Ward Temple Night: July 27. Please try to attend either the 5 or 7 o'clock sessions.
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Our teacher today was Sister Jamie Johnson. She began our lesson by reading from the talk given by President Nelson to the brethren in the Priesthood session of conference.
"Your devotion to duty and your selfless service are just as important in your callings as ours are in our callings. Through a lifetime of service in this Church, I have learned that it really doesn't matter where one serves. What the Lord cares about is how one serves."
It was mentioned that we often get caught up in callings, so this is important to remember. Sister Jamie talked about her mother. Her mother had held many callings from Nursery to being a mission president's wife. Jamie talked of how her mother put her whole heart into her callings no matter what they were. She said that often the nursery children didn't even get the toys out because her mother had planned things to do that had the children were so involved that they didn't need the toys. Jamie said that she planned out her primary lessons with things for the children to the point that Jamie always wanted to attend her mother's class instead of her own. As a mission president's wife she put this same amount of effort into supporting and helping her husband.
Sister Johnson asked if this brought to mind others that do this type of service. Sister Bonnie Clark pointed out that this is how Sister Lana Coombs is in her callings. She also told of Sister Katie Hess and how much she does in her callings.
Sister Johnson then stated that there are so many sisters in our ward that are so willing to serve.
Sister Anne Welling's daughter-in-law then commented on how when Elder Uchtdorf was released from the first presidency how there were people that were upset that he hadn't been called to be in the first presidency again. Elder Uchtdorf commented saying that the Lord had another work for him to perform at this time. He was an example of how we need to serve no matter where the Lord calls us.
Sister Jamie recalled when her father was mission president, he would often have to change missionaries around. He would call elders to serve as assistants to the president so that they would learn leadership abilities and then he would change them to other callings such as zone leaders and district leaders. Often they would get upset and say that they were being demoted. Jamie's father had to point out to them that they were doing what they had been trained to do to help other missionaries. He said it was often a struggle to help them understand this principle.
Sister Lola Coombs commented on how once a person she knew hadn't held a calling for a long time. Then they were called to take care of the hymn books. This person put their heart and soul into taking care of the books. They went through the whole church building and made sure that each book was mended and made clean and usable. This person knew that it didn't matter what they were doing as long as they were doing their best to serve the Lord.
Sister Tonya Hess remembered the story that was told in conference about a father that served well in his calling. But his son said, "if you think he is a good man here, you need to know that he is even better at home."
Sister Jamie then said, the prophet stated, "We see faithful men who live up to their privileges as bearers of the priesthood. They lead and serve by sacrifice in the Lord's way with love, kindness, and patience. they bless, guide, protect and strengthen others by the power of they priesthood they hold. They bring miracles to those they ere while they keep their own marriages and families safe. The shun evil and are mighty elders in Israel. I am most thankful for them!"
Sister Jamie then handed out the following handout where she replaced the word men with the word women.
She then asked if anyone had anyone that they knew who were faithful and fulfilled these. Sister Lola Coombs said, "Sister Nelson does these. She was prepared to be the wife of our Prophet and she supports him."
Sister Tama John commented on how she and her mother were baptized when she was a teenager. She told of how her mom was a wonderful example to her of how a visiting teacher should be. She said her mother had been a visiting teacher to the same sisters for years and years. She told of how her mom even spoke at one of the women's funerals last week. She said her mom really went out of her way to be a friend to these sisters. Sister John said she has a hard time even sending out a text at times.
Sister Jamie said, "We are here to watch out for each other."
Sistre Teri Garn commented on how faithful Joan Richard's has been in her scouting callings. How she has helped so many boys in her lifetime.
Sister Jamie Johnson then commented that she is so grateful for those in our ward that serve both seen and unseen.
Sister Johnson then went on to ask how we as sisters can support the priesthood holders. How we can lead and serve by sacrifice?
Sister Gwen Christofferson said that when she goes to town to pick up something for the sisters that she ministers to, she also picks up something for Craig and the families that he is over. She said it is just as easy to pick up something for 6 as it is to pick up something for 3.
Katie Hess commented on how when Brian is away doing church work that it is easier sometimes to have all of the kids by herself than when he is off playing golf or doing his own thing. She said we need to be an example to our children and let them know how important it is to support our priesthood leaders in their callings. We need to not complain, but be happy that we can serve them.
Sister Jamie said she remembers feeling this when her father was always gone as a mission president, but she said she also remembers the compensatory blessings from supporting him.
Sister Merlyn Kent talked about how the bishop has told her that when he was a boy, he remembered seeing his mother get on her knees and pray for him. She said that even when his mom got older and it was hard for her to get on her knees she still continued to pray for him. Now that bishop is older and has a hard time getting on his knees, he has a true gratitude for what his mother did for him in praying for him.
Sister Johnson then asked, "How do we help them (Priesthood brethren) serve in the Lord's way? With Love, Kindness and Patience? She then did an object lesson where she had a lamp and even with a bulb in it, if it wasn't plugged in it wouldn't work. But when plugged in it cast light and blessed everyone. If we help the priesthood holders in our lives plug in by using their priesthood worthily it makes their priesthood more effective.
Sister Melanie Smith (Christina's daughter) commented on how atmosphere makes a real difference. I also commented on this. It is something that I have found helps. If my home is clean and not chaotic when Sam comes home he can focus on things better. But when things are chaotic, he is not in the frame of mind where he can receive inspiration.
Sister Lana Coombs said she knows women that make kind suggestions in kind ways and that helps.
Sister Anne Welling said her husband was gone a lot with different callings he has held in the church. She said that sometimes it is important to give them time to talk so that they can unload their burdens (not saying things that need to be kept confidential, but that they can just feel your support.) We can compliment them and let them know that we know that they have the talent and means to fulfill their callings.
Sister Jamie agreed that we always need to lift our husbands up and be a good example to our children.
Then Sister Jamie wrote the final part of the Prophet's list on the board as time was getting short so that if we had a comment on any of them we could do so. The list was:
- Bless, guide and protect.
- Bring miracles to those they work with or serve.
- Keep their families safe.
- Shun Evil and know that they are mighty elders in Israel.
Jamie talked about how when she and Patrick were first married how she always wanted him to take the lead in their home. When he didn't, she had to kindly prod him to do the things that they needed to do like family scripture study, etc.
Sister Bonnie Clark then said, "Our husbands and sons hold the priesthood, but we can kindly and gently guide them by being in tune so that we ourselves can receive inspiration as to what needs to be done."
Sister Melanie Smith also commented on this saying that when she was first married she would get discouraged when her husband wouldn't take the lead. Then as she thought about it, she realized that it wasn't so important that her husband take the lead as it was that what should be done was being done. Then slowly by example her husband now takes the lead.
Sister Tammy Ward talked about single sisters. She said that they can help by asking for blessings. She told of how her mother would ask her home teachers for help and how it helped them grow.
Sister Jamie then asked how we as sisters can help our priesthood holders to shun evil and become mighty elders in Israel by the media that we invite into our homes? She commented on how she had heard a talk given by Sister Julie Beck in a BYU devotional. Sister Beck told them that as sisters we are like lionesses. We can control what stays and what leaves in our homes and that we should protect it as a lioness.
Sister Jamie then said that the Prophet had a concern. He said, "A hallmark of the Lord's true and living Church will always be an organized, directed effort to minister to individual children of God and their families. Because it is His Church, we as His servants will minister to the one, just as He did. We will minister in His name, with His power and authority, and with His loving-kindness."
Sister Jamie Johnson said that it is a tragedy that we do not understand the power of the priesthood.
She then asked, "How can we more fully come to understand the power of the priesthood?"
Sister Bonnie Clark said, " She had to ask Heavenly Father to help her understand what the priesthood is."
Sister Jamie she asked her father about this. He told her that we need to learn about the doctrine of the priesthood. He asked her if she had read the Doctrine and Covenants sections about the priesthood. She then asked, "How many of us have taken the time to read these so that we have a firm understanding and grasp of what the priesthood does?" She then talked about Doctrine and Covenants section 121:45-46. In these sections it says. "45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. 46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever."
She commented on how if we truly understood it would cover us like the dews from heaven. If we lived like we should it would automatically just happen like the dew that comes on the grass each day. She said, "the more you understand, the more it will distill upon our souls."
She then ended her lesson by telling two stories. The first was of her grandmother. Her grandmother died when Jamie's mother was eleven. So Jamie never knew her. Jamie's grandmother had breast cancer and while she was sick, she had been working on a quilt. One night when she could no longer quilt due to illness, she had a dream where her children were using the sections of her quilt that hadn't been finished as rags. The sisters in her ward had compassion and they came in and finished the quilt for her so that her mind would be at peace. They ministered to her.
The next story Jamie told was of her mother. When her parent's came home off their mission her mother was quarantined because it was thought that she had tuberculosis. It was later found that she had a lung disease, not tuberculosis. She now has had part of her lung removed. However, during the time her mother was quarantined, she was quarantined in their living room. She sat day in and day out in the room and could see a spot on the ceiling where the renters that had lived in their home had burned candles and it had put a dark spot on the ceiling. It was discouraging to her. Then she began looking out the window and noticing the flowers that sisters in her ward had come and planted in her yard. As her focus changed so did her spirits. She was so grateful for the sisters that had ministers to her by planting flowers in her yard.
Sometimes it is the tiny things that bless the lives of others.
Even if we have empty hands, we can go and ask how we can help others. Sometimes it is a smile or just a listening ear that is needed. We can minister and do the Lord's work, but we have to be willing to do it in a way that is needed.
