General Conference Countdown: Why Conference Matters

Delicious Recipes!

We loved seeing you all at our "Pursue Your Sacred Birthright" event on September 17th. We wanted to share with you some of the recipes we dined on that evening. Recipes after the jump. Enjoy!

Are You a Teacher?

"Are you a teacher?" the woman in the drive thru line asked me as she handed me food. I told her that I was a veterinarian, not a teacher. She was probably referencing my new bumper sticker from our homeschool organization that reads, "We heart to learn." As I drove away, I realized that this should have been answered in the affirmative. Yes, I am a teacher. We are a homeschool family and we take every opportunity we have to learn about God and His creation. One practical way to accomplish this goal this year is made possible by our very own Catherine Morphis. She has combined her love of fitness and her love of charity to bring us an event called the Thanks Giving Hope Run. Through this 5K fun run, we will have the opportunity to teach our kids the real meaning of Thanksgiving. Helping our brothers and sisters in Haiti achieve their goals for education is one of the missions of the Thanks Giving Hope Run. An added bonus is that we will be able to exercise and enjoy fellowship. If we are intentional, this could become a great missionary opportunity for the entire family. Please go to www.thanksgivinghope.com to sign up for the race and invite some friends along!

Rachel Roark

October 2013 Calendar

October is upon us! Here's our calendar for this month!

Do What You Can Do

Marriage: Watch and Learn

Can we build a marriage that is lasting and endures to the end by following an example, by watching other couples? Yes, we can learn so much by watching and considering what we have seen and implementing it into our own lives. Elder L. Whitney Clayton shared in his conference talk "Marriage: Watch and Learn", five principles as a patter that builds happy, holy marriages. On Sunday we will discuss each principle and take a look at our own marriages -- see how we can improve them. "And they were married, and given in marriage, and were blessed according to the multitude of the promises which the Lord had made unto them." 4 Nephi 1:11.

Marcia Lindley

It is Glorious and Beautiful!

Rushing around to get to the temple is not the ideal way to attend, but it is better than not going at all. Add in time lost for renting some missing temple clothes and the mad shuffle to hide a run in my stocking and let's just say that my mood was less reverent than it should have been. Wet hair straight out of the shower coupled with no makeup left me feeling quite bedraggled as I zipped into the endowment session at the absolute last possible minute. The tall temple attendant with what I assumed to be an Australian accent performed her part of the ceremony and then declared, "You are beautiful!" Now, I don't know if she had just decided to tell everyone today that they were beautiful, or if that comment was solely for me. Either way, as I sat in the session, my mind began to reflect upon the beauty of the Creation of this Earth for us. If the Earth is beautiful because it was created by the Lord, then it follows that I am beautiful because I am also created by the Lord. This week as we enjoy the dropping temperatures and tiny breezes, let us remember to give thanks to the Creator for all we experience.

Rachel Roark

All That She Had

Visiting Teaching Reminder

Dear sisters,

With only 8 days remaining in September, I encourage you to please visit with the sisters assigned to you if you have not already done so. Let's get in touch, show love, service and concern, as we have been asked to do. What great opportunities we have to bless the lives of our sisters, thereby feeling a sweet spirit as we do so. Remember, please report to your VT supervisor promptly, and supervisors, I look forward to receiving your reports as soon after the first of the month as possible.

Thank you,

Sister Medaris

"That We May Become One"

The Lord said, "If ye are not one ye are not mine." The prophet Joseph Smith said, "If you want to be a Zion people, we must have hearts united." President Lorenzo Snow said, "When we are united in the gospel, the Lord shows the world His character through us."

Please read Lesson 16 in the Lorenzo Snow manual, "That We May Become One". Who is our exemplar? Certainly it is Jesus Christ in His love and devotion to our Heavenly Father, His plan of salvation and the atoning sacrifice which He performed because of His love for not only His Heavenly Father, but for us.

Where must we be united? The gospel? Our families? Our ward family? Bishoprics? Auxiliary presidencies? Missionary companionships? Performing service, as a church to our community? As a Relief Society? As a Priesthood Quorum? As a Laurel presidency? Certainly the list goes on and on.

Let's discuss Sunday how we accomplish a unity of purpose, in all these capacities, so that the Lord will accept our offerings.

With love,
Karen Bateman

General Conference is Coming!

Tonight! Pursue Your Sacred Birthright

Tonight is our RS/YW activity, "Pursue Your Sacred Birthright". Please join us at the church at 7:00 p.m. to spend a wonderful evening together. We can't wait to see you there!

Bright as Your Faith

Faithful, Energetic Service in the Kingdom of God

Lorenzo Snow Lesson #15

Faith is a principle of action and power. Whenever we work toward a worthy goal, we exercise faith. We show our hope for something that we cannot yet see. Energy is the ability to be active. It is also natural enthusiasm and effort. When we serve faithfully and energetically, we are being active in building the Kingdom of God. What we may not see immediately is how our service is making a difference. "Knowing our religion to be true we ought to be the most devoted people on the face of the earth to the cause we have embraced." We will discuss on Sunday how we can better recognize our membership responsibilities, find joy in our service and be strengthened as we do these things with devotion and a smile on our faces.

Erin Hayes

Darkness Cannot Stand

Count Your Blessings

General Relief Society Meeting - September 28

His Grace is Sufficient

Dear Sisters,

This Sunday we are discussing the talk "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox. It was given at BYU as a devotional in July of 2011, and is also in this month's Ensign. Contemplate the following:

"The grace of Christ is sufficient -- sufficient to cover our debt, sufficient to transform us, and sufficient to help us as long as that transformative process takes."

We learn in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 2:8) that we are to "rely solely on the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah", and as we do, we discover that "Jesus doesn't make up the difference, Jesus makes all the difference" and that "Grace is not about filling gaps, it is about filling us." I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and for the gift of grace that blesses my life daily. How have you been saved by grace? How have you been changed by grace? Please come ready to share your insights on this enabling power we call His amazing grace.

See you Sunday!

Love, Sister Stoddard

10 Ways You & Your Family Can Assist the Missionaries

Catch the Wave of Missionary Service!

The "Willing and Brief" Invitation

Today, President and Sister Durrant taught us the "Willing and Brief" Invitation approach to doing member missionary work. President Durrant challenged us to try out this pattern during the next six weeks (until Stake Conference on October 13) so that he can present the results of our efforts to the stake in an effort to encourage more member missionary work. We hope you will join us as we pray for missionary moments and chances to use this approach over the coming weeks!

The "Willing and Brief" Invitation -- Simple, Safe, and Easy

• Would you be WILLING to listen to a BRIEF presentation about ________________? Fill the blank with "my church," "my religion," "Jesus Christ," "the Book of Mormon," etc.
• Let them know the presentation will be given by two ________________ missionaries in their home. Fill the blank with "excellent," "fantastic," "diligent," "wonderful," etc.

4 Easy Steps

1. Prepare and pray for opportunities to share the gospel and for the vision to recognize the opportunities when they come.
2. Talk with nice people (family/friends, acquaintances, strangers). Have normal conversations with them and if the topic of religion (in any of its many forms) is mentioned, proceed to the next step.
3. Invite using the "Willing and Brief" invitation.
4. Gather their contact information when they say, "Yes" -- name, phone number, and address. If the answer is "No," continue your normal conversation. Give the contact information directly to the missionaries or contact the local mission office (Texas Dallas Mission) or submit the information at mormon.org.