Lesson for January 26, 2014

Lesson for January 26, 2014 Today our lesson was given by Kristine Hanson. It is about a talk by President Uchtdorf, “Come Join with Us.” She said she has been in stake Primary and has not learned the names, so please be patient with her. She loves to watch General Conference and read the conference issue of the Ensign. She asked Claudia Laycock to read the story about a man who dreamed about being in a great hall with all the religions. The LDS couple said that the church did not require anything, but the Lord requires everything. After he heard all the things the Lord required, he said, “Why would anyone want to be a part of such a church?” The couple said, “We thought you’d never ask.” So why would anyone want to be a member of our Church? Because it is the Lord’s Church and run by God. Some said that they have tried the other ways and only find happiness in the Church. Because once you have felt the Spirit, you find that you have the responsibility to be true to the testimony and the Spirit. Linda Campbell said it is worth the work. Heather Cantrell said it is because she believes in a living Christ and not someone you worship on the cross. The Atonement comes through a living Christ. Judith Baker said that only God can bless us, only He can sustain us and give us strength, power, knowledge, forgiveness, and forge a Godly soul and bring us back to him if we keep his commandments—from Elder Corbridge. So it is the way of redemption. Jessica Bauer is in the Church as a loving God. He is not just a clock maker who set everything in motion, He takes a personal interest. Another sister said being in the Church helps her realize just how valuable we each are to Heavenly Father. After all, Christ died for each of us. A sister said she had the opportunity to testify of eternal families and that she can be with her family forever. A sister felt like she came home when she joined the Church and she felt she had made the greater choice, so greater sacrifices bring greater blessings and strength comes from doing our duty. We become better people and less selfish and “larger” people as we take care of our families and serving others. We lose ourselves and find ourselves, because there is more of us to find. Sister Campbell said she has never had a question she has not been able to find an answer to in our family. Sister Everett thinks that the word charity encompasses all the blessings and duties in the gospel and it grows as we accomplish what we do in this Church. We also have the priesthood keys and living prophets and covenants with power and the temple. We avoid the pitfalls and sorrows that come from sin. We find blessings that come from obedience. Reasons why people leave the Church. Pride, misunderstandings, hurt feelings, loss of the Spirit, questions without answers, having joined for the wrong reasons, peer pressure, lack of fellowship, laziness selfishness. Modern moral relativism skews what is right and what is wrong. Historical events, falling out of the habit, and even the Super Bowl take people away, and also because of the strictness, which is our safety. Judging wrongly can drive someone away. President Uchtdorf said in another talk to doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. Jill said, she looks at these things and tries to see what she can do to love people back into the Church. President Uchtdorf addressed the problem of when church leaders have made mistakes and we don’t realize that we are people who make mistakes. It is unfortunate that some people fall away because of people who make mistakes. We need to seek the inspiration to have the Spirit with us and know that as a group, the leaders of the Church do try to seek the Spirit and they sincerely want to do what the Lord wants. President Uchtdorf invites everyone to join with the Church and share their love and talents. We need to help others to rekindle their testimonies.

Humanitarian activity Feb 3

Join with members of Relief Society for a Monday activity during the day to work on a humanitarian project.

Stake Women's Conference

Join with the sisters on February 22 for stake women's conference. There will also be a luncheon, so tell Amy Young if you want to go to that.

Stake Conference on February 15 and 16

On February 15 (Saturday) from 4-6 p.m. will be Priesthood Leadership, followed by a two-hour adult and youth session. Our stake conference session on Sunday will be from 10-12 noon in the stake center.

Lesson for January 12, 2014

Our lesson today was given by Maggie Kopp. She started with a quiz with two parts: (1) Three things learned from the scriptures about our Heavenly Father. One from the Bible and then from modern scriptures. Answers were that God is very strict and supports the law. God created the earth. He has a body of flesh and bone. He looks like us. Male and females who are His offspring. He sent His Son. He is eternal, unchangeable, and infinite. He loves us. He set it up so mortality is our path to perfection. He is the God of Israel. He is separate from Jesus Christ. He is separate from the Holy Ghost. Even though He knows everything, He wants us to tell Him. He can weep. He called noble and great ones to be leaders. He wants us to know His will through His prophets. He restored His church. Maggie said that Joseph Fielding Smith marveled at the great discoveries of his day, but he sorrowed that none led people back to God. He did understand that a lot of information has come through latter-day prophets who help us understand God. D&C 93:19 tells us to know what to worship so we can know how to worship. Sister Campbell said he was touched by the passage that said for us to pray to God like He is our friend. Sister Boyadjin said her relationship with God was gained from her grandmother. Sister Gibson said we often have examples who point us toward worshiping God. Scripture stories help us know how to worship and from them we gain expectations that God will treat us similarly. How does knowing that God is indeed our Father help us exercise faith? Sister Campbell said that knowing He is our Father helps her know he will forgive her. Sister Farnworth said that knowing He won't ask her to do anything without providing a way is comforting. Joni Trewartha said she is the kind who wants to do what is right, so she wants to be able to say to her Heavenly Father that she tried to do what is right. Another sister went on her mission to the Czech Republic, the most atheistic country, and spent a lot of time helping people understand who God is. Sister Hanson said it is important to know that you can put your trust in God and He is reliable. Moses chapter 1:35-39 is about Moses going up on the mountain and conversing with God. God has created many worlds, and the worlds were created to put his sons and daughters on. He values us more than the worlds he as created. Moses 7:28-33: He really works according to natural laws, and things happen because of natural laws. Joseph Fielding Smith said we learn that the great work of God is to bring to pass our eternal salvation. His interest is more about our salvation than anything else. He loves each one of us individually. What helps us to feel our Heavenly Father's love? Jill Judd said that serving others helps her feel a small part of what God feels about us. JFS said that the worlds are a means to an end, not the end themselves. One sister said that the beauties of nature and the study of nature help her to feel the love of God. He has created a beautiful pathway back to Him. It is hard when a loved one does not feel the same. Sister Hanson said God sends us tender mercies that come into our lives so we can know God's love. Charlene Farnworth said that sometimes we have a very personal trial, and yet we can read in the scriptures and find our personal answer. Another sister said she feels like she asks for something and she gets tenfold what she needed. He is so much more knowledgeable and knows what we really need. Linda Campbell said that the knowledge of the plan of salvation is most helpful in times of trial. It is important for us to write down those times of God's love so we can go back and read those things. When we are in trouble it is hard to feel God's love, so a priesthood blessing can help us feel that love. Another sister said President Eyring had a special journal about how the Lord had a hand in blessing his family and he wrote in it every day. She got her own journal and wrote in it on her mission. At first it was hard, but as the months went on, she noticed every little thing that was an act of God's hand in her life, because her heart was set on recognizing these things. Coming home from her mission, she realizes that there are so many things every day that are evidence of his Love. Paige Gibson said she has scriptures pop into her head because she has done the foundation things of reading her scriptures and praying so she can leave the lines of communication open. Sister Adele Hickman was prompted to write a letter to her grandson and it took days to get there, but it got to him on a really bad day. She knows that God plans ahead and we should respond to promptings.

Auction January 23 for Relief Society

Come at 7:00 p.m. and contact the Relief Society presidency with items or services you can auction off.

Ward Amost Anything Goes Talent Show and Soup Special

Join us on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. If you can sing, dance, perform magic, make soup, cook a roast, knead bread, draw, paint, sew, perform gymnastics, build a house, swim, or run a marathon, please share your talent with us. Send an email to park3rdelders@gmail.com and tell us what your talent is and what help you will need so you can share it with the ward. Visual talents, soup, and all culinary arts will be shared starting at 7:00 p.m. Performing talents will be shared at 7:30 p.m. Don't be shy. Don't hide your talent.

Lesson for January 5, 2014

January 5, 2014 Today the lesson was given by Joyce Garner about President Joseph Fielding Smith and his life. He used three great words, “True and faithful,” whenever he prayed. It was more than a phrase, it was his hope for the Church and members. His mother prayed for a son after three daughters and named him after his father. His grandfather was Hyrum Smith. He grew up with a great legacy of Church service. He also learned how to do hard farm work. He often drove the horses for his mother, who was a midwife. His first real job was at ZCMI where he did heavy lifting all day. He loved to play night games, hiding in the grape vines, and playing baseball, unless he was reading, which he loved—especially the Book of Mormon. It set his habits for gospel study. By the time he was ten, he had read the Book of Mormon twice. He was especially drawn to the temple. His uncle, John Smith, gave him his patriarchal blessing that told him that he should preach, and travel, and live to a ripe old age. He met Louie Shurtliff, who came to live with his family and go to the University of Utah and eventually married her—persuaded her to change her place of residence. They had been married about a year, when he was called on a mission to England and his wife went to live with her parents and work to pay for his mission. He worked hard on his mission, but converted no one, although he planted many seeds and grew as a leader. Back in the States, he worked at a temporary job and then worked in the Church Historical department. His wife became pregnant and they were able to build a home. They had two daughters. He also helped his father who was the prophet. Once he was sent by his father to dedicate a chapel when his father was supposed to go, but was sick, and it didn’t go well. Also, in his wife’s third pregnancy, she became ill and died. They had been married just ten years. He had to raise two little girls. He prayed to find a mother for his little girls. He then married Ethel Reynolds in 1908 and she became his second wife, companion, and mother to his little girls. In 1910 a vacancy came up in the Council of the Twelve and his father suggested Joseph, age 34. It wasn’t normal for the person chosen to be told ahead of time. When he went to conference he had a surprise. His wife wasn’t there. He told his wife he had to sell the cow, because he didn’t have time to take care of it any more. He served over 60 years. When he started, he got around with a horse and carriage and later by jet plane. His mission, he felt, was to cry repentance and care for the members. He was always compassionate and cared more for the welfare of others. When he was called to be an apostle, he had three daughters and one on the way. His second wife gave birth to seven other children, and his wife said he was a kind, loving husband, although it was difficult to be separated. He even wrote poetry to his wife, one of which is “Does the Journey Seem Long” in our hymn book. Ethel died in 1937, leaving him with five children left at home. He prayed and a name came to his mind of Jesse Ella Evens, a vocal soloist. She sang at the funeral of his second wife. Finally got up the courage to write to her and eventually went to the county clerk’s office to talk to her. She was 26 years younger than he was, yet they were very compatible. She was an extrovert and he was quiet, but it was their love and respect for each other that carried them through. He and Jessie were in Germany before WWII, and were given the task of moving 697 missionaries to neutral countries. Time was of the essence, and came down to the last ferries and trains out of Germany. Elder Smith was very grateful to Denmark for taking so many refugees and prophesied that the Danes would not suffer for lack of food during the war and they did not. He had delivered more than 125 General Conferences, many other speeches. His writings were published in 25 books. Because of his great knowledge, he influenced the lives of thousands of people and covered every aspect of the gospel, including that Christ is the Only Begotten of God and that by accepting the gospel, we could enjoy the blessings. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said he loved the Lord, had unswerving fidelity, and endured silently for his entire life in righteousness. He was charitable and an example of pure religion. On his eightieth birthday, the other apostles published a tribute to him about his tender soul and contributions to the Church. In January 1970, President McKay died and President Smith was sustained as the tenth president. He had served longer than any other president in the Council of the Twelve. He helped the Church grow to 3 million, built temples, and changed the Family Home Evening program to Monday night. He died July 2, 1972 after visiting Church workers and thanking them for their service.