Dear Sisters,
“Kindness is
the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats
others. Kindness should permeate all of our words and actions at work, at
school, at church, and especially in our homes.”
We should not
wait at home, church or other gatherings for someone to come up and be kind to
us, to say hello or start a conversation.
We should be the one to act, to smile, to say hello. By instigating
little kindnesses, we show love and compassion to those around us.
“Jesus, our
Savior, was the epitome of kindness and compassion. He healed the sick. He
spent much of His time ministering to the one or many. He spoke compassionately
to the Samaritan woman who was looked down upon by many. He instructed His
disciples to allow the little children to come unto Him. He was kind to all who
had sinned, condemning only the sin, not the sinner. He kindly allowed
thousands of Nephites to come forward and feel the nail prints in His hands and
feet. Yet His greatest act of kindness was found in His atoning sacrifice, thus
freeing all from the effects of death, and all from the effects of sin, on
conditions of repentance.
Jesus did not
wait for others to be kind to Him in order to love them; in fact He gave His
life for everyone, even those who despised Him.
The things you
say, the tone of your voice, the anger or calm of your words—these things are
noticed by your children and by others. They see and learn both the kind and
the unkind things we say or do. Nothing exposes our true selves more than how
we treat one another in the home. The Church is not a place where perfect
people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect
feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide
encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey
to return to our Heavenly Father.”
Each one of us
will travel a different road during this life. Each progresses at a different
rate. Temptations that trouble your brother may not challenge you at all.
Strengths that you possess may seem impossible to another.
We are all
children of our Heavenly Father. And we are here with the same purpose: to
learn to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our
neighbor as ourselves.
Love, Sue, Amy, Lisa, Jenn and Jenny
July Birthdays
1 Lisa Lara
2 Gayle Langan
Diane Gent
6 Amy
Cleland
12 Mary
Lou Mooring
18 Alice Dewitt
26 Colleen
Casperson
27 Wendy
Tyus
29 Leslie
Nelson
Jennifer
Haberl
31 Michelle
Azar
Lesson Schedule
July 7 Fast Sunday- Jenny Maxwell
July 14 Ch. 13: Relief Society: True
Charity and Pure
Religion- Marti Rozeski
July 21 Ch. 14: With God All things Are Possible
July 28 Obedience Brings Blessings, Thomas S. Monson-
Jacque Garner
Teaching and Learning the Gospel
Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss
it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your
sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life. For more
information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.
Teaching and Learning
the Gospel
Faith, Family, Relief
Jesus Christ
was a master teacher. He set the example for us as He “taught women in
multitudes and as individuals, on the street and by the seashore, at the well
and in their homes. He showed loving-kindness toward them and healed them and
their family members.”1
He taught Martha and Mary and “invited them to become His
disciples and partake of salvation, ‘that good part’ [Luke 10:42]
that would never be taken from them.”2
In our latter-day scriptures, the Lord commanded us to
“teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom” (D&C
88:77). Of teaching and learning doctrine, Cheryl A. Esplin, second
counselor in the Primary general presidency, said, “Learning to fully
understand the doctrines of the gospel is a process of a lifetime and comes
‘line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little’ (2 Nephi
28:30).”3
As we learn, study, and pray, we will teach with the power
of the Holy Ghost,
who will carry our message “unto the hearts of the children of men [and women]”
(2 Nephi
33:1).
From the Scriptures
From Our History
Our past prophets have reminded us as women that we have an
important role as teachers in the home and Church. In September 1979, President
Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) asked us to become “sister scriptorians.”
He said: “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?”4
We are all teachers and learners. When we teach from the
scriptures and the words of our living prophets, we can help others come unto
Christ. When we engage in the learning process by asking meaningful questions
and then listening, we can find answers that meet our personal needs.
What Can I Do?
1.
How am I preparing to be a better teacher?
2.
Do I share my testimony with the sisters I watch over?
Notes
Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief
Society (2011), 3.
Daughters in My Kingdom, 4.
Cheryl A. Esplin, “Teaching Our Children to
Understand,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2012, 12.
Spencer W. Kimball, in Daughters in My Kingdom, 50.
Official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints
© 2013 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All Rights Reserved
© 2013 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All Rights Reserved
