Preparing for Fast Sunday

We are just a few short days away from Fast Sunday. Here is a touching video to watch as you prepare yourself to fast in prayer to your Father in Heaven, who knows and loves you! Ponder about what you will be fasting for. Pray with faith knowing that your prayer will be heard and answered no matter how big or small it may seem to you.

Sunday Lesson: Oct 26th

Our Teaching For Our Times lesson was taught by Larkin Harman. The lesson came from a general conference talk by Elder Lynn G. Robbins, Which Way Do You Face? 

Elder Robbins teaches, "Trying to please others before pleasing God is inverting the first and second great commandments (Matthew 22:37-39). It is forgetting which way we face. And yet, we have all made that mistake because of the fear of men."

Sis. Harman asked two questions throughout her lesson:

1) How easy is it for you to please God? and 

2) What are the ways that I try to please others?

Sis. Harman points out that pleasing God doesn't have to be hard, in fact, most times it is easy. Reading our scriptures, communicating with God in prayer, attending the temple regularly, holding Family Home Evening; these are things that we do to please God, but we oftentimes put them on the back-burner because we are focusing too much attention on pleasing those around us. Elder Robbins says, "While it certainly takes courage to face perils, the true badge of courage is overcoming the fear of men." He continues in his talk showing example after example of courageous men and women from the scriptures that were courageous and overcame the fear of men by putting God first in their lives.

Pres. Uchtdorf talked about the way we can overcome the fear of men in his message at the last General Women's Session. He reminds us that we are each a daughter of God. "My dear sisters in the gospel, whether you are 8 or 108, there is one thing that I hope you truly understand and know. You are loved. You are dear loved. You are dear to your heavenly parents. The infinite and eternal Creator of light and life knows you! He is mindful of you. Yes, God loves you this very day and always....He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles. He is aware that you reach up to Him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer....More than you could ever imagine, He wants you to achieve your destiny - to return to your heavenly home in honor. I testify that the way to accomplish this is to place selfish desires and unworthy ambitions on the altar of sacrifice and service. I promise that as you do so, you will discover your best self - your real self. You will discover what it truly means to be a daughter of the everlasting God."

As you ponder Elder Robbin's talk, Which Way Do You Face, remember that your Savior is the perfect example of how to put God first in our lives. He was the only perfect one who did so, and if we follow His example, we will be able to follow the first great commandment of loving the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind. "He is the only person who never once forgot which way He faced."

Updates!

Just a little note to remind you to check the tabs above for updates! We do our best to keep things as current as possible. Things are constantly changing and new calendar items are one of them. Click on the following recently updated tabs...

Relief Society & Ward Activities for activities that you won't want to miss.
Spotlights to learn more about sisters in our ward.
Calendar to sync your calendar with upcoming activities
Recycle & Reuse to find something you may need. If you have something to list here please let us know.

This Sunday and next look for the Project Night table that will be outside the primary room and relief society room. Sign up for a craft or bring your own to project night. We will also be have having a holiday recipe exchange. Bring a sample of your favorite holiday dish or dessert along with the recipe to share. This is a really fun evening to socialize in a very casual setting.

Lastly, check out the A2 Ward Relief Society Bulletin board's new look. It is located right outside the RS room. It has the newsletter, upcoming activities, lesson schedule and more posted on it.

We hope that you will use these resources and remind your sisters to use them to help us all stay connected. Between all these we are able to keep closer to each other and our amazing sisters that teach our primary and young women age kids, as well as those that aren't able to make it each week.

We love you and hope to see you at the Ward Halloween Party tonight at 6:00 pm!

Visiting Teaching Thought

"Visiting teachers sincerely come to know and love each sister, help her strengthen her faith, and give service. They seek personal inspiration to know how to respond to the spiritual and temporal needs of each sister they are assigned to visit." 
(Church Handbook 2)

Sunday Lesson: Oct 12th

Sis. Kristen Tanner did a wonderful job on the lesson she presented, In the World but Not of the World, Chapter 19 from our manual. She started the lesson by having a story shared when Pres. Monson was in basic training in the Navy. The full story can be read here:  

Like Pres. Monson, we may find ourselves in a situation where we will need to 'Stand Alone'.  President Joseph Fielding Smith taught, "While we are in the world, we are not of the world. We are expected to overcome the world and to live as becometh saints." Pres. Smith also reminds us of the scripture in John 17:15-17 when Christ was in the Garden of Getsemene and was praying to His Father. He said, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Santicfy them through thy truth; thy word is truth."

There are many ways we can live our lives more like the Savior. Some of those ways include keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, Obeying the Word of Wisdom, Respecting the Name of Deity, and Dressing Modestly and keeping the Law of Chastity. As we discussed in class, as we try our best to keep these commandments, we will be blessed and continue to be an example to those around us. Pres. Smith says, "Above all other peoples on the earth, the Latter-day Saints should hold in the utmost sacredness and reverence all things that are holy. The people of the world have not been trained as we have been in such matters, notwithstanding there are many honest, devout, and refined people in the world. But we have the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the revelations of the Lord, and He has solemnly taught us in our own day our duty in relation to all such things."

Because we are disciples of Christ we have promised to keep the commandments and pattern our life after our Saviors. President Smith said, "As servants of the Lord, our purpose is to walk in the path he has charted for us. We not only desire to do and say what will please him, but we seek so to live that our lives will be like his." Our own President Monson in the recent general conference pleaded, "May we be faithful followers of Christ, examples of righteousness, thus becoming lights in the world." President Smith also stated, "Brethren and sisters, let us keep the commandments of God as they have been revealed. Let us set the example before the people of the earth, that they, seeing our good works, may feel to repent and receive the truth and accept the plan of salvation, that they may receive the truth and accept the plan of salvation, that they may receive salvation in the celestial kingdom of God."

The following are quotes that Sis. Tanner used in her lesson, including the song that was shared, Come Unto Christ by Jamie Call Schipaanboord.

Sisters, strengthen yourselves by seeking the source of true strength — the Savior. Come unto him.  He loves you. He desires your happiness and exults in your desires for righteousness. Make him your strength, your daily companion, your rod and your staff.  Let him comfort you.  There is no burden we need bear alone.  His grace compensates for our deficiencies.  Your strength will strengthen others — your children, your husband, your friends, and your sisters in the gospel.  That strength will flow back from them to you when you need it.  — (Chieko N. Okazaki, “Strength in the Savior,” Ensign Nov. 1993)



“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.”


-Winnie the Pooh




Let us glorify God’s name by standing strong with our Savior, Jesus Christ. I bear my special witness that He lives and that we “are called with a holy calling” to participate in His work (Alma 13:3; see also 2 Timothy 1:9). “Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved” (Doctrine and Covenants 87:8). Standing obedient and strong on the doctrine of our God, we stand in holy places, for His doctrine is sacred and will not change in the social and political winds of our day. I declare, as did the Apostle Paul, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, [behave] like men, [and] be strong” -Elder Robert D Hales

You Never Know

Sometimes, the most important things you do each day are never even on your "to-do"list. You might worry about the things you never get done, but President Gordon B. Hinckley reminds us, "You never know how much good you do." 

184th Semiannual General Conference

It's time for the 184th Semiannual General Conference. What a privilege and blessing it is to hear from our living prophet and apostles this weekend. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth and Christ speaks to us through his prophets. We are uplifted and strengthened as we receive counsel and direction specific for our day. We hope that you will dedicate these two days to listening to conference. Enjoy!

WATCH HERE

Sessions: Saturday and Sunday, October 4th and 5th. 

The general sessions will be each day at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm (MDT).

The Conference Center as seen from the Main Street Plaza in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

From the Church News

Viewing Options

To view conference sessions at local meetinghouses, check with local leaders on the availability. Find a local meetinghouse at maps.lds.org.

For those not able to view the broadcast in a meetinghouse, the live broadcast will be available via radio, television, satellite, or digital channels such as YouTube. See How to View Live page for details. The event will also be streamed live on the home page of LDS.org beginning 1 hour before the event.

Invite and Share via Social Media

Members are encouraged to invite others to general conference using the Facebook event or by changing their cover image to invite their friends. See more ways to invite others.

To participate in general conference conversations on Twitter, use #LDSconf, or retweet quotes and images posted at@LDSchurch. See and use the list of speakers’recommended hashtags to help extend their messages.

All social media posts will be consolidated and published on the Follow and Share General Conference page for your convenience.

Tickets to Live Event

Tickets are required for admission to sessions in the Conference Center. For ticket information, see How to View Live or Temple Square Events.

Post-Conference Availability

General conference talks in text, audio, and video formats are provided in multiple channels. Learn when conference materials will be available.

October Newsletter

Presidency Message
I happened to be in Grand Teton National Park on the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Wilderness Act. We hiked to the cabin of Olaus and Mardy Murei, where the idea of designating wilderness lands was conceived. A facilitator asked the group what wilderness lands meant to us. Many spoke about a touching of their souls, or a spiritual connection. I couldn't help but smile inside, and think of the connection the restored gospel tells us we have with nature.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, “Man and all forms of life existed as spirit beings and entities before the foundations of this earth were laid. There were spirit men and spirit beasts, spirit fowls and spirit fishes, spirit plants, and spirit trees. Every creeping thing, every herb and shrub, every amoeba and tadpole, every elephant and dinosaur – all things – existed as spirits, as spirit beings, before they were placed naturally upon the earth.” We, as well as all things in heaven and earth are the handiwork of God, our Creator.

It is so important for all of us to see and appreciate the glory of God in everything around us. Think of the Hymn, “How Great Thou Art”. The second verse goes:

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander, And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees, When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze, Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee, How great thou art! How great thou art!

That touching of our souls, or the spiritual connection those individuals expressed in front of the Murie cabin is actually a feeling of reverence for both the creation and the Creator. All the marvels of nature are glimpses of the Lord’s divine power and expressions of His love. Take the time to appreciate and enjoy His creations .

Love, Marty, Lisa, Jan, Debbie, & Jenny

Birthdays
2 Ann Miller
8 Colleen Riggs
10 Sandra Ann Crane
12 Lisa Stringham Siegrist
22 Nora Petty
25 Samantha Phillips
27 Carol Petersen
27 Debra Rolfson
28 Maddison Nelson
30 Carolyn Florey

Lesson Schedule
Oct 5 General Conference
Oct 12 #19 “In the World but Not of the World” taught by Kristen Tanner
Oct 19 Stake Conference
Oct 26 General Conference talk taught by Jacquelyn Brady

Upcoming Events
Oct 4&5 General Conference
Oct 8 Finance/Budgeting Class 7 pm at Marty Rozeski’s
Oct 11 Super Service Day 10-2
Oct 15 Temple Day
Oct 18 Stake Conference Adult Meeting 7 pm
Oct 19 Stake Conference 10 am
Oct 25 Ward Halloween Party 6-8 pm

Other Opportunities 
Oct 14 Lunch Bunch at 11:00 KFC/Taco Bell (Garrison & 58th)
Oct 22 Book Club at Kyle Koyle’s home at 7pm “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Ernest Hemingway
Thursdays 9:30 am Playgroup
Saturdays 8am Pickup basketball
Mon & Wed weekly 9am Aerobics