Thoughts from Adam Ondi Ahman

This past week I had the great pleasure to travel across the country with Ashley, Jessica, Rebecca and Laura. It was a lot of fun and a very special time for me. As a father it is pretty rare to get the chance to drive with your kids across the country when they are older. I love each of their amazing personalities and their sense of self. Each of my children are such amazing people already as they grow to take the reins from my generation. Life cycles on and it is sometimes hard not to feel swept away with it. This week was an opportunity to slow it down and just enjoy and I did.

Part of the trip was a route through Missouri to places in church history I had never visited. We started in Independence, Missouri at the site of the new Jerusalem temple. The church has a visitor's center there which we really enjoyed. I had thought that the temple site itself was underneath the Community of Christ temple but it isn't. There isn't anything built on it at the moment. We walked the grounds of the temple, seeing its dimensions and I have to say it seems smaller than I imagined. I had pictured this massive building but although it is bigger than the Salt Lake Temple, it isn't that much bigger. The temple lot is owned by the Church of Christ Temple Lot folks. They were shut down when we arrived so we were a little bummed but we did at least get to see the lot.

After Independence we headed up to Liberty and just made it to see the Liberty Jail and take that tour. It is harrowing to see the small building where Joseph was imprisoned for all those months in the dead of winter. The room itself was so small that Joseph could not stand upright. There was no protection from the outside elements in what was one of the coldest winters on record up to that point. I love the prophet Joseph and felt an even greater closeness to him after witnessing the harrowing circumstances he survived in that little dungeon.

The highlight of the trip though for me was Adam Ondi Ahman. This is a simple valley with a few hills overlooking that had no tours or anything special to see but the spirit that resides there is so special. The Earth does not forget when the Savior has appeared in a place. I firmly believe that. To stand in a spot I knew had held the great meeting of Adam and all of his righteous posterity. A place where Adam had blessed his posterity and prophesied what would befall them down to our day. To know that the Savior had appeared there to comfort him. You literally can feel it. I had goosebumps as the missionaries told me of people who are feeling inspired to move close to the valley and how doors are opening to allow it. The church just built a large stake building to accommodate the increasing numbers. It is a very special place. There it is that the Lord will appear to his righteous saints and will prepare them for his second coming. He will call up the 144,000 and transfigure them, and send them out into the world to gather the remnants of his elect before the day of burning. I looked across that valley and pictured the people filling it. The sounds, the sights as they all looked up to Tower and Spring Hills to the place where the Savior and Adam will speak and all the holy prophets living and dead who will be there to make their report of an accounting of their keys. I got chills as I saw all of this in my mind and the spirit whispered that it was true.

As we pulled away I just thought in my mind that I wanted to do whatever is necessary to be there that day. I would regret for eternity being unworthy to be there and participate in that great gathering. No sacrifice is too great, I want to be surrounded by my family at that meeting, enjoying a brief moment of the fullness of joy that is promised the righteous. I can't wait for this and I am so grateful to be able to visit and know.

Follow Up

Just days after I wrote the post below the world was hit with yet another terror attack. 84 people were killed in Nice, France by a terrorist in a truck. He plowed 3 miles through a crowd, killing 10 children and 74 others in the process. The scenes of bodies lying in the street under blankets was one I don't know if I'll be able to get out of my head. We are so desensitized to this now though. It won't take more than a few days for the world to move on. Nothing will change. Then another attack will occur and the world will express outrage until they forget again. Of course we'll still have politicians trying to take advantage of the horror to push their agendas. But other than that the world will get bored and move on. There is no regard for human life. There is no consolation for the families of the victims. At best somebody will set up a memorial fund and put a few dollars in to make themselves feel better. Although I don't mean to disparage those who donate to or set up these funds, my point is that nothing changes. We as a society grow callouses so these terror acts don't blister our daily lives when they happen. I am as guilty of this as anybody. Unless we are directly affected it's just hard to have this hit home. Unfortunately I believe these acts are simply part of the scenery until the Lord comes again in all his glory. I only expect them to increase in frequency. The rising generation is being taught that human life is not valued. Video games where mostly boys spend literally hours a day killing thousands of digital people, coupled with the utter rejection of God and his commandments, adding in the pornography epidemic and the utter lack of our media and leaders to accept their warped roles all lead to the horror we are now seeing played out on our screens almost nightly. As I mentioned in the post below, we simply ask where and how many and who did it before shaking our heads and maybe saying a small prayer for the victims and their families. The problem is, I don't know what else we can do. How can I affect the larger world around me from my little duplex in St. George? If I live a better life how will that help? I'm not sure we as Latter-Day Saints can change the course the world is on. I believe the bearings are set. The world has chosen its heading and with Lucifer at the helm, the voyage to destruction is sure. I guess the best we can do is to try to get as many people in life vests as possible.

Decent Into Darkness

I wrote this post on Facebook and thought I would also share it here. It has some of the same themes as the last post I wrote but for the most part is new.

By my count there have been 62 mass shootings with 106 dead and 274 injured in just the past 30 days and that is just in the U.S.. There is something broken in our country, in our world and it isn't guns. Never in history has a gun walked itself into a restaurant and opened fire without a person behind it. People have lost their respect for life and humanity. We as a nation are becoming desensitized to it. It's like some morbid sports score now.

"Where was it?" we ask.

"How many dead and wounded?" we ask.

"That is so tragic," we exclaim, unsure of what we can do to change anything in our ever increasingly wicked world.

The feeling of hopelessness and loss of control of our lives pervades. I find myself scoping public places, watching for crazies. I have played out in my head many times what I would do in such a situation. Unfortunately the chances are ever increasing that I will find myself in such a place. Our country is no longer safe. And what does our government do to prevent this growing trend? Fight the other party. Vote themselves raises and exemptions from the very laws they pass. Is there really a choice this election? The only choice we have is more of the same.

Yet government is not the answer. The reason people are increasingly violent is because we as a nation have turned from God's laws. The natural consequence of this is what we see today. Men have become lovers of themselves, without natural affections, striving to do evil. The cure for what ails our country is a return to values that were prevalent just a few short decades ago when we celebrated our victory in a world war and reaped the benefits of an entire generation that grew up not just hearing, but living the words sacrifice, duty and honor. That is what we have lost, and I fear we will never get it back again.

Wedding

My wedding was awesome! Thanks to all of you for helping out and being part of it! Here is a picture of our family (which Dad needed to change the cover of the blog). You all look so great! More pictures are coming, we are waiting on Aunt Trisha to send me hers and then I will be posting the albums and such.
Love, Elizabeth Hutchings :)

Lessons from Ammonihah

I have continued to watch with alarm the degradation of our society and specifically our country over the last few decades of my life. I suppose every generation has felt thus, believing that theirs was the better and the newer was worse. In some cases this was certainly not the case. I believe the greatest generation received its name rightfully. The 1920's and 30's were defined by the depression and the lead up to war. But the 20's especially were known for an introduction of debauchery and celebrating criminals that was never seen in American history. At the outset of the war America was on a downturn, thanks in part to the ultra liberal policies of Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt who never saw a government program they didn't like. But on December 7th, 1941 that all changed. America was attacked in a brutal and cowardly manner. The righteous anger of a nation sanctified them. No calling was turned down, no sacrifice was too great. Some young men, denied entry into the military, killed themselves to hide their shame. Women went to work in factories, making tanks and jeeps and artillery to win the war. Many more sewed parachutes together, agreed to rations of sugar, meat and other foodstuffs, all for the cause. When the war was won the men came home, they married their sweethearts and a baby boom occurred. America was on the up and up. Confidence was high, people were happy. People valued the traditions of their fathers, people embraced faith. Why were things so much better? Because an entire generation had sacrificed, many of them their very lives, for freedom and their country. Flying the flag was not controversial, it was an honor, it was a reminder of those who had given everything so we could enjoy everything.

What then has happened to us now? How do we find ourselves in the position we are? I look no further than the examples in the Book of Mormon. In the land of Zarahemla Alma the younger saw his people beginning to grow in pride and envy. He saw that their years of plenty had corrupted what their years of war had birthed, sanctification. So he began a mission to his own people, checking their growing wickedness with the good word of God. This worked in Zarahemla and in Gideon and Shimlon, but not in Ammonihah. In that most wicked of cities I believe we find our parallel for today. Ammonihah sat amongst the righteous nation of Nephites and yet was one of the most wicked cities on earth. Today I believe that dynamic is changing. Today we have cities and on a smaller scale, homes where righteousness rules while all around them wickedness rages. So what was different about Ammonihah? I believe it was their rulers. It says that they were after the order of Nehor. Remember that Nehor's primary teachings were that although there is a God, you can act however you want and God will justify it as long as you acknowledge him with your mouth. This was never more evident than when Zeezrom is questioning Amulek and asks him point blank, "Will Christ save us in our sins?" Amulek of course answered that he would not, which Zeezrom then tried to use against him. Ammonihah was ruled by corrupt judges and lawyers who went about telling the people that whatever they did was okay so long as they, the judges and lawyers, got paid. This doctrine is no more than an offshoot of Satan's original plan, which basically took all agency, or consequence of agency from man. Satan is the author of both.

Today we see the corruption brought about because of our lawyers and judges. In 1963 JFK was assassinated by what I believe was a conspiracy to take over rule of our country. Lyndon B Johnson took over and our country has never been the same. The real decadence of the 60's happened after LBJ took over. The great society programs of 1965 were his baby, and began the true downfall of our nation, turning us from free market capitalism and personal responsibility to the welfare state. Teaching Americans that they had no need to be self sufficient, that the government would be their savior. Ronald Reagan tried to stem the tide and reverse the trend but by then all he could do was merely stick his finger in the dam while hole after hole appeared in too many places to plug. Since Reagan this country has followed the example of Ammonihah, following 1 corrupt leader after another, jettisoning the values that made us what we are today in favor of a more progressive way of thinking. Things that would have horrified our grandparents are now accepted as the American way. We once lead the world in the fight against fascism and communism, today we lead the world in decadence, exploitation and simply put, evil. Yet the lonely voices who stand to fight against the machine are thrown into the metaphorical fire and burned in public opinion the same as the believers in Ammonihah. Eventually, with the believers murdered or cast out, the servants of the Lord departed. The city was left unto itself, and a little more than a year later, was wiped completely out of existence, destroyed by other non-believers. The wicked, at war with the wicked. This lesson is both past and future. Today we stand, watching the few believers as they are cast into the fires of public opinion, as they are cast from their homes, their families, from jobs and livelihood. All for their belief in the traditions of their fathers, the traditions of their nation, all because they would not embrace the new belief, the new religion, the new God. When the fires dim and the servants of the Lord are called home, the citizens of this world who embraced the order of Nehor will be left unto themselves, and they will suffer the same fate as Ammonihah.

Miracles and Revelations of Faith

I have been meaning to put the experiences of our move down on digital paper for some time now but finally feel ready to do so. I can only hope that I remember all that has happened to get us to this point because the miracles and revelations are many. We have truly been blessed from on high.

In October of 2014 I had a rather startling dream that woke me at 3:30 AM. It was rather short in duration but it left a significant impact on my mind. I immediately got out of bed and asked Heavenly Father for the interpretation and received a somewhat lengthy response. I wrote down everything I could remember from it but was told not to share it generally so unfortunately I cannot share it here. I was told only to share it with my immediate family. The one thing I can share is that among the many instructions and warnings I received was a command to prepare my family to move from Illinois to the west. This was already on the mind of Robin and I but in some far off future after Becca and Laura graduated from high school. I was given a timeline in the dream which was to move by August of 2015. Work at Williams Manny was going well for me. I was adding around 10k per year to my annual salary each fall and finally had more than my living expenses coming in for the first time in a long time. I had no idea what I would do for a living once we arrived in the west. All I knew is that the Lord had told me to move and that somehow we would do so.

The next morning I shared my experience with my family although I felt that I should wait for Ashley to come home from her mission before sharing it with her. Robin believed me immediately and we began discussing that very day how we could manage such a move. We knew we would have to operate almost entirely on faith. We were doing well financially but this would require miracles to occur in order for it to work and that is exactly what happened.

In December we made our first step in the move by going into our basement and starting to sort through our stuff. It wasn't a fun task but it felt good to take at least a small step in the direction the Lord wanted us to go. Although not told specifically where to go after some discussion Robin and I felt that St. George was the place for us to move to. I had only been through it a few times but something about that area inspired us. Certainly the warmer weather didn't hurt, but it was more than that.

The months began to pass by quickly and something at work changed. When I first was brought on my boss received an override from my work and helped me get established. After some time his contract was changed so that he received nothing from my business and that changed everything. Suddenly I was just the competition and more and more I was treated as such. In fact I began to feel like he wanted me gone so he could take the business I had written and would write in the future, (which is exactly what happened). As I began to feel this push from work the preparations at home continued. My niece Ally was going on a mission and would have her farewell in late May. Jessica decided she would like to go out early for the summer to Provo to secure a job. So I planned a trip with her and my mother to go out to Ally's farewell and make a scouting mission down to St. George to see what housing was available.

Once I got to Utah Elizabeth and Jessica and I headed down to St. George to look around. The Midgleys from Rockford had moved there some time ago and had offered to let us stay the night. Brother Midgley took us on a drive through all the neighborhoods and areas so we had a real good feel for the area. The next day Elizabeth and Jessica and I began going to showings at different spots in St. George but one place stood out above the rest. There were other spaces cheaper or even bigger but we settled on the little home we ended up in. After arriving home from the trip we applied for and were accepted into the home in which we now live. What a wonderful decision it was! We have been welcomed in by our wonderful ward and shown kindness and enthusiasm for us being here. Our home lacks storage but other than that is really perfect for what we need right now.

We originally wanted to move July 1st but as it approached it became apparent that it just wouldn't work. We had the money for the deposit but little else. If we pushed the move back just one month it would allow us more time to prepare in every way and allow the older girls to go to girl's camp with their friends one final time as well. In June I took a hard look at our finances and realized it would take a miracle for us to be able to pull off the move. I began praying to Heavenly Father for precisely that, a miracle. I included in my prayers that I didn't know what we would do for living both short and long term but that we would move regardless and have faith that he would provide. He did on both accounts.

Miracle #1 occurred in the late spring. Jose Gloria, my good friend was just finished working for an agency that was doing the same thing as me but on a bigger scale. The company was going under and would not be in business the next fall. Jose was able to secure their client list which had more than 1600 names of people that he and I could help that fall which would provide a long term income for his and my family. If things went well it would even be an increase over what I was making at Williams Manny. The only problem was how we would survive until my first check in January. The Lord had plans for that too.

Miracle #2 occurred at the Midgley's home. After our tour of St. George that first evening Bro. Midgley asked us why we were moving. I told him we had felt inspired to do so but certainly didn't know all the reasons why. He then told us of a fireside they had attended not long before. That in the fireside the mission president of the area had come to speak. He related to them a revelation that had been received by the first presidency not long before. They said that the saints who had established St. George were on the other side of the veil very worried about their descendants who had left the church or were faltering. Their prayers to Heavenly father were so fervent that he had them and had agreed to inspire families from around the world to move to St. George to help in the work of reclaiming them. What a special blessing to receive this information even before we moved.

Miracle #3. On July 14th I was called in to the President's office at Williams Manny. They had caught wind of my move and had decided to let me go immediately, probably to protect their client list. The miracle came during that meeting though. I was being let go with no fault, which meant I could claim unemployment benefits, and they were offering me a severance package that ended up bringing in over $7,000 dollars or in other words exactly what we needed for the move. In addition the early dismissal meant I didn't have to work during the final preparations for the move in August. I remember getting into the car in the parking lot and thanking the Lord for the miracle that had just occurred. When I arrived home I was too emotional to even be able to tell my family what had happened. It was such a blessing. In one day the Lord had provided an income for me that would end one week after my first check and also provided the means for the move. July 14th will forever join the list of happy days in my life, (and yet it all happened with me being let go).

Miracle #4 This may seem like a small one but it is just in keeping with the many ways in which the Lord blessed us. When I had arranged for the move we had looked at a truck rental on August 1st but my mother was moving to Florida at the same time and needed help getting there. So I looked into putting our stuff in storage for a month and renting a truck after taking her to Florida. Ashley agreed to go with me to help me drive and keep me awake. By pushing back our truck rental a month we saved over $500 dollars. It meant we would be moving on August first with a minimum of the things we could fit into two cars, but it was a blessing nonetheless.

Miracle #5 This miracle is the biggest of all. We somehow survived our move, had everything packed into our storage shed, had our kids and a few things packed into our two cars and were on our way. We picked up the older three girls from girl's camp and headed out to Utah. Becca had been learning to drive for quite some time so she could give Robin a break once in a while on the road. We had a little detour in Iowa that cost us 5 hours but other than that everything was going well. Becca was driving when we crossed the halfway point deep into Nebraska. Becca began to get sleepy and lost control of the car. Grandma and I had told her just that week that if that ever happened she should stay off the brake and instead just try to straiten the wheel without any sudden movements. Somehow in that moment she didn't panic and did exactly that. The car went into the grassy median and finally she applied the brake and it spun out, facing the opposite direction. Emma, Clara, Porter and Robin were in the car with her. The babies actually slept through the whole thing. When I returned back to the scene in the other car I expected to find the car totaled. Instead not only was our family okay, but the car didn't seem to be hurt at all. I drove it out of the median and it got us all the way to St. George. I have since replaced a wheel bearing but that was going out already. I can only consider this a miracle that my family is alive and whole. I know he protected them at the moment of danger. I still don't know how Becca was able to keep the car from rolling at such high speeds and with as little experience as she has. I thank the Lord for this miracle more than any other in my life.

I know I have missed many other miracles that occurred to bring us to this blessed valley. But these are the ones that stand out. Looking at the above I can only come to one conclusion, the Lord wants us here and for that I am eternally grateful.