E-news Nov. 11-17

Hi Sisters,

 

I love November and Thanksgiving because it gives us the chance to focus on the things we are grateful for.

 

Dates to Remember:

Nov. 11: Primary program

Nov. 14: Ward Cannery Assignment in Fountain Valley 5:45-8 p.m.

Nov. 15: Stake Temple Day 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Nov. 22: Thanksgiving

Nov. 29: Relief Society Meeting Night 6:30 p.m.

Visiting Teaching:

This month's message is taken from a conference talk of your choice. You can print read or watch conference here

Relief Society Meeting Night:

Come join us for our annual Christmas program! We'll spoil you with a delicious dinner and beautiful music as we celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season. Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m.

 

Missionaries:

If you would like to feed the missionaries serving in our ward, please contact Lauri Rex at laurirex@yahoo.com or 589-2929.

If you'd like to write to any of the missionaries from our ward, here are there addresses:

Elder Patrick Carlile

Germany Berlin Mission

Zerbster Straffe 42

12209 Berlin

Germany

Hermana Danielle Anderton

Chile Concepcion South Mission

O'Higgins 940, Oficina 503

Concepcion Bio-Bio

Chile

Elder Landon Gold

South Africa, Durban Mission

Suite 4, 2 Derby Place

Derby Downs Office Park

Westville 3630, South Africa

Elder Brendan Hong

Bacolod Philippines Mission

P.O. Box 660

Bacolod City

Philippines

Whether you know them or not, they would love to hear from you!

Members in the Military:

In addition to our missionaries, we have two young adult members of our ward currently serving in the military who could also use your letters and support. Here are their addresses:

LCPL, Ryan, Sean, M.

P.O. Box 349000 #696

Kailua, HI 96734

RCT Joyce, Jessica, M

4th RTBN, PLT 4027 Co, O

P.O. Box 16435

Parris Island, SC 29905-6445

(Jessica has completed boot camp and is home for a few weeks. I will update her address when she goes back out, but make sure to tell her hello while she's here!)

Temple Theme:

One of our goals as a Relief Society Presidency and the focus of our Stake Relief Society Presidency is to get sisters to the temple, so when I found this video of President Monson talking about the purpose and importance of temples, I had to share it. Please watch it when you have a chance!

Lesson Schedule:

Nov. 4: Visiting Teaching Conference

Nov. 11: George A. Smith ch. 21 The Power of Kindness

Nov. 18: George A. Smith ch. 22 Bringing Up Children in Light and Truth

Nov. 25: TFOT Of Regrets and Resolutions by President Uctdorf

Lesson Recap: The Power of Kindness

 

Sister Annette Flint taught our lesson today and even though she was short on time she did a great job sharing this important message with us.

 

The following story told by a grandson of President George Albert Smith is shared in the manual:

“Once on a hot summer day there was some problem happening under the street near Grandfather’s home in Salt Lake City, and some workers from the city had come to fix it. It was hot outdoors, the sun shone fiercely, and the job at hand was a pick-and-shovel kind that made the sweat pour off the men’s faces and backs as they dug into the roadway. The workers were not careful with their language, or maybe their mothers hadn’t taught them any better, but they were swearing and using terrible language. Their words soon became offensive to many of the neighbors whose windows were open to catch any breeze that might help to cool them.

“Someone went out and asked the men to stop their foul talk, and in the process pointed out that Brother Smith lived right there—couldn’t they show some respect and keep quiet, please? With that the men let loose a new string of bad words. Quietly, Grandfather prepared some lemonade and placing some glasses and the pitcher on a tray he carried it out to the struggling men with, ‘My friends, you look so hot and tired. Why don’t you come and sit under my trees here and have a cool drink?’ Their anger gone, the men responded to the kindness with meekness and appreciation. After their pleasant little break they went back to their labor and finished their work carefully and quietly.”

 

President Smith was known for his kindness and we can still follow his example today. He once said of the importance of being kind,  

I feel sad sometimes when I hear the unkind things that are spoken, not only of people in our Church, but of people in the world. Unkind things are not usually said under the inspiration of the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord is a spirit of kindness; it is a spirit of patience; it is a spirit of charity and love and forbearance and long suffering; and there are none of us who do not need all these virtues that are the result of the possession of the Spirit of our Heavenly Father.⁴

Every influence for peace ought to be exercised. Lucifer is exercising every means to destroy the souls of the human family. He is more active than he has ever been and he works in such an insidious way. I will not take time to enumerate the many ways he employs but there is one way in which he operates, and has operated from the beginning of the world, and that is to tempt one individual to destroy the reputation of another by saying unkind things of them.⁵

 

Sister Flint shared with us her opinion that social media has become an outlet for many to spew personal information and hurtful things that they wouldn't share with someone face to face. We should be careful when we use social media that we represent ourselves in a positive way.

 

Part of being kind is not judging others. In Matthew 7:1–4 we read:

 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

“For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

“Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?”

Another quote Sister Flint shared from President Smith states,

Aren’t we rather prone to see the limitations and the weaknesses of our neighbors? Yet that is contrary to the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is a class of people who find fault and criticize always in a destructive way. There is a difference in criticism. If we can criticize constructively under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord, we may change beneficially and properly some of the things that are being done. But if we have the spirit of fault finding, of pointing out the weaknesses and failings of others in a destructive manner, that never comes as a result of the companionship of the Spirit of our Heavenly Father and is always harmful.

One way to be less critical of others is to always look for something to compliment in them. President Smith said,

Many of us live in such an atmosphere that we are almost dumb when it comes to praising somebody else. We seem unable to say the things that we might say … to the blessing of others. Let us look for the virtues of our associates and observing them make them happy by commending them.⁸

In addition, rather than pointing out what someone is doing wrong or criticizing, encourage them with love. As President Smith said,

Let us not complain at our friends and our neighbors, because they do not do what we want them to do. Rather let us love them into doing the things that our Heavenly Father would have them do. We can do that, and we cannot win their confidence or their love in any other way.

 

Sister Flint left us with these final words on kindness from President Smith,

I pray that the love of the gospel of our Lord will burn in our souls and enrich our lives, that it will cause husbands to be kinder to wives, and wives to be kinder to husbands, parents to children, and children to parents because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is a gospel of love and kindness

Thank you for the wonderful lesson, Annette!

 

Brittany Larsen

brittanylarsen73@hotmail.com

Presidency members:

Judie Clark - President judieclark@cox.net

Jalane Hong - 1st Counselor john_jalane@msn.com

Melanie Jacobson - 2nd Counselor melanie53@hotmail.com

Cindy Porter - Secretary cindyporter@cox.net

Relief Society e-news Nov. 4 - 10

Relief Society E-news Nov. 4 - 10 

Hi Sisters,

 

Welcome to November!

Dates to Remember:

Nov. 4: Fast Sunday

Nov. 8: Primary program practice 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 11: Primary program

Nov. 14: Ward Cannery Assignment in Fountain Valley 5:45-8 p.m.

Nov. 15: Stake Temple Day 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Nov. 22: Thanksgiving

Nov. 29: Relief Society Meeting Night 6:30 p.m.

Visiting Teaching:

This month's message is taken from a conference talk of your choice. You can print read or watch conference here

 

Relief Society Meeting Night:

 

Come join us for our annual Christmas program! We'll spoil you with a delicious dinner and beautiful music as we celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season. Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m.

 

Temple Work:

 

Brother Kane read a letter from the First Presidency in Sacrament meeting today reminding us of the importance of doing temple work. If you're looking for an opportunity to heed that call, Cheri Haggard and Tania Robertson will be attending the 8:30 session on Nov. 8 and would love to have you come along! They are hoping to do temple work for Brenda Briney, a sister who died soon after joining the church about a year ago. Contact Cheri at cheri@FamilyHistory123.com if you're interested.

 

Missionaries:

 

If you would like to feed the missionaries serving in our ward, please contact Lauri Rex at laurirex@yahoo.com or 589-2929.

If you'd like to write to any of the missionaries from our ward, here are there addresses:

Elder Patrick Carlile

Germany Berlin Mission

Zerbster Straffe 42

12209 Berlin

Germany

Hermana Danielle Anderton

Chile Concepcion South Mission

O'Higgins 940, Oficina 503

Concepcion Bio-Bio

Chile

Elder Landon Gold

South Africa, Durban Mission

Suite 4, 2 Derby Place

Derby Downs Office Park

Westville 3630, South Africa

Elder Brendan Hong

Bacolod Philippines Mission

P.O. Box 660

Bacolod City

Philippines

Whether you know them or not, they would love to hear from you!

Members in the Military:

In addition to our missionaries, we have two young adult members of our ward currently serving in the military who could also use your letters and support. Here are their addresses:

LCPL, Ryan, Sean, M.

P.O. Box 349000 #696

Kailua, HI 96734

RCT Joyce, Jessica, M

4th RTBN, PLT 4027 Co, O

P.O. Box 16435

Parris Island, SC 29905-6445

(Jessica has completed boot camp and is home for a few weeks. I will update her address when she goes back out, but make sure to tell her hello while she's here!)

Temple Theme:

One of our goals as a Relief Society Presidency and the focus of our Stake Relief Society Presidency is to get sisters to the temple, so when I found this video of President Monson talking about the purpose and importance of temples, I had to share it. Please watch it when you have a chance!

Lesson Schedule:

 

Nov. 4: Visiting Teaching Conference

Nov. 11: George A. Smith ch. 21 The Power of Kindness

Nov. 18: George A. Smith ch. 22 Bringing Up Children in Light and Truth

Nov. 25: TFOT Of Regrets and Resolutions by President Uctdorf

Lesson Recap: Visiting Teaching Conference

 

It was so nice to have nearly all of the sisters in our ward join us for our Visiting Teaching Conference.

 

Sister Clark introduced the theme from our conference which came from Mosiah 18:8-9. "As you are...willing to bear one oanother's burderns, that they may be light; yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort.

Some things we can do to be better visiting teachers are found in Daughters in My Kingdom:

* Pray daily for the sister(s) you visit and her family

* Seek inspiration to know her and her family.

* Visit her regularly to learn how she is doing and to comfort and strengthen her.

* Stay in frequent contact through visits, phone calls, letters, e-mail, text messages, and simple acts of kindness

* Greet her at church meetings.

* Help her when she ahs an emergency, illness, or other urgent need.

* Teach her the gospel from the scriptures and the visiting teaching messages.

* Inspire her by setting a good example.

 

Sister Jacobson talked to us about the divine calling of visiting teaching. You never know how much someone else needs you. Even though you may think you can't do much for the women you visit, there is always something. Sometimes it's not the act of service that is needed but the knowledge that someone is willing to serve. Being willing to serve someone fills their need to feel loved.

Sister Alice Montierith talked to us about our duty to watch over and care for every sister. She also gave us the following guidance: Pray daily for our sisters. Visit regularly. Take time to listen. Greet her at church. Let them know you love and care about them. Most importantly, don't judge them. In the words of Mother Theresa, "If you judge people you have no time to love them." We need to look for the good in our sisters. 

 

Brother Kane from our bishopric also spoke to us, bearing his testimony of the visiting teachers who reached out to his mother during a very difficult time in their family. There efforts didn't keep his family together, but he remembers and appreciates the love they showed to his mother and family.

 

It was so wonderful to be reminded through the words of these sisters and brother and through the musical number by Shaylynn Johnson, Sher Knudsen, Katie Anderson, Brooke Kane of the important role each of us fills as a visiting teacher.

 

Thank you to everyone who participated in our conference!
 

Brittany Larsen

brittanylarsen73@hotmail.com

Presidency members:

Judie Clark - President judieclark@cox.net

Jalane Hong - 1st Counselor john_jalane@msn.com

Melanie Jacobson - 2nd Counselor melanie53@hotmail.com

Cindy Porter - Secretary cindyporter@cox.net

Relief Society E-news Oct. 21 - 27

Hi Sisters,

This month is flying by, but here are some things you shouldn't forget!

Dates to Remember:

Oct. 27: Fall Fun/ Trunk or Treat 5 - 7 p.m.

Nov. 2: Ward Temple Night 6 p.m. Call 644-1820 to make an appointment.

Nov. 4: Fast Sunday
Nov. 11: Primary program
Nov. 22: Thanksgiving

General Conference:

If you didn't get a chance to watch all of conference or you want to see it again, you can read, watch and/or listen to it here.

Fantastic Friday:

Thank you to all who attended our spectacular Fantastic Friday! The food was delicious and the company was even better!

Visiting Teaching:

This month's visiting teaching message is about honoring our covenants. Here's a cute handout to go with it. Don't forget about visiting teaching interviews this week. If you didn't get a chance to sign up, please contact Cindy Porter cindyporter@cox.net to schedule a time. It's important that everyone has an interview so President Clark and her counselors know how the sisters are doing.

Missionary News:

If you would like to feed the missionaries, please contact Lauri Rex at laurirex@yahoo.com or 589-2929.

If you'd like to write to any of the missionaries, here are there addresses:

Elder Patrick Carlile

Germany Berlin Mission

Zerbster Straffe 42

12209 Berlin

Germany

Hermana Danielle Anderton

Chile Concepcion South Mission

O'Higgins 940, Oficina 503

Concepcion Bio-Bio

Chile

Elder Landon Gold

South Africa, Durban Mission

Suite 4, 2 Derby Place

Derby Downs Office Park

Westville 3630, South Africa

Elder Brendan Hong

Bacolod Philippines Mission

P.O. Box 660

Bacolod City

Philippines

Whether you know them or not, they would love to hear from you!

Members in the Military:

In addition to our missionaries, we have two young adult members of our ward currently serving in the military who could also use your letters and support. Here are their addresses:

LCPL, Ryan, Sean, M.

P.O. Box 349000 #696

Kailua, HI 96734

RCT Joyce, Jessica, M

4th RTBN, PLT 4027 Co, O

P.O. Box 16435

Parris Island, SC 29905-6445

(Jessica has completed boot camp and is home for a few weeks. I will update her address when she goes back out, but make sure to tell her hello while she's here!)

Temple Theme:

One of our goals as a Relief Society Presidency and the focus of our Stake Relief Society Presidency is to get sisters to the temple, so when I found this video of President Monson talking about the purpose and importance of temples, I had to share it. Please watch it when you have a chance!

Lesson Schedule:

Oct. 21: George A. Smith Ch. 20 Temporal Salvation

Oct. 28: TFOT: The Merciful Obtain Mercy by President Dieter F. Uctdorf

Nov. 4: Visiting Teaching Conference

Nov. 11: George A. Smith ch. 21 The Power of Kindness

Nov. 18: George A. Smith ch. 22 Bringing Up Children in Light and Truth

 

Lesson Recap: Temporal Salvation for Ourselves and Others

Sister Marroquin gave our lesson on temporal salvation. She started by defining what temporal salvation is with a quote from President Joseph F. Smith, "You must continue to bear in mind that the temporal and spiritual are blended. They are not separate. one cannot be carried on without the other, so long as we are here in mortality..."

The Latter-day Saints believe not only in the gospel of spiritual salvation, but also in the gospel of temporal salvation. We have to look after the cattle,..the gardens and the farms,...and other necessary things for the maintenance of ourselves and our families in the earth...We do not feel that it is possible for men to be really good and faithful Christian people unless they can also be good faithful, honest and industrious people. Therefore, we preach the gospel of industry, the gospel of economy, the gospel of sobriety.

 

The lesson begins with a story from President George A. Smith's time as the Prophet in the years after World War II when President Harry S. Truman asked the church to provide food and supplies to those struggling in Europe. President Smith's reply to the president's question, "When can it be ready?" was "it's all ready, we just need cars and ships."

 

In the manual we read, Almost 15 years earlier, Elder Smith, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, addressed the Relief Society during another time of desperate need—the Great Depression. He taught that helping those in need goes beyond providing temporal assistance; it also requires true kindness and charity:

“There never has been a time, in my judgment, when kindness was needed more than now. These are the days when people’s souls are being tried, and when their hearts are being wrung. These are the days when many are facing hunger and distress even among the Latter-day Saints. …

“… I believe our Heavenly Father is giving us our opportunity for development. … We will discover now whether the love the Savior said should be in our hearts is among us.”. 

 

Many of the quotes from President Smith like this one and others about self-reliance and preparedness apply easily to our times. One example from the manual is the following:

 

We are living in perilous times. The scriptures are being fulfilled, and as it appears to me this is the particular time when, if it were possible, the very elect would be deceived. It is remarkable how easy it is for those who desire to advance their financial interests in the world to find a reason for setting aside the plain teachings of the Lord with reference to our lives. And it is strange to me how many people fall into the habit of listening to those who say things that are contrary to the revealed will of our Heavenly Father. …

… This people have been advised to conserve their energies and their means. We have been taught by those whom the Lord has raised up to instruct us that we should live within our income, that we should not follow the fashions of the world and expend as rapidly and even more rapidly than we can earn the money that comes into our hands, to take care of ourselves and our families.

 

The Lord has directed us to work to earn our own livelihood. In his First Presidency Message from April, 1981, President Marion G. Romney said, "self-reliance implies the individual development of skills and abilities and then their application to provide for one's own needs and wants. It further implies that one will achieve those skills through self-discipline and then, through self-restraint and charity, use those skills to bless himself and others. That the Lord expects all his children of sound mind and body to thus perform in this second estate is made clear in many scriptural passages whose central thought focuses on work--personal, earnest, life-sustaining work."

The philosophy of living within our means needs to be reiterated over and over and is a fundamental part of our belief system. In addition to living within our means, when we, as President Smith said, "are generous with those means than no one need go without."

Sister Marroquin concluded her lesson with the following quote from President Smith:

Let us … look around us in our neighborhood—not leave it to the Bishop and the Relief Society, but let each of us be ministers of loving kindness to those who will need us so much. And whatever we do let us not make those who require assistance feel like paupers. Let us give what we give as though it belonged to them. God has loaned it to us. Sometimes we who have accumulated means [act] as though we think it belongs to us. Everything that we have, our food, our clothing, our shelter, our homes and our opportunities are all given to us as stewards in the Church and kingdom of our Heavenly Father, and if we will … impart of our substance even though it may be but the widow’s mite, we will obtain from him who lives on high the blessings we need in our day here upon the earth, and when the time comes for us to go hence we will find awaiting us the blessing of a loving Father who has appreciated the efforts we have put forth.¹⁶

If we desire to be identified with the kingdom of our Lord, the celestial kingdom, this is our opportunity to prepare,—with love unfeigned, with industry, with thrift, with perseverance, with a desire to do all that is within our power to bless others, to give—not to be always feeling we must receive, but desire to give, for I say to you: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” [Acts 20:35.] The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of giving, not only of our substance but of ourselves, and I thank my Heavenly Father that I belong to such an organization that has been so instructed...

 

Thanks, Tracine, for a great lesson!

 

Brittany Larsen

brittanylarsen73@hotmail.com

Presidency members:

Judie Clark - President judieclark@cox.net

Jalane Hong - 1st Counselor john_jalane@msn.com

Melanie Jacobson - 2nd Counselor melanie53@hotmail.com

Cindy Porter - Secretary cindyporter@cox.net

Relief Society E-news Oct. 14 - 20

 

Relief Society e-news Oct. 14 - 20

Hi Sisters,

This month is flying by, but here are some things you shouldn't forget!

Dates to Remember:

Oct. 19: Fantastic Friday 5 - 9:00 p.m.

Oct. 27: Fall Fun/ Trunk or Treat 5 - 7 p.m.
Nov. 11: Primary program

General Conference:

If you didn't get a chance to watch all of conference or you want to see it again, you can read, watch and/or listen to it here.

Fantastic Friday:

Fantastic Friday is this Friday from 5 - 9 p.m. at the church. Babysitting is available until 7:00, but your children will be brought to you at that time if they are not picked up. Most crafts are free and this a great activity to bring friends to! You view the schedule here. You can also find everything you need to know about it on the official Fantastic Friday Blog.

Relief Society Broadcast:

If you didn't make it to the annual Relief Society Broadcast, click here to watch it.

Visiting Teaching:

This month's visiting teaching message is about honoring our covenants. Here's a cute handout to go with it.

Missionary News:

If you would like to feed the missionaries, please contact Lauri Rex at laurirex@yahoo.com or 589-2929.

If you'd like to write to any of the missionaries, here are there addresses:

Elder Patrick Carlile

Germany Berlin Mission

Zerbster Straffe 42

12209 Berlin

Germany

Hermana Danielle Anderton

Chile Concepcion South Mission

O'Higgins 940, Oficina 503

Concepcion Bio-Bio

Chile

Elder Landon Gold

South Africa, Durban Mission

Suite 4, 2 Derby Place

Derby Downs Office Park

Westville 3630, South Africa

Elder Brendan Hong

Bacolod Philippies Mission

P.O. Box 660

Bacolod City

Philippines

Whether you know them or not, they would love to hear from you!

Members in the Military:

In addition to our missionaries, we have two young adult members of our ward currently serving in the military who could also use your letters and support. Here are their addresses:

LCPL, Ryan, Sean, M.

P.O. Box 349000 #696

Kailua, HI 96734

RCT Joyce, Jessica, M

4th RTBN, PLT 4027 Co, O

P.O. Box 16435

Parris Island, SC 29905-6445

(Jessica has completed boot camp and is home for a few weeks. I will update her address when she goes back out, but make sure to tell her hello while she's here!)

Temple Theme:

One of our goals as a Relief Society Presidency and the focus of our Stake Relief Society Presidency is to get sisters to the temple, so when I found this video of President Monson talking about the purpose and importance of temples, I had to share it. Please watch it when you have a chance!

Lesson Schedule:

 

Oct. 21: George A. Smith Ch. 20 Temporal Salvation

Oct. 28: TFOT: The Merciful Obtain Mercy by President Dieter F. Uctdorf

Lesson Recap: Temporal and Spiritual Blessings from the Word of Wisdom

 

Sister Flint taught our lesson today on the blessings that come from keeping the Word of Wisdom. Sometimes we focus only on the things prohibited by the Word of Wisdom rather than the blessings we receive through obeying it. And even though there are specific things we are advised not to partake of, the Word of Wisdom is a revelation we follow according to our own interpretation and through the discernment of the Holy Ghost. The purpose of it is not to prohibit, but rather to enlighten. Our bodies are unique gifts from our Heavenly Father that house our spirits and when we treat them as the temples they are we show gratitude to the One who created them for us.

 

We read in Doctrine and Covenants 89:3 that the Word of Wisdom is "...given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints.”

 

While many of us could partake of alcohol, tobacco, and/or coffee and tea without becoming addicted, the principle is adapted for the "weakest of the weak." When as a church we committ to living this principle, we shelter our brothers and sisters--those weakest of the weak--among us who could become addicted. When we all give up these addictive substances we lift each other up and out of harm's way.

 

President Smith said of this principle, "I look upon the Word of Wisdom as kind advice of our Father in heaven, who desires to see His children become more like Him. … I take it as the fatherly counsel of one who, knowing what I needed, said to me: “My son, these things are not good for you, and if you will avoid them I will give you the companionship of my Holy Spirit and joy while you live in the world and in the end eternal life.” How foolish I would be then to partake of these forbidden things, having the assurance that it is the counsel of the Lord I should abstain therefrom. I would feel under condemnation if I should partake of them, when He who knows better than anybody else says that they are harmful, and has warned me against them. …

… He thought it of enough importance to give it unto us, and to warn us, and if He who knows all things thought it necessary to give advice and counsel upon these temporal matters, how carefully we, who know not what the morrow has in store for us, should observe that divine counsel. I feel that the Latter-day Saints have in the Word of Wisdom a law that will exalt them and lift them above those who fail to keep it.^"

The promises associated with keeping the Word of Wisdom are found in  D&C 89:18-21.

We observe that compliance with the laws of health produces mental and physical strength, and we discover that through disobedience thereto, mental and physical deterioration follows. It is our Creator, the Father of our spirits, who gave us opportunity to dwell upon this earth, who has said that certain things referred to in that revelation are not good for us. He has made us valuable promises, if we will obey this law,—promises of wisdom, of health and strength, and that the destroying angel shall pass us by and not hurt us, as he did the children of Israel
President Smith warned of some of the spirtual consequences of not living the Word of Wisdom, stating, "I firmly believe that by reason of neglect of this simple requirement, faith has diminished in the hearts of some of our people—that, by a more general observance of the Word of Wisdom, faith will be increased among the Latter-day Saints, and greater knowledge will flow to us as a result; for by obedience to it, there will come a disposition to obey other laws of our Father, and compliance with each insures a blessing."

 

President Smith also talked about the blessings of living the Word of Wisdome,saying, "We are told that the glory of God is intelligence [see D&C 93:36], and we all admire intelligent men and women, therefore it should be our desire to lay the foundation for increased mental power and not do anything to weaken it. It is evident in the lives of some that they deprive themselves of the brain power they might enjoy, by the continued use of things our Heavenly Father has said are not good; they become less intelligent as a result, and fail to make the preparation for Eternal life that should be their ambition.^"

President Smith's concluding quote in the manual is an admonition to parents to teach their children the Word of Wisdom.

"Let me say to you that the best evidence of our faith in that law, that we believe it came from God, is a consistent observance of it in our lives. We may preach it all day long, but if we transgress it in practice, our example may be disastrous to those we love better than life, for they will feel that they can safely follow where we lead.¹⁶

Let me plead with you, search the Word of Wisdom prayerfully. Do not just read it; search it prayerfully. Discover what our Heavenly Father gave it for. He gave it to us with a promise of longer life and happiness, not if we fail to observe it, but if we observe it. Read the Word of Wisdom in the presence of your families and set the example. If we will do that Zion will continue to grow. If we will do that the Church of the Lamb of God will continue to become a power for good in the world.^"

 

Thank you Annette for reminding us about the importance of living this principle!

 

Have a great week!
 

Brittany Larsen

brittanylarsen73@hotmail.com

Presidency members:

Judie Clark - President judieclark@cox.net

Jalane Hong - 1st Counselor john_jalane@msn.com

Melanie Jacobson - 2nd Counselor melanie53@hotmail.com

Cindy Porter - Secretary cindyporter@cox.net