Relief Society Message for June

Womanhood: The Highest Place of Honor

by President James E. Faust
Ensign May 2000

"I wonder if you sisters fully understand the greatness of your gifts and talents and how all of you can achieve the 'highest place of honor' in the Church and in the world. One of your unique, precious, and sublime gifts is your femininity, with its natural grace, goodness, and divinity. Femininity is not just lipstick, stylish hairdos, and trendy clothes. It is the divine adornment of humanity. It finds expression in your qualities of your capacity to love, your spirituality, delicacy, radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness, dignity, and quiet strength. It is manifest differently in each girl or woman, but each of you possesses it. Femininity is part of your inner beauty.

"One of your particular gifts is your feminine intuition. Do not limit yourselves. As you seek to know the will of our Heavenly Father in your life and become more spiritual, you will be far more attractive, even irresistible. You can use your smiling loveliness to bless those you love and all you meet, and spread great joy. Femininity is part of the God-given divinity within each of you. It is your incomparable power and influence to do good. You can, through your supernal gifts, bless the lives of children, women, and men. Be proud of your womanhood. Enhance it. Use it to serve others."

Note From the RS Presidency

Dear Sisters,


I hope this new month finds all of you well. I want each of you to know how much I love you and pray for your well being. As I was reading this past month I came across a quote from President Ezra Taft Benson which I would like to share, "Daily, constantly, we choose by our desires, our thoughts, and our actions whether we want to be blessed or cursed, happy or miserable." My hope is that we all will choose to look at the good in ourselves and in others and remember the many blessings our Heavenly Father has given us.

Love,
Sister Parker

The Power of the Word by President Ezra Taft Benson

Ensign May 1986

The word of God, as found in the scriptures, in the words of living prophets, and in personal revelation, has the power to fortify the Saints and arm them with the Spirit so they can resist evil, hold fast to the good, and find joy in this life.

We are convinced that our members are hungry for the gospel, undiluted, with its abundant truths and insights...There are those who have seemed to forget that the most powerful weapons the Lord has given us against all that is evil are His own declarations, the plain simple doctrines of salvation as found in the scriptures.

Success in righteousness, the power to avoid deception and resist temptation, guidance in our daily lives, healing of the soul-these are but a few of the promises the Lord has given to those who will come to His word. Does the Lord promise and not fulfill? Surely if He tells us that these things will come to us if we lay hold upon His word, then the blessings can be ours. And if we do not, then the blessings may be lost. However diligent we may be in other areas, certain blessings are to be found only in the scriptures, only in coming to the word of the Lord and holding fast to it as we make our way through the mists of darkness to the tree of life.

And Upon the Handmaids in Those Days...

"And Upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I pour Out My Spirit"

-Julie B.Beck

A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do. Life is not calm for most women, and each day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important. A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence. But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently.

Revelation can come hour by hour and moment by moment as we do the right things.

Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times.

First Presidency Easter Message

SALT LAKE CITY 4 April 2010 The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following Easter message this weekend:

“At this Easter season as we contemplate our own mortality and remember loved ones who have passed from this life, our hearts turn to Him who promised: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’

“Jesus Christ is the literal Savior of the world, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Holy One of Israel, even the risen Lord, who declared: ‘Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. … I am the light and the life of the world.’ ‘I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.’

“This Easter season, as His witnesses, we testify that He lives and that through Him, we too shall live.”

March Note From The RS Presidency

DEAR SISTERS,

IN 1842, A SMALL GROUP OF WOMEN IN NAUVOO, ILLINOIS, GATHERED TO FORM A SEWING SOCIETY TO PROVIDE CLOTHES FOR THE TEMPLE WORKERS. HOWEVER, AS THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH COUNSELED THEM, THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES WOULD BE NOT ONLY TO RELIEVE THE POOR, BUT TO SAVE SOULS. THUS RELIEF SOCIETY WAS BORN. JOSEPH SMITH FORMALLY ORGANIZED THE RELIEF SOCIETY ON MARCH 17, 1842 WITH HIS WIFE EMMA AS ITS FIRST PRESIDENT. THE SISTERS QUICKLY SET TO WORK HELPING THE NEEDY. BY THE SUMMER OF 1842, THE RELIEF SOCIETY ORGANIZATION HAD GROWN SO LARGE THAT NO BUILDING IN NAUVOO COULD ACCOMMMODATE ITS NUMBERS.

LET US REMEMBER WHAT A BLESSING IT IS TO BE PART OF SUCH AN IMPORTANT ORGANIZATION AND WHAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER TO HELP ONE ANOTHER. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

♥ THE RELIEF SOCIETY PRESIDENCY

March Message from Relief Society

 

Mind the Gap

Barbara Thompson

Many of us have gaps in our own lives. Sometimes it is the difference between what we know and what we actually do or the gap between our goals and what we actually accomplish. These gaps can be reminders of ways in which we can improve or, if ignored, can be stumbling blocks in our lives.

• First, the gap between believing you are a daughter of God and knowing in your heart and soul that you are a precious, beloved daughter of God.
• Second, the gap between completion of the Young Women program and becoming a fully participating member of Relief Society—“the Lord’s organization for women.
• Third, the gap between believing in Jesus Christ and being valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ.

As we mind these gaps by paying careful attention and removing ourselves from danger, we will begin to realize the fullness of the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Remember, it’s not just what you get out of active participation in Relief Society but what you can give and contribute as well.

We hope you'll join us for this special Sunday, when all our sisters who are serving in other auxiliaries we be joining us.

Note From The RS Presidency

This month we are focusing on visiting teaching, and not just visiting teaching, but loving those we serve. With our minds focused on love this month as Valentine's day nears, let us take to heart the words of Lucy Mack Smith "We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction, that we may all sit down in heaven together."


All our prayers and love be with you,

The Relief Society Presidency

Monthly Message

Love One Another
The true measure of life is not how much we get but how much we give. ~ Silvia H. Alread

You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands. His work is to bless His Father's spirit children with the opportunity to choose eternal life. So, your calling is to bless lives. That will be true even in the most ordinary tasks you are assigned...Just the way you smile or the way you offer to help someone can build their faith.

 ~ Henry B. Eyring

Dear Sisters

Dear Sisters,
As we usher in a new year, my thoughts turn to how we can, as a wonderful group of Latter-Day Saint women, come together to help each other "fulfill our three lifelong responsibilities as members of the Relief Society", as outlined by Sister Beck: (1) increase our faith and personal righteousness, (2)strengthen our homes and families, and (3) seek out and help those in need. I pray we may keep these responsibilities in our minds as we make our new year's resolutions and welcome in 2010.

Happy New Year!

Sister Parker

January Message

Hold On - Ann M. Dibb 2009 Nov Ensign

President Harold B. Lee, the prophet when I was a teenager, taught, “If there is any one thing most needed in this time of tumult and frustration, when men and women and youth and young adults are desperately seeking for answers to the problems which afflict mankind, it is an ‘iron rod’ as a safe guide along the straight path on the way to eternal life, amidst the strange and devious roadways that would eventually lead to destruction and to the ruin of all that is ‘virtuous, lovely, or of good report’” (“The Iron Rod,” Ensign, June 1971, 7).

Holding to the iron rod is not always easy. We may let go because of peer pressure or pride, thinking we can find our own way back—later. When we do so, we are leaving our safety equipment behind. In Lehi’s vision he saw many who let go of the iron rod. Nephi says, “And many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads” (1 Nephi 8:32). In difficult times in our own lives, we may find we are also “wandering in strange roads.” Let me reassure you that it is always possible for us to find our way back. Through repentance, made possible by the atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we can regain and recommit to a strong grip on the iron rod and feel the loving guidance of our Heavenly Father once again. The Savior has extended an open invitation to us: repent, hold on, and don’t let go.

Merry Christmas!

December's Message

Relief Society - A Sacred Work
- Julie B. Beck
Much of the essential Relief Society work we do doesn’t happen in meetings. Let’s focus now on learning about visiting teaching. Because we follow the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, we value this sacred assignment to love, know, serve, understand, teach, and minister in His behalf. This is one duty we have in the Church where we are certain to have the help of the Lord if we ask for it. This is one responsibility that is certain to increase our faith and personal righteousness and strengthen our own homes and families as we become partners with the Lord. A sister in this Church has no other responsibility outside of her family that has the potential to do as much good as does visiting teaching.

The Enduring Legacy of Relief Society
-Henry B. Eyring
I talked with a Relief Society member about a visit she had made. It was to a woman who would soon lose her husband suddenly and tragically. In recent years the woman had only intermittent contact with Relief Society.

The visitor prepared by stopping at a shop to buy flowers. It was a season when the tulips were stacked for sale in many colors. She chose one color, her favorite, but then felt impressed to try another. She didn’t know why she selected yellow, but she did. When she presented the yellow tulips at the door, the woman smiled and said, “Come. See my backyard garden.” It was filled with yellow tulips in full bloom. The woman said, “I was just wondering if I should cut some for the house. But now I can leave them and enjoy them a little longer in my garden because you brought me these.” They chatted pleasantly as if they were old friends. From that impression to bring some flowers and to choose yellow tulips, that visiting teacher had evidence that she was on the Lord’s errand. When she told me, I could hear the joy in her voice.
When she spoke with me, she didn’t know what the widow felt after the visit. But if the widow felt that God loved her and that He had sent an angel to her, the visiting teacher had helped her move down the road to success in the Lord’s eyes. That visitor may verify success from her faithful effort only in the world to come.

Note From The Relief Society President

DEAR SISTERS,
AS CHRISTMAS IS FAST APPROACHING AND WE ARE ALL VERY BUSY, LET US TRY TO TAKE TIME TO REMEMBER OUR SAVIOR AND HIS BIRTH. LET US ALSO REMEMBER HIS EXAMPLE OF PERFECT LOVE. IN JOHN 13:34 WE READ "A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE UNTO YOU, THAT YE LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.." PLEASE THINK ABOUT ALL THOSE YOU VISIT TEACH THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON, TAKE TIME TO GO VISIT WITH THEM AND LET US ALL HAVE CHARITY IN OUR HEARTS. MAY YOU ALL HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
LOVE,
SISTER PARKER

RS Event - Friday December 4th

Service Project

— NOVEMBER —
“A Month of Giving”
Help us support Bethlehem House
They & others in our community need our help!
Items listed below will be collected at Church over the next few weeks. So please bring what you can, place them in the designated boxes, and help us make November a month to remember for those in need.

ITEMS NEEDED :
• Canned vegetables
• Canned fruit
• Oatmeal
• Sugar
• Canned Meat
• Soup
• Peanut Butter
• Cake Mix
• Brownie Mix
• Mac & Cheese
• Pasta & Pasta Sauce
• Paper Products
• All toiletry items (except mouthwash & nothing with alcohol in it)

~ Thank you for your support ~