Relief Society Birthday Party

Come join us for this month's Relief Society Meeting.  We will be having our annual Relief Society birthday party.  It is going to be about favorite things.  See the flyer below and start thinking about what you are going to bring.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm with dinner and a nursery will be provided for those that need it.

Ft. Lauderdale Temple Open House Information

There is a great deal of information on the flyer attached below.  You can follow this link to learn more, as more information is available.

http://mormontemples.org/fortlauderdale  or  https://templeopenhouse.lds.org

There are many ways to view General Conference this weekend.

Broadcast Channels

Members are able to access conference content through many different channels. Here are a few:

• Conference.lds.org: Video and audio in 16 languages.
• Mormonchannel.org: Video and audio in English and Spanish.
• Mormon Channel mobile apps: Video and audio in English only.
• Mormon Channel YouTube: Video in English only.
• BYU.tv: Video and audio in English only.
• BYU.tv International: Video and audio in Spanish and Portuguese.
• Facebook.com/LDS: Video in English only.
• Mormon Channel on Roku: Video only in American Sign Language, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. (Search for general conference under the “Spiritual” category.)
• Local cable and radio stations make conference readily available. Visit www.bonneville.info for broadcast information or check local listings.

For the first time, the priesthood session of the upcoming general conference will be broadcast live on Saturday, October 5, on expanded channels, including LDS.org, the Mormon Channel, and BYU Television. However, where distances permit, the Church is encouraging priesthood holders to attend the general priesthood meeting at their local chapel. The meetinghouse broadcast represents an important tradition and is an especially uplifting experience for young men who hold the Aaronic Priesthood.

What Answers might you find in General Conference? Or what theme will you detect.

Many times we come away from conference feeling we received some answers to questions we may have been having to our life's struggles.  We also often feel there was a "theme" to general conference.  Did you know that the speakers do no coordinate their talks or receive what you would call approval for them.  Nor or they assigned a topic.  They do submit their talks for content and to be sure that subtitles can be typed ahead of time and things like that.

What answers might you find at conference?

This website suggests 7 themes you might find in conference?  I wonder if they will be right.  What did you discover?
http://www.thereturnedmissionary.com/7-things-to-look-for-in-general-conference/

For the First Time Ever - Priesthood Session can be watched at home LIVE

Priesthood Session, for the first time ever, can be watched at home Live

From LDS.org Newsroom:
As part of a continued effort to make general conference proceedings more accessible to members around the globe, the priesthood session will be shown live for the first time through expanded channels, including LDS.org, the Mormon Channel and BYUtv.

Priesthood Session to Be Broadcast Live for the First Time - Fox News article

LDS General Priesthood Session to Be Broadcast Live and Online for the First Time - Deseret News

Priesthood members are also welcome to attend the traditional broadcast at their local meetinghouses viewed by satellite.

2014 Church Curriculum Announced

Can you go digital?

There are many of us that have gone digital.  We bring our smartphones, iPads, and notebooks to church for our scriptures, Ensign articles etc. Can you do that for your Relief Society and Priesthood class, unless you are a teacher (or even if you are a teacher)?

Can you go digital in 2014 and save the ward and the church on curriculum expenditures?

See what LDS.org has to say about next year's curriculum.  (Coped from LDS.org)

Beginning on January 1, Church members worldwide will begin studying new curriculum for 2014. A link to the Instructions for Curriculum 2014 and the list of manuals for Melchizedek Priesthood, Relief Society, Primary, Sunday School, Young Men, and Young Women can be found online at lds.org/manual/2014.

Digital

Students and teachers are encouraged where possible to use digital versions of these materials, which can be found online at lds.org/manual and in the LDS Gospel Library mobile app.

Print

Before ordering, consider the following questions to help you avoid ordering more printed copies than needed:

·  How many printed copies of each item does your unit already have available?

·  How many teachers and members use digital versions of materials rather than printed copies?

Using Tools on LDS.org

After you sign into LDS.org using your LDSAccount, have you ever looked to see what "Tools" means next to your name?  There are a number of really neat things that you don't want to miss.  View the screen shot below and notice the white pop-up window under my name as I explain some of these features below the photo.

Maps - going on vacation and want to know what ward you can attend, type in the hotel address in maps.lds.org or from this link and it will tell you where and what time you can attend church.

Directory - View a ward directory, find out leadership information, view the stake directory, and when you view your own household information, you can even add photos, emails, and find membership record numbers for your family.

Calendar - This will tell you what is going on in your ward and stake and where it is happening.  Just subscribe to whatever calendars you want to view.  Very customizable.

Patriarchal Blessing - You can request a copy of your own patriarchal blessing or a copy of a direct ancestor.  Just fill in the request.

Mobile Applications - If you have a smartphone, find out what apps you can download here.

Newsletter - This is where you can find stake and ward newsletter items that have been posted.

Lesson Schedules - Want to know what is being taught in Relief Society or Primary, then click on this link and it will tell you the lesson and even give you a link to read it online.

Account Settings - update your LDS.org features.

RS Lesson - August 18

Lorenzo Snow Manual - Lesson 16: That We May Become One

Please take a moment to study the lesson and prepare spiritually for what is to be taught this week in Relief Society.

RS Lesson - August 11

You can click on the link to read the lesson, print it out, or have an audio of it to listen to. There are also a few videos that match the lesson material that you can watch online as well.

Lorenzo Snow Manual - Lesson 15: Faithful, Energetic Service in the Kingdom of God

Preparing for Stake Conference - August 24 & 25

We have a special opportunity this month to attend stake conference and in addition to hearing from our stake leadership we will also be able to hear from Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

We have been asked by the stake president to study the General Conference talks that he has given since he was called as a General Authority and to also read his short biography on lds.org.

To help you prepare for this, here are the links:
Biography Information
Elder D. Todd Christofferson Bio
Elder D. Todd Christofferson on Mormon Channel (Video)
Deseret News Bio
General Conference Talks
April 1993 - I Know in Whom I Have Trusted
October 1998 - The Priesthood Quorum
October 2000 - The Redemption of the Dead and The Testimony of Jesus Christ
October 2002 - That They May Be One In Us
April 2004 - When Thou Art Converted
October 2006 - Let Us Be Men
April 2008 - Born Again
October 2008 - Come to Zion
April 2009 - The Power of Covenants
October 2009 - Moral Discipline
April 2010 - The Blessing of Scripture
October 2010 - Reflections on a Consecrated Life
April 2011 - "As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten"
October 2011 - The Divine Gift of Repentance
April 2012 - The Doctrine of Christ
October 2012 - Brethren, We Have Work To Do
April 2013 - Redemption
Additional Talks
January 2011 - CES Fireside Address - Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
January 2009 - BYU-I Address - Always Remember Him

RS Sunday Lesson - August 4

This month our focus is on the theme of Choice and Accountability.  In the Young Women's Personal Progress program, the color for this value is orange.  The first Sunday lesson will be on this topic.

Here are some links to Choice and Accountability:
Be an example of the believers
Agency and Accountability
195 Dresses
Why do the Choices I make Matter?
Video - The 3 R's of Choice

LDS Cannery policy is evolving

Please read the LDS Newsroom article found at this link for more information.

I went to the LDS Food Storage facility in Plant City on May 8, 2013 and they only had a few bulk bags of product left.  All other product was already canned and in boxes.  I was worried that I would have to hurry and buy what they had before it was all gone, but that wasn't the case.

I believe this change will actually be to our benefit.  You arrive and purchase your product already canned.  No need to buy the empty cans, buy the product, seal the cans, label the cans, and then box the cans.  All of that work is already done for you and the cost is the same.  The cans, the box etc are already calculated into the cost of the product.  I think this is going to be so much easier for more people to obtain their 3-month or years supply, because you just go and buy your various products and don't have to worry about preparing it or if you know how to properly use the canner etc.  I was also told that 4 new product types will be available by November.  They are actually increasing their variety.