4th Sunday - Lesson Summary

Sis. Ovard gave the lesson on Sunday from the conference talk - Converted to His Gospel through His Church by Elder Hallstrom

She started off her lesson by asking us "Are you a convert?" 

After a brief personal story she said that at some point we all us at some point have to be converted to the gospel. The purpose of the church is to help us live the gospel. 

She divided us into 2 groups and gave us a stack of scriptures references. She told us to work as a group to put the scriptures into 2 different categories

Does it belong in "THE GOSPEL" or "THE CHURCH" category. 

Here is the list and answers according to Elder Hallstroms talk:

1. Ephesians 2:20 - church

2. D&C 128:18 - church

3. Mosiah 3:12 - gospel

4. D&C 84:38 - gospel

5. D&C 88:6 - gospel

6. 2 Nephi 2:11 - gospel

7. Moroni 7:26 - gospel

8. D&C 14:7 - gospel

9. Jacob 4:11 - gospel

10. Abraham 3:27 - gospel

11. D&C 31:7 - church

She asked if it was hard to tell difference? Sometimes it was as each group had different scriptures listed under each of the categories. 

She went on to say that the Church and the Gospel are NOT the same but connected. 

The gospel is the plan of salvation

The church is the programs - temples, welfare, missionaries, etc

This Church is based on the GOSPEL. The Gospel is the same as Christs times but the church has evolved. Think about how we now have the block program where before primary and sunday school, etc where at all different times and days throughout the week. And think about our RS activities. How many names and formats has it gone through? Yet the purpose is the same and the gospel hasn't changed just the way the church would like it named/organized. 

Elder Hallstrom says, "Some have come to think of activity in the Church as the ultimate goal. Therein lies a danger. It is possible to be active in the Church and less active in the gospel. Let me stress: activity in the Church is a highly desirable goal; however, it is insufficient. Activity in the Church is an outward indication of our spiritual desire. If we attend our meetings, hold and fulfill Church responsibilities, and serve others, it is publicly observed.

By contrast, the things of the gospel are usually less visible and more difficult to measure, but they are of greater eternal importance. For example, how much faith do we really have? How repentant are we? How meaningful are the ordinances in our lives? How focused are we on our covenants?"

Sis. Ovard had us make our own handouts too :) 

We listed the 3 ways to have the gospel be our foundation

1. Deepen our understanding of deity (know to God better)

2. Focus on our ordinances and covenants

3. Unite the gospel with the church

Elder Hallstrom sums it up best by saying: 

"I repeat: we need the gospel and the Church. In fact, the purpose of the Church is to help us live the gospel. We often wonder: How can someone be fully active in the Church as a youth and then not be when they are older? How can an adult who has regularly attended and served stop coming? How can a person who was disappointed by a leader or another member allow that to end their Church participation? Perhaps the reason is they were not sufficiently converted to the gospel—the things of eternity."

Thank you Sister Ovard! We enjoyed hearing from you! 

- Sis. Pyrah

Thoughts from Sis. Pyrah

Dear Sisters, friends and neighbors - 

As I sat in RS on Sunday a few weeks ago and listened to the lesson I was overcome with a gratitude for this gospel and especially the organization of the RS. I thought about the short 2 years we have been here in Utah and in this neighborhood. I am grateful for the gospel and the church as it has given me "instant friends" when we knew no one and not a thing about the area. 

I was pondering all these things as I looked around the room and took the roll. There are so many wonderful sisters who we are not seeing each week or not at all. And we can name you by name. Now, please don't be offended by that remark. It's not a bad thing - we have just counted our sheep, we know their names and we are missing parts of our flock.

As we laughed, cried, shared stories and comments on Sunday my heart ached for those who weren't there to feel the joy of that hour of church and being together. We have a sisterhood in this gospel that I am not sure cannot be found in other religions. Women of all ages and backgrounds come together each week and each month to lean on each other, learn from each other, connect with each other and relate to each other. Through visiting teaching, monthly activities and weekly Sunday lessons, Heavenly Father has given us many opportunities to have "our cups filled". 

RS is not a place of judgement - it is a place of peace. RS is not a place of worry or stress - it is a place to release and lay those worries to rest for a bit. RS is not a place of perfection - it is a place to help lift you up to be better and best. 

We are all more alike then we think. We are all having our own personal struggles and trials. And we are all here for each other. Please consider joining us for the 3rd hour of church. We miss you. Please consider encouraging and inviting a sister in the ward to come to RS. Try sitting by someone who is sitting alone. Or saying hello to a sister who you haven't talked to in awhile or maybe never at all. And to those sisters who faithfully serve in other areas during that 3rd hour we welcome you to attend our monthly RS activities so we can feel of your spirits and enjoy your company as well.

It's the little things that matter. It's the little things that make a difference.  

By small and simple means, great things will come to pass.

We have a ward full of sisters who do and are capable of great things. "How great would be our joy" if could further unite the "sheep" of the Adams Park RS and do greater things together...

with much love, 

Sister Pyrah

Open your Soul to the Lord in Prayer - lesson summary

This weeks lesson was given by Sis. Couch from Chapter 9 - Open your Soul to the Lord in Prayer

President Smith said (from the manual) "I learned quite early in life that the Lord would answer prayer for He answered mine and in many ways He gave me evidence of His watchful care...I have covered approximately a million miles in the world among our Father’s other children, every day and every night, wherever I have been, when I have gone to my bed or arisen from it, I have felt I was close to my Heavenly Father. He is not far away."

Our Heavenly Father is close to us and wants to be there for us. 

Prayer is not only for drawer nearer to God but always can be used for times of need or help.

President Smith tells a personal story of him swimming once and getting dragged by the undertow and how prayer had helped his situation. You can read the full story on page 94 of your manual. 

~ Prayer allows us to talk to our Heavenly Father as though He were present ~

There is a wonderful story in the manual on page 95 about an orphan boy who was going to receive an operation and asked the Dr. to pray for him. The Dr. offered his excuses about why he couldn't do that. What happens next is a tear jerker and touching story. BUT you'll have to read the story yourself to find that out ;) 

Our Heavenly Father knows us and wants us to talk to Him. After pray we need to be still for a moment to allow an answer to come. Stop and listen. 

Sometimes our answers come through others. 

~ If we live near to our Heavenly Father, we will be inspired to know what to pray for ~

(from the manual) "My father as a young man came [near to] losing his life in the Provo River. … His father, who was at Salt Lake City, felt impressed to go into a room that had been set apart for prayer. He … knelt down … and said, “Heavenly Father, I feel that there is something seriously wrong with my family in Provo. Thou knowest I can not be with them there and be here. Heavenly Father, wilt thou preserve and safeguard them. …"

~ Prayer is a powerful influence in our personal lives, our homes, and our communities ~

(from the manual) "Do not put away from you the power of God. Retain in your homes the influences of prayer and of thanksgiving, and let gratitude flow to him who is the author of our beings and the giver of all good....I say to you that the power of prayer is something that cannot be measured."

~ Family Prayer brings unity to families ~

(from the manual) "We [as family members] will not always see alike; men will not always reason as their wives do and vice versa, but if you will pray together, with a real desire to be united, I can say to you, you will agree on all important matters.

I noticed … on a billboard: “The family that prays together stays together.” 

Just like we are excited to hear from loved ones Heavenly Father is excited to hear from us. Just think of a phone, pick it up and "call Heaven". 

Sis Couch gave out a wonderful handout that read,

By being the answer to someone's prayer, we often find the answers to our own. - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Thank you Sis. Couch

- Sis. Pyrah

 

Presidency message from Sis. Griffin - lesson summary

We had the wonderful treat of hearing from Sis. Griffin this month. The focus of her lesson was on the Atonement. She took a majority of her material from Elder Bednar's article in the April '12 edition of the Ensign. 

Elder Bednar says, "The purpose of the gospel is … to make bad men good and good men better, and to change human nature.” Thus, the journey of mortality is to progress from bad to good to better and to experience the mighty change of heart".

Sis. Griffin focused on 2 parts of the Atonement

1. Redeeming Power - helps us go from bad ---> good

It gives us the chance to repent everyday and try to do better.
She asked, "What are some of the things we need this power for?
Several ladies mentioned things like: gossip, anger, judgement, selfishness, with holding forgiveness, laziness, etc. She wrote all these things on the board and then took a giant eraser and they were gone from the board.
"As we go from bad to good we are becoming a saint. It leads us on the path to a saintly character.
It initiates change. He doesn't want us to pay Him back by suffering, he want us to change."

She then shared a wonderful story about a missionary from the back portion of the April Ensign. You can find it here.

2. Enabling Power - this takes us from good ---> better to even BEST

"We often view grace as the final boost. Enabling power/grace is available to everyone, everyday to face life with quiet courage. Elder Bednar recounts the story of when Nephi was bound with cords by his brothers. What did he pray for?......What would you have prayed for?....He prayed to have the strength to break the cords, not that his brothers would be punished.
What do WE pray for? Do we pray and complain - even about our blessings?Do we pray for our circumstances to change or the strength to deal with our circumstances?

Christ is not waiting at the finish line. He is with us everyday."

Sis Griffin gave a handout that said,"  Grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted, it is our constant energy source.  It is not the light at the end of the tunnel, but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now. It is not a finishing touch, it is the Finisher's touch."

Thank you Sis. Griffin for the wonderful message and spirit that was felt in the room.

- Sis Pyrah

Stake Women's Conference

Hello ladies! Sister Naumann has asked that we share the notes that Sister Lynae Thompson, a RS president in the Stake, took down during the recent Stake Women's Conference when our surprise speaker was Sister Dibb. 

Here are her notes - enjoy! It was a wonderful conference! 

"The special speaker was Sister Ann Dibb, 2^nd Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency and also the daughter of President Thomas S. Monson.  She was very humorous and engaging and it was a treat to listen to her.  I am almost unsure of how to approach this email because I jotted down so many little things that meant something to me, but I think for the sake of making sense…I’ll try to stick to what I felt were the main ‘themes’ of what she talked about.

Sister Dibb said that a major drawback in life is our fears; fear of failure.  Heavenly Father wants us to learn what he feels.  That is one of the blessings of becoming parents, so we can know that we are able to love so greatly.  She quoted Kevin Costner as saying “People are so afraid of feeling that they don’t even want to try.”  She thought it was a wise & true statement and that we shouldn’t want to live life that way.  She read us a children’s story book calledThe Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein.  Check it out from the library when you can.  (But you might have to wait until I return the copy we’re using. J)  You might think it odd or silly that she read from a children’s book, but to me it was actually very thought provoking and touching, especially the way she read it and with the spirit of the meeting.  I’ll admit it, I was in tears by the end, definitely in part because I realized that I have too often in life been ruled by my fear of failures or the fear of the unknown.  Sister Dibb questioned us, “What are some of the mistakes that we are so afraid of making?” and we discussed several things that audience members shared.  She said, “Sometimes we make mistakes so we will never repeat them again.” And she also urged us to think, “If He can forgive me, then I can forgive myself.” 

The girl in the story she read us juggles, and at one point she juggles eggs.  Sister Dibb compared that to our lives…there are many eggs that we juggle and often we don’t want them to fall because we are afraid of the consequences if they break.  “But sometimes they do fall – and it’s okay.”  Sister Dibb asked us what we are juggling?  And she shared a nice idea of how to gain perspective those times we feel overwhelmed with our juggling act.  She said that sometimes she writes two lists; one with all her worries, to-do’s and things she feels she needs to juggle and then she writes one with all her blessings, what she has accomplished and the good things she has done.  She then tears up the ‘bad’ list so she is only left with the ‘good’ list that she can visibly see.

Another main theme she talked quite a bit about was keeping the commandments.  She said that the “For the Strength of Youth booklet has no age limit.  It is for all of us.  Keeping the commandments is key for any of us.”  She talked about how the commandments are all about relationships; the first 4 are about a relationship with God and the rest are about relationships with others.  “Lives and relationships are shattered when the commandments are broken.”  She said that the scripture, “If ye love me keep my commandments” works both ways…for parents honoring children or for children honoring parents.  It seemed to me that she couldn’t stress enough the importance of us keeping those basic commandments and the good that it would bring to our lives.

Here are some of my other notes that I thought were great thoughts:

“How do we find peace, assurance and love?  We look to Heavenly Father and look to His Son’s example and strive to emulate Him.  Then we do our best and realize the Lord knows our heart.  Don’t let your fears keep you from moving forward or from trying.  We need to put aside our fears and think about who we are trying to please?  Our Heavenly Father.  Not everyone else.  And as we do so we will feel of His peace, love and assurance that all is well and He will accept of our sacrifices.”

“We don’t get to pick and chose the various challenges in life.  But we do get to chose how we will face them – with faith.”

“Every prayer isn’t answered and that is not a reflection on a person’s faith.  It is a reflection on the Lord’s will.”

She said that sometimes the voice she hears (the Holy Ghost) says, “That would be a nice thing to do, Ann.”  So she will do it, sometimes with unexpected or surprising consequences.  And often that is how the Lord answers individual prayers – through the service of others.

She closed her talk by speaking about her parents and sharing a little insight into their lives.  It was very touching.  Both of her parents will be 85 this year and she says that “it is not easy, and yet they go forward.”  She knows that her mother has been preserved in this life because her father needs her.  She shared some stories about a few difficulties they have been through and included a little story of her mother, Francis, straightening  President Monson’s suspender strap before an important event because she didn’t like the little bulge it made under his suit coat.  Sister Dibb said, “That is what she has done her whole life – looked for how she can help him be better and do what he needs to do.”  I was very touched by that and it made me realize how much more I could be doing in my own marriage to help my husband be better and do what he needs to do.

It was so neat to attend the conference and see so many women from our ward there.  It was a wonderful turnout.  I don’t think there were any open seats left.  I’m so glad that I took notes, not only to help me remember my thoughts and feelings, but also so I could share some with you.  I’m grateful to our Stake Relief Society Presidency for arranging such a lovely and meaningful event for us.  And I hope that we can all move forward with faith, even in spite of our fears."