Week of July 27th

Purposes of Relief Society:

Increase Faith and Personal Righteousness

Seek Out and Help Those in Need

Strengthen Families and Homes

FAITH

Lesson Review: "Love - the Essence of the Gospel" by President Monson

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/love-the-essence-of-the-gospel?lang=eng

Key Doctrine: "We cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey.  Likewise, we cannot fully love our fellowmen if we do not love God, the Father of us all."

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  

"This is the first and great commandment.

"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

"There is none other commandment greater than these."

Invitations to Action – What opportunities are you given in your everyday life to show love and kindness to those around you?

"We must remember that those mortals we meet in parking lots, offices, elevators, and elsewhere are that portion of mankind that God has given us to love and to serve." 

"Some of our greatest opportunities to demonstrate our love will be within the walls of our own homes."

"I would hope that we would strive always to be considerate and to be sensitive to the thoughts and feelings and circumstances of those around us. Let us not demean or belittle.  Rather, let us be compassionate and encouraging.  We must be careful that we do not destroy another person's confidence through careless words or actions."

Promised Blessings - "Charity is the pure love of Christ,...and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him."

*Please see the “Relief” section of our blog for a follow-up to our lesson on love.

FAMILY

Protection From Pornography – A Christ-Focused Home

“The greatest filter in the world...is the personal internal filter that comes from a deep and abiding testimony.”

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/protection-from-pornography-a-christ-focused-home?lang=eng

RELIEF

As a follow-up to our lesson on Sunday, we are encouraging every one to focus on a simple act of love or kindness you can do for the sisters you visit teach this month. Our goal is that every sister in this ward have some act of love shown to her in the month of August. We encourage you to seek inspiration in this endeavor!

Calendaring:

August

3rd - President's Message

5th - First day of Girl's camp

10th - Joseph Fielding Smith #16

17th - Joseph Fielding Smith #17

24th - Teaching For Our Time

31st - 5th Sunday - "The Law of Chastity

September

7th - President's Message

14th - Joseph Fielding Smith #18

18th - Relief Society Activity!

21st - Joseph Fielding Smith #19

28th - Teaching For Our Time

Week of July 22nd

Purposes of Relief Society:

Increase Faith and Personal Righteousness

Seek Out and Help Those in Need

Strengthen Families and Homes

FAITH

Lesson Review: Joseph Fielding Smith lesson 15; "Eternal Marriage"

Key Doctrine: "The fullness and blessings of the Priesthood and Gospel grow out of Celestial marriage. This is the crowning ordinance of the Gospel and crowning ordinance of the temple."

Invitation to Action: What does it mean to be faithful and true to the marriage covenant? What are some things parents can do to "teach their children the sacredness of the marriage covenant?" (For ideas, see the "FAMILY" section of this blog.)

Promised Blessings: "As husband and wife faithfully observe all the ordinances and principles of the gospel, their joy in marriage grows sweeter."

Lesson Schedule:

July 27th - Teachings for our time - "Love - the Essence of the Gospel" from President Monson's General Conference talk in April (2014)

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/love-the-essence-of-the-gospel?lang=eng

FAMILY

In Relief Society during the lesson, we were discussing what we can teach our children about the temple.  Sister Briggs brought up a talk given by President Benson entitled:

What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children About the Temple:

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1985/08/what-i-hope-you-will-teach-your-children-about-the-temple?lang=eng

For those who are interested, click on the link above and read it.  It is great!

RELIEF

Some quotes from Linda K. Burton, Relief Society general president:

"When each of us has the doctrine of the Atonement written deep in our hearts, then we will begin to become the kind of people the Lord wants us to be when he comes again.  He will recognize us as His true disciples."

"Making, keeping, and rejoicing in covenants will be the evidence that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is truly written in the hearts of Latter-day Saint women."

Week of July 13th

Purposes of Relief Society:

Increase Faith and Personal Righteousness

Seek Out and Help Those in Need

Strengthen Families and Homes

FAITH

Lesson Review: Joseph Fielding Smith #14, "The Gift of the Holy Ghost"

Doctrine:

"We may after baptism and confirmation become companions of the Holy Ghost who will teach us the ways of the Lord, quicken our minds and help us to understand the truth."

Invitation to Action:

What can we do to prepare to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost?

Promised Blessings:

"We come back to the presence of God our Father, at last, through the guidance of the Holy Ghost."

Lesson Schedule:

July 20th - Joseph Fielding Smith #15: "Eternal Marriage"

July 27th - Teachings for our time

FAMILY

July Youth Curriculum: Ordinances and Covenants

https://www.lds.org/youth/learn/yw/ordinances-covenants?lang=eng

July Primary Curriculum: We Become Members of The Church Through Baptism and Confirmation

https://www.lds.org/manual/2014-outline-for-sharing-time-families-are-forever/july-we-become-members-of-the-church-through-baptism-and-confirmation?lang=eng

RELIEF

We are already half-way through the month!  If you have not gone Visiting Teaching yet this month, take some time to ponder this question from the lesson before you go: "As a disciple of Jesus Christ, how does the message of His life and mission help you minister to your sisters?"

Sister Spotlight:

I am so excited to introduce Shantelle Oliphant to you! As I have talked with Shantelle, I have been impressed with what a capable person she is. She has been married for two years to her husband, David, and is the mother to two daughters:  Emerson, (9), and Kamryn (7).  She is also expecting a baby in January!  She is the step-mom to five children: Alison (16), Emily (15), Rachel (10), Phillip (9), and Daniel (3).

l-r - Emily, Rachel, Emerson, David holding Daniel, Cameron kneeling, Shantelle, Phillip and Alison

After talking to Shantelle a little, I realized that she had a slight accent, and no wonder!  She has been all over the world.  She figures that the accent is a result of learning to talk while living in Germany as a young child of 3-5. After Germany her family lived in Utah.  Then, Shantell served a mission in Brazil, and later taught at an international school in Malasia.  She taught first grade while living in Hawaii.  She has also traveled the world when she worked for Delta Airlines in marketing. Currently she teaches at Lincoln Elementary here in town while she works on her Doctorate degree! Whew!  I don't know how she does it all. 

Welcome to the ward, Shantelle.  We are glad that you are here!

BIRTHDAYS

I realized this morning that I failed to get the birthdays from earlier in the month put on the blog.  Happy belated birthdays to: Malinda T (July 2), Jennifer B. (July 4), Kera D. (July 5), Afton W. (July 5).

Happy up-coming birthdays to: Andrea M. (July 17), Debbie L. (July 25), Rae J. (July 27) and Diane P. (July 28)!

Week of July 6th

Purposes of Relief Society:

Increase Faith and Personal Righteousness

Seek Out and Help Those in Need

Strengthen Families and Homes

FAITH

Lesson Review: "Women of Righteousness" by Elder Ballard

Doctrine: More than ever we need women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who can hear and who will respond to the voice of the Lord.

Invitation to Action: 

"Never lose your precious identity by doing anything that would jeopardize the promised eternal future your Heavenly Father has provided for you."

Between now and the day the Lord comes again, He needs women in every family, in every ward, in every community, in every nation who will step forward in righteousness and say by their words and their actions, “Here am I, send me.”

Promised Blessings:

I make you a promise. It is a simple one, but it is true. If you will listen to the living prophet and the apostles and heed our counsel, you will not go astray.

Lesson Schedule:

 July 13th - Joseph Fielding Smith #14 - The Gift of the Holy Ghost

July 20th - Joseph Fielding Smith #15 - Eternal Marriage

July 27th - Teachings For Our Time