Families are Forever

This weekend was Stake Conference! It seemed like the main theme of the whole thing was missionary work, but I just couldn't stop thinking about how wonderful it is that our families will be together forever. The speakers kept mentioning that when all is said and done, and we are no longer on the Earth, the thing that will matter most is the relationships we have developed and the covenants we have kept. It was a good reminder that the things that seem most important now (work, education, accumulating shiny things) are definitely not what matters most, and pale in comparison to the true importance of maintaining good relationships with our spouse, children, parents, siblings, other family members, and friends.

We were counseled to have open and honest communication with our spouses, to go over the little things that might bug us (like where to put the bananas), and to come to an agreement on those little things that don't really matter.

Another tiny theme I noticed is recognizing the Lord's signature in our lives. I love this so much. He really is a part of everything, and it is nice to go to the temple to feel especially close to him.  :)

Love you girls!

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

Staying Close to Our Heavenly Father

This week the fabulous Angie Facer wrote a post for us. Thanks, Angie!

"This was the first lesson from the new Joesph Fielding Smith book. It talked about Staying close to Heavenly Father. One of the ways was missionary work and how technology helps missionary work with blogs, lds.org, mormon.org and social media.

Some ways we came up with to also stay close are:

Turn off technology

Go outside in nature

Read our patriarchal blessings which are from God 

Ask for fathers blessings or husbands blessings to be reminded more personally what Heavenly Father wants us to hear

Our teacher also shared this video with us, reminding us also of our true identity: 

I have a strong testimony that Heavenly Father knows all of us individually. He can speak us is through blessings and prayers. I made a goal for myself that I would read my scriptures every night before bed. I cant describe the love I feel through out the day when I read the night before. I sleep better, I feel like I do better at work, I  more attentive to Hansen's needs while he is at school. I also asked for a fathers blessing this past Christmas from my father in law and it said that if I was diligent in my prayers and scripture study that I would have the desires of my heart. And he really reminded me that I know he listens when I pray and knows what those true desires are."

Another Thought on Goals for the New Year

A Wonderful Reminder as We Make and Keep Goals This Year!

While reflecting upon Sister Eliza Blank's messages about goal keeping last week, I kept thinking back to Pres. Uchtdorf's first presidency message in June titled "Walking in Circles." He begins with a story showing the importance of having clear landmarks along our journey (whatever that journey or goal may be). He begins the story by asking the question- "Have you ever heard the old saying that people who get lost tend to walk in circles?" He continues:

Jan L. Souman, a German psychologist, wanted to determine scientifically if this was true. He took participants of an experiment to a large forest area and to the Sahara desert and used a global positioning system to track where they went. They had no compass or any other device. Instructions to them were simple: walk in a straight line in the direction indicated.

  Dr. Souman later described what happened. “[Some] of them walked on acloudy day, with the sun hidden behind the clouds [and with no reference points in view]. … [They] all walked in circles, with [several] of them repeatedly crossing their own path without noticing it.” Other participants walked while the sun was shining, with faraway reference points in view. “These … followed an almost perfectly straight course.”

  This study has been repeated by others with different methodologies. All returned similar results.

Without visible landmarks, human beings tend to walk in circles.

In Relief Society, we discussed the importance of having a plan when making goals. Without a clear plan in mind, or visible landmarks, we will only wander mindlessly towards our goals. Although Pres. Uchtdorf focuses on the goal of eternal life, this life principle can be applied to any goal we are trying to achieve. A couple landmarks he mentions, and could be helpful to you in your goal-keeping, are the scriptures and General Conference.

Scriptures: The scriptures are the word of God. They are God’s landmarks that show the way we should travel in order to draw closer to our Savior and reach worthy goals.

General Conference: The instructions given at general conference are another landmark that can help us know if we are on course.Are we noting and applying this worthwhile counsel? Are we recognizing and walking toward these real and valuable landmarks?

True landmarks, like the scriptures and general conference, can give us clear direction along our path through the voice of the Holy Ghost. They give purpose and meaning to our lives.

"It’s not enough to go solely by our instincts.

It’s not enough to have the best of intentions.

It won’t do to rely only on our natural senses."


I pray that we may all walk in certainty toward our goals this year as we set our course by landmarks, spiritual landmarks, that have been given to us by a loving Heavenly Father and that we may make necessary "course corrections" as we "orient ourselves" towards them. I love this gospel and am so grateful for the knowledge we have of the Plan of Salvation! I'm so glad we have Jesus Christ to heal us and make us better when we need help. I pray we may always remember what matters most! LOVE YOU ALL!

-Elli Jensen

New Year's Spiritual Thoughts

What are your New Years resolutions and/or goals?  

Today I will  share some of my own thoughts on goals/resolutions in a spiritual context and some highlights from church that I hope will help keep you centered as you approach the new year and beyond! All my thought probing questions for you to consider as you start the new year are in PINK!

First I want to preface the comments about goals and resolutions by saying that goal setting and the subsequent striving to attain those goals is not inherently of a spiritual nature. I think that improving one's self in meaningful aspects of life is most constructive, and when it exercises and increases our faith it is of the highest spiritual nature. The attainment of goals can fill our hearts with gratitude for the grace and blessings we were given by God that made it possible, or which enabled us beyond our natural capacity. Reaching for goals and resolutions that seem beyond the reach of our personal capacity provide us with an opportunity to put our faith on the line and reach out to Jesus. If we stick with it until

Too often we give up without putting in any substantial spiritual work. I speak from experience here. We work and put in so much of our own effort, which is good, but fail to pray meaningfully about these goals and ask for grace to be able to reach these goals.

As we say our 'daily prayers' are we telling God what our goals are and specifically asking for His help and approval? After the goals are set, are we checking in with God in our prayers daily and thanking Him for the progress we've made and asking for help to overcome the obstacles that have arisen? I wonder how much more progress we would make if we truly partnered with God daily in our efforts.

Christ is our anchor who can keep us moving toward the ideals we are striving for if we center on Him. His atonement carries us beyond our weaknesses and can change our human nature, which is often the source of our struggles in obtaining goals. 

Now, on to some comments that were made in our church service :)


1. Resolution and goal setting is most productive and valuable when it is a  focus year round, rather than just the immediately time before and after New Year's Day.

I think that if we were thinking about setting and evaluating goals all year long, it would be so much easier to continue working towards our goals! Atleast we wouldn't forget about them, which I feel like is half the battle for most of us.
What can you do to make setting/striving for goals a habit? 

The other half of the battle for most of us is maintaining the progress we've made while pursuing our goal.

How could you benefit from setting goals of maintenance, to continue the good habits that you've worked hard to obtain? 

2. Failure to meet your exact goal by the deadline is not failure.  Goals without a time frame is little more than a wish, but not having fully attained the whole goal by your deadline is not the end/failure of the goal.

Let me explain; our own sister Bethany Madsen pointed out that if you set a goal to lose 20 pounds by March 30th and it turns out that you have only lost 17 lbs by the 30th, that is not a failure! You have accomplished so much - 17 lbs to be precise, and there's no reason you can't continue on to lose the last 3 pounds and meet your goal. Dates and time lines are an important part of attaining specific goals, but remember they are not what is truly important, your progress is.

My two cents to add is that we may set resolutions or intentions that are not so easily  quantifiable, such as to be more patient, forgiving, or learn to be and know yourself. I think these types of resolutions are ones that require us to contemplate on the way we are living our lives daily, and adjust the way we think or do things as we notice that we are not quite in harmony with our resolution/intention. For example, if I set a resolution to be more forgiving this next year, I will not only have to think now about who I may need to forgive, but I will need to check in frequently (daily would be best) to think about if I have formed a grudge that day that I need to let go. Sometimes its hard to remember to do this daily checking in. We need a plan of how to remind ourselves or how and when to follow through on what we've resolved to do.

What are you going to do to remind yourself of your resolutions/goals so that you carry on well after the beginning of the New Year?

What will you do to track and be accountable for your progress?

May your goals and resolutions bring you closer to Christ as you rely on Him as the source of lasting change and hope - Happy New Year!!!