Highlands Summer Bash! You’re invited to join in the fun this Saturday, Aug 26 at 5:00pm for our annual Highlands Community Summer Bash.  We’ll be serving hamburgers and hotdogs. Please bring your friends, neighbors, and a side dish if you’d like.

Spotlight on Shannon Bell. Shannon lives on Wasatch Drive with his dog Tasha. He was born in Utah, but was raised in Arizona, California, and Colorado.  During High School, he spent time as an avid bicycler and reader. A high school friend invited him to participate in his non-denominational church youth group where he enjoyed hiking, caving, and hanging out with friends. He also enjoyed the YMCA. After high school Shannon joined the Air Force Reserves.  He spent several years overseas in the Netherlands and Turkey where he toured around on his bike, including going to Germany.  It was a great adventure that he really enjoyed. Afterwards Shannon lived in Michigan and came to visit his parents, Ron and Gloria, who had moved to Mountain Green. He was so impressed with the beauty of this area that he decided to move to Utah and got a full-time job in the Reserves at Hill Air Force Base.  He moved in with his parents here in the Highlands to help his mom take care of his aging father.  Shannon’s father passed away in 2019 and his mother in 2021. He loves living in Mountain Green. When asked about life’s most important lessons he said, “My grandma was a tough lady who taught me to ‘Do unto others as I would have them do unto me.’  Treating others with respect and honesty are two of the most important values.” We’re glad to have Shannon and his beautiful dog Tasha in the neighborhood.

Learning Together. Deven Browning will lead a discussion this Sunday on Elder Soares talk entitled, “Followers of the Prince of Peace.”  We’ll learn how to develop attributes like the Savior’s, and become instruments of peace in the world.

Save the Date.

Aug 22: First day of School

Aug 26: Annual Highlands Summer Bash at Kent Smith Park

Sept 4: Labor Day

Sept 9: Patriotic Breakfast and Kid’s Bike Parade at the Bowery

Sept 10: Stake Conference

Sept 30 & Oct 1: General Conference

Music & the Spoken Word. Click for this week’s favorite song: Peace Like a River.

Standing behind me in newly refurbished glory after almost five years of reconstruction, polishing, and paint is the British icon known as Big Ben. It stands prominently on the north end of the Houses of Parliament, on the edge of the River Thames. To be precise, Big Ben is actually the name of the largest of the tower’s five bells. The tower itself is officially titled Elizabeth Tower, after Her Majesty the Queen, and the clock is named the Clock of Westminster. But to many people here in London and around the world, the bells, tower, and clock together are known simply as Big Ben. Much has happened during Big Ben’s lifetime. Motor cars have replaced  horses and carriages, electricity has replaced gas streetlights, and the Tube—London’s underground rapid transit system—was built below where this famous timekeeper stands. Since 1859, with only a few interruptions, the reliable chimes of Big Ben have helped Londoners mark the passage of time. But at a pivotal moment in British history, Big Ben’s chimes marked something more important than simply the start of another hour. During World War II, when England was subjected to nightly air raids, a British major had the idea of inviting citizens to unite in a regular moment of silence—a time to pause and pray for peace. The idea was embraced by King George VI, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and millions of people in and out of the United Kingdom, regardless of their faith tradition. Each day at 9:00 p.m., Big Ben’s familiar bell tolled on British radio, signaling to listeners the nightly beginning of what came to be called the “Silent Minute.” It might be said that Big Ben was helping the people mark, in Churchill’s words, “their finest hour.” World War II, of course, has ended. But the need for peace in our lives has not. And while we can’t stop time from ticking away, perhaps we can stop ourselves occasionally. Maybe we can pause and take some time—if only a minute—to pray and ponder and hope for peace. Our own silent minute could be just what we need to renew our intent to pursue peace of mind, peace of conscience, peace in our relationships, and peace in the world around us.

Blast from the Past: Guess who?  (Answer: Derrick Helsten)