This Sunday's Lesson

Hello sisters! This Sunday's lesson will be based on excerpts from Daughters In My Kingdom, so if you have a copy of the manual at home, please bring it to Relief Society this Sunday! You can also find the manual online, here. 

We look forward to seeing you bright and early!

Love,

The RS Presidency

Lesson Recap: We Are Women of God

We had a great lesson today by Mary Harris that focused on two talks given by Sister Sheri L. Dew: We Are Women of God and Are You The Woman I Think You Are? 

It is so ennobling and wonderful for us as women to be able to participate in the gospel and be Women of God. Here's an awesome quote from the latter talk: 

This is a day when the adversary has launched an all-out attack against womanhood, because he knows—he absolutely knows—that the influence of a righteous woman is enormous and that it spans generations. He would have us be disinterested in marriage and motherhood, confused by the world’s view of men and women, too harried by the pace of life to really live the gospel and to let it penetrate our souls. At all costs, he wants to keep us at arm’s length from Jesus Christ. For if we don’t come unto Christ, meaning that we never turn our lives over to Him, we will go through our probation here on our own rather than experiencing what the Savior promised when He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

And, from the former: 

It is by letting the world go and coming unto Christ that we increasingly live as women of God. We were born for eternal glory. Just as faithful men were foreordained to hold the priesthood, we were foreordained to be women of God. We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who rejoice in motherhood and in womanhood and in the family. We are not panicked about perfection, but we are working to become more pure. And we know that in the strength of the Lord we can do all righteous things because we have immersed ourselves in His gospel.

Have an awesome Sunday evening ladies!

Upcoming Lesson: April 14

Hello Sisters!

This Sunday's lesson will be given by the lovely Mary Harris. The lesson will be based on the talk "We are Women of God" by Sheri Dew. In preparation for this lesson Mary has asked that you read it and ask yourself these questions:

What is my heart set on (as evidenced by my daily activities)?

How do I live as a Woman of God each day?

What are some things that I personally can do to come out of the world and come closer to Christ?

We love you sisters and hope that you have a wonderful end-of-the-week!

The RS Presidency

Upcoming Lesson: March 24

Hello Sisters!

This Sunday's lesson will be taught by the amazing Ashley Wood! Her lesson will be based on the General Conference talk by Elder Bednar: Converted Unto the Lord (October 2012). She has asked that you read over the talk and ponder on these two questions:

1. What are the differences between testimony and conversion?

2. What are some experiences that helped you become converted to the Gospel?

Please take the time to read and ponder over this message and come prepared to teach and be taught by the Spirit, by our wonderful sisters, and instructor! :) We love you!

The RS Presidency

Upcoming Sunday Lesson

Hello Sisters!

This Sunday's lesson will be taught by the fabulous Meggie Highland! Her lesson will be taken from October 2012's General Conference address by Elder Holland, "The First Great Commandment". She has requested that you watch or listen to this talk to get the full effect :) 

As always, please take time to ponder the message and to come to class prepared to ask questions, comment, and be taught by the Spirit. Remember, the depth of our preparation determines the depth of our understanding!

We love you and have a great week!

The RS Presidency 

Upcoming Lesson: February 23

This week's RS lesson will be from the October 2012 General Conference address by Elder L. Tom Perry, "Becoming Goodly Parents". The instructor will be our very own Relief Society President, Mary Harris! Please read over the talk (or watch/listen to it) and come with questions, comments, and insights you have gained as you studied this topic.

Lesson Recap: Continuing to Advance in the Principles of Truth

Our lesson yesterday was from the Lorenzo Snow manual and taught by the lovely Morgan Heyland on lifelong conversion. We had a great discussion on things we can do to stay converted throughout our lives. Good ideas to do this included not just reading, but pondering our scriptures; praying for our own testimony of the gospel; and building on that testimony through our works, including by service and fulfilling our callings.

You can find the lesson in the online manual, here. 

RS Lesson - February 17

This week's Relief Society lesson will be on Chapter 3 from the Lorenzo Snow manual-- Lifelong Conversion: Continuing to Advance in the Principles of Truth. Our teacher for this lesson will be Morgan Heyland. She has requested that you read over the lesson and ponder on these questions:

1. Think back on your life. When/how did you gain a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
2. President Snow said that gaining a testimony is "a very good starting point for a Latter-day Saint". Why is a testimony only a starting point--not a final destination?
3. What does it mean to become converted?

Please take time to read the lesson, ponder on these questions, and come ready to share thoughts and promptings you received while studying. See you on Sunday!

Lesson Recap: Brethren, We Have Work to Do

This Sunday's lesson was taught by Ashley Wood on the talk Brethren, We Have Work to Do by Elder  D. Todd. Christofferson. What a great lesson, and a great topic for further thought! It's always refreshing to hear positive things about the men in our lives, and I gain a new appreciation for the hard work and dedication they show to us as wives and mothers.

You can find the talk here. 

Lesson Recap: Children by Neil L. Andersen

This past Sunday, we had a great lesson by Mary Harris on the talk “Children” by Neil L. Andersen from the October 2011 General Conference. Here are some highlights from the lesson and our class discussion:

• The commandment to multiply and replenish the earth is still in force.
• Children need to come to earth.
• Mothers and fathers have distinct roles in the raising of their children.
• The decision on when to have children, how many, etc. is between the husband and wife and the Lord.
• Motherhood is a calling.
• Those who cannot enjoy blessings of parenthood on earth will enjoy all of these blessings in the eternities.
• We need to trust in the Lord’s timing, and remember his plan for us the best and will make us happiest.
• Be open to the answers to prayers we receive. This helps remove fear.
• Fasting and attending the temple are good ways to receive revelation.
• We must be united with our spouse.

Resources

• The Family: A Proclamation to the World
• Children by Neil L. Andersen

Lesson Recap: Bringing Up Children in Light and Truth

 

Today in Relief Society we had a wonderful lesson by Bonnie Cox from the manual, Chapter 22: Bringing Up Children in Light and Truth. Here are some highlights from the message she prepared and our discussion:

• The best place for children to learn is the home.
• The best way we can teach our children is by our own example.
• It’s so important we spend time with our children, because these are precious moments we won’t get back.
• Ways that we can teach our children include controlling the media (movies, TV, music, etc) that enter our home and encouraging good habits (such as reading good books).
• Family Home Evening is an important way for us to teach our children the truths of the gospel. Some suggestions for making FHE more meaningful include planning it out and lovingly encouraging our husbands to participate and preside.

That the Lost May Be Found

I’m catching up on our lesson summaries so here is one from a couple weeks ago.

Julia taught a great lesson on Elder Ballard’s talk That the Lost May Be Found. (I have to tell you how much I love our RS lessons. The teachers are always the best and everyone has really great comments!)

Here are some of my notes from the lesson:

Benefits of marriage (as opposed to living together):

• Higher Satisfaction
• Sense of security
• Develop divine attributes
• Economic well-being

Benefits of having children in marriage:

• Stable environment
• Right amount of attention
• Children have an example of what marriage should be
• Teaches children how to interact
• We can be example to the world how families can be

Families working and playing

• When children are teenagers, limit time spent with friends. Have them spend time with the family and it helps with rebellion. (This was a comment from one of the sister’s mother.)
• Have wholesome recreational activities
• Teach Self Reliance
• By working and playing together you open opportunities for communication.
• Spend time serving in the community.

Put things in the perspective of the home. Outside activities should increase the strength of the home not pull it apart.

Scripture Power

Last week our lesson was on Chapter 10: The Scriptures, The Most Valuable Library in the World. We had a great discussion on the scriptures and how to make them a better part of our lives. Here are some of the wonderful ideas that were shared:

Scripture Videos –Help children learn the stories. You can buy scripture DVD, find them at the library or even short videos produced by the church. Click the link to find Book of Mormon Stories and New Testament Stories.

Memorize Scriptures – Pick a scripture a month to memorize.

Include children in scripture study – Use signals for phrases that young children can remember (http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/in-tune-with-the-music-of-faith?lang=eng)

Focus on smaller sections of scriptures  - Don’t feel like you need to read an entire chapter

Decorate your home with scriptures -  For example: http://media-cache5.pinterest.com/upload/33073378483070883_4Krwom5e.jpg 

Read scriptures with visitors to your home

Act out the scriptures – Make it fun!

Ask questions for each member of the family – Help them to apply the scriptures and understand the principles.