Free Subscriptions - FAMILY HISTORY

FAMILY HISTORY STARTS NOW!!!

Why Family History?

Family history is more than a hobby, 

it's an activity that blesses both the living and the dead. Connecting generations with the blessings of the temple serves ancestors, safeguards individuals, 

and strengthens families.

As of today, free subscriptions to the FamilySearch partner sites

Ancestry.com

findmypast.com

MyHeritage.com

will be available to ALL Latter-day Saints.

These subscriptions provide access to the premium tools, features, and resources available on each website and can be used in the comfort of home. This free benefit is a $900 annual value and is a recognition of the investment of time and tithes members of the Church have made in the shared records. Free subscriptions are available HERE:  Open New Doors of Discovery Subscriptions to these commercial family history sites provide Latter-day Saints with about 3.5 times the online content (more than 17.8 billion records) to help them find and bring temple blessings to their ancestors. Currently, Church members can submit names to the temple through FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com; similar functionality is being developed on findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. Spread the Word We encourage you to share the good news with family, friends, and neighbors.

Sunday Lesson: Sept 28th

Our Teaching For our Times lesson came from a talk given by Sister Linda S. Reeves in the April 2014 General Conference entitled Protection from Pornography - a Christ Focused Home. Sis. Jacquelyn Brady was our teacher and did such a wonderful job presenting this delicate topic. She started the lesson by sharing an insightful Mormon Message video about a family that has suffered the damaging effects of pornography. You can watch the video again below.

From Sister Reeves: "One reason we are here on earth is to learn to manage the passions and feeling of our mortal bodies. These God-given feelings help us want to marry and have children. The intimate marriage relationship between a man and a woman that brings children into mortality is also meant to be a beautiful, loving experience that binds together two devoted heats, unites both spirit and body, and brings a fulness of joy and happiness as we learn to put each other first." Pornography distorts love and the beautiful relationship that God intended it to be. It is all around us and can be stumbled upon in so many different ways.

100% of today's teenagers will be exposed to pornography before graduation from high school. The average age of exposure is 11 years old. These are staggering statistics. Before as parents we would wonder what we would do if our children were exposed to pornography. Now we need to be prepared because it is most likely that our children will be exposed to it. Sis. Reeves says, "How grateful we are when these loved ones choose to confide in us as parents or a Church leader. We would be wise not to react with shock, anger, or rejection, which may cause them to be silent again."

There was a discussion in class about the difference between feeling shame regarding a sin and feeling guilt. Guilt is healthy for us to feel because it causes us to repent. Shame, on the other hand, is what the adversary wants us to feel because then we feel like we aren't good enough to repent. Sis. Reeves teaches, "Young people and adults, if you are caught in Satan's trap of pornography, remember how merciful our beloved Savior is. Do you realize how deeply the Lord loves and cherishes you, even now? Our Savior has the power to cleanse and heal you. He can remove the pain and sorrow you feel and make you clean again through the power of His Atonement."

Sister Reeves counsels us to build spiritual strength in our families by praying, reading the scriptures daily, and having weekly family home evening. By doing these things we not only become closer to our Savior, but they also add protection to our homes. "Then, if pornography or other challenges do strike our families, we can petition the Lord for help and expect great guidance from the Spirit, knowing that we have done what our Father has asked us to do."

This LINK has some of the statistical information that Sis. Jacquelyn Brady shared. It is also a good reference for parents and grandparents with teenagers.

Read the entire conference talk HERE. 

Did You Miss This?

In case you missed the General Women's Meeting 
last night you can catch up and watch it here. 
Enjoy and remember you are loved!!

Visiting Teaching Thought

Imagine if....

"Imagine what would happen in this Church if every morning 4.5 million of us got on our knees and asked our Father who He needed us to reach out to that day. And then imagine if we did it! Imagine if we consecrated our energy and our focus en masse to the greatest service of all, that of leading our sisters...to Christ. Imagine what will happen when we mobilize the sisters of Relief Society to stand together to help build the kingdom. We will see the awakening and arising of a sleeping, slouching giant." (Sheri L. Dew, October 2000 General Relief Society Broadcast)

Larkin - Visiting Teaching Coordinator

Sunday Lesson: Sept 21st

Chapter 18 of our manual, Living by Every Word That Proceeds from the Mouth of God, was taught by Sis. Kay Bashford.  She asked the class the question 'How do we worship?' Some answers included coming to church, being an example, attending the temple and serving others. Then Sis. Bashford asked us 'How do others worship?' Public prayers, singing in choirs and religious retreats are a few of the ways. President Joseph Fielding Smith said, "The supreme act of worship is to keep the commandments, to follow in the footsteps of the Son of God, to do ever those things that please him."

Doctrine and Covenants 88:36-39 states: "All kingdoms have a law given; And there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or lesser kingdom. And unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions. All beings who abide not in those conditions are not justified." What does 'justified' mean? In this context, to be justified is to be declared innocent or guiltless. Are we justified when it comes to following the code of laws (gospel of Jesus Christ) that the Lord has set for us?

President Joseph Fielding Smith explains the reason for keeping the commandments. He says, "We believe that worship is far more than prayer and preaching and gospel performance. The supreme act of worship is to keep the commandments, to follow in the footsteps of the Son of God, to do ever those things that please him. It is one thing to give lip service to the Lord; it is quite another to respect and honor his will by following the example he has set for us . . . This is the law to members of the Church, in the words of the Savior: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." (John 14:21). Again, the Savior said; "If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)"

What are the commandments? Are we following these commandments? The 10 Commandments are a talked about a lot, but are we really doing our best to obey them and keep them, one by one? In class we had a wonderful discussion about these perfect laws that the Lord gave Moses. Are we honoring our father and mother (and grandparents, etc.) by doing family history work? Are we keeping the commandment of not bearing false witness if we we gossip? Who of us are really guiltless when it comes to coveting? If we look at each of the 10 commandments and ask ourselves if we are keeping all of these commandments, we begin to realize that it is much easier said than done.

We are promised so many blessings if we commit to keep the commandments the Lord has given us. The Lord is bound to bestow his blessings upon us if we are obedient (D&C 130:20-21). President Smith teaches, "The Lord will give us gifts. He will quicken our minds. He will give us knowledge that will clear up all difficulties and put us in harmony with the commandments that he has given us; he will give us a knowledge that will be so deeply rooted in our souls that it can never be rooted out, if we will just seek for the light and the truth and the understanding that are promised to us and that we can receive if we will only be true and faithful to every covenant and obligation pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Sis. Bashford reminds us that one of the hardest commandments to keep is to follow in the footsteps of our Savior. The Lord doesn't expect us to be perfect, only that we keep trying.

Read lesson from the manual HERE.

Announcements

Upcoming Activities...

Wednesday, Sept 24th - Project Night at Jan Welling's 7:00 pm.  We will be making wreaths, see here (money is due Sunday 9/21). Or bring your own project and socialize with the other sisters.

         Saturday, Sept 27th General Women's 
Meeting  
See this invite 

Oct 4-5 General Conference

Wednesday, Oct 8 - Budget Class at Marty Rozeski's at 7:00 pm. The Maugers will be teaching.

Saturday, Oct 11th 

Super Service Day 

Quail building10:00-2:00. Lunch at noon  

Ages 8 and up are invited to attend. 

Nursery available from 10am - 12pm. 

Service activities include:
• Assembling hygiene kits to donate within our community.
• Making no-sew fleece blankets for Project Linus.
• Clipping expired coupons (up to 2 months expired or less) for military families overseas.
• A clothing swap where the leftover clothing will be donated to the Jeffco Action Center.
• Tie-dying t-shirts and collecting pillows for Overture, a program for the disabled.
• Sewing hats and scarves to be donated to Fitzmorris Elementary.
• Collecting canned food items for the Arvada Food Bank Backpack program.
• Decorating paper bags for Project Angel Heart.

Donation items we are in need of to make

Super SERVICE Saturday a SUCCESS!

Hancock fabrics in Wheat Ridge is having a 70% off sale right now, almost all fleeces including really cute prints are $3.30/yard. The sale ends Wednesday September 24th. JoAnn's is also having a sale, solid fleece for $5/yard.
• We need donations of 1 1/2 yards of fleece to make no-sew blankets for Project Linus
• We'll need donations of 1/3 yard of fabric to sew hats and scarves for Fitzmorris Elementary students.

Arvada Food Bank Backpack Program:
• Cereal bars, Oatmeal packs, Pop tarts, peanut butter, canned chicken, canned tuna, mac and cheese, canned fruit, canned corn, granola bars, fruit cups, pudding cups, raisin packs, microwave popcorn.
• We're also collecting Plastic Grocery Sacks (ie, King Soopers, Walmart, Target bags) for backpack program.

• We'll be assembling hygiene and need travels size/or small sizes of:
toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, bar soap.

• Gently Used Clothing (all gender and ages) for the Clothing Swap. Leftovers will be donated.

• We're collecting coupons from the Sunday inserts (SmartSource, Red Plum and P&G). Coupons should be no more than 2 months expired. They'll be donated to American Legions and will go to military families.

• XL Plain White T-Shirts for tie-dying for Overture residents.

• New, unused pillows to be donated to Overture residents along with the pillowcases that 3rd Ward RS sewed back in April.

September Visiting Teaching Message

The visiting teaching messages this year have focused on the divine mission of Jesus Christ. They have been fantastic and this months message is no exception. Remember to reach out to those you visit teach and discuss the message. Through visiting teaching we have the opportunity to watch over one another, uplift each other and build friendships. It gives us a chance to look outside ourselves and be the Lord's hands. We hope you will make it a priority and recognize the importance. 

Thank you for your service and the love that you give!

Sunday Lesson: Sept 14th

This week's lesson was on the Sealing Power and Temple Blessings, Chapter 17 of our Joseph Fielding Smith manual. Sis. Kristen Tanner did such a wonderful job of bringing the Spirit into her lesson and we all learned about the importance of this great work. "President Smith taught that family history is about more than finding names, dates, and places and gathering stories. It is about providing temple ordinances that unite families for eternity, sealing faithful people of all generations as members of the family of God." Before he dedicated the Ogden Utah Temple he said, "May I remind you that when we dedicate a house to the Lord, what we really do is dedicate ourselves to the Lord's service, with a covenant that we shall use the house in the way he intends that it shall be used."

In Malachi 4:5-6 it says, "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." The fulfillment to this promise came on April 3, 1836 when Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. The keys of the priesthood to bind, or seal, on earth and in heaven were conferred to the Prophet Joseph "with the authority to seal for time and eternity on the righteous all the ordinances pertaining to the fullness of salvation."

A powerful video was shared in class regarding the importance of the sealing power and the way that the family is united because of it. This video is called, Including Me.

To prepare for salvation in its fullest, we must receive temple ordinances through the sealing power. President Smith teaches, "If you want salvation in the fullest, that is exaltation in the kingdom of God, . . . you have got to go into the temple of the Lord and receive these holy ordinances which belong to that house, which cannot be had elsewhere. No man shall receive the fulness of eternity, of exaltation alone; no woman shall receive that blessing alone; but man and wife, when they receive the sealing power in the temple of the Lord, shall pass on to exaltation, and shall continue and become like the Lord. And that is the destiny of men, that is what the Lord desires for His children." 

"It is obvious that only a small portion of mankind has so far heard the word of revealed truth from the voice of one of the Lord's true servants. In the wisdom and justice of the Lord, all must do so." Temple work for both the living and our dead is such an important part of the plan of salvation. Of course the gospel is offered to all men. Through the sealing power and the temple we can see that every soul is precious in the sight of the Lord. President Joseph Fielding Smith says, "There is no work equal to that in the temple for the dead in teaching a man to love his neighbor as himself. Jesus so loved the world that he was willing to offer himself as a sacrifice for sin that the world might be saved. We also have the privilege, in a small degree, of showing our great love for Him and our fellow being by helping them to the blessings of the gospel which now they cannot receive without our assistance."

"There must be a welding, a joining together of the generations from the days of Adam to the end of time. Families will be joined and linked together, parents to children, children to parents, one generation to another, until we shall be joined together in one great grand family with our father Adam at the head, where the Lord placed him. So we cannot be saved and exalted in the kingdom of God unless we have within our hearts the desire to do this work and perform it so far as it is within our power on behalf of our dead." 

There is always something, someway, that we can be helping move the work of the Lord forward. The Lord has made promises to us and our kindred dead if we do our best regarding the work in the temple.  Elder Richard G. Scott said, "Decide to do something that will have eternal consequences."

Another video that is also wonderful about redeeming the dead is the following: Richard G Scott- The Joy of Redeeming the Dead                                 

Just A Thought

"As important as it is to leave home every day with a full charge on your cell phone, it is far more important to be fully charged spiritually. Every time you plug in your phone, use it as a reminder to ask yourself if you have plugged in to the most important source of spiritual power - prayer and scripture study, which will charge you with inspiration through the Holy Ghost."  
 - Randall L. Ridd, "The Choice Generation"

D&C 11:12-14
12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good - yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.
13 Verily, Verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;
14 And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.

Family History: Temple Challenge

Temple Challenge Goes Worldwide With Launch of New Webpage

"Prepare as many names for the temple as baptisms you perform in the temple." That was the challenge issued by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to a group of nearly 4,000 youth at the RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City in February of 2014. Click HERE to see what magic has happened since then and how you can assist.

Sunday Lesson: Sept 7th

This month's presidency lesson was given by Sis. Lisa Lara. The lesson came from our Joseph Fielding Smith manual, Chapter 15, Eternal Marriage.

There are differences in the way the world views marriage, and how we as members of the Church view marriage. The world views marriage as a civil contract or an agreement, an agreement that ends at death. World views sometimes even go as far as dismissing or mocking the institute of marriage. As members of Christ's Church we know and have been taught that marriage can be eternal and everlasting. In fact, marriage is the foundation for eternal exaltation (Doctrine & Covenants 131:1-4). President Joseph Fielding Smith teaches, "There is no ordinance connected with the Gospel of Jesus Christ of greater importance, of more solemn and sacred nature, and more necessary to (our) eternal joy..than marriage."

With an eternal marriage a 3-way promise is created; between the husband and wife, and with God. "Marriage...is the foundation for eternal exaltation, for without it there could be no eternal progress in the kingdom of God." There are so many blessings to be claimed and much happiness that can come from a righteous, eternal marriage. Some of these blessing include: 1) The right to claim your spouse in the world to come. 2) The family unit continues after death. 3) Eternal lives, including children who are born under the covenant or sealed to their parents. 4) Dominion and power in perfect love. 5) Eternal glory.

What about those individuals who have not been sealed to their spouse or have not had the opportunity to marry? President Smith answers this sensitive question. "In the great plan of salvation nothing has been overlooked. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most beautiful thing in the world. It embraces every soul whose heart is right and who diligently seeks him and desires to obey his laws and covenants. Therefore, if a person is for any cause denied the privilege of complying with any of the covenants, the Lord will judge him or her by the intent of the heart....if they are deprived of blessing in this life these blessings will be given to them during the millennium." President Smith also said, "No one can be deprived of exaltation who remains faithful...An undeserving husband cannot prevent a faithful wife from an exaltation and vice versa."

How can we teach our children the sacred nature of the marriage covenant? Even when your children are small, go to temple, touch the temple, walk around the beautiful grounds, Go to the temple yourself and be an example to your children. Go with your children when they make trips with the Young Women and Young Men to do baptisms for the dead. Take them to Open Houses before temples are dedicated if possible. 

After we are married for eternity, we need to stay committed to the covenants we have made. Enduring to the End is not as easy as it may seem. A successful marriage takes time. Going out on dates is important. Remember why you fell in love with your spouse. Take the time to talk and listen to each other. Challenges will arise; be committed and determined to work through them together. Most of all, center your lives around Christ. President Smith teaches, "If a man and his wife were earnestly and faithfully observing all the ordinances and principles of the gospel, there could not arise any cause for divorce. The joy and happiness pertaining to the marriage relationship would grow sweeter, and husband and wife would become more and more attached to each other as the days go by. Not only would the husband love the wife and the wife the husband, but children born to them would live in an atmosphere of love and harmony. The love of each for the others would not be impaired, and moreover the love of all towards our Eternal Father and his Son Jesus Christ would be more firmly rooted in there souls."

See entire lesson in manual HERE.

The Other Prodigal Son

I do recognize that in this video men are shown but this message applies to all people, both men and women. As you watch this video try to put yourself in their place and see if you fit either description. In our journey to draw closer to Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven are we displaying or having feelings similar to either of these two? Do we place judgement on others that is unfair when they may be trying to do their best in the way they know how? Is jealousy the cause of our unhappiness? 

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Shares the story of the older brother of the prodigal son and reminds us that "no one of us is less treasured or cherished of God than another. He loves each of us - insecurities, anxieties, self-image, and all."

Let us be more grateful, serve others, and applaud others accomplishments.

September Announcements

We are very excited about some fantastic classes that we will be having this month and in the future. There will be more opportunity to be together for learning and to be uplifted by each other. These classes are meant to supplement our Sunday worship and fellowship. There is so much to do and learn and one day a week just isn't always enough. As you plan your month hopefully you can include these activities on your personal calendar as well. We hope that this will help us stay connected with each other and learn all that we can. We have so many talented people in our ward who are willing to share what they know with us. If you have something that you are willing to share or something you want to learn please let a member of the Relief Society Presidency know. We hope you will stay connected with the sisters in our ward by coming to some activities. Invite those you visit teach to come with you as well as other friends. We look forward to being with you more during the week to increase our unity and sisterhood.

You can also click HERE to be connected to the Activities Page.
Or you can also click HERE to be connected to the Calendar Page.

Every Thursday at 9:30 am - Playgroup (talk to Jan Welling for locations)
Tuesday Sept 9^th – Lunch Bunch at Dairy Queen 11:00 am (Simms/64^th)

Thursday Sept 11^th – RS Meeting for all Sisters to plan on attending at 7:00 pm.

            Three presenters: Eva Carroll, Margaret Agnew, and Kay Jones (Pres. Jones Wife)

            Refreshments and nursery provided.

            Bring items to donate to the Arvada Food Bank and Jeffco Libraries (books,

magazines, movies).

Saturday, Sept 13^th – Ward Party at the Alkire Pavilion 5:30 pm

Tuesday Sept 16^th – Book Group 7 pm (talk to Kendra Mauger with questions)

Wednesday, Sept 17^th – Temple Day

Thursday, Sept 18^th – Class: Learn to make bread.  Taught by Tiffanie Huntley at the Rozeski home at 7 pm. (Please look for the sign-up sheet.)

Wednesday, Sept 24^th – Project Night: Making Wreaths. Taught by Kristen Tanner at the Welling home at 7 pm. Money is due no later than Sunday, Sept 14^th.  Great for gifts.  If you are not interested in making the wreath and have another project you are working on, feel free to bring it and come. (Please look for the sign-up sheet.)

Saturday, Sept 27^th – General Women’s Broadcast at the Stake Center beginning at 6 pm. Women and girls ages 8 years and up.

Saturday, Oct 4^th and 5^th – General Conference

Saturday, Oct 11^th – Super Service Day. Combining with 3^rd ward. We need your help preparing for this day by gathering items now. There is a red bucket outside the RS room to put items in.

-           Coupon inserts (uncut) from newspapers (Smart Source, P&G, Red Plum)

-           Items for Hygiene Kits – travel size shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes, hand sanitizer, deodorant, combs, and brushes.

-           Plastic Grocery Sacks

-           Gently Used clothing (all gender and ages)

-           XL Plain White T-Shirts

-           Fleece Fabrics in 1 Yard Increments