Blessings from Bethlehem

Dallas 4th R.S. invites you to a progressive dinner.

Tuesday
December 1st
7:00 PM
(meet at 6:30 at the church for car pooling)

Appetizers at Doerk residence
Main Course at Newcum residence
Dessert at Herzog residence

If you signed up to bring food, PLEASE TAKE IT TO THE APPROPRIATE HOUSE BEFORE 7:00 PM.

For addresses, directions, and a map, see your invitation passed out in Relief Society.

**If you have not signed up for something, please bring either a side dish or main dish to Sister Newcum's home.

From Thanksgiving to Blessings

As I sit here on this Tuesday evening, it is hard to believe our Relief Society Christmas Progressive Dinner - "Blessings from Bethlehem" - is next week! Yikes! Where does time go and how do I "catch it"? I feel that I barely have time to be "Thanksgiving grateful" before it is time to celebrate, rejoice, and be "Christmas cheerful".
THEN -
I check myself as I am grousing about an abundance of riches. I get to eat and be with family and eat and be with friends (all of you) and eat and celebrate the greatest birth of all and eat and enjoy great music and eat some more.
SO-
"COME What May (Dec 1st "Blessings from Bethlehem"; Ward Christmas Party Dec 4th; Stake Christmas Concert Dec 5th; First Presidency Christmas Fireside Dec 6th) AND LOVE IT"!!

Running for Our Lives

My sister is in the Dallas Stake, and today at their stake conference a man shared a story that I thought was too good not to pass along.

This man gave a really good talk recounting his time living as a boy in Germany. He was born thirteen years prior to World War II. He told of his upbringing as a Hitler Youth and how, in his home, his parents taught him that they were not the superior race--that God loves all of his children equally (he was not Mormon at this time). He then was sent to Czechoslovakia to attend a military school.

One weekend he was ice skating on a lake, but fell in where the ice had thinned out. He fell into water up to his waist. As he lay on the cold snow, his wet clothes literally freezing to his body, a man on a sleigh approached him. He was sure that the man would put him on the sleigh, wrapping him up in the warm furs he had with him, but instead the man made him hold onto the back of the sleigh and run behind it into town, about a two or three mile run.

At the time he did not understand why he was having to run, but he later learned that running is what saved his life. Had he been wrapped up in the furs on the sleigh he would have frozen to death, but by running he kept his blood circulating, and it kept him alive.

This is much like when we pray to Heavenly Father. After we have fallen through thin ice and are freezing, our Heavenly Father has the warm furs to wrap us up in, but instead He makes us run; He makes us run to save our lives. It's hard and not fun at all, but when we finally return to Him, we will be a stronger, better person, and we will be saved. Heavenly Father makes us run to preserve our lives, to keep us moving until it's time to meet Him again.

We want you . . .

to turn in those recipes!

Temple Month & Family History

With the reminder that November is Temple Month for our Relief Society, I'd like to share a few quotes that remind me why I love family history so much:

"We gather these records to identify our ancestors. We identify our ancestors so that we may perform for them the saving ordinances of the gospel in holy temples dedicated to that purpose. It is our responsibility, given to us by the Lord, to help redeem all those of our Father's children who have lived and died without receiving the sacred ordinances of the gospel—yet all have the opportunity to accept or reject the ordinances performed in their behalf. "
-- Elder David B. Haight

In this Church we are not hobbyists in genealogy work. We do family history work in order to provide the ordinances of salvation for the living and the dead. “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” (Third Article of Faith)
-- Elder Dallin H. Oaks

And finally a finger wag:

"We must disabuse our minds of the idea that merely ‘going to the temple' discharges our full responsibility, because it does not. That is not enough. … "God holds each of us responsible for saving our own kindred—specifically our own. (Elder Mark E. Peterson)

Call me (Sister Glatz) if I can help you get started with your family history.

Please Send Recipes!!

I know we keep bugging you for your recipes. But that's because the deadline is this weekend!!! Please send in your recipes so you can be included in our ward Recipe Book!
Here's what we have so far:
Appetizer: 5
Beverage: 0
Bread: 8
Breakfast: 6
Dessert: 22
Dip/Sauce: 6
Main Dish: 15
Salad: 8
Side Dish: 10
Soup: 13
Snack: 1
(Total: 93)

We've received recipes from 44 sisters so far. Way to go!!! We've got 61 more sisters who need to submit a recipe.

So if you've already given a recipe, THANK YOU! (Now can you make sure the sisters you visit teach have sent one in to?)

Mosiah 18:9

This has been a sad week for the Dallas 4th Ward as we mourn the death of Jeff Martin and what it means to Paula Martin and their children. They have been members of this ward for many years. Jeff fainted, broke a leg as a result, and within hours died in the emergency room of the hosptial. It was very sudden (ask Bonnie Muir to explain it!) and Paula is left with a whole new set of details. The funeral, this Saturday at 11am - Stake Center, will happen and then Paula will be alone to figure out what it all means. In Mosiah 18:9, we are told to "mourn with those that mourn and comfort those who need comforting". The immediate details of this sudden death will occupy Paula's time and emotions for the moment. BUT, the following weeks ahead are when she will need a visit, a phone call, or a kind note in the mail. Mourning someone is a process and comforting them is a process too - over time. I hope we will be there for Paula in the months ahead.
Here is her contact information:
Paula Martin
7905 LaCosa Dr. Dallas 75248
972-960-0404

The Soul Connection

We had such a great time yesterday as we had an opportunity to share our testimonies with one another and share a wonderful meal offered by Kathy Smith. The spirit was felt by everyone present and we are looking forward to many meetings like this one with many more people. Please help find other sisters that are missing in our group. As we share our experiences we can grow together as daughters of God.

We will be contacting you soon with information on our next meeting. Please contact Magda @ shemagez@hotmail.com with any suggestions or questions regarding these meetings.

Special Requests

We received a special request of specific recipes from some sisters for our recipe book.

I'd love to have Christie Pyne's toffee, M.K. Tanner's cheese ball, Karen Armstrong's queso, Bonnie Muir's baked beans/easy chili, Jeanne Grant's "staple" cookie recipe, and Ruth Hale's baked beans

SWINE FLU PRECAUTIONS

Sisters - My son is a Head, Nose and Throat Doctor, and he shares the following with all his patients regarding the ability to prevent Swine Flu.


The H1N1 like other influenza A viruses, only infects the upper respiratory tract and proliferates only there. The portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. It is almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of precautions. While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps can be practiced:


1. Frequent hand-washing.


2. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water, H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.


3. Clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. You should blow you nose hard once a day and swab both nostrils with a Q-tip dipped in warm salt water - which is very effective in bringing down viral population.


4. Drink as much warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.


All these simple ways to prevent are within the means of most households. While talking with my son, he had read a lot of information from available sources to help his patients, and I thought they were simple and worthwhile to pass on to all of you

Book Discussion

Have you ever loved anything so much that it became an obsession? You know, like a favorite song or a favorite food? Well, once upon a time there was this man who loved books too much. In fact, he loved them so much that he couldn't live without them. And because he couldn't live without books, he stole them. But there was another man who also loved books. He collected and sold books in Salt Lake City. And when the first man stole books from the second man, their worlds collided. Come learn about what happened to these two men at our next book discussion.

The League of Extraordinary Readers would love to have YOU join their exploration of these two men and the moral compasses that guide them.

This Thursday, November 5th

7:30pm

Jeanne Grant's home