Chicken Soup for the Soul – February Meeting

Our Relief Society focus for February was emotional health. To stick with the theme we had a chicken soup for the soul night. We had yummy soup made by Fawn Olsen & Narie Young and rolls made by Janet Youngberg!

Following our soup and rolls we were privileged to hear from President Lamm. Here is a brief outline (thanks to Kathie Bergquist) of what he spoke about and a few of the great quotes/sayings he mentioned.

Moses 1 Moses is taken up high in the mountain, talks with the Lord face to face.“Thou art my son”/shows him the workmanship of His hand

This was all done for you!

After this experience, Moses was left alone, pondering, realizes I am nothing without Jesus Christ.

Adversary shows up-“Moses, son of man! (lie-should be God)

Moses says-“Get thee behind me” but Satan hangs around

When Moses says “In the name of Jesus Christ-depart” Satan leaves.

The Lord says for mine own purpose, I made these things and it remaineth with me-like “I know what I’m doing and you don’t need to know why."

There is no end to my works and word.

Moses 1:39 This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

Each day on “to do” list of Heavenly Father-what’s on the top of the list? YOU!

Took trip to Germany-saw lots of nice cars: Mer Benz for 400,000-plus extras/Lambroginni/Ferrari What price would he pay for you.

Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy the sunlight-Pres Hinckley

Storms: Worry/Compare/Put Self down

Worry

There is nothing so bad that worrying about it won’t make it worse.- Elder Holland

I’ve lived through some awful things in my life and some of them actually happened-Mark Twain

Not Good Enough

He died not for man, but for each man

If each man had been the only one made, He would have done no less. –CS Lewis

Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine.”-Gordon B Hinckley

Comparing Yourself with others

Be yourself, everyone else is taken.-Oscar Wilde

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” EE Cummings

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Theodore Roosevelt

“A woman’s heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.” Maya Angelou When the Holy Ghost is with you, it is amazing how attractive you can become.

The Women of God-April 1978 Conference-Neal A Maxwell Lots of good quotes in that he used….you can find it online.

Thank you President Lamm for your uplifting message!! After President Lamm spoke we worked on our craft in the gym. It is always fun to create something new!

If you would like to make more – here are the pictures we used to mod podge onto our boards!

 

Finding Balance – January Meeting

We had a lot of fun at our January Meeting! We started the night off with a game of floor hockey. It was a great way to burn off some energy and have fun playing with each other. We have some very competitive sisters in our Relief Society!!

After our floor hockey game we enjoyed listening to Sister Susanne Hoopes and Sister Lucille Bergquist. They used an episode from the Mormon Channel to base their talks on. The link is here if you would like to listen to it. Both Sisters gave wonderful talks on how to find balance in our lives by prioritizing and focusing on the most important things.

Humanitarian Service Room

Deseret Industries

10740 Fairview, Boise

Tues, Weds. Thurs. from 10-2

Phone: 375-4681 ext.113.

The Service Room will be closed November 22-24 and the last two week of December beginning on the 16th.   If you have never worked a shift, then make the trip with us! Watch for an announcement soon.

Several weeks ago, Sister Stokes taught us about the great opportunities for service available through the Humanitarian Service Room.  I was stunned to learn how much good is done there!!  I assumed they just made quilts.  She shared the Church's great vision of caring for the poor and needy.  To see the worldwide efforts being made visit the Humanitarian Service page.

There are 20 Humanitarian Rooms in the Church.  We are fortunate to be so close to one.  Some time ago, the Church changed how some of these things were done.  For example, batting for quilts used to be shipped from Salt Lake City.  The shipping doubled the cost of the batting.  Now batting is purchased locally which allows the money once spent on shipping to stimulate local economies and provides for even more quilts to be made.  The tsunami in Japan offers another example.  Instead of shipping supplies from Salt Lake City, humanitarian funds were sent to stable regions near the affected area and used to purchase supplies locally.  This stimulated a local economy and provided familiar resources to those in need and opportunities for local members to serve each other. 

Almost all of the service offered through the Humanitarian Center will remain in our area.  We are to "love our neighbors" and care for the poor among us.  This provides so many more opportunities to serve!  All skill levels are needed.  If you can cut, glue, color, iron, fold, drive, package, or donate funds, then you can serve!  Supplies for projects can be picked up and then assembled at home as your schedule allows.  If you prefer to help finanically, they are funded through Humanitarian Donations (look on a tithing slip).  Donations of fabric, supplies, or finished projects can be sent to the Humanitarian Center by placing it in the DI trailer CLEARLY, CLEARLY marked HUMANITARIAN ROOM.

Serve together as a family!  Pick up projects to complete together during Christmas break or at a family reunion.

Current Needs from the Humanitarian Newsletter:

With Christmas around the corner, we are hoping to help area agencies to make Christmas a little brighter for the individuals they serve. Hygiene items, new bed pillows, diapers, wipes, baby items, small toys, underwear, socks and warm winter coats are just a few suggestions. If you would like to supply any of these items, they will be delivered throughout the area this season. 1,500 pounds of goods were given out in October and gratefully received by schools, homeless shelters, domestic abuse homes, family advocacy programs, medical and substance abuse treatment centers, learning and language facilities, refugees, families and individuals.

Here are a few stories Sister Stokes shared with us:

• A firefighter pulled two children from the bathtub because of a house fire.  They were wrapped in quilts until clothing became available. 
• Children removed from domestic abuse situations are given a new pair of pajamas and a new book to take with them on their first night away from home.
• Children in orphanages--which are fequently understaffed and underfunded--can go blind because of the lack of visual stimulation.  Wall hangings are made to protect their precious eyesight.
• Victims injured in car crashes who must wait for an ambulance can be covered in a quilt and protected until additonal help arrives. 
• At 18, children placed in foster care loose all financial resources and find themselves alone.  Arthur House was established by a couple who wanted to help these youth transition into the responsibility to provide for themselves.  They are frequently provided with pillows, blankets, towels, and other basic household items.
• School districts can request fleece jackets for children who repeatedly arrive at school without sufficent warm clothing in the winter.

These are just a few of the projects that are ongoing:

• School kits
• Toys
• File Folder games
• Balls made out of leftover scraps of fleece with 4 sides (football shaped) or round balls made our of 6 sides (square shaped)
• Puppets
• Bears with heart on the tummy--there is plenty of fabric available
• Orphanage clothing such as reversible dresses wtih a pocket doll
• Jing bell blocks made out of plastic canvas
• Wall hangings--panels are available to be quilted and sewn
• Fleece jackets
• Quilts for homeless shelters
• Hygiene kits for men and women
• Mentors for homless shelters and for a special program for refugees that have been sent here from countries like Russia, India, and Africa after 20 years in camps or have their lives in danger.  They are taught English and need help to adjust to life
• Pajamas and pillow cases for cancer patients
• Homemade diapers, baby cocoons, hats, etc for unwed mothers or mothers who are struggling to be mothers
• Special needs for children who are taken out of their homes for their safety such as pajamas, toys, clothing, books, blocks, etc

November Presidency Message

 This month we learned from two talks given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf:  "You Are My Hands" (Ensign, May  2010) and "Providing in the Lord's Way" (Ensign, November 2011).
All of President Uchtdorf’s words are italicized. 

In “You Are My Hands” President Uchtdorf tells this story:

During the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged.  When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.  Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored.  Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war.  Ultimately, the statue remained without hands.  However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words:  “You are my hands.”

As Relief Society sisters we taught that “Charity Never Faileth”.  What is charity?  We often define it as the pure love of Christ.  What does that really mean?  Are we to love Christ purely?  Yes, but it is more than that.  We are to learn to love each other the way that our Savior loves us—purely, unfailingly, and completely.  As we learn to love others and see them through the eyes of our Savior, we receive the gift of charity.  We must pray for this gift.  With this in mind, let our hearts and hands be stretched out in compassion toward others, for everyone is walking his or her own difficult path. As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn. We are commanded “to mourn with those that mourn” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort.”^…This is the spirit of compassion: that we love others as ourselves, seek their happiness, and do unto them as we hope they would do unto us.

Love is what inspired our Heavenly Father to create our spirits; it is what led our Savior to the Garden of Gethsemane to make Himself a ransom for our sins. Love is the grand motive of the plan of salvation; it is the source of happiness, the ever-renewing spring of healing, the precious fountain of hope.  As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to u-s. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.

In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we read of Elijah and the widow of Zaraphath.  Elijah requested the widow to use her final meal and oil to make a small cake for him to eat and promised that if she did, “thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the curse of oil fail…”  In faith this sister heeded Elijah’s request and “the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.”  The blessing of a miraculous food supply for herself, her son, and the prophet was only provided after the widow offered a sacrifice to the Lord—a show of faith. 

There is a spiritual type for us in this story.  If we would receive help of the Lord, we must first offer a sacrifice to the Lord—evidence of our faith.  Knowing our limitations, the Lord requires a “willing heart”.  When we offer our willing heart, we open the way for the Lord to be our cruse of oil and our barrel of meal.  He never fails.  His strength is more than enough to make right every loss; every hurt; every missed opportunity; every sin on the condition of complete repentance.  Where our strength, wisdom, or capacity ends, we can be certain that His continues—infinitely and perfectly.

What can we do to be “His Hands” and show our faith?  It is to do His work.  This very hour there are many members of the Church who are suffering. They are hungry, stretched financially, and struggling with all manner of physical, emotional, and spiritual distress. They pray with all the energy of their souls for succor, for relief.  [Sisters], please do not think that this is someone else’s responsibility. It is mine, and it is yours. We are all enlisted. “All” means all—every [woman in this church], rich and poor, in every nation. In the Lord’s plan, there is something everyone can contribute. 

The prophetic promises and blessings of Church welfare, of providing in the Lord’s way, are some of the most magnificent and sublime the Lord has pronounced upon His children. He said, “If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and the Lord shall guide thee continually.”  Whether we are rich or poor, regardless of where we live on this globe, we all need each other, for it is in sacrificing our time, talents, and resources that our spirits mature and become refined.  This work of providing in the Lord’s way is not simply another item in the catalog of programs of the Church. It cannot be neglected or set aside. It is central to our doctrine; it is the essence of our religion. Brethren, it is our great and special privilege as priesthood holders to put the priesthood to work. We must not turn aside our hearts or our heads from becoming more self-reliant, caring better for the needy, and rendering compassionate service.

...As President J. Reuben Clark Jr. taught, “When the Savior came upon the earth he had two great missions; one was to work out the Messiahship, the atonement for the fall, and the fulfilment of the law; the other was the work which he did among his brethren and sisters in the flesh by way of relieving their sufferings.”  In a similar way, our spiritual progress is inseparably bound together with the temporal service we give to others…. The temporal is intertwined with the spiritual.

Holiday Traditions Share

Last night we enjoyed being together as sisters talking about holiday traditions that have been meaningful to us. Sister Walker, Sister Raleigh, Sister Sylvia, and Sister Strasser were kind enough to share some of their ideas.

This quote by Sister Cheryl C. Lant in the April 2008 General Conference helps us realize how important traditions are and what kind of traditions we should focus on creating:

Each of us has traditions in our families. Some of them are material. Some of them have deep meaning. The most important traditions are connected with the way we live our lives and will last beyond us as our children’s lives are influenced and shaped. ...

What kinds of traditions do we have? Some of them may have come from our fathers, and now we are passing them along to our own children. Are they what we want them to be? Are they based on actions of righteousness and faith? Are they mostly material in nature, or are they eternal? Are we consciously creating righteous traditions, or is life just happening to us? Are our traditions being created in response to the loud voices of the world, or are they influenced by the still, small voice of the Spirit? Are the traditions that we are creating in our families going to make it easier for our children to follow the living prophets, or will they make it difficult for them?

Sister Walker:

Presidents Day

• display pictures of different United States Presidents and talk about them throughout the month

Halloween

• Witchelina is a fun way her daughter celebrates Halloween with her family. The days leading up to the holiday they read scriptures about different traits they would like to work on. On Halloween Eve they have a yummy dinner with all the FUN Halloween food you can make. Witchelina is a fun way to take the scary out of Halloween.
• Reverse Trick or Treating - take a plate of goodies to someone instead of having them give you treats

Thanksgiving

• Read books that teach the meaning of the holiday
• Invite single sisters or missionaries to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with them
• Pass a bowl of corn around, every one takes two kernels and tells two things they are thankful for
• One year they reenacted the Thanksgiving story. Someone dressed up as the king of England, they talked about why the pilgrims lefts England. An old scout canoe was filled with the kids and carried across the ocean (the road) to the Americas (Grandma Walkers). Once there they had some Indians teach the kids how to plant food and then had their big feast. That year they cooked a pit turkey.

Christmas

• 12 Days of Christmas
• Matching PJ's
• One year Grandma Walker made 12 matching polyester dresses (it was very memorable)
• Aunts made toy boxes for their oldest sons - they still sit in their family room today.
• Read Christmas books to teach the meaning of the holiday
• Make an ornament for each child, each year - when they move away from home they can take all their ornaments with them to decorate their tree.
• Burn a Christmas countdown candle - at dinner time it is fun to turn the lights off and listen to pretty Christmas music while the candle burns
• Family History Binders - each year she has her kids send her a letter summarizing their year along with some pictures of their families. She copies them, puts them into sheet protectors and and then into three ring binders. Each family gets a copy for Christmas. This has been a very special thing for their family, the kids love looking at the books and reading what their cousins have been up to the past year. It is also a great way to keep a family history.
• Acting out the Nativity - this is everyone's favorite
  • one way to do this is to have EVERYONE draw a part, that way each year someone does something different.

Sister Raleigh

Sister Raleigh has had the opportunity to live in a variety of places, because she has moved often she has spent a lot of her holidays alone. Many of her holidays have been spent working so other people could have the day off with their families. She said that sweet blessings have come even though she hasn't always had family close by during the holidays and that Heavenly Father has a way of blessing us even when we can't do what we want to be doing.

Thanksgiving

• Invite people to join you for dinner
  • when they lived in Arabia their table had a diverse group of people sitting around it. Many of these people were from all over the world and brought some kind of food from their country.
  • She also told of a very sweet Thanksgiving she had in Hawaii with her niece and her nieces roommates.

Christmas

• Giving books as a gift (she got this idea from Grandma Dille). Each year she gives her grandchildren a book with their name and the date written inside. Some examples of books she has given are:
  • church books
  • primary song theme books (I Hear The Saviors Voice)
  • Mrs. Piggle Wiggles Magic (a fun one she enjoyed as a child)
  • picture books of visits she has had with them (made on the Shutterfly website)

• Christmas stockings - almost all of her grandchildren have received a cross-stitched Christmas stocking from her. They are beautiful and treasured by each of her children and grandchildren.

Sister Sylvia

Thanksgiving:

• Thankful tree - they pick a big wall in their house and place a big tree cut from paper on it. Each of the kids trace their hands on paper and cut those out. Then throughout the month they write things they are thankful for and put the hand prints on the wall.
• They have Thanksgiving dinner at her parents house every year. They take turns telling things they are grateful for.

Christmas:

• Christmas books they look through during the month
• scripture/thought/activity flip book
• countdowns (if you want to make your own make sure one block has these numbers: 0,1,2,6,8,7 and the other block has these numbers: 0,1,2,3,4,5)           
• every year she (and her kids) make an ornament, one for each kid, each of her siblings, nieces and nephews and grandparents. When her kids move away they will each get to take their ornaments with them so they can decorate their own tree.
• Plethora tree - she hangs ALL the homemade ornaments on this tree and has a smaller tree she can decorate with a theme.
• Christmas gifts
  • a stocking (from Santa) and 3 gifts - something they WANT, something they NEED and something to TREASURE
  • This simplifies Christmas a lot and also makes it a little easier on the pocket book

Sister Strasser

Thanksgiving:

• They spend the family home evening before Thanksgiving talking about being grateful

Christmas

• Try to take a plate of goodies and go caroling to their each of their neighbor. This has been a good way to get to know their neighbors
• Each Christmas they try to help a family in need by dropping off Christmas presents anonymously. She said it has been good for their kids to spend some of what they would have spent on themselves on someone else.
• One set of Grandparents has tried to have an activity that is memorable before Christmas rather than give a wrapped present. This last year the rode the train to Horseshoe Bend - the kids loved it and still remember that fun event!
• Their Christmas Eve are spent at home with just their little family, they try to make the evening a spiritual one and save the presents and other things for Christmas morning.

Sister Olsen

Her daughter-in-law has a fun tradition with a little elf named Mr. Peeps, he comes to their house on Thanksgiving night and stays with them until Christmas Eve. Here is the poem that comes with Mr. Peeps:

Christmas is approaching, and this is the day
Santa has sent Mr. Peeps to your house to stay.
He sent this small elf to your house and mine.
Soon after Thanksgiving, He must be on time.
Mr. Peeps has a purpose. His purpose will be,
To whisper to Santa all the good that he sees.
Soon after he gets here, he moves only at night
To high places, low places, he stays in plain sight.
In the kitchen, for instance, he sits high on a shelf.
Mr. Peeps can sit anywhere, for he is an elf.
He holds very still when he thinks you are watching.
His magic is precious, it fades upon touching.
He sits on the tree on Christmas Eve day.
He knows that Santa is soon on his way.
He waits and he waits without making a noise.
He waits until Santa arrives with the toys.
So you better be nice and mind what you say
Because Mr. Peeps will tell Santa when he comes with his sleigh.
Once Christmas is here and Santa has come,
Mr. Peeps must leave, for his job is well done.
But, he will return next year on the very same day,
To watch your behavior as you work and play.

If you are looking for a Mr. Peeps who could spend the holidays with you Sister Westover ordered some from Oriental Trading and will have a few extra. Contact her if you are interested. Also this website is all about the little elf tradition: http://www.elfontheshelf.com/Home.aspx

Sister L. Hansen

A big part of their holiday traditions include FOOD! (I think this is a big part of every families traditions!)

Sister K. Bergquist

At their Christmas dinners they set and place for Christ - this helps them remember who this holiday is really about.

Other ideas (I can't remember who mentioned them):

• Christmas Stocking for Jesus - each year they write down on paper what they want to do better on in the next year, they place these notes in the stocking and open them each Christmas Eve to see how well they have done.
• Gift Giving Idea: 3 gifts - something to READ, something to PLAY WITH and something to WEAR

At the activity we made our own "Thankful Trees" here is the link to where we got the idea.

We also enjoyed cinnamon and orange rolls, hot chocolate and wassail. Some sisters mentioned they wanted the wassail recipe so here it is:

Hot Wassail (Sister K. Bergquist)

1 gal apple cider

2 (48 oz) pineapple juice

2 c. orange juice

1/4 c. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. whole cloves

2-3 cinnamon sticks

Mix in kettle. Boil 5 minutes. Serve hot.

All of these ideas are GREAT - PLEASE share with us some of your traditions that make the holidays meaningful for you and yours! You can comment HERE or email me (Sister A.Youngberg) and I'll get them posted!! Have a wonderful holiday season! 

Daughters in My Kingdom