Janene Baadsgaard Temple Square Performance

I had so much fun performing at Temple Square this week.
I love the New Horizon's Orchestra.

Great Week For John and Alisa

John and Alisa Baadsgaard 

Alisa was just selected as student of the month at Diamond Fork Junior High. This award is for academic achievement and citizenship performance.
Way to go Alisa!

John was informed that he has been selected from Maple Mountain High School to be featured in "Utah Valley Magazine" as the senior most likely to change the world. Each high school in Utah Valley selects one senior for this honor. He will be featured with a picture and information about him in the magazine.
Way to go John!

Mission Call Came Today!

My son John Michael Baadsgaard just received his mission call to the Copenhagen Denmark mission.

He is so happy to return to the land of his ancestors and deliver the good news about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Baadsgaard is a Danish name. John will learn to speak Danish. 

John will leave this summer and serve for two years. 

John earned all the money to pay for his own mission working construction and teaching piano lessons. This is how John expressed his feelings:

"I can't express how excited I feel to have received my mission call today. I have spent my entire life looking forward to these two years, and have always wondered where I would be spending them. Today I found out.

I have been assigned to labor as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Copenhagen, Denmark. I will be speaking the Danish language. I report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on July 29, 2015.

I can't accurately express to you my feelings, but I can testify to you that I know I am going to right place. I know that Jesus Christ is my savior, and I am more than excited to get to share his gospel for two years."

Tessa

 and 

the 

White Buffalo

By

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy fourth birthday Tessa dear. 

I love you so.

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Tessa. She wanted a pet buffalo more than anything.

When she asked her parents to buy her one, they said, “Oh Tessa, how about a kitten or a puppy?”

But Tessa didn’t change her mind. She talked about buffalos. She dreamed about buffalo. Tessa drew pictures of buffalos until they filled the entire space on her bedroom walls.

“Can I have a white buffalo - please,” Tessa said to her parents at supper.

“We do not live on the wide open plains,” her father said. “Buffalos need to roam.”

“We could move to the wide open plains,” Tessa answered.

“Buffalos like to eat lots of food,” her mother said. We only have a small refrigerator.”

“We could buy a bigger refrigerator,” Tessa answered.

“One pet buffalo would get lonely,” Tessa’s father said.

“We could get a whole family of buffalos,” Tessa answered.

Tessa’s mother and father shook their heads and said, “Sorry Tessa - no.”

One day Tessa’s Grandma and her Aunt Alisa came to visit. Tessa talked about buffalos. Grandma and Alisa listened and listened.

Then Grandma said, “Tessa, now it is your turn to listen. When I was a little girl I went to a Native American village. The elders in the village told me about the legend of the white buffalo. Did you know that the white buffalo is a symbol of abundance? Abundance means our life is not just about struggling and surviving. God’s love is all around us. We are all connected. God supplies all our needs. Did you know that the birth of a white buffalo signifies the renewal of the relationship God has with the people of the earth? The white buffalo ties all of us to the sacredness of life. Some even see the white buffalo as a symbol of the second coming of Christ – God’s greatest gift to us.”

“Well,” her Aunt Alisa said, “Tessa, your mom and dad gave me a pattern for a stuffed animal for my birthday. I think I might share my abundance with you on your birthday.”

Tessa waited and waited. Finally her birthday came. Her grandma and grandpa and Aunt Alisa came over to give her a present.

 “The gift that was given to me is now my gift to you,” Alisa said.

Then Aunt Alisa gave Tessa a large stuffed white buffalo.

When Tessa fell asleep, her buffalo was at her side. That night she dreamed of a beautiful woman dressed in white robes.

“Everything is connected,” the beautiful woman said. “Pray and follow your path to discover the love of God. Then you will find peace of mind and spirit.”

When Tessa woke, she looked at the white buffalo and smiled.

“Someday I will be the beautiful woman dressed in white and I will guide others on their path back to God’s love,” Tessa said.

Then Tessa looked out the window and saw white clouds in the east as the sun rose over the mountains casting a warm glow over the earth.

"Everything is connected," Tessa whispered. "God's love and abundance is all around me and inside me forever."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILY

Lily

by

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy third birthday my precious little Lily. What joy you bring to my heart.

First came the light

Caleb was born

Consider the lilies - how they grow

Solomon in all his glory

not arrayed like one of these.

Then came loss

Caleb’s death

White lilies

Resting on his grave

White angel

Soaring heavenward

Your Father knoweth

ye have need

Fear not

Heaven’s light

Dressed in white

Lily took Caleb’s hand

“I’m so glad you are home.

Your death there is like birth here.

Now it is my turn to leave

Is birth there like death here?”

Then came the light

Lily was born

Consider the lilies – how they grow

Stone rolled away

Resurrection

In the garden

Where each red drop fell

A lily grew

God’s promises

never forgotten

Happy Birthday Emma

When You Are Seven

by

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy 7th Birthday my Emma dear. I love you so.

When you are seven

You can’t be eleven

For seven is less

You can probably guess

That seven is grand

If you can . .  .

Handle teeth falling out

Arms and legs that sprout

Adding and subtracting

While you feel the urge to sing

And at the most unlikely times

You just feel sublime

And dancing, that comes next

You twirl your very best

And when you’re with your grandma

You can just be la-de-daw

For seven is really a piece of heaven

If you are my Emma-bam-bevan

Christmas At The Baadsgaard House 2014

Happy 15th Birthday Josh

January 24, 2015

Dear Josh,

            Happy birthday! I sure love being your grandma. I’ll never forget the day you were born. I just had Alisa and was still in the hospital. I wanted to be there when you were born even though the nurses told me to stay in bed because I just had a C-section.

I said, “I’m going.”

And I went. I’ll never forget the feeling I had when I saw you for the first time. You were my very first grandchild and I was overcome with the miracle of you and the love I had for you and your parents. I knew the miracle of love I felt for my family would go on forever.

            It has been so much fun to watch you and Alisa grow up together. You’ve been good buddies.  I was so excited when you moved to Spanish Fork because that meant I could see you more often. Thank you so much for coming over to visit me almost every week. I love to see you coming through my front door.

            You are becoming such an awesome young man. I am so proud of you and the way you are always serving others as you perform your priesthood duties. I notice how you always study and do well in school. I’ve also noticed how kind you are to the children around you. All your cousins know they can trust you to treat them with kindness and respect.

            I really love you Josh. It has brought me so much joy to watch you grow up. Thank you for being so good to your brothers and your mom and dad. Because you are the oldest, your younger brothers really look up to you and want to be like you.

It won’t be long until you and Alisa are in Maple Mountain High School. Just remember that I am just a block away; so if you need something just call me and I can be there in a minute or two.

            Josh thank you for always being so nice to your Grandma Baadsgaard. I love hearing what you to say about lots of things because you read a lot and study and you have lots of good ideas and information. I’m glad that you like to think for yourself.

Sometimes when I see you I like to envision your brother Caleb at your side. I think of you two as a righteous team like your namesakes from the Bible going into the Promised Land. Remember that Caleb is there for you and you can talk to him any time you want to.

No matter where you go or what you do -  always remember that your Grandma Baadsgaard thinks you are amazing and that I will always love you forever.  Someday when you have a grandson that brings you as much joy as you have brought to me, then you know how I feel about you.

            Thank you for always leading out and being such a good example for all your 25 nieces and nephews. You have an important place in this family that only you can fill.

God bless you Josh with all the desires of your heart.

I love you with all my heart,

Grandma Baadsgaarad

Happy Birthday Isabella

IZZY-THE SOFT GREY MONKEY

by

Grandma Baadsgaard

I love you Izzy. I hope you like this poem I wrote just for you.

Izzy is a soft grey monkey

Who lives up in the trees

And if you want some excitement

Just whistle if you please

For Izzy likes to dance and play

And swing from limb to limb

She smiles your way if you say

Monkeys don’t have to be prim

While some monkeys like bananas

Izzy would rather eat pie

So if you bring her a yellow bunch

Izzy rolls her eyes and sighs

Izzy likes to give big hugs

And lots of snuggles too

So if you’re ever sad or lonely

Just ask for one or two

 For monkeys have lots of energy

They simply can’t sit still

But if you need a pick-me-up

Izzy’s love is for real

If you’re looking for a boring monkey

who is quiet and holds still all day

You better look somewhere else

For Izzy’s here to stay

Baptism Letter From Grandma

Dear Isabella,

Happy Birthday! I’m so excited that you are turning eight years old this year because that means that you are old enough to choose to be baptized. I’m so happy you have made that choice.

I remember when I was baptized. I was baptized on my eight-year-old birthday on a Saturday night in a little white church across the street from my house in Union, Utah. My congregation had all the children being baptized sit on small wooden chairs and talked to us for a while. I don’t remember what they said, but I do remember what I felt.

I felt excited and a little scared before I was baptized. When I was baptized, the water was warm and I felt clean. After I was baptized and put my dry clothes back on, I walked out of the church into the cold January winter air. I remember looking up and seeing lacy white flakes of snow falling all around me. Even though it was cold outside, I felt warm inside. I knew God loved me and was pleased I wanted to come home to heaven someday.

I also knew that Jesus was my best friend and that if I tried to live like Him that I would be happy. When I was your age, they waited until Sunday to confirm me at church and give me the gift of the Holy Ghost. I felt protected when the men with the priesthood made a circle around me and put their hands on my head as my father confirmed me.

What I didn't know was that the man I was going to marry someday was being baptized on the very same day, January 6^th (my birthday) in a little town called Spanish Fork, Utah. He was a little scared and excited too. Because we both wanted to be like Jesus, we found each other many years later. We recognized that we had the same dreams and plans for life.

           When he got back from him mission to Samoa, we were married in the SLC temple and made special promises to God. We were sealed for time and eternity. Pretty soon your dad was born. Then he grew up and married your mommy in the temple and then pretty soon, you were born, adopted and sealed to them.

Being baptized was the beginning of everything wonderful in my life. Being baptized is such a special time because we are able to participate in our first saving ordinance and make our Heavenly Father our first official promise. You are a daughter of God, Isabella, and your Heavenly parents love you very much. They want you to be happy so they have made a plan of happiness for you to follow so you can return to them someday. 

Up until now, you have been a child who is learning, growing and maturing. You have made some mistakes; everybody makes mistakes. That is how we learn and grow. Now that you are eight, God thinks you are wise enough to know the difference between right and wrong choices. Heavenly Father knows that some of the choices we make will not be wise. Because He loves us, He wants us to know how to change so we will not be trapped by our mistakes and bad choices. So He invites us to make a promise to Him and then He makes a promise right back to us. When we make a special promise to God and He makes one right back to us, it is called a covenant. Heavenly Father never breaks a promise.

The promise you make to God is that you will remember Jesus, follow Him and keep His commandments. Heavenly Father promises you that He will forgive you if you make a mistake or do something that you know is wrong if you feel sorry and repent. He also promises you eternal life. He also gives you the gift of the Holy Ghost to help, guide, protect, warn and comfort you.

When you choose to be baptized you tell Heavenly Father that:

*You want to be a follower of Jesus Christ

*You will serve your fellowmen

*You will stand as a witness of God all the time

*You will obey the commandments of God

          God promises you that:

  *You are accepted as a member of Christ’s church

   *You can be forgiven of your sin if you repent

   *You can have the gift of the Holy Ghost

   *You can live in the kingdom of God

          Everybody makes mistakes after they are baptized so Heavenly Father gave us the sacrament every week on Sunday. That is when we remember the covenant we made when we were baptized. We think about our week and decide how to be better during the coming week. We think about our Savior Jesus Christ and how He atoned for all our sins, pains, disappointment and grief. We also think about Christ’s resurrection and that we can be resurrected too someday.

I hope you will write about how you feel in your journal when you are baptized. Never forget that you are a child of God and that you can inherit the eternal life God has planned for you. And never forget that your grandma loves you with all her heart.

Love,  Grandma Baadsgaard.    

I NEED YOUR HELP

I NEED YOUR HELP

I have been asked by the LDS church to write a history of the Payson Temple from 2010-2015. I only have a few months to complete this book. It will be a nice hard back book that will be placed in the cornerstone box at the temple and up at the church history department in SLC. This book will not be bought and sold - it will be the official history for the church.

I need stories/experiences/photos from all of you on:
when you heard the announcement about the temple and how you felt
personal experiences at the groundbreaking
temple site history or personal experiences
personal experiences watching angel Moroni being placed/lights go on
personal stories from neighbors who have watched the temple going up
personal stories from construction workers, artists, designers, etc (anyone who has worked on the temple in any way)
any information about general authorities with local ties to the area any church unit/community involvement personal experiences.

Then as the dedication nears I'll need your personal stories/photos about:
open house experiences
cultural celebration experiences
dedication experiences
your first visit to the temple when opened.

I will not be able to do a good job on this assignment without your help. Your story is of great worth to me and the history of this wonderful temple about to be opened on our area. Please get the word out for me.
Send your stories/photos to: janenebaadsgaard@q.com
If you have any questions please call me at:
801-798-8295

If you want to read a newspaper article about this history book click here.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BAADSGAARD FAMILY

MY CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

MY CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

I pulled out a halo and a set of wings from our dress-up box on Christmas Eve and handed them to my son-in-law Dallan. While he dressed his fragile son for his part in our annual family Christmas Eve pageant, I helped Mary, Joseph, several shepherds and three wise men find bathroom towels and turbans.

When everyone was ready and waiting in the kitchen for their entrance, I opened the Bible and began reading the nativity story. Joseph and Mary entered on cue and soon the shepherds found their way into the living room with staffs in hand.

When the moment arrived for my grandson to recite his part in the nativity play, Dallan stood. He thrust Caleb high in the air, inches from the ceiling. We all looked up and waited for Caleb’s angelic lines.

What happened next is impossible to describe. A low rich male voice recited the familiar words from the Bible. Though my physical brain told me I was hearing Dallan’s voice, my spirit told me Caleb was speaking. I glanced up in silence.

"Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord,"

I gasped.

Because he was missing his brain, Caleb had never been able to speak a word to any of us . . . but somehow that night, through his father, Caleb spoke to me that Christmas Eve. And may he speak to you . . .

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

LDS BAPTISM LETTER FROM GRANDMA

Dear Mitchell,

Happy Birthday! I’m so excited that you are turning eight years old this year because that means that you are old enough to choose to be baptized. I’m so happy you have made that choice.

I remember when I was baptized. I was baptized on my eight-year-old birthday on a Saturday night in a little white church across the street from my house in Union, Utah. My congregation had all the children being baptized sit on small wooden chairs and talked to us for a while. I don’t remember what they said, but I do remember what I felt.

I felt excited and a little scared before I was baptized. When I was baptized, the water was warm and I felt clean. After I was baptized and put my dry clothes back on, I walked out of the church into the cold January winter air. I remember looking up and seeing lacy white flakes of snow falling all around me. Even though it was cold outside, I felt warm inside. I knew God loved me and was pleased I wanted to come home to heaven someday.

I also knew that Jesus was my best friend and that if I tried to live like Him that I would be happy. When I was your age, they waited until Sunday to confirm me at church and give me the gift of the Holy Ghost. I felt protected when the men with the priesthood made a circle around me and put their hands on my head as my father confirmed me.

What I didn't know was that the man I was going to marry someday was being baptized on the very same day, January 6^th (my birthday) in a little town called Spanish Fork, Utah. He was a little scared and excited too. Because we both wanted to be like Jesus, we found each other many years later. We recognized that we had the same dreams and plans for life.

When he got back from him mission to Samoa, we got married in the Salt Lake City temple and made some new special promises to God when we were sealed for time and eternity. Then pretty soon your mommy was born. Then she grew up and married your daddy in the temple and then pretty soon, you were born.

Being baptized was the beginning of everything wonderful in my life. Being baptized is such a special time because we are able to participate in our first saving ordinance and make our Heavenly Father our first official promise. You are a son of God, Mitchell, and your Heavenly parents love you very much. They want you to be happy so they have made a plan of happiness for you to follow so you can return to them someday. 

Up until now, you have been a child who is learning, growing and maturing. You have made some mistakes; everybody makes mistakes. That is how we learn and grow. Now that you are eight, God thinks you are wise enough to know the difference between right and wrong choices. Heavenly Father knows that some of the choices we make will not be wise. Because He loves us, He wants us to know how to change so we will not be trapped by our mistakes and bad choices. So He invites us to make a promise to Him and then He makes a promise right back to us. When we make a special promise to God and He makes one right back to us, it is called a covenant. Heavenly Father never breaks a promise.

The promise you make to God is that you will remember Jesus, follow Him and keep His commandments. Heavenly Father promises you that He will forgive you if you make a mistake or do something that you know is wrong if you feel sorry and repent. He also promises you eternal life. He also gives you the gift of the Holy Ghost to help, guide, protect, warn and comfort you.

When you choose to be baptized you tell Heavenly Father that:

*You take on the name of Jesus Christ

*You will serve your fellowmen

*You will stand as a witness of God all the time

*You will obey the commandments of God

          God promises you that:

  *You are accepted as a member of Christ’s church

   *You can be forgiven of sin if you repent

   *You can have the gift of the Holy Ghost

   *You can live in the kingdom of God

          Everybody makes mistakes after they are baptized so Heavenly Father gave us the sacrament every week on Sunday. That is when we remember the covenant we made when we were baptized. We think about our week and decide how to be better during the coming week. We think about our Savior Jesus Christ and how He atoned for all our sins, pains, disappointment and grief. We also think about Christ’s resurrection and that we can be resurrected too someday.

          I hope you will write about how you feel in your journal when you are baptized. Never forget that you are a child of God and that you can inherit the eternal life God has planned for you. And never forget that your grandma loves you with all her heart.

          Love,  Grandma Baadsgaard.    

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