October Schedule

Oct 3,2011	Establishing a Christ-Centered Home and Kindness Begins With Me
Oct 10,2011	Testimony and and A Living Testimony
Oct 17,2011	Desires and Guardians of Virtue
Oct 24,2011	Preparing the World for the Second Coming and Priesthood Power
Oct 31,2011	Hope and As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten

Face the Future with Faith and More Than Conquerors

Elder Nelson is such a fun speaker to listen to, so happy! And always has a story that the kids can relate to and love to listen to.

Elder Nelson speaks on faith, and it was a great talk to go over in FHE. He espcecially taught the parents what they should teach their own children. All week we looked up scriptures on faith and shared them each night. The kids did a great job with this one and I am fairly confident they have been taught well on this subject. I hope they can rely on this foundation and create stronger testimonies.

"We live in a time of turmoil... We have great cause for concern. But we do not need to let our fears displace our faith. We can combat those fears by strengthening our faith. Start with your children. You parents bear the primary responsibility to strengthen their faith. Let them feel your faith, even when sore trials come upon you. Let your faith be focused on our loving Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach that faith with deep conviction. Teach each precious boy or girl that he or she is a child of God, created in His image, with a sacred purpose and potential. Each is born with challenges to overcome and faith to be developed."

Elder Johnson's talk is a good one. I take great comfort in talks given on trials and overcoming adversity. He quotes Elder Orson F Whitney,

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted...All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable...It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire."

Guided by the Holy Spirit and An Ensign to the Nations

I love Pres Packer. He is so unapologetic and says it like it is no matter what the backlash.

Grandma sent us a book on William Tyndale and it is amazing the feat of translating the Bible into the English language. There are no simple translations so he had to come up with many of the phrases and words we find and love in the Bible.

William Tyndale was hounded from place to place because the English clergy didn't want him to make the Bible available to the masses.

"If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scripture than thou".

Pres Packer goes on to talk about our scriptures and what we learn, especially about revelation- personal revelation, and latter-day revelation- and about the Holy Ghost. This was a good lesson for our kids.

Chris had a question about the Apostles that didn't recognize the Savior when he appeared to them (after his resurrection). Because the Apostles didn't have the Holy Ghost they didn't recognize Christ when we came to them.







We love Elder Holland. While living in Turkey, we were privileged to be part of a district conference in which Elder and Sister Holland conducted in Istanbul, Turkey. At the conference were upwards of 20-30 Ethiopian investigators. Elder and Sister Holland had just finished touring the continent of Africa and was able to report to these people of the growth of the church in Africa and in their country. He spoke of Pres Hinckley's words to "bring all your truth and we will add to it". He turned this conference into a missionary fireside. He spoke of Mohammed- how he was a prophet to guide his people away from idolatry. He said bring those "truths" (that have not been polluted over time and by evil men).

Afterward was a time for the branches leadership to meet with him. I will never forget when we filed out of the room, how he put his arms around my shoulder and looked right at me and said, "You are doing a great job. We love you!" and he took my children in his arms and kissed them on their heads. What a memory we wil always hold of this special-to-our-family Apostle of the Lord.

"... if you are trying to do the best you can—if, for example, you keep trying to hold family home evening in spite of the bedlam that sometimes reigns in a houseful of little bedlamites—then give yourself high marks and, when we come to that subject, listen for another which addresses a topic where you may be lacking. If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you."

Opportunities to Do Good and Finding Joy through Loving Service

With the call to YW came another call to be on The Compassionate Service Committee- sisters called to help out when the VTers are unavailable or unable to step in. It was a week after my call and I remember thinking, "I am so overwhelmed as it is, when am I going to find time to serve more?". It was then that we were reading this first article in FHE (perfect timing!) and I learned so much from searching scriptures all about service and loving our neighbor, especially those in our own wards.

I have always liked Pres Eyring's talks. They are simple yet cause us to think and ponder. This one was no different.

"Pres Marion G Romney said of welfare work, "You cannot give yourself poor in this work." And then he quoted his mission president, Melvin J Ballard, this way:"A person cannot give a crust to the Lord without receiving a loaf in return."

Pres Eyring continues, "I have found that to be tru in my life. When I am generous to Heavenly Father's children in need, He is generous to me."

We just recently read this article last week in FHE and for our scripture study. I taught the lesson and had everyone write down some of the complications in their lives outide the home in one column and complications they feel inside the home in another. I knew ahead of time what the common complications would be in the home and geared my lesson around that. We talked about the common complication of not being able to get along with siblings and talked about ways from the talk that would help us at home.

"There are myriad ways and circumstances in which we can serve and love others. May I suggest just a few.
First, charity begins at home. The most important principle that should govern every home us to practice the Golden Rule. Take a moment and imagine how you would feel if you were on the receiving end of thoughtless words or actions. By our example, let us teach our family members to have love one for another."

LDS Women are Incredible and Believe in Being Honest and True

I absolutely love love love this talk. It is always a nice thing to hear the Brethren speak on women and hear them express their gratitude for all we do. Sometimes it seems our lives are a bit unknown and unappreciated. I have always made sure when Gabriel thanks his guys for their service that he thanks their wives as well- the true heroes.

"Our women are not incredible because they have managed to avoid the difficulties of life- quite the opposite.  They are incredible because of the way they face the trials of life.  Despite the challenges and test life has to offer... they remain remarkably strong and immoveable and true to the faith."

We didn't go over this one in FHE but we did read it on our own. Gabriel gave Chris an assignment to read it every night for a week. :)
I especially, like many other people, loved the story- parable?- of the purse!  I found a cute handout/craft that shows you how to make a cute little purse from a small paper bag, with some of the things in the story that you can put into this "purse".  If you want the pdf of this, email me and I'll send it to you.  I can't remember the website.

Does she look like her father? Sis Dibbs is the daughter of Pres Monson. If you look in the peinted Ensign, their talks (page 114 and page 115) face each other.

Anyway.. I appreciated this talk especially on the heels of being called into YW. There is a lesson coming up on Avoiding Dishonesty, and I will definitely refer to this talk. This is a topic Gabriel and I have tried so hard to teach our children- strict obedience.  She quotes Pres Hunter,

"When we are honest in all things, big and small, we experience peace of mind and a clear conscience.  Our relationships are enriched... and the greatest blessing that comes from being honest is that we are able to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost."

September Schedule

Sept 5,2011	LDS Women are Incredible! and I Believe in Being Honest and True
Sept 12,2011	Opportunities to Do Good and Finding Joy through Loving Service
Sept 19,2011	Guided By the Holy Spirit and An Ensign to the Nations
Sept 26,2011	Face the Future with Faith and More than Conquerors