Opportunities to Do Good

President Henry B. Eyring proclaims a clarion call to all Latter-day Saints to renew and strengthen our commitment to act by helping those in need. In his talk entitled "Opportunities to Do Good" from April 2011 General Conference, he reminds us that the Lord's way to help those in temporal need requires people who out of love have consecrated themselves and what they have to God and His work. The Lord loves His children in need and also those who want to help.

He has invited and commanded us to participate in His work to lift up those in need. We make a covenant to do that in the waters of baptism and in the holy temples of God. We renew the covenant on Sundays when we partake of the sacrament.

President Eyring shared a timely quote by Melvin J. Ballard when he said, "A person cannot give a crust to the Lord without receiving a loaf in return." When we are generous to Heavenly Father's children in need, He is generous to us.

Come and celebrate this season of giving as you reflect on this lesson about serving to enable you to join in a discussion on how to draw your family into this great work of service. We are scripturally commanded to seek out the poor. How do we find those in need? Your preparation and thoughts on this lesson will enhance our learning experience as we teach each other gospel principles of truth.

Debra Newcum
RS President

"But If Not..."

On Sunday, we will be discussing Elder Dennis E. Simmons' talk from April 2004 General Conference, "But If Not...". Elder Simmons reminds us of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego's refusal to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's golden idol. He teaches that when Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw them into the fiery furnace, furiously demanding, "And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" (Daniel 3:15):

The three young men quickly and confidently responded, "If it be so [if you cast us into the furnace], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand." ... But then they demonstrated that they fully understood what faith is. They continued, "But if not, ... we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Daniel 3:17-18, emphasis added). That is a statement of true faith.

What is true faith? Do we have this kind of faith in God? Do we trust Him, even when things don't turn out the way we hope they will, or think they should? On Sunday we will discuss true faith and what we can do to develop it, so that when we face challenges, we are able to say, "Our God will deliver us, but if not ... we will trust in the Lord."

Visiting Teaching Conference

We had a wonderful Visiting Teaching Conference during Relief Society yesterday. Thanks so much to all those who participated and helped with this, especially to the Priesthood Brethren who took over Primary and Young Women's so that we could all be together.

Click HERE if you would like to review and rewatch the talk we shared yesterday, "Visiting Teaching: Beyond Statistics" by Sister Mary Ellen Edmunds.

Visiting Teaching Conference

Don't forget that this coming Sunday will be our Visiting Teaching Conference. All of the sisters in the ward will meet together during the third hour in the Institute Room. We are very thankful for the priesthood brethren who will be teaching the Primary and Young Women so we can all be together for this!

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

Charity Never Faileth

In speaking to the Relief Society sisters of the church in September of 2010, President Monson stated, "I have always loved your Relief Society motto: "Charity never faileth." What is charity? The prophet Mormon teaches us that "charity is the pure love of Christ." In his farewell message to the Lamanites, Moroni declared, "Except ye have charity ye can nowise be saved in the kingdom of God." Throughout the scriptures we are exhorted to obtain this spiritual gift. Why is it so vital? What can we do to "wear the mantle of charity"? I can't wait to hear your thoughts! I love you, and look forward to meeting with you this Sunday.

Love,
Sister Stoddard

Safety for the Soul

"The Book of Mormon is no ordinary book.

It was translated from gold plates which were delivered to Joseph Smith by an angel of God. It was translated by the gift and power of God. Oliver Cowdery, who was the scribe, said, "I wrote, with my own pen, the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages,) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph Smith as he translated it ... by means of the Urim and Thummim." (Millennial Star 21 [1859]:544.)

It gives an account of Christ's visit to the people of this continent. It corroborates and complements the Bible. It establishes the truth of the Bible. The central theme of the Book of Mormon concerns Jesus Christ and his mission. It is for the convincing of the Jews and the gentiles that Jesus is the Christ." ("The Book of Mormon", James A. Cullimore 1976)

This Sunday we  will be discussing the talk, "Safety for the Soul", by Elder Holland from the October 2009 General Conference. This is one of my all-time favorite talks. The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion, and our testimonies must be unwavering, especially in times of difficulty. Sisters, the Book of Mormon is powerful. It is the word of God. It changes lives. Has it changed your life?

Kristi Chesnut

You Matter to Him!

"Sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love. God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season -- He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him."

I LOVE that quote by Elder Uchtdorf. I want to give you an assignment for this Sunday. Please ponder and choose a scripture that speaks to you of the love that our Father in Heaven has for you personally. Be prepared to share your scripture and why it is meaningful to you. I am so grateful for each one of you, and I will appreciate the opportunity to share our testimonies of His love when we meet together.

See you Sunday,
Sister Stoddard

O BE WISE!

I avidly read the newspaper and anything else I can get my hands on. I, like most of you, have followed the weather "trauma" events and the death of Osama bin Laden and then who would have thought that the price of gasoline would reach 4$ a gallon. Amazing.
It is so easy to get swept away with the currents of daily life in 2011. They are swift for sure.
I was thinking of this and all I have to do today, and opened my scriptures to where I am right now in the Book Of Mormon - Jacob 6. I had just read the allegory given by the prophet Zenos the night before so I started with Chapter 6 this morning and was "convicted" again of how much I love the Lord and this great book given to us for US in this latter day.
Jacob reminded me of what was truly important. He tells of the purpose of this earth and that the Lord knows the end from the beginning. In fact, he says, at the conclusion of his prophesies and pleadings (Jacob 6:12) - "O BE WISE!... what can I say more?"
I have another bright sunny May morning to add to my list of blessings. I MUST be wise in how I use my time and energies. I must focus on the end game - which for me - is to live with my Heavenly Father (and all of you) again. Much is happening in the world around me. But I am the boss of what I do with the world WITHIN me. I must be wise!

Redemptive Nature of Life - Easter!

I was sorting dirty clothes to wash and so I was bending and lifting - and then - I felt a wave of gratitude.
Last year at this time I had been recovering from open heart surgery. I had this 8 inch incision down the front of my body and it affected all my movements for months to come. Bending and lifting anything would make me wince in pain and break out into a sweat.
Yet slowly my body began to heal and restore itself in an amazing way. And despite the seriousness of the surgery or the recovery, here I am at 59 years old, bending and lifting just as I had years before.
The Lord has blessed me with a body that would heal - almost on its own! Then the question comes to me, am I taking the time to heal my Spirit that is housed by this body? The healing of my spirit body is my responsibility. The atonement is in place for me, but the healing is not automatic as the cells in my physical body.
I love Easter. I need to be reminded that as much as I need a yearly physical, I need to take a personal "spiritual" physical of how healthy I am as an endowed daughter of God.
Happy Easter! See you all this Sunday.
**Just a note: Our own "Neal Maxwell" Karen Bateman will be speaking this Sunday for Easter!

What Could Possibly Happen in Dallas?

We had a great group attend the 72 Hour/Preparedness Class last night at Kim Adair's home. We couldn't answer the question - What might happen in Dallas ? But Kim had so many ideas for us, about how to prepare ourselves, our children, our pets if anything did happen! In the Dallas 4th Ward, we have such a wonderful resource in Kim, who has literally spent her married life, assessing Preparedness needs for her family and slowly acquiring them.

A month ago, we took a written survey in Relief Society, and 40% of families had 72 hour kits for each person, 55% had a 3 months supply of food, and 60% had a water supply for 72 hours (which is 1 gallon per day, per person).

One idea from last night, is not only do we need to put a 72 hour kit together, but how you pack it, is also important. The first thing at the top or in a side pocket should be a light source - a small led flashlight is great to put in a side pocket, so you will be able to find the rest of the contents in the dark. - maybe a small poncho next in case the emergency is weather related. Just thinking through varies scenarios, helps you to plan your 72 hour kit packing so it is less stressful for you. There are a variety of good dense protein foods/bars for your kit. They should be together in a sealable bag, so they can be more easily rotated every six months - Conference weekends would be a good time to rotate.

Kim always makes a fun treat from her storage, last night it was Chocolate Ice Cream, from her Chocolate powdered milk - She also gave everyone there a "Party Favor" which we could choose from rain ponchos, light bulbs, hand warmers, and bottled water. It was a fun, informative party!

Jonah and Me

I am always in the habit of trying to "liken" the scriptures unto me. I had an experience with this during our hail storm last Thursday night.
I had not watched the weather and was unaware of what might be coming our way. I was preparing for bed when the winds, lightening, rain, and amazing amounts of hail started to pound on our "1970's quality" windows. I could not even figure out the direction of the storm as all of the windows on all sides of the house were getting pounded. We live behind an open field and the wind was gusting so hard I was worried we could lose our fence.
Being a brave pioneer sort, I huddled in the hall with my ears covered repeatedly praying or asking David if the worst had passed.
My mind, somehow, went to Jonah. You remember the story of how Jonah did not want to preach to the people in Nineveh so he boarded a ship and a fierce storm came up and the sailors tried to fight for the safety of the ship and did not want to throw Jonah over - and Jonah had to plead with them to do so.
It was humbling for me to think that I might not have had a second thought about throwing Jonah overboard if it meant quieting the storm.
It all gives me pause and once again, I hope I am who I want to be in the best of times and the worst of times. It was one of my "good to know" moments!

General Conference 2011

Conference is over but I am still carrying such a sweet feeling of peace from the great talks given.
Anyone have a favorite yet???

"cause the heavens to shake"

In preparing for this general conference (April 2&3; 11-1pm/3-5pm both days), I am reminded of the prophecy given to Joseph Smith recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-6.
"Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God shall disperse the powers of darkness from before you, AND CAUSE THE HEAVENS TO SHAKE FOR YOUR GOOD, and his name's glory."
What an amazing promise is given to those of us who will listen and give heed to a prophet's words! How I would love to see powers of darkness recede and disperse and what does it mean for the heavens to SHAKE for my good!
I love this gospel.

SPRING in our Step!

It is officially Spring! The days will include more "light". I enjoy all the seasons and the changes that come with them. But Spring is the season with all the possibilities. Spring brings Mother's Day and Easter and General Conference. We have March Madness (or March Sadness as I call it as my brackets always do so poorly!)
With the change in weather, we can get out and exercise or start a garden or plant some flowers or open some windows and air out the house.
Spring spells a time of movement as the weather begs us to get out of our house and habits and be part of all that is living and alive.
What are your goals for Spring?

Wear GREEN, and PRAY for Japan!

I grew up with a father (whom I loved very much) that was terminally ill for much of my childhood. At times, he was near death and silly things like remembering to wear green on St. Patrick's Day so one would not get "pinched" did not make much sense to me.
Yet as I have grown up, I have appreciated the perspective these experiences have given me.
I read about the awful crisis in Japan and wonder what I can DO for them. I am so mindful of what it feels like to live "at the edge" of all that used to be a normal life.
There must be balance in this second estate for us. We must have faith, hope, and charity. Those divine attributes remind me that FAITH and HOPE come in the form of looking to the small and simple events (such as St. Patrick's Day) AND having CHARITY for the Japanese(and all who suffer) in my prayers and checkbook.
Balance is learning how to appreciate one without forgetting the other!

A Fond Farewell

We want to wish a fond farewell to those sisters who have recently moved from our ward:

Heather Mignani, who served in Primary
K.C. White, who served in Primary
Melanie Ralston, who served in Young Women
Ann Cox-Miller, who was in our ward only a short while

We wish each of these sisters the very best in their new wards.

Heart to Heart

I have taped the 2009 Relief Society General Conference. Several of you commented that you missed the opportunity to see it last Saturday. Let me know and I will schedule a time when we can watch it at my home. I know we all appreciate how important it is to listen/view/understand what the Lord would have us do at this point in our earthly life. AND, always remember you are seen and loved here in the Dallas 4th Ward!

We ARE Friends

In studying the Relief Society lesson for this Sunday, Chapter 40 in the Joseph Smith manual, I came upon a great poem by an unknown author-

"I saw him once, he stood a moment there,

He spoke a word that laid his spirit bare.

He grasped my hand then passed beyond my ken-

But what I was, I shall not be again."

We are constantly given opportunities, by the Lord through this church organization, to rub shoulders, socialize (remember Super Saturday on Sept 19th!!!), serve, and become friends. Since I have had this calling, and have rubbed shoulders with many of you, I feel I will not ever be the same again. I am better because I have you as my friends!

FREE FUN!

It is the end of the summer, but, we are always "up" for free fun when it comes to raising our families. The Dallas Morning News offers a web link named GuideLive.com that will give you (mother or grandmother) many free children's events to help a family with small children stay entertained till the Halloween candy hits the streets. Check it out!