I hope you're all enjoying your summer! I'll be on vacation for a few weeks, so this will be the last blog post until I get back. Until then, here are some things to know:
Dates to Remember:
July 17th: Relief Society Meeting Night. Retro Homemaking: How to Live Like Your Grandmother in a Modern World. Join as at 7 p.m. for a fun night of cooking, cleaning, and crafting. Really, it will be fun. Don't let those three c-words scare you.
July 21st: Pioneer Day 4-6 p.m. at Altisma Park. Go here for more information.
July 24th: Stake Humanitarian Day 7 - 9 p.m. at the Stake Center. Bring the whole family! It's for everyone!
Book of Mormon Challenge:
Our annual summer Book of Mormon reading started on June 17, but it's not too late to start if you haven't! This is a great opportunity to encourage your children to read the entire book when they don't have homework or other school activities to distract them. It's also a great time to read it yourself! Reading it in a short amount of time gives you a whole new perspective on scriptures that may already be familiar. Look for bookmarks outside of Relief Society that have the scheduled reading.
Visiting Teaching:
Summer is crazy with people coming and going on vacation, so schedule your appointments early. Here is this month's visiting teaching message.
Summer Humanitarian Mission:
Our Humanitarian mission for this summer is to raise enough
money to build six wells for people who don't have access to fresh, clean water.
Find out more about it here
YW Summer Humanitarian Fundraiser
Gather your gently used children's items and donate them to the Young Women who will be selling them at a Kids Consignment Event. All the funds raised will go to help meet the ward goal of raising funds to build six fresh water wells for people in developing nations.
Give the items to anyone in the Young Woman Program or bring your items to one of these events:
Relief Society Night - Tuesday, July 17
YM and YW's - Wed, July 18 or 25 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Bring to church - Sunday, July 22
OR drop off at the Griffith's home before July 28 (25111 Pizarro Road, Lake Forest). Leave them on the porch if no one is home!
Items needed: gently used clothing (size newborn to size 14), kids hsoes, toys, ride ontoys, bikes, play kitchen, play houise, trollers, high chairs, kid's furniture, baby books, baby blankets, bedding sets, boppies. No cribs or stuffed animals please.
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:
If you'd like to write to any of the missionaries, here are there addresses:
Elder Patrick Carlile Hermana Danielle Anderton
Germany Berlin Mission Chile Concepcion South Mission
Zerbster Straffe 42 O'Higgins 940, Oficina 503
12209 Berlin Concepcion Bio-Bio
Germany Chile
Elder Landon Gold Elder Brendan Hong
South Africa, Durban Mission Bacolod Philippies Mission
Suite 4, 2 Derby Place P.O. Box 660
Derby Downs Office Park Bacolod City
Westville 3630, South Africa 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 there addresses:
LCPL, Ryan, Sean, M. RCT Joyce, Jessica, M
P.O. Box 349000 #696 4th RTBN, PLT 4027 Co, O
Kailua, HI 96734 P.O. Box 16435
Parris Island, SC 29905-6445
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!
Summer Fun
Days:
School is out, so let's get ready for some fun! Here are some of the fun things a lot of local moms will be doing:
Mondays - Swim at Altisima Pool
Tuesdays - Head to the beach (changes from week to week, but usually San Clemente area)
Wednesdays - Free movie www.regmovies.com/summermovieexpress
Thursdays - Mission Viejo Lake (contact a MV resident to get on the list to get in)
Fridays- RSM beach club (contact RSM resident to get on the list to get in)
For Our Singles:
School is out, so let's get ready for some fun! Here are some of the fun things a lot of local moms will be doing:
Mondays - Swim at Altisima Pool
Tuesdays - Head to the beach (changes from week to week, but usually San Clemente area)
Wednesdays - Free movie www.regmovies.com/summermovieexpress
Thursdays - Mission Viejo Lake (contact a MV resident to get on the list to get in)
Fridays- RSM beach club (contact RSM resident to get on the list to get in)
For Our Singles:
Aug. 2 - 6: Orange County Singles
Conference: Pursue Your Path to Happiness. Contact ocbconference@gmail.com with questions or talk
to sister Cassandra Leonard.
Lesson Schedule:
July
29: Bishopric
Message
Lesson
Recap: Advancing the Work of the Lord
Tracine Marroquin taught our lesson from the manual today and began with the following quote and scripture that summed the importance of the message she was teaching.
"A correct and consistent life is the strongest testimony that we will bear of the truth of this work." George Albert Smith
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready to always give an answer to every man that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.
Largly because of missionary work, the church has had consistent growth decade over decade since its beginning. During President Smith's time as prophet the church experienced considerable growth. Advances in technology were one reason the church was able to grow. In the manaul we read,
While the first half of the 20th century saw significant challenges, it also brought new technologies that President Smith believed would further the Lord’s work. He was a strong proponent of the aviation industry and saw it as a way to fulfill his travel assignments as a General Authority more efficiently. He also supported the Church’s use of radio and television to take the word of the Lord to a broader audience. “We ought to regard these [inventions] as blessings from the Lord,” he said. “They greatly enlarge our abilities. They can indeed become blessings if we utilize them in righteousness for the dissemination of truth and the furtherance of the work of the Lord among men. The great challenge facing the world today lies in the use we make of many of these inventions. We can use them to destroy, as we have sometimes done in the past, or we can utilize them to enlighten and bless mankind, as our Heavenly Father would have us do.
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready to always give an answer to every man that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.
Largly because of missionary work, the church has had consistent growth decade over decade since its beginning. During President Smith's time as prophet the church experienced considerable growth. Advances in technology were one reason the church was able to grow. In the manaul we read,
While the first half of the 20th century saw significant challenges, it also brought new technologies that President Smith believed would further the Lord’s work. He was a strong proponent of the aviation industry and saw it as a way to fulfill his travel assignments as a General Authority more efficiently. He also supported the Church’s use of radio and television to take the word of the Lord to a broader audience. “We ought to regard these [inventions] as blessings from the Lord,” he said. “They greatly enlarge our abilities. They can indeed become blessings if we utilize them in righteousness for the dissemination of truth and the furtherance of the work of the Lord among men. The great challenge facing the world today lies in the use we make of many of these inventions. We can use them to destroy, as we have sometimes done in the past, or we can utilize them to enlighten and bless mankind, as our Heavenly Father would have us do.
The inventions since the time of George Albert Smith have continued to help the growth of the church. We see this in the church's use of the internet, cell phone apps, satellites and other technological advances. President Smith prophesied that technology would continue to aid in spreading the gospel when he said in a 1946 general conference address,
It will not be long until, from this pulpit and other places that will be provided, the servants of the Lord will be able to deliver messages to isolated groups who are so far away they cannot be reached. In that way and other ways, the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord, the only power of God unto salvation in preparation for the celestial kingdom, will be heard in all parts of the world, and many of you who are here will live to see that day.”
We're seeing that day with conference broadcasts being translated to many different languages.
Pres Monson said the same type of thing in our last general conference when he stated:
How blessed we are to have come to earth at such a time as this—a marvelous time in the long history of the world. We can’t all be together under one roof, but we now have the ability to partake of the proceedings of this conference through the wonders of television, radio, cable, satellite transmission, and the Internet—even on mobile devices. We come together as one, speaking many languages, living in many lands, but all of one faith and one doctrine and one purpose.
From a small beginning 182 years ago, our presence is now felt throughout the world. This great cause in which we are engaged will continue to go forth, changing and blessing lives as it does so. No cause, no force in the entire world can stop the work of God. Despite what comes, this great cause will go forward. You recall the prophetic words of the Prophet Joseph Smith: “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."
When George Albert Smith was called to be prophet he recognized that one of his greatest duties was that of missionary. He stated:“I realize the great responsibility that is upon my shoulders. I know that without the help of our Heavenly Father, the organization with which we are identified cannot be successful. No man or group of men can make it successful, but if the members of this Church will continue to keep the commandments of God, live their religion, set an example to the world, [and] love their neighbor as themselves, we will go forward, and increasing happiness will flow to us.”
When George Albert Smith was called to be prophet he recognized that one of his greatest duties was that of missionary. He stated:“I realize the great responsibility that is upon my shoulders. I know that without the help of our Heavenly Father, the organization with which we are identified cannot be successful. No man or group of men can make it successful, but if the members of this Church will continue to keep the commandments of God, live their religion, set an example to the world, [and] love their neighbor as themselves, we will go forward, and increasing happiness will flow to us.”
But it is not just the responsibility of the prophet or missionaries to carry out the work of bringing people to the gospel. As President Smith said,
The responsibility for the conduct of this work does not devolve alone upon [the President of the Church], nor upon his counselors, nor upon the quorum of the Apostles; but it devolves also upon every man and woman who has been baptized by the servants of God and become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. … We cannot shift the responsibility if we would; our Father has placed it upon our shoulders, and we must round them up and help to carry it off triumphant.
The responsibility for the conduct of this work does not devolve alone upon [the President of the Church], nor upon his counselors, nor upon the quorum of the Apostles; but it devolves also upon every man and woman who has been baptized by the servants of God and become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. … We cannot shift the responsibility if we would; our Father has placed it upon our shoulders, and we must round them up and help to carry it off triumphant.
How can we "round up our shoulders," as President Smith, and fulfill our responsibility to share the gospel? Some of the answers we discussed were:
Be prepared to answer questions
Read the Book Of Mormon in public
If you don't have an answer, ask a question
Memorize Articles of Faith
Sharing the gospel is not only about increasing converts or numbers, it's about increasing blessings for ourselves and those around us. It will go forward with or without us, so it's our choice whether we reap the blessings that come with sharing our beliefs.
This is God’s work. It is not the work of any man. No man or set of men could have carried it forward and made it successful in the face of the opposition of the world. Many times they [who oppose the work] have felt that the end of the Church had come, and each time by the majesty of his power, the Lord has lifted it up, and it has gone forward from city to city, from village to village, from nation to nation.
His work is progressive, we must be active if we would keep pace with it. Every passing year, since the organization of the Church, has seen it grow stronger than the year before. Today the prospect of continual success is better than ever before. More people are learning the truth about us, and our attitude towards them. The prejudice due to ignorance is being overcome, as the light is disseminated among the masses. …
This is God’s work. It is not the work of any man. No man or set of men could have carried it forward and made it successful in the face of the opposition of the world. Many times they [who oppose the work] have felt that the end of the Church had come, and each time by the majesty of his power, the Lord has lifted it up, and it has gone forward from city to city, from village to village, from nation to nation.
His work is progressive, we must be active if we would keep pace with it. Every passing year, since the organization of the Church, has seen it grow stronger than the year before. Today the prospect of continual success is better than ever before. More people are learning the truth about us, and our attitude towards them. The prejudice due to ignorance is being overcome, as the light is disseminated among the masses. …
Our own behavior has an effect on people's perceptions of the church so we need to be careful in our actions and step up our efforts to live and share the gospel.
Thanks Tracine for a great lesson!
Brittany Larsen
Jalane Hong - 1st Counselor john_jalane@msn.com
Melanie Jacobson - 2nd Counselor melanie53@hotmail.com
