John Richard Shaw and Jemima Murphree Shaw with two of their 11 children
Stories provide the fabric that weave families together and span generations. Memories shared, provide a glimpse into their lives and hopes for the future. This story of love, hope, faith and firearms starts in 1892 with John and Jemima Shaw.
Jemima Catherine Murphree Shaw
In 1892, they moved their family from Mississippi to south Texas in search of better farming prospects. They would eventually settle in Cuero, in DeWitt County. There, they established themselves as hardworking farmers and they were devout members of their Protestant church.
Elders Nancy (left) and Beckstead with John Shaw (seated) in 1926
Two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints showed up at the Shaw farm one afternoon, tired and hungry. Mattie Shaw, the oldest of John and Jemima’s 11 children recorded: “The two missionaries…walked on foot to all the farms at that time. When they first came to the house Papa told the girls to give them a drink but he did not invite them to come in.” Continue reading “Faith, Firearms and RootsTech”
By Neal B. Jeppson, San Antonio Center for Young Adults
Lessons Learned
I just finished teaching my last child to ride a bike. It’s been something that I’ve looked forward to and dreaded all at the same time. Not only does learning how to ride a bike test the relationship between the learner and the teacher; it also magnifies human weakness on both the part of the rider, as well as the one doing the teaching. So why do we insist on inflicting these types of experiences on ourselves and others? We do it because after all of the tear filled moments, the scrapes have healed and fears are overcome, a reward that can rarely be found in other experiences awaits for both teacher and the learner.
So many lessons are gained on a little bike, rolling on hard concrete, with a young parent and a semi-trusting child. For me, it has been a classroom of why human weakness is so critical for me and my family’s development in life. It has become what I call, The Parable of the Invisible Bike Coach.
The Invisible Bike Coach
Imagine what it would be like if we didn’t experience weakness in this life. It would be like learning to ride a bike with the help of an invisible bike coach. In this scenario, the rider would simply mount up and never sense any imbalance. The coach, of course, would still be there, holding the bike steady but the rider would have no idea that any one else was helping them along.
“This is easy!” the rider exclaims as they begin peddling. As they continue, the invisible bike coach walks silently behind the bike, fingertips pressing into the seat, steadying the rider. Sometimes the invisible bike coach may even run behind the bike, gently pushing it to make it go faster.
Gradually the rider starts to get the hang of it and the invisible bike coach notices moments when he is able to lessen his grip on the bike seat. The rider, unaware of any additional support or even the need for help, acknowledges the ease of the challenge and recognizes that they are just “really good at this bike-riding thing.” Soon the invisible bike coach lets go completely and the rider heads off into the sunset.
In this scenario, there’s no falling, no scrapes and no frustration. Only the joy of riding. Sounds good, right?
Strength Found in Weakness
When learning to ride a bike, there are lessons that can only be learned if the rider understands this principle: Weakness presents an opportunity for growth. This lesson is more important than just how to properly bandage a scraped knee after falling off a bike. It’s perhaps even more important than developing grit from having to pick oneself up after a fall. Recognizing weakness allows the rider to determine need. A need for help that they are unable to provide for themselves. Let’s consider what other opportunities for growth the rider could have if they were aware of the coach’s presence and his assistance. Continue reading “The Parable of the Invisible Bike Coach”
For quite some time the city of San Antonio has been involved with helping immigrants. Since last fall most of the attention has been to help Afghan refugees. Before that, it was the influx of young boys from Central and South America. The truth is for many years San Antonio has been receiving refugees from around the world. A number of civic, religious and government organizations have united to aid as of as many of these refugees as possible.
An Afghan girl is excited about her new home
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has greatly increased its involvement in these activities. The need to support worthy community activities was emphasized in the 1990 General Conference by Elder Glenn L. Pace, then Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric. He spoke of the need to, “…reach out beyond the walls of our own church.” He chided members of the Church a little by saying, “We cannot become the salt of the earth if we stay in one lump in the cultural halls of our beautiful meetinghouses.”
Becky Brusso, San Antonio Area Just Serve Coordinator, fellowships two Afghan men who accompanied their wives for training on new sewing machines that were donated
So how do we find ways to reach out to others? One excellent way is to use the Just Serve website (https://www.justserve.org/). According to Becky Brusso, JustServe Specialist for the San Antonio Area, “JustServe is largely not service for the Church it is service for the community. In the San Antonio Area every stake has a JustServe Specialist and hopefully soon every ward will have one too.” Brusso added that all of these callings are really community based. “It’s about helping organizations in your community to post their projects and their need for volunteers and donations on the JustServe website.”
Joann Franck, (left) San Antonio Refugee Center representative, and Cindy Beattie, (right) Hill Country Stake Relief Society President, coordinate where donated items will go
Traditionally this time of year is a time of reflection for so many people around the world. As my family and I have thought a lot about what the next year will bring, it’s looked a little bit different than it has in the past. You see, something happens when you’re told that you’ve got three to six months left to live. This is not the news I expected to hear at forty-five years old, after a three-year battle with breast cancer. It’s the kind of news that really makes you look long and hard in the mirror. It makes you contemplate your life, the choices you’ve made, and whether or not you’ve used the time you’ve had in ways that will leave a lasting impact on those you love the most.
Time is a funny thing when it’s something you’re running a little short of and it’s a masterful teacher. It’s taught me a unique perspective. Consequently, my family and I have learned a few lessons over the past few months. I’d love to share some of these with you.
“Why me?”
As I think back over the past number of years I can see how the Lord has been preparing me to come back home. Interestingly enough, I’ve seen His hand mostly in helping me prepare my children. My husband and I have ten kids. We’ve adopted eight of them and fostered another forty-two throughout our marriage. All of this has been especially challenging for them as most of my kids have already lost a parent and experienced so much trauma in their lives. Again and again I’ve asked, “Why wouldn’t God want me to be here to help them?Why me? I have more work left to do!” Daily I wrestled with these questions and the concept of needing to give my will to God.
Finding Peace
During this period I’d also been spending time at the temple. It was there that I was able to receive peace and was finally able to reconcile my will to His. The Spirit spoke to me and reminded me that I don’t stop being their mother when I’m not here on earth any longer. That fact doesn’t change regardless of which side of the veil I’m on. It was a beautiful reminder that being a wife and mother is what knits together my eternal identity. It’s who I am. Furthermore, my understanding deepened of why God made it possible for families to be eternal. It’s because He loves us! He doesn’t want us to be separated from those we love the most. I’ve felt so grateful for this perspective! I have received so much peace because of it. Continue reading “A Miracle to be Seen”
CYFA, also known as the Center for Young Adults has made my life better. One reason is because it’s given me something to do. I can choose to spend my time in countless ways. It’s easy to find myself caught in the time warp of electronics spending endless amounts of time on social media, watching movies, and video games. I can even spend my time sleeping and finding other ways to “take a break.” Now don’t get me wrong, those things aren’t “bad”, but they can definitely take way from the time I could be using to spend doing things that are better. Ultimately how I choose to spend my time may become a hindrance to my own happiness.
CFYA has given me a reason that helps peel myself away from doing things that are just ok, to doing things that are better for myself. I’ll also most likely have a better time than I would’ve had choosing the other activities.
The different classes offered at CFYA have helped me have a more consistent, clear and relevant personal study of the scriptures. In the past, I’ve struggled with making a habit of a daily personal study of the scriptures or talks from General Conference. The classes at the Center For Young Adults encourage me to make this a habit. I’ve found that the classes are a wonderful supplement to my own studies and also help provide a focus.
Sometimes I miss my personal study because life gets busy. However, because I’ve registered for a class and set aside the time to feed my soul at CFYA, it will ultimately help strengthen my spirit. If you were to think about the gospel word being like food, the classes you get at the Center for Young Adults isn’t just a little snack. It’s more like a big steak dinner! The things you learn in class give you the spiritual energy and nutrition you need to be productive and live happily.
There is also a wide variety and diversity of people who attend the Center for Young adults. This has had a huge impact on me. People from all sorts of backgrounds and different ways of thinking attend and are registered for classes there. I love hearing from people who are different than me and what their life is like. It’s so cool to see how the gospel attracts people with a huge variety of backgrounds. Continue reading “The Center for Young Adults (CYFA) Makes Life Better”
Within this past month of last year, we paused to celebrate the birth of a baby boy, Jesus Christ, born over 2000 years ago. What makes this seemingly insignificant event so celebrated? Surely not that the parents were young, maybe too young for our western culture today. Nor that he was born in poverty, for that scene has been repeated over and over. Surely Mary was not the only young expectant mother to be traveling that day. A Whole nation is on the move responding to the demands of government.
The fact that Jesus Christ’s birth had been talked about since Adam, and spoken of with such anticipation for four millennia’s, must certainly make the world pause and search! Yet when the event happened, few showed up at the scene. On the opposite side of the world, those few who did look for the signs, faced a death sentence if the birth failed to happen. Who would be told that this prophesied child had come? Shepherds doing their duty while watching over their flocks and the birthing of the lambs. Angles and choirs of angels filled the skies singing praises to His name who had come, the very Christ the savior of all mankind, both male and female, bond and free, the wicked and the righteous. A natural, healthy baby boy, born to loving, grateful parents, who were possibly terrified at the prospects of what they had to offer. Who is this Child we know to be the Messiah? Who is this Christ that somehow nearly the entire world He was born into missed the importance of who He is and what he would do? What do we think of Christ?
We know He came to fulfill the great plan of happiness. He came to pay the price demanded by Justice and break the prison doors of death and Hell and the grave. Yet who is He? He came to do so much more. Stories of His short life on earth tells us of his nature and character. What a man thinks, so he does, and what he does tells us of how he thinks. “As a man thinketh, so is he” and “What manner of man aught ye to be?” Even as He is.
Two accounts tell us much: In Luke 7 we learn of a woman in the community of Nain where Jesus Christ lived, a widow having lost her husband, now weeping for the loss for her only son. By the customs of the day, she is destitute. Not only did she lose a child of her womb, that she loved and cherished but now also gained a remaining existence which would leave her lonely, hungry, and hopeless. Time may heal the loss of her son, but not the daily pain of survival. She is broken. Christ upon entering this scene of a lost son’s burial and a weeping mother, changed it all with one simple act of compassion. There was no judgement here. No accusation of “how could you let this happen?” or “you should have been more mindful.” Just compassion for all. Jesus Christ raised him from his procession to the grave and restored him whole to his mother. Healing not only the son but making whole the mother who also desperately needed a savior.
Prior to a couple of weeks ago, I don’t think I would have ever considered that a butterfly could express gratitude. I’ve always marveled at these tiny, little, beautiful creatures. They hatch, go into metamorphosis to become an adult, emerge subtly, yet magnificently only to make a 1500-3000 mile migration to warmer climates (that they’ve never been to before) to find a mate. And then? They die. The entire life cycle of a monarch takes up to 9 months. Incredible, right?
With all of those things considered, I would have ever considered that a tiny, little creature could have such a big impact on my kids and our family.
Over Christmas break my daughter and I went for a walk each morning. This particular day she chose to walk with me and help push her younger sister in the stroller rather than riding her bike. It was probably about 40 degrees which, I know, I know.. isn’t insanely cold.. but this is Texas y’all. We don’t own a lot of warm clothes.. we completely forget how to drive and we don’t have the right tools to deal with colder weather. I can’t count the number of times I’ve scraped ice off my windshield with the edge of a CD case! Nevertheless, there we were with an itch to get out of the house, regardless of the temperature outside. Continue reading “Gratitude: A Lesson from a Monarch Butterfly”
I love the trend of focusing on a word for the year rather than a list of resolutions that may or may not happen. I do a lot of online fitness classes, and subscribe to a couple of different streaming programs. During one workout, the instructor was using the correct Sanskrit names for many yoga poses and terms — there were no “downward dog” poses. We were doing “Adho Mukha Śvānāsana” (yeah, I realized quickly that this workout was beyond me!) One word that I remembered and didn’t have to Google was “drishti”. A “drishti” is a specific focus point that is held while maintaining a yoga position. Often times it is very difficult to stay balanced while trying to hold a certain pose, but if you pick a point on the mat or the wall to focus upon, it becomes much easier to stay upright. Essentially, a drishti is a visual anchor that helps you to keep your balance. (If you think it sounds hokey then try standing on one foot with your eyes closed) I have learned that I can hold yoga poses much better when I focus on a drishti and let other distractions fade away.
In a similar, more spiritual manner, I can avoid falling into danger if I focus upon the Lord. Just as a yoga drishti helps keep me anchored and balanced, focusing on the Lord will keep my spirit safely anchored. I’ve thought a lot about a word I want to help define 2022 for me (this is hard because there are so many great words!) however, I have decided “focus” will be my word.
I want 2022 to be full of joy and I know it’s achievable as I focus on my Savior. I know President Russell M. Nelson’s promise is sure, he said, “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.”1 I want joy in 2022!
I just returned from the baptism of my twin nephews Max and Milo. Their church leader gave them both a blanket and embroidered on each was the phrase “Always Remember Him” I love this! I want one embroidered for me! I want to be more intentional on where my focus is this year. I want to focus on Jesus Christ — His incomparable life and perfect example. I want to focus on how I act, rather than on reacting.
A couple of weeks ago I was working at my computer. It was relatively quiet in the house, a feature some homes enjoy but in ours it usually means one of our little blessings is either creating sharpie colored Picasso’s on the wall, “going for a swim” in the toilet bowl, or opening all of the yogurt cups and “taste testing” each one. Occasionally we’re surprised, but most of the time, well.. it’s just not the case. I winced, thinking about what form of catastrophe our youngest “curly-haired tornado 2.0” had conjured for me to have to spend the next three hours cleaning up. With it being a week before Christmas, in the middle of my busiest time of year professionally, pouring oodles of time into my church calling, creating all of the magic for Christmas to happen in our family.. it was three hours I did not have. Even as I type this, I can feel my heart rate increase. I turned slowly in my chair to see that the couch where she was sitting was abandoned, her sippee of milk turned on it’s side and her blanket, affectionately called “’Nuther one blanket” (because she has three and this is her favorite), crumpled in a little heap where she sat. I winced again and strained my ears to hear, searching for some sort of hint preparing my heart and mind for what was about to unfold. I took a breath again and slowly pushed myself away from my desk.
In the past decade that I’ve been a parent I’ve learned to be prepared for anything.. and by prepared I mean, have your camera ready to capture whatever weird/awesome/funny thing your kid is doing for the sole purpose of either posting to your social media circles so that others can commiserate or to pocket for later years if you need either proof or bribery. And so, prepare I did. As I pushed myself away from my desk I grabbed my cell phone and began stealthing through the house to find our little four-nado. As I walked into my bedroom I saw a light streaming through the master bathroom doorway and heard little rumpling sounds coming from the closet, followed by the words (which either could be interpreted as the sweetest sounds or some of the most terrifying), “She is going to love this.”
Santa and his elves have nothing on our indefatigable group of youth and members from the Seguin congregation! Yesterday, they teamed up with additional members from the Cibolo Valley Stake and delivered household furnishings and goods to 14 refugee families in one day.
Bishop Tim Bird described the day as “…an incredible crazy, organized, chaotic day…!” They were able to help furnish previously bare apartments. The Afghan community is close knit. They help and share with each other. As a result, yesterday the members from the Cibolo Valley area were able to identify an additional 15 families in need of assistance.
If you would like to assist with ongoing deliveries to help the newly settled refugees please consider checking out their “Stable Project” ministry. Check out their Facebook group. They have an Amazon registry set up or you can purchase IKEA gift cards for larger items at a better price. Also, share this post with others to help spread the word.
