Relief Society e-news Mar. 25 - 31

Hi Sisters,
I'm so excited about General Conference next weekend. Check your cable listings to see what channel it will be on. It will air at 9 a.m. and  1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Priesthood session will be shown at the Stake Center at 5p.m. Please encourage your husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, home teachers, and/or any male over the age of 12 to attend!

If you have a hard time getting your kids or teens to watch conference, go here for fun conference activities that will help keep them interested. My kids have loved watching conference since I started using them. (Bribing them with candy and letting them do "church" in their p.j.'s also helps).

Dates to Remember:

March 29 - Solar oven demonstration 10 am at Peggy Nelson's in the Santa Margarita Ward. Please contact her at 949-459-1911 or peggymnelson@hotmail.com to RSVP and for directions.
Mar. 31 & Ap. 1 - General Conference.
April 8 - Easter. The church has released new videos about the Savior's life you can find here.

Monthly Demo Class:

We will be offering demos monthly that can help strengthen our families and homes. Here is the schedule for the next few months. The times and dates change depending on the teacher, so take note of when demos are offered.

April- Learning CPR- with Ashley Sturm- time and date TBD

April 24^th- Food Nanny- 7:30pm with Geralene Beckett (at her home)

May 3- California Rolls- with Jane Boihem- 11am at Geralene Beckett’s home

May- Food Dehydration with Elaine Gold- Date and Time TBD

If you have a skill you would like to learn or a skill you would be willing to offer, please contact Katie Anderson or Geralene Beckett and we will get it on the schedule for the second half of the year. If you would like a copy of these dates to print out, you can find it here.

Visiting Teaching:

This is the last week of the month, so if you haven't visited your sisters yet, please do.Here is the lesson for March. You can go here for a cute handout too. Be sure to report to your supervisor before April 2.

Primary Presidency Message:
As you may know, we in the Primary have made a concerted effort to safeguard the children during Primary. We are mindful of the fact that our building is open and that there are many people throughout the building, especially on Sundays. We have noticed that sometimes children are using the bathroom alone during Sacrament meeting. We would like to encourage parents to reinforce the steps we have taken in Primary so that the same safety message is consistent while they are in the church building. These steps include: in the case of older children to use the buddy system, or in the case of younger children, to have an adult accompany the children to the restroom, to get a drink of water, etc. We are grateful for your children and want to ensure both their physical and spiritual safety.

Alison Bennett

Eileen Stidham

Dawn Curry

Ronnetta Johnson

Missionary News:

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

Don't forget to keep not only the elders serving in our ward in your prayers, but also the elders serving from our ward. Patrick Carlisle is in the Berlin, Germany mission and Landon Gold is serving in Durban, South Africa.

Also, our own Ash Coleman will be returning from the New York City, New York mission on April 12!  We can't wait to hear all about her experiences and how her testimony has grown.

Lesson Schedule:

Mar. 25: TFOT, President Henry B. Eyring's talk A Witness.

April 1: General Conference- no meetings
April 8: George A. Smith chapter 7, The Immortality of the Soul

Lesson Recap: A Witness by Henry B. Eyring

Sister Shellie Griffith taught us today from President Eyring's October conference talk, A Witness. In this talk, President Eyring pointed out the three things we promise at baptism:

First, we promised to become charitable. Second, we promised to become witnesses of God. And third, we promised to endure. The Book of Mormon is the best guide to learn how well we are doing and how to do better.

Sister Griffith led us through each of these promises, pointing out examples from President Eyring's talk and the Book of Mormon itself.
1. Become charitable. President Eyring said the following about keeping this baptismal promise:

"It was King Benjamin who said to his people, 'Learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are … in the service of your God.' 'And it was Mormon who taught in his words in the Book of Mormon, “Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.' The Lord is keeping His promise to you as you keep yours. As you serve others for Him, He lets you feel His love. And in time, feelings of charity become part of your very nature. And you will receive the assurance of Mormon in your heart as you persist in serving others in life that all will be well with you."
2.  Become Witnesses of God
This promise is part of the YW motto that many of us memorized as teen-agers or as we've worked in the Young Women's program. It's important for us to not forget it.  We also can look to prophets from the Book of Mormon for examples of how to stand as witnesses.

Nephi stood as a witness even as his family rejected him because of it.
Abinidi stood before King Noah and was burned to death for his witness.
The sons of Mosiah fought against the church but after their conversion, preached to the Lamanites for fourteen years at great risk to their own lives.

Sister Johansson shared the story of how she stood as a witness for her grandsons. She took them to church so they would have the gospel in their lives and through her efforts they eventually decided to serve missions.

President Eyring said, ...the effect of the Book of Mormon on your character, power, and courage to be a witness for God is certain. The doctrine and the valiant examples in that book will lift, guide, and embolden you.

3. Endure to the End

Of enduring to the end, President Eyring gives us the example of Moroni saying, You can take courage as I do from the example of endurance given us by Moroni. He was alone in his ministry. He knew the end of life was near for him. And yet listen to what he wrote for the sake of people not yet born and the descendants of his mortal enemies: “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ.”⁷

Sister Griffith asked Jennifer Knerr to share her conversion story with us. Sister Knerr was introduced to the church one day when she saw a neighbor painting. This neighbor told her she was doing the work for her church. She then invited her and her children to the activities. Sister Knerr joined the church, but for many years was the only member in her family until her son was recently baptized. Although it's been difficult for her, the blessings that have come from her membership are worth the sacrifices.

President Monson said in last night's General Young Women's Conference that to endure means "continuing  with courage."

Sister Griffith concluded her lesson her testimony of the Book of Mormon and the following quote from President Eyring:

Prayerful study of the Book of Mormon will build faith in God the Father, in His Beloved Son, and in His gospel. It will build your faith in God’s prophets, ancient and modern.

It can draw you closer to God than any other book.

Thank you Shellie for your wonderful lesson. I hope we will take her message and that of President Eyring into our hearts and make the study of the Book of Mormon a priority in our lives.

Have a great week and enjoy conference!

Brittany Larsen

brittanylarsen73@hotmail.com



Presidency members:

Geralene Beckett - Presidentbeckettbunch@cox.net

Diane Smith - 1st Counselordianebsmith.smith5@gmail.com

Katie Anderson - 2nd Counselorkatiewoodanderson@gmail.com

Shannon Lo - Secretaryfoxymomsml@cox.net

Relief Society E-news March 18 - 24

Hi Sisters!

Is it March that comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb? It seems to be this year! Hope you are enjoying the rain while it lasts, though. Our flip flop weather will be back soon enough.

Dates to Remember:
March 20 - Girls Night Out! Come join us for a fun activity at 7 pm in the cultural hall. Babysitting will be provided.
March 23 - Demo days. See below for the fun activities we have planned.
March 24 - Stake Cooking Class: Fabulous Meals for Today's Busy Families. 9:30 am at the Stake Center. See the attachment to the email for more info or look for an email from Debra Rice
March 24 - General Young Women Meeting 5:00 pm at the Stake Center
March 29 - Solar oven demonstration 10 am at Peggy Nelson's in the Santa Margarita Ward. Please contact her at 949-459-1911 or peggymnelson@hotmail.com to RSVP and for directions.
Mar. 31 & Ap. 1 - General Conference
April 8 - Easter. The church has released new videos about the Savior's life you can find here.

Monthly Demo Class:

We will be offering demos monthly that can help strengthen our families and homes. Here is the schedule for the next few months. The times and dates change depending on the teacher, so take note of when demos are offered.

 

March 23^rd - Haircutting- 4pm with Geralene Beckett (at her home)

April- Making wheat bread- with Eileen Stidham- time and date TBD

April- Learning CPR- with Ashley Sturm- time and date TBD

April 24^th- Food Nanny- 7:30pm with Geralene Beckett (at her home)

May 3- California Rolls- with Jane Boihem- 11am at Geralene Beckett’s home

May- Food Dehydration with Elaine Gold- Date and Time TBD

If you have a skill you would like to learn or a skill you would be willing to offer, please contact Katie Anderson or Geralene Beckett and we will get it on the schedule for the second half of the year. If you would like a copy of these dates to print out, you can find it here.

Visiting Teaching:

Here is the lesson for March. You can go here for a cute handout too.

Primary Presidency Message:

As you may know, we in the Primary have made a concerted effort to safeguard the children during Primary. We are mindful of the fact that our building is open and that there are many people throughout the building, especially on Sundays. We have noticed that sometimes children are using the bathroom alone during Sacrament meeting. We would like to encourage parents to reinforce the steps we have taken in Primary so that the same safety message is consistent while they are in the church building. These steps include: in the case of older children to use the buddy system, or in the case of younger children, to have an adult accompany the children to the restroom, to get a drink of water, etc. We are grateful for your children and want to ensure both their physical and spiritual safety.

Alison Bennett

Eileen Stidham

Dawn Curry

Ronnetta Johnson

Lesson Schedule:

 

Mar. 18: George A. Smith chapter 6, Sustaining Those Whom the Lord Sustains

Mar. 25: TFOT, President Henry B. Eyring's talk A Witness.

April 1: General Conference- no meetings

Lesson Recap: Sustaining Those Whom the Lord Sustains

 

Sister Marroquin taught our lesson today and started by challenging us to think about how we can apply the things learned from this lesson. How can we sustain our prophet, apostles, stake presidency, bishopric, Relief Society presidency, and other leaders?

After he was called to be President of the church, George Albert Smith said, “I thank you for the confidence that has been manifested, my brothers and sisters, in hoping that I may succeed, and promising as some of you have, that you will help me to succeed, because I am only a man, one of the humblest among you, but I have been called to this service—and I would not be here if I did not know I had been called—by the authority of our Heavenly Father.”.

To sustain means to support. One way we can be supportive of our leaders is to recognize they are imperfect men and women working to do what the Lord asks. We may not always agree with or like what they do, but we can still recognize they are trying to do their best.

President Smith went on to say, “I will need the help of every man and every woman and every child, not for my blessing, but for your blessing, and for the blessing of the children of men wherever they may be. That is not my responsibility, that is our responsibility.”

 

We can sustain each other and our church leaders with prayers and by fulfilling our own callings. Words of thanks and appreciation also help build each other up.

Of the importance of sustaining our leaders, President Smith said, "I hope that you will realize, all of you, that this is a sacred privilege. … It will not be just a symbol but it will be an indication that, with the help of the Lord, you will carry your part of the work.”

It takes everyone to sustain the prophet. Raising our hand is not just a symbolic gesture. It is a promise that we will do our part to build the Lord's kingdom.

Those who preside over the church are prepared, chosen, and inspired by the Lord.

President Smith said of those who have been called to preside, "Heavenly Father in his wisdom has surrounded these leaders of Israel with others who like themselves have faith and who do not bow to the individual because of his personality or individuality as president of the Church, but who recognize him as the mouthpiece of our Heavenly Father and sustain him and uphold him and pray for him, and love him, in order that they, too, may receive the blessings of our Heavenly Father."

 

How can we help those who preside? We can pray for our leaders and respond when calls for help come.
The church is presided over by people who have been specially trained and called. But the Lord surrounds them with people to help

Through His servants, the Lord teaches us the pathway to happiness and safety

Tracine shared portions of the following conference talks from President Monson with us as examples of the things the Lord has taught us through our prophet.

The Holy Temple--A Beacon to the World. In this talk, President Monson shared examples fo people who had to make extreme sacrifices to attend the temple even one time. Through the examples of these people, President Monson encourages us to make the sacrifices we need to, to go.
 
Dare To Stand Alone President Monson encouraged the brethren in Priesthood session to have the moral convictions to stand alone. This is a message that applies to all the members of the church, though, not just the men.

Stand in Holy Places We need to be where the spirit can dwell. Times are changing but the gospel of Jesus Christ is not. The Ten Commandments are not The Ten Suggestions, they are a moral code we should live by.

 

There are so many great things to discuss in these lessons that Tracine didn't get through all of it. Here are a few quotes from the other sections of the lesson we didn't get to.

Those who are humble and faithful sustain and defend the Lords servants

"One of the greatest testimonies to me of the divinity of this work is that a multitude of people … having the opportunity in Stake Conference … to express themselves by voting either to sustain or refuse to sustain those who preside over them (every one exercising free agency) continue to uphold their leaders. Surely the Spirit of the Lord prompts the faithful, humble people to sustain his chosen servants."

 When we criticize our leaders or disregard their counsel we allow the adversary to lead us astray. 

"The Presidency of the Church … are the representatives of our Heavenly Father, not only to this people, but they represent him to all the people of the earth. We would do well if we would magnify and honor these men he has placed at our head. They are men with human frailties, they will make mistakes, but if we will be as charitable to the mistakes that they make as we are to our own failures and mistakes, we will see their virtues as we see our own."

When we sustain our leaders we commit to follow their counsel and magnify our own callings
 "Let us sustain these men whom God has raised up to preside over us. Let us bless them, not only by our lips, but by assisting in every possible way to carry this burden that rests so heavily upon their shoulders. … Pray for and bless them and help them."

 

 

Thank you so much for your lesson Sister Marroquin. And thank you to everyone who participated in the discussion. Your comments add to the spirit that our teachers always bring to their lessons.

 

We hope to see you all at our fun game night on Tuesday! Make it a great week!

Brittany Larsen

brittanylarsen73@hotmail.com



Presidency members:

Geralene Beckett - Presidentbeckettbunch@cox.net

Diane Smith - 1st Counselordianebsmith.smith5@gmail.com

Katie Anderson - 2nd Counselorkatiewoodanderson@gmail.com

Shannon Lo - Secretaryfoxymomsml@cox.net

Relief Society e-news March 11- 17

Hi Sisters,

Welcome to the Aliso Creek Relief Society Blog! There are a lot of links to follow here, so when you see a highlighted word be sure to click on it and it will take you directly to the link. We've got a lot of fun things going on over the next month!

Dates to Remember:

March 15, 16, 23 - Demo days. See below for the fun activities we have planned.

March 20 - Girls Night Out! Come join us for Bunco at 7 pm in the cultural hall. Babysitting will be provided.
March 24 - Stake Cooking Class: Fabulous Meals for Today's Busy Families. 9:30 am at the Stake Center. See the attachment to the email for more info or look for an email from Debra Rice
March 24 - General Young Women Meeting 5:00 pm at the Stake Center
March 29 - Solar oven demonstration 10 am at Peggy Nelson's in the Santa Margarita Ward. Please contact her at 949-459-1911 or peggymnelson@hotmail.com to RSVP and for directions.
Mar. 31 & Ap. 1 - General Conference
April 8 - Easter. The church has released new videos about the Savior's life you can find here.

Monthly Demo Class:

We will be offering demos monthly that can help strengthen our families and homes. Here is the schedule for the next few months. The times and dates change depending on the teacher, so take note of when demos are offered.

March 15^th- Fun with Ukuleles- 7pm with Cheri Haggard (at her home)

March 16^th- A Walking Garden Tour with Sally Hunt. 10 am at 52 Via Anadeja (1 block from the church).

March 23^rd - Haircutting- 4pm with Geralene Beckett (at her home)

April- Making wheat bread- with Eileen Stidham- time and date TBD

April- Learning CPR- with Ashley Sturm- time and date TBD

April 24^th- Food Nanny- 7:30pm with Geralene Beckett (at her home)

May 3- California Rolls- with Jane Boihem- 11am at Geralene Beckett’s home

May- Food Dehydration with Elaine Gold- Date and Time TBD

If you have a skill you would like to learn or a skill you would be willing to offer, please contact Katie Anderson or Geralene Beckett and we will get it on the schedule for the second half of the year. If you would like a copy of these dates to print out, you can find it here.

Visiting Teaching:

Here is the lesson for March. You can go here for a cute handout too.

Primary Presidency Message:

As you may know, we in the Primary have made a concerted effort to safeguard the children during Primary. We are mindful of the fact that our building is open and that there are many people throughout the building, especially on Sundays. We have noticed that sometimes children are using the bathroom alone during Sacrament meeting. We would like to encourage parents to reinforce the steps we have taken in Primary so that the same safety message is consistent while they are in the church building. These steps include: in the case of older children to use the buddy system, or in the case of younger children, to have an adult accompany the children to the restroom, to get a drink of water, etc. We are grateful for your children and want to ensure both their physical and spiritual safety.

Alison Bennett

Eileen Stidham

Dawn Curry

Ronnetta Johnson

Lesson Schedule:

Mar. 11: George A. Smith chapter 5, The Holy Priesthood

Mar. 18: George A. Smith chapter 6, Sustaining Those Whom the Lord Sustains

Mar. 25: TFOT, President Henry B. Eyring's talk A Witness.

Lesson Recap: The Holy Priesthood

I missed the lesson today so Annette sent me her notes and reading over them, it sounds like I missed a great one. Here are her notes in case you missed it too.

During the priesthood session of general conference on October 2, 1948, President George Albert Smith said:

 “I wonder sometimes if as fathers we take pains to explain to our boys the seriousness of the obligation assumed when a boy becomes a deacon. I wonder if when the boy is ordained a deacon the father lets him feel that he has something now that is eternally important.

 “I remember, as if it were yesterday, when John Tingey placed his hands on my head and ordained me a deacon. I had the matter so presented to me and the importance of it, that I felt it was a great honor. The result was, it was a blessing to me, and then after awhile other ordinations came to me. But in each case the foundation was laid in my mind that here was an opportunity for another blessing.”

In the same talk, President Smith taught that one of the blessings that come from ordination to the priesthood is the opportunity to bless the lives of others. As an example, he told about an influential priesthood holder—a home teacher—from his youth:

 “Rodney Badger was a teacher in my father’s home for years, and a great man. Whenever he came the family met and he sat and asked us questions and told us the things that he thought we ought to understand. And I want to tell you that when he came into our home he brought the spirit of the Lord with him. And when he went out we felt we had had a visit from a servant of the Lord.”

 President Smith concluded by expressing his desire that priesthood holders serve the members of their wards and stakes and “not lose an opportunity to help uplift and develop and bring them to be what our Father would have them be.”

In what other ways can we reap the blessings that come from the priesthood?

·        Asking for blessings from husbands, home teachers, or other priesthood holders

·        Participating in ordinances within the temple and outside of it (i.e. temple ordinances, being baptized and confirmed ourselves, baby blessings)

·        Family home evenings (fathers instructing children)

·        Men are instructed every week in how to honor their priesthood and by participating in priesthood quorums they are learning how to be good fathers and husbands

 How did we get the Priesthood?

The Priesthood was restored in our day by men who held it anciently

President Smith said, “When Joseph Smith was a young man the Lord directed him to translate the Book of Mormon. On one occasion when Joseph and Oliver Cowdery were translating, the Lord sent a holy being to answer their questions about baptism. Who was he that came? John the Baptist, who held the Aaronic Priesthood. Where did he come from? He came from heaven. … He appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery as a glorious resurrected being. He came directed by our Heavenly Father to confer the Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph and Oliver, for it was not to be found any place in all the world. It was necessary that the heavens open and a man who had held the Priesthood, and still held it, should come and confer it.”

 “Following that, Peter, James and John, who held the Melchizedek Priesthood, conferred that Priesthood upon Joseph and Oliver, and the Lord directed the organization of the Church, with a Presidency, consisting of a president and two counselors; also a Quorum of Twelve Apostles, a Patriarch, High Priests, Seventies, Elders, Priests, Teachers and Deacons; the same kind of an organization that existed in the primitive church, as far as authority was concerned.”

The power and authority of God can be found only in His true Church

Do other religions hold this authority?

·        Some think they do, but no one else save Joseph Smith has been directly visited by Heavenly beings and had the Priesthood conferred upon them!

·        President George Albert Smith says it best: “Your mission is a very remarkable one, you men who bear the Priesthood. Upon you has been conferred divine authority. You did not obtain your right to preach and teach the gospel and officiate in its ordinances as a result of training in a college or university. You received your authority from men divinely commissioned to act as servants of the Lord, and it was conferred upon you by those who received it direct from Jesus Christ our Lord

President Smith said, “I have had men ask me: 'Of what benefit is your church more than some other church?' I have tried, in a tactful way, to explain to them the difference. Any organization may band together for worship, but that does not give them divine authority. Any group of churches may mass together and organize community churches. That does not confer divine authority. Men may unite for good purposes, but authority from our Heavenly Father is only obtained in his way, and his way in former days was by calling and ordaining men and setting them apart for the work. The same thing is true in our day.” 

President Smith continues to say…

“People should be made to understand that just to bow before the Lord in prayer does not give them divine authority. To live up to the requirements that are made of honesty, virtue, truth, etc., does not give them divine authority. … It is not sufficient that we pray, that we attend church. It is necessary that we possess divine authority, and it is the claim that we possess that authority that has brought upon this Church much of the persecution that has followed it from the beginning. But it is the truth and many of our Father’s children are beginning to observe the effect of divine authority in this Church. They see the development that is made in the lives of men and women.”

 “I personally do not desire to be understood to be finding fault and criticizing the people who belong to the various denominations of the world. I am thankful that there are in so many of them good men and good women who believe in him and with the light that they have serve God; but the fact remains that our Father has established in this world, his Church. He has conferred upon men in this day his authority, and there is no other authority in the world that he will recognize but that which he himself has instituted.”

 Priesthood ordinances are essential for us to enter the celestial kingdom

“Joseph Smith, Jr. was called by God to be His prophet and through him was restored to the earth the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood which is the power of God delegated to man to act in His name. Through this Priesthood every ordinance of the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ, necessary for the salvation of the children of man, is authoritatively administered.”

·        Baptism

·        Confirmation

·        Temple Ordinances

·        Temple Marriage

·        Every important step we make in life requires the power of the priesthood

 “The priesthood … is a blessing that, if we are faithful, will open the doors of the celestial kingdom and give us a place there to live throughout the ages of eternity. Do not trifle with this priceless blessing.”

Priesthood holders have a responsibility to live exemplary lives and use the priesthood to bless others

“Some men think that because they hold the Priesthood that that gives them a special way in which they may conduct themselves in their homes. I want to tell you that you men who hold the Priesthood will never get into the Celestial Kingdom, unless you honor your wives and your families and train them and give them the blessings that you want for yourselves.”

 “The authority of our Heavenly Father is upon the earth for the blessing of mankind, not to make those who receive that authority arrogant, but to make them humble; not to make those who have received special privileges feel that they are greater than others, but to make us humble in our souls, prayerful in our hearts, and considerate of all men in all that we do, and thus exemplify by upright lives that which our Heavenly Father desires us to teach.”

 Being a member of the Church and holding the Priesthood will not get us anywhere unless we are worthy. The Lord has said that every blessing that we desire is predicated upon obedience to His commandments. We may deceive our neighbors, and we may deceive ourselves with the idea that we are going through all right, but unless we keep the commandments of our Heavenly Father, unless we bear worthily this holy Priesthood that is so precious, we will not find our place in the celestial kingdom.”

 

How can we help our husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers live up to their priesthood responsibilities?

·        Ask them to exercise it

·        Encourage them to attend meetings

·        Encourage them to home teach and allow home teachers into your home

·        Make opportunities for them to teach your children the importance of the priesthood

 

Thanks Annette!

Have a great week and a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Brittany Larsen

brittanylarsen73@hotmail.com



Presidency members:

Geralene Beckett - Presidentbeckettbunch@cox.net

Diane Smith - 1st Counselordianebsmith.smith5@gmail.com

Katie Anderson - 2nd Counselorkatiewoodanderson@gmail.com

Shannon Lo - Secretaryfoxymomsml@cox.net

Relief Society News Mar. 3 - 10, 2012

Hi Sisters,

Welcome to the Aliso Creek Relief Society Blog! There are a lot of links to follow here, so when you see a highlighted word be sure to click on it and it will take you directly to the link. We've got a lot of fun things going on over the next month!

Dates to Remember:March 8 - S.O.S. Humanitarian Day. See below for more info

March 11 - Daylight Savings Time. Spring forward one hour.

March 6, 15, 16, 23 - Demo days. See below for the fun activities we have planned.

March 20 - Girls Night Out! Come join us for Bunco at 7 pm in the cultural hall. Babysitting will be provided.

March 24 - Stake Cooking Class: Fabulous Meals for Today's Busy Families. 9:30 am at the Stake Center. See the attachment to the email for more info or look for an email from Debra Rice

March 24 - Stake Temple Day. Call 949-644-1820 to make an appointment

March 29 - Solar oven demonstration 10 am at Peggy Nelson's in the Santa Margarita Ward. Please contact her at 949-459-1911 or peggymnelson@hotmail.com to RSVP and for directions.

Mar. 31 & Ap. 1 - General Conference

April 8 - Easter. The church has released new videos about the Savior's life you can find here.

S.O.S. (Sisters of Service):

Our next Humanitarian Day is coming up on Thursday, March 8, 2012 from 9:00 am -12 noon & 7:00 -9:00 p.m. Invite your friends and/or bring your kids (age 8 and over) for a fun day of service!

The other service we will be working on is indexing. Never heard of it? You can learn more about it on this night and from this Ensign article from February. If you already know about it and are interested in indexing the 1940's US Census, you can go here.

Monthly Demo Class:

We will be offering demos monthly that can help strengthen our families and homes. Here is the schedule for the next few months. The times and dates change depending on the teacher, so take note of when demos are offered.

February 27^th- Geocaching Adventure-10am with Cheri Haggard (1 ½ hours)

March 6^th- Breadmaking using a Bread Machine-10am with Tania Robertson (at her home)

March 15^th- Fun with Ukuleles- 7pm with Cheri Haggard (at her home)

March 16^th- 20 Minute Meals- Sally Hunt- Time TBD

March 23^rd - Haircutting- 4pm with Geralene Beckett (at her home)

April- Making wheat bread- with Eileen Stidham- time and date TBD

April- Learning CPR- with Ashley Sturm- time and date TBD

April 24^th- Food Nanny- 7:30pm with Geralene Beckett (at her home)

May 3- California Rolls- with Jane Boihem- 11am at Geralene Beckett’s home

May- Food Dehydration with Elaine Gold- Date and Time TBD

If you have a skill you would like to learn or a skill you would be willing to offer, please contact Katie Anderson or Geralene Beckett and we will get it on the schedule for the second half of the year. If you would like a copy of these dates to print out, you can find it here.

Visiting Teaching:

Here is the lesson for March. You can here for a cute handout too.

Lesson Schedule:

Mar. 4: Presidency Message by Katie Anderson - Watching For the Bridegroom

Mar. 11: George A. Smith chapter 5, The Holy Priesthood

Mar. 18: George A. Smith chapter 6, Sustaining Those Whom the Lord Sustains

Mar. 25: TFOT, President Henry B. Eyring's talk A Witness.

Lesson Recap: Watching for the Bridegroom

In keeping with our presidency's focus this year on understanding the symbolism in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Katie Anderson taught us today about preparing for the Second Coming.

The Bridegroom in the parable is, of course, our Savior and now is the time to prepare to meet Him. Sister Anderson shared the following scriptures with us that further testify of our need to prepare in this life:
Alma 34:32
D&C 1:12

D&cC133:10 

Elder Oaks had this to say about  preparation, "We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. And the preparation most likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult--the spiritual.  a 72-houir kit of temporal supplies may p0rove valuable for earthly challenges, but, as the follish virgins learned to their sorrow, a 24-hour kit of spiritual preparation is of greater and more enduring value."

But how do we prepare? President Monson said mortality is a time for testing which can break us if "we don't have foundations of faith or a testimony of truth."
What are these foundations of faith that will help us build our testimony of truth?
Scripture study - We should have it daily and apply the scriptures to ourselves. We have to want to learn from them.
Prayer- We should pray sincerely and specifically, outloud and on our knees in order to humble ourselves. Ask to bring your will in line with the Father's. Listen after we pray and then act on that answer.

Attend meetings - Participate and come prepared by having read the lessons or scriptures to be studied that day. Keep in mind the sacredness of the sacrament. Pray for speakers and teachers that they may teach us what Heavenly Father would have us learn.
Family Home Evening - No matter how short the lesson may be or the topic you're teaching, bring the spirit in by bearing testimony.
Temple- Strive to attend the temple regularly or make preparations to go. If we are doing all these things we will have a desire to go to the temple and receive the blessings our Father wants to bestow upon us.

Why do we procrastinate receiving these blessings? Whatever we are letting stand in our way of receiving all that Heavenly Father is offering us, we should put aside.

Thank you Katie for a great lesson. And thank you to Sister Bair and Sister Hill for their beautiful testimonies.

Have a great week!

Brittany Larsen
brittanylarsen73@hotmail.com



Presidency members:

Geralene Beckett - Presidentbeckettbunch@cox.net

Diane Smith - 1st Counselordianebsmith.smith5@gmail.com

Katie Anderson - 2nd Counselorkatiewoodanderson@gmail.com

Shannon Lo - Secretaryfoxymomsml@cox.net