"You Are My Hands"

Hello Sisters!

 

A few reminders for you…

·         1^st Ward Temple Trip is this Friday, August 9^th - If you have names ready for the temple please give them to Brother Roberts.

·         Relief Society Activity – August 13^th @ 7pm.-  All Young Women are invited to join us!  We will be talking about Family History and how to "use it" and work on it in our busy lives. Refreshments & nursery will be provided.
·         August 30^th – Tallahassee Stake Zone Conference -  1^st Ward is in charge of the lunch for this zone conference on Friday the 30^th. We will need sisters to help prepare to food, serve, and clean up.   Please check your schedules for that day to see if you will be available to help!  We will have a sign-up sheet in the binder next Sunday.
·         Updated Visiting Teaching Routes for August were handed out Sunday at church. If you did not get your new route please see a member of the RS Presidency!  Several changes have been made so you’ll want to be sure to get an updated route before you start making visits this month.  Please know that the Relief Society Presidency has put much thought and prayer into each and every change made on these routes.  We prayed specifically about each of you and felt inspired to place you with the sisters you see on your routes, as well as your companion. We would like to ask that you also take the time to pray to our Heavenly Father for guidance and direction as you get to know your sisters (if you don’t know them already) and how best to minister to them and love them.

“You Are My Hands” – Ministering by the example of Christ

I wanted share a few thoughts with you this week from the lesson that Bishop gave on Sunday in Relief Society.  I know that many of the sisters serving in other auxiliaries on Sunday’s don’t have the opportunity to be a part of our RS lessons and this one was a really important reminder and lesson for us all.

First, I would ask that each of you read the talk given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf  during General Conference this past April.  It is entitled  You Are My Hands.  You may remember his story of the statue of Christ that was damaged by the bombings during World War II.  Experts were able to repair most of the statue but the hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be repaired.   The statue ultimately remained without hands, however the people of the city added at the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”   

Elder Uchtdorf goes on to say, “When I think of the Savior, I often picture Him with hands outstretched, reaching out to comfort, heal, bless, and love. And He always talked with, never down to, people. He loved the humble and the meek and walked among them, ministering to them and offering hope and salvation.  That is what He did during his mortal life; it is what He would be doing if He were living among us today; and it is what we should be doing as His disciples and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

Sisters, we ARE the hands of Christ, and we should be following his example in ministering to those around us as he would. It is our calling as members of this church. When we take upon his name at baptism, we are promising to do so.  We are also part of a wonderful organization that is set up in a way that should help us easily follow this counsel.  It’s called Visiting Teaching!  J   The purpose of Visiting Teaching is to minister; The purpose of ministering is to help others become true followers of Jesus Christ.

How Visiting Teachers Love, Watch Over, and Strengthen a Sister:

·         Pray daily for the sisters you visit, and her family
·         Seek inspiration to get to know her and her family  (Moroni 6:4)
·         Visit her regularly to learn how she is doing and to comfort and strengthen her
·         Stay in frequent contact through visits, phone calls, letters, e-mail, text messages, and simple acts of kindness
·         Inspire her by setting a good example (Daughters in My Kingdom, page 123)
·         Loving her without judgment (John 13:34-35)
·         Watching over your sisters and strengthening their faith ‘one by one’ as the Savior did (3 Nephi 11:15; 17:21)
·         Establishing sincere friendship with them and visiting teaching them in their homes and elsewhere (D&C 20:47)
·         Teach her the gospel from the scriptures and the visiting teaching messages

Think about all the wonderful things we can do for each other if we truly embrace our calling as a Visiting Teacher to those sisters that we are asked to watch over. Think of the blessings it will bring to the sisters you care for, and the blessings that will be poured out upon you as you are obedient and follow His counsel in ministering to his children.  When we serve others as visiting teachers, we receive blessings ourselves.  Sister Barbara W. Winder, the eleventh Relief Society general president, taught:  “It is vital that each sister have visiting teachers—to convey a sense that she is needed, that someone loves and thinks about her. But equally important is the way the visiting teacher is able to grow in charity. By assigning our women to do visiting teaching, we give them the opportunity to develop the pure love of Christ, which can be the greatest blessing of their lives.”

I wanted to leave you with this quote by Dieter F Uchtdorf (it is also from his “You Are My Hands” conference talk). I hope that we can all take his words to heart!

“True love requires action. We can speak of love all day long-we can write notes or poems that proclaim it, sing songs that praise it, and preach sermons that encourage it- but until we manifest that love in action, our words are nothing but “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”  Christ did not just speak about love; He showed it each day of His life. He did not remove Himself from the crowd. Being amidst the people, Jesus reached out to the one. He rescued the lost. He didn’t just teach a class about reaching out in love and then delegate the actual work to others. He not only taught but also showed us how to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”  Christ knows how to minister to others perfectly. When the Savior stretches out His hands, those He touches are uplifted and become greater, stronger, and better people as a result.  If we are His hands should we not do the same?”   ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf   

We love you all, and are so very grateful for your willingness to serve.

Love,

Sister Mandy Carroll

Sister Jennifer Porter

Sister Lori Fairbanks

Sister Alisha Bell

Adorable Blocks from the R.S. Activity

Adorable Blocks from the R.S. Activity
At last week's activity the sisters helped make some really cute blocks for the Primary kids 

B.O.M. Reading Challenge!!

July 7, 2013

This Sunday we had a wonderful lesson about tools by Sister Porter.  Okay it wasn't just about tools, but it was about the tools that our loving Heavenly Father has given us to use in this life so that we may return to Him. 
 I loved Sister Porters lesson she started off describing how in her childhood home there was the common dilemma of having a hard time finding import tools like screw drivers, pizza cutters and the beloved spatulas.  So instead of being able to grab a screw driver and unscrew a screw, her and her siblings would get creative and use things like a butter knife.  She tied story in to the fact that the Lord has given us tools as well.  Tools like a modern day Prophet, the Priesthood, the power of prayer and of coarse the Scriptures. 
Sister Porter also went over the fact that everything takes practice.  I enjoyed the analogy that she used.  She had brought a violin and she told us all the things that she knew about the violin, and all about how she loved the violin and loved to listen to it played.  Though she had never had lessons or practiced, she was going to play for us.  She had music in front of her and she put the violin on her shoulder and played beautifully.  We were all really amazed....well that didn't really happen.  It sounded just how you would think it would sound if it was your first time playing the violin.  Everything takes practice.  So in order for us to become as perfect as we can in this life and to understand as much as we can from our Heavenly Father, we need to practice reading our Scriptures.  We have started a 90 day challenge in the Relief Society and ask for you to join us in our challenge to finish the Book of Mormon in 90 days. You can print off the reading schedule below if you weren't able to get one in Relief Society today. 
 I encourage you all to do your best with this challenge and I would ask that if you have an experience with reading your scriptures that you would like to share, I would be more than happy to post it on the blog.  You can email me at iamsambo.20@gmail.com.

Thank you sisters for all that you do and enjoy your week! 

Mormon Message link (its about reading/memorizing scriptures and how it can help us)  http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1615784207001

Not Your Momma's Food Storage! 

Thank you to all of you ladies that were able to join us and that helped put on the Relief Society Activity! To the ladies that weren't able to attend, you were definitely missed.

We had a very informative and fun activity about food storage and couponing last Tuesday night. Here are some pictures of the activity. 

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Opening Hymn was Hymn 239 “Choose the Right”

Announcements:       

              Relief Society Activity this Tuesday, April 30^th

*Mini-lessons with food storage ideas beyond cans of wheat and powdered milk.

*April 30

*7:00pm

*Cultural Hall

*Nursery provided

*Invite your visiting teaching sisters!

-May 3^rd Women’s Stake Basketball Tournament 6:00pm-9:00pm in the Cultural Hall.

-May 4^th Community Provident Living Expo in Marianna.  They will have 75+ booths and demos.  It will be from 10:00am-3:00pm. 3141 College Ave. Marianna, FL ( Across from the Chipola health Center & Pool) 

-May 4^th Single Adult BBQ from 4:00pm-6:00pm.  It will be held in Cherokee Park off of Covington Ave in Thomasville, GA.  If you have questions about the event, please contact Sister Whisnant at (850)-575-6880

-May 11^th Cycling Safety Course at the Lake Jackson Community Center 3840 N Monroe Street, Suite 301.  It will be held from 2:00 pm-6:00 pm for ages 12 and up.  The boys will also need a parent with them to attend the event.  **It will cover the Boy Scout Merit Badge for Cycling. The Cost is 3 dollars, and if you have any questions you may contact Sister Carol Gentry at (850)562-7448.

Practice Hymn 46 “Glorious Things to Thee Are Spoken”

Birthdays: Amber Thomas' B-Day on the 25th and Catherine Alldredges' B-Day on the 29th!

Lesson:

Sister Hollett gave a wonderful lesson on four different talks, and she gave it in record time!

“Learning with Our Hearts” By Elder Walter F. Gonzalez http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/learning-with-our-hearts?lang=eng

“Come Unto Me, O Ye House of Israel” By Elder Larry Echo Hawk http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/come-unto-me-o-ye-house-of-israel?lang=eng

“Blessings of the Sacrament” By Elder Don R. Clarke http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/blessings-of-the-sacrament?lang=eng

“Be Anxiously Engaged” By Elder M. Russell Ballard http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/be-anxiously-engaged?lang=eng

Sister Hollett began the lesson with the talk titled “Come Unto Me, O Ye House of Israel” By Elder Larry Echo Hawk. She shared one of his quotes “As we come unto our Savior, Jesus Christ, and purify our hearts, we will all be instruments in fulfilling the mighty promises of the Book of Mormon.”

In the talk “Learning with Our Hearts” By Elder Walter F. Gonzalez she shared the following quote “One way to come unto Christ is by seeking to learn essential truths with our hearts. As we do so, impressions that come from God will give us knowledge that we cannot get by any other means.”  She also spoke about the Holy Ghost.                                                                                                                                               She stated “We can access the Holy Ghost when we...”

• Read/study the Scriptures
• Hark unto the living Prophets
• Pray
• Take time to be still and feel and follow the Celestial Promptings.

She also shared this quote “Iniquity hampers our ability to see, feel, and love others. Being quick to remember the Lord by praying “with all the energy of heart”¹¹ and bringing to mind our spiritual experiences expands our ability to see and feel the things of Christ.”    

In the talk “Blessings of the Sacrament” By Elder Don R. Clarke Sister Hollett also shared the following.                                                                                                                     

“President David O. McKay said, “I feel impressed to emphasize what the Lord has designated as the most important meeting in the Church, and that is the sacrament meeting.”³ If we properly prepare for the sacrament, we can transform our lives. I would like to suggest five principles that can bless our lives as we partake of the sacrament worthily.”

What can we do to prepare ourselves and partake of the sacrament worthily?

• ·        Have a feeling of gratitude for the Atonement.
• ·        Remember that we are renewing our baptismal covenants.

In the talk “Anxiously Engaged” By Elder M. Russell Ballard Sister Hollett talked about the dedication and the importance of honey bees. “Honeybees are driven to pollinate, gather nectar, and condense the nectar into honey. It is their magnificent obsession imprinted into their genetic makeup by our Creator. It is estimated that to produce just one pound (0.45 kg) of honey, the average hive of 20,000 to 60,000 bees must collectively visit millions of flowers and travel the equivalent of two times around the world. Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four months, a single honeybee’s contribution of honey to its hive is a mere one-twelfth of one teaspoon.”

What do we need to do to be like the dedicated honeybees? How do we make that kind of dedication become part of our nature?

• ·        Be willing and open our eyes to opportunities to serve.
• ·        We are gentle, meek and long suffering.
• ·        We no longer desire to do evil.
• ·        We feel charity towards all men.
• ·        Our thoughts are always virtuous.

How do we make this change? How do we ingrain this love of Christ into our hearts?

• ·        In your morning prayer you can ask our Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize the opportunity to seek one of his precious children.  Then go throughout the day with your heart full of faith and love, looking for someone to help. Stay focused, just like the honeybees focus on the flowers from which to gather nectar and pollen. If you do this, your spiritual sensitivities will be enlarged and you will discover opportunities to serve that you never before realized were possible.  After continual practice it will become a wonderful habit of charity and love.

Our Closing Hymn was Hymn 229 “Today While the Sun Shines” 

Closing Prayer by Sister Grey. 

This Sunday was Fast Sunday.  Many beautiful testimonies were shared during sacrament meeting.

Announcements:

We received a new Relief Society Presidency!

Sister Amanda Carroll as Relief Society President, Sister Jennifer Porter as 1^st Councilor, Sister Lori Fairbanks as 2^nd Councilor and Sister Alisha Bell as Secretary.

Birthdays!! 
Camisha Hodge & Patricia Rozier's B-day on the 16th.  
Diane Ayer's B-day on the 17th.
Pat Maurer's B-day on the 18th.
We hope you ladies have a wonderful day of your birth!! 

Hats: If you are still making hats, you are welcome to continue.  They are not due until Girls Camp.  When you are ready to turn your hats in, you would turn them in to Sister Reynolds.

Service: Sister Pitts is in need of some assistance.  She just needs a ride to the grocery store.  She says she is very flexible with schedules.  (850) 508-1419

Temple: This weekend is the Relief Society Temple Trip.  Drivers and cars are needed.  We will be meeting on Friday at the Wal-Mart on I-10 and North Monroe at 6:15am. Please bring breakfast and snacks for yourself for the way down.
                                

Lesson: We began Relief Society with the Hymn 227 “There is Sunshine in My Soul Today”

Sister Liz Roberts gave our lesson in Relief Society.  Her lesson was from chapter 7: Faithfulness in times of trial: “From the shadows into the glorious sunshine Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow”.

Sister Roberts began her lesson with a story from President Snow’s life. 
“Several months after arriving in Mount Pisgah, Lorenzo was called to preside over the settlement. “By this time,” he later recorded, “the Saints in Pisgah were in a very destitute condition, not only for food and clothing, but also for teams and wagons to proceed on their journey. Several families were entirely out of provision, and dependent on the charity of their neighbors, who, in most cases, were illy prepared to exercise that virtue. But, above all this, a sweeping sickness had visited the settlement, when there were not sufficient well ones to nurse the sick; and death followed in the wake, and fathers, mothers, children, brothers, sisters and dearest friends fell victims to the destroyer, and were buried with little ceremony, and some destitute of proper burial clothes. Thus were sorrow and mourning added to destitution.”

Lorenzo knew these trials firsthand. He and his family experienced sickness, disappointments, and heartache, including the death of his newborn daughter Leonora. He wrote, “Little Leonora was taken sick and died, and with deep sorrow we bore her remains to their silent resting place, to be left alone, far from her father and the mother who gave her birth.”

She went on to tell about how President Snow helped the saints.

“During the long winter months,” he said, “I sought to keep up the spirits and courage of the Saints in Pisgah, not only by inaugurating meetings for religious worship and exercises, in different parts of the settlement, but also by making provisions for, and encouraging proper amusements of various kinds. …”

Sister Roberts described the party that President Snow had to uplift the saints.

“As a sample, I will attempt a description of one, which I improvised for the entertainment of as many as I could reasonably crowd together in my humble family mansion, which was a one-story edifice, about fifteen by thirty [about four and one-half meters by nine meters], constructed of logs, with a dirt roof and ground floor, displaying at one end a chimney of modest height, made of turf cut from the bosom of Mother Earth. Expressly for the occasion we carpeted the floor with a thin coating of clean straw, and draped the walls with white sheets drawn from our featherless beds.

“How to light our hall suitably for the coming event was a consideration of no small moment, and one which levied a generous contribution on our ingenuity. But we succeeded. From the pit where they were buried, we selected the largest and fairest turnips—scooped out the interior, andfixed short candles in them, placing them at intervals around the walls, suspending others to the ceiling above, which was formed of earth and cane. Those lights imparted a very peaceable, quiet … influence, and the light reflected through those turnip rinds imparted a very picturesque appearance.

“During the evening exercises, several of my friends, in the warmest expressions possible, complimented me and my family for the peculiar taste and ingenuity displayed in those unique and inexpensive arrangements.”

Lorenzo recalled that “the hours were enlivened, and happily passed.” He and his guests entertained one another with speeches, songs, and recitations. He said, “At the close, all seemed perfectly satisfied, and withdrew, feeling as happy as though they were not homeless.”

She shared the scripture Mosiah 23: 21-22

 21. Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.

 22. Nevertheless whosoever putteth his trust in him the sameshall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with  this people.

We can be lifted by those around us.

Trials and tribulations help us improve spiritually and prepare for celestial glory. It is impossible for us to work out our salvation and accomplish the purposes of God without trials or without sacrifices.² Trials and tribulations have been the experience of the Latterday Saints.God so designed that it should beI daresay that in the [premortal] spiritworld, when it was proposed to us to come into this probation, and pass through the experience that we are now receiving, it was not altogether pleasant and agreeable; the prospects were not so delightful in all respects as might have been desired. Yet there is no doubt that we saw and understood clearly there that, in order to accomplish our exaltation and glory, this was a necessary experience; and however disagreeable it might have appeared to us, we were willing to conform to the will of God, and consequently we are here.³ The Lord has determined in His heart that He will try us until He knows what He can do with us.

Sister Roberts shared the difficulties she faced when she learned that her 1^st child was breech and what she learned from her trials.  She asked us to write down what we have learned from a trial and what the spirit taught us.  Sister Roberts shared D&C 58:2, 3

2 For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth mycommandments, whether in life or in death;  and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in thekingdom of heaven.

 3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

Sister Roberts shared that she really enjoys the last part of verse 3 where it states “and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation” She said once that trial does pass you really do feel taller.

I am unaware of what the remainder of her wonderful lesson entails due to a fussy baby, but I would encourage you to read over the chapter for yourself so that you may know ways to strengthen your faith in times of trial. https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-lorenzo-snow/chapter-7-faithfulness-in-times-of-trial-from-the-shadows-into-the-glorious-sunshine?lang=eng

Next weeks lesson is Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow Chapter 8: "Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart" 

Relief Society celebrated their 171^st birthday on Tuesday night the 26th.  “Sweet is the Work” was the birthday theme and sweet it was! There was deliciousness all over the place from the cookies and brownies to the surplus of pregnant women and babies. 

There were also service projects going on.  Blankets and Hats were being made. The Hats serve as a service project for Girls Camp.  The hats will be sent to a local hospital to keep the babies nice and warm.  We are so thankful for those that were able to attend and those who were absent were missed. The date for the next Relief Society event will be posted.

This Saturday and Sunday is General Conference and in preparation for Conference I found a link that the Church provides on their website.  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/prepare-for?lang=eng This page has a couple of really good talks that go over how to prepare for conference, the blessings of General Conference, and how General Conference addresses individual circumstances.  There is also a great link to keep the little ones quiet and busy. 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/children?lang=eng  

The following lesson (April 14^th) will be from Teaching of the Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow and the lesson is in Chapter 7: Faithfulness in times of trial: “From the shadows into the glorious sunshine” 

Also the Doctrine and Covenants class will be in Lesson 15: “Seek ye Earnestly the Best Gifts” which goes over D&C 46, Articles of Faith 1:7, 1 Corinthians 12-13, Moroni 10:8-18 and Our Heritage pages 42-43, 47-48, and 63.

For the month of April our “Sister Spotlight” is Sister Melissa Nelms.  We asked Sister Nelms a little bit about herself and this is what she said:

When is your Birthday? October 10, 1984 (I have 18 more months to be in my 20's... gulp!)

Where are you from? Originally, I am from Murfreesboro, TN, but I went to BYU-Hawaii and worked for the university after graduation, so I really consider my favorite home Hawaii. We came to Tallahassee almost 3 years ago. 

Where did you meet your spouse? In the Spring of 2008, I left my job in Hawaii and returned to Tennessee. I was not in the mood to date because I thought I was only going to be home long enough to save some money to leave again and I had just ended a long relationship. I was active in the Singles program, but mostly because I was bored and needed some friends! I went to a fireside on night and there were three girls and two guys in the car. One of the girls was going on and on and on about how she was "so ugly and no one would ever want to marry her..." Sick of her fishing for compliments game, I abruptly agreed with her instead of showering her with self esteem. I told her that unless she felt good about herself, no one would be able to see anything good about her and she was probably going to be alone as long as she was so self loathing. Jason, who had not said a word for the entire car trip was shocked to hear someone be so blunt. He turned his face away from the window and introduced himself to me. We went on our first date a week or two later and got married four months later. As much as we were both adamantly opposed to the idea of dating, the YSA program worked for us. If it can work for us, I think it can work for anyone! 

Tell us about your family. I have a husband, 20 month old daughter, live in grandma and a dog. Jason and I have been married a little over four years and we absolutely adore being parents to our accident prone Adaline. My mom, Nadine, lives with us to help with childcare and because she is just outright cool. Our dog Haddie is a terrible dog, but she means well. I have three siblings, none of which are active in the church, but are all wonderful people all the same. My father passed away seven years ago, but was a good man. I have always been pretty lucky in family life. Always surrounded by good people. 

What is your favorite Hymn? This is hard because I love music. It has always been very healing and powerful to me, despite my extreme lack of talent in the music field [read: I can't carry a tune in a bucket]. I have always loved Be Still My Soul. There is something about it that is so peaceful and powerful to a heart like mine that races with thoughts at times. 

What is your favorite scripture? I have always loved Doctrine and Covenants 68:6.

How do you like to spend your time? I love being outside with my family. We swim, walk, play and eat outside as often as we can. I also enjoy reading, sewing, and cooking (not just the regular dinner stuff, but getting creative...). But, anyone with kids knows that those last three hobbies get dusty because there is very little time. I also enjoy writing extensively and am working on my first book.

If you were stuck on an island what meal and what dessert would you be wasting precious water drooling over? Since I have been stuck on an island, I can say I love BBQ Pork. When I was in Hawaii, I missed Tennessee style BBQ pork, and now that I haven't been back to the islands in a few years, I miss Kalua Pork. Chocolate Haupia Pie is my ultimate to die for dessert.