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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Fun General Conference Treats & Activities

You can find the recipe for these yummy
Reeses No Bake Peanut Buttter Bars over at Our Best Bites
Head on over to Picky Palate to find out how to make these darling
Reeses Puffs Crunch Monster Eyeballs
Go to Inside BruCrewLife to get the recipe for these delicious looking
Pumpkin Spice Brownie Bites!



General Conference Activities for Kids of All Ages
You can find a General Conference Packet or individualized packets for Youth, Senior & Junior Primary, & Nursery at Sugardoodle.net
General Conference Activity Pages can be found at The Idea Door
Lds.org has some fun activities: The Friend Magazine site and Conference Activities

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sunday Happenings

Lesson: Watching With All Perseverance, Elder Bednar, May 2010 Ensign
Instructor: We want to thank Sister Geist for filling in this week, she did a great job!

"Recently I was driving my car as drops of rain from a thunderstorm began to fall on the windshield. On the side of the road, an electronic sign displayed a timely warning: “Standing Water Ahead.” The surface on which I was driving appeared to be quite safe. But this vital information enabled me to prepare for a potential hazard I had not expected and could not yet see. As I continued toward my destination, I slowed down and watched carefully for additional signs of danger.
Early warning signals are evident in many aspects of our lives. For example, a fever can be a first symptom of sickness or disease. Various financial and labor market indicators are used to forecast future trends in local and national economies. And depending upon the area of the world in which we live, we may receive flood, avalanche, hurricane, tsunami, tornado, or winter storm warnings."

Elder Bednar taught about "Three Components of a Spiritual Early Warning System" that will help parents strengthen the testimonies of their children and bring the closer to the Savior.

1. Reading and Talking about the Book of Mormon:
  • Contains the fullness of the Gospel
  • 2 Ne. 25:4- "My soul delighteth in the plainness unto my people, that they may learn"....plain means instruction that is clear and easily understood
  • The Book of Mormon is the most correct book on earth because it centers on the truth
  • The unique combination of the two factors-- a focus on the Savior and the plainness of the teachings -- powerfully invites the confirming witness of the third member of the Godhead, even the Holy Ghost.
  • The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that by abiding by the precepts found in The Book of Mormon would help us "get nearer to God" than any other book.
  • Helps us resist temptation
  • Children and Youth may not fully understand all of the words and stories..."but they certainly can feel the "familiar spirit"!
  • Have you had experiences with the Book of Mormon that have brought you closer to the Savior? What about your children?

2. Bearing Testimony Spontaneously:

  • Be aware of opportunities where you could bear testimony to your children
  • Naturally occurring family conversations at dinner
  • Testimonies do not always need to begin with "I'd bear you my testimony."
  • Could be as simple as, "I know I was blessed with inspiration at work today" or "The truth in this scripture always has been a powerful source of direction for me"
  • Traveling in a car or bus
  • While answering questions chidren my have...during discussions
  • When have you been able to bear your testimony to your children?

3. Inviting Children to Act:

  • James 1:22: We should be, "doers of the word, and not hearers only."
  • Parents have the sacred responsibility to help children to act and to seek learning by faith.
  • Giving a man a fish feeds him for one meal. Teaching a man to fish feeds him for a lifetime.
  • What are some times you have been able to help your children choose to act in righteous decisions?

Elder Bednar concluded by saying, "I bear witness that parents who consistently read and talk about the Book of Mormon with their children, who share testimony spontaneously with their children, and who invite children as gospel learners to act and not merely be acted upon will be blessed with eyes that can see afar off (see Moses 6:27) and with ears that can hear the sound of the trumpet (see Ezekiel 33:2–16). The spiritual discernment and inspiration you will receive from the combination of these three holy habits will enable you to stand as watchmen on the tower for your families—”watching … with all perseverance” (Ephesians 6:18)—to the blessing of your immediate family and your future posterity. I so promise and testify in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen."

Family Home Evening Ideas:

Sharing Time: I Feel Reverent When I Read the Scriptures

Sharing Time: Study the Book of Mormon

LDS Living FHE Lesson: Choose the Right

LDS Living FHE Lesson: The Book of Mormon

Prepared not Scared Blog: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he is a God of Miracles, P.S. she has some fun Halloween Ideas she posts during the week!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Service Auction Recap

Our Service Auction was a lot of fun. There were so many fun items donated! It was nice having time to talk, relax, eat, and bid on so many incredible things! Here are some of the things that were donated:



Thanks so much for everything you donated, and for bringing all of the delicious soups & salads. Those who won your items will give you a call!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Service Auction Activity on Tuesday

When: Tuesday, Sept. 21 @ 6:30 p.m.

Where: The church



How it works:

1. Everyone brings an item, usually something they have made (i.e. crafts, treats, or an offer of service) for others to bid on.

2.Upon arrival, you will fill out a service survey. This survey will ask you questions such as How many loads of laundry you did this week, How often you read your scriptures, or If you have read to a child this week. For each answer there is a point value. (For example: If I did 5 loads of wash this week I might get 25 points.)

3. The points earned are used to bid on the items others brought. We have some amazing items sisters have signed up to donate. Baked goods, blankets, cute crafts, a photo session, and tons of other things!If you haven't ever been to a service auctions, you are in for a treat tonight! Please join us for a fun-filled night of bidding and bonding! Hope to see you all there!

Sunday Happenings

Lesson: Ch. 18 Faith in Jesus Christ
Instructor: Sister Hansen

Sister Hansen started out with the question: How would you describe the concept of faith to someone who doesn't have English as their primary language?
  • Trust
  • Something that gets you through the hard times
  • Like the wind- something you can't see but can feel
  • Element of truth
  • Principle of action (DO)

What are things you act upon each day that you cannot see the end results of? How does fiath move you to action?

  • FHE
  • Raising Children
  • Hope
  • Teaching children the right way to live and hoping they will make the correct choices as they get older
  • Having faith to accept the answers when they come: "Thy will be done!"

How can we increase our faith?

  • We have to know him- Scripture Study, attending church meetings
  • Communication- daily prayer
  • Action: Put his words into action
  • Make the Savior and our Father in Heaven the center of your life
  • Have the desire: “But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."
  • Sister Miles shared an example of keeping a journal of experiences when she has known that Heavenly Father was aware of her life. This journal has been a place she could go to, to remember these experiences and help her through hard times.

Family Home Evening Ideas:

Joseph Smith Restored the Church of Jesus Christ: http://preparednotscared.blogspot.com/2010/04/primary-theme-scripture-fhe-jesus.html

LDS Living FHE on Faith: http://www.ldsliving.com/story/4358-fhe-faith