Lesson for September 23 2018

Today our lesson was given by Lana Horrocks about ministering, “The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” She mentioned the challenge from last week about praying for inspiration. Lana said her revelation was for us to learn each others’ names. Some sisters explained about times when they were inspired to help someone else. Lana asked us to thin about inspiration to help oe of our sisters we minister to. The idea of reciprocity in helping each other to grow. The idea came up about serving on the Lord’s time. What a blessing it is to have people serve without being asked. It really doesn’t matter who we are assigned to, we can help someone. We’re to practice ministering and since we are assigned to sisters, we can practice on them as we look for other people to serve. WIthout having a message to give we may end up talking about everything without talking about what is needed. One lesson to learn is to help people to repent when you have the right spirit and include the Savior. Sometimes we get the feeling we’re being dumb, but we can focus on outcomes rather than tasks. We should give hope and love rather than trying to change someone. There are many ways of contacting such as texting, writing email messages, that’s, phone calls, visits, tell them you pray for them. Love your sisters. Lov your neighbors. Reach out. It is more a what to do than how to do it.

Lesson for September 9, 2018

Laura apologizes. The blog will be spotty for the next few months as she takes cares of her family. Be faithful and know that you are an important part of her life and good examples, inspiration, to her. Today our lesson is about “Inspiree Ministering” by President Henry B.Eyring, taught by Kari Allsup, who just welcomed her son Eathan home from his mission to Russia. We are grateful to Eathan for helping his mother with a musical number, “Love One Another.” Kari asked,”How well do I know the sisters I am called to minister to?” “What can I do to get to know them better?” “Do I know what they need?” “What would they Lord have me do to minister as he would?” He mentioned three principles. (1) Serving others to have the gift of charity. D&C 20:11 We can be inspired to be fill with confidence to do His work. Moroni 7:13–That which is of God helps us to do good. The comment was that if we feel we should do something good, it is inspired. We have experiences that help us trust the Lord. Be the person the Lord knows He can trust. Follow those promptings so He can know. If we are trying to keep the commandments and are good friends, we can have the Spirit help us. Sometimes it helps us know when we should help. We should communicate with others to tell them when they have done somethings that has helped them. Then they know they did something right and that will encourage them to do good things again. There are opportunities for goodness and we can participate in them. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, it just is important to offer love. Be aware of the little things. The Lord already put these things in our way. (2) Small and simple things. If we can do something, even small things like smiling, it is good. Several sisters told of instances where they were ministered to. Even letter writing can be part of the ministry. (3) Persistence. Commitment is a major part of persistence—especially in the right way. Stalking isn’t right, so use the Spirit to know how to address. Persistence changes us, because serving someone changes our hearts and we come to love them. Kari asked us to reflect on the questions she asked At the first of the lesson. She has found that reflection is a good way to understand ourselves and other people. Remember that the LORD loves our sisters more than we do and wants us to help them and can help us to know how.

Lesson for July 22, 2018

Today Lana Horrocks taught us about “God Wants All do His Childreen to be Watched Over ad Cared For.” The aim is to discuss ministering to out sisters. We talked about our challenge from last week to behold the Man. Sometimes we behold the Man in other people. Lana began the lesson by quoting from Sister Bingham, that said that our service to others is how much we have of attributes that are like Christ’s attributes. She showed the church video about tapestries and what it means to be a disciple of Christ. A spiritual tapestry. Elder Robert D. Hales suggested Christlike attributes are an interwoven tapestry. As we strengthen one attribute, we strengthen others. A constellation of interwoven attriubutes help us in our discipeship. We are all called to be disciples of our Savior. We might not have endless miracles, but we can be part of a miracle by doing small things. Several sisters discussed how being served contributed to miracles in their lives, including other members who were good examples or leaders to them. Lana discussed companionship>. Has your ministering sister helped your faith grow. The sister being ministered to can make the ones doing the ministering feel valued. We discussed patience and feeling patience in adversity. We need to support each other through faith and conveying to others our faith. True ministering is accomplishe through love. We need to be brave in our testimony of Christ. We can mentor the younger sisters through including them in Relief Society and fee valued and of service. We all have experiences that are special and we can lift others through our example and our words.

Lesson for July 15, 2018

Today our lesson was taught by Kari Allssup about a talk given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Behold the Man!” Kari started by making a list of life’s greatest feelings: joy—babies, grandkids, the temple, parents, food, gospel, accomplishment. Missionary work marriage, nature, conversion, family talents, love, flowers, understanding. In comparison life’s greatest despairs—death, sickness, wayward family members, divorce, loneliness, mental health issues, failure, addiction, loss of employment, inactivity in the Church. Elder Uchtdorf said those who find a way to view the holiness of the man find ways to behold the man. These words were used by Pontus Pilate to refer to beholding Christ. He is there for us. Behold as a word is deeper than Saying to look. Behold is to observe. Beholden is to owe and recognition. Elder Uchtdorf ask us what do we need to do to behold the man? Out of perfect I’ve He gave all that we might receive all and we owe him to show our own dedication. Our personal worship and scripture study can help us develop dedication. This phrase is related to the ordinance of the sacrament. Do we know Jesus or do we know the facts about him? Do we know the Savior or do we just know about him? Some sisters accepted the challenge to fat from social media and read their scriptures instead. They were uplifted. Realizing the sacrifice of Jesus to affect our lives can uplift us and help us to connect with others. The Lord knows where you are and can help you with your trials where you are and can wipe clean our problems, little or great. Learning to behold the man is to learn to trust Christ. When we behold Jesus Christ, we can see Him as He is and not create Him in our image. ask yourself if you will recognize Him when He ones again. Reflect on your favorite stories of Jesus. Mentioned were the woma with the issue of blood. She was wealthy, but humble enough to touch the hem of His cloak. Imagine the humility that took for her to be that humble in a public place. She was in despair enough to be humble enough to seek help from Christ.The woman who was caught in adultery shows Christ’s Patience. In Ether 12:19, it says there were many whose faith was so strong they could not be kept from within the veil and could behold the Savior. We’re being invited over and over to come close enough to the Savior that we can behold him. Take a moment to assess where we are in the process of holding the Savior.

Lesson for July 8, 2018

Today our lesson was given by Karli Stewart about the talk by Elder Bednar, “Meek and Lowly of Heart.” The challenge last week was to take a personal inventory of ways to stay safe. Karli said that this was an excellent talk. She looked up the definition of meekness.The world’s definition was humble and weak, but the gospel’s definition is to be willing to follow and act as we should. We live in coarsening times and we may misunderstand meekness. Karli split us up into groups to discuss meekiness. We discussed examples in the scriptures, such as Pahoran. It’s not all about us. We need to have patience and meekness. Or Amulek who was told by an angel o receive Alma and become his partner. It resulted in Amulek becoming a great missionary. First, meekness isn’t passive. Our meekness can increase as we practice it, along with other attributes that would enhance meekness. The strength to withhold immediate judgment. The bad example was the rich young ruler who rejected Christ’s injunction to sell his goods and gain riches in heaven. Meekness goes against the natural man, yet it is a Christlike attribute. Sometimes it is hard to give up our position or our belongings because it establishes our self-identity. It is harder to give up such things due to pride. Then we inhibit ourselves. The opposite of meekness is pride. Ezra Taft Benson gave a great talk about Pride that tells about the opposite of pride. Temper and anger gets in the way of meekness, as does selfishness. our greatest example of meekness is Christ who said, :If it be Thy will.’ w need to focus on what Heavenly Father wants us to be. Karli asked us to write down what may be holding us back from being meek. If we are meek and try to be meek, we can develop this attribute.

Lesson for June 24, 2018

Today our lesson was about “Ministering motivated by Christlike love led by the Spirit.” Our lesson was taught by Lana Horrocks. The challenge las week was to b more unified with your family, or community. We also talked about learning about each other. In the June Ensign it discussed listening. Lana said to start a conversation. She handed out a sheet by Jeffrey Holland that listed 5 things to do to listen well: 1. Give them time, 2. Pay attention, 3. Clarify, 4. Reflect, 5. Find common ground. We are blessed by the Holy G Ghost, but we also need to have conversations. We also filled out a sheet on finding our own love language: 1. Words, 2. Quality time, 3. Gifts, 4. Service, 5. Touch. We discussed what each one means to the sisters in our ward. Sisters shared their experiences that made them feel loved. Be open about what your strengths are and what you like. We decided that being dependable is a good one. Lana had us get together with the sister we minister to and discuss the lesson.

Lesson for June 10, 2018

Today our lesson was given by Karli Stewart about a conference talk by Elder Lynn G. Robbins, titled “Until Seventy Times Seven.” first we talked about the challenge from last week concerning doubts. Be that person who someone can talk to. Karli said this talk is her favorite talk of the conference. Karli had several stories of famous people and how they overcame their problems, from Michael Jordan to Walt Disney, who all failed. Our purpose on earth is to grow closer to Christ through our opposition. We can see our failures as invitations to come unto Christ. The example is Oliver Granger, mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants for failing to raise enough money to buy property for the church. Yet, Oliver Granger stayed true. It is important to get up every time we fall. Elder Robbins said we should go from failure to failure without loss of failure. We don’t always know we will succeed, but we can learn from the effort. If you touch even one person, it’s worth it. If you’re trying to raise children, you can’t expect them to be perfect, but you can be part of their lives whether they are perfect or not. Measure success not on cultural expectations but on growth. Sometimes the results are the measure as well as the growth earned. Missionaries often judge themselves on the number of baptisms, rather than ultimate influence you may not even know about. It may not be kind of success we are looking for, but it can still be success. Heavenly Father doesn’t compare us to each other, but to who we have been. Hope and continuing effort matter. If we endure faithfully, we will be blessed. Our talents are ours and they are not the same as those others have. Remember the scripture about how many times we should forgive (seven times seventy) and access the atonement’s power that allows us to improve, forgive ourselves. We are children of God and we can’t contribute what we should to this world if we can’t forgive ourselves. We are given our trials to become like Christ, through His power. The challenge this week is to view our failures as an invitation to come unto Christ. Write five things that you love about yourself ad take them out to look at from time to time to remind ourselves that we have worth.

Lesson for June 3, 2018

Today we participated in an additional lesson on ministering presented by Susie Sullivan. Our challenge last week is finding our love language. How many of ou have had doubts about the Church. Nearly everyone raised their hands. What to do about it? President Holland said that belief is a precious act and the first step toward conviction. Why do we find it difficult to ask difficult questions? We don’t want to tear down the faith of those we associate with. We don’t want others to know that we don’t know because it makes us look weak. We want people to still love us. Sometimes the questions people have distance them or makes them angry or frustrated. Sometimes doubts come from fear. Fear of not knowing. Fear of not being accepted. Fear of not having our lives turn out turn out like we expect. We can respond by asking people what caused that doubt. Jesus taught using parables and had people leave because they did not understand. There is power when someone has had a relationship with God in the past, so it is important to bring people back to what they do know. It is important to validate their feelings so they feel worthwhile. People will listen more to someone who is sympathetic. Sometimes people don’t want answers, they want people to be there with them while they struggle. Bearing testimony is something that can’t be refuted because no one can refute what your own experience is. On the other hand we must accept what others have experienced and not make them feel deficient. Make people feel worthwhile and valued. Listen to them. Ask them where they think the answer could be found. Love one another so people feel loved and worthy of your love and the love of their Heavenly Father. Sometimes people understand love by how they are loved. Try to find people who come from a place of faith. Sometimes we can believe in someone who has faith more than we can believe in God, so be that person who can be believed in. continue to pray for people so that God can influence. Serving others can help erase doubts because you are serving one of God’s children. Our own families can provide strength by providing relationships that can relate to the relationship with God. Serving with pure love is what we can do to help each other. We need to make church a safe place where people can feel accepted and welcome. their answers may not be the standard answers, but they themselves need to feel loved. We should welcome each other and lift each other up. Challenge: if you’re having doubts, find someone to talk to and approach it from faith and understand that God knows the answers.

Lesson for May 27 2018

Today our lesson was given by Lana Horrocks about the need for ministering like the Savior and how we should view how we minister to others. Last week we got the challenge to make a youth feel valued. Some sisters expressed some of the things they did. We are encouraged to get to know the young people better. Lana asked about how the Savior ministered. One sister said Christ ministered to the individual even when he was tire. The Savior teaches us to serve everyone. The Lord assigns us to get to know some we serve through our ministering programs. The Savior’s example guides and encourages us to listen to the Spirit to know what e should do. jean Brigha, our new Genera Relief Society President said the more we work on serving others, the more we will be eager to help others. How can we be like him to be eager to serve. Lana mentioned Stephen L.Anderson’s talk at BYU about ministering. he gave examples from Christ’s teachings to feed His lambs ad feed his sheep. Elder Anderson told of a BYU student who was having a tough time and was sent a text by her roommate. The statistics about youth affiliating with faith shows a huge decrease in those who have faith. The holier way of ministering is to go beyond taking someone a casserole. Lana had us write down a name of someone who might need something using inspiration. He gave us a list of s small things we should notice about those we know.There is also a list for ourselves and areas wwe’e grown lax in. Lana gave guidelines about the difference between visiting teachers and ministers. she gave a handout about knowing how individuals receive love.

Lesson for May 20, 2018

Our lesson today was given by Karli Stewart on “Young Women in the Work.” Karli quoted the hymn “As sisters in Zion, we’ll a work together; the blessings of God on our labors we’ll seek.” Karli focused the lesson on the conference talk, “Young Women in the Work” by Bonnie l. Oscarson. Several sisters told about events they were involved in as young women. They all said these experiences make a difference in developing skills and what it has done for them in their lives. They are grateful for the opportunities to develop through learning responsibilities. Sister Oscarson said each young woman should feel valued and two more things. we al have challenges that we can feel confident about meeting such as the wicked world, electronics, acceptance, social situations, pressure to perform, mental health issues, that they have a place and feel valued, connection to the Church, getting good grades, anxiety depression. Sister Oscarson focused on self-worth issues. Service can lighten your burdens. Raise your hands to volunteer. Gain the confidence that will increase feelings of self worth. What you see on the outside of each person is not the life that person lives. It is in the struggle that determines how we grow. Volunteering can increase energy and increase self-esteem. Service can get us out of the dark places in our lives and away from our own problems. Service can also lessen our own feelings of depression. Our problems are real but service can make a difference. Mary, the mother of Jesus, served by being Christ’s mother when she was very young. She was capable. David was a young man when he fought Goliath. Joseph Smith was a youth when he had his first vision. The youth are cherished and loved by God. Changes in the Church regarding the youth include Come Follow Me, Family history, baptistery engagement in the temple, the age of missionaries. We can help by letting the youth work alongside us in giving service. Make it so there is no division between youth and adults. Compliment them and find positive things to involve them in. Attend their activities. The challenge today is to help a youth to feel valued. Heavenly Father made it so we wor together.

Lesson for May 6, 2018

Today our lesson was taught by Natalie Wankier about “Christ-Centered Healing: How to Respond When Mental or Emotional Challenges Affect You or Those you Love.” Natalie began the lesson with a goal of presenting general information about mental and emotional challenges, especially anxiety and depression. Natalie said if we’re experiencing these problems, we are not alone and it’s common to experiences them at some time or other. She gave us some background on anxiety and depression and said to realize thee problems are on a scale from mild to severe, Nephi’s psalm is about Nephi’s emotional problems. Job and Christ were also brought up. People in the scriptures are no different than we are. Their problems have been around a long time and seemed to be severe to them and they were severe, but the ones who turned to God were helped. We might ask ourselves why we are feeling like that when other people are going through worse. But it’s important to validate our own emotions. Past trauma or abuse and past events or attitudes affect us. We have chemical imbalances, stress, disruption, beating ourselves up, not eating right, not sleeping, can all affect us negatively. By getting 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 times a week is the same as taking a low grade anti-depressant. There seems to be a direct correlation between physical and mental problems. Humans have an innate drive to heal. The healing process can be slowed down if here is debris embedded in a wound. Our brains try to heal us. Women often go back to abusive relationships. If they feel valued or able to renegotiate their relationships. There are things we can do to facilitate the growth we need and get a different perspective and know who we are. Elder Holland’s talk about “Like a Broken Vessel” with a lot of good advice. He tells us it is not shameful when we look for help. There are many resources to get help. Often the problem is genetic or medical, so it’s important to get the right diagnosis and the right medication. There is no need to carry this burden alone. Heavenly Father wants us to get this help. That’s why Elder Holland was inspired to give that talk. We shouldn’t think we must overcome this problem by ourselves. The gospel tells us we need to o what is needed to take care of our problems. Symptons can feel lighter if they are shared with an appropriate person, such as a professional. Mindfulness, being present, or coping strategies can be learned. Be open to our emotions teaching us. Acknowledge our feelings so we can know how to handle them. What works best for us is important. Knowing our own triggers can help us prepare for emotions we may experience. We can create emotional safety for ourselves and others by involving Christ in our healing process.

Lesson for April 29, 2018

Today our lesson was given by Karli Stewart about the talk by Neil Anderson on “The Voice of the Lord.” She began the lesson by showing a picture of the First Vision and another picture of Temple Square with similar light coming down. It looks very like the First Vision. Joseph Smith prepared for the First Vision by reading his scriptures, studying, and having a question. We can approach going to conference by doing the same thing. Karli read the account of the First Vision and Joseph Smith received directions specific to his questions. That is how we can have our own Sacred Grove experiences. We can hear the voice of the Lord through general conference. Karli asked us to think of how we can have such an experience and to write our ideas down in the little booklets we were given to write down our thoughts in Relief Society. Karli felt the need to have family Home Evening regularly. She got the prompting to read the Book of Mormon with each of her children before they graduated from high school. We need to look at what the Lord has done for us. We have to keep going on our journeys. We need to understand the promptings and go to the Lord for what we need so we can be calm when we encounter problems. Heavenly Father knows when we’re feeling stress and can give us relief. Elder Anderson said the General Authorities put in hours and multiple drafts to present what the Lord wants them to present. We need to prepare physically, and mentally to receive the messages. Tuning ourselves with the Spirit brings revelation. We have six months to to get the messages through listening, reading the talks later, watching them on LDS.org. Karli gave us quotes from General Conference to discuss in groups. Much discussion took place and good ideas were given. Elder Anderson said that now President Nelson s was inspired to learn Mandarin and was able to have friendships and experiences with people from China. What action plan can you do to insipiration you have received? What can you act on?

Lesson for April 22, 2018

Today our lesson was given by Kari Alsop. She started with asking “What questions do you have about your divine assignments Ansswers. For motherhood, saviors on Mount Zion, womanhood, patrichal blessings, callings, actions and answers to prayers. we are studying Elder John C. Pingree’s October 2017 Conference talk, “I Have a Work for Thee.” Kari asked us to take a few minutes and write questions we have about the work we need to do. President Monson said the Lord has more for your to do than you have for yourself. we would have to be very faithful to accomplish what we need to do. WE sometimes spend too much time engaging in all the things going on around us. Sometimes we need the time to wander around in our heads to get revelation. D&C 11:8 if you desire you shall be the source of much good in this generation. WE can remember that God can help us do the impossible. There are actions we have to take. The Lord appreciates us when we have a desire to do good. When we desire to take care of each other, God has a lot we can do. it is important for us to be part of the solution and we need to know what to do, rather like what happened with Nephi an Laman and Lemuel. Our divine mission is to live and spread the gospel and help others to desire the gospel. Elder Pinterest wants us to focus on others. Kari brought up Abish from the Book of Mormon who worked for the queen of the Lamanites. She was able to be tere when Alma and the king went unconscious and gathered people to see the miracle. The people were touched and converted. She was proof the culture and acted as a second witness. People’s lives were forever changed because of her actions. She had prepared for that moment. Kari had us listen to a recording of the hymn “As Sisters in Zion” about caring for others who are weary and weak through earnest endeavor. We should use what we are blessed with to fulfill needs. Every divine assignment helps to build us and our characters. As women in our homes we can lay the foundation of great works through small things. When you ask your Heavenly FatTHER he will give you ways to accept and prepare for what we will need to do to help others.

Lesson for April 15 2018

Our lesson today was given by Lana Horrocks on ministering.How we’re going to do this instead of visiting teaching—becoming involved in our sistter’s lives, we are to help our sisters become part of the church. Ho can we help others? We do not count numbers, but if we need to report what our sister’s and their families need. What would Jesus Christ want us to do to minister? We still visit and do Christ-like caring for others. We may show our gratitude and love to prepare to meet Christ by serving our sisters and learning to love them. We can use social media, email, visits and any way that is appropriate. We can be partners in accountability. We can pray for them. What is the Spirit inspiring you to do? We have to be willing to be served. Don’t overlook something that it ordinary. We should not be prideful. The Lord put people in our homes or sphere of influence we are supposed to help. We can eehlp with our husband’s responsibilities and those people our husbands are to help. We vieweD a couple of videos the Church has up o lds.org abou ministering. Look in 3 Nephi for every reference for ministering and one by one so we can implement with powere., so we all have opportunities to help. Brigham Young said the building up of the Church are to be done through little acts. Serve one another in a holier way.

Ward Conference March 25, 2018

Become and help others become true followers of Jesus Christ. The stake Relief Society Presidency. We discussed four points: (1) To live the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will strengthen ourselves and us families by receiving the ordinances of salvation and sxaltation and keeping the associated covenants. We will strengthen our faith in Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ and His Atonement by regularly studying the Book of Mormon and by honoring the Sabbath Day. (2) To gather Israel through missionary work we will teach repentance and baptize converts and rescue less-active members. (3) To care for the poor and needy, we will build spiritual and temporal self-reliance and live the law of the fast and serve others. (4) To enable the salvation of the dead, we ill find family names and take names to the temple for ordinances and teach others to do the same. What are your goals? We discussed #2 and how to make people feel included, to be a friend first, not be afraid to show love. w can’t put everyone in the same category We are all sisters in the gospel, which means we take care of each other. Friendship and love are the important things we can share as we reach out to others. What can we do to reach out to others? Being friendly to each other can help more than you know.

Lesson for March 18, 2018

Today our lesson was given by Camille Maynard on a talk by Elder W. Craig Zwick, “Lord, Wilt Thou Cause That My Eyes May Be Opened.” Camille started the lesson by discussing what we learned from past weeks abut inviting the Spirit and seeing good in others and how previous lessons relate to this lesson. Sometimes if we only see things from our point of view, we don’t see things as they truly are. We must see things through the eyes of our Savior, because we rarely have the knowledge of everything as they are. It can be difficult to see all we should be seeing. When we have the eternal perspective we have the chance to see things more as they are. People are on different spectrums. God made us all that way and there may be certain things that are valued by God that we don’t possess. They look at commandments in different ways, not necessarily wrong. The way we can creatively look at each other is good for all of us. We want to value others and find the good in them. Perhaps there are valid reasons. It might be good to try to understand the backstory. The times that we are filled with anger, it might be ourselves that is at fault. If we can approach others with love, we can feel more love. Sometimes it is pride that makes us feel others need to get on board with what we think is right. We can ask them what they’re going through. Sometimes we think we know what is going on with someone, yet there may be other things going on. Elder Zwick said he interviewed a young man on his mission who wanted to go home. Each weekly interview brought up the same problem. Elder Zwick said he asked the young man what was wrong and found that the missionary didn’t know how to read. Elder Zwick found he needed to listen. Maybe we may think we know what is going on and we need to ask. If you feel like a judge, take the opportunity to serve that person. Help instead of judge. Then you’ll learn to love the person and serve others. Serving people helps you love them. We can choose to serve. We can’t get to know everyone, so if we can get to know people who are different from who we are we will have the experience necessary to help more people. What a blessing it is to learn what God wants us to do. Elisha woke up one day to find an army surrounding their city. Elisha said not to worry for those that were with them were more than those that were attacking. He could see the people they had to help. When we’re helping others, we should assume people are doing the best they can. Elder Zwick discussed differences. He said that loving others does not mean to accept the things that are wrong that they believe. Accepting other people who believe something other than what we believe means we can be loving and kind to them. We can accept people without condoning what they do. We can be kind to others, eve if we’re not alike. We can all love each other and learn from them. Experience the fun things and understand that the strange things they do are their choice. The scripture in 1 Samuel 16 when it says that the Lord looks upon the heart and not with what people look like. When we have Jesus Christ in our lives, our eyes can be opened. If we do keep Christ-centered, we can be blessed with the ability to treat people better. When the Lord talked with the woman who committed adultery, he was kind. He didn’t want her to sin again, but he was kind. elder Zwick told about a boy who died when the all-terrain vehicle flipped over on him. The boy’s family got his cell phone and a reminder popped up on the phone to remember to make Christ the focus of his day. What a blessing for his family to know he felt that way. A sister wrote down everything negative about her husband, but when she took the sacrament, she felt like she should delete all those negative feelings. It took some fort, but she did and realized that those feelings didn’t matter.Sometimes it comes down to letting go, even if we recognize what the problem is. We do have the ability with the Lord’s help to we people as the Lord sees them if we ask for the Lord’s lessing.

Lesson for March 11, 2018

Our lesson was taught by Lana Horrocks based on the talk by Jeffrey R. Holland, “Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually.” Lana began the lesson by saying she was a recovering perfectionist and she forgot it was Daylight Savings today. She believes that we should focus on positive things so they can be embedded in our minds. She quoted Elder Holland about how the command to be perfect is the final nail in the coffin and beyond our reach, but surely we can at least work on it. We discussed examples of being perfectionists. Some of us are perfectionists and get anxious and teaching our children about being organized. We should focus on “People are more important than stuff.” While we’re all focusing on perfectionism, we need to remember that being perfect is related to being whole and complete. Sometimes in our lives we need to start in the corner and work out. When we move into times when we have to do harder things, we have to remember not to feel bad about ourselves. Our self-esteem can be damaged, so we put things off when we don’t think we can be perfect. We can pray to Heavenly Father to help us with what we have to do. Lana told the story of a little boy whose father told him to move a huge rock and do it using every resource. The boy struggled and went back to his father who said have you used every resource? The boy said he had and his father said, You haven’t asked me for help. Young people sometimes thin of commandments are curses, but every commandment comes with blessings. For example, tithing, the Word of Wisdom, and Family Home Evening bring us blessings. Elder Holland said the willingness to repent can help us achieve perfection. We discussed issues with body image. We can help each other feel good about ourselves and love ourselves. We should remember that our bodies can help us serve others and do many other things. We need to focus on the positive aspects of our bodies and know how capable and worth loving. We should not be ashamed. Exercise and eating healthy are not a punishment, but should be how we treat a valued body. As a Mormon society we have perfection issues. God intended how we treat out bodies, it is a tribute to God and the bodies He gave us. W need to not treat God and His Son despitefully. The Atonement of Jesus Christ speaks to our peace. Lana showed a part of the video of Elder Holland’s talk—the part about the servant who owed some money and who then would not forgive another dead. Elder Holland said the larger debt was supposed to be incomprehensible and that story is supposed to be about us and the debt we owe to God. We would have remained in debt and prison forever but for the Atonement. It is an unfathonable debt for an incomprehensible amount, just as our debt is to Jesus Christ who has made the point that it is doable. Christ paid a billion dollars to our hundred dollars, but it is doable. We can speak a little bit more God-like. What change could you make as you speak to your family, friends, co-workers. If we approached each other acknowledging that we really don’t know everything about each other we can understand more about how you can. We can be more friendly with our faces to uplift others. We can be courteous. Lana gave us a handout about how we can be more Godlike. We all want to be better than we are. We should refuse to let these desires make us cynical. Instead, we should work on being complete. Many of the negative thoughts are in our heads, but not in our thoughts. If we say our thoughts alone in prayer, we can partner with the Spirit to help us address our negative thoughts. Every thought we say may not even be from ourselves, but it may be from Satan. In a talk from the last April Conference on weakness, we can get inspiration. If you have the desire to improve, we can glory in our magnificent God-like heritage.

Lesson for March 4, 2018

Today our lesson was given by Andrea Gerber on “Strategies for Better Relationships.” Andrea is a counselor in the Relief Scoiety Presidency. Andrea started by giving handouts about better relationships. She said one of her hobbies is studying audio books about relationships. We need strategies based in gospel principles so we know what to do. The Marriage and Family Relations Manual. Andrea talked about being a “content communicator.” A lot of us are hint droppers rather than communicators. It means meaning what you say and saying what you mean. Find a kind and tactful way to say what you mean. Otherwise you are not being fair and you are setting yourselves up for frustration. No one is going to fulfill all our expectations in life, so don’t expect someone to read your mind. Stop withholding praise. Perhaps the other person didn’t do a perfect job. Joseph Smith said that if we withhold praise we can’t expect improvement. If you praise the good the other person is going to gravitate toward the good. Notice the good. Saying why something needs to be done, it helps the other person understand the true need. When we have built up resentment toward someone we will need to be worked on even harder. Especially in a marriage, there is a language of equals when you don’t tell people what to do, but you ask with respect. That kind of language is what we should use. Soften how you start a conversation where there is a disagreement. You need to step back and soften how you talk to the other person. 1. Be a content communicator 2. Stop withholding praise 3. Use a language of equals 4. Soften your “startup” in disagreements 5. Complain but don’t criticize 6. Remember the 5:1 positive/negative ratio 7. Edit Yourself 8. Be consistent We broke into small groups and talked about these principles. We discussed some successful tips on how to handle difficult situations. We wondered if we have trouble knowing why we’re upset. If we don’t communicate well, our people won’t know. We also need to be clear about reasonable expectations. using praise and hugs can be major motivations. We can express gratitude for what they do right. Praying together can be a form of communication. To wrap up we went over some quotes, suc as “Keep your heart in wonder of the daily miracle that is your partner, family, and friends.” The Holy Ghost is our best teacher.

Lesson for February 25, 2018

Today our lesson about “Remember Him“ was given by Lana Horrocks. She always prays that the Lord will speak to our hearts. She especially wanted to talk about the sacrament. President Eyring asked if we could imagine Moroni and his last years and inspiration as he remembered the greatness of God and his patience with us. She asked Paige Gibson to play a piece to help us think of Christ as she plays “Our Savior’s Love.” Lana asked us to think of a favorite picture of Christ, a favorite story of Christ, a time we felt loved by Christ, what we need to do better, and the progress we are making in our relationship with Christ. She handed out paper and pens so we could write these things down. We need to remember the Savior and the price he paid. Heather Cantrell showed pictures she has of Christ, including one by her son. Haruko showed us a picture with Christ smiling. Other sisters showed or told about Christ that had meaning for them. Then sisters told stories that mean a lot to them. More than one sister told about the woman with the issue of blood and how the Savior reacted to the woman by accepting her. Heather said she felt like each of her children was sent to her by the Lord. More than one sister told of how they felt close to the Savior when they gave birth to their children. Another sister told of how the Savior stood by her during her divorce, which brought other stories of finding peace. Each of us has to come to a knowledge that God wants us to grow, not suffer. The Savior gave us the ordinance of repentance and the sacrament to make up for our sins and turn it over to the Lord. He can help us not blow up and take care of other problems in our lives. We often need extra help. Remember the progress you are making and you will have hope. Lisa Anderson said she keeps a journal to keep track of Improvement. There is joy in not giving up and learning more. Lana said she is strengthened by hearing what we have gone through. She has a good relationship with Christ now after struggling. He is so important to all of us.

Lesson for February 18, 2018

The lesson today was about “Abiding in God and Repairing the breach” a conference talk by Sister Neil F. Marriott. Thanks to Carly for teaching the lesson. Carly spoke about the call to action to live to have the Spirit with us to manage opposition. We need to get to the point of wanting feelings of offense from us and we can turn to God. If we turn to Goght d to change ourselves we can resist being offended. We can realize that being offefended is widespread and we can resist offending others. We discussed the story in church history about Sister Marsh who agreed to share milking strippings that influenced Governor Boggs in expelling the Saints. Yet Brigham Young accepted chastisement from Joseph Smith with humility that had a positive result. Brother Marsh came back to the Church years later, saying the Church lost nothing by his absence, but he lost a great deal. Carly asked how it felt to be forgiven. An answer was that it felt free and light. Whenever we feel offended we lose something. We have something missing. When we can make amends we can feel forgiven. Is there someone in your life who needs your forgiveness? As we do forgive others, we will feel more free. It is impossible to be offended if we don’t choose to be offended. We don’t have to worry about others. Don’t let somebody else push your buttons. Try to understand why they would behave that way. There is a difference between forgiveness and trust. We’re much happier if we can trust Christ. We can ask God to help us to forgive and grow. We can also ask to know when we should change and how to change. Some people may need to work on something and may have their own problems. We should have the perspective that they have their own reasons. How can being offended take us away from friends? We need to know those we love and know what their friends needs are. Offenses can be huge, but we can be true to who we are and do our part. It’s important to see that people are imperfect. We can learn to be kind and forgiving. Our eternal perspective can change due to circumstances that will influence us and our families forever. The choices we make have eternal consequences. It would be easier in the long run to choose to not be offended. The gospel is true even if people are not perfect.

Lesson for January 1, 2018

Today we are starting a new curriculum for the new year. Today we talked about scripture study in a discussion led by our president Suzy Sullivan. Suzy began by explaining the new structure. Which is that on the first Sunday we have a council. So we split up into groups to discuss the topic. She said she is trusting us to guide our discussion. She said she has a testimony of scripture study. Several sisters told about the blessings they’ve received for being consistent about scripture study. Consistency seems to be the key. The more we read the Book of Mormon, the more we find it pertains to our own lives today. We can find protection and inspiration by being consistent. It is a force that opens up our minds. We split up into four groups to counsel with each other on what works and what helps.