Gifts that come through ‘treasuring up’ the truths of the gospel…

“Regardless of your particular circumstances, as you become more and more familiar with the truths of the scriptures, you will be more and more effective in keeping the second great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. Become scholars of the scriptures – not to put others down, but to lift them up! After all, who has any greater need to ‘treasure up’ the truths of the gospel (on which they may call in their moments of need) than do women and mothers who do so much nurturing and teaching.”

Quote from Spencer W. Kimball, found in: “Daughters in My Kingdom,” pg. 50.

Presidency Message

December Relief Society Newsletter Message-

                        From Sister Kay Sampson

To Latter-day Saints the Christmas story from Bethlehem to Calvary should take precedence over the tinsel and the toys, for the Savior is the center of Christmas.

Christmas gifts should be in memory of the divine gift, the life of Jesus Christ. His gift gave us eternal life; our gifts should be gifts that will bring joy to those who receive. His gift was the sacrifice of his earthly life; our gifts should represent personal sacrifices on our part.

How can we give to the Lord? What shall we give Him? Every kind word to our own, every help given them, is a gift to God, whose chief concern is the welfare of His children. Every gentle deed to our neighbor, every kindness to the poor and suffering, is a gift to the Lord, before whom all mankind are equal. Every conformity to the Lord’s plan of salvation – and this is of first importance – is a direct gift to God, for thereby we fit ourselves more nearly for our divinely planned destiny.

Would it not be well this Christmas to give first to the Lord, directly through obedience, sacrifice, and love, and then to give to Him indirectly through gifts to friends and those in need as well as to our own? Should we do this, perhaps many of us would discover a new Christmas joy.

We would hope we can try to open our hearts a little more each day and not wait for the Christmas season. A gift given or an expression of kindness may be more unexpected and appreciated in July than in December.

President Faust said, “The angel who heralded the Savior’s birth stated that His coming was to bring great joy to all people. The blessings which flow from the Atonement and the Resurrection are available to us each day and throughout all eternity. At this Christmas season I believe there is much reason for hope for greater days ahead. Despite our personal challenges or difficulties or worldwide problems, we can take comfort in the knowledge that the Savior is leading this Church.

May the Lord bless each of you this Christmas Season with love and gratitude for your families and those you serve.

Merry Christmas,

Sister Kay Sampson

Our Gift to Him…

“Considering all that the Savior has done – and still does – for us,

What can we do for Him?

The greatest gift we could give to the Lord at Christmas,
or at any other time,

is to keep ourselves unspotted from the world,
worthy to attend His holy temple.

And His gift to us will be the peace of knowing
that we are prepared to meet Him,

whenever that time comes…”

By Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

December 2011 Ensign, “The Peace and Joy of Knowing the Savior Lives.”

Simple ways to Strengthen Home & Family...

Christmas gifts as Simple Reminders -

“The best gift I have ever received came from my grandmother and consists of two items: a pillowcase and a necklace with a locket. Although they are simple items, they mean a lot to me. My name is written on the pillowcase with glow-in-the-dark letters, and below my name it reads, “Did you think to pray?” Whenever I have jumped into bed without praying, the glow-in-the-dark words remind me to kneel and pray.

The locket holds two pictures: one of me and one of the Savior. While the pillowcase reminds me to pray at home, the locket reminds me to be like the Savior at school and other places I go.”

From, “The Best Christmas Gifts,” New Era, December 2007

Well, today is December 1, 2011…

                Yesterday I was thinking about what the best gifts of Christmas are, and so I thought that each day during the month of December I would think about and try to give in some small way…a Christmas gift of my heart…gifts meant to honor our Savior, Jesus Christ.

                A few years ago, I came across an idea that caught my attention, and so I will share this idea with each of you…

It is called, “The Five Gifts of Christmas.”

During the month of December, give a gift from your heart, to five different people: a friend, a stranger, a person in need, the Savior, and an enemy. This last gift is a difficult one, because it requires us to think about someone who may have hurt us, and it requires us to open up our hearts to forgive.  In Matthew 5:44 it says, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (from a 2003 BYU Women’s Conference talk entitled “Seeking to Forgive,” by Heidi S. Jones)

I know we honor our Savior and show our love for Him as we learn to walk the path he has walked.  We can do this as we rely on Him and His loving Atonement. His way is the only way to peace and happiness.

As a stake Relief Society, we had the privilege of visiting the 10^th ward RS meeting yesterday and had the opportunity to listen to and feel the spirit from their teacher and all the sisters who were there. Thank you for a wonderful Teaching for our Times lesson centered on President Monson’s talk, “Stand in Holy Places.”

vvvvvvvvvvv

We ‘Stand in Holy Places’ when we “communicate with our Father in Heaven – including our prayers to Him and His inspiration to us – (which) is necessary in order for us to weather the storms and trials of life.”

In his talk, President Monson Also said:

“We must be vigilant in a world which has moved so far from that which is spiritual. It is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards, refusing in the process to surrender that which we desire most: eternal life in the kingdom of God. The storms will still beat at our doors from time to time, for they are an inescapable part of our existence in mortality. We, however, will be far better equipped to deal with them, to learn from them, and to overcome them if we have the gospel at our core and the love of the Savior in our hearts…(and so,) as a means of being in the world but not being of the world, it is necessary that we communicate with our Heavenly Father through prayer…”

Blessing Basket

From – “Gratitude: A Path to Happiness,” Bonnie D. Parkin

Let me share a sweet story with you. A family was going through a difficult time. It was hard for them not to focus on their challenges. The mother wrote: “Our world had completely crumpled, so we turned to Heavenly Father for guidance. Almost immediately we realized that we were surrounded by goodness and were being cheered on from every side. We began as a family to express our gratitude to each other as well as to the Lord daily. A close friend pointed out to me that our family’s ‘blessing basket’ was overflowing. From that conversation came a sort of game, which my children and I grew to love. Before family prayer each night we would talk about how our day had gone and then share with each other all of the many blessings that had been added to our ‘blessing basket.’ The more we expressed gratitude, the more there was to be grateful for. We felt the love of the Lord in a significant way as opportunities for growth presented themselves.”

What would a “blessing basket” add to your family?