Mom Mail

Yesterday when my 3 oldest children arrived home from school, they found an envelope taped on the front door. The instructions on the outside of the envelope told them to take it inside, sit on the living room couch together, open the letter, and take turns reading it out loud. Here is what the letter said:

January 18, 2013

Dear Children,

Welcome home! I am so glad you are home safe and hopefully each of you had a good day at school. I hope you know that every day when you get in that car and drive away to school, I stand at the window and offer a silent prayer to Heavenly Father that He will watch over you, bless you, and bring you safely home to me. I love each of you so much! You are my greatest treasures!

I love being a mom. It is the greatest job I have ever had and I am so grateful that Heavenly Father gave me this privilege and blessing. Being a mom is hard work though. I have never worked harder in my life at anything! I look into your faces every day and I want so badly to be the kind of mother each of you needs. I want each of you to grow up and do all the wonderful things you want to do and that Heavenly Father has planned for you. Your lives can be amazing…if you have been given the right tools and training, if you have learned important principles and know how to live them, and if you are willing to place your trust in the Lord and work hard.

This is where I am very concerned.

Today after you left for school, I spent 3 hours cleaning up after you! 3 hours!!!! I wasn’t cleaning my messes or Dad’s messes or even Spencer’s messes…I was cleaning up after the 3 of you.

I spent almost an hour cleaning the upstairs bathroom. There were mounds of clothes and socks and dirty underwear. There were towels all over the floor…I couldn’t tell if they were clean or dirty. And once I cleaned up all the stuff on the floor, I scrubbed poop that was smeared and dried on the floor, side of the toilet, and on the seat of the toilet. I can’t believe a bathroom in our house had poop smeared and dried all over the place. I was truly in shock and then angry that the 3 of you would let something like that happen…and that no one cared enough to clean it up. You just assumed someone else would clean it for you. That is NOT what my job as a mother is.

Next I went downstairs. I picked up clothes laying all over the stairs and hallway. By the time I reached the laundry room, my arms were full of your stuff…just from walking down the stairs. And then I opened the laundry room door…actually, I had to PUSH to open the laundry room door. And then I just stood there. I was mad. I was sad. I was frustrated. I was disappointed. The laundry room was COVERED in clothes, socks, underwear, shoes, towels, bathrobes…thrown on the floor. Clothes were pulled out of the dryer. Wet clothes were on the floor. I couldn’t tell what was clean or dirty. The dirty clothes baskets and your clothes containers were sitting RIGHT THERE! I couldn’t believe I had 3 children who were so lazy, so inconsiderate, that they couldn’t simply drop dirty or clean clothes where they belong. Cleaning that laundry room took almost an hour and a half. I sorted through YOUR things. I touched YOUR dirty underwear. And I felt so sad. I put things in your clothes buckets and discovered there were clothes…clean and dirty…thrown in random buckets. And so I cleaned out your buckets. That is NOT what my job as a mother is.

The 3 of you are amazing people. You have been blessed with SO much…so many strengths, talents, abilities, and blessings. But what I saw today…what I have seen over the last few months…tells me that I am failing as a mom and that what I HAVE been doing is not working. I have begged, bribed, pleaded, cried, yelled, and threatened and still nothing has changed. And so we are changing how we are doing things. 

You will find your closets and clothes buckets have been emptied. You have been left with your school uniform clothes, 2 play shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of underwear, 2 pairs of socks, 1 set of pajamas, and one pair of shoes. If any of these items are left out or put in the wrong place, they will also be taken. If the items become dirty, YOU will be responsible for washing, folding, and putting them away. If your school clothes are dirty, YOU are responsible for making sure they are clean. 

Your job is to demonstrate that you are grateful for these items and that you are capable of taking care of them. It is all you have. Take care of it, or lose it. Wash it or wear it dirty. It is now YOUR responsibility.

In a couple of weeks, if you have demonstrated your ability to be grateful for what you have AND to show that gratitude by taking care of it properly, then I will give you the opportunity to BUY back some of your other clothes. That’s right…you will have to earn money and BUY back the things that have been taken. That money will be earned through your points that you receive for doing your other chores. How hard you work, how quickly you obey, how serious you take your responsibilities will determine whether or not you can be trusted with other things.

My job as your mother is to teach you gratitude, obedience, the importance of hard work, how to take care of yourselves and your property, how to serve others, how to live the gospel of Jesus Christ…my job is NOT to clean poop off the bathroom floor, pick up your dirty clothes, clean up after you, or beg you to get your chores done. You will be successful and happy in life if I can teach you that for every choice there is a consequence. You have to make good choices to receive good consequences. There are no free rides and I will NOT do for you what you can and should do for yourselves.

I know this may seem like a punishment to you…but it is not. Your Heavenly Father and Savior are counting on you. Your future husband and wives are counting on you. Your future children, the people you will teach in the mission field, the employers you will work for, and your family right now are counting on you. So much is at stake and I will do my best not to fail you in teaching you these important lessons so your lives can be filled with the joy, peace, security, and happiness that come when you  know what is important and aren’t afraid to do “hard” things.

I love you. We are going to have some interesting experiences together in the upcoming year. I can’t wait.

All My Love,

Mom

 Over the last few weeks, I have been reading an amazing book entitled "Cleaning House: A Mom's 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement" by Kay Wills Wyma.

I picked up the book because of the brilliant title...it definitely spoke to my mom heart...but I have truly been inspired, humbled, and motivated as I've read her thoughts about raising children in this day and age and some of the very real challenges our children face on the road to becoming successful, happy, productive adults. I realized I needed to make some changes in how I was doing things. And yesterday provided the impetus to take the first drastic step.

"With the greatest of intentions and in the name of love, we have developed a tendency to hover, race in to save, protect from failure, arrange for success, manipulate, overprotect, and enable our kids. Freeing their schedules for sports, school, and  increasingly important time with friends, we strive to make our children's lives easier or to make success a sure thing by doing it all for them. We shower them with accolades, proclaiming how wonderful they are--yet we rarely give them the opportunity to confirm the substance of that praise. All our efforts send the clear, though unspoken and unintended message "I'll do it for you because you can't" or "No sense in your trying because I can do it better and faster."

Those messages are really the OPPOSITE of what I want my kids to hear from me. I want them to hear the truth---that with hard work, perseverance, and discipline, they can do anything they put their minds and muscles to.

This realization convinced me of the need to redefine my parenting approach. Instead of communicating "I love you, so let me make life easy for you," I decided that my message needed to be something more along these lines: "I love you. I believe in you. I know what you're capable of. So I'm going to make you work."" (Cleaning House, pg. 4)

We have outlined 12 things we would like our children to learn to do by the end of this year. Each month, we will introduce the "theme" of the month. We will discuss the task in depth on the first Monday of the month at Family Home Evening and provide very specific instruction on how we are going to accomplish the goal throughout the month. I have come to realize that if I want something done "right" or if I expect something done a specific way, then I need to be specific in how I "train" my children to do that task. So many times we get frustrated at our children for not doing a chore correctly but have we taken the time to really demonstrate for them the way to do it? Are we expecting them to read our minds and then becoming frustrated when they don't? I'm afraid I've been guilty of this very crime many, many times! So I will strive to be specific...and open to the fact that sometimes (lots of times) my children find a better way/different way/creative way to perform a task and that we are going to be learning from each other.

Our theme for this month is "Clutter Free"...we are learning that everything in our home has a place and that our home is a much BETTER place to be when we take the time to put things away.We are also trying to emphasize that learning to take care of our things is a significant way to show GRATITUDE for what we have been given. And so, when my children left such an enormous mess yesterday, I took away all of their clothes and we will start small...start with the basics. We will learn to take care of a few things and if we can demonstrate our ability to do so, we can add upon that. 

"The only way to conquer youth entitlement is one house at a time. What a privilege we have to celebrate all that these kids have to offer and to help them realize their potential by bringing on the work. It's incredibly exciting to consider the abundant possibilities just around the corner for a generation empowered by parents and other adults who believe in them, support them by teaching real-life skills, and then pile on the responsibility. Think about the ramifications of unleashing this tech-savvy crew on global economic issues, seemingly incurable diseases, and age-old political conflict.

So here's to seeing what can happen when we tell our kids, "I believe in you, and I'm going to prove it by putting you to work." Let the empowering Experiment begin!"

(Cleaning House, pg. 15)

Celebrate

Tomorrow will be sweet baby Spencer's 1st birthday! It is so hard to fathom that a whole year has gone by since our son was born. Oh how I adore this baby! 

I love how his sweet face lights up when I go pick him up in the morning. 

I love his big smile with all those new pearly white teeth. I love his "cheesy" smile when he smiles so big his eyes close and he looks like the Cheshire cat. 

I love the corkscrew curls on top of his head that no one can keep their hands off (including strangers at Wal-Mart). 

I love his big brown eyes and how he looks for me in a room. 

I love that he loves to snuggle and wants nothing more than to be held and hugged and cuddled. 

I love his juicy, delicious thighs and the dimple on his left cheek, and how he can crawl so fast that it almost looks like his legs aren't touching the ground. 

I love finding him sitting in the dish washer helping his siblings "unload". 

I love that he giggles the whole way home after we have picked the kids up from school. I love how much his adores his brothers and sister and I love how tender, gentle, silly, funny and in love they are with their baby brother. 

 

I love his curiosity and the way he earnestly engages with the world around him. He is so smart…every day he amazes me with what he can do and how quickly he learns.

I love that when you ask him what a duck says, he quacks.

I love when he says “da da” or “mama” or “duck” or “dog”. He really likes dogs.

I love when he stands at the big window in the living room and intently watches the cars and birds and snow falling outside. He is an observer.

I love how much he loves to play. He loves peek-a-boo and hide n’ seek and toys. He loves balls of any sort and can actually throw the ball back and forth. He has discovered blocks and loves to build towers that he can then knock down. He loves the Fisher Price pirate ship that shoots a cannon ball and loves chewing on the parrot piece.

I love that he loves his blankets and always needs one to snuggle his face into and chew on.

I love that right before he goes to sleep, with his eyes closed, he will “talk” out loud to himself for a couple of minutes. I can’t WAIT for him to get a little older so I can understand what he is saying.

I love that he loves the song “Old McDonald” and that it makes him laugh every time. 

I love his passion for "Blue's Clues" and watching it with him on the Kindle snuggled in the red fuzzy blanket. He will sit and say "dog" the entire time. It always make me laugh.

I love that the "Old McDonald" Baby Einstein video on You Tube will always calm him down in the car if he is upset. 

I love having him sit in my lap while we read books. He always wants to eat the book and turn the pages.

Our first 3 children are very close together in age. While I loved having small children, it was also chaotic and busy and I didn’t feel like I just sat and enjoyed them as much as I wanted/should have. And in a blink of an eye, they were “big” kids and busy with life. With Spencer…I have been more content to sit in the blue chair and let the laundry and dishes pile up. Those things will always be there and always need to be done…but our babies are only ours for such a short time before we have to share them. The 7 year gap between #3 and #4 gave me some much needed perspective…and I am so, so grateful.

We have so much to celebrate tomorrow! Happy Birthday Sweet Spencer. I love you!

Carr Family Christmas Letter 2012

December 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

We hope each of you are having a wonderful holiday season! We feel truly grateful for this time of year to slow down and count our blessings and to express our deepest gratitude to the Savior for His many tender mercies.

The year 2012 in our family will always be remembered as a time of remarkable miracles and blessings. The first miracle occurred with the birth of our 4th child Spencer Paul Carr on January 11th. After many years of waiting and wondering, he finally arrived and has been adored and loved by his siblings and parents every minute since. We had officially submitted our adoption papers right before Christmas 2011, found out 2 days after Christmas that we had been chosen, and welcomed our baby boy on January 11th. It turned our lives upside down and inside out in marvelous ways we never could have anticipated! Every day we feel so grateful for these amazing children!

SPENCER PAUL (11 months old) continues to grace our lives with joy & contentment. Our "not-so-tiny-anymore" little boy is now crawling, climbing, and unloading everything. He has a dimple on his left cheek that will melt your heart and continues to specialize in "jumping"...we have never felt leg muscles on any baby like his. He adores his sister and brothers and never fails to giggle the whole way home after we have picked them up from school! Spencer is a happy, curious, fun little boy who shares his older brother Matthew's passion for soccer balls.

HANNAH LYNN (8 years old) is in 2nd grade this year and was baptized at the beginning of December. She has grown into quite a young lady this year. She is now attending Activity Days at church which makes her feel very grown up and "girly". Hannah continues to astound us with her artistic and writing talents...she produces several "picture" books a week...and had all her "dreams come true" when she got to wear a sparkly costume and dance on stage for her Christmas dance recital. She is constantly overflowing with ideas and games and projects and keeps us on our toes with her passion for nail polish, all things "fancy", and her sheer enthusiasm. She brings a wonderful amount of "girl" to our family!

MATTHEW CHARLES (10 years old) is in 4th grade and is a young man with a passion for anything "sports". He is playing his 2nd year on a competitive soccer team and we are truly amazed at his abilities and talents. This young man can pick up any game, accomplish any physical feat, and is happiest when he is running, kicking a soccer ball, doing flips on the trampoline, or trying any new heart stopping adventure. He has a sense of style all his own and we love his passion for red skinny jeans and fedoras. He continues to bless our family with his extremely sensitive heart and compassion. And NO ONE can make Spencer giggle harder...

JACOB CHRISTOPHER (11 years old) is in 6th grade and is preparing to be ordained a deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood in February. He has discovered a true passion for all things Star Trek and continues to devour any type of book at an alarming rate. I frequently find myself making emergency trips to the library with him because he has finished a book and absolutely can't wait another second to start another one. Jacob loves American history, writing, and watching Star Trek Voyager. He keeps us laughing with his incredible sense of humor and keeps us on our toes with his love of learning!

CHRIS & AMY honestly aren't that interesting compared to our kids. Chris continues to work at Imagine Learning and amazes us with his many talents and abilities. He is working with the Webelos at church which Matthew pretends to be horrified by but secretly loves. I quit my job at my kid's charter school last year when Spencer was born and have found myself "back at the beginning" with a baby at home...and truly loving every moment of it.

The highlight of the year for our family was the opportunity to be sealed to Spencer in the Mount Timpanogos temple by my father in November. It is an experience written in our hearts forever! Seeing all 4 of our children in the temple and sharing the day with so many family members and friends was an unbelievable experience!

We hope this Christmas season and New Year will be filled with many wonderful experiences, amazing miracles, and sweet blessings for you and your family.

We love you!

Love,
The Carr Family

What If?

Friday morning it was hard to get out of bed because baby had been awake a couple of times during the night with his painful teething. I was so grateful it was "pizza" day at school because I didn't have to pack school lunches. I was frustrated at all 3 of my kids because they had forgotten to finish some homework. We were scrambling to get things done and get things together...and at one point I looked out the window and dreamed of the moment they would all climb in the car and leave for school and I could relax. Hannah didn't get her hair brushed and left with it sticking out all over under her "Hello Kitty" hat. I don 't think one of the boys was wearing deodrant and I know the other one hadn't brushed his teeth. It was a little chaotic. It was typical.

And then the unthinkable happened.

A friend called to see if I had been watching the news that morning. I hadn't so she filled me in on what had been happening in Connecticut. As I got in the car to run some errands, I turned on the radio and listened to the reports coming in. I parked the car after a few moments and called my husband. I started crying and for a few minutes I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stop. The horror of what had happened was almost too much for me to even wrap my mind around. How could I even contemplate that type of scenario...the loss of life...the loss of innocence...the tragedy for every student, teacher, parent, member of the community?! I have never felt so overwhelmed by grief and sheer sadness. I turned off the radio and breathed deeply. But several minutes later as I was driving to do my next errand, I turned the radio back on and cried some more. I kept thinking back to the morning I had had with my kids...

What if?

What if that had been my children?

What if that had been my tragedy?

Suddenly I didn't care about their homework or hair or lost shoes. Suddenly I didn't care about the chaos and mess because that chaos and mess meant my children were alive. Suddenly I wanted to go back and do the whole morning over.

I would jump out of bed and welcome the opportunity to climb into their beds as I was waking them up and snuggle with them for just a moment. I would whisper in their ears how much I loved them and how glad I was that I was their mom. I would fix them breakfast and make sure they had eaten. I would take the time to brush Hannah's hair because it is a small gesture that tells her she is worth the time and effort. I would hug and kiss their faces before they walked out the door and tell them how much I loved them and how much I would miss them while they were gone. I would stand at the door and blow kisses and wave to them until they disappeared around the corner and then I would offer a silent prayer that the Lord would watch over them until they came home again. That "What if" offered some much needed perspective and provided a much needed reminder to not get caught up in the meaningless details.

I love my children. I want my every day with them to be more gentle, more kind, more filled with love and laughter. I want to remember that even the frustrating moments are moments to be extra patient and possess teaching opportunities that are changing me as a mother and an individual.

My heart and prayers go out to every mother and father and sister and brother and friend who lost someone so dear and precious to them on Friday. My heart and prayers are with both the children who lost their lives and the children who are facing a loss of innocence in their lives. I still believe there is more good than evil in this world. There were many heroes that day. I will choose to focus on them and let God handle the others. I am grateful for the testimony I have of a loving Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the knowledge of eternal life and eternal families. I am so grateful to be a wife and mother. I am grateful for my 4 dear children.

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Are You Ready for Christmas?

Over the years, we have earnestly tried to find a way to help our children recognize the true significance and meaning behind the Christmas season. It is tough to do...every year it seems that a million things in a million different ways try to subtly turn our attention from the spiritual to the secular. But with a little effort, lots of prayer, and some creativity, this season can be filled with the types of memories and experiences that will increase our testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ, bring us closer together as families, and give our children a foundation of tradition that will bless and serve them all their lives. I wanted to share what our family has done...with the hope that you will do the same on your blog so we can continue to gather ideas. Here we go...

1. We have an advent calendar hanging on our wall with tiny pockets that count their way up the tree to Christmas Day. Each pocket has 2 small slips of paper wrapped in string...the paper wrapped in red string has the scripture of the day. We open this one during breakfast, read the scripture together, and then hang up the coordinating picture from the Gospel Art Kit. Each scriptures tells of an event in Christ's life, starting with his birth and ending with His return to this earth some day. It is a fabulous way to capture the essence of not only the Savior's birth, but the majesty of his life.



(I have a picture on my blog somewhere but for the life of me I can't find it. So here is a random picture that has our little display in the background...





The idea came from the December 2008 Friend magazine. Follow the link to find the scriptures and corresponding picture to be used every day!

Tell Me The Stories of Jesus

2. The second small slip of paper in our advent calendar is wrapped with green string and this paper contains a special Christmas activity or experience to look forward to that day. It can be anything from listening to a favorite Christmas song to baking cookies or writing cards or visiting your favorite Christmas place. These activities are an opportunity for us to have a different experience and create special memories every day as a family. Here is some of our list for 2012 if you are looking for ideas. If you would like the full copy of activities with all the fun places we visit around Utah, leave a comment and I will email it to you. If you are in the area, feel free to come join us! We love a party!

December 1, 2012

(Saturday)

Happy Holidays! We have the opportunity over the next 25 days to enjoy one of the most special times of the year...Christmas! We hope as we participate in some special activities that you will always remember the real reason for the season...celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ!

Tonight we get to celebrate the season by opening the first gift of the season! Gather round for a little fun...

December 2, 2012

(Sunday)

Tonight we have the opportunity to watch the first presidency Christmas devotional! Listen carefully to the messages and music that are shared. Can you feel the special spirit Christmas brings?

We will also set up our Christmas tree! We have a special gift that will hopefully help you always remember the special Christmas’ we shared as a family while you were growing up and to help you start NEW traditions with your own family someday! Find a special place to hang your new gift!

December 4, 2012

(Tuesday)

Christmas is not about what we get but what we can give! Today you need to look for an opportunity to serve someone. Remember that when you are in the service of your fellowmen, you are really in the service of your god. Share your experience at dinner tonight!

December 5, 2012

(Wednesday)

Tonight at dinner we will take the opportunity to read some beautiful testimonies that have been borne of Jesus Christ. Each member of our family will find a special paper under their plate to share with the family! Think about ways you can help your testimony grow!

December 6, 2012

(Thursday)

Look for a very unique dinner tonight!

After dinner, join us in the living room to hear the greatest Christmas song ever written! It will be loud and it will be glorious...think choir of angels!

December 12, 2012

(Wednesday)

Grab a friend and head to gardner village to see if you can find all those tricky Christmas elves. If you can find them all, there may be a sweet treat waiting for you at the end.

 

December 13, 2012

(Thursday)

Happy St. Lucia Day! We have the opportunity to share this special Swedish tradition with your friends and school...and maybe surprise mo & Papa with a special show!

December 14. 2012

(Friday)

Today we are going to visit the scholastic book fair to choose a book for your amazing teachers and instructors. When we get home, write a special card to tell them how much you appreciate all they do.

December 15, 2012

(Saturday)

Today we are going to oliver’s 1^st birthday party! Make him a special birthday card to let him know how much you love him.

We will also be attending hannah’s dance recital. Be sure to give her a big hug and kiss and tell her how proud you are of her hard work!

Tonight is our ward Christmas party! Get ready to show off all your amazing talents!

December 16, 2012

(Sunday)

Grab your toasty jammies and some yummy popcorn...we are going to watch a very special Christmas movie!

December 17, 2012

(Monday)

Tonight we are going to decorate sugar cookies and make cards for our amazing neighbors! Think about your primary teachers, scout leaders, activity day leaders...so many people who love us and bless our lives in extraordinary ways!

December 18, 2012

(Tuesday)

Tonight we will take the time to read some more beautiful testimonies of Christ! We hope your testimony of Christ and his gospel has grown during this holiday season.

December 19, 2012

(Wednesday)

Today we are headed for a scavenger hunt and treat at one of the “grandest places in salt lake city. Get ready for fancy! It is also mo and papas wedding anniversary!

December 20, 2012

(Thursday)

Another special day to focus on serving other people! In your morning prayers ask heavenly father if he will guide you to someone who needs your help today. Then get ready to share your experience at dinner!

December 22, 2012

(Saturday)

Get your creative juices flowing...we are going to decorate gingerbread houses! But remember...no eating them until new years day!

December 23, 2012

(Sunday)

Today is the prophet Joseph smiths birthday. Think about the blessings that you have in your life because of this remarkable latter day prophet! Tonight we will watch the joseph smith movie together!

December 24, 2012

(Monday)

Happy Christmas eve!

Tonight we will be preparing to get together with family to celebrate the night our dear savior was born. We will open one special gift before bed. Be thinking about what gift you would like to give jesus this upcoming year and be prepared to write it down and place it in the manger.

December 25, 2012

(Tuesday)

Merry Christmas!

  3. This year we are adding one more new tradition. On 2 of the days in December, our activity for the day is reading special testimonies that have been borne by some of the Savior's witnesses. These will be placed under the dinner plates and read aloud while we eat. Here are the cards we are using:

(Oh, very sad...no images are showing up.  The cards each have a picture of the prophet and then next to the picture is an image of their personal signature. This was taken from the following website Testimonies of the Prophets.)

President Joseph Smith

     

“And this is the gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us—

“That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness;

“That through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him.”

President Brigham Young

  

“I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world; I have obeyed his sayings, and realized his promise, and the knowledge I have of him, the wisdom of this world cannot give, neither can it take away. …

“Our Lord Jesus Christ—the Savior, who has redeemed the world and all things pertaining to it, is the Only Begotten of the Father pertaining to the flesh. … He has tasted death for every man, and has paid the debt contracted by our first parents.”

President John Taylor

   

“Anointed, indeed, with the oil of gladness above His fellows, He struggled with and overcame the powers of men and devils, of earth and hell combined; and aided by this superior power of the Godhead, He vanquished death, hell and the grave, and arose triumphant as the Son of God, the very eternal Father, the Messiah, the Prince of peace, the Redeemer, the Savior of the world; having finished and completed the work pertaining to the atonement, which His Father had given Him to do as the Son of God and the Son of man.”

President Wilford Woodruff

  

“The object of Christ’s mission to the earth was to offer himself as a sacrifice to redeem mankind from eternal death. … He acted strictly in obedience to his Father’s will in all things from the beginning, and drank of the bitter cup given him. Herein is brought to light, glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life, with that charity which is greater than faith or hope, for the Lamb of God has hereby performed that for man which [man] could not accomplish for himself. …

“There is no being that has power to save the souls of men and give them eternal life, except the Lord Jesus Christ, under the command of His Father.”

President Lorenzo Snow

  

“That Being who dwelt in Heaven, who reigned there before the world was, who created the earth, and who, in the meridian of time, came down to perfect and save that which He had created, has appeared to men in this age.

“We testify to the whole world that we know, by divine revelation, even through the manifestations of the Holy Ghost, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that he revealed himself to Joseph Smith as personally as he did to his apostles anciently, after he arose from the tomb, and that he made known unto him [the] heavenly truths by which alone mankind can be saved.”

President Joseph F. Smith

  

“The Holy Spirit of God has spoken to me—not through the ear, not through the eye, but to my spirit, to my living and eternal part,—and has revealed unto me that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. I testify to you that I know that my Redeemer lives. Furthermore, I know that I shall see Him on this earth, and that I shall see Him as He is. … The Lord has revealed this to me. He has filled my whole spirit with this testimony, until there is no room for doubt.”

President Heber J. Grant

  

“To members of the Church throughout the world, and to peace-lovers everywhere, we say, behold in this Man of Galilee not merely a great Teacher, not merely a peerless Leader, but the Prince of Peace, the Author of Salvation, here and now, literally and truly the Savior of the World!

“… Jesus is the Redeemer of the world, the Savior of mankind, who came to the earth with a divinely appointed mission to die for the redemption of mankind. Jesus Christ is literally the Son of God, the Only Begotten in the flesh. He is our Redeemer, and we worship him.”

President George Albert Smith

  

“The Savior died that we might live. He overcame death and the grave and holds out to all who obey His teachings the hope of a glorious resurrection.”

“I have found many in the world who have not known that we believe in the divine mission of our Lord, and I have been led to say upon more than one occasion that there are no people in the world who so well understand the divine mission of Jesus Christ, who so thoroughly believe him to have been the Son of God, who are so sanguine [confident] that at the present time he is enthroned in glory at the right hand of his Father, as the Latter-day Saints.”

President David O. McKay

  

“‘How can we know the way?’ asked Thomas, as he sat with his fellow apostles and their Lord at the table after the supper on the memorable night of betrayal; and Christ’s divine answer was: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. …’ (John 14:5–6.) And so he is! He is the source of our comfort, the inspiration of our life, the author of our salvation. If we want to know our relationship to God, we go to Jesus Christ. If we would know the truth of the immortality of the soul, we have it exemplified in the Savior’s resurrection. …

“… He is the one Perfect Being who ever walked the earth; the sublimest example of nobility; Godlike in nature; perfect in his love; our Redeemer; our Savior; the immaculate Son of our Eternal Father; the Light, the Life, the Way.”

President Joseph Fielding Smith

  

“Salvation is in Christ. It comes because of the infinite and eternal atonement which he wrought by the shedding of his blood. He is the Son of God, and he came into the world to ransom men from the temporal and spiritual death that came because of what we call the fall.

“Through his goodness and grace all men will come forth from the grave, to be judged according to the deeds done in the flesh. …

“I know that he lives, that he rules in the heavens above and in the earth beneath, and that his purposes shall prevail. He is our Lord and our God. As he himself said to Joseph Smith: ‘The Lord is God, and beside him there is no Savior’ (D&C 76:1).”

President Harold B. Lee

 

“After a long night of searching and days of spiritual preparation that followed, I came to know as a witness more powerful than sight, until I could testify with a surety that defied all doubt, that I knew with every fiber of my soul that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, that He lived, He died, He was resurrected, and today He presides in the heavens, directing the affairs of this church, which bears His name because it preaches His doctrine. I bear that testimony humbly and leave you my witness.”

President Spencer W. Kimball

 

“We place [Jesus Christ] on a pedestal as no other group I know of. To us he is not only the Son of God, he is also a God and we are subject to him. …

“No matter how much we say of him, it is still too little.

“He is not only the Carpenter, the Nazarene, the Galilean, but Jesus Christ, the God of this earth, the Son of God, but most importantly, our Savior, our Redeemer. …

“I add my own testimony. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.

“He is my friend, my Savior, my Lord, my God.”

President Ezra Taft Benson

  

“The question is sometimes asked, ‘Are Mormons Christians?’ We declare the divinity of Jesus Christ. We look to Him as the only source of our salvation. We strive to live His teachings, and we look forward to the time that He shall come again on this earth to rule and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In the words of a Book of Mormon prophet, we say to men today, ‘There [is] no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent’ (Mosiah 3:17).”

President Howard W. Hunter

 

“I am grateful … for my affiliation with a people who have a firm conviction that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ; and I bear witness to you that the story of the babe born in the manger at Bethlehem is not a myth of the past, but that Jesus, the Son of God was born of Mary into mortality; that he lived among men; that he died upon the cross and was resurrected; that he actually and truly lives today; and that he is a personal being and is the Savior of the world.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley

  

“I know that I am not the head of this Church. The Lord Jesus Christ is its head. My mission, my chief responsibility, my greatest honor comes in bearing solemn testimony of His living reality. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who condescended to come into this world of misery, struggle, and pain, to touch men’s hearts for good, to teach the way of eternal life, and to give Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. He is ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and He shall reign forever and ever’ (Handel’s Messiah). … I bear solemn witness that He lives and stands on the right hand of His Father.”

President Thomas S. Monson

 

“With all my heart and the fervency of my soul, I lift up my voice in testimony as a special witness and declare that God does live. Jesus is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer; He is our Mediator with the Father. He it was who died on the cross to atone for our sins. He became the firstfruits of the Resurrection. Because He died, all shall live again. ‘Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: “I know that my Redeemer lives!” ’ May the whole world know it and live by that knowledge, I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior, amen.”

 Here is hoping that your Christmas season is very merry and bright!