*Enrichment Night for putting together the Chemo Kits has been changed to August 7th @ 6 pm. There will be a list of items for this kits on the side bar of this blog. Please come and attend. The material for the seat belt port pillows will be provided. For those sisters that want to come and sew, please bring your sewing machine. We will also need sisters to stuff and close these pillows, so come and visit.
*Temple Night is July 27th ~ the 5 or 7 pm sessions
*Stake Family Night (Previously called Early Park Roundup) will be held at Peterson Park in Elwood on August 11 @ 6 pm.
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Today's lesson was taken from a talk given by Elder Neil L. Andersen at a BYU Devotional and was taught by Sister Louisa Joy.
Sister Joy began her lesson by having a sister read the following thoughts:
- When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
- Love one another as I have loved you.
- Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.
- Succor the weak, lift up the hand which hangs down and strengthen the feeble knees.
She then read from Elder Andersen's talk:
"Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister
And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant."
". . . the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many."
We were then asked what effect these thoughts had on us. One sister commented that if we truly did these things and lived like the Savior taught, we would be so much further ahead in our journeys here on earth.
Sister Joy said, "this is how the Savior served. He always looked for the ones that were down-hearted and troubled."
In Elder Andersen's talk the first point that was given and that Sister Joy wanted to highlight was: We need to Remember the first commandment before we exercise the second commandment.
Elder Andersen said, "One came to the Savior and asked Him: Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself."
Sister Joy asked, "How can we do this in our ministering without coming across as being self-righteous or holier-than-thou?" Some of the answers that were given were:
- By being a true friend. To do this we need to build these relationships and go beyond visiting in the way that we used to do.
- By being like the Savior. To do this we need to know Him better. We can know Him better through our scripture studies and prayer. He will prompt us if we do this.
Elder Anderson said, "Your ability to bring a holier approach to loving your neighbor, to caring for and ministering to others, will rest upon how strongly you keep the first commandment."
"There is a unique and supernal gift of ministering that can come from someone who loves God with all his or her heart; who is settled, grounded, steadfast, and immoveable in his or her faith in Jesus Christ and in the restored gospel; and who keeps the commandments with exactness."
Sister Joy had several pictures on a board:
She had sisters come up and choose which they would like and then they read what was on the backs of each picture. On the back were different things that each sister or friend was struggling with they included:
- This sister used to attend the temple but now struggles to go.
- This friend is struggling with dressing modestly.
- This sister has become critical of the Prophet and church leaders and is openly critical of them.
- This friend is living a life that compromising her worthiness and needs to repent.
- This sister is discouraged and feels unloved even by Heavenly Father.
- You suspect that this friend has an addiction to porn.
- This sister has begun to use edgy language that isn't proper for a daughter of Heavenly Father to use.
- This friend has begun to go elsewhere instead of attending church on Sundays.
- This sister is dishonest in small things.
- This friend is using prescription drugs in an inappropriate way.
- This sister jokes about sacred things.
- This friend used to attend seminary and church, but she now is disinterested and disengaged in sacred things.
Sister Joy asked, "How we might help sisters and friends that face some of these everyday trials?
Sister Joy read the following statistic give in Elder Andersen's talk: In 1975, the number of young adults (ages eighteen to twenty-four) with an affiliation with a religion was near 90 percent. It is now at 66 percent. A full third of young adults do not affiliate with any organized religion. Young adults in the United States today pray with less frequency, believe less in God, believe less in the bible, and believe less in commandments."
She then read a warning that was given in the talk: "Even though we are surrounded where faith flourishes, it is naive to believe that the trends of the world are not able to influence the very elect."
A sister commented that it is a slippery slope and begins with the small things. That we need to be diligent.
Sister Rawlins said, "It is okay to use the term friend when we speak of our sisters. She also said that we need to remember to be in tune and find out where and what our sister's real problems are so that we can help with them.
Sister Alsop also mentioned that we need to remember to look at ourselves. We often talk about the problems that others might have, but do we see these in ourselves. Sometimes it is good to look inward and fix our problems so that we are more able to assist others.
Sister Dottie Garn said that we need to put ourselves in the other person's shoes. Maybe we need to ask ourselves, why are they doing this; or why are they feeling that way. We need to try to see things from their point-of-view.
Sister Anne Welling mentioned an article that she read in the Ensign a couple of months ago that was on listening. She said in the article it said to listen, really listen and listen with love. Don't say anything, just learn to listen. That way we aren't focusing on what to say, but we are focusing on the spirit and it can let us know what we can help with.
Sister Bonnie Clark said, "It starts with prayer. We need to pray for our sisters."
Sister Holmgren talked about how we need to continually be a friend to our sisters. We need to treat them like Christ would. We need to love them and help them not feel like they are just a check that needs to be marked off a list.
Sister Joy read the following from Elder Andersen's talk, "Unlike changing a flat tire, just one experience rarely fixes a spiritual problem. It takes time, conversations and encouraging experiences that will help rebuild faith. It comes more like the dew from heaven than a one-time blast from a firehose. You have to minister again and again as you help someone turn back to God and again rely on the Savior and His Atonement."
Sister Ashby said, "We need to be a good example for others." She told of an incident when she was working at the school. A student came up to her and read a list of words off to her and asked if these words were okay to say. Sister Ashby told that student that "NO" they were not okay to say. This student said that they had overheard another student saying them and wondered. By Sister Ashby telling them no, it taught them what was good and what wasn't. She said, "If someone wants to do something that isn't right, we need to be strong and stand up for what is right."
Sister Welling said that she puts her sister's names in the Temple and she lets them know that she is doing that for them.
Sister Joy then talked about how in the war movies and movies with heroes the hero never leaves anyone behind. She thought about this and said, "We are truly in a battle and we need to not leave our brother's and sisters behind. We need to be more aware of them and help them back."
She then read this quote from Elder Andersen's talk, "The Apostle Paul said, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
She talked about how she was listening to an audio book or talk the other day. As she was listening to how the Savior taught and treated others, she was impressed at how the Savior even loved the Sadducees and Pharisees and wanted them to return to Heavenly Father. He loved everyone.
The Second point that she wanted to focus and emphasize was: We Need To Go Beyond Good Will.
Elder Andersen said, "Caring for others, physically and emotionally, requires an unselfish and sensitive heart. It is an important part of the gospel. This caring is done in and out of the Church by good people, believers and nonbelievers. There are many wonderful, kind people all over the world, and we can learn from them.
However, unique to a converted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is another kind of ministering. You have the opportunities, as disciples of the Savior, to minister in a way that helps keep a friend's faith from faltering, that reminds a friend in a kind way that reading the Book of Mormon every day really does bring miracles and that the standards of the Church are not just a set of rules but keep us closer to God and brings us happiness.
A person with a good heart can help someone fix a tire, take a friend to the doctor, have lunch with someone who is sad, or smile and say hello to brighten a day.
But a follower of the first commandment will naturally add to these important acts of service, encouraging the person who is doing well in keeping the commandments and sharing wise counsel to strengthen the faith of someone who is slipping or who needs help in moving back onto the path he once traveled."
Sister Joy reiterated that as we start to follow this advise, as we pray for our sisters and strive to obtain personal revelation in how we can help our sisters, we need to be ready.
She then read the challenge that President Nelson gave in General Conference.
"To minister in the Lord's way, we need the help of the Holy Ghost. In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost."
President Nelson added, "I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritually ability to receive personal revelation" He counseled us to pray, to listen, to write down our thoughts, and to take action.
Can we apply this to ministering in a holier way? Let us pray, listen record our thoughts, and take action regarding those to whom we can minister.
Pray that these opportunities will come to you, listen, write down your thoughts, and then be ready to take action as people are put in your way.
"The Lord puts us in the right place at the right time to serve if we can just be aware and follow those promptings."
Sister Joy then read the challenge that Elder Andersen gave. "I challenge you to strengthen your efforts to spiritually minister to one another. To minister spiritually can begin with baking cookies or playing a basketball game, but eventually this holier way of ministering requires opening your heart and your faith, taking courage in encouraging the positive growth you are seeing in a friend, or expressing concerns about things you see and feel are not consistent with discipleship.
Let us not be self-righteous, but let us be spiritually courageous in ministering in a holier way, specifically by strengthening the faith of others."
In closing Sister Joy read the Psalmist Cry that was in Elder Andersen's talk. It said, "I have always been moved by the Psalmist's cry: "I looked on my right hand . . . but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man [or woman] cared for my soul." there may be some here who feel that way. Let's help them.
Elder Andersen's Promise: I promise you that as you love God with all your heart, pray to be an instrument in His hands, minister to individuals, build your capacity to receive revelation, and trust in the influence of the Holy Ghost, the Lord will put His special sons and daughters in your path, and you will become their ministering angels, blessing their lives eternally. You will minister in a a holier way.
