Missionary Work

Deanna Jeffrey gave an amazing lesson on missionary work yesterday. 

She shared the quote from Elder Neilsen's talk:Hastening the Lord's Game Plan:

Several years ago I needed to speak to the wife of one of the bishops in our stake, so I called their home. A young son answered the phone. I said, “Hello. Is your mother there?”

His reply: “Yes, she is. I’ll get her. Who is this?”

My response: “Tell her it’s President Nielsen.”

There was a short pause, and then, in a very animated voice, I heard, “Hey, Mom, President Hinckley’s on the phone!”

I can’t imagine what she must have been thinking. It had to be the longest walk to the phone she ever had. The thought did cross my mind: “Should I?” I didn’t, but we had quite a laugh. Now that I think about it, she must have been so disappointed just talking to me.

What would you do if the prophet of the Lord really called you? Well, he has! President Thomas S. Monson, as he did once again this morning, has called each one of us to a very important work. He said, “Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together, to work together, to labor in the Lord’s vineyard to bring souls unto Him”

To read or watch the entire talk click here

Missionary work is often seen as an overwhelming calling we receive as members of the church. But it can be easily simplified.

Missionary Work has two parts.

1. The first part is the missionary. I want you to think of your favorite treat. Mine is chocolate cake. As a missionary it is our job to see the gospel as our favorite treat. If you do not feel this way then now is the time to work on your personal testimony. 

2. Once we see the gospel as the gift (treat) it is then we focus on the second part, work. The work is inviting other to share in the special treat that we have. If you truly love and appreciate something you want others to know about it and enjoy it too.

It is our stewardship to share what we have and know to be true. Only by being bold will we see the lord helping us to share our most personal thoughts and testimonies. 

We urge you to look for opportunities to share God's love this week and post comments about your stories so we can share them here on the blog!

xo your relief society sister

Endure to the End

Abbey Thornock gave a great lesson today - technically it was about the plan of salvation, but that is such a broad topic so we spent a large portion of the time talking about the atonement and enduing to the end. This might sound weird but I love talking about enduring to the end because it reminds me that I've still got a long way to go, and I need to actively keep working at being a good person. Can't give up yet! And talking about the atonement makes me feel so grateful to God for everything in life. I always feel so blessed, humbled, and grateful that Jesus Christ would do someting like that for us.  :)

Anyways, just thought I'd jot down some quick notes here of thoughts I had, topics from the discussion, and points from the lesson. Hope you can find this useful or inspiring in some way! Please do make a comment if you had any special thoughts during the lesson that I didn't include here.

1.  The faithful will inherit eternal life with their families in the presence of Heavenly Father. This is such a great doctrine, and it's so comforting to know that we will still be with our family members after this life is over.
2. When enduring to the end, try to keep an eternal perspective and ask yourself what you are learning from your trials. It will make the big trials in this life seem more like stepping stones, rather than insurmountable hurdles.
3. Don't worry about being perfect! Women especially seem to have a preoccupation with being perfect at everything, but we need to realize that Christ's atonement makes up for our shortcomings. We still need to try our best, but we don't need to be overwhelmed at how hard it is, because He will help us.
4. "No one is perfect, that's why there was an atonement." - Some inspired words from Abbey. Let's all remember this!



The atonement is a gift - you need to choose to use it.  :)

5. I love this quote from Joseph F. Smith "I am sure that we all love the Lord. I know that he lives, and I look forward to that day when I shall see his face, and I hope to hear his voice say unto me: 'Come ye plessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
6. While we're talking about enduring to the end, let's not forget about this:

Also, this might seem obvious but it's just another thought I had today. God created us and the world we live in. He made the air we breathe and it is because of him that we can move around and do our daily tasks of going to work, going to school, taking care of children, playing, eating, reading. For everything we are and everything we do, we can never repay the Lord for what he has given us. But he doesn't mind and on top of all this he sent his only son to atone for all of our sins. Not because we deserve it or anything, but because he loves us and he wants us to be happy and to be able to live with him again someday. I am so amazed at the love he has for us, it always makes me want to be a better person.

Love you girls! I hope you each have an amazing week.

-Lisa

You are so loved

We had a fantastic lesson by Yvonne Styles today. I'm not going to summarize the whole thing, but I'll give some basic things that I took away from the lesson.

1. You are not alone in your trials, God knows you and loves you and He is always there for you. If you ever feel yourself getting lost in despair and hopelessness, turn to Him in prayer and remember that He has total control over everything. If you are following the commandments He will not let you go through any trial alone, and everything that happens to you will happen for a reason.
2. Always try to align your will with God's.
3. True happiness comes not when your life is perfect, but when you trust in God and choose to be happy even though things are not going as you planned them.
4. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways aknowledge him and he shall direct thy path." Proverbs 3:5
5. We also listened to an excerpt from a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland called "An Ensign to the Nations." Youguys should definitely read it if you are looking for a little extra spiritual nourishment throughout the week. 

The lamb on Christ's shoulders represents each of us.

Did you have any thoughts or special insights about this week's lesson? I'd love to see what youguys thought in the comments below.

Love you all!

-Lisa