Relief Society News Letter

August 2012

Our Father in Heaven wants us to have strong, loving families. One of the great helps he has given us to achieve this is family prayer.

All of us, single or married, are eternally part of some family—someway, somewhere, somehow—and much of our joy in life comes as we correctly recognize and properly develop those family relationships. We come to this earth charged with a mission: to learn to love and serve one another. To best help us accomplish this, God has placed us in families, for he knows that is where we can best learn to overcome selfishness and pride and to sacrifice for others and to make happiness and helpfulness and humility and love the very essence of our character.

We learn that friends and neighbors come and go but family is forever, and as we learn this, we find that we are eternally our brother’s keeper and we begin to realize how much help we need. How we should thank God for the opportunity of family prayer!

Listen to the admonition of the Savior in Third Nephi: “Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.” (3 Ne. 18:21.)

Can you detect that if we do not pray in our families always they may not be blessed—or at least not so fully? If we truly love our families we will constantly pray for them and with them. I know of no single activity that has more potential for unifying our families and bringing more love and divine direction into our homes than consistent, fervent family prayer.

Think of the power for good as you gather your family together and thank God for all of his blessings. Think of the eternal significance of daily thanking him for each member of your family and asking him to guide and bless and protect each one. Think of the strength that will come to your family as, daily, one member or another pours out his or her soul in love to God for other family members.

Of course, our prayers must be more than words, for as President Marion G. Romney has so clearly stated, “The efficacy of our prayers depends on how we care for one another.” (Ensign, Nov. 1980, p. 93.) Family prayer is fully effective, then, only as we rise from our knees and, with increased love and understanding, take better care of each other.

We all want more love and unity in our families. We all need more help with some who may be wayward or in special need. We all desire more assurance of divine guidance and direction.

I promise you that as you consistently and fervently pray as a family, and as each member takes his or her turn and sincerely prays for others, impressions will come as to what you individually should do to help others. Thus, you can, in family prayer, receive personal and family revelation as to how to love and serve one another.

Happy Pioneer Day!

July Relief Society Newsletter

Dear Relief Society Sisters,

We hope you all had a wonderful 4^th of July! The past few days I have been thinking about the blessings we enjoy and the freedoms we have because of the many people who have stood up for what is good and right. Yet, there is a great concern for the way our nation and world keeps heading. I have often thought: What can I do to make a difference in this world? My thoughts always bring me back to my own little family…for it is there that I and we, have the greatest power to make a difference.

  

Since the beginning of time when Adam and Eve began their mortal journey here, our wise and loving Heavenly Father gave them directions, guidance and counsel needed to help them make choices that would enable them to navigate correctly through their lives. Adam and Eve served the Lord and were obedient to the counsel and commandments given.

In Moses 5 Adam and Eve showed us by example how to live our lives. They began to work together. They worked to survive and to take good care of the things our Father had given them. They had a family and taught their children. They ceased not to call upon the Lord in prayer. They were obedient and kept the commandments. They worshipped the Lord and showed faith by sacrificing to the Lord. They showed gratitude and were filled with the spirit. Adam prophesied concerning all things. Adam and Eve mourned…things were not always perfect for them.  They also rejoiced together. They made all things known unto their children. Through all of this, Adam and Eve strengthened their family and home.

In Daughters in My Kingdom, page 134, Elder Dallin H, Oaks says, “the common objective…in our priesthood quorums and…in our Relief Societies is to bring men and women together in the sacred marriage and family relationships that lead toward eternal life, ‘the greatest of all the gifts of God.’” That is our purpose and focus here on this earth and the purpose and focus of Relief Society – to Strengthen Families & Homes.

I love the Primary song, “Follow the Prophet.” The very last verse says,

“Now we have a world where people are confused. If you don’t believe it, go and watch the news! We can get direction all along our way, if we heed the prophets – follow what they say.”

As we think about our world and how ‘family’ is being defined and as we hear of so many sad stories of many people who are truly confused, we as Relief Society sisters need to take a stand in defending the family, which starts in our very own homes. As we teach our children ‘all things’ just as Adam and Eve did. In Moses 5:12 it says, “And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.”

In a talk given by Julie B. Beck entitled, “Teaching the Doctrine of the Family,” she says, “This generation will be called upon to defend the doctrine of the family as never before in the history of the world. If they don’t know it, they can’t defend it. They need to understand temples and priesthood. If you don’t know that they are meant to be fathers and mothers, then they won’t know that they are meant to be fathers and mothers. Your efforts will be wasted…the time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gathering evil around us.”

How do we work together to strengthen, sustain, teach, uplift and love our families? It is as simple as the words found in our Primary song…”we can get direction all along our way – if we heed the prophets – follow what they say.

I know that each one of us could make a list of counsel, guidance and direction from our prophet. We as a stake Relief Society presidency would like to share with you one way that we know will strengthen the sisters and homes of our stake. We strongly encourage every sister to read and study our new Relief Society book, Daughters in My Kingdom. Study it, talk about it, think about the messages found within its pages. It is a gift given to each one of us and will serve to strengthen our testimonies and guide us in our lives, our families, and in our callings. 

We encourage you to read this on your own and with your husband and children. This book is set up to enable you to read and study small sections at a time. We have a testimony of the messages found within this book and we feel that it will help strengthen the sisters of our stake and their families. We know that this book can help give us direction, guidance and counsel needed in our daily lives. 

May the power of the Holy Ghost be with each one of us as we seek for ways to strengthen our own families and homes and make ‘all things known unto our children,’ as we work together to accomplish the purposes of our Heavenly Father and strengthen our nation and world.

With much love,

Lisa Hunt

Barbara Chamberlain

Jocelyn Walker

Kay Sampson

Happy 4^th of July!

June 2010 Relief Society Newsletter

Dear Sisters,

Once again we want to thank you for your special service and the love you give to the sisters in your wards.  You are the ones who are serving in the trenches and giving so much.  Remember when you seem over whelmed and exhausted that the Lord is aware of you and will help you and bless both you and your family. 

I think of the story Elder Uchtdorf told in our last conference.  During the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged.  When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.

Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored.  Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was-a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war.  Ultimately, the statue remained without hands.  However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”  Thanks to you for being those who serve as Christ’s hands!!!

As we look over the June calendar it appears to be a slow month.  Which is probably a good thing and a good time for family fun and vacations.  Also we will have our “RODEO DAYS” to celebrate, yard work to do and kids and grandkids out of school, which always keeps us extra busy.

We have really enjoyed visiting in your wards and participating in you Ward Conferences.  It is great for us to get to know each of you better and to associate with the sisters in your wards.  

June Events:

   Lehi Round-Up Days                      The week of June 25–30th                   

 July Events:

   Stake Blood Drive                           Thursday July 12th  at 2:00 p.m.

As always we want you to know that we love you and pray for each of you every day.  

                                      Love,

                                                     Lisa – Barbara – Jocelyn - & Kay 

FAITH…FAMILY…RELIEF …  The three purposes of Relief Society.

May Relief Society Newsletter

Dear Presidents,

Happy Mothers Day ladies!!!!!!  We hope you have a wonderful day with your families.  

Nothing is better than being with the ones you love.

As we are associating with and serving the wonderful sisters in our wards may we ever be mindful of the words of Sister Beck 

“Do not waste effort on anything that will not strengthen the family.”

This statement is what impacted me the most during our training.   I believe that we can truly simplify all that we are doing when we keep that one statement in mind.

Dear sisters we feel an ever-increasing urgency to concentrate even more on strengthening our families and homes.  I believe we can best do this by strengthening our roles as mothers and wives.

When I was a young mother and had questions about being a nurturing, wise, “Mother in Zion” I would turn to my own mother, my grandmother and the older, more experienced Relief Society ladies in my ward for answers.  I loved listening to them.  I loved learning from them.  I wanted to be like them. 

I honored and revered them.  I miss them all even still.  I loved listening to the “Mother Education” lessons in Relief Society. 

I loved hearing all of the comments from the seasoned mothers who knew.  I love being surrounded by Relief Society sisters whom, as Sister Beck stated…..   “Want to be strong, committed sisters with a Relief Society Heart.”  

 I love Relief Society.  I love our Stake and I love the families who live within our boundaries.  May we encourage all of our sisters, married or single, divorced or widowed to put families first in all that they do.  May we be the example of that in our Sunday Lessons, our weekday Relief Society meetings and in our own lives.

I‘ll close with a quote from Sister Sheri Dew,  

“Few of us will reach our potential without the nurturing of both the mother who bore us and the mothers who bear with us.” 

Happy Mothers Day.  Love, Lisa Hunt

A message on Charity from the Mormon Channel. To listen, click here:

http://mormonchannel.org/relief-society/questions-and-answers/14

“You pass the heritage (of Relief Society) along as you help others
receive the gift of charity in their hearts.

They will then be able to pass it to others.

The history of Relief Society is recorded in words and numbers,
but the heritage is passed HEART to HEART.”

-President Henry B. Eyring