Good afternoon sisters. Hope you have enjoyed
your day thus far.
THOUGHT: “ Charity is having patience with someone who
has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is
accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly
are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim
through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.”
President Thomas S. Monson
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Tonight at 6 pm is the First
Presidency Christmas Broadcast.
- Empty Nesters: Christmas
Party at the Cheney's. Please bring a pot luck dish and a white elephant
gift from each person attending. At 6 pm. 1083 E Murdock Dr.
- Birthday Brunch at
Martha's home, this coming Sat., the 8th at 11 am for those
whose birthday falls in Oct., Nov., Dec. or if you missed coming to any of
the other brunches.
- Christmas Elves Rescue
Mission,
Sat. the 15th from 9:30-11:00 am at the Church building. Come
in p.j.s/comfy clothes. There will be a delicious breakfast, visit and
photos with Santa Claus and a Service Project to show WE CARE!
- Stake Choir rehearsals
for Stake Conference will
be held Dec. 9th and 16th at the Stake Center from
6:30 – 8:00 pm. All voices welcome. This will be a fun experience as the
wards meet to sing together, learning beautiful music in preparation for
the Sunday morning session of Stake Conference.
Thank you to all who participated in the RS
Activity on Thursday. We have so many talented sisters and all of you
contribute to the wonderful spirit that is Relief Society.
Our message today was presented by Megan
Duckworth, our president. She wrote on the board:
THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
Thanks for all who attended our Thursday
activity. It was an incredible evening; for those who were not able to attend
your absence was felt. I had hoped that it would be a great start for the
Christmas season and thoughts of the Savior and we were not disappointed.
I hope the lesson today will continue to focus
on Christ. There are different thoughts and feelings about Christmas. There is
the joy and anticipation, but also for some there is the loneliness, the
despair, thinking of things that are lacking in their lives. With awareness of
all these different feelings, I start my lesson. I don't have any notes, just
my scriptures, so I pray for the spirit that it will guide me and you. I spent
one day watching all the videos the Church has put on about Christmas.
President Monson talks about the spirit of Christmas. If yo what to understand
the spirit of Christmas, take off the last syllable of the word. Focus on
Christ. I spoke with my presidency about my feelings for this lesson and of
sharing a personal story. They all felt it should be so.
In the last week's newsletter, I asked Lupe to
ask you to read the scripture from Matthew 25:40. I wanted yo to think and
ponder it because we would talk about it today. That will be our text for
today. As I studied and ponder about this, I decided that I needed to start
with verse 35. As I am sharing my personal example, I encourage you to think
about and share your experiences with us.
Matthew 25:35-40
“For I was an hungered, and ye gave me
meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and
ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye
visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying,
Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee
drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in?
Or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came
unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of
these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
I became profoundly aware of this gospel truth
several years ago. My grandmother lived here in an Assisted Living facility. I
will share a little about her. My dad was an only child and was her primary
caretaker. As her health reclined it was obvious that she could no longer stay
in Wyoming where she had lived for 92 years. Though she needed to live near
family, she didn't want to live near my parents, not because she didn't care
about them, but because she didn't want to be a burden to them As I talked with
my dad, I told him she could come here (she had been widowed for 30 years) and
I cold see her often. And so we moved her here close to me. Growing up I didn't
have really any kind of relationship with her as I had hoped I could have. I
made a commitment to help care for her. I loved my dad and she gave him life,
but I came to understand this scripture as I visited her.
She was a very talented person and liked to look
nice. I would paint her nails and would take the children to visit her. They
too became close to her. I would take her to her doctor visits, celebrated
holidays with her. The facility where she lived would have an Easter Egg Hunter
for the grandchildren of the patients. My daughter loved those and even now
wishes she could still participate. The greatest thing was to attend Sacrament
Meetings with her. I got to sit by my grandma and sing the hymns. She was into
music, and had been a choir director, but was unable to sing anymore. She loved
to hear me sing and I cherish those moments as I spent time with her. I
understand verse 40 so much more and felt that I was on Holy ground and serving
Him. I can tell you that it was with great peace as she passed. I was able to
be with her. There was no doubt about our relationship and how she felt about
me. The service I rendered blessed me and my family more than it blessed my
grandma.
At this season, things can be magnified – the
loneliness, financial, wayward child, etc. The greatest gift we can all enjoy
is the the Savior. I have great love for the Savior. He has blessed my life.
Now I would like for you to share some of your
spiritual experiences about service.
Karen M; Many years ago there was a girl in our Stake who
had gone to the dentist. This dentist owe money to her father and so as pay off
he was doing some dental work on this girl. He worked on her in between
appointments. So he kept injecting Demerol while he worked on his other
patients. By 5 pm, when her mother got to the Dental office, she saw an
ambulance in front of the office and knew it had to be her daughter. He had
used so much Demerol that it had killed her brain. President Kimball even gave
her a blessing. AT that time, a physical therapy was being use, it was to be
pattern. It was done two times a day and it required all of the Stake to help.
We were set up as teams. We did this for two years. She couldn't speak,
couldn't communicate with us, but I felt the spirit of the Savior as we worked
with her. I could see it in her eyes. After two years, she still hadn't showed
progress and so it was discontinued. She lived for 10 years.
Francesca: Grandpa fell at the beginning of the years. Now
he is not an emotional person. He has not hug me even after 10 years. I loved
him as a little girl but was scared of him. At first, when he came to live with
us, I was very resistant to him because he took my mom's time and worse, my
dad's time. He even went with us to Italy because we had served and love him
all these years. When he fell, I spent 5 days with him at the hospital, even
though it was hard for me to be in hospitals. It was hard seeing his blood shot
eye. But being there with him, and serving him brought me closer to Christ. I
grew more charity for him. It is different when you serve someone thru Christ.
Yes, I witnessed you at the hospital with him.
Micheale C: That missionary that was shot in the head while
he was in Argentina. We would help with his physical therapy. It was a
wonderful opportunity to help once a month. He was released right away so he
was still a missionary and you would feel the spirit. He was eventually
released and he married one of the care takers. When we served while he was a
missionary, we served Christ. I cared for my grandparent for two years and the
relationship that we shared was wonderful.
Laurie: I have a different experience with that
scripture. It was a profound experience about judging. At least it is what I
think it means. I preparing a lesson while I parked at the Cosco parking lot,
along side the building. There were a rows of card then Lowes. I saw this girl
with white bleached hair, a lot of tattoos and piercings. She came up to my
window and asked me if I could spare some money. I thought, no, you scare me,
go away. No, because you'll probably use it for drugs. I'm concerned for my
safety. I kept making excusing. She started to walk toward Lowes but didn't
approach any of the other cars. As she did that, this scripture came to me, and
I could picture the Savior walking away from my car. I only had a 10 dollar
bill and didn't really want to give it to her. She told me that she had lost
her apartment and was homeless. I felt ashamed of myself. I gave her the money
and said, 'do something good with it. I thought about how many times we judge
people. I need to be guided by the spirit.
You listened to the promptings of the spirit. I
so appreciated Amy Nelson's presentation as she talked about Christ and as she
showed the slide of the place where he fed the 5,000. As we saw the picture of
that area, I felt a powerful witness of love that He has for us. If you
remember, it was at that time that he was told that John the Baptist had been
killed and how. He received the news and yet he attended to the multitude of
people. They needed Him and He didn't turned them away. There is great hope and
peace that He loves each of us. We need to remember why we are celebrating this
season. As we serve others, we serve our Heavenly Father and Christ.
The remainder of the time was turned over to
Testimonies and we concluded by having Heather Fillmore and her beautiful voice
sing “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief”.
A poor wayfaring Man of grief Hath often crossed
me on my way,
Who sued so humbly for relief That I could never
answer nay.
I had not pow'r to ask his name, whereto he
went, or whence he came;
Yet there was something in his eye That won my
love; I knew not why.
Stript, wounded, beaten nigh to death, I found
him by the highway side.
I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,
Revived his spirit, and supplied
Wine, oil, refreshment—he was healed. I had
myself a wound concealed,
But from that hour forgot the smart, And peace
bound up my broken heart.
In pris'n I saw him next, condemned To meet a
traitor's doom at morn.
The tide of lying tongues I stemmed, And honored
him 'mid shame and scorn.
My friendship's utmost zeal to try, He asked if
I for him would die.
The flesh was weak; my blood ran chill, But my
free spirit cried, “I will!”
Then in a moment to my view The stranger started
from disguise
The tokens in his hands I knew; The Savior stood
before mine eyes.
He spake, and my poor name he named, “Of me thou
hast not been ashamed.
These deeds shall thy memorial be; Fear not,
thou didst them unto me.”
Next Sunday the lesson will be #23: “Of You it
is Required to Forgive” from the George Albert Smith manual. Have a wonderful
week sisters; Remember the reason for the season.
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