With only a few weeks left of summer vacation, the Relief Society Blog is back!
Dates to Remember:
Aug. 21 - Our theme for this month's Relief Society Get Together is Summer Salads & Service. Join us this Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Pittsford Park (21701 Pittsford Drive, Lake Forest). Bring a hearty salad or dessert to share and a service to auction. This is always a fun way to end the summer, so don't miss it!
Book of Mormon Challenge:
Our annual summer Book of Mormon reading ends on Sept. 14, but, if you're behind (like me) it doesn't have to. Read til you finish or spend a weekend catching up! 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:
The month's almost over, so get your visiting teaching done now. Here is this month's visiting teaching message and a cute handout to go with it.
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
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)
Lesson Schedule:
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)
Lesson Schedule:
Lesson Recap: The Strengthening Power of Faith
Stacy Hughes taught our lesson today for Sister Marroquin who is out of town. She started by giving us some background about President Smith's time as the president of the European Mission. He began his service in 1919, just after World War I had ended and much of the continent was recovering from the devastation caused by the war. One of his most pressing duties was to increase the number of missionaries in Europe, but with food shortages and other economic problems most governments were unwilling to grant visas to foreigners.
In a letter to his daughter, President Smith recounted how faith played an important role in convincing England's government to grant visas to missionaries. He wrote:
“Our American Ambassador has been very kind and succeeded in securing an interview for us with Sir Robert Horne, the Minister of Labour for Great Britain. When we presented ourselves at his office, we handed our letter from the Ambassador to Sir Robert’s secretary, who asked us if our business would hold over as his chief was leaving in a few minutes for Scotland to be gone three weeks. I assured him that we would greatly appreciate five minutes of his time now as we did not live in London and our business was urgent. The secretary went in to Sir Robert and soon returned with the information that he would postpone his trip and meet us at four o’clock that day. I had prayed most fervently that morning that our way might be opened and when we were invited to return I felt most grateful to our Heavenly Father.”
“When I had finished he again asked what we wanted of him and when we told him we wanted the privilege of recruiting our missionary forces up to two hundred and fifty, the same as before the war, he said it would afford him pleasure to issue instructions to his department to allow that number to land as fast as they should arrive. Of course we were much pleased and left him with the assurance that he had lifted quite a burden from our minds.
“I feel sure we made a friend of one of England’s most influential men and I would not hesitate to go to him at any time if necessity required.”
One of President Smith's missionaries at the time, James Gunn McKay, who was present at that meeting said, “Look at the wonderful work he accomplished. There were only a few elders there [in the mission]. The way seemed to be hedged up, and yet he came imbued with the inspiration of the Lord, and was able to knock at the doors of the officials, to gain their confidence; and eventually we obtained the privileges we wanted, that elders might come to take up their work and fulfil their missions in furthering the cause of God and accomplishing his work, and in that way he secured to us a testimony that God directs that work.”3 Elder McKay attributed President Smith’s success to his “faith and devotion and charity toward all those with whom he associated.” “I labored with him,” he said. “I counseled with him; I prayed with him, and I know that his faith and loyalty are as deep as life itself.”
Hebrews 11:6 reads "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
There are many stories in the scriptures and in our own history of people relying on faith in order to accomplish what the Lord has asked us to do. Among them are Noah, Nephi, Esther, Mary, Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young. All of these men and women can serve as examples to us of the power of faith.
In speaking about how faith played an important role in increasing missionary work in the European mission, President Smith recounted the following experience:
I remember one day I was impressed to say to a missionary who was going to a certain town where they would not let us hold street meetings:
“Now remember, give the Lord a chance. You are going to ask a favor. Give the Lord a chance. Ask him to open the way.”
The young man went to that city, went into the office of the mayor, and asked if he could see him. He was going to ask if they might change the rule.
When he got there, he found that the mayor was out of town. The young man came out of the office, looked down the hall and saw on a door at the end of the hall, “Chief Constable’s Office.” He hesitated a moment, and something said to him: “Give the Lord a chance.” He walked into the chief constable’s office and told him what he had come for. When he finished the man said:
“Well, what street corner would you like?”
He said: “I don’t know this city as well as you do. I would not ask for a corner that would be undesirable, or where we would block the traffic. Would you mind going with me to select a corner?”
Just think of a missionary asking the chief constable to pick a corner on which to preach the gospel!
The constable said:
“Surely, I will go with you.”
In fifteen minutes they had one of the best corners in town, with permission to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ where it had not been preached on the streets since before the war [World War I]. …
The Lord will not ask us to do anything without making it possible for us to accomplish it. We learn this in 1 Nephi 3:7 which states, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”
The Lord will not ask us to do anything without making it possible for us to accomplish it. We learn this in 1 Nephi 3:7 which states, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”
In President Smith's words, If you have something that the Lord asks or expects you to do and you don’t know just how to proceed, do your best. Move in the direction that you ought to go; trust the Lord, give him a chance, and he will never fail you.
We know that faith is a gift of God; it is the fruitage of righteous living. It does not come to us by our command, but is the result of doing the will of our Heavenly Father. If we lack faith let us examine ourselves to see if we have been keeping His commandments, and repent without delay if we have not. … May the Lord increase our faith, and may we live to be worthy of it.
Thanks, Stacy for a great lesson! Enjoy your last weeks of summer, sisters!
Brittany Larsen
Jalane Hong - 1st Counselor john_jalane@msn.com
Melanie Jacobson - 2nd Counselor melanie53@hotmail.com
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