Lupe's Notes - May 6, 2012

Good afternoon sisters, what a beautiful day this is. Enjoy the rest of the Sabbath.

THOUGHT: The Church was never perfectly organized until the women were thus organized.”

Prophet Joseph Smith

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Sisters, Amy W. needs your Mother's Day Guilt-Free papers that you were to fill out. She will personally go to your home and pick them up. Guess, she is serious. This is all part of the Mother's Day Guilt-Free Retreat Activity on Thursday, May 10^th at Melissa B. home at 7 pm. Can't wait to see what she has put together. Knowing Amy it should be fun. Pleae plan to attend.

1. Karen M. also request that those of you who have not returned her papers, to do so.
2. Reminder: Father-son Campout this coming weekend. A good time for them to spend together. May 11^th & 12^th in Lehi. Directions and more information regarding location of the private creekside property in Lehi, can be found at http://bit.ly/Manila12 .
3. décor Repurposing/Furniture Refinishing Class taught by Tara B. on Thursday May 24^th at 7 pm at Tara's house.
4. Reminder: Encouraging you to read 'Daughters in My Kingdom'.
5. Relief Society Blog. http://manila12thwardrs.blogspot.com/ .

 BIRTHDAYS: May 7^th, Emily Thr., May 9^th Laurie A., May 10^th Marlene L., May 11^th, Tara B., May 12^th Trina S.. Happy birthday to all of you. We hope you will have a wonderful day.

Our lesson today was presented by Amy S., First Counselor in the RS Presidency.

I am grateful for the opportunity I have to teach you today. Grateful for the preparation; it is a humbling experience. It is an opportunity to feel the Lord's love that he has for you. The Lord is mindful of us as individuals and as a ward. I was watching General Conference when I found out that Sister Julie Beck had been released. It brought tears to my eyes.

Robby: When I heard that I started crying and crying. Guy said to me, why are you crying, she only got released, she didn't die?

I was in the kitchen this morning praying that I wouldn't cry while giving this lesson. What a great woman Sister Beck is, what an example she has been in doing all that she has done to help us in Relief Society to raise the expectation of self and the role of women in the gospel. To help us simplify our lives and to expand the vision of Relief Society.

She grew up in Utah and in Sao Paulo, Brazil where her father served as Mission President for 5 years. This may have helped her to serve and meet the needs of a global organization of Relief Society. As I see the BYU Woman's Conference Brochure and the advertisement of the Concert, I see a collage of women from all nations and places. I grew up in Salt Lake, and I think, especially growing up here, it is easy to stereotype sisters tying quilts, canning, etc. Pretty much the Utah version of Relief Society. We need to recognize the diversity of women; share that we are daughters of God. Sister Beck brought us that perspective.

Robby Quote one: of God” to teach, strengthen, and inspire sisters in their purpose regarding faith, family, and relief. Relief Society is a way of life for Latter-day Saint women, and its influence extends for beyond a Sunday class or a social gathering. It follows the pattern of female disciples who served with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles in His ancient Church.

We have been taught (by Elder Boyd K. Packer) that “it is as obligatory upon a woman to draw into her life the virtues that are fostered by the Relief Society as it is an obligation for the men to build into their lives the patterns of character fostered by the priesthood.”

“Relief Society is not a program. It is an official part of the Lord's Church that is “divinely ordained

This comes from her April General Conference address, her final talk.

Robby: Many years ago I was called as Relief Society President in Australia. We used to have Homemaking Meeting during the day and because I worked, we decided to have it also in the evening. We were having such a struggle getting the sisters to attend. One day when I met with the Bishop he said to me, “Sister Anderson, relate to the sisters in Relief Society in a kind way that they have an obligation to attend Homemaking events at night as they do in attending Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. That it is just put there if they like it or not “. The sisters who plan these events go to a lot of trouble, to try and make everybody happy. Now I am not saying that you all should go, I'm just telling you what my Bishop told me.

This program is divinely ordained of God. It is a way of life – to live our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ. “ Faith, Family and Relief – these three simple words have come to express the vision of prophets for sisters in the Church.”

Rosemary S: The first time I heard of Sister Beck, I sense that revelation came to her presidency. We are literal disciples of Jesus Christ. We work with Him. In the same way that the Priesthood is organized, Relief Society sister work shoulder to shoulder in preparation for His coming.

Those are the same thought I have been having. I see Daughters in My Kingdom not as one more thing to add to our load. The Church is very careful in avoiding putting extra stuff in our lives. They are concerned about only those things that are more essential.

Sharon H: Yes, sometimes I used to think that what I was doing was not good enough.

Yes, it's a reminder that we are doing great things.

Amy W: That can also apply to us as mothers. We only have to think of one success that we have had as a mother. We don't have to over think it.

Karen M: Reading the book makes me feel guilty. That I could have done more with my life. Especially now that I am older and don't feel I have too much time to do more.

This book teaches us that when the Lord came to earth and lived among men, he organized women he worked with. He changed and established the pattern of women.

“Throughout his mortal ministry, the savior showed special love and concern for women. Elder James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “The world's greatest champion of woman and womanhood is Jesus the Christ.”

“The Savior taught women in multitudes and as individuals, on the street and by the seashore, at the well and in their homes. He showed loving-kindness toward them and healed them and their family members....He forgave them. He wept with them. He had compassion on them in their specific circumstances as daughters, wives, homemakers, mothers, and widows. He appreciated them and ennobled them.”

Joseph Smith said “ The Church was never perfectly organized until the women were thus organized.”. I listened to the talk that Julie Beck gave at last year's BYU conference. You can listen to it byutv.org .

In the story of Mary and Martha, it was the customs of that time that women took care of temporal needs. “Martha and her sister Mary are examples of female disciples in the New Testament. Luke 10 contains an account of Martha opening her home to Jesus. She served the Lord by taking care of His temporal needs, and Mary sat at the Master's feet and absorbed His teachings.

“In an age when women were generally expected to provide only temporal service, the Savior taught Martha and Mary that women could also participate spiritually in His work. He invited them to become His disciples and partake of salvation, “that good part” that would never be taken from them.”

I reread that scripture this morning again to be sure that I understood it. The Savior was not rebuking Martha for saying Mary is just sitting here while I am doing all the work. He was addressing the fact that she was comparing herself to her sister. That was Martha's only flaw. The comparing, her work to Mary sitting. It ia a flaw that we have as women. The need to compare ourselves. It is not the Lord's way. As we read the stories of the women of Nauvoo we see that one would spin the wool, one would take care of others. They all contributed what she had. What the Lord gives each one of us.

During the last year of the Savior's life, he chose to spend it in Martha's home. Her offering was of value. Both Martha and Mary had good things to offer. We need to recognize our own inspiration for our families, our callings and the sisters we visit. We are given inspiration for our own responsibilities. That is all he requires. We are all equally available in building the kingdom. We are shown patterns and taught to do hard things.

Sally J: In the Book of Mormon I read about patterns. I think this book Daughters in My Kingdom, it but more modern. I find strength from them. Those women. It is the same patterns and principles throughout time.

I want to talk about what we can learn from the example of the Savior. We follow His example to minister.

Penny C: He served one by one. He knew his mission, who he was and who we are. We can't compare because we each have our own mission. Your mission.

Robby: It's amazing, how you can feel you're a failure. As a convert that is where I got my strength. It was somebody showing me that I could survive. The sisters inspired me. I can relate with Karen, even though I could smack her. I was at the doctor's and was telling him how frustrated I was. I have always been a work horse and now I am tired. I don't want to be tire. I told him that Guy said I was getting old. IO am not I tell Guy. Sorry Robby, the doctor told me, Guy is right. It's a phase of life. Karen, you do a lot, your are a wonderful mother, wife and a good example to all the sisters. I am blessed to be in this ward, it is wonderful in all sorts of way. None of us is perfect nor were we meant to be.

We are so blessed, put this book by your scriptures. I have my own experiences as I read the different experiences of these sisters.

Holly M: As I read about the pioneers, it is easy to look back and see these women as they crossed the plains. I don't think they ever thought about saying 'look how great I am for having done this'. I think of it as a parable for us. We can grow from what they did. There are women, and single women today who push their handcarts by themselves. Maybe their husbands are barely hanging on, and are in the carts. Their children too need to be carried. But then we realize that the Lord is pushing from behind us. We need to celebrate what is done today.

I remember David McCullough who wrote John Adams speaking at BYU. He said that those who fought in the Revolutionary War didn't think about how historic they would be, how they looked in their uniforms. They were just living real life, making real choices. One day people will look at us and say we can do it. We're just doing the hard stuff, one day at a time.

A few years ago I was in a state of being overwhelmed. David was a baby and Spencer was 2 years olf. Michael was working two jobs and had a demanding calling in the Church. I was nursing David one night and thinking how can I do this another day. Then I had a strong feeling come over me. I felt someone, never heard a voice but felt someone say to me 'we made sacrifices too. I knew that phrase was not my own thinking. I know who it was, an ancestor whose life I was familiar with. She grew up in Utah, she was a second wife who was settling Arizona. She had married just before the Manifesto. She had a wonderful husband, but was on her own. Life was hard. She raised a great posterity.. The message struck me because it was a most compassionate, encouraging message. A message of feeling, telling me of course, you can do it. We did, you can make it. It requires sacrifice, hard work, but we have on the other side of the veil. I listened carefully, because of my experience. They see us better and see our potential. They cheer us up. Follow the example of Jesus. Be a minister, one on one. My lesson was about ministering of visiting teaching, but read the material o the handout. We'll see the changes as visiting teaching is recorded.

Quote “Visiting teachers are asked to report special needs and service given—in other words, their ministering. Count the caring instead of just counting visits.”

See the bigger picture of things. Stop playing guilt trips on ourselves. It holds us back. On the side of the veil are those who know us, Heavenly Father and the Savior. They want us to feel elmpowered. We are here in the business of saving souls which will bring us greater happiness.

Posted in: Lupe's Notes