February Presidency Message

Dear Sisters,

It's good to finally be back with you for a time.  I've had quite a month and I'm sure your January was busy as well.

As we take time to discuss Women from the Scriptures this year in our Presidency lessons; I hope we will take time to emulate the lessons we can learn from these women. Perhaps we can take time to reflect how to improve our lives and seek to make our lives more in keeping with the gospel and find peace amid all the busy of our lives.

This month I would like us to reflect upon the first woman in the scriptures; "Eve the Mother of all Living." I began thinking of Eve as my mother was going through the dying process; passing away on Jan. 12. I reflected on what a wonderful mother I had been blessed with and it made me think of the first mother in this mortal journey we are all on. There is much we can learn from Eve. She was willing to take the harder road in life when she accepted partaking of the forbidden fruit; as she came to realize the need for the fall to open the door for the rest of us to come and gain the experience necessary to obtain eternal life.

President Russell M. Nelson in a Conference talk entitled "Lessons from Eve" points to 5 fundamental lessons of everlasting importance we can learn from Eve. 

1. She labored beside her companion (see Moses 5:1)

2. She and Adam bore the responsibilities of parenthood. (see Moses 5:2)
3. She and her partner worshipped the Lord in prayer (see Moses 5:4)
4. She and Adam heeded divine commandments of obedience and sacrifice (Moses:5-6)
5. She and her husband taught the gospel to their children (see Moses 5:12)

I hope we will focus on one of these aspects each month for the next 5 months to create our legacy we will leave to our posterity as daughters of Eve and spirit daughters of our Heavenly Father.

Love,

Linda Rogers, RS 2nd Counselor

 

January Presidency Message

Sisters,

   It’s been wonderful to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and bring in the New Year with a renewed hope in the gospel and in ourselves.  I’m sure many of you, after having the opportunity to reflect upon the Saviors birth and his life, brought with you new commitments coming into the New Year to be more like him, to emulate him and to have your actions reflect your beliefs.

   The topic of discussion for Presidency lessons this year will be focused on women in the scriptures.  It will be a great opportunity to learn of these women, their strengths, and their weakness and find ways to emulate their examples in righteous living.  It’s my hope that this year we will be able to strengthen, even more so, our relationships within our Ward sisterhood by finding joy in our individuality, personalities and talents, and strive to lift one another through encouragement and positive interaction.

   I have a scripture taped to my cupboard (along with several others) to remind me of what my actions should reflect daily.   Philippians 1:27 “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”.

   I hope we all can add this to our resolutions this year, to become more united in our Sisterhood and that our actions will reflect our beliefs.

   May the Light of Christ radiate through all that you do.

Love,

Shelly Ward,  Secretary

December Presidency Message

Dear Sisters,

It’s that special time of year again; time to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Let’s leave the busyness and commercialism that often overshadow our celebrations out, and I would ask you to give your gifts to the Savior first. What gifts can we give the Savior? Every kind word, every gentle deed given to a neighbor, every kindness to the poor and suffering is a gift to God.  Do we look at others through the eyes of love? Do we look deep into their souls, do we forget their imperfections and not find fault? I think if all the members would choose one inactive family to anonymously remember this Holiday Season; it would make the Joy of the Season more special for you. For a lot of the inactives the voice of the Savior is but a distant memory and they need to be reminded that even though their spiritual eyes have dimmed, the Hand of the Lord is beckoning them to return to Him. Prayerfully consider what family to remember and what the Lord wants you to do.  Maybe the 12 days of Christmas with an emphasis on the Church and how they’re missed by their Father will be the invitation needed to return, maybe planting their garden filling it with flowers can make a widow smile, maybe it’s a bag of groceries, whatever you’re inspired to do that can touch their hearts will be a special gift to your Savior. Let’s take this one step further and do this all year. May God bless you and your family, thank you for all that you do.

Love, Lorraine Anderson

Relief Society President

Presidency Message - November

Last month I received a letter from my cousin’s son, Ben. Elder Fisher is serving a mission in Croatia.  His message has been on my mind.  He wrote, “I have been thinking a lot about charity, and the other gifts of the spirit. I have come to the conclusion that it is the greatest gift of the spirit. It is better than healings, visions, tongues, and protection. In fact, this gift of the spirit will endure into the eternities. Eventually our bodies will become perfected, we will all learn and speak the celestial language, and death, injury, and sickness will no longer have sway upon humanity. The gifts of healings, tongues, and others will largely become obsolete. But charity will endure. The gift of loving another is the greatest of the spiritual gifts. Charity never faileth. -Staresina Fisher” 

     I had always wondered why the Apostle Paul mentioned “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1Cor13:13)  Now I understand that faith will be done away by pure knowledge and hope will be healed by the resurrection, but charity will be present with us forever and ever.  We can ask Heavenly Father to be filled with this great gift.

~Jennie Dumas RS Assistant Secretary

Presidency Message - October

Dear Sisters,

September is over, the kids are back in school and the nights are getting cooler.  This is my favorite time of the year!  I love the change of the seasons and the time of the year when we are focusing on being thankful and our Savior.  When we are thinking of families, friends and neighbors.  Giving service to those in need, magnifying our callings, trying to be better missionaries, and doing all we can to help others.
Next week we will have the privilege to watch General Conference and listen to our beloved Prophet and other leaders of our church.  Let us gather with our families and listen to those messages that will lift us up and bring us closer to our Heavenly Father.  To find those talks that we feel are given to us personally to help us be better sisters and to help us teach our children  important gospel principles.
President Uchtdorf in the October issue of the Ensign magazine gave three basic concepts to help us better receive and remember the words spoken at conference.
1. Members of the church are entitled to personal revelation as they listen to and study the words spoken at general conference.
2.  Don't discount a message merely because it sounds familiar.
3.  The words spoken at general conference should be a compass that points the way for us during the coming months.
He continues to say "What a privilege it is to hear God's messages for each of us during general conference!" I believe what he says is true and I have a testimony that it is true.
I am grateful for all of your examples, for your service in our ward and the love each one of you has for the Savior.  Let us continue to strive to always have the spirit in our lives, to be good to one another and always remember who we are and where we want our destination to be.

Love to you all,
Janet Sims