laughing this morning as I remembered Janice sharing last night how upset LisaS was about being off subject during one discussion during the lesson. @ Heidi asked us if we could deny Christ if faced with death. She said she would if it meant she could stay with her family. She is single and supporting teenage sons. JudyR said no way she could ever deny Christ. But don’t we each deny him everyday? Mel pointed out we are human and frail and can’t even keep our promises and covenants. HeidiT, teacher, pointed out that Peter denied Jesus 3 times in one night. I pointed out that our prophet implored us to read the bom everyday last April. We deny Christ everyday we don’t! @ I warned everyone I had something mean to say before I said that. Karye said that wasn’t mean. HeidiT said I have failed, I feel awful. @@@Sunday, November 12, 2017. Hey Michael J, how about if I come for Thanksgiving? I will bring the cooked turkey V

Thursday, November 16 hey Michael J, how about if I come for Thanksgiving? I will bring the cooked turkey. V

four days later,, and seven days before, good morning!

Thursday, November 16 from Michael J. I haven't had a Thanksgiving off since I was 18, in other words no. I will be working then sleeping and nothing else for pretty much that whole week. I am still on overnights, I've now spent the majority of my 27 months of my salary career on overnights. 17 months, I just counted it out.

10:25 PM hey Michael. Wow! I am not surprised. Do you miss it? Thanksgiving. V@@

hello Brandon, it is now 9:35 PM Friday night. I am done with my dog walk and my females to gay Lynn and Scott and Camille. I love you I think you're wonderful. As I was finishing my dog walk tonight, I wondered what I could do to help Michael feel more supported loved or rewarded. I thought maybe I could call his work. I could call the Centerville Walmart and ask them to give him a Turkey and the ham from me. Wouldn't that be fun? This time of year is a real grind for him. This Friday is Black Friday. And he is on the night crew and is responsible to make sure the shelves are all stocked. I considered writing an article entitled, Are WALMART WORKERS THE SLAVES OF SOCIETY? Needless to say, I hurt for him.@@ I made everyone at FS laugh at 1pm this afternoon. Do you remember Elder Gruff from my last post/letter? The one I gave $50 for future copies to? He makes a big production out of announcing classes in the big workroom at FS. I was sitting on the back row, as far from him as one can be when he made the announcement. Personally I admire his big voice. It can really do the job. You don't have to wonder about what he said. For months and years I have imagined doing this and today the temptation got my goat and I did it. "May I have your attention please?" I stood up, at attention, with my right hand over my right eye. The room started giggling. "May I have your attention please. Some of you are talking. We have a class beginning in room B called Family Search games." Of course they were talking and laughing, I was making a fool of myself. They asked him to clarify the title/ name of the class a couple of times. Yes, he had their attention. :) And so did I. . . Sister Moon was working in the tiny missionary workroom with the door open. I had to go in and tell her what I had done. She was curious about the laughter she had heard. We both laughed. I probably won't ever do that again, but who knows. @@