Relief Society Purposes:
*Increase faith and personal righteousness
*Strengthen families and homes
*Seek out and help those in need
FAITH
Lesson Review: Joseph Fielding Smith 2: "Our Savior, Jesus Christ"
Doctrine: "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God who came into the world to lay down his life that we might live. That is the truth, and is fundamental. Upon that our faith is built."
Invitation to Action: "Consider what you can do to increase your love for the Savior and share your testimony of Him."
Promised Blessings: "We become the sons and daughters of Jesus Christ through His Atonement and through our covenants of obedience to Him."
"The Savior has revealed Himself in this dispensation, and each of us can have an abiding testimony of Him."
FAMILY
2014 Youth Curriculum - “Come Unto Christ”
January – The Godhead
Theme Song:
2014 Primary Theme – “Families Are Forever”
January – Heavenly Father Prepared a Way for Me to Return to His Presence.
RELIEF
*Please check with the sisters that you Visit Teach and see if they want/have one of the new Joseph Fielding Smith manuals. We have a lot of extras for those who want them!
I have been thinking a lot lately about how, although technology is a wonderful thing because it helps us stay so connected to each other, technology can also be a great hindrance because we rely on it so much that we may fail to listen to the spirit. Have you ever found yourself thinking about a sister in the ward? Have you given her a quick call or said a prayer for her even though for all you know everything is going great in her life? I think that sometimes, because we have phones and other modern conveniences, we figure that someone will call us and let us know if there is a problem that they or someone else needs help with. Many times, our Heavenly Father is the only one that is aware of someone else's burdens and cares.
“God does watch over us and does notice us, but it usually through someone else that he meets our needs.”
― Spencer W. Kimball
― Spencer W. Kimball
It's my hope that all of us can be aware of those fleeting thoughts that we have about others and that we will immediately act upon them! I have a testimony and have learned that whenever I find myself thinking about someone, it's because they need to be thought of! I need to do something. Anything really - just something.
Conversely, there have been many, many times that I have been having a really hard time and have prayed that someone - ANYONE would call me or be aware of me. Many times, nothing has happened. I have been amazed how weeks later many people will tell me, "I was really thinking about you a week or two ago. How are you doing?" Well, by then I am generally doing great!
Many of you have probably had similar experiences. I know that we have also had very rewarding experiences come to us as we have relied on the spirit for information. I think the following story from "Daughters in my Kingdom" is inspiring:
Time after time, faithful visiting teachers have sought and received spiritual guidance. A Relief Society sister in Brazil told of a time when she received the Lord’s help:
“I have no way to reach the sisters by phone. We don’t have telephones. So I go to my knees in prayer to find out the sisters that need me that week. It never fails. [For instance], we had a dear young woman in our ward that had no clothes for her new baby. I had no idea when she was due but I knew she was close. I got a group of sisters together and we made some clothes for her baby. We didn’t want her to bring that baby home in newspapers. We could not telephone one another and so I prayed and I was told when I should go to the hospital with this layette [baby clothes]. When I arrived at the hospital she had just given birth to her baby and I was able to present the clothes to her that were from her Relief Society sisters.”23
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
*Stacie Day was married on Saturday, Jan 18th!
*Sarah Coray received her mission call to Chile!
CALENDAR
*March Relief Society birthday party
