thought for the day....

Sis. Murdock had this quote on the chalkboard during her lesson on trials on Sunday. Thought it was worth sharing. 

Mountains to Climb - lesson summary

Our 4th Sunday lesson was taught by Sis. Murdock and it was from the conference talk - Mountains to Climb by Pres. Eyring.

She asked all of us if we would trade our trials for someone elses trials? 

Pres. Eyring said, "If we have faith in Jesus Christ the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing."

He also said, "I heard President Spencer W. Kimball, in a session of conference, ask that God would give him mountains to climb. He said: “There are great challenges ahead of us, giant opportunities to be met. I welcome that exciting prospect and feel to say to the Lord, humbly, ‘Give me this mountain,’ give me these challenges."

My heart was stirred, knowing, as I did, some of the challenges and adversity he had already faced. I felt a desire to be more like him, a valiant servant of God. So one night I prayed for a test to prove my courage. I can remember it vividly. In the evening I knelt in my bedroom with a faith that seemed almost to fill my heart to bursting.

Within a day or two my prayer was answered."

Sis. Murdock asked again, " What are some of the trials you might face in your life?"

After several sisters gave ideas of what trials we may face in our life Sis. Murdock share the story of the Trouble Tree. 

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job, a flat tire made him lose an hour of work & his electric drill quit, his ancient one ton truck refused to start. As I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. Upon opening the door he had undergone an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do at the little tree.
"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again." Funny thing is," he smiled", when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before." 

Sis. Murdock had a trouble tree that she brought and it looked similar to this: 

She asked us again - Why is it important to accept the will of the Lord? What purpose do trials serve and why is it important to be faithful? 

Pres. Eyring answers that as well - "the ground must be carefully prepared for our foundation of faith to withstand the storms that will come into every life. That solid basis for a foundation of faith is personal integrity.

Our choosing the right consistently whenever the choice is placed before us creates the solid ground under our faith. It can begin in childhood since every soul is born with the free gift of the Spirit of Christ. With that Spirit we can know when we have done what is right before God and when we have done wrong in His sight.

Those choices, hundreds in most days, prepare the solid ground on which our edifice of faith is built. The metal framework around which the substance of our faith is poured is the gospel of Jesus Christ, with all its covenants, ordinances, and principles."

One of the characteristics of trials in life is that they seem to make clocks slow down and then appear almost to stop.

Sis. Murdock played the 1st 2 verses of this song to further share her message with us: 

She shared 1 last quote from Pres. Eyring, "We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up. And He always keeps His word."

Thank you Sis. Murdock. We know each Sister in our ward is dealing with something. We ALL have trials whether they are physical or spiritual. Let us use our trials to make us BETTER not BITTER.

- Sis. Pyrah

Ch. 11 - Revelation - lesson summary

Sis Crouch gave the lesson today on Chapter 11 - Revelation from God to His children on page 111.

Sis Crouch started her lesson by summarizing the story Pres. Smith tells about trying by airplane from California to Salt Lake City. They were in a terrible fog and you couldn't see a thing. Pres. Smith began to get nervous and worried and asked himself, "How can a pilot find the way when he cannot see a thing?" He made his way to the space where the pilot and co-pilot were and asked how they knew we were flying in the right direction. 

They replied, ‘When we cannot see we are guided by the radio beam.’

“‘What is that?’ I asked. He explained that the beam might be likened to an electric highway between two points, and in our case the points were Milford and Salt Lake City. He said that the device over the pilot’s ear operated so that when the plane was in the beam a low, purring sound continued to be heard, but if the plane goes to the right or left the sound changes and the pilot is warned by clicking as of a telegraph key. If he … pulls back to the beam or highway, on to the path of safety, the clicking ceases and the purring resumes. If we continue on the beam we will arrive at our destination in safety.

“I returned to my seat greatly comforted to know that notwithstanding we were enveloped in fog and darkness and could neither see nor feel where we were, the pilot was receiving information constantly that we were on the highway and he knew that we would soon arrive at our destination."

 

Pres. Smith has thought many times about how this can be applied to our lives in the Church and Sis Crouch asked the same question. How is this like living the gospel? What would the fog represent? Who is the pilot? 

Pres. Smith likes the pilot to the prophet and the clicking sound to the Savior or the Holy Ghost. 

Heavenly Father guides us individually and as a church through the Holy Ghost.

The manual says, "Let us remember that the President of this Church has been officially designated as the pilot of the Church here in mortality to represent the Master of heaven and earth....we do have a pilot who knows the way, and if we will follow his direction … we will not meet the spiritual disasters that the world is meeting."

 

Communication with our Heavenly Father is not a trival matter. It is a sacred privilege. 

Sis. Crouch asked, "What is the difference between Revelation and Inspiration? 

Her thoughts were that Revelation is more of something we are seeking after. Something that we have prayed about. 

Inspiration is when you receive something that you haven't been thinking about. 

She then asked us, "What are the different ways to receive revelation?"

After several comments had been added she wrapped up lesson with a handout and quote from Sister Julie B. Beck. The handout was of a GPS system. On the back it read:

 

Heavenly Father has given us the Holy Ghost as our GPS. He will navigate us through this mortal life so we know what is true and what the Lord wants us to do. 

"The ability to qualify for, receive, and act upon personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life." - Sister Beck

 

Thank you Sis. Crouch! 

- Sis. Pyrah

Ch. 10 - The Scriptures - lesson summary

Sis. Couch gave the lesson today from Chapter 10 (pg 103) The Scriptures, the most valuable library in the world. 

President Smith is quoted in the lesson as saying, "Once, while traveling by train, he started a conversation with a man who was raised in a Latter-day Saint family but was no longer participating in the Church. “As we visited,” he later said, “I talked to him about the gospel of Jesus Christ. … And he said as we discussed the principles of the gospel, ‘These things interest me.’ We visited quite a long time, and when we finished, that good man, I believe he was a good man, said to me, ‘I would give all that I possess to have the assurance that you have. …’

“I said, ‘My brother, you don’t have to give all that you possess to have that assurance. All you have to do is to search the scriptures prayerfully. Go where they may be explained to you. Seek the truth, and the beauty of the truth will appeal to you, and … you can know as I know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of the Living God."

Sis Couch asked, "Can anyone think of a time when a verse of scripture has inspired you?....How did you come to know the scriptures were true?"

She recounted an experience in her own life when she was 15 years old in a Sunday School class. The teacher, a return missionary said to her class, "Each one of us know the scriptures are true. We just may not know that we know it."

The manual says, "The Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, do not contain the wisdom of men alone, but of God...f we have failed to read the scriptures we have missed the better part of this world’s literature.

I sometimes feel that we do not appreciate the Holy Bible, and what it contains, and these other scriptures, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price that have been referred to … as letters from our Heavenly Father. They may be so received, at least they are his advice and his counsel to all the children of men given to them that they may know how to take advantage of their opportunities, that their lives may not be spent in vain."

Sis Couch then asked everyone, "Consider what place the scriptures have in your personal library among other things you read and watch. What can you do to make them more of a priority?"

She offered a few suggestions like

- Set a time and place to study them

- Have a marking pencil - add notes, cross reference, etc. Make them yours by marking them. 

She wrapped up her lesson with this last quote from the manual, "Brethren and sisters, I desire to emphasize again the teaching of the Master: “search the scriptures;” read them prayerfully and faithfully, teach them in your homes; call your families around you and inspire in them a faith in the living God, by reading those things that have been revealed. They are the most precious of all the libraries in all the world.

Keep this library where you can find it, and where your children will find it, and then have enough interest in the eternal salvation of those boys and girls that are in your home that you will find ways and means to interest them in what these books contain, that they may know how precious they are in the sight of their Heavenly Father"

 

Thank you Sis. Couch for bringing such a wonderful spirit that testified of the truthfullness of the scriptures and for the many comments, stories and testimonies shared. It was a wonderful meeting. 

 

- Sis. Pyrah

1st Sunday lesson summary

Sis Snow gave the lesson on Sunday and it was great piggy back onto the wonderful message that Sis. Ovard gave last week.

She read the lyrics to the song "Who's on the Lords side"

[Chorus]
Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
Now is the time to show.
We ask it fearlessly:
Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?

Did you know it asks that question 10 times in the song? 

We have lots of repetition in our church. We hear things over and over. Why do we have to be told so many times? 

 

 

Several sisters added their comments and Sis. Snow helped us realize that being told the same things over and over isn't always a bad thing. Don't tune out or turn it off when you've the message before. We need repetition. It's not a bad thing - it can be good thing. 

Even though the topics for General Conference and Stake Conference are not always assigned there was a common thread running through the 2. 

Sis. Snow passed around the Ensign Challenge handout with the thought at the bottom of it from Stake Conference - 

"Ask yourself: What actual change have I made in my life as a result of ANYTHING I heard or was asked to do in General Conference?" - Elder Holland

There is a place on the backside of the handouts for your "call to action" thoughts. These were passed out to all the sisters in all the auxiliaries and also sent in the newsletter if you'd like one.

Elder Holland asked - "What do these meetings do? Do they do any good at all?"

Sis Snow added, Faith works by words. Have you had your life changed by something someone said? It's all about hearing and doing. It's acting on the things we feel. 

Pres. Uchtdorf challenge us at Stake Conference to "Get Preach my Gospel and read chapter 3. Be your first convert." - How many of us have done that? 

We must have spiritual goals. Pres. Uchtdorf said, "Goals are a calm reassessment of how we spend our time. "

Pres. Murdock asked us to read in the handbook section 3.1. Have we done that? 

Did we follow that council? 

Pres. Gilliland said we need to daily strengthen WHO we are and WHOSE we are. We need to get the gospel in the hearts of the Saints. - That goes back to last weeks lesson again - church vs. gospel. 

She wrapped us her lesson by saying we need to ReCommit to move upward. We have all we need to do that.

Thank you Sister Snow for your enthusiasm and spirit. It was wonderful to hear so many comments from the sisters that were in attendance as well. 

- Sister Pyrah

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."