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.

Free Mother's Day eBook from Deseret Book

Deseret Book is offering a free eBook called LDS Living - Best of Mothers.  Click on the title or book cover to download it.

RS Lesson - May 5

This month our theme is Individual Worth.  Lori Heller will be teaching the lesson on Sunday.  Please find below a few links for you to read and ponder prior to the lesson to help you prepare to participate.

From http://www.isthisreallymylife.com/2013/01/lds-young-women-printables-individual-worth/

Individual Worth from the Personal Progress Booklet

Individual Worth video shorts from LDS.org

Recognizing our Individual Worth from the Young Women Manual

The Sanctity of Womanhood, Richard G. Scott, General Conference, April 2000

Doctrine and Covenants 18:10

Family Home Evening Lesson on Individual Worth

RS Lesson - April 28

We will be having a "Teachings for Our Time Lesson" this week.  It is from October 2012 General Conference.  This is President Monson's Talk titled Consider the Blessings.

"Our Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance."

What blessings have you had in your life?  Have you been a blessing in someone else's life because you acted on a prompting?  

Garden Party Follow up

We had a nice intimate group who attended our garden party RS meeting last night.  As a follow up I wanted to post some links that many of you were interested in.

How to regrow store-bought celery
Never purchase green onions again - regrow them in water
Zone 9 - Planting schedule (know what to plant and when)
Hillsborough County Extension Service - Planting Calendars (Use Central Florida version)
Gardening Classes Offered by Extension Service





Links to Suggested Books (I also have each of these books you are welcome to borrow)

Vegetable Gardening in Florida by James M. Stephens

• Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
• Organic Methods for Vegetable Gardening in Florida by Stibolt and Contreras
• Guide to Florida Fruit and Vegetable Gardening by Robert Bowden
• Complete Guide to Florida Gardening by Stan Defrietas
• Garden Diary: A Guide to Gardening in Central Florida by Robert G. Haehle
• Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth (This is still on my wish list)

RS Lesson - April 21

Righteous Latter-day Saints strive to “establish a character before God that could be relied upon in the hour of trial.”

From the Lorenzo Snow Manual Chapter 8: “Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart”

As you study this lesson, please review and ponder on the questions at the end of the chapter so that you are better prepared for learning.

RS Garden Party - Thursday, April 18

It's a Garden Party! Thursday April 18th 7 pm.  We will be learning about gardening and due to popular demand, we will be playing games!  This time, we will get to stay in our seats...maybe! 

 

For our treats we are asking for a garden theme.  If anyone would like to bring some fruit or veggies please contact Mia Carlson.  One fruit and one veggie will be fine.  Also, some fresh out of the garden....cookies or desserts would be great too!!  2 signups for dessert. 

RS Lesson - April 14

April 14 is Fast Sunday for the month.  We wanted to remind of you of this since it is after General Conference this year.

“Every man and woman who serves the Lord, no matter how faithful they may be, have their dark hours; but if they have lived faithfully, light will burst upon them and relief will be furnished.”
From the Lorenzo Snow Manual we are covering Chapter 7 - Faithfulness in Times of Trial: “From the Shadows into theGlorious Sunshine”

If you have time be sure and watch the videos from the link above which are available on the right side of the web page.

Invent a Casserole

Do you have some random ingredients in your fridge, freezer, and pantry and would like to make something for dinner without running to the store?  Why don't you invent a casserole. Follow this link to a document you can download and print that will help you invent a casserole with a wide range of ingredients.  It will help you with portions and food combinations so that your casserole with turn out delicious every time.

Invent a Casserole

This is one that even your kids can help be involved with.  Enjoy.

183rd Annual General Conference - April 6 & 7

183rd Annual General Conference is held on April 6 and 7.

The schedule in our area is:
Saturday 
Morning Session 12 -2 pm, Cable TV, Temple Terrace Building Satellite,  or LDS.org Streaming
Afternoon Session 4-6 pm,  Cable TV, Temple Terrace Building Satellite,  or LDS.org Streaming
Priesthood Session 8-10 pm, Any Brandon stake building Satellite - NO Cable or Streaming

Sunday

Morning Session 12 -2 pm, Cable TV, Temple Terrace Building Satellite,  or LDS.org Streaming
Afternoon Session 4-6 pm,  Cable TV, Temple Terrace Building Satellite,  or LDS.org Streaming

There is more information available here:
https://www.lds.org/church/events/april-2013-general-conference?lang=eng

Reserving the Brandon Stake Canner or Plant City Canner

Reserving the Brandon Stake Canner

The stake canner may be checked out by individuals for 2 weeks. It must stay at whoever’s home that checked it out. It is picked up and brought back to Wanda Keller’s home to be checked over to make sure it works properly for the next person. It is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to get in their home storage. The cans and oxygen packs are purchased at the Church Storehouse in Plant City.  Please contact Wanda Keller by finding her contact information on LDS.org.

Reserving the Church Storehouse Canner

Beginning January 1, 2012 you can no longer can at the Plant City Location.  You must reserve a canner or sealer and take it home and do your canning/sealing there.  The loan time is for one week.  You can still purchase bulk food, #10 cans & lids, oxygen packs, and Mylar bags at the Plant City Cannery.

Plant City Cannery

802 Hitchcock

Plant City, Florida 33564

813-707-9425

Here is a link to the Food Storage Order Form that you can print and take with you to the Storehouse.

YW Broadcast and Dinner @ Stake Center

This Saturday, March 30 is the General Young Women Broadcast from SLC.  The Brandon stake is having a dinner for the Young Women and their mother's prior to the broadcast.  The dinner begins at 6:00 pm and the broadcast begins at 8:00 pm.  We encourage you to attend with your daughter.

You can read more about it here.  https://www.lds.org/church/events/general-young-women-meeting-will-be-march-30?lang=eng

RS Lesson - Easter Sunday

This Sunday is Easter Sunday and is also the 5th Sunday of the month.  The bishopric will be speaking to us in a combined Relief Society and Priesthood meeting.

Ward Walk/Run Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday morning (March 30) at 8:00 am we are having a walk-run and at 8:30 we will be having an Easter Egg hunt at Lettuce Lake Park.  

Breakfast will be provided.  Please bring anyone interested.  Hope to see everyone there.  If you have more questions, please contact Eric Carlson, he is in charge of this event.

RS Lesson - March 17

Sunday is St. Patrick's day so it will be fun to see all of the 'wearing of the green'.

Our lesson for Sunday will be from the President Lorenzo Snow book.  Lesson 6- Becoming Perfect Before the Lord: "A Little Better Day by Day" 

Please take a moment to read the lesson and ponder on the questions at the end of the chapter so you can be better prepared to participate in class.

Charity giving where 100% goes to cause

There are many charities that do good work and that are prudent with your donations, however, very few use 100% of your donation for giving aid to others.  For many organizations, there are overhead and personnel costs so what ends up as charity work for your cause is usually less than 100%.  All US charities must publish how much of your donation actually goes to the cause and how much is used for other things.

LDS Philanthropies uses 100% of your donation for the cause that you designate. This is a very rare thing indeed.  All of your donations are also tax deductible.  You can also make recurring donations, in memoriam donations, one time donations, and many other plans and charities are available and waiting for your gift.

You can find out more here:  http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/

Obtaining Copies of Patriarchal Blessings

Copies of Patriarchal Blessings

Did you know that you can request a copy of your patriarchal blessing if you have lost it?  You can also request a copy of a patriarchal blessing of a direct ancestor.

Interested in getting a copy of your great-grandmother's patriarchal blessing or maybe your mothers?  You can request a copy of an ancestor's blessing as long as they have already passed away and you are a direct descendant.  If you would like to do this, follow this link.   (You use your LDSAccount Username and password to sign in), then follow the prompts to request your own copy or a copy of an ancestor's blessing.  There is a limit of 4 requests per month.

If you have not received your own patriarchal blessing, you may want to prayerfully consider obtaining one.  Here is a link for How a Patriarchal Blessing can Help You.  Then speak with the bishop about receiving your own patriarchal blessing and obtaining a recommend to do so.

Priesthood Line of Authority

Priesthood Line of Authority
If you don't have a copy of your husband or son's priesthood line of authority, you can request a copy of it free of charge.  It will trace their priesthood line clear back to Joseph Smith, Peter, James, and John, and then to Jesus Christ.  You can see and know that their priesthood does come from a line of authority.

You can read more about how to get it here from the Church News.   This is a must read article as it has some great history and information to help you better understand what a priesthood line of authority is.  You can mail or e-mail the request.  If you e-mail the request, in many cases you can receive a PDF copy via e-mail by the next day.  Make sure you put PLA in the subject line of the e-mail that you send.  Here is more info as well:  https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Priesthood_Line_of_Authority

Events for March 9 and 10 and beyond

Brandon Stake Relief Society Conference
Don't forget our our Stake RS Conference this Saturday, March 9 from 9 am to noon at the Brandon Stake Center.  They will serve us breakfast first and then we will have the opportunity to attend some wonderful classes.

Ward Conference
Because Sunday, March 10 is our ward conference, we will be hearing from our stake leaders in all of our meetings.  We do not know what messages they will bring to us, so there is nothing to study, per se, but we suggest that you include our stake leaders in your prayers and do all you can to support and sustain them.

Daylight Savings Time Begins
We also want to remind you that on Sunday daylight savings time begins, so Saturday night before going to bed you want to set your clocks 1 hour ahead.  "Spring forward".  You will lose an hour of sleep, but it will be nice and bright when you wake up.

Building Cleaning
March is the Temple Terrace Ward's month to clean our building.  Someone is here on Saturday's at 9 am to open the building for cleaning, however, your family can come anytime during the week to help out with the cleaning, if that meets your schedule better.  Someone is usually in the building Monday - Friday 8 am to 3 pm who can let you into the building to clean.

Spring Break and Girl's Camp
Next week is Spring Break and the Young Women have girl's camp Monday through Friday at the church ranch in St. Cloud.

March Book Club

Monica Simon is hosting our March Book Club.  She has chosen the book titled: In the Sea There are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda.

The meeting will be on Tuesday, March 19th at 7 pm at Carlee Revoy's home.

Overview

What would you do if, when you were ten, you were left to fend for yourself, and, in order to survive, you had to undertake a harrowing journey all the way from Afghanistan to Italy?

In early 2002, Enaiatollah Akbari’s village fell prey to the Taliban. His mother, fearing for his life, led him across the border. So began Enaiat’s remarkable and often publishing five-year ordeal—trekking across bitterly cold mountains, riding the suffocating false bottom of a truck, steering an inflatable raft in violent waters—through Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and Greece, before he eventually sought political asylum in Italy, all before he turned fifteen years old.

Here Fabio Geda delivers the moving true story of Enaiat’s extraordinary will to survive and of the accidental brotherhood he found with the boys he met along the way. In the Sea There Are Crocodiles brilliantly captures Enaiat’s engaging voice and humor, in what is a truly epic story of hope and survival, for readers of all ages.

You can obtain it at the Library.
Monica has a copy you can borrow.
Barnes and Noble has it available to order online, pick up in store,or as a Nook Book
Amazon also has it available online and on Kindle

March VT Message - Activitation

Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your life.

Activation March VT Lesson from lds.org

What Can I Do?

1. Am I confident asking a less-active sister to attend a Relief Society meeting with me?

2. Do the sisters I watch over feel comfortable asking me questions about the gospel?

RS Lesson - Sunday, March 3

Be partakers of the divine nature. … Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (2 Peter 1:4–7).

I have inherited divine qualities, which I will strive to develop.

The lesson for this Sunday will be on Divine Nature, our theme for the month of February.  There is no specific lesson material, but we can suggest you study some of the following links, as well as ponder about what your own divine nature is and how understanding your Divine Nature will help you make better choices in your life.

Understanding Our Own Divine Nature 

Cultivating Divine Attributes 

Daughters of Heavenly Father 

Emphasizing the Divine Worth of Each Sister

Temple Terrace RS Sister is Now an Author

Did you know that Emily Mitchell (the sister that plays the organ in sacrament meeting) is now an author and her book is available on Amazon for Kindle?  The book is called The Acquisition.  

Take a minute and read the reviews by people who have already read the book; they can't wait for more.  Congratulations Emily.

Here is a brief synopsis of the book:
Today, Emma Bauer could lose everything.  
All fifteen-year-olds must attend the Acquisition, the event that determines whether a person is good enough to live in the Harvest as one of the elite Endorsed. If not, they are condemned to live in the Barren as a servant of the Assembly. All servants of the Assembly are sterilized on their eighteenth birthday to prevent their compromising genes from being reproduced. Upon her day of reckoning, Emma knows there is a chance of becoming Sterile because of something tragic in her past. She also believes the past is the past. When the decision is made, lives change forever.  
The life Emma tried so desperately to leave behind still haunts her, a life that is soon to be ripped apart by hate, jealousy, lies, and murder. If something doesn't change, it won't only be Emma's life hanging in the balance.

Scout Yard Sale & Bake Sale - Mark Your Calendars Now

We are going to be having a yard sale/bake sale/car wash on Saturday March 2nd from 8AM to 1PM to raise money for scout camp at 5201 E. Busch Blvd in Temple Terrace. (West of Lupton's restaurant across the street from K-Mart).  We are asking for donations in the form of items to sell at the yard sale or the bake sale.  We are asking all to bring donations to the above address on Friday March 1 between the hours of 4PM to 8PM.  Obviously we would like all possible donations, so if we need to be available at different times we will be. 

Ideas for yard sale donations: 

Items that are usable and clean

Furniture 

Clothing

Appliances

Books/DVDs

Sporting Equipment

Kitchen items

Collectibles

Tools

Craft supplies

Game consoles and games

The scouts are going to an LDS Jamboree at Camp Shands in Gainesville this year.  The cost is $270 per scout and we have about 10 boys that want to attend.  The young men are working very hard over the next month to try to earn money to put towards camp.  Any help you can give is greatly appreciated. 

February 24 RS Lesson

Bishop Knight will teach RS once a quarter this year and this Sunday we will have the pleasure of hearing from him.  His lesson will be from Elder Anderson's October General Conference talk.  Trial of your Faith.  Please follow the link to read this talk ahead of time as you prepare for the bishop's lesson in RS this week.

Study suggestion:  Look up the scriptures that are references for this talk.  At the bottom of the talk there is a link called 'show references'.  You can quickly click on the link for each scripture, read it, and then come back to the talk to finish studying it.

Pursuit of Excellence Achievement

During the month of February we have been working on the value of Faith.  We hope you have chosen at least one goal to work on, if you are feeling like you need more of a challenge, then by all means choose more goals.

We want to continue to encourage you to be reading daily in the Book of Mormon and to check it off in your Pursuit of Excellence booklet.

Also, don't forget the Walk to the Temple Challenge, which is a way to achieve some physical activity goals as well.

If you complete your goals, we have a small token to show your achievement.  We have painted wooden hearts that can be strung on a necklace.  Each color represents one of the eight values we will be working on this year.  Remember that this month the value is Faith and the color is white.  The necklace hearts will be given to those that accomplished their Faith goal(s) and it is on the honor system.  We don't ask you to report it to us.

Donna Dorough is our beautiful model with the necklace shown.

Angels Among Us

Please join us for a Special Evening

February 21, 2013 @ 6:30 pm

Angels Among Us

Dinner will be provided

Church Dress

Come early to reserve your "chair"

Feb 17 - RS Lesson Link

From the Lorenzo Snow manual - Lesson 4: Strengthened by the Holy Ghost

In his first general conference address as President of the Church, Lorenzo Snow taught, “We are dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord to aid us and to manifest to us from time to time what is necessary for us to accomplish under the peculiar circumstances that may surround us.” President Snow might not have been alive to make that statement if two of his friends had not depended upon the Spirit of the Lord in a peculiar circumstance 34 years earlier.

Click on the link above to read more and to prepare for Sunday's lesson.

January 13 RS Lesson

This year we are studying from the teachings of Lorenzo Snow.  Our first lesson is on Learning by Faith.  This will be a great lesson to go along with the talk the bishop gave to us in sacrament meeting last month.  That we need to exercise our faith to learn by faith.  Please take the time to read this lesson, ponder on the doctrinal principles and then be prepared to participate and learn together in Relief Society this Sunday.

Other resources to use this year to learn about Lorenzo Snow:

• Within These Prison Walls - BYU Studies
• The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, by Lorenzo Snow (available at Amazon (for Kindle), Barnes & Noble (for Nook), Deseret Book (for Bookshelf e-book))
• Lorenzo Snow at LDS.org
• Lorenzo Snow, from Institute Student Manual
• Lorenzo Snow, BYU Religious Studies Center
• Learning from the Spirit of Lorenzo Snow - Deseret News
• Life and Ministry of Lorenzo Snow at LDS.org
• Lorenzo Snow - LDS Church News

Are you a straight 'A' Sunday School Student?

How well do you prepare before arriving to Sunday School class?  Have you read the lesson, pondered on insights and questions that arose while reading the scriptures that will be covered in class that day?  Do you bring your scriptures with you and are in other ways prepared for class?

This is a question asked on LDSLiving.com and has a poll for you to answer for yourself and see how others answer these things as well.  Go here and see what you might be able to do to improve your experience and to be responsible for your own learning of the gospel rather than relying on the teacher to do all of the work.

Pursuit of Excellence 2013

Did you really take the time on Sunday afternoon to look at the booklet that was passed out to all RS women that attended church on Sunday?  We will be focusing on truly being converted.  The Pursuit of Excellence booklet is to help us do that.

There is an introduction in the front of the booklet about what we want to accomplish.  We also have two challenges.  Read the entire Book of Mormon this year, and we gave you two charts you can track your progress on.  The second challenge is an easy fitness challenge we call A Walk to the Temple. For every 10 minutes of physical activity (and this can be different for each individual) you can check off a box.

Each month in our RS Additional Meetings held on the third Thursday of the month, we will continue to focus on the theme for that month as outlined in the Pursuit of Excellence booklet.  We will be reviewing the Young Women Values as well as some other great goal setting ideas to help you continue to be converted unto the Lord.  So keep your Pursuit of Excellence booklet handy and make some goals that are personal to you to help you become more converted.

Please also refer to this talk, Converted unto the Lord, by Elder Bednar from October 2012 General Conference.

Welcome to 2013

Lots of changes in store for our ward this year.  First thing is that our Sunday meetings now begin at 11 am instead of 9 am.  You can sleep in a little bit more, but the kids (and husbands) are going to be getting hungry because we won't be done with church until 2 pm.  We suggest you make good use of your Crock-Pots so that as soon as you get home you can feed your starving family.

That brings me to the next topic, this Sunday is Fast Sunday.

Our youth have a new Sunday School and Young Women/Aaronic Priesthood curriculum this year.  It is called Come, Follow Me.  They will be focusing on 9 Basic Doctrinal Principles this year, both in their Sunday school lessons and in their youth meetings.  The topic for January is The Godhead.  By the end of this month, they should have a better understanding of the doctrine of The Godhead.  Ask them about it.

Our focus in Relief Society this year will be a Pursuit of Excellence.  This week's lesson will introduce you to this goal setting program as well as reemphasize that as sisters in the gospel we truly are Daughters of God.  Knowing that helps us make better decisions in our lives and helps us in our mortal journey.

We have some monthly goals that you can make as well as some bonus challenges.  One challenge will be to read the Book of Mormon this year and another one is a simple program to encourage physical activity, even for the most challenged sisters in this area.  We will be providing you with a little booklet for your Pursuit of Excellence this year.  Stay tuned for regular updates and encouragement.

Lastly, our Relief Society and Melchizedek Priesthood lessons on the 2nd and 3rd Sundays will be from the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church - Lorenzo Snow.  You can purchase your own copy of the manual at store.lds.org as well as read it online for free, or download a copy to your computer.