Inspired Topic: Are You Prepared?

"Those who are wise and faithful will be prepared when the Lord comes again."  --Joseph Smith

Sisters, perilous times are coming again. We know this is the Last Harvest and Christ is returning soon.

Are you prepared?

In D&C 106:4–5 we are warned, "...the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, and it overtaketh the world as a thief in the night— Therefore, gird up your loins, that you may be the children of light, and that day shall not overtake you as a thief."

How are you prepared?

Prepare yourselves spiritually.  Prepare yourselves temporally.

I often speak of how my life is governed by Plans.  Fr'example, I've got a 5-year plan (education), a 20-year plan (raising Their Ladyships), and a Thousand-Year Plan (my eternal salvation).

Everyone should have a Thousand-Year Plan. After all, aren't we sharing the same goal?

I encourage you all to prepare yourselves now, while there is time and room.  When the disasters and destruction which has been foretold falls upon us, we are not going to escape unscathed. Bad stuff is going to happen to many of us. But if we are prepared, the Lord will be with us during that time. (D&C 63:34)  This will be an advantage for the righteous.

But only if they are prepared. (I am in favour of gaining as many advantages I can to help me in those last days. How about you?)

To start your preparations, here is a list of ways you can prepare now. Please add to this list as you see fit; this is only a beginning.

Spiritual Preparation	Temporal Preparation
Personal Prayers	Keep your body physically healthy
Scripture study	Keep your mind mentally healthy
Attend meetings	Be financially stable
Give service	Build up your food storage
Serve cheerfully in your callings	Laugh often
Attend the Temple	Plant a garden
Treat your family well	Spent time with your family
Gain an education	Gain an education
Practice Christ-like attributes	Live within your means
Pay your tithing	Learn new skills
Family History	Read more
Lead by example	Lead by example
Share the Gospel with others	Be reliable
Desire to increase spiritually	Desire to grow as a person

Do not think that where you at is adequate and you can be complacent. Many people make that mistake. Acknowledge the good you have already accomplished, but also seek to improve on that. There is always something you can do better, something you can improve on. Increase the quality of your actions, your deeds, and your preparation.

Those who are inadequately prepared are going to get caught short.  They will regret their lack of preparation. You have the power Right Now to not be one of those. I encourage you to exercise it.

RS Newsletter June 2014

 Beloved daughters of our Heavenly Father,

         As members of the Church these should not be perilous times for us. If we are following the counsel of the prophets and church leaders, obeying all Heavenly Fathers commandments, living the gospel everyday and sharing the gospel with others, we will fare well.

         To help us further during these perilous times is the principle of “Self-Reliance. “Self-reliance is an important area we must achieve for us to be happy in this mortal life. The first law of self-reliance is “pay your tithing.” Followed by: get out of debt, put some money away for a rainy day, live within your means (budget brands vs labels), don’t go into debt for unnecessary things (eg, a small house made beautiful is easier to pay off), etc. Education is an acceptable debt also as it will offer individuals and families greater opportunities for employment. There may be other areas that you might consider a necessary part of self-reliance.

          If we are not doing these things, then now is a good time to start. Sit down with your spouse or your family and discuss how you can accomplish these things. I bear testimony to you that if you can master these particular areas of life you will have joy, happiness and peace.

          In the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Dawn Hirama

Relief Society President

The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Minister

        As we minister to others, we become true followers of Jesus Christ, who set the example for us. President Thomas S. Monson said: “We are surrounded by those in need. … We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children.”

        Linda K. Burton, Relief Society general president, taught: “With practice, each of us can become more like the Savior as we serve God’s children. To help us better [minister to] one another, I would like to suggest four words to remember: ‘First observe, then serve.’ … As we do so, we are keeping covenants, and our service, like President Monson’s, will be evidence of our discipleship.”

We can pray each morning to recognize opportunities to serve others. “Heavenly Father will guide you, and angels will assist you,” said David L. Beck, Young Men general president. “You will be given power to bless lives and rescue souls.”

Consider This

1. How can prayer lead us to be instruments in the Lord’s hands?

2. How can ministering to others help us keep our covenants?

From the Scriptures

Matthew 20:25–28;

1 Nephi 11:27–28;

3 Nephi 28:18

 From Our History

               At the October 1856 general conference, President Brigham Young (1801–77) announced that handcart pioneers were still crossing the plains and that everyone was to help gather supplies for them immediately.

               Lucy Meserve Smith wrote that women “stripped off their petticoats [large underskirts], stockings, and every thing they could spare, right there in the Tabernacle, and piled [them] into the wagons.”

               As the rescued pioneers began to arrive in Salt Lake City, Lucy wrote, “I never took more … pleasure in any labor I ever performed in my life, such a unanimity of feeling prevailed. I only had to go into a store and make my wants known; if it was cloth, it was measured off without charge.”

President George Albert Smith (1870–1951) said of ministering to others: “Our eternal happiness will be in proportion to the way that we devote ourselves to helping others.”

How have you helped someone today?

 We recommend sisters read the lesson prior to coming to Relief Society so they can better participate and get more out of the teachings.

1 June—Inspired Topic: “Those who are wise and faithful will be prepared when the Lord comes again.”

8 June—Ch 11: Honoring the Priesthood Keys Restored through Joseph Smith

15 June—Ch 12: The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood

29 June—Teaching for our Times: “Protection from Pornography—A Christ-focused Home” Linda S Reeves (General Conference April 2014 Saturday AM session)

Mon 2 June—Public Holiday

Sat 7 June, 2-4pm Mandurah Chapel—Stake Relief Society Activity

Thurs 19 June, 10am Chapel—Managing a Budget with Excel Spreadsheets

Thurs 26 June, 10am Chapel—RS Temple Trip carpool

 Angel Food Cake

Note: ALL utensils (bowl, beaters, spatulas, pans etc) MUST be grease-free, or the egg whites won’t beat up to stiff peaks.

Preheat oven to 160C (150C fan forced).

In a grease-free mixing bowl beat:

· 10-12 egg whites (about 270ml)

· 1 ¹/₄ tsp cream of tartar

· ¹/₄ tsp salt

Beat until stiff peaks form.

Beat in, bit by bit:

· 1 ¹/₂ cup powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)

Until well-blended.

Add while beating:

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

Fold in:

· 1 cup corn flour

With a spatula, scoop batter (batter will be stiff) into an ungreased pan.  Recommend either bread tin or bundt pan, if you do not have an Angel Food tin.

Bake in oven at 160C for 40-50 minutes. Top will brown and crack.

Allow cake to cool completely before loosening and unmoulding.

Best served with whipped cream and fruit.

Influential Latter-Day Saint Women

You Might Not Know

You know about Emma Smith and Eliza R Snow.  Do you know these influential women from Church history?

· Sarah Melissa Granger Kimball

Student of Joseph Smith’s School of the Prophets and Suffragette

· Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon

Physician and First female US State Senator

· Jane Manning James

Early African American Saint who crossed the Great Plains with the pioneers.

· Dr Emma Liljenquist

Obstetrician and Midwife

· Amelia Telle Cannon

Early champion of education

· Grace Vlam

First missionary to preach the gospel in Indonesia.

 

Bishopric Message: “Ye Shall be the Means of Bringing Salvation unto Them”

Bishopric's message for October. Please share with the sisters you Visit Teach.

We are sons and daughters of God. He is the Father of our spirits (Hebrews 12:9). We are created in the image of God, male and female (Genesis 1:26-27). Because we are the spirit children of God, we have inherited a divine heritage and potential to develop His divine qualities. Through the atonement of Christ we can become like our Heavenly Father, receive a fullness of joy and inherit, as heirs, all that our Heavenly Father has (Romans 8:17).

When our Savior Jesus Christ ministered to the Jews during His mortal ministry, the Jewish scribes and Pharisees often criticized him for receiving sinners and eating with them. On one such occasion He spoke this parable unto them saying…”What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” (Luke 14:4-7).

Again when the resurrected savior, Jesus Christ, visited the Nephites on the American Continent, He continued His teaching regarding sinners, saying: “ye shall not cast him out from among you, but ye shall minister unto him and shall pray from him unto the Father, in my name…for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for you know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them, and ye shall be the means of brining salvation unto them” (3 Nephi 18:30, 32).

In our day, our beloved prophet and president of the church, Thomas S. Monson, on behalf of our savior, Jesus Christ, has continued this message by inviting each of us to “go to the rescue”, that “we are the Lord’s hands” by which Jesus Christ brings salvation unto God’s children.

There are many that have gone astray that still believe in the gospel but they may be experiencing difficult trials that make them feel uncomfortable attending church. They also tend to have fewer friendships in the church, so they are less likely to feel they are among friends, when they come to ward meetings. Those who return to activity often do so when they see that something is missing in their lives. As a result, they realize that they need to make changes in the way they live. At such times, they need the love and friendship of caring, active church members who accept them as they are and show genuine personal interest in them.

Through the Lord’s inspired programs of home teaching, visiting teaching, organized rescue visits and splits with the ward and full-time missionaries, we can be actively engaged in regularly rescuing the Lord’s lost sheep. We will come to rejoice as the good shepherd did in bringing them back to the fold of ward meetings, strengthening and renewing friendships and participating in all the Lord’s saving ordinance, especially those found in the temple of our God.

May God bless you as you become the means of bringing salvation unto them is my prayer, in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.