Sunday Recap- Missionary Work

A big thank you to Jo Ann Jones for giving the lesson.

Missionary Work- Chapter 33 Gospel Principles Manual.

Missionary Work is part of God's plan for His children.

Missionary Work has always been on the earth from the beginning of time.

When Jesus was on the earth, he called apostles and seventies to preach. Paul was one of the greatest missionaries in Christ's time.

Missionary work began again when the Lord's church was restored on the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. In June 1830, Samuel Harrison Smith, the Prophet's brother, began the first missionary journey for the Church.

Since that time over one million missionaries have been called and sent forth to preach the gospel. The message they take to the world is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God & our Savior. They testify that the gospel has been restored to the earth through a prophet of God.

The Gospel will be preached to All the World

For verily, the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth- the gospel must be preached unto every creature, with signs following them that believe (D&C 58:64)

If you want to learn more about the church and have questions, please visit: http://mormon.org for more information.

Every member of the Church is a missionary. We are responsible to teach the gospel by word & deed to ALL of our Heavenly Father's children.

There are many ways to share the gospel. The manual lists 10.

1. We can show friends and others the joy we experience from living the truths of the gospel. In this way we will be a light to the world (Matthew 5:16)
2. We can overcome our natural shyness by being friendly to others and doing kind things for them. We can help them see that we are sincerely interested in then and not seeking personal gain.
3. We can explain the gospel to nonmember friends and others.
4. We can invite friends who are interested in learning more about the gospel into our homes to be taught by the missionaries. If our nonmember friends live too far away, we can request that missionaries in their areas visit them.
5. We can teach our children the importance of sharing the gospel, and we can prepare then spiritually and financially to go on missions. We can also prepare ourselves to serve full time missions in our senior years.
6. We can pay our tithing and contribute to the missionary fund. These donations are used for furthering missionary work.
7. We can contribute to the ward, branch or general missionary fund to give financial support to missionaries whose families are unable to support them.
8. We can do family history research and temple work to help our ancestors receive the full blessings of the gospel.
9. We can invite nonmember friends to activities such as family home evenings and Church socials, conferences, and meetings.
10. We can give copies of Church magazines. We can also share gospel messages by using features available on the Church's official Interent sites, LDS.org and Mormon.org.

The Lord promises us blessings for doing Missionary Work.

The Lord has told us:

"If it so be that ye should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" (D&C 18:15-16)

Every Member a Missionary!

You are your biggest convert!

I challenge us all to seek for opportunities to share the gospel with those around us. We will be blessed because of our efforts.

Announcements!

Stay with me people, there are a lot of announcements this week.

Monday June 8th FHE-Meet at the church at 7:00

Thursday June 7th:Sports night we are playing flag football and meeting at the football field. Come and have fun. 

Saturday June 8th is the SUPER ACTIVITY! We will meet at 4:00 at the man's camp by the powerplant. There will be sport activites. Dinner at 7:00. Then Riley Nielson quarterback from BYU will speak to us . Afterwards from 9-12:00 there will be a dance. Hope to see you there.

We are planning a temple trip for June 14th. We will be doing an endowment session as well as baptisms for the dead. Please contact a member of the branch presidency if you have any questions or concerns.At 2:00 pm we will meet at the baptistry and then those who are endowed will go to a sesssion and those who are doing baptisms will stay there. Afterwards there will be pizza.

Sunday June17is Branch Conference.

Are We Not All Mothers?
By Emily taken from Sheri Dew's Oct. 2001 General Conference talk.

"Motherhood is more than bearing children...It is the essence of who we are as women."

"Loving and leading—these words summarize not only the all-consuming work of the Father and the Son, but the essence of our labor, for our work is to help the Lord with His work. How, then, may we as Latter-day women of God best help the Lord with His work?"

"Prophets have repeatedly answered this question, as did the First Presidency six decades ago when they called motherhood “the highest, holiest service … assumed by mankind."

"It is a doctrine about which we must be clear if we hope to stand “steadfast and immovable” regarding the issues that swirl around our gender. For Satan has declared war on motherhood. He knows that those who rock the cradle can rock his earthly empire. And he knows that without righteous mothers loving and leading the next generation, the kingdom of God will fail."

"When we understand the magnitude of motherhood, it becomes clear why prophets have been so protective of woman’s most sacred role. While we tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, in the Lord’s language, the word mother has layers of meaning. Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve “the mother of all living” —and they did so before she ever bore a child. Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born. Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality, righteous women were endowed premortally with the privilege of motherhood. Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us."

"President Gordon B. Hinckley stated that “God planted within women something divine.” That something is the gift and the gifts of motherhood. Elder Matthew Cowley taught that “men have to have something given to them [in mortality] to make them saviors of men, but not mothers, not women. [They] are born with an inherent right, an inherent authority, to be the saviors of human souls … and the regenerating force in the lives of God’s children.”

"As daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as daughters of Eve, we are all mothers and we have always been mothers. And we each have the responsibility to love and help lead the rising generation. How will our young women learn to live as women of God unless they see what women of God look like, meaning what we wear, watch, and read; how we fill our time and our minds; how we face temptation and uncertainty; where we find true joy; and why modesty and femininity are hallmarks of righteous women? How will our young men learn to value women of God if we don’t show them the virtue of our virtues?"

"Every one of us has an overarching obligation to model righteous womanhood because our youth may not see it anywhere else. Every sister in Relief Society, which is the most significant community of women on this side of the veil, is responsible to help our young women make a joyful transition into Relief Society. This means our friendship with them must begin long before they turn 18. Every one of us can mother someone—beginning, of course, with the children in our own families but extending far beyond. Every one of us can show by word and by deed that the work of women in the Lord’s kingdom is magnificent and holy. I repeat: We are all mothers in Israel, and our calling is to love and help lead the rising generation through the dangerous streets of mortality."

"We just can’t let the Lord down. And if the day comes when we are the only women on earth who find nobility and divinity in motherhood, so be it. For mother is the word that will define a righteous woman made perfect in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, a woman who has qualified for eternal increase in posterity, wisdom, joy, and influence."

Even as singles we can be a mother to our families, people we meet on the streets, and to those we visit teach. It is our divine role and we should not be ashamed.

May 19th Branch BBQ at the Palamar 6:30 pm. We will have delicious food and be playing kick-ball as well as card games. Welcome to all senors.

May 22nd Visiting Teaching Training at the 1st Ward's church building 6:00 pm. Sister Beck said that "visiting teachers are the first responders." We are excited to have the Stake Relief Society Presidency come and inspire us to do visiting teaching and also give ways and ideas on how to do visiting teaching effectively. Treats are a given.

Tuesday April 26th Relief Society Activity: Hula hooping, Come and learn a few fun tricks with the hula hoop. Its great exercise and a lot of fun. Jump back to the years of your carefree life as a child. 7:00 pm at the 1 ward's church building.

March 16th, Girls Night In--Come and enjoy time with the girls doing manicures and pedicures and learn different natural facial masks and cleansers.

June 11th, Super Activity--Take the opportunity to get to know other singles in central Utah as we go to the ropes course over in Ephraim and then indulge in a delicious New Zealand luau with live entertainment and a special speaker.

Tonight CES Fireside at the Stake Center, 6:00 pm Elder L. Tom Perry

FHE Monday at the 1st Ward building, 7:00 pm, Faith Factor

Sunday 13th Fireside at the Hinkley building, 6:00 pm

March 19th Relief Society Fireside at the Stake Center, 7:00 pm

General Conference April 2 and 3