Week of August 17th

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 #17: Sealing Power and Temple Blessings

Doctrine: To prepare for salvation in its fullest, we must receive, and help others to receive, temple ordinances through the sealing power.

Invitation to Action: President Smith said, "May I remind you that when we dedicate a house to the Lord, what we really do is dedicate ourselves to the Lord's service, with a covenant that we shall use the house the way he intends that it shall be used." What can we do to follow this counsel?

Promised Blessings:  "All those who have worked in this goodly cause {family history work and temple work} shall find their treasure and riches in the celestial kingdom of God.  Great shall be their reward, yea, even beyond the power of mortals to understand."

Lesson Schedule:

24th - Teaching for our time

31st - 5th Sunday - The Law of Chastity

FAMILY

School is going to be starting up again in less than a week!  Some of my children are excited; some are anxious.  ALL of them appreciate a back-to-school blessing from their father!   In fact, this may take place during our Family Home Evening next week, along with a discussion on a great talk (with great stories) about priesthood blessings from Elder Oaks:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/04/priesthood-blessings?lang=eng

(Go ahead!  Check it out! I don't mind if you copy:)

RELIEF

Missionary spotlight:

I am so excited that Sister Grethe P. has shared this letter from Caitlyn this week! 

Caitlyn Powell, who is serving in the California Roseville Mission had the opportunity to return to her first area of missionary service last week to attend the baptism of a man, whose wife she taught and was baptized nearly a year ago. She wrote:

 The best part of the week though was going to Yuba City for Keith's baptism!!!

 Before I left I was pretty  nervous. I don't want to go to my beloved Buttes Vista ward and feel  out of place or politely remembered, but there was nothing to worry  about. I couldn't have planned it any better and I felt like I was  coming home.

 Jessica (the member wife) looked so at peace and confident and relaxed, Ashley (their daughter) was even  more spoiled than I remembered, and Keith was barely containing his  glory--even his parents came who he thought he would have to bury
 before he could be baptized. He asked me to play the piano which I did
 gratefully but my heart was pounding and I kept staring around at all
 the people I remembered. Bradly (another former investigator) came and I was glad to see him getting  along with the young men there. Keith is their scoutmaster. I was
 holding my joy pretty well until I looked up and saw Rose (also  a former investigator who has a female partner) standing in the corner. I failed to fight back tears as I hugged her, the person I was  most excited to see. We didn't get to talk long afterwards but  she told me she's now read the book of Mormon 14 times and the   Doctrine and Covenants twice. I also learned she's been talking to  Bishop Jukes about receiving help moving out so that she could be  baptized at the end of the month. I'm almost scared to hold my breath.  I can't even express how much I love her. If I only came on my mission to meet her it would have been worth it.

 Everyone else was so happy to see me and so kind and I felt my heart
 was full to bursting. Even Brother Ross snuck in afterwords in his
 "longer" kilt (to show respect) and said they still miss me. It was
 almost overwhelming but I didn't want to leave.  It still felt like my ward and I
 felt like I was home. Couldn't have asked for a better day: my
 strength was renewed and my joy was full. How wonderful to be a
 missionary!

 All the love

 Caitlyn

Calendaring:

August 21st- 23rd - Varsity scout high adventure

September 3rd - Youth temple trip

September 9th - Ward party!! Dinner and activities, beginning at 6:00 at the Stake Center pavillion.

Week of August 10th

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 #16, "Bringing up Children in Light and Truth"

Doctrine: "The first duty pertaining to the training of the children of the Church belongs in the home."

Invitation to Action: 

What are some things you and your family are doing well?  In what ways might you improve? What can you do to help the youth of the Church strengthen their testimonies?

Promised Blessings:

"If parents have done all in their power to teach their children correctly by example and precept and the children then go astray, the parents will not be held responsible..."

"The adversary is using every clever device, influence, and power within his control to undermine and destroy [the family]. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ applied in family relationships will thwart this devilish destructiveness."

Lesson Schedule:

17th - Joseph Fielding Smith lesson #17

24th - Teaching for our time

31st - 5th Sunday - The Law of Chastity

FAMILY

In Relief Society, we had a discussion about family mealtime.  Sister Beck has some very motivating things to say about this topic!:

Powerful Nurturing

Mothers, who are "primarily responsible for the nurture of their children," can be a powerful force for strengthening families when they use mealtimes to gather loved ones.  They follow the example of the Savior to calm, teach, and help their families remember important things as they feed, cultivate, educate, and rear at the consecrated tables in their homes."

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2005/12/powerful-nurturing?lang=eng

I also thought this was a fantastic article, from the 1998 Ensign:

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/09/mealtime-family-time?lang=eng

Also, if you need some new recipe ideas for your family meals, check out the recipes on this blog!  I try to frequently up-date those with tried and true favorites.

RELIEF

We still have three more weeks to do our visiting teaching, but that time could be lost before we know it with all the distractions that the end of summer brings! Please get your visiting teaching appointments scheduled, and continue to think about an act of kindness that you can perform for those that you visit teach.

SPECIAL SPOTLIGHT:

Most of us, at one time or another, need materials from our church library.  Sometimes it's easy to take for granted the resources that can be found there, and these wonderful ladies that are there to help us out with what we need:

Sisters Michelle P. and Rae J.  Also serving in the library (but  not pictured) are Sister Talisha M., and Kera D.

Along with this calling, these ladies often give up class times and the associations that can bring; but they love this calling!!!  They say it is the best in the church. Often times when I am forced into the hall with an extra-noisy baby, I stop in and chat with them a bit. They are such great ladies doing such a wonderful service!  Stop in and say hi for yourselves sometime.

HAPPY AUGUST  BIRTHDAYS!!!

4th - Madeline Jonson

7th - Barbara Walters

11th - Cindy Sharp

23rd - Amy Nef

28th - Shandell Hinckley

30th - Carolyn Wright

31st - Deena McNair

Calendaring:

August 21st- 23rd - Varsity scout high adventure

September 3rd - Youth temple trip

September 9th - Ward party!! Dinner and activities, beginning at 6:00 at the Stake Center pavillion.

Special information:

For anyone considering going back to school, the Church Education System has the "Pathways" program as an option. Following is a brief explanation of what the Pathway program is:

Pathway classes are conducted online, but students also gather in small groups at least weekly at their local Institute of Religion to work on course assignments and collaborate on educational activities. Husband and wife teams serving as volunteer missionaries in each location donate their time to help these students and provide additional support. After a sequence of preparatory courses, Pathway students can be officially admitted to BYU-Idaho and continue on to earn certificates as well as associate and bachelor's degrees.

For more information, please visit their site at: http://www.byui.edu/about/defining-aspects/pathway

Week of August 3rd

Purposes of Relief Society:

Increase Faith and Personal Righteousness

Seek Out and Help Those in Need

Strengthen Families and Homes

FAITH

Lesson Review:

We had a fantastic lesson on perseverance, but I can't trace down which talk the lesson came from! I will definitely "persevere" and have this section up for next weeks lesson though!!

FAMILY

Feeling the security and constancy of love from a spouse, a parent, or a child is a rich blessing. Such love nurtures and sustains faith in God. Such love is a source of strength and casts out fear (see 1 John 4:18). Such love is the desire of every human soul.

We can become more diligent and concerned at home as we express love—and consistently show it.

Elder Bednar

RELIEF

Please be thinking about a simple act of kindness that you can do for the ladies that you Visit Teach! Our goal is that every lady in the ward feels loved this month!

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