January Newsletter

12/16/12 Combined Meeting: New Youth Learning Method

  

We Learn * We Become *  We Share *  We Teach *  We Act

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The Priesthood, Relief Society, and Youth met together for the 3rd Hour today to discuss the new changes taking place in the Youth Programs beginning January 2013. I've heard from other Stakes the past few weeks that many have only had meetings that involved the Youth Leaders to introduce this so I was so happy to have been included in this orientation meeting to learn all about these changes! I personally feel that these changes will not be a big change for the Youth in our ward because they are already so wonderful!

My husband leaned over to me during the meeting and said he wishes that he could have had this program when he was in Young Mens but as we listened to the rest of the meeting I realized that this does not have to be for the Youth only.

"Heavenly Father established families as a central part of His plan to help His children learn the gospel in a loving atmosphere and prepare for eternal life. Parents have the primary responsibility to teach their children, which includes preparing them to receive the ordinances of exaltation  No one can take the place of parents in this God-given responsibility  Priesthood quorums, auxiliaries, and Church programs exist to support and strengthen families." ["A Guide to Come Follow Me" pg. 12]

The Savior set the example for us on teaching and we can use this in our homes, in Family Home Evening, in scripture study, and family councils. We must prepare through study and prayer. Ask questions and invite others to participate, He helped His disciples discover the gospel for themselves. He invited them to act on His words and trusted them to follow through. He empowered them by letting them teach and serve others. He knew His disciples personally and He showed His love to them, helping them grow and become empowered themselves.

I believe that if we participate in this program along with our youth that we will grow as well, and we and our families will be strengthened. We need to set the example for our youth so that they can learn to apply these changes in their own life. It is not a coincidence that the missionary age limit has been dropped and these changes in the Youth Program are taking place. What an amazing change we will see in the youth leaving on missions, leaving home and starting school, attending the Temple, and when the time comes, starting families of their own. We are preparing for our future, and how grateful we are to have a living prophet on the earth who receives guidance and inspiration for us in these latter days. We are so blessed to be a part of it all. 

Please feel free to leave a comment or share an experience on the blog about your thoughts or experiences you may have already had with your family and these new changes.

If you would like to know more about the new Manual, click here: Learning Resources for Youth

December Newsletter

I thought it would be nice to have the monthly newsletters available online to read and share with those who need it. Gwen Couch works so hard ever month to put it together so nicely and I thought it would be fun to see it in color, the way she created it :) Thanks Gwen!

2nd Sunday Lesson:Righteous Living in Perilous Times

Teachings of George Albert Smith

Serious difficulties have been predicted for the latter days.

• At the height of World War I, he warned, “War will not cease and the strife in this world will not end until the children of men repent of their sins and turn to God and serve him and keep his commandments.”
• While he acknowledged that war, natural disasters, and spiritual danger are part of living in the latter days, President Smith taught the Saints that they can escape much of the distress of these perilous times by living the gospel and resisting temptation.
• He also found optimism in his belief that righteous Latter-day Saints could have a powerful influence on the world around them. He taught that the Saints should not merely accept the condition of the world but should remain active in their communities and strive to make their influence felt, in spite of any opposition they might face. “We are all under the obligation of making this world a happier place for our having lived in it,” he said.

The only way to peace is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

• “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27.)
• But by following the teachings of the Lord, by turning unto him and repenting of sin, by going about doing good, we may have peace and happiness and prosperity. If mankind will love one another, the hatred and the unkindness that have existed so much in the world will pass away.
• Though the world may be filled with distress, and the heavens gather blackness, and the vivid lightnings flash, and the earth quake from center to circumference, if we know that God lives, and our lives are righteous, we will be happy, there will be peace unspeakable because we know our Father approves [of] our lives.

We need have no fear if we do what the Lord has asked us to do.

• We need have no fear if we do what the Lord has asked us to do. This is His world. All men and women are subject to Him. All the powers of evil will be controlled for the sake of His people, if they will honor Him and keep His commandments.
• If we have the confidence of our Heavenly Father, if we have His love, if we are worthy of His blessings, all the armies of the world cannot destroy us, cannot break down our faith, and cannot overcome the Church that is named for the Son of God.
• He is our strength, … your Father and mine, the Father of all; if we will only be worthy He will preserve us as He did Helaman’s sons, and as He preserved Daniel from the lions, and the three Hebrew children from the fiery furnace, and six hundred thousand of the descendants of Abraham when he brought them out from Egypt under the leadership of Moses and drowned Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea. He is the God of this universe. He is the Father of us all. He is all-powerful and He promises us protection if we will live worthy of it.

Our homes can be peaceful, holy places even in the midst of calamities.

• I pray that our homes may be sanctified by the righteousness of our lives, that the adversary may have no power to come there and destroy the children of our homes or those who dwell under our roofs. If we will honor God and keep his commandments, our homes will be sacred, the adversary will have no influence, and we will live in happiness and peace until the winding-up scene in mortality and we go to receive our reward inimmortality.
• I pray that in our hearts and in our homes there may abide that spirit of love, of patience, of kindness, of charity, of helpfulness that enriches our lives and that makes the world brighter and better because of it.

We can be a positive influence in the world.

• I want to plead with you, … be as anchors in the community in which you live that others may be drawn to you and feel secure. Let your light so shine that others seeing your good works will have a desire in their hearts to be like you.
• It is our duty to set the example; it is our duty to hold aloft the banner of truth. It is our duty to encourage our Father’s other children to listen to his advice and counsel and so adjust things that wherever we are we will find the spirit of God burning in our souls and our influence will be for good.
• … Let us set our hands to the work that he has entrusted to our care, let us bless our Father’s children wherever they may be, and our lives will be enriched and this world will be made happier. This is the mission that has been placed upon our shoulders.
• ...That peace may abide in our hearts and in our homes, that we may radiate sunshine and cheer wherever we may go, that we may prove to the world that we do know that God lives, by the lives that we lead, and receive his blessings therefor, I humbly pray.

Relief Society Lesson today: Anxiously Engaged

Sister Margy Pfeifer gave the Ensign Lesson today and spoke on the talk given by Elder M Russell Ballard during the October 2012 Saturday afternoon session "Be Anxiously Engaged". (read it here)

A highlight from that talk: 

Honeybees are driven to pollinate, gather nectar, and condense the nectar into honey. It is their magnificent obsession imprinted into their genetic makeup by our Creator. It is estimated that to produce just one pound of honey, the average hive of 20,000 to 60,000 bees must collectively visit millions of flowers and travel the equivalent of two times around the world. Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four months, a single honeybee's contribution of honey to its hive is a mere one-twelfth of one teaspoon.

Though seemingly insignificant when compared to the total, each bee's one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey is vital to the life of the hive. The bees depend on each other. Work that would be overwhelming for a few bees to do becomes lighter because all of the bees faithfully do their part.

Great things are brought about and burdens are lightened through the efforts of many hands "anxiously engaged in a good cause."
The Saviors words are simple, yet their meaning is profound and deeply significant. We are to love God and to love and care for our neighbors as ourselves. Imagine what good we can do in the world if we all join together, united as followers of Christ, anxiously and busily responding to the needs of others and serving those around us - our families, our friends, our neighbors, our fellow citizens.

How do we make this change?

In your morning prayers eaach new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an opportunity to serve one of His precious children. Then go throughout the day with your heart full of faith and love, looking for someone to help. Stay focused, just like the honeybees focus on the flowers from which to gather nectar and pollen. If you do this, your spiritual sensitivities will be enlarged and you will discover opportunities to serve that you never before realized were possible.

Update and Renew

I've been meaning to update this blog for months now and I feel terrible that it has taken me this long. But it's never too late to make new resolutions and start fresh, so here we go: I will try and do at least a weekly blog update for our Relief Society so that those who could not be with us on a Sunday can catch up.

My hope is that we as sisters feel free to share a thought, story, thanks, announcement etc on this blog that might lift, encourage, or inspire someone who is in need. I realize that most people already use Facebook or some other type of social networking to do this and to you this may feel redundant, but in a fast paced world where the board updates and refreshes so quickly, there are things that may be passed over and forgotten all too soon. Facebook can be a great tool for keeping in touch with so many of our family and friends and it can be a useful resource. But I pray that if you so feel inclined to add to our Relief Society Journal that you will follow that prompting and uplift others with your thoughts and words. Here are a few ideas:

-A few years ago the Stake President asked if we would commit ourselves to bearing pure testimony during Fast and Testimony meeting and to make it less of a travel log or thankimony. But if you have an experience, memory, someone to thank, or a thought that you would like to share with others that will uplift those around you, please share it here. 

-If you don't like to get up in Sacrament Meeting, this is a great place to share your testimony.

-Did you miss your chance to comment on today's lesson? You can always share it here.

-Do you have an announcement or a question? Share it with us!

-Do you have a family tradition that you do during the holidays? 

-Was there a scripture you read during your recent studies that jumped out at you in a new light? Share it with us.

-And if you don't have anything you want to say, you can always share a picture.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments  -Jasmine Christensen

Change in our Ward

I know I'm a few weeks behind but in case you've missed the past few Sundays and haven't heard the news, we've had some changes in our Ward: First of all, the Ward has now been split and our boundaries have changed, which means we've lost quite a few families and friends. The boundaries are Middleton to Midland, and Ustick to Linden.  This is the 2nd split in the past 5 years and it does take some adjusting but I know that these decisions are not taken lightly and I know there was a great deal thought and prayer that went into this change. We will miss seeing the familiar faces of the families that are now in the 3rd Ward but we haven't lost them as friends.

Second: Sister Aldrich was one of the families that we've lost and will miss and so we don't get to have her as our Relief Society President anymore but we are also very excited about the new Presidency. Sister Janell Bowman is our new President, Sister Margie Pfiefer is the 1st Counselor, Sister Mariah Miller is the 2nd Counselor, and Sister Christina Bartchi is the Secretary.
When you get a change, I hope you take a few minutes to call, write, or email Sister Aldrich, Sister Fulmer, and Sister Peterson and let them know how much we appreciated all the work they've done for us.

Relief Society Swim Party

Thanks to everyone for making our Swim Party a success! We had great food, fun, and great group of sisters/friends!! I posted a lot of pictures because they were all so good, I didn't want to leave any out! A big thanks to Sis. Tuft for sharing her backyard and pool!!

Look how sad Sadie is......she can't wait till the day she can be in Relief Society!!

The group of brave ladies who got in the water!!

Humanitarian Center Visit

Don't forget the visit to the Humanitarian Center this Thursday, April 28th. We will be meeting at the church at 6:15 pm so we can carpool to Boise. The center is located inside the Deseret Industries located on Fairview Ave. Don't miss this great opportunity to find out the service opportunities available to all of us and how you can help!

Walking/Running Group

We will be starting a walking group for anyone interested on Monday, April 25th. We will be meeting in the Sage Valley parking lot at 6:00 AM. If any of you runners want to meet up to go running, you are welcome too. We plan on meeting Monday through Friday, rain or shine!
Come join the fun!