Happy Easter Sabbath!

My wonderful friends and sisters,
Today is such a beautiful day, isn't it? I'm so happy it is Easter. This really is the best holiday. It was simply wonderful to be at Church and listen to the great talks, music, and lessons about the Savior.

We didn't have any big announcements this week, just good luck with your finals and life, and please don't forget to do and report your visiting teaching.

Our lesson was taught by Rachel, and it was beautiful. The Spirit was so strong as she taught. She really is a great example of faith and humility. I love to listen to her teach. We really have been very blessed to have such wonderful teachers for our Relief Society this year. Her lesson came from the Joseph Fielding Smith manual, chapter 6, The Significance of the Sacrament. https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-joseph-fielding-smith/chapter-6-the-significance-of-the-sacrament?lang=eng

Rachel: Our lesson today is on the sacrament, which I think fits perfectly with Easter. I know you’ve already seen this in Sunday School, but it’s a beautiful video that I think sets the tone for our lesson. #Because of Him http://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694
Whenever I watch that I get chills. Each week we can come to Church and partake of the sacrament and renew our covenants. What are your thoughts?
Kim: This video makes me so excited. I just wan to exclaim it to everyone that He lives! The church has put so much money into putting this out there. I just want to tell everyone that it’s true.
Rachel: It’s so exciting because he is our Savior. He lives now, he’s here now, and what a blessing that is.
Jo: I think about the BoM when they were told that Christ would come, but it’s really amazing to think that He’s already done it. I used to think that you had to do a lot of sinning to get close to the Lord. I had this concept that if I sinned more, I’d repent more and be closer to the Lord. That was a dumb idea, but the Atonement is for everyone. And everyone needs it. Everyone can benefit from it.
Rachel: I think even in my life I think that I haven’t had some huge sin like you were saying, but it is for everyone. The little things, no matter what, the Atonement is there for us and we can use it every single day.
Just thinking about the savior and everything he did, what a blessing it is that we can come to Church each Sunday and renew our covenants.
Think about the significance of the sacrament as we read this:

In my judgment the sacrament meeting is the most sacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church. When I reflect upon the gathering of the Savior and his apostles on that memorable night when he introduced the sacrament; when I think of that solemn occasion my heart is filled with wonderment and my feelings are touched. I consider that gathering one of the most solemn and wonderful since the beginning of time.
There the Savior taught them of his coming sacrifice, which in their bewilderment they could not understand. He plainly told them of his death and that his blood should be shed, and this was said in the very hour of his agony for the sins of the world. It was a very solemn occasion; there the sacrament was instituted, and the disciples were commanded to meet together often and commemorate the death and sufferings of Jesus Christ, for his sacrifice was for the redemption of the world.

Can you guys imagine being the apostles there? The savior knows what has to happen. Here he is with all his apostles, breaking the bread, giving the wine. Can you picture the significance of this? The apostles probably had no idea. How incredible that is! The symbolism behind that is incredible to me.
Brittany: It seems like it’s been a pattern since that first sacrament, that sometimes we as disciples don’t understand the significance of it. I wonder if I understand it or if I know there’s something important going on, but I don’t fully get it. It’s just so profound.
Rachel: I found an excellent talk by Elder Holland that he gave in 1995. (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/10/this-do-in-remembrance-of-me?lang=eng) I was really impressed with this. He talks about the significance of the bread and the water. He says, That is why every ordinance of the gospel focuses in one way or another on the atonement of Jesus Christ… The most sacred, most holy, of all the meetings of the Church… do we see it as our passover? With so much at stake, this ordinance should be taken more seriously than it sometimes is… it should not be rushed… this is the real purpose of the sacrament meeting.
Have you ever thought of that? How the real purpose is on the sacrament?
I felt like my view of the sacrament changed today. Listening to the music and the talks, the Spirit that was there was incredible. Thinking about what he did for each one of us. I’ve done it sometimes, waiting for the next part. Even just in our ward, you can tell the difference going to our home ward. Do we take the time to reflect and appreciate that it’s silent? It’s hard when you go home because of all the kids, it’s wonderful, but enjoying where we’re at now to ponder the Savior.
Going on, President Smith continues.
Think again about the importance of the sacrament.

The person who absents himself from a sacrament meeting week after week and month after month, and nothing prevents him from coming, is not loyal to the truth. He does not love it. If he did, he would be present to partake of these emblems—just a little piece of bread, a little cup of water. He would want to do that to show his love for the truth and his loyal service to the Son of God.3
We have been called upon to commemorate this great event [the Atonement of Jesus Christ] and to keep it in mind constantly. For this purpose we are called together once each week to partake of these emblems, witnessing that we do remember our Lord, that we are willing to take upon us his name and that we will keep his commandments. This covenant we are called upon to renew each week, and we cannot retain the Spirit of the Lord if we do not consistently comply with this commandment. If we love the Lord we will be present at these meetings in the spirit of worship and prayer, remembering the Lord and the covenant we are to renew each week through this sacrament as he has required it of us.

What are your thoughts? I feel like some of these words, in some ways, seem kind of harsh, but it brings me back to reality. How important it is that we’re there.
Ryan: One thing I was thinking about is that He requires it of us, but not as a taskmaster. He requires it because he loves us. I notice quickly the absence of the Spirit when I let the little things slide. By foregoing that you’re only doing yourself a disservice.
Adrienne: You appreciate it, but some Sundays are different than others. What I was thinking about today, sometimes my issue is that I understand it to an extent, but because I wasn’t there it’s hard to really appreciate it. I wasn’t there and didn’t experience it, so I can’t get it. But what if my best friend gave her life for me? I would live my life every day how she would approve. That’s what the Savior did, but a thousand times better because my best friend can’t guarantee me eternal life. It’s showing appreciation so that this gift is used. I really appreciated the sacrament today because it’s kind of a big deal. I think that if we can even get a tiny grasp on it, it means something.
Rachel: I like what you said.sometimes it’s hard to think about this person who died over 2000 years ago. As we think about the prayers, the word “remember” stands out to me. I love that word. It’s impactful. The importance of it. I just love it. I can’t even describe it.
How often during sacrament meeting, especially during the sacrament, do your thoughts wander so you’re not thinking about the savior and the importance of that special ordinance?
Brittany: I was thinking about how you said it’s hard to feel like we’re remembering something that happened so long ago, but I think that all of us can remember even just the place from which our testimonies came and the things the Savior has done in our lives. That was five years ago, yesterday, and this morning. The sacrament is about the Atonement, but the atonement is still happening. To press it up to the present can make it so meaningful.
Rachel: Going to Elder Holland’s talk, In the simple and beautiful language of the sacramental prayer… what is stressed in both prayers is remembrance in Christ…
Sometimes the savior isn’t what comes to my memory, but he says how we can remember the savior’s birth… the savior found delight in living. Christ called his disciples friends.
We are friends with Christ. Remember that.
Thinking about the blessings we have as we’re sitting there.
To forgive. Some bad things happen, but the beautiful blessing of forgiveness. He goes on, but I love this. I think this is helpful for me to focus on the sacrament. I love that.
Why is it that we take the sacrament? Part of it yes, to remember, but what was it that he did for us? President Smith said something powerful I liked. I’m speaking for myself, but I feel like so often we sit here and we're like, what is the Atonement about? But it’s for all of us. It’s not just about him dying.

Well, naturally a person would think: He had nails driven in his hands and his feet and he hung there until he died. … What else did he suffer? This is a thing I think that most of us overlook. I am convinced that his greatest suffering was not the driving of nails in his hands and in his feet and hanging on the cross, as excruciating and as terrible as that was. He was carrying another load that was far more significant and penetrating. How? We do not understand clearly, but I get a glimpse of it.

We don’t understand clearly, none of us will I think until after we’ve died. Please think about this.

There isn’t one of us I take it that hasn’t done something wrong and then been sorry and wished we hadn’t. Then our consciences strike us and we have been very, very miserable. Have you gone through that experience? I have. … But here we have the Son of God carrying the burden of my transgressions and your transgressions. … His greatest torment was not the nails in his hands or in his feet, as bad as they were, but the torment of mind in some way that is not clear to me. But he carried the burden—our burden. I added something to it; so did you. So did everybody else. He took it upon himself to pay the price that I might escape—that you might escape—the punishment on the conditions that we will receive his gospel and be true and faithful in it.
Now that’s what I’m trying to think about. That’s what I’m remembering—the excruciating agony when he was crying in his prayer to his Father to let the cup pass. He’s not pleading just for relief from driving nails in his hand[s] or in his feet, he had a more severe torment than all of that, in some way that I do not understand.

I don’t think any of us will understand the excruciating pain he went through.

“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; but if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I; which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit; and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink—nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.” [D&C 19:16–19.]
It is, however, within our grasp to know and realize that this excruciating agony of His sacrifice has brought to us the greatest blessing that could possibly be given. Moreover, we are able to realize that this extreme suffering—which was beyond the power of mortal man either to accomplish or endure—was undertaken because of the great love which the Father and the Son had for mankind.
If we fully appreciated the many blessings which are ours through the redemption made for us, there is nothing that the Lord could ask of us that we would not anxiously and willingly do.

I like that last part. The lord has suffered all things for us. You want to tell the world because of the Savior, al of these things. Because of him we can live, take the sacrament, repent, start over new. What a blessing that is! That’s why I just want to go out and tell the world. Because of him all these things can be.
Emilie: Regret is a big thing I struggle with. It's really hard for me to let go of my mistakes. But I'm so grateful for the Atonement. When I remember the Atonement, I can let go of my mistakes. I know that Christ understands, that he suffered for my regret and the emotional pain I allow myself to perpetuate. So I can let it go. I know the power of the Atonement is real. I'm so grateful for it. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I would do anything for him.
Rachel: I’ll close with this last quote and my testimony.

If we could understand all this, feebly though it be, and feebly it must be, I am sure, my brethren and sisters, we would forever more want to walk in the light of truth. If we could see the Savior of men suffering in the garden and upon the cross and could fully realize all that it meant to us, we would desire to keep his commandments and we would love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our might, mind and strength, and in the name of Jesus Christ would serve him.

To leave you guys with a challenge, try to remember all the things HEavenly Father has done for you. Focus on the things the Savior has done for you. Because of Him all these things ware possible. I know as we do that, that the Lord will bless us. He’ll lead us and guide us, give us the comfort we need. The extra push to do what we feel inspired to do. I know that as we do these things, that truly the lord will bless us. It was such a blessing today to do that. I want to share with yo my testimony that I know the Savior lives. That he lived and died for us. That we can celebrate his life today. I had the opportunity to attend The Messiah last night in the Tabernacle. It was incredible as the Hallelujah chorus was sang, that everyone stood up. The Spirit was so powerful. These wonderful musicians testified of the Savior. He knows each of us perfectly and he wants to reach of us.

End of the Semester

¡Hola amigas!
How is everyone after Conference? Wasn't it fantastic? I love Conference. And now we're at the end of the semester. Whew. Good luck to all who are taking finals this week and next.

Announcements:
1. Engaged couples fireside tonight at the Pioneer Building.
2. Ward prayer tonight at 8pm.
3. Normal FHE tomorrow, not Bishopric.

So our lesson today was taught by me. I hope those of you who were there heard something you needed. I was going to record the lesson and then transcribe it, because I always take notes, but I totally forgot hit the record button on my computer. So, here is the talk that I based my lesson off of. I'm really sad I didn't record because there were some really great comments and testimonies shared today. I'll share a few of my stories and y'all can share your testimonies or thoughts if you want.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1985/10/draw-near-unto-me?lang=eng

As a follow up to Brittany's lesson, I thought about this quote from an Elder I served with. This was after our missions and I was going through a hard time. He was going through a harder time and still had the strength to think positively. I love this statement and want to testify that no matter what you are dealing with, you can get through it.

Heavenly Father is always waiting for you. He wants to develop a relationship with you. If you seek him through scripture study and listening to the prophets, ask through prayer, and knock by obedience to his commandments, you will find yourself drawing nearer to him. I guarantee it.

Before my mission, I came to know for myself that God is real. I prayed to know if God exists. I asked him. And I didn't feel anything. After struggling over this for about a week, I opened my scriptures to 2 Nephi 2:14. I replaced "my sons" with my own name and read:

And now, Emilie, I tell you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.

Then I felt the Spirit testify to me that God is real. It felt like getting a big hug. That was the start of my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

I have a fun story from my mission about obedience. I taught a lady named Elizabeth. She drank coffee everyday. I'm pretty sure it coursed through her veins instead of blood. When my companions and I taught her the word of wisdom, we had created a plan to help her stop drinking it. She surprised us though and said she was going to stop drinking coffee that very day. And she did. She had a testimony that God gave that commandment, and she was determined to keep his commandments. She has never had a cup of coffee since that day. I can testify that if you keep the commandments, you will grow closer to Heavenly Father because your faith will grow as you keep them. It really is cool to see someone's life change as their faith develops.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Christ. It's titled "Christ's Love" by Del Parson. When I look at this painting, I imagine Heavenly Father with a similar smile. I feel so comfortable. So loved. Important and special. I know that I am a daughter of God. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and that I have this knowledge in my life. I love you all and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to be your friend and serve with you.

General Conference!

Hi friends!
I hope y'all had a fantastic evening last night and loved the General Women's Meeting as much as I did! Even though I couldn't watch it last night, I did today, and it was fantastic. I love the simplicity of the Gospel. I loved the strength of the Spirit I felt. And then there's General Conference this weekend! :D The goodness just doesn't stop. I am so grateful for the Gospel!

All right, all right, here are the announcements and lesson recap:
1. Tomorrow night from 5-11pm is the Ward Closing Social at Spring Haven Lodge in Springville. Carpools will be leaving from Fleur-de-Lis at 5, 6, and 7pm. You don't have to come back with the people you went up with.
2. Institute is on Wednesday at 7pm in B092 JFSB.
3. Quick Connect is Thursday at 7pm.
4. General Conference is Saturday at 10am and 2pm, and Sunday at 10am and 2pm!
--Side note with that, please support the brethren in our ward and encourage them to attend/listen to the Priesthood session at 6pm on Saturday.

Today Relief Society was combined with Brother & Sister Porter teaching us from Elder D. Todd Christofferson's October General Conference talk, “The Moral Force of Women.”
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/the-moral-force-of-women?lang=eng

Bro. Porter: What did Elder Bowen do to his wife the other weeK? He called his wife “The Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
What I got out of it was not that Sis. Bowen is perfect, but that she represents the women of the church. The RS always shows men up in how they can be better. It’s really about what women bring to the gospel. I think that’s what Elder Christofferson is getting at here too.
I can tell you that it’s because of Sis. Porter that our family is still strong in the gospel and we’ve been able to move forward.
He says that women are the moral force of society. Is that true? Are your mothers the moral force of society?
Adrienne: You hope they’re the moral force. Because that’s who are teaching children while they’re at home. That they’re correcting anything that could otherwise be influencing them.
Bro. Porter: You’re right on. Women outside the church are struggling with it. They don’t have the same moral compass to help them along.
Sis. Porter: We’ll talk more about that because as the talk goes on, he says that society is taking that away from women. They’re being told to be stronger and more equal to men in everything we do.
Bro. Porter: Having talked to you a little bit by what Elder Bowen said and did, I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed.

Women bring with them into the world a certain virtue, a divine gift that makes them adept at instilling such qualities as faith, courage, empathy, and refinement in relationships and in cultures. When praising the “unfeigned faith” he found in Timothy, Paul noted that this faith “dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice.”

Paul mentions that in the New Testament. That’s a great credit to Timothy’s mother and grandmother.
Elder Christofferson talks about the women he met in Mexico. He mentions one example of a young mother who had moral authority. With her husband she sacrificed a number of pleasures and seemed almost superhuman.

The demands on her were many and her tasks often repetitive and mundane, yet underneath it all was a beautiful serenity, a sense of being about God’s work. As with the Savior, she was ennobled by blessing others through service and sacrifice. She was love personified.

I want you to envision, “what is my life going to be like?”
Perhaps that involves a career, getting married, I imagine it involves having children.
Sis. Porter and I are here to testify that there is no greater joy than to have children in your home, to have a family. There’s also no greater way to learn patience. In the gospel we understand the family is important there is no greater role than to lead a family.

I have been remarkably blessed by the moral influence of women, in particular my mother and my wife. Among other women that I look to in gratitude is Anna Daines. Anna and her husband, Henry, and their four children were among the pioneers of the Church in New Jersey, in the United States. Beginning in the 1930s, when Henry was a doctoral student at Rutgers University, he and Anna worked tirelessly with school and civic organizations in Metuchen, where they lived, to overcome deeply rooted prejudice against Mormons and to make the community a better place for all parents to raise their children.
Anna, for example, volunteered at the Metuchen YMCA and made herself indispensable. Within a year she was appointed president of the Mothers’ Auxiliary and then “was asked to run for one of the three women’s positions on the YMCA board of directors. She won without opposition, and so joined the very council that only a few years before had refused to let the Saints meet in their building!”
My family moved into the New Brunswick Ward when I was a teenager. Sister Daines took notice of me and often expressed her confidence in my abilities and potential, which inspired me to reach high—higher than I would have without her encouragement. Once, because of a thoughtful and timely warning from her, I avoided a situation that would surely have led to regret. Although she is no longer here, Anna Daines’s influence continues to be felt and reflected in the lives of her descendants and countless others, myself included.

Sis. Porter: Bro Porter and I lived in a lot of places. Our first job out of BYU was in Michigan. I’m from California, and the East Coast is very different. From there we went back to CA, then to AZ, then here to UT. I like to be involved in my kids schools and the political activity in our area. I connected to this story because as a woman sometimes you wonder how to make a difference. I’m here to tell you that there’s small things you can do to let your light shine.
Carla: That reminds me of my mom. Everyone knew my mom. She’s always worked full time, but you always knew she’d be home to make dinner. Your kids need to know that you’re always there for them. She’s still the woman about town, but she’s always available to talk to me.
Sis. Porter: Just like this woman she helped this town change their view about Mormons. There’s so many small ways that just by being you and letting your light shine, you can open doors and help others.
My grandmother Adena Warnick Swenson taught me to be conscientious in priesthood service. She encouraged me to memorize the sacramental blessings on the bread and water, explaining that in this way I could express them with greater understanding and feeling. Observing how she sustained my grandfather, a stake patriarch, engendered in me a reverence for sacred things. Grandma Swenson never learned how to drive a car, but she knew how to help boys become priesthood men.
Sis: I really liked that because how many of you had a grandmother that could look into your soul and help you be a better person.
Bro. Porter: What Elder Christofferson says right after that I think is very powerful.

A woman’s moral influence is nowhere more powerfully felt or more beneficially employed than in the home. There is no better setting for rearing the rising generation than the traditional family, where a father and a mother work in harmony to provide for, teach, and nurture their children. Where this ideal does not exist, people strive to duplicate its benefits as best they can in their particular circumstances.

I think that’s critical. The world has lost sight of that. We need the foundation of the family. There’s no more better or powerful place you could be than in the home.
Ashley: I had a discussion with someone just the other day about sex education in Utah. I think it’s silly that schools can form students morals. We both kind of agreed that those are the things you learn in the home. Our friends have huge influences, but so much of what your parents expect from you and the examples they give, shape that part of you very early on.
Bro. Porter: What Sis. Porter and I decided before we had children, was that we would be completely open with our children. They could ask us any question they wanted and we would discuss it with them. What we also found over the years was that, you think you have to go into detail with kids, but you don’t. I agree that you said parents should be the ones teaching those values in the home.
Carla: My mom told me that her mom didn’t tell her anything, so she went out and did it all. When I was growing up, my parents were very open and taught us everything.
Brittany: There are good principles that can be taken from this. If we as parents aren’t strong and helping our children learn, there are other people who will. Even if they’re friends aren’t open, your kid will be ignorant. They’ll know things, but not from a really great source. I was at a family history center the other week and saw a video where the daughter asked her mom to go out and roller skate with her. The mother was really busy and the daughter said that the relationship building was very important now so that they could have a strong relationship now.
Olivia: A parent needs to have those conversations with their kids so they can learn it the way they need, and the information the parents want them to have.
Visitor: Attachment starts very early in life. If you don’t have that secure attachment with your caregiver, then you start to grow up super anxious or avoidant. It shows that people who have both parents actively involved in their lives, it makes a huge difference. I work with at risk kids, and it’s so sad to see that these kids don’t have that. I want so much to tell them that those who are checking up on them outside of the home are trying to help them and I wish they could have that in their home. It’s so important to have that love at home.
Sis. Badger: I just need to put this in perspective a little. 42 years ago when I was in high school, they showed us how to prevent pregnancy. We sort of live in a bubble in Utah.
Krystal: I had to take some of my education classes online. I actually had to take that particular class in an online setting. I feel there was a marked difference. Though you can’t regulate morals, you can keep immoral things from being taught in schools.
Bro. Porter: There’s 3 things that Elder Christofferson wanted to bring out that are some concerns he has.

A pernicious philosophy that undermines women’s moral influence is the devaluation of marriage and of motherhood and homemaking as a career. Some view homemaking with outright contempt, arguing it demeans women and that the relentless demands of raising children are a form of exploitation.8 They ridicule what they call “the mommy track” as a career. This is not fair or right. We do not diminish the value of what women or men achieve in any worthy endeavor or career—we all benefit from those achievements—but we still recognize there is not a higher good than motherhood and fatherhood in marriage. There is no superior career, and no amount of money, authority, or public acclaim can exceed the ultimate rewards of family. Whatever else a woman may accomplish, her moral influence is no more optimally employed than here.

The “mommy track” is being degraded by the world. It is a great influence in our world and society.
We already talked about the second.

Attitudes toward human sexuality threaten the moral authority of women on several fronts. Abortion for personal or social convenience strikes at the heart of a woman’s most sacred powers and destroys her moral authority. The same is true of sexual immorality and of revealing dress that not only debases women but reinforces the lie that a woman’s sexuality is what defines her worth.
A third area of concern comes from those who, in the name of equality, want to erase all differences between the masculine and the feminine. Often this takes the form of pushing women to adopt more masculine traits—be more aggressive, tough, and confrontational. It is now common in movies and video games to see women in terribly violent roles, leaving dead bodies and mayhem in their wake. It is soul-numbing to see men in such roles and certainly no less so when women are the ones perpetrating and suffering the violence.
Former Young Women general president Margaret D. Nadauld taught: “The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”10 In blurring feminine and masculine differences, we lose the distinct, complementary gifts of women and men that together produce a greater whole.

We would reference everyone also to The Family: A Proclamation to the world. Men and women have unique responsibilities, but both are necessary.
https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation
Carla: I want to know if you have to choose one. I don’t think you have to go all the way one way, but in my sense, I want to be a mother and an attorney. I just want to say you can do both.
Ginger: I want to reference the Women’s Conference. Sister Burton said there are spiritual help wanted signs we can fill. We need to have good influence on others, because they need our help.
Bro: When Sis. Porter and I were engaged I told her I wanted to have 12 sons. She said she didn’t want to have kids at the start of our marriage. One night we were doing homework and she had a change of heart, where she told me our family wasn’t complete.
If you take it as a prayerful endeavor, the Lord has distinctly given us those roles.

My plea to women and girls today is to protect and cultivate the moral force that is within you. Preserve that innate virtue and the unique gifts you bring with you into the world. Your intuition is to do good and to be good, and as you follow the Holy Spirit, your moral authority and influence will grow. To the young women I say, don’t lose that moral force even before you have it in full measure. Take particular care that your language is clean, not coarse; that your dress reflects modesty, not vanity; and that your conduct manifests purity, not promiscuity. You cannot lift others to virtue on the one hand if you are entertaining vice on the other.

Bro. Porter: All I have to say is that I’m a better man because of my wife and her moral character. Each of you has that moral power that you can raise your society by holding true to what you know and what you know to be right. I testify that your HEavenly Father loves you and knows each of you.
Kelsey H: I want to add my testimony to that that I know we can add our moral force to society. As disciples of Christ we’re going to emanate that goodness.

Women's Conference

Hello, my friends!
Who else is excited that little green buds actually showed up on all the trees this week? Isn't Spring fantastic? I love how beautiful the earth is.

Here are the announcements for the week:
1. Tomorrow night is Bishopric FHE. Your group leaders will let you know what's going on with that.
2. Wednesday @ 7pm in B092 JFSB is Institute.
3. Saturday we will have a combined Relief Society dinner @ 5:30 pm in 4186 JFSB before the broadcast at 6pm.
4. Monday, the 31st, is our Ward Closing Social at Spring Haven Lodge in Springville from 5-11pm.

Our lesson was taught by Brittany from Elder Ballard's October Conference talk.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/put-your-trust-in-the-lord?lang=eng

Brittany:Joseph Smith said that the most important duty that members have is to preach the gospel. Elder Ballard recalls when he heard President Kimball speak:
Perhaps the greatest reason for missionary work is to give the world its chance to hear and accept the gospel. The scriptures are replete with commands and promises and calls and rewards for teaching the gospel. I use the word command deliberately for it seems to be an insistent directive from which we, singly and collectively, cannot escape
In July of that same year, Sister Ballard and I left with our children to preside over the Canada Toronto Mission. The words of President Kimball were ringing in my ears, especially when he said: “My brethren, I wonder if we are doing all we can. Are we complacent in our approach to teaching all the world? We have been proselyting now 144 years. Are we prepared to lengthen our stride? To enlarge our vision?”
When I read this I wanted to know who President Kimball was speaking to when he said this. He was speaking to a group of 70s and the 12. So if he’s telling them this, are we being complacent in sharing the gospel?
When you’re constantly asked to do something it’s easier to forget the reason for doing it.
Ky: I love this talk. I was listening to it a couple weeks ago. It was one of those talks that lit the fire. Not only are we commanded to do it, but we promised to do it with our baptism. You’ve promised to be a witness of God’s church. No matter where you’re at, it’s helping activate people, doing your visiting teaching, fulfilling your calling. You are a disciple of christ, you need to be doing this all the time. Don’t be complacent.
Brittany: Hastening the work doesn’t necessarily mean always going and having a gospel discussion, it’s any time we can share Christ’s light.
As I was reading through this first part of his talk and the danger of complacency, ELder Ballard continues to say that we need to work in partnership with our 80,000 missionaries now serving.
Anyone who’s ever seen a great missionary family and magnifying the missionaries’ efforts, who are those people, what are they doing that was so great?
Ginger: One of my best friends, her family has traveled all over the world. When they lived in Korea they lived on a military base, and every Sunday they had people over to their house. I think it was a great example to me how you need to open your doors to others, not just your family. Even if it’s just to provide a good example of a family to them.
Brittany: Our homes are the most holy place beside the temple. People can feel that.
I’m going to make a list of the examples you share and invite you to try one you haven’t done before.

Ky: we had a ward missionary fireside a few weeks ago. One thing they asked us to do was pray for opportunities. A few days after the fireside someone was able to give a Book of Mormon to the plumber that came to their apartment.
Brittany: When I was in California a few summers ago one of the leaders asked us to pray for a missionary opportunity for 3 weeks. I took the challenge, and I don’t know if there were opportunities that I haven’t seen or they were given to me, but I have a testimony that praying opens our ability to recognize the opportunities. It totally changes my perspective.
Arianne: I’ve always noticed that one thing we don’t do as much as we need to is say how we truly feel about things. As members of the church we feel very differently about things. It’s just sharing what you believe and what you know. We get afraid that other people will be offended. It brings up questions and helps you be more open.
Brittany: I think I’m definitely guilty of passively living my beliefs.
Kiersten: We had some good neighbor friends of years. The father came over and asked my dad if he could borrow a wheelbarrow, but my dad said no. He told him he shouldn’t be doing yard work on Sunday. They ended up getting baptized.
Christine: I think that when I was on my mission, the best families that were sharing the gospel because they saw people and truly wanted others to be happy. They would talk about it and say things like “If they had the gospel they would be so happy.” We don’t share the gospel not so that we can share, but because we love them.
Brittany: In Nashville there was a church leader that was sharing a great talk. He said Be who you are, See others for who they are, Extend invitations. The quality of an invitation isn’t measured by the person’s response, it’s measured by the person extending it.
Ashley: I was just going to add, when you’re talking about the gospel I think we can do this more with our families and others. Church was good, but we could actually say what we learned. I had that experience a couple weeks ago. I was going to do indexing, and a nonmember friend pulled up and asked me where I was going. I could have said I’m just going to a church activity, but I explained more about family history. It really opened up more of her thoughts and how she was just talking with her mom about family history.
Brittany: I feel like all these things are things I definitely should’ve learned before, but it’s so wonderful to hear them from you.
Christine: I love this comment from Elder Ballard:

Just be positive, and those whom you speak with will feel your love. They will never forget that feeling, though the timing may not be right for them to embrace the gospel. That too may change in the future when their circumstances change.

Kelsey: Even though we’re talking about these things for nonmembers, members can use this too. Just because we all have the gospel, doesn’t mean we’re all on the same page. We could all use being positive people.
Kim: This past fall I took a religious study through Europe. One of the girls in our group challenged us to carry pass along cards. I never actually handed one out, but in every group I was with, someone needed one and I always had one.
Brittany: When I was on study abroad in Denmark, I was in Copenhagen. There were a lot of homeless people, but I didn’t know how to help these people. There was a week where I realized that I have something I could help them with. I kept a box of granola bars and pass along cards. You’re never going to expect it, but be ready to help people. I think it’s great to just be prepared for those opportunities.
Now I’m going to switch the question a bit. These things were applied to families, but is there anything you want to expound to being single?
Kiersten: I was thinking about all these things, and they’re all once you’re prepared to share the gospel. The biggest thing to get there is strengthen our testimonies. I think the biggest thing we can do right now is strengthen our testimony to where we can have something to share.
Ginger: Going along with fellowshipping members, we see a lot of people around us strong spiritually, but I think we should do this with everyone we see. I think Elder Eyring said, “If you treat everyone like they’re in trouble, you’re probably right 50% of the time.” I think we should just be generous with the gospel with everyone you meet.
Brittany: Even if they’re fine, who wouldn’t like talking with you? You’ll probably be uplifted too.
There was a friend in Nashville who did all these things. It didn’t matter who you were, but he would be your friend. He would make you feel like you're the most interesting and important person in the world. Then he would be a friend merger. It was a great way for him to help people make connections. He wasn’t just saying hi, but helped you have a constant friend in the church. Fellowshipping members, being positive, not taking for granted that we all need help, are all wonderful parts of this.
Kim: We are missionaries always. We should have those qualities that others can tell there’s something different about us.
Brittany: I’m going to close by reading just a few things.
Make the decision to do what Jesus Christ has asked us to do. The Savior has said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
You don’t have to be an outgoing person or an eloquent, persuasive teacher. If you have an abiding love and hope within you, the Lord has promised if you “lift up your voices unto this people [and] speak the thoughts that [He] shall put into your hearts, … you shall not be confounded before men”
Pick one of these things that you think would be a good thing for you individually. I love the gospel and for a Savior I know, and who loves me. I know he loves all of you guys.

Ky: I have a testimony of missionary work. As members of the church we’ve all covenanted to be missionaries. In Sunday School the Savior went back to his disciples when they decided to go fishing, because you are important enough to him that this work needs to continue. With what you’ve been taught, what will you do?

Happy Spring!

Hello Friends!
Who's excited for warmer weather? :D I need to go hiking.
Today was wonderful, and is still very wonderful. Here's what's going on that you need to be aware of:

1. Tonight @6pm is our Ward Missionary Fireside in the Chapel. Please come!
2. Also tonight and kind of a conflict @ 6pm is Stake Choir at the Pioneer Building.
3. Institute is on Wednesday @7pm in B092 JFSB. Ashlyn is teaching, so go enjoy her awesome teaching skills!
4. Saturday night @ 7-9pm is the first session of Stake Conference at the Costco North Chapel.
5. Sunday morning @ 10am is the second session of Stake Conference at the Wilk Ballroom.
6. Our Ward Temple week will be the 17-22. There will be groups going each night and the temple committee is working out the details for us. Look for it in Publicity's email.
7. Saturday the 22nd is a Stake Service Project at Pioneer Park @ 10am.
8. Our ward closing social will be on the 31st from 5-11pm. Carpooling will be scheduled through FHE groups.
9. Please report your visiting teaching. We showed you the form for it today and I've attached the link in my email. I know visiting teaching is a powerful tool that can really help strengthen all of us. It's an automatic friendship program. How can you not love the sisters you teach? :)

Now here's the lesson recap. Natalie did a beautiful job of teaching us about the scriptures from the life of President Joseph F. Smith, chapter 5. Sorry I didn't get all of it down like I normally do, I was multitasking throughout the lesson today. It was a beautiful lesson Natalie!

Natalie:
Alma 31:5

And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.

I love that it talks about the power that the scriptures have over the mind.
I know that there have been a lot of times in my life where I have come across a scripture that I’ve read a hundred times before and it had a new meaning.
Ryan: The words Christ taught were meant to have more than one meaning. The scriptures are the same way because they are Christ’s words and will have a different meaning for us each time we read them.
Natalie: I was probably 14 when this happened. I grew up in San Diego. Big news down there are wildfires. When I was 14 we got two weeks off of school for a big fire. I live in Oceanside. The ocean was on the west, the east side of our stake was on fire, Camp Pendleton was on fire, the south was on fire. I remember being really scared. I turned to Helaman 5. Nephi and Lehi are preaching to the Lamanites and it doesn’t go over very well, so they’re put in prison. They thought they were going to die. It says they were encircled by fire. I thought I was encircled by fire and was comforted. They found courage in the fact that they were righteous and doing what they were supposed to. My dad comforted me too because he said that even if our house does burn down, we pay our tithing and we’ll be okay. The second week off of school we spent cleaning up our stake. It was really special to me to be comforted and help serve others.
Ashley: I’ve had a few times when I’ve opened the scriptures and the answer has been there that I needed. But I think what happens more often is the Spirit will bring a scripture to my mind or someone will say something that makes sense. I think the important thing is consistently. It’s crazy how doing it consistently will bless you in the future.
Natalie: Even if yo feel like it wasn’t the most spiritual experience the fact that you were willing to open your scriptures shows your obedience.
Arianne: Sometimes when I read the scriptures I like to think of it as reading a journal and I love to get to know each prophet. A little while ago I was reading in Ether. There’s the scripture about having weaknesses and being humble. That one was on my mind a lot. I was having a hard couple of months. The thought popped into my head “who said this and why?” I read a few verses before and got the context. It’s amazing how that’s what hit me. The similarities between what he was struggling with and what I was struggling with really hit me. They’re not just writing down their thoughts, but were inspired and hoped that someone would benefit from it. It makes it more personal.
Natalie: I’ve had that thought before reading the scriptures too. There’s these people in the scriptures that can be hard to connect with, but when you look at it in a broader sense, it makes it more powerful how they had the same struggles.

I love that it was his mom that taught him his love of scripture. It all comes back to the home. For him it was on the prairie, while they were being persecuted, that his mom made that a priority for him and helped him gain his love for the scriptures. I thought it was cool that here’s this prophet where this came back to his family.
What worked in your families to keep scripture study?
Rachel: All of us remember it different. The diligence that my mom did in getting us together. My own sisters are teaching their kids the scriptures now. Their testimonies that they’re sharing with their kids is inspiring.
Kelsey: My family wasn’t really good at keeping it consistent, but I remember when my sisters were learning how to read. It was a painful experience. We joke all the time about how it was a painful experience. Even though we have those memories, it did instill in us a love of the scriptures. It was important enough that if we didn’t get to sit down and read them, my dad would always talk about the scriptures to us.
Jo: Sometimes my siblings would have friends over and my dad would invite them to read with us. It was so embarrassing for my brothers, but it was so fun. They all know it’s a special time for our family.
Rachel: I sat in a q&a with Elder Bednar when I was at school. One of the things I remember him talking about was an experience he had raising his three boys. Some days it was hard, but we did it. Here’s an apostle. Maybe we’re not the best at it, but we tried, and we did it. Just that example is instilled in our heads. The importance of the scriptures. Maybe we don’t remember the verses, but we remember the scriptures.
Natalie: Now my parents love it when I go home and ask if we can study them together. My dad always tries to incorporate the scriptures when we call home and ask for help. The biggest fight my dad and brother ever got into was when my brother snuck out to see warped tour. My dad was waiting to tell him that Nephi could’ve rebelled, but he didn’t. He always tried to incorporate the scriptures.
How can we make it so the scriptures are first in our lives?
Ashley: I think oftentimes we get sucked into popular culture that say how to do anything better. It’s easy to get sucked into that kind of stuff. It’s new and easy. That scripture we read earlier talks about how they change our minds. Elder Packer said “Studying the scriptures will change behavior faster than a study of behavior will change behavior.” I know the scriptures are what will change us quickly.
Ky: I work late at night, and I’ll read the news before I go to sleep. The last couple nights at work have been kind of rough. I realized that if I could sit there and read the news, then why couldn’t I read my scriptures. If there’s time for that, there’s time for the scriptures.
Kate: I don’t know if you guys have read C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape letters, but I love it. He tells his nephew to do small things to improve his prayer. I feel like I can do the same thing with my scriptures by changing my habits just a little bit at a time.
Natalie: Let’s read 2 Nephi 25: 26

And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

I feel like that scripture is the very purpose for the scriptures and why we have them. It’s to testify of Christ and bring others to Christ. He concludes with his testimony.
I want to add my testimony that as we do that we’ll be strengthened in our own trials and be able to strengthen others.

Ky: This lesson made me think back to an object lesson Pres. Ford did a while back. He had a bunch of cups stacked up. Life kind of sucks the water out of us, and it’s important to refill that reservoir by doing the little things each day. As you read the scriptures you’re reading Christ’s words and strengthening yourself.
I’m not the best at it, but I always need to be working on it.

I Know that My Redeemer Lives

Good afternoon everyone!
We had a great day at church and missed everyone who couldn't come today. Here's the announcements and recap of our wonderful Relief Society message.

1. Tonight is a CES Fireside with Sister Linda K. Burton. It starts at 6:00pm.
2. Ecclesiastical endorsements for next school year will be due on March 15th, so please go talk with a member of the bishopric and get that done if you haven't yet!
3. Wednesday is Institute at 7pm in B092 JFSB.
4. Also Wednesday at 7pm in the Wilk Ballroom is the Prospective Missionary Fireside with Emeritus Bishop Edgely. That will be really good.
5. Saturday the 15th, and Sunday the 16th is our Stake Conference. We will be meeting in the COSTCO North Chapel, address to be forthcoming (I should have the address memorized, but I only know how to get there). Also, our Stake Presidency is being reorganized, so please be there Sunday morning to release and sustain our Presidency. Elder Bowen of the 70 will preside the meeting.
6. March 22nd is our stake service project, more details to come.
7. Saturday, March 29th, 6-8pm is the General Women's Meeting. Awesome!
8. Monday, March 31st is our ward closing social. It'll be fun.

Well, Ky and Megan taught our lesson in Relief Society today about Jesus Christ. It was a beautiful lesson and the Spirit was very strong. Thank you to everyone who participated today.

Ky: During Sacrament meeting, I was reading over the Living Christ, and it touched my heart. We’ll get to that, but we wanted to show some videos about Christ.
This first one is the parable of the lost sheep. I love it because I think it intensifies the Savior’s love for you. Our relationship with the Savior is the foundation of everything. It is the thing we should put the most faith and trust in. Even when we’re the lost sheep, our Savior is the shepherd who comes to find us.

https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/jesus-declares-the-parable-of-the-lost-sheep?lang=eng

Does anyone have any thoughts about this?

Rachel: I love this story. It makes me think of an experience I had at school. I was involved in new student orientation. Often our topic was “finding the one”. There was one specific experience that has really stuck with me through that. We had a girl who was new to the school, african-american, and searching for a group to help her. I remember sitting down with her and she started bawling. She was a convert, her family disowned her, and she needed somewhere to belong. It was a miracle that she ended up in our office. She found us, but I think that oftentimes just focusing on that one person is a huge blessing. The Savior wants to help us. Heavenly Father wants us to find those in need and help them. The Savior is like that for us, but we can do that for those around us.
Ky: That was the other point I wanted to make with this video. Christ is the shepherd, but we’re asked to be fishers of men and find others as well.
Go ahead and pull out your scriptures.
Megan: Mark 9: 23-27

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him:and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

I really love this story because I’ve been thinking about how, I think a lot of times in our lives we try to control things and we think that we have to do a certain amount of things or be a certain way to qualify for the grace of the Lord, when really we just have to believe. We just have to believe him and the promises he has given us. I know that I am very guilty of trying to everything on my own. Just, one thing I felt like I should share was, I went through the temple a couple weeks ago. Honestly, I was really overwhelmed. I’m the kind of person that wants to know why for everything. I didn’t and it was really hard for me, but I went back again yesterday and was nervous that I would be overwhelmed again. When I went, one of the first people I saw was Emilie, and she was helping me. I just knew that the lord was looking out for me. He puts people in the right place at the right time for me. The spirit whispered to me, “let me teach you.” I had to make the conscious choice to just believe and open my heart. I learned so much yesterday. I know it doesn’t have to be in the temple for that to happen, it can be every day. We might be like this father, but he can help our unbelief. If we keep seeking him and do those things we know we should be doing. Especially forgetting ourselves and reaching out to others. I know we’ll be able to believe and come to know him personally.

Ky: The one other thing I wanted to share with you is the Living Christ. I want to read it because the words are so powerful. I don’t know what better way to strengthen your testimony than reading the words from the quorum of the twelve. Try to visualize the Savior and think about your relationship with him, and how you feel about your Savior.

https://www.lds.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history-seminary-teacher-resource-manual/the-world-wide-church/the-living-christ-the-testimony-of-the-apostles?lang=eng

I testify to you that Jesus Christ does live. It is only through him that we are forgiven of our sins and can become what Heavenly Father desires for us.

There’s just one more video of the Savior I want to watch.
https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/for-god-so-loved-the-world?lang=eng

The visiting teaching message this month is on the divine mission of Jesus Christ. Maybe make it a personal challenge this month to strengthen your relationship with him.

Ashley: The line that I really love from that hymn is, He lives to bring us safely there. I think we often forget that that’s Christ’s entire purpose. Everything he puts in our path is for our good. I know that they are all for our good and Christ is our advocate. I know he loves all his children. I have a good friend who has cerebral palsy. Whenever I visit him I know I can feel God’s love for him every time. When we were listening in sacrament meeting and talking about the conflicts around the world, I know god still loves all of us. Sometimes think it’s harder for me to feel his love for me personally. He will do anything to help us return to him. I want to testify that it’s always better to come back to him. I love the Savior. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Emilie: I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know that with all of my heart. He knows each and every one of us, very personally. He knows our joys and trials and is always with us. He understands our needs perfectly. Heavenly Father is also there for us and loves us more than we can imagine. I love this gospel. I know it is true with every fiber of my being. I am so grateful to have the gospel in my life. I know I am so much happier when I remember my divine nature and think of the reality of the Plan of Salvation. I know it's all true. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sister Badger: This has been a really hard month for our family. About a month ago we had a death in the family. About a week after that my daughter was having problems with her science project. I started family history work while we were waiting for the printer. I told my sister that was the first time I felt joy since the death. It feels like the veil is very thin sometimes. I feel close to those people and I know I’ll see them again. We’re reading a book on near-death experiences of early members of the church. They are happy and feel close to us and don’t want us to worry for them. The gospel is true. The Savior made this all possible for us. I know I have a long way to go, but I know what I want to do with the rest of my life. When I return, I want to be with my family forever. I went to our stake family history activity yesterday. They said all the technology we have now for family history work is as big as Joseph Smith bringing forth the Book of Mormon. I’m grateful for the gospel and all the wonderful things it brings to my life. I’m grateful for my family. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Bishop Badger: If I could convey anything to you, it would be a feeling. During the sacrament today, some of the most powerful experiences I’ve had in my life have been during the sacrament, as we were singing this morning. The feeling I have is overwhelming sometimes. Alex quoted this scripture, for God so loved the world.” one of the most wonderful experiences I’ve ever had. I want you to know of the sacrifice our Heavenly Father made to send his son to earth. I want you to know that he did it our of pure infinite love for us. We talk about it and preach it, but you need to feel it. It’s real. When we have our challenges, we need to know that this is real. It is. Because we all have hard things in life. Let me tell you more about Sis. Badger’s story. This young man who passed away took his own life at 14 years old. You wonder, why? Totally unexpected. Just got his patriarchal blessing, active in the church. We don’t have all the answers, but we do have one. That answer is we have a Savior. He has the ability to heal all wounds. As you learn things through life, just remember the Savior is at the heart of it. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

¡El final de febrero!

Hello my lovely friends.
Today was a great day, wasn't it?

Here are the announcements for the week and a look at upcoming events:
1. Tomorrow night FHE will be a ward FHE in the sacrament room (C215 ESC) at 7pm.
2. Wednesday is Institute at 7pm in B092 JFSB.
3. Sunday, March 16th is Stake Conference. Get excited!
4. Saturday, March 22nd is a stake service project.
5. Saturday, March 29th is the General Women's meeting from 6-8pm.
6. If you need something posted in the bulletin, please contact Porter Irmston or Kristin Hunsaker before Wednesday evenings.

The lovely Rachel McCracken taught us a beautiful lesson today. She reviewed Elder Bednar's latest conference address with us. Please read over it if you haven't lately. She did a wonderful job, and there is still so much the Spirit has to teach each of us individually.

The Windows of Heaven by Elder Bednar
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/the-windows-of-heaven?lang=eng

Rachel: I know how important the law of tithing is and I’m so grateful for it in my life.
To start off I want to share an experience. Every year we have to sit with the Bishop and declare whether or not we’ve paid a full and honest tithe. One year I told him, “I don’t know if I necessarily have a testimony of the law of tithing, but I follow it and see the blessings.” I do have a testimony of it now and I’m grateful for it.

Oftentimes we read in the scriptures, “if you do this… then this.” So what are the if and then in this scripture?
Malachi 3:10

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

What is the if? What are we supposed to do?
Abby: Pay tithing!
Rachel: Yeah. Bring all your tithes to the storehouse. So what’s the then?
Asia: We’ll get blessings.
Rachel: It will happen. He says “prove me now herewith.” Here’s all these blessings. You won’t have room to receive them.
Ryan: That's always been such an interesting idea for me. Especially dealing with monetary things, money doesn’t abound as a college student. Sometimes it can be easy to think that you’re grateful for what you do have, but there could be more. Elder Bednar talks about how it’s not always the monetary things that we’re blessed with. It may be that my car keeps running and I don’t have to spend thousands of dollars fixing it.
Rachel: We’re going to get a lot more to that.
Brittany: Sometimes we may feel like we do have more room to receive things, but if you think about where your tithing goes, like temples and ward buildings. When we go to the temple we are receiving more spiritual blessings.
Rachel: Looking at the scripture some more, what does it mean that he will open up the windows of heaven?
Kiersten: When I was younger I thought about literally opening windows and things being thrown to me. Windows go two ways. I can see things now that maybe I wouldn't understand if I didn’t have the eternal perspective.
Rachel: I like that you said you can see things.
Sarah: When I think of windows I think of light. When we pay our tithing, not only will we have the things we need but we’ll understand things better, our scripture study will be better and our prayers.
Jo: I just looked at the little letter at the side in the scripture and it says blessings of Israel. I’ve never felt like I wasn’t blessed for paying tithing. I live in a place where like after high school I lived on my own. It was really hard relying on the Lord to take care of you. I know that tithing is the reason that I have the basic needs of life. I know without a doubt that if you pay tithing, whether or not you’re a member of the church, that you will be blessed for it.
Rachel: I feel like I’m learning a lot from you guys. I love what Elder Bednar has to say about it. Malachi uses this imagery of this window. It’s the same kind of perspective that as we are being taken care of by the Lord. What a powerful thing that is - the powers of heaven.
Elder Bednar says, “Often as we teach and testify about the law of tithing, we emphasize the immediate, dramatic, and readily recognizable temporal blessings that we receive. And surely such blessings do occur. Yet some of the diverse blessings we obtain as we are obedient to this commandment are significant but subtle. Such blessings can be discerned only if we are both spiritually attentive and observant (see 1 Corinthians 2:14).”
What are your thoughts on that?
Ashley: I really like this talk because it hits on blessings we receive for other commandments. Something I’ve thought about a lot lately is that it’s interesting that when we keep a commandment we’re blessed in two ways. The blessing and seeing it as the Lord’s hand. If we don’t see it as the Lord’s hand, we’re only getting half of it.
Rachel: The Lord is always giving us blessings and I think we need to be open to it. Please turn to Ether 12:19.

And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad.

Looking at this scripture, what was helping them see these things?
 An eye of faith. I love that. Here they’r able to see and recognize all these things. Before Christ even came they were able to see these things and recognize the blessings they have.
Megan: That verse made me think of a book I read called “Drawing on the Powers of Heaven” and how seeing with an eye of faith means envisioning the things you believe in. Then to do that to the point where you control your thoughts and have no more desire to do evil. I think it’s also just about the covenant we made at baptism to always remember Christ. That doesn’t mean just going to church every week. I really like how it said in that verse that by doing that is what led them to not be kept from within the veil. You will eventually see those things and see them come to pass if you’re constantly working to make those things your focus.
Rachel: I love that you said it’s part of our baptismal covenant. Elder Bednar refers back to this phrase throughout his talk. What other ways do you think we can have eyes of faith in our lives?
Ryan: Because money is such a big part of our lives, paying our tithing is part of showing our willingness to consecrate our things to heavenly father. It’s more about me having faith in what heavenly father asks. It build the desire to go forth and build heavenly father’s kingdom.
Ashley: I was just thinking about gratitude a lot. If we look for the blessings, we’ll see them. You think of Nephi and his brothers. They were blessed with many of the same things. Laman and Lemuel were in some pretty hard times. Nephi saw the blessings all the time and I think that’s because he was always grateful for it.
Rachel: Gratitude is definitely something that can open our eyes of faith. Thinking about this I think there are many things we can do to open our eyes of faith, and I think a lot of times we ourselves can be like, “ok Lord, I’m doing all these things, this is the blessing that I want.”
Some of you know that a couple months ago I broke my foot. I remember each month writing out my tithing, saying “here’s this money I don’t really have because my pay check has been cut down.” As I was preparing this lesson I thought about the blessings I received during that time and the lessons I was able to learn. Sometimes the blessings come in ways that we don’t even ask.
A perfect example of this is the stripling warriors. They’re having a really hard time. They don’t have food and here they are in Alma 58:10.

Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people.
Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.
And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty.

Here they are asking to be delivered. The Lord doesn’t really give it to them. The things they’re given are assurance and peace. Those are the things they needed to get through those trials.
Back to the talk, "often we ask for things but the blessings don’t come that way.
We may need and pray for help to find suitable employment. Eyes and ears of faith (see Ether 12:19) are needed, however, to recognize the spiritual gift of enhanced discernment that can empower us to identify job opportunities that many other people might overlook-"
So there’s one thing. Here’s the eyes and faith to identify what other people might overlook.
"or the blessing of greater personal determination to search harder and longer for a position than other people may be able or willing to do."

This touched home for me. My dad was laid off his job. We had just moved. Looking at it, my parents were so strong through all of that. As I look at them and their determination and faith, I see all these blessings my dad received. Even through that experience we were all able to learn something. Each of us were working through highs school. I learned a lot about my responsibilities. Paying their tithing even though it was so tough. We’re able to still see those blessings. Maybe it wasn’t because of the money, but the little blessings we were able to see. He goes on to say maybe you’re asking for that paycheck. Sometimes it’s a matter of learning to do more with less. Some of you are in college, some are working, learning to do more with less can be a wonderful lesson and blessing.
There’s so many things we can learn from this talk. I wish I could keep going. The other half of his talk is about what the church does with those funds. The church follows the same principles they teach us to do. Living within our means and setting aside a little bit each month.
I want to close with my testimony. I have a testimony of tithing. It wasn’t there, but how grateful I am for it now. That I can recognize the blessings both spiritually and temporally. The Lord is there for us in our need. I can promise you that when you pay your tithing and open your eyes you will see those blessings and will be strengthened.

Valentine's Day and President's Day

Hey friends!
Wasn't this a great week? I hope life is going well for you.

So here are this week's announcements:
1. Bishopric FHE is tomorrow.
2. Wednesday is Institute at 7pm in B092 JFSB.
3. Thursday is our ward temple trip at 7pm. Meet at Club 440 at 6:20pm to carpool. I've been informed that there will be ice cream afterwards.
4. Friday night at 7pm is a combined Relief Society. We'll be having a movie night. :D
5. Sunday the 23rd there will be a stake fireside with Elder and Sister Hafen at the Pioneer Building.

I think that's it for the week. We had a combined Relief Society lesson today and Rachel did a fabulous job. The Spirit was so strong today! I love Relief Society. I hope y'all have a great week and enjoy the extra day.

Rachel: Just a heads up, it’s kind of a joke in my family, we count how long it takes for someone to start crying. They are tender to me. This is my opportunity to brag about my family.
Not all of us are there. My family has grown since this picture.
Our lesson today is on strengthening and preserving the family. What are you guys doing now? We’re all single now and trying to figure out what to do with life, but I think we’re all preparing. As you’re thinking about this, I want you to think about what you can do to strengthen and preserve your own family. The world is attacking the family, so please keep some of these things in your mind.

I asked my sisters what they’re doing to strengthen their families. My sister Katie shared a lot about how each night they sit down with their two boys and ask them what they did that was good or not so good and how they can be better. They have such a desire to be good. It’s ingrained into their mind. Brandon always runs up to me and gives me a huge kiss. They’re always trying to do good.
I had the opportunity to last night to watch my other sister put her children to bed. He was learning to pray. It was the sweetest thing seeing my sisters teaching their children the principles of the gospel.
My brother just had a baby the last couple weeks. Just watching him interact with his daughter is amazing. He has the biggest heart and is so excited to be a dad. You can tell he’s already so cautious of the things he wants to teach this little girl. I think that’s from the example of my parents.
I think about my parents and the example they are. We’re not a perfect family, but I think about what they did and trying to install the principles of the gospel. We’d try to have dinner together. We’d play games for hours and build relationships with one another. Time with family is precious time. I feel like I’m becoming better just by learning from their examples.
I took a family recreation class at BYU-I. There’s the saying that “families that play together, stay together.” It’s true. I think that’s why my brother’s coming back.

Gordon B. Hinckley gave this document during a RS broadcast. It’s not just for the church. It’s a proclamation to the world. I feel like that document and this lesson go hand in hand. Listen carefully as we read it. Then when we go through the lesson, think about the proclamation and help tie it in.

http://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation

This is so simple, but so powerful.
Emily S.: I love how it talks about our heavenly parents. It’s a nice thought for me.
Ryan: Brooke and I were studying from PMG and taking turns teaching each other. I was teaching her how the gospel blesses families. The gospel helps the family become a unit you want to spend eternity with.
Rachel: So many people might have this concept, that this is hard. I struggled with that for a while, but family is eternal and we’ll will be together forever. I’m grateful for my brother’s example of getting married and having a child after that. The world he lives in is different from us. The world does attack the family. I feel like JFS said it perfectly.

Family unity and family commitment to the gospel are so important that the adversary has turned much of his attention to the destruction of families in our society. On every side there is an attack on the basic integrity of the family as the foundation of what is good and noble in life. … Liberalization of abortion laws throughout the world suggests the existing disregard for the sacredness of life. Families are torn apart by increasing use of illegal drugs and the abuse of legal drugs. Contempt for authority by more and more young people usually begins with disrespect and disobedience in homes.
As the forces of evil attack the individual by tearing away at his family roots, it becomes critical for Latter-day Saint parents to maintain and strengthen the family. There may possibly be a few very strong individuals who can survive without the support of a family, but more of us need the love, teaching, and acceptance that come from those who care very deeply.

That’s powerful. This is satan’s goal. We all have families. Here they are trying to attack the family. He says later that there’s no substitute for a righteous home. What can you do?
Ginger: I had a very strong thought this morning. With all the stuff that’s happening, I feel like satan has been trying really hard to confuse me with what is right and wrong. I’ve been trying and planning really hard to prepare to be a mother, but I feel this recommitment to stand for truth and my faith. If we realize the capacity to be great and go forward with purpose, you’re doing it not just for you, but your husband and children.
Rachel: there’s always someone talking against us, but we do have the capacity to be great. Thank you for sharing that.
Marren: I think it’s inevitable that people are going to mess up in our families, but just loving them, and loving them even more, I’ve seen that’s what’s important. They’re someone you should love no matter what they do.
Ky: This week I was thinking about my relationship with my family. I’ve been away for 5 years now. I’m bad about staying in touch with long distance relationships. I was thinking about how the girls I work with are away from their families in the treatment center. Their families have really strong relationships with most of them. The ones that can rely on those relationships are so motivated and can move forward. I find that when I’m struggling is when I move away from my family. Realizing that made me grateful that I have that.
Rachel: Like Ky was saying, I’ve worked with youth like that before. It’s interesting because we were talking about our relationships with families. A lot of these people have problems because of their relationships with their families. The family is the central place we should be able to turn and safe. Having that support and love from my own family is a wonderful thing. Like Marren said, letting our families that we love them is a huge thing. My relationship with my brother hasn't always been strong, but my parents always love him. He’s always welcome to come home. I think it’s an excellent way to fortify our families.
We’re going to jump ahead here. Think about this:

The plan given in the Gospel for the government of man on this earth is typical of the law governing in the kingdom of God. Is it possible to imagine a greater source of sorrow than to be left in the eternal world without claim on father or mother or children? The thought of a nation without the family unit as its fundamental foundation, where all the citizens are comparatively strangers to each other and where natural affection is not found; where no family ties bind the groups together, is one of horror. Such a condition could lead to but one end—anarchy and dissolution. Is it not reasonable to believe the same thing true in relation to the kingdom of God? If in that kingdom, there were no family ties and all men and women were “angels” without the natural kinships, as many people believe, could it be a place of happiness—a heaven?

Can you guys imagine that? Picture it now. Can you imagine life without your family? Can you imagine life in the eternities without your family? That’s why we have the plan of happiness. We can be with our families forever.
Here’s what the family proclamation says about that.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

Wow! The falling of nations because of the destruction of the family.
Brittany: I think it’s a really dramatic thing. But I think we see that in our own society. I particularly feel this way when I hear about a public shooting. I can’t help but wonder that something was wrong at home for that person. There are others who don’t go out and show their problems as dramatically, but we need a mom and a dad who love us and care for us to help us.
Ginger: I’m studying the Pearl of Great Price. We talked about how god gave Adam and Eve in marriage before they left the garden. From the very beginning god wanted the world and society to be structured around family. The building block of his plan. I don’t know anything about physics, but the very nature of atoms and molecules allows things to function. If you mess with that, it would literally fall apart.
Rachel: I love that comparison.
Abby: I have a lot of thoughts. The church has this culture where everyone comes from perfect families. A mother and father both in the church. Often we have lessons, … a lot of times a lot of conversations in the church with people who have broken families. The proclamation says we each have a divine nature and destiny. Prophets have foretold that families will be broken apart. It shows how important it is to treat everyone like family. We’re all here without families right now. We should treat our roommates like family. Even if you don’t have a mother and father, or if you don’t have what you think should be greater, you can still treat people around you in they way you should be treated.
Rachel: It makes me think about why we call each other brothers and sisters in the church. Maybe our family isn’t the ideal family, none of us are perfect, but that’s why we have the church. Knowing that we have a family here. We are brothers and sisters in the gospel. And we should treat each other like that.
W’re out of time, but please read through the lesson and write down your thoughts. Maybe what you can do to strengthen your family.
One last thought from President Smith.

Do you spend as much time making your family and home successful as you do in pursuing social and professional success? Are you devoting your best creative energy to the most important unit in society—the family? Or is your relationship with your family merely a routine, unrewarding part of life? Parent and child must be willing to put family responsibilities first in order to achieve family exaltation.

What are you doing? What are your priorities? What are you doing to prepare for your family and strengthen your relationship with your family.
I know that these things are true. I know the proclamation was inspired and for the world. All I wanted to do on my internship was share this document. I feel so strongly about my family. I love my family so much. I love all of you because we are family. What a blessing it is to know that we can be together with our families forever.

Good Things Await...

Hey again. I hope y'all had a great week and are enjoying your sabbath.

Great announcements for the week:
1. Institute is Wednesday @ 7pm in B092 JFSB.
2. Thursday night is our ward karaoke/untalent night in 214 Crabtree building. It's the building behind the Wilk, on the South side where the Cougareat doors by Subway let out. The room is on the main floor. As you enter the front of the building, immediately turn right, and it's the only room you can enter.
3. Stake Quick Connect is also on Thursday.
4. Friday is Valentine's Day.
5. Thursday, the 20th, is our Ward Temple trip.
5. Thank you for helping keep the sacrament room more reverent this week as you entered. Let's continue to set an example for the ward and watch the improvement. :)

Brittany was our amazing teacher today, with guest lecturer Christine. They taught from the Joseph Fielding Smith manual, chapter 3, the Plan of Salvation. I tried really hard to keep up with the notes today, but the Spirit was touching people's hearts a lot faster than my fingers could touch the keyboard. Please forgive me if I misquoted anyone, or left something out. Feel free to add your testimony or comments below. This really was a beautiful lesson.
http://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-joseph-fielding-smith/chapter-3-the-plan-of-salvation?lang=eng

On April 29, 1901, Joseph Fielding Smith’s 18-year-old sister Alice died after an extended illness. Joseph was just finishing a full-time mission in England. His response to the news of Alice’s passing revealed his love for his family and his testimony of the plan of salvation. “It is a dreadful blow to us all,” he recorded in his journal. “I did not realize the seriousness of her illness although I knew she was sick. I fully expected to meet her again with the rest of the family within a few weeks, but the will of God be done. It is at such times that the hopes which the gospel present[s] to us are most welcome.

Brittany: I want to take a step back and go over the elementary things of the Plan of Salvation.
When I was investigating the Church, I don’t know if the Sisters had ever heard the lesson, but for me it changed the entire beginning and end of the universe.
They asked me how I felt and I had no idea. It’s huge. I want us all to appreciate how profound the Plan of Salvation is.
I feel like I’ve been close to people who have gone through these trials before, but it’s so much more comforting to know that not only does God have a plan, but that we have a part in it.
The hope he has when his sister dies, is in the Plan of Salvation.
Ryan: I kind of had an epiphany a couple weeks ago. I went to a Baptist church with my friend. My understanding was if you accept Christ, you go to heaven and chum around all day. I was grateful for this plan because not only does He have a plan for me here on earth and I have a part in this plan, but I can become a goddess and have a part to be there.

We shall all meet again on the other side to enjoy the pleasures and blessings of each other’s presence, where family ties will no more be broken, but where we shall all live to receive the blessings, and realize the tender mercies of our Father in heaven. May I always walk in the path of truth, and honor the name I bear, that the meetings with my kindred may be to me indeed most sweet and everlasting, is my humble prayer.”
Serving as an Apostle and later as President of the Church, President Joseph Fielding Smith repeatedly testified of the hope that comes through an understanding of the gospel. He taught, “We have the plan of salvation; we administer the gospel; and the gospel is the sole hope of the world, the one way that will bring peace on earth and right the wrongs that exist in all nations.”

Brittany: I hope that we’ll take time to ponder this lesson afterwards. “We have the plan of salvation; we administer the gospel; and the gospel is the sole hope of the world, the one way that will bring peace on earth and right the wrongs that exist in all nations.” That is really cool and important to understand. I was thinking at this point we’d have a guest lecturer. So for this next minute, I want you all to think about someone you love who doesn’t have the Plan of Salvation in their life. Think about the issues that might be confusing to them, what questions they might have, and how you would teach them.

Christine is going to draw the Plan of Salvation and teach us.

Christine: The Plan of Salvation meant a lot to me on my mission. Every time I taught it, I felt like I was learning. This is going to be fast, and really simple, but think about it as that person and ask some questions like they would.

The Plan of Salvation is one of the greatest things we can know. One of my favorite scriptures is in 2 Nephi 2:25.

Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

Think about that. Men are here on this earth right now to have joy. That’s why God sent us down here. He wants us to be happy. We learned about this before we had bodies.
In the Pre-Earth Life we were with God and Jesus Christ. We were all together. They taught us. That’s great to me because he knew us. He doesn’t only know us here, but he knew us there.
We came to earth to become like him. We came to earth to experience joy and sorrow. Moses 1:39. I know that seems like a lot, but not so we can just stay here, but so we can progress and become more like our Heavenly Father.
Everyone dies right, but one of the most amazing things is that we don’t have to be afraid of that. We keep moving on. That’s because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that’s a big word. It has to do with Jesus Christ living a perfect life and dying for us. One question I had was why is it important that Jesus Christ died 2000 years ago for me. But it’s so we can be perfect.
After we die we go to a place called the Spirit World. There is paradise and prison. Paradise is when we’ve learned the gospel and we rest. Prison is when we don’t understand the gospel. We’re scared because we still don't understand the gospel. But we can still learn it.
Then there’s the Celestial Kingdom. That’s where God lives. There are other places where we can go if we haven’t accepted the gospel. The Terrestrial Kingdom is where we go if we lived a good life but don’t accept the gospel. The Telestial Kingdom is where we go if we didn’t live a good life and don’t accept the gospel.

What are questions that you have as that person you’re thinking about?

Ginger: I’m happy doing the things I’m doing now, but I don’t think I’d be doing those things if I was in God’s presence. Why should I want those things if it’s as good as you say it is?
Christine: If you have that eternal; perspective, and show them this, then they can internalize it. Plant those seeds so they can think about it.
Brittany: I had the same thought before I was baptized. I believed that in the end my happiness would expire. Even accepting the gospel and not having that goal realized, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. Just invite someone to experiment with more happiness.
Ashley: I just went through trial x.y.z and it doesn’t seem like God wants me to be happy.
Christine: That’s part of what the Atonement does. It doesn’t right all our wrongs, but just like Adam and Eve, they fell, but they fell forward. With the Atonement, we are raised back up past our trials. We’re not raised back up to be even, but better. Those trials won’t be big enough to do anything to us anymore. God makes us stronger.
Ginger: We’ve talked before about God not always caring about our comfort in the moment, but what’s in our future. With Christ, he had a hard life, and how excruciating it was, God allowed him to suffer, but right now he is glorified and doing so much more. Even though it’s hard right now, when we see the eternal perspective, we’ll learn from our trials and be so much stronger.
Amber: along that same idea, there is opposition in all things. In the Pearl of Great Price, Eve talks about how we need to have opposition to have joy. Our trials are helping us learn so we can have joy.
Ashley: So you’re saying I’ll be miserable my whole life until I die?
Christine: My sister had the same question that I didn’t know how to answer until my mission. I taught someone with a difficult trial, and I told them that if they learned this and followed the gospel the way we taught them, that they wouldn’t trade those trials for anything. It’s made them who they are. I know this plan does something for us. The Atonement does something for us. Christ understands us.
Brittany: You will benefit from the Atonement. I don’t know who among us are feeling those blessings. I feel blessed by association with you people. I know you have my best interaction at heart when you interact with me. I’m not just doing anything with you just for a good time, or to jeopardize your happiness, and I don’t think you’re doing that for me. We really care about each other.
Christine: This isn’t just to be happy there, but now. The gospel gives us happiness in our trials. The PoS is the shell for talking about the gospel. People have concerns, but they can be answered through this.
Lacey: Misery is a state of mind. You can be in miserable circumstances, but it’s a choice. The gospel gives us that peace and allows us to not get caught up into that drama.
Brittany: The point is, starting today, we can start feeling the blessings. We’ll start realizing them when we have eternal families. I don’t think I always understood why an eternal family would be so great, but Elder Oaks said: The kind of family required for exaltation is enduring and godlike in quality. That’s what the Plan of Salvation offers.
Ryan: One thing that rally helped me understand the Plan of Salvation was my relationship with my Heavenly Father. If we don’t even understand who God is, we’re not going to want this.
Brittany: How do we understand who God is?
Ashley: The most important part of the Plan of Salvation for me is the family. That’s also how you get to know God better. We’ll be creating families for all eternity. It’s so unique in our theology that we’re going to be like God someday. When we realize that we’re in a practice run.
Christine: I love to read 2 Nephi 4 when Nephi really gives himself to God. When we seek him, we get to know him, because he’s always there.
Brittany: How you feel the Spirit is indicative of who he is.
Arianne: I was talking to Kiersten the other day about Christ, Gd and our relationship with them. I feel like I have a different relationship with them. With Christ it feels so huge and encompassing. I feel closer with God because it seems simpler. I can picture my Dad. I have a good relationship with my dad. We’ve all been given a relationship like that where we can look to and understand better. It’s that and more. And another thing that’s helped me, is when I pray, I used just pray and not picture anything. Once I was in a fireside and they said, when you pray, picture something like you’re kneeling down in front of a throne. Or something like that. Being able to picture that has really helped me understand how caring and loving God is. And still tough, like “you’re going to get through this”.
Brittany: Arianne is right. Heavenly Father is our father. Just like someday we’ll be mothers and they’ll trip and fall. We’ll nurture them and hopefully they’ll grow up and be like us or better than us. I think that’s how Heavenly Father sees us. We’re infants, but he wants us to become like him. The Plan of Salvation helps us become that. I have a testimony that Heavenly Father loves us. That he loves us so much. He wants us to come live with him again, understand who he is, and receive the blessings he has. I know that’s all possible because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
I encourage us to all ponder that this week. We’re in the middle of the Plan of Salvation right now.

Ashley: I’m really grateful for that lesson. That was a unique lesson, because I’ve never thought about how difficult that would be to teach that. I want to add my testimony, I have a very strong testimony that everything we’re going through right now, this is it as far as tests goes. Everything that we’re going through is for our good. Heavenly Father has a plan a d he wants even more than we do that we return to him. He’s doing every single things to bring us back to him. If you look for those tender mercies during those hard times, you’ll see them and be able to endure them.