Good afternoon sisters, hope you are enjoying
your day.
THOUGHT: “Our efforts to share the gospel are most
effective if we love our brothers and sisters and have the companionship of the
Holy Ghost.”
George Albert Smith
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Brother Rob Fisher is
still in the hospital where more tests are being done. Please continue to
keep them in your prayers.
- Thanks to all who helped
make our Ward activity a fun one. The food was delicious and the children
had fun.
- Sister Ardeth Kapp will speak at a
fireside tonight, July 15th at 7 pm at the Cedar Hills Stake
Center (corner of Cedar Hills DR. & Canyon Rd – by the fire station).
This is for all sisters and young women ages 12 & up.
- Blood Drive is on July 21st.
Contact Brother Milt Moon for more info.
- July 26 at 7 pm will be the
continuation of Sarah's lesson on Family History: “Connecting with your
family, things that matter most”. This will be in her home.
- August 2nd
will be our annual Summer Salads activity. It will be at Melissa
Brady's back yard. More info coming.
- Thursday, Sept. 13th
at 7 pm, Jed Norwood will
be doing a presentation on Preparedness. He will address all the topics
mentioned in last weeks newsletter. Husband are invited.
- Don't forget to visit
the Relief Society Blog .http://manila12thwardrs.blogspot.com
- On Thursday, July 19th, Martha is having a
'girl's night out' at her home at 8 pm for anyone who would like to
join her. She will be showing the movie 'Sabrina' will Audrey Hepburn. You
may bring a treat if you wish to and come in your comfy clothes.
BIRTHDAYS: July 15th Rosemary S.. Happy
birthday Rosemary.
Our lesson today was presented by Amy W. from the George Albert Smith manual entitled “How to Share the Gospel
Effectively”, #14
We are going to start now because I know from
past experience that I am not the only one in this room who feels she is not good
at missionary work. I am grateful to teach over and over about missionary work
because it's a way to be humble and how to get to that place. This is a
humbling thing for me. A year ago I taught a lesson on missionary work and I
didn't feel good about the subject.
There are two preparatory thoughts, two yoga
moments that my instructor tells us. She instructs us to do something and then
tells us if we can't do it, will that devastate us? Are we able to move on?
There are many things in missionary work that is available to us. Maybe some
things are uncomfortable to us, but they are available to us.
I have this joke: “Heaven is where the Germans
are the bankers, the English are the police, the Frenchmen are the cooks and
the Italians are the lovers. Hell is where the Italians are the bankers, the
English are the cooks, the Frenchmen are the police and the German are the
lovers.”
Each of us have our strengths. In missionary
work we can appreciate our own strength. My friend from Afghanistan, after I
had explained to him some of our beliefs said to me, “I can appreciate that our
religions are the same. No, it's different with us. We believe in Jesus Christ.
He said, “ we believe in him that he was a good man.” But it's more than that
for us. But I feel I have done good things and can build on the similarities. I
can mediate pretty well. I spent hours with Martha because she is closer when
it comes to missionary work. I don't want to hurt people's feelings. My father
was not LDS and he was so dear to me, yet I was so careful not to hurt his
feelings regarding his religion.
On the handout I put the reviews of the last two
lessons from George Albert Smith on missionary work.
Shanel read Reasons we share the gospel:
- The world needs what we
have
- There are many who would
embrace the truth if given the opportunity We have love for our neighbors
- The Lord will hold us
accountable for our efforts to share the gift of the gospel
- If we share the gospel,
our reward will be great joy in the celestial kingdom
Micheale C read: Several ways in which we can
participate in this important work
- Influence by example
- Help prepare future
missionaries and supporting them on their missions
- Prepare to serve missions ourselves
We will talk ab out conversion stories. Who of
you joined the Church in their teen years or older? Will you consider sharing
your stories as we go through these four points of the lesson. We would be very
honor to hear those conversion stories. To see how these principles work in
action.
We will read each point, the main point and the
quotes from George Albert Smith.
Holly: Missionary work is most effective when we
do it with love and kindness, not coercion or criticism.
“We cannot drive our neighbors and friends
into the kingdom of heaven by scolding them and finding fault with them, but I
want to tell you that we can love them into the direction of our Father in
heaven, and by and by, perhaps, lead them there too. That is our privilege.
Love is the great power to influence this world.”
This is huge.
Lynette: It is important to remember that too many times
a less active or a non member will see us as ostracizing them or their children
because they are not members of our church. Sometimes LDS children are not
allowed to play with their children. We may unintentionally offend and the
members make them feel different.
Yes, it gives the majority much greater
responsibility to reach out. In Utah, it's us folks.
Amy S: That quote applies to our children also. Love
is the great power to influence them.
Kristi: We need not be ashamed in sharing
what we know to be true.
“I feel sometimes that we do not sufficiently
sense the importance of [the gospel], that we do not teach it with the
earnestness it demands.”
Melissa Barton: I was learning about a new counseling
philosophy that talks about behavior and that there are two things that
influence behavior. It's either fear or love. I can see how much that applies
to missionary work for me. If I am not sharing, it's because of fear on my
part. Will there be averse reaction? If I do it out of love it will be because
I am not ashamed of loving them.
Oh, on the back of the handout is a talk by
Elder L. Tom Perry “Perfect Love Casteth out Fear”. He give precise topics and
talks about the social media and what the Brethren are recommending. It is a
very good article.
Holly: I want to share a failure in missionary
work. When the video 'Faith in Christ' came out I felt inspired to share it
with my neighbor, even though I was scared to death. I gave it to her, but it
fell so flat. She told me that she had been saved years ago and then asked me
if I had seen the movie “The Passion”? I wanted a missionary moment and felt
such a dismal failure. Why had Heavenly Father asked me to do this if it wasn't
wasn't going to happen? I came to the conclusion that He asked me to do it, so
that I could have the opportunity to do it and share. It was not a failure
because I acted on it. And to let me know that I was to continue to love.
Sally: We seek to add to the happiness and
goodness that God's children already possess.
“George Albert Smith felt that the most
effective way to share the gospel was to look for the good virtues in people of
other faiths and then, with boldness but kindness, offer to share the
additional truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Robby: While we were in Sacrament meeting my daughter
asked me if I thought she was going to heaven? One of the things she said was
that we all think we are going to the Celestial kingdom. How about Mother
Teresa, where is she going? One of the things I notice is that a lot of the
members of the Church do thing that we have the gospel, a knowledge of the
truth, but we dismiss people of their religion. I told her that Heavenly Father
loved her because she is here. She has done a lot of good things for other
people. She goes to Africa and works with children who have AIDS. She does more
good things than I do. How do I explain, without preaching, that there is more
to life that doing good things?
Francesca: I have friends who feel that LDS are self
righteous. I tell them that the Church is true, but that the people are not
perfect. The Lord looketh on the heart. We have good intentions. We all have
the path if we choose to follow it. We all have opportunity.
There is fairness and justice in sharing love.
We know that Heavenly Father is a just God and a merciful God also. To us
humans those are opposite things, but to Him, He can have both perfectly all
the time. Let's look at justice. There is one baptism, one authority, one path
and one way to return to him. It is fair, and there are no exceptions for all
accountable people. If not baptized here on the earth, then they can get
baptism afterward.
That is why temple work is so important, the
making and keeping of covenants with God is very important. All the things we
do in this life, whatever in this life keeps us from embracing the gospel will
be judge by God and only God. As a child, I wrestled with the scriptures that
indicated if a person didn't accept the gospel here after knowing about it,
there would be no chance later. I felt I was my father's chance, I was only 13,
but I was his only chance and if he didn't accept it would be my fault. He
would not have another chance. So here he had two daughters who had the gospel,
who were trying to share it with him. That's not it, not it for Robby's
daughter. I don't understand and I still read verses and still don't know. We
had a lot of people who showed love to him. Home teachers, members. The people
who showed love to him and respected his beliefs could say anything to him. He
would ask for priesthood blessings from the few who did showed love. Well, it's
going to happen a month from now in the Mesa Temple.
It's a way for God to show his love for all his
people on the earth. A way to add to their happiness. The sister who spoke
today in Sacrament Meeting told of the two young men who had no family around,
but who now had a family in the gospel to love them along with the love of
Christ in their lives. God hasn't forgotten them. If we can reach out and share
that love with others, how blessed will be their lives. If we can leave behind
our fear and make the time to share. It's the Lord's work that we are doing.
Pat H: I don't understand those scriptures very well,
but in 3 Nephi 26:9-11 it says:
And when they shall have received this, which is
expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so
be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made
manifest unto them.
And if it so be that they will not believe these
things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their
condemnation.
Behold, I was about to write them, all which
were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will
try the faith of my people.”
I find it very interesting. I believe there are
answers to our questions. None really know if people had a fair chance. I
believe there were more things to give us peace of mind, but Moroni was not
allowed to give us more because He wanted to try the faith of the people. If he
had been allowed to say more, then maybe we wouldn't have had the faith. The
desires of our hearts are so important to the Lord; our desires and prayers are
more powerful. 'Let's try their faith' is what He says.
Robby read: If we teach with the Holy Ghost, He
will bear witness of the truth to those we teach.
“No matter how gifted we may be, or how
choice our language, it is the Spirit of our Father that reaches the heart and
brings conviction of the divinity of this work. This is the Lord's work.
Ordinary man could not have brought into your souls the knowledge that you
possess. Neither can we as men inspire those in the world with the assurance
that God lives and that this is his Church, but if we will do our part, our
Heavenly Father will bless our effort.”
Ordinary man could not have brought into your
souls the knowledge that you possess.
I have put on the board this quote from the Living
Christ.
“As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ
two millennium ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life
and the infinite virtue of the great atoning sacrifice.”
As I read this, one word stood out for me.
Offer. Offer is the spirit of this lesson. The spirit of this lesson and
missionary work. We offer our testimony in love; we have love.
Alma 26
It's where Ammon glories in the Lord, as he
recalls all that they have been through and the wonderful results of their
efforts. Where Aaron rebukes him for boasting. But Ammon said unto him: “I
do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my
joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.”
“Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has
been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has
been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of
my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land.
“Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful
of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people,
and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my
great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.”
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Next week, our lesson will be from General
Conference “The Power of Deliverance” by Elder L. Tom Perry.
Have a good week.
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