Who Are You?

We hope you know how much you are loved!

Celebrate Sisterhood

We hope to see you this Saturday, March 29th at 6 pm for the General Women's Meeting at the Stake Center. All sisters 8 years and older are invited to join in "what may be the single largest gathering of women ever".  Come with your daughters, sisters, moms, friends, and neighbors!  

If you'd like to sit with other A2 Ward friends you are welcome to come at 5:45 pm and meet in the Northwest foyer of the Stake Center. Call someone to come with you.

On March 29, 2014, prophets and general officers from all three women’s organizations will inspire, direct, and broaden the perspective of sisters ages eight and older. The meeting will create new ways for women worldwide to connect, strengthen each other, and celebrate sisterhood.

Relief Society Lesson: Sunday, Mar 16th

Samantha Phillips taught the Relief Society lesson from the October 2013 conference talk Be Meek and Lowly of Heart by Elder Ulisses Soares. Moroni 7:43-44 says that a man "cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart." It is interesting to learn that in order to have faith and hope, we need to be meek and to be willing to be lead and guided by the Spirit. 

Elder Soares teaches that "meekness is vital for us to become more Christlike. Without it we won't be able to develop other important virtues. Being meek does not mean weakness, but it does mean behaving with goodness and kindness, showing strength, serenity, healthy self-worth, and self-control."

President Lorenzo Snow was quoted by Elder Soares as saying, "It is our duty to try to be perfect...to improve each day, and look upon our course last week and do things better this week; do things better today than we did them yesterday." Pres. Snow also says, "If the husband can live with his wife one day without quarreling or without treating anyone unkindly or without grieving the Spirit of God...he is so far perfect."

Sis. Phillips and others in the class commented that even though it is hard to be meek and humble, if we just keep trying everyday to do a little better, that is where we will qualify for the gift of meekness. Sis. Phillips shared a very personal story where she had no other choice but to learn to be meek and humble when her parents were killed in a car accident. Elder Soares says that "those who are humble are able to acknowledge and understand the Lord's answers to their prayers. The humble are teachable, recognizing how dependent they are on God and desiring to be subject to His will."

Christ is our perfect example in all things. In the Sermon on the Mount Christ promises us that, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5. May we always look to our Savior as we strive to become more like Him.

Relief Society Lesson: Sunday, Mar 16th

Sister Kay Bashford gave us a special reminder during her lesson today, The Significance of the Sacrament, the more we understand the sacrament the more important it will be to us.  We shared ideas on how we can prepare to partake of this sacred ordinance as well as how we can focus during the administration of it.  
Joseph Fielding Smith teaches many important thing regarding the sacrament. He shared his feelings about the sacrament: “In my judgment the sacrament meeting is the most sacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church. When I reflect upon the gathering of the Savior and his apostles on that memorable night when he introduced the sacrament; when I think of that solemn occasion my heart is filled with wonderment and my feelings are touched. I consider that gathering one of the most solemn and wonderful since the beginning of time.

“There the Savior taught them of his coming sacrifice, which in their bewilderment they could not understand. He plainly told them of his death and that his blood should be shed, and this was said in the very hour of his agony for the sins of the world. It was a very solemn occasion; there the sacrament was instituted, and the disciples were commanded to meet together often and commemorate the death and sufferings of Jesus Christ, for his sacrifice was for the redemption of the world.

“He was about to take upon him the responsibility of paying the debt brought upon the world through the fall, that men might be redeemed from death and from hell. He had taught the people that he was to be lifted up that he might draw all men unto him, and that all who would repent and believe in him, keeping his commandments, should not suffer, for he would take upon himself their sins.”

We learn here that we are commanded to meet together often to remember Him.  It is important that we do this on a weekly basis, not occasionally as we feel necessary.

It is our duty to thoughtfully consider the covenant we make when we partake of the sacrament.

It is our duty to carefully and thoughtfully consider the nature of [the sacrament] prayers when we hear them offered in our meetings. There are four very important things we covenant to do each time we partake of these emblems, and in partaking, there is the token that we subscribe fully to the obligations, and thus they become binding upon us. These are as follows:

1. We eat in remembrance of the body of Jesus Christ, promising that we will always remember His wounded body slain upon the cross.

2. We drink in remembrance of the blood which was shed for the sins of the world, which atoned for the transgression of Adam, and which frees us from our own sins on condition of our true repentance.

3. We covenant that we will be willing to take upon us the name of the Son and always remember Him. In keeping this covenant we promise that we will be called by His name and never do anything that would bring shame or reproach upon that name.

4. We covenant that we will keep His commandments which He has given us; not one commandment, but that we will be willing to “live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.” [D&C 84:44.]

Some suggested ideas we could think about while taking the sacrament could be: What baptismal covenants have I made and what do they mean? What promises did I make? Why was He on the cross and how does that benefit me? What do I have to be grateful for? What commitments do I need to make?  - It is important that we prepare for the sacrament long before we get there and maintain our focus during.  

Read the entire lesson HERE

'Quit Loafing Around'

All sisters are highly encouraged to attend our 1st quarter Relief Society meeting!

Quit Loafing Around and join us for our RS Birthday Party

Thursday, March 13th 2014

7:00 pm at the Quail Bldg.

We will do some taste testing and spending some time learning more about each other and even ourselves.  You won't want to miss this time together.  A nursery will be provided.

Please bring newborn items to donate.  These items will be going home with babies from the hospital.  These items will likely be the only new things these sweet babies receive.  Items should be new and could include: baby wash, wipes, blankets, layettes, socks, etc.

Remember to call those you visit teach and bring someone with you!

Relief Society Lesson: Sunday, Mar 9th

Sis. Kathy Hall gave a wonderful lesson on Ch. 5 of our manual on 'Faith and Repentance.' President Joseph Fielding Smith said, "It is not merely that we believe, but that we repent." Early in his ministry Pres. Smith taught that, "Now is the day of repentance...I think this is the day of warning."
 
Sis. Hall encouraged us to 'warn' our neighbors and friends. However, she also taught that we cannot do so unless we know them and love them first. She gave us a good example of how she gets to know those around her, even by talking with them through her back fence!
 
"Faith is the moving cause of action," says Pres. Smith, and he reminds us of the James 2:26 scripture that states, "'Faith without works is dead' - in other words, it does not exist. I think James' meaning clearly is, you show me your faith without your works, and nothing will result; but I will show you my faith with my works, and something will be accomplished." Faith means action...faith, therefore, is stronger than belief.
 
Through some church videos that Sis. Hall shared, we were taught about the principle of repentance. Pres. Smith says, "Repentance is one of the most comforting and glorious principles taught in the gospel. In this principle the mercy of our Heavenly father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is made manifest perhaps more strongly than in any other principle....If we really understood and could feel even to a small degree, the love and gracious willingness on the part of Jesus Christ to suffer for our sins, we would be willing to repent of all our transgressions and serve him."
 
Repenting requires a change of heart. "Repentance is a gift of God....It is not so easy for some people to repent, but the gift of repentance and faith will be given to every man who will seek for it."

See Entire Lesson HERE

Ward Party - Olympic Fun!

We had such an amazing turn out last Saturday for our Pancake Breakfast & Olympic Events Ward Party. The weather didn't stop the 5K participants from running in the snow either. The food and games were good, but the company was even better! We would like to thank the RS committee for all of their hard work; Amanda, Terry, Libby, Jacquelyn, & Libby! Also, a thank you to everyone who brought food or donated time cooking, setting up, and clean up as well.  These activities are only successful and fun when people help and come - it makes all the work worth it!  We have such a fantastic ward!! 

Relief Society Lesson: Sunday, Mar 2nd

We had such a touching lesson given by Sister Lisa Lara this week.  So many thoughts and emotions were stirred and there weren't many dry eyes in the room.  The temple is such a blessing in our lives and we so appreciate the reminder of the importance of having temples here on earth this day.  We left feeling truly uplifted!

In preparation for the Stake Temple Day on March 19th, the lesson was given on Temples. Elder Franklin D. Richards gave a wonderful talk in 1984 entitled 'Happiness and Joy in Temple Work'.  He teaches us that there are three reasons for having temples. The first is for the living so that we can receive saving ordinances such as the endowment, eternal marriage and sealing ordinances. These all must be performed in a temple. Through the instruction in the temple many answers are given to the question "What is the purpose of life?" President Boyd K. Packer reminds us that the covenants we make in the temple are "credentials for admission into God's presence. To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality."

The second reason we have temples is for the dead. Temple worship allows us to do this same ordinance work for our kindred dead and for others, an opportunity to serve. Together with family history work, this service for the dead gives us eternal satisfaction as we help those on the other side of the veil. Sis. Colleen Wagner shared her joy with us as she excitedly told us about her ability to be able to do temple work for her deceased brother. 

The final reason we have temples on the earth is to provide us a retreat from the vicissitudes of life, a place of prayer and meditation providing an opportunity to receive inner peace, inspiration, guidance, and, requently, solutions to the problems that vex our daily lives. President Monson has said, "I think there is no place in the world where I feel closer to the Lord than in one of His holy temples. To paraphrase a poem:

How far is heaven?
It's not very far.
In temples of God,
It's right where we are."

There were so many wonderful comments from Deanna Allred, Pat Jentzsch, Kathy Hall, and Carol Petersen about their tender feelings for the temple and the work we do there. Elder Richards reminds us that "The story of temple work is a story of love - the love of God for man, and of men for God and for each other."

You can see the entire talk given by Elder Richards HERE

March Newsletter

Presidency Message

We always enjoy when our home teachers come into our home for a visit.  They bring a great message and spirit with them.  The message they most recently shared with us has stuck, BE GOOD AT BEING GOOD! Being good takes a lot of work and practice. They related it to athletes who spend hours and hours training, falling, getting back up, falling again, and trying yet again. Doing good and being good does not always come easy, we are sure to stumble along the way.

In a talk given by Elder Delbert L Stapley (Good Habits Develop Good Character) he teaches, "Good habits are not acquired simply by making good resolves, though the thought must precede the action. Good habits are developed in the workshop of our daily lives. It is not in the great moments of test and trial that character is built. That is only when it is displayed. The habits that direct and form our character are fashioned in the often uneventful, commonplace routine of life. They are acquired by practice. Self-mastery, self-control, and self-discipline are required strengths that enable us to set aside temptations to do wrong.  The human will is naturally inclined toward the right. We have a gracious, kind, and loving Father in heaven who stands ready to help us. Let us dare to be different from the ways of the world when its ways are not the ways of God."

As we strive to be good at being good we must remember it takes practice. If we fall or feel we are failing we must be persistent. With the support of each other and most importantly by making God the center of our lives we will succeed. It all starts with a single step - we decide that we can do it.  As a presidency we sincerely care for each of you! We encourage you to go about doing good to be good.

Love,

The Relief Society Presidency,

Marty, Lisa, Jan, Debbie & Jenny

Upcoming Events

Mar 1 Ward Party at Quail bldg 5K starting at 7:30 Pancake Breakfast at 8:30 with Olympic Events

Mar 13 Relief Society Birthday Party from 7:00 to 8:30

Mar 19   Stake All-Day Temple Day

   

March Birthdays

   1 Corinne Roberts

   1 Kristina Stringham

   4 Christine Topp

 11 Brianna Agnew

 12 Claudia Bullock

 13 Jennifer Ambrose

 15 Susan Sorensen

 17 Kathy Hall

 19 Marianne Monagle

 20 Susan Lloyd

 24 Amanda True

 25 Cheryl Seigal

 27 Sharon Ferguson

 30 Marrah Nielson

 31 Kimberly Esparza

Lesson Schedule

March 2  Presidency message taught by Lisa Lara

March 9 Chapter 5 “Faith and Repentance”taught by Julie Jentzsch

March 16  Chapter 6 “The Significance of the Sacrament” taught by Kay Bashford

March 23  Conference Talk “Be Meek and Lowly of Heart” by Ulisses Soares taught by Samantha Phillips

March 30  Combined with priesthood for Bishop Instruction

Other Opportunities
Click on Mid Week Opportunities tab at the top of this page for more info.

Mar 5   Lunch Bunch 11:00 at KFC/Taco Bell on 58^th & Garrison

1^st, 3^rd, 4^th weeks All Ages Playgroup (Ask to receive a Yahoo Invite)

2^nd & 4^th weeks Little Tots Playgroup (geared for 2yrs and under)

Saturdays 8am Pickup basketball

Mon & Wed weekly at 9am Aerobics

Monthly Book Club