Lupe's Notes - Jul 29, 2012

Good afternoon sisters. It is a lovely day.

THOUGHT: “The Lord want the members of His Church to be fully converted to His gospel. This is the oly sure way to have spiritual safety now and happiness forever.”

Elder Donald L. Hollstrom

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. ANNUAL SUMMER ACTIVITY: Thursday, August 2, at 6:30 at Melissa Brady's back yard. 1062 East 1180 North. Bring a dish to share if you can but if you can't, please still come and enjoy the summer evening with each other. It is always so much fun to visit and get to know each other, especially the new sisters.

BIRTHDAYS:

• Happy birthday to Donna L., August 1^st and Steffanie G. on the 4^th. Have a wonderful day, both of you.

Since today was a fifth Sunday, we had to pleasure of meeting with the men and be taught by the two counselors, Brother Teel and Brother Steven Jensen.

Brother Teel:

I feel so humbled to speak on the topic assigned by Bishop Edman. I have been thinking and studying about it and though it is a broad topic, I realized as I did delved into the topic that I still have of lot of converting to happ0en in my life. It is a personal lesson for everyone of us, since we are all in our own stage of conversion. Think personally about your own level of conversion. Think of the things you can do to become more converted.

Conversion means change, converting from one state to another. What are we converting from and what are we attempting to change to.

Ramona Backman: It's movement to the right. We're with the truth so we are moving to the right.

Brother Teel wrote on the Board: CONVERSION

1. TRUTH ---------------------------------------RIGHT

Brother Winder: King Benjamin”s people became the children of Christ. They had a mighty change of heart and had no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

CONVERSION

1. TRUTH----------------------------------------------RIGHT
2. CHILDREN OF WORLD-------------------------CHILDREN OF CHRIST
3. NATURAL MAN------------------------------------SAINT

“NEW CRATURE”

“PROCESS”

“CHRIST'S IMAGE”

“HEART”

Brother Jenkins: They changed from the natural man to man of Christ.

Yes, they changed from the natural man to a Saint.

Brother Moon: King Benjamin uses the phrase of 'our heart is change' and we have love one with another.

Brother Richins: Conversion is a process.

Yes, Conversion is not an event and it it is personal change.

Holly: Alma teaches us about that when he ask “have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? And then he ask: 'can ye feel so now?'

Mosiah 27:26

And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in no9wise inherit the kingdom of God.”

I love this phrase 'new creature'. Just aboaut every talk I have read refers to this 'new creature'. It means there should be significant change. We need to become a new creature as a result of the converting process.

We want to move from the telestial to the celestial.

Is it possible to have experience conversion without knowing it? We may have had a conversion experience and just not know it.

3 Nephi 9:20

And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heat and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.”

Sister Randall: There was a man who had been taking the missionary lessons for years. He was waiting for a great event to show him that it was true. He was already converted but didn't know it. He held callings as he could and fulfilled them. He would go to church and take the children to church even when his LDS wife couldn't attend. When asked, why are you not a member, he ssid it was because he thought there would be a big change in my life.
When he finally realized it, he became baptized.

I see it all the time in my life, in my kids, my friends. We expect too much.

Amy W: Alma 32 was very instrumental in my haivng this conversion. Verses 26-27

“Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—eve so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

“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.

He has a full grown tree, and even tasted some of the fruit.

Alma 32 is a step by step guide to help us recognize the deliciousness of the fruit. Once we gain knowledge, we need to nourish the tree.

Brother Bennett: It also has to do with our existence before life. When I was taught the principles of the gospel, it was familiar to be, like I had heard it before. There are non-LDS people who are waiting to hear this story who will accept it and come into the fold.

Do you think that it is possible that people out there are more converted than members of the Church? People can become converted in preparation for and in anticipation for ordinances.

When I was on my mission we would encounter those who had been converted but would 'back slip' We tend to back slide.

Let me ask a question about the need for change. Do we need to change or do we need to be changed?

Brother Mora: Both, we must know where we are first, then decide where we want to be and travel that direction.

Do we change for ourselves or for our Heavenly Father?

Laurie: We need to change first. The Lord will not change us. We have agency and we cannot do it alone.

SallyJ: When Nephi and Lehi were in prison, the people saw angels coming down to minister to Nephi and Lehi. That changed the people. So sometimes if we are chosen to see miracles , it does change us.

Are we to be perfect or be perfected? To save ourselves or to be saved? The question is to whom do we look to?

Amy W: For Alma, it clearly was his choice. He didn't choose to see an angel.

It goes back to individual conversion. One size does not fit all. Each of us has it's own process of conversion. Some may need a kick I the pants while some experience it another way.

What is your process and where are you in this process?

Brother Poulson: It is about humility. Laman and Lemuel lacked humility. Are you humble or prideful and make excuses?

In the True to the Faith manual there are three thing to tell 'How to know if you are converted'

1. You desire to do good and have no desire to do evil. Do we still hold on to threads of desiring to do evil?
2. Do we have a desire to share the gospel?
3. Are we filled with love and charity opposed to envy and pride?

Where am I in the conversion process? How converted am I and am I moving in the right direction. We need to nourish the seed. “If we have experienced a change of heart...can you feel so now? We need to ask ourselves that question every day.

A brother: I think it about what do you agree with. Really, I don't do something unless I agree with it. I have to have a clear understanding. It comes in being in agreement with something.

My testimony is in the reality of the Savior in the process. We can change behavior but we do not have the power to change our heart. That can only be done through the Savior Jesus
Christ. He suffered for our sins, our infirmities, our stresses. We need to allow Him to help us in the conversion process.

The Savior used Isaiah to announce his ministry. His role as healer and deliverer. Jesus Christ does heal. He deliver me from sin and healed me from infirmities. I can become a new creature through Him. Examine yourself and become converted as well.

Brother Reese John would like to share a conversion experience.

Brother Johnson: Brother Bottom, Richard Johnson and I have had the opportunity to teach the boys that live in the home next to the North. I have taught them for four years. The boys are there because of transgression and have been ordered by the court. Last Sunday Richard Johnson and I wen and we had four boys come. There are six boys there now. Richard and I bore testimony and three of the four boys also bore their testimony; one of them isn't a member of the church .

One of the boys wouldn't even shake hands with me, he told us he didn't believe in God, but in the last three months he has come every Sunday. I can tell he believes in God now. But what is more significant is the spirit we have to take when we go there. When I wake up every morning, I write what the spirit wants me to say to them. The most sad thing is that in the 3 ½ years, I have only seen two parents there. We try to help them learn to be parents themselves someday.

Steve Jensen:

Thanks to Brother Teel, for all that he does for the ward.

What comes next? When do you feel converted? Peter was told that when you are converted strengthen your brethren.

CONVERSION

ACTION

John F Kennedy was sworn in as the 35^th President of the United States at noon on January 20, 1961. He told us that we needed to become more active citizens. “Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask what you can do for your country”

I can say, “Ask now what the church can do for you, Ask what you can do for the Church and the people of the church.

I would encourage you to rad the cnference address by Elder Donald L. Hallstrom.

What can we do?

“Some have come to think of activity in the Church as the ultimate goal. There in lies a danger. It is possible to be active in the Church and less active in the gospel. Let me stress: activity in the Church is a highly desirable goal; however, it is insufficient. Activity in the Church is an outward indication of our spiritual desire. If we attend our meetings, hold and fulfill Church responsibilities, and serve others, it is publicly observed.

“By contrast, the things of the gospel are usually less visible and more difficult to measure, but they are of grater eternal importance. For example, how much faith do we really have? How repentant are we? How meaningful are the ordinances in our lives? How focused are we on our covenants?”

The topic of the talks given by the Garners reflect this. When Angie told about her experienced by Sister Hamilton, how she went out of her way to talk to Angie. Sometimes such things are spontaneous.

When I was three or four years old, I would lay on my mom's lap and look up at the lights in Sacrament meeting. And I would think about sitting up there and swing from light to light and maybe hang plants. As adults do we do the same things, look around and check out what people are during. Maybe ask yourself, is Brother Jensen dozing off? He doesn't care what we think about. Sacrament meeting is an example of 'what can I do for the Church'. Not what can I get out of it, but what we can do,. Pray for the speakers, there is much we can all give.

Elder Hallstrom tells the story of President Spencer W. Kimball and how he was once asked, “What do you do when you find yourself in a boring sacrament meeting?” His response: “I don't now. I've never been in one”.

We can feel the spirit from the youth speakers, sometimes their talks are incredible., from musical numbers, we have very talented people. And from the words of the hymns And if we are there early, we can think of higher things.

Think: what can we do for the church with our kids?

As a teenager, a priest, I found that there was a fine line between doing things for obedience and being an example. Deacons tend to look up to the priests. As a priest, I went to activities to support and encourage the younger boys. We serve for the right reason.

There is a powerful message in D&C 43:9-10

“And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my church, and be sanctified by that which ye have received, and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me--

“That inasmuch as ye do this, glory shall be added to the kingdom which ye have received. Inasmuch as ye do it not, it shall be taken, even that which ye have received.”

If we are bound to act, if we are truly converted come and serve. Teach a child to be prepared to serve, thus they will then be better missionaries who will go serve and not go learn the gospel first.

First be converted and then strengthen others. Ask not what the Church can go for you. , but what you can do for the Church. I know this gospel is true and Jesus Christ is my Savior.

Have a great week, sisters and don't forget our Thursday night activity.

Posted in: Lupe's Notes