Relief Society e-news Sept. 30 - Oct. 6

Hi Sisters,

Welcome to October! Here are some things to keep in mind over the next month.

Dates to Remember:

Oct. 5: Ward Temple Night 6:30 p.m. Call 644-1820 to schedule your appointment.
Oct. 6 & 7: General Conference 9:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. both days broadcast on BYUtv and at the Stake Center.
Oct. 14: Fast SundayOct. 19: Fantastic Friday 5 - 9:00 p.m.
Nov. 11: Primary program

General Conference:

Don't forget General Conference is this weekend. Check your local tv listings for channels, but the four sessions will be aired from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Priesthood session will be held at the Stake Center from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night, so encourage the men in your life to go! You can also watch the sessions on your computer on lds.org.

lds.org has some great tips for preparing for conference here and children of all ages enjoy these packets that help them focus on the messages given during conference.

Fantastic Friday:

Fantastic Friday is coming soon so be sure to check out the crafts each Sunday before and after Relief Society and sign up for any you'd like to do. Most are free and this a great activity to bring friends to! 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 message is not posted on LDS.org yet, but should be by tomorrow or, if you recieve the Ensign, you can read it in there.

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:

Sept. 30: Bishopric Message

Oct. 7: General Conference

Oct. 14: George A. Smith Ch. 19 Temporal and Spiritual Blessings

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

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

 

 

Lesson Recap: Public Relations Presentation

 

For our fifth Sunday meeting this month the Stake Public Relations Committee presented us with material that the Church would like us to share with non-members, particularly those who could influence the publics' image of us for good. Brother Jeff Shields from the Stake Presidency explained that the Church is trying to take advantage of our "Mormon moment" to improve our image, as opposed to proselyting with this program.

We have been asked to seek out opportunities to cultivate relationships with people who have influence and would benefit from the presentation that the Church's public affairs department has created. The Stake committee shared some of the videos and information with us that are in the presentation and they can be found here:

Helping hands video: http://mormonchannel.org/have-i-done-any-good

Political neutrality clip: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/official-statement/political-neutrality

Mormonism 101: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-101

All of this information and more can be found on lds.org under the newsroom tab.

 

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

Sept. 23 - Sept. 29

Hi Sisters,

I love this time of year, and not just because the kids are back in school, but because I know there are so many great things in store as the holidays approach!

Dates to Remember:

Sept. 27: Activity Days Luau & Leadership Training for girls 8 - 12 and their Activity Days leaders. 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. at the Stake Center
Sept. 29: General Relief Society Meeting Broadcast & Dinner at the Stake Center. Broadcast begins at 5 p.m. with dinner to follow.
Oct. 5: Ward Temple Night 6:30 p.m. Call 644-1820 to schedule your appointment.
Oct. 6 & 7: General Conference 9:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. both days broadcast on BYUtv and at the Stake Center.
Oct. 14: Fast Sunday
Nov. 11: Primary program

Relief Society Night:

Fantastic Friday is coming soon so be sure to check out the crafts each Sunday before and after Relief Society and sign up for any you'd like to do. Most are free and this a great activity to bring friends to!

Visiting Teaching:

It's the last week of the month, so get your visiting teaching done now. Here is this month's visiting teaching message and 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:

Sept. 23: TFOT: Elder Neil L. Anderson What Thinks Christ of Me?

Sept. 30: Bishopric Message

Oct. 7: General Conference

Lesson Recap: What Thinks Christ of Me?

Sister Griffith taught our lesson today which comes from Elder Neil L. Anderson's April Conference talk. She asked us to picture an actual road of discipleship and had footsteps leading from the back of the room to the front. As we imagined ourselves on this road Sister Griffith asked us the following question:

 

If you're on the road to discipleship what do the following words mean to you?
Believe: We usually think of it in terms of believing in Christ, but it can also mean believing Him. Believe that He will guide us
Trust : Trust that he will lead us down the right path
Follow: Follow in His footsteps and know that He will lead us to Heavenly Father
Love: If we love Him  we will keep His cmandments and love one another

This path won't always be easy. We can get distracted, things get in the way, people may try to push us off, we may not be able to see it, but it is always there with Christ guiding us along it.

In his Conference address Elder Anderson said, Wherever you now find yourself on the road of discipleship, you are on the right road, the road toward eternal life. Together we can lift and strengthen one another in the great and important days ahead. Whatever the difficulties confronting us, the weaknesses confining us, or the impossibilities surrounding us, let us have faith in the Son of God, who declared, “All things are possible to him that believeth.”

 

He also recounted the following story that helped him rethink his own journey along the road to discipleship: A reporter from a leading Brazilian magazine studied the Church in preparation for a major news article.¹ He examined our doctrine and visited the missionary training and humanitarian centers. He spoke with friends of the Church and with others who were not so friendly. In the interview with me, the reporter seemed honestly puzzled as he asked, “How could someone not consider you Christian?” I knew he was referring to the Church, but my mind somehow framed the question personally, and I found myself silently asking, “Does my life reflect the love and devotion I feel for the Savior?”

Jesus asked the Pharisees, “What think ye of Christ?”² In the final assessment, our personal discipleship will not be judged by friends or foes. Rather, as Paul said, “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”³ At that day the important question for each of us will be, “What thinks Christ of me?”

Even with His love for all mankind, Jesus reprovingly referred to some around Him as hypocrites,⁴ fools,⁵ and workers of iniquity.⁶ He approvingly called others children of the kingdom⁷ and the light of the world.⁸ He disapprovingly referred to some as blinded⁹ and unfruitful.¹⁰ He commended others as pure in heart¹¹ and hungering after righteousness.¹² He lamented that some were faithless¹³ and of the world,¹⁴ but others He esteemed as chosen,¹⁵ disciples,¹⁶ friends.¹⁷ And so we each ask, “What thinks Christ of me?”

 

Sometimes we worry more about what neighbors, friends, ward members, the world think about us rather than what Christ thinks of us. Ultimately He is the only person we need to worry about.

In the scriptures we read the following words often used to describe the children of God who reject His teachings:

Hypocrites
Fools
Workers of iniquity
Blind
Untruthful
Faithless
Of the world

On the other end of the spectrum we have words that describe the children of God who follow His commandments:

Children of the kingdom
Light of the world
Pure in heart
Hungering after righteousness
Chosen
Disciples
Friends

Which of those labels do we want to take on?

Elder Anderson quotes President Monson's warnings and promises about the day and age in which we live, saying

President Thomas S. Monson has described our day as moving away “from that which is spiritual … [with] the winds of change [swirling] around us and the moral fiber of society [continuing] to disintegrate before our very eyes.”¹⁸ It is a time of growing disbelief in and disregard for Christ and His teachings.

In this turbulent environment, we rejoice in being disciples of Jesus Christ. We see the Lord’s hand all around us. Our destination is beautifully set before us. “This is life eternal,” Jesus prayed, “that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”¹⁹ Being a disciple in these days of destiny will be a badge of honor throughout the eternities.

Elder Anderson goes on to say,

Jesus’s call “Come, follow me”²¹ is not only for those prepared to compete in a spiritual Olympics. In fact, discipleship is not a competition at all but an invitation to all. Our journey of discipleship is not a dash around the track, nor is it fully comparable to a lengthy marathon. In truth, it is a lifelong migration toward a more celestial world.

His invitation is a call to daily duty. Jesus said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”²² “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”²³ We may not be at our very best every day, but if we are trying, Jesus’s bidding is full of encouragement and hope: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”²⁴

Do you love Him enough to follow him day  in and day out, to keep all of His commandments? We will make mistakes and He will continue to love us. His love will always be there but we have to turn our hearts to Him to feel it.

Elder Anderson concluded his talk by saying, I testify that as you love Him, trust Him, believe Him, and follow Him, you will feel His love and approval. As you ask, “What thinks Christ of me?” you will know that you are His disciple; you are His friend. By His grace He will do for you what you cannot do for yourself.

 

Sister Griffith again asked us to consider these four phrases again: Believe HIm, Follow HIm, Trust Him and Love Him.

None of us can be perfect by ourselves, but through Christ we can be perfected.
It is a blessing that we have to lean on each other and can't do it all. Keep Christ at the center of your mind as you walk the path in order to get over hurdles. He is right there with us on our road to discipleship. Sometimes we get too close to something and need to step back in order to see the whole picture.


Thank you, Shelly, for a lovely 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 Sept. 16 - 22

Hi Sisters,

I love this time of year, and not just because the kids are back in school, but because I know there are so many great things in store as the holidays approach.

Dates to Remember:

Sept. 18: Relief Society night, The Wonder of Words 7:00 p.m.
Sept. 22: Stake cooking class. Come learn how to cook using your food storage! 10:30 a.m. at the Stake Center
Sept. 27: Activity Days Luau & Leadership Training for girls 8 - 12 and their Activity Days leaders. 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. at the Stake Center
Sept. 29: General Relief Society Meeting  Broadcast & Dinner at the Stake Center. Broadcast begins at 5 p.m. with dinner to follow.
Oct. 5: Ward Temple Night 6:30 p.m.  Call 644-1820 to schedule your appointment.
Oct. 6 & 7: General Conference 9:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. both days broadcast on BYUtv and at the Stake Center.
Oct. 14: Fast Sunday
Oct. 14: Primary program

Relief Society Night:

Come join us this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. for The Wonder of Words. Choose from the following workshops to attend: Writing Your Family History, How to Write a Book, and Reading for Every Stage & Age. A book swap table will be set up so be sure to bring any "clean" books you're ready to get rid of, including children's books.

Book of Mormon Challenge:

Our annual summer Book of Mormon reading has officially ended, but that doesn't mean your reading has to! I've heard from many people who participated that their prayers were answered and inspiration was received as they read. Let's not lose those blessings jus because the challenge is over. Keep on reading!

Visiting Teaching:

The month's half over, so get your visiting teaching done now. Here is this month's visiting teaching message and 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:

 

Sept. 16: George A. Smith, Stay on the Lord's Side of the Line

Sept. 23: TFOT: Elder Neil L. Anderson What Thinks Christ of Me?

Sept. 30: Bishopric Message

Oct. 7: General Conference

Lesson Recap: Stay on the Lord's Side of the Line

 

Tracine Marroquin taught our lesson today from the manual and started by reminding us of the story of Lehi's Dream and Iron Rod. The iron rod is more symbolic than just staying on the straight and narrow. It is symbolic of the scriptures and that we need to go to them in order to stay on the Lords side.

President Smith's grandfather, George A. Smith who was a cousin to Joseph Smith, an apostle, and a counselor to President Brigham Young, taught his family the following: “There is a line of demarcation well defined between the Lord’s territory and the devil’s territory. If you will stay on the Lord’s side of the line you will be under his influence and will have no desire to do wrong; but if you cross to the devil’s side of that line one inch you are in the tempter’s power and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly because you will have lost the Spirit of the Lord.”

 

President Smith often quoted this message from his grandfather and it is often still quoted today in conferences and other talks. Sometimes it's easy to dismiss the notion of good and evil and think there is a gray area we can reside in, but our prophets and scriptures teach us differently.  Moroni 7:10-13 states, 

10 Wherefore, a man being evil cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift.

11 For behold, a bitter ^afountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he ^bfollow Christ he cannot be a ^cservant of the devil.

12 Wherefore, all things which are ^agood cometh of God; and that which is ^bevil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to ^csin, and to do that which is evil continually.

13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do ^agood continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and ^benticeth to do ^cgood, and to love God, and to serve him, is ^dinspired of God.

Sister Marroquin led us in a discussion about how we can avoid "The Other Side" by recognizing some the excuses we use to cross that "line of demarcation."

 

The Other Side: Excuses We Use
Cultural enrichment
Above temptation
Not for kids
Not that bad
Respectful
So & so did it
Familiar/ exposure

We also discussed habits we can develop and things we can do in order to stay on the Lord's Side.

 

The Lord's Side:
Praying
Strengthen testimony of the savior
Reading scriptures- make a priority
Listen to the spirit and intuition
Living covenants
Attend church meetings
Reflect and recommit
Temple attendance
Self control

Sister Marroquin ended her lesson by quoting President Howard W. Hunter who said, As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we seek to bring all truth together. We seek to enlarge the circle of love and understanding among all the people of the earth. Thus we strive to establish peace and happiness, not only within Christianity but among all mankind. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race” (History of the Church, 4:227). 

 

It is comforting to know that we as Church members are not the only one's on the Lord's side. We are surrounded by people of different faiths who are also on His side.

 

Thank you Tracine for your 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

Shannon Lo - Secretaryfoxymomsml@cox.net