Sunday Lesson: Feb 28th

The lesson this past Sunday was taken from two talks from our most recent General Conference, Yielding Our Hearts to God by Sis. Neill F. Marriott and Hold On Thy Way by Elder Koichi Aoyagi. 

We all have trials in our lives, but it is the way our attitude during the trial that can determine the outcome. Sis Marriott talks about how she began to search for God at the young age of 12. She says, "All through my teen years, I asked. I did have glimpses of the reality of Jesus Christ, but Heavenly Father, in His wisdom, let me seek and wait for 10 years." Notice that Sis. Marriott did not say, ' Heavenly Father made me wait 10 long years for the gospel.' Her attitude through this time changed her outlook while she waited. She also says, "A meek heart accepts the trial and the waiting for that time of healing and wholeness to come." Our teacher reminds us that the same boiling water that softens the potato also boils the egg. Remember your attitude in your trials; be softened, not hardened.

Sis. Marriott's family motto is: It will all work out. Those are the words she held onto when she learned that her daughter had been in a bicycle accident. Her daughter passed away just hours before she could be at her side. "With grief and shock running through our family like a current, how could we look at one another and still say, 'It will all work out'?" She goes on to teach us, "Our family motto doesn't say, 'It will all work out now.' It speaks of our hope in the eternal outcome - not neccessarily of present results. Scripture says, "Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good." D&C 90:24 This doesn't mean all things are good, but for the meek and faithful, things - both positive and negative - worktogether for good, and the timing is the Lord's."

The question is asked: Can we love Jesus Christ and His way more than we love ourselves and our own agenda? We learn, "Paradoxically, in order to have a healed and faithful heart, we must first allow it to break before the Lord. "Ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." (3 Nephi 9:20) The result of sacrificing our heart, or our will, to the Lord is that we receive the spiritual guidance we need. With a growing understanding of the Lord's grace and mercy, we will find that our self-willed hearts begin to crack and break in gratitude. Then we reach for Him, yearning to yoke ourselves to the Only Begotten Son of God. In our brokenhearted reaching and yoking, we receive new hope and fresh guidance through the Holy Ghost."

Elder Aoyagi also speaks words of wisdom on the topic of the trials we face. He says, "The principle is that the God who created the heavens and the earth knows the grand design of this earth, that He has dominion over all things in the heavens and the earth, and that in order to bring to pass the plan of salvation, He provides us with many different experiences - including some trials - while we are on this earth." Elder Aoyagi reminds us what the Lord said to Joseph Smith, "Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. . . . Therefore, hold on thy way . . . , for God shall be with you forever and ever." (D&C 122:7,9) Elder Aoyagi quotes Pres. Eyring when he said, "The test a loving God has set before us is not to see if we can endure difficulty. It is to see if we can endure it well. We pass the test by showing that we remembered Him and the commandments He gave us."

Elder Aoyagi concludes by urging us to, "Put God first, regardless of the trials you face. Love God. Have faith in Christ, and entrust yourself to Him in all things." Our teacher shared with us a thought that Pres. Harold B. Lee shared in 1965. He said that just like a lighted temple is more beautiful in a storm, the gospel is more beautiful during trials. Remember that the Savior has suffered already for all the trials, grief, and hardships you will ever face. John 16:33 says, "In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Sunday Lesson: Feb 21st

What a beautiful and spirit filled lesson we had on Chapter 4, Help from on High. Pres. Hunter says he learned how to pray from his mother. "I knew that God loved me and listened to me." He knew that prayer was a source of divine assistance and taught others to do the same.

Our Heavenly Father promises to give us assistance and guidance in times of need. We all have trials and have times in our lives where we need to receive spiritual guidance. In D&C 1:28 the Lord promises us that if we are humble and turn to him for aid, "we would be made strong and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge from time to time." Pres. Hunter says, "Perhaps no promise in life is more reassuring than that promise of divine assistance and spiritual guidance in times of need. It is a gift freely given from heaven, a gift that we need from our earliest youth through the very latest days of our lives..."

Like Joseph Smith, we can turn to the scriptures and prayer to be taught from on high. "How remarkable...that this lad would turn profoundly to the scriptures and then to private prayer, perhaps the two greatest sources of spiritual insight and spiritual impression that are available universally to mankind. Certainly he was torn by differing opinions, but he was determined to do the right thing and determined to find the right way. He believed, as you and I must believe, that he could be taught and blessed from on high, as he was." Pres. Hunter also reminds us that, "God knows and loves us all. We are, every one of us, his daughters and his sons, and whatever life's lessons may have brought us, the promise is still true: 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.'" (James 1:5)

Prayer is the way to receive spiritual knowledge and guidance. The apostle Paul has taught that spiritual knowledge comes to us in a spiritual way, from a spiritual source. "The only way to gain spiritual knowledge is to approach our Father in Heaven through the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. When we do this, and if we are spiritually prepared, we see things our eyes have not previously seen, and we hear things we may not have previously heard."

We can pray always, not just in desperate times. Pres. Hunter tells us that we shouldn't think of God as a repairman; someone to help us only in our emergencies. "We should remember the Most High day and night - always - not only at times when all other assistance has failed and we desperately need help." 

We develop our ability to receive spiritual knowledge as we take time to meditate, ponder, and pray. The following scriptures help us to understand more fully the power of prayer and the blessings that come when we commune with our Father in Heaven: D&C 42:61, D&C 18:18, D&C 43:34, D&C 84:85, D&C 90:24, and D&C 121:26.

God will help us progress spiritually one step at a time. Pres. Hunter tells us: "The place to begin is here. The time to start is now. The length of our stride needs be but one step at a time. God, who has 'designed our happiness,' will lead us along even as little children, and we will by that process approach perfection."

LOVE

Sunday Lesson: Feb 14th

Adversity - Part of God's Plan for Our Eternal Progress was the lesson given this past Sunday. Our teacher wrote some very good advice on the board from Pres. Howard W. Hunter: "Rejoice a little more and despair a little less." As much as we don't want to hear it, there is purpose in adversity. We all have trials in this life, but Pres. Hunter tells us that, "Jesus Christ possess the power to ease our burdens and lighten our loads."

Adversity is part of God's plan for our eternal progress. Every person, including our Savior, has experienced joy and sorrow in this world. As much as we would like to go without these hard times, we know it is part of the plan Heavenly Father has for us. Pres. Hunter teaches, "We came to mortal life to encounter resistance. It was part of the plan for our eternal progress. Without temptation, sickness, pain, and sorrow, there could be no goodness, virtue, appreciation for well-being, or joy...We must remember that the same forces of resistance which prevent our progress afford us also opportunities to overcome."

Our mortal tribulations are for our growth and experience. "I take even greater comfort that the greatest of men and women, including the Son of God, have faced such opposition in order to better understand the contrast between righteousness and wickedness, holiness and misery, good and bad. From out of the dark, damp confinement of Liberty Jail, the Prophet Joseph Smith learned that if we are called to pass through tribulation, it is for our growth and experience and will ultimately be counted for our good (D&C 122:5-8)." Pres. Hunter also tells us, "If you have troubles at home with children who stray, if you suffer financial reverses and emotional strain that threaten your homes and your happiness, if you must face the loss of life or health, may peace be unto your soul. We will not be tempted beyond our ability to withstand (1 Corinthians 10:13)."

We have every reason to be optimistic and confident even in times of difficulty. What a blessing it is to have the gospel of Jesus Christ and the promises of the prophets in the scriptures and latter-day prophets. Can you imagine trying to wade through life without it? Pres. Hunter says, "I reassure you that things have been worse and they will always get better. They always do - especially when we live and love the gospel of Jesus Christ and give it a chance to flourish in our lives."

When we come to the Savior, He will ease our burdens and lighten our loads. In Matt 11:28-30 we receive these words from the Savior: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." "Here is the promise of personal peace and protection. Here is the power to remit sin in all periods of time. We, too, must believe that Jesus Christ possesses the power to ease our burdens and lighten our loads. We, too, must come unto Him and there receive rest from our labors."

Latter-day Saints need not fear the tribulations of the last days. We know we live in hard and perilous times. There is wickedness everywhere we turn. The Lord has told us, "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not (D&C 6:34, 36)." Joseph Smith said about our time that ours is the moment "upon which prophets, priests and kings [in ages past] have dwelt with peculiar delight; [all these ancient witnesses for God] have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day;....we are the favored people that God has [chosen] to bring about the Latter-day glory." Pres. Hunter reminds us, "What a privilege! What and honor! What a responsibility! And what joy! We have every reason in time and eternity to rejoice and give thanks for the quality of our lives and the promises we have been given."

Sunday Lesson: Feb 7th

Sis. Lisa Lara gave our lesson on Chp. 2 from our manual, My Peace I Give Unto You. Pres. Hunter was known as a man of 'extraordinary patience that comes from great inner peace." Pres. Hunter taught that a person can receive peace only by turning to God - by trusting Him, exercising faith, and striving to do His will. Who do you know that is at peace? That can be a peacemaker? Who do you know that has a sense of calm about themselves?

There were many times in Pres. Hunter's life where the inner peace he had sustained him. He tells of a story of when his wife Claire needed surgery and how the peace from the Savior helped him feel calm after so many days of uneasiness. 

What is the opposite of peace? Fear. Fear of the unknown, the what-if's in life. Sis. Lara shared the story of when they recently bought their home. She didn't have any answers to any of her questions. Would their house sell for the right price, at the right time? Would they be able to fix up the new house in time to move in? Would all the hassle be worth it? She didn't have any answers to her questions, but she prayed for peace of mind to move forward to put their house on the market. She was expecting to feel uneasy and unsure, but surprised when she was blessed with peace. She still didn't have all answers, but she had peace, which helped her to move forward in faith. 

In the book True to the Faith we are taught, "Even when the world is in turmoil all around you, you can receive the blessing of inner peace. This blessing will continue with you as you stay true to your testimony of the gospel and as you remember that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and watch over you." 

In whom do we find the peace we are looking for? Jesus Christ is our source of true peace. Quote 1: "The peace for which the worlds longs is a time of suspended hostilities; but men do not realize that peace is a state of existence that comes to man only upon the terms and conditions set by God and in no other way." 

At the Last Supper Christ gave His disciples, and all of us, a gift. In John 14:27 we read: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Peace is not the absence of something, Jesus leaves it with us. Peace is a thing, a gift from our Savior. You can take it with you to protect you. 

Think of a time where you did not feel peace in your life. How did you find the peace you longed for? 

How do we find peace? Pres. Hunter teaches us that "We cultivate peace as we live the principles of the gospel." Keeping the commandments and serving others will bring peace into our lives. Quote 2: "Consider, for example, this instruction from Christ to his disciples. He said, 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.' (Matt. 5:44) Think of what this admonition alone would do in your neighborhood and mine, in the communities in which you and your children live, in the nations which make up our great global family. I realize this doctrine poses a significant challenge, but surely it is a more agreeable challenge than the terrible tasks posed for us by the war and poverty and pain the world continues to face."

Pres. Hunter also teaches us that "....Indifference to the Savior or failure to keep the commandments of God brings about insecurity, inner turmoil, and contention. These are the opposite of peace. Peace can come to an individual only by an unconditional surrender - surrender to Him who is the Prince of Peace, who has power to confer peace." 

Quote 3: It seems that two eternal truths must be accepted by all if we are to find peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come. (1) That Jesus is the Christ, the very eternal son of our Heavenly Father, who came to earth for the express purpose of redeeming mankind from sin and the grave, and that he lives to bring us back to the presence of the Father. (2) That Joseph Smith was his prophet, raised up in this latter-day to restore the truth which had been lost to mankind because of transgression. If all men would accept and live these two fundamental truths, peace would be brought to the world. 

The Savior can help us find peace regardless of the turmoil around us. The teacher's 12 year old daughter shared an experience where she was not at peace, where she felt some turmoil. She was at Outdoor Lab last year and she said a particular day had been hectic. She was away from home for the first time, there wer lots of assignments to finish for the day, and she felt uneasy about some inappropriate music she had heard earlier. One of her bunkmates was also sick with the stomach flu and she was worried she was going to get sick too. She said she decided to take a few moments and read her scriptures. She said as she was reading she felt calm and at peace again. That doesn't mean all the problems she was facing were gone. It just means she found peace in her Savior, trusted in Him, and felt that peace through the Holy Ghost. 

There is a wonderful article in the December 2015 Ensign by Elder D. Todd Christofferson entitled Be at Peace (Pg. 28). He encourages us to take time to reflect on our Savior, to just be with him and let him warm you like a fire warms you in the winter. 

Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can find the peace we are searching for. In Matt. 11:28-29 we read, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

Pres. Hunter recounts the story of when Peter walked on water to his Savior. It is a beautiful way to remind us that we can only find peace through Jesus, who offers us the atonement and loves us so infinitely. He is always there to succor us and bring us closer to Him.

14 Day Challenge: Love One Another

"Love isn’t confined to a month. Love is not dependent on relationship status. In fact, it’s not about one day. It’s about every day."

ENTIRE ARTICLE IS FOUND HERE.

Great Reminders!! LDS.org

Depression by Rebecca Clayson

As mentioned in the February Newsletter, here is a great article on Depression by Rebecca Clayson. 

Just click HERE to read!

"Understanding that there are spiritual side effects from depression is important when Latter-day Saints or their loved ones face this challenge."

February Newsletter

Presidency Message by Marty Rozeski
I’ve come to expect a let down after holidays filled with high activity and spirituality. As I visit sisters, I often hear talk of “winter blues”. When daylight hours are short, we (especially women) are affected by the lack of sunlight. Our biological clock, which controls our sleep-wake pattern can be upset. This lack of sunlight can also cause problems with serotonin, a brain chemical, which affects mood. Physical exercise can help my mood. Going outside, especially on a sunny day, also helps me feel better.

With this said, I can’t ignore the fact that depression is a very real malady that affects many of us sisters. The February 2016 Ensign has a great article on page 68 written by Rebecca J. Clayson entitled, “Depression”. Please read this article in entirety to be more understanding of yourself and others.

Rebecca Clayson, who was diagnosed with depression 20 years ago, tells about her experience and discoveries. Some feelings she remembers are: “I felt as if I had no worth and that I was unworthy of my wonderful family and good life. … Because my feelings were so deeply personal and painful, I was ashamed and didn’t share them with anyone. … I prayed constantly for heaven’s help to relieve the heaviness in my heart. When sorrow remained, it seemed as if the Lord had abandoned me and for some reason I didn’t qualify for His love.”

She then discusses her journey learning about depression and finding medical and cognitive help. She also discusses understanding the spiritual affects of depression. “Because our physical bodies and our spirits are necessarily connected (D&C 88:15) it can be common to feel the effects of a physical disorder in a spiritual way.”

Sister Clayson also quotes Elder Holland’s perspective given at the Oct. 2013 general conference: (Also please read this whole address. Click HERE)
“I wish to speak to those who suffer from some form of mental illness or emotional disorder, whether those afflictions are slight or severe, of brief duration or persistent over a lifetime. … These afflictions are some of the realities of mortal life, and there should be no more shame in acknowledging them than in acknowledging a battle with high blood pressure or the sudden appearance of a malignant tumor.”

Sister Clayson’s conclusion: ‘While everyone experiences trials that can lead to feelings of sadness, loneliness, and anxiety, major depressive disorder is different. Major depression is a mental illness that requires professional treatment and medication. Feeling down in the face of challenging life events (as opposed to depressive disorder) may be treated through family support and social supports, finding ways to serve others, and observing proper sleep, diet, and exercise habits. In both circumstances, though, we can seek aid through the healing, enabling, and redemptive powers of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Birthdays
2 Alysa Kersting
2 Jeannette Stone
8 Jenny Maxwell
8 Debra Miskimon
8 Jerry Whiting
9 Jennie Sleight
11 Melyssa Towe
18 Katherine Toone
19 Margaret Agnew
20 Amber Johnson
20 Rachel Mason
21 Darcy Ward
23 Kathy Conley
23 Sabrina Hankal

Lesson Schedule – (Ezra Taft Benson)
Feb 7 Presidency Message by Lisa Lara
Feb 14 #3 “Adversity – Part of God’s Plan for Our Eternal Progress”
Feb 21 #4 “Help from on High”
Feb 28 TFOT “Yielding our Hearts to God” by Neil F Marriott AND “Hold on Thy Way” by Elder Aoyagi

Upcoming Events
Feb 17 Ward Temple Day
Feb 27 Stake Women’s Conference 8:30-2:00
Mar 10 Relief Society Meeting

Other Opportunities
Feb 3 Food Storage Class 7:00 pm at the Quail Building
Feb 9 Lunch Bunch at 11:30 at KFC/Taco Bell (58th & Garrison)
Feb 17 Book Group 7 pm at Kyle Koyle’s “Hope is the thing with Feathers: a Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds” by Christopher Cokinos
Feb 19 Stake Mexican Night 6 pm at the Stake Center
Feb 20 Ward Multicultural Potluck 6-8
Thursdays 9:00 am playgroup (ask Jan)
Saturdays 8 am basketball Stake Center
Mon & Wed 9 am Aerobics