Ministers Among Us

I learned something new today that I thought I'd share.  The missionaries in the Alabama Birmingham Mission informed me today that they have a great missionary tool called MinistersAmongUs.com.  Apparently, it's been around for awhile, but I didn't know about it.  So you might already know about it, but I thought it was new and awesome.  I'm also going to add it to my list of links on the right side of the page, so you can access it more easily.

To use the site, you first have to meet with the missionaries and have them set up an account for you.  After that you can use it to make referrals of friends, coworkers, family members, whoever that you would like to share the gospel with.  They will then make a sleeve for a copy of the Book of Mormon with that person's name on it and deliver it to their home explaining that they have a special gift for them from YOU!

Missionary work couldn't be easier, right?  So contact your local missionaries and set it up!  I know I'm going to!  :D

Career Assistance - Combined Lesson

LDSJobs.org - Helping Members Find Employment

I'd just like to say right off the bat that I think our Church is amazing. I love that it not only strives to uplift us spiritually, but emotionally, socially, and temporally, as well. Today we had a combined lesson with the Priesthood on Career Assistance. I thought it was neat because there are so many people without jobs or maybe about to lose a job due to the economy, and our Church leaders are trying to help us be prepared so that we can get the best job we possibly can.

We received a 25 page packet on making a resume, acing a job interview, and networking. 25 pages! That's a lot o' job searching help!

I think I'm just going to list some facts and tips that I thought were important.

Resumes

• The resume gets you the interview while the interview gets you the job!
• A successful resume will not list what you did at your job, but what you accomplished. What goals did you help them reach at your last job?
• Every resume should have a career objective at the top.
• Don't make your resume a novel. Keep it simple--1 to 2 pages is plenty. That's what the interview is for!
• A resume is your time to shine, so work it! :)
• For more great tips on resume writing, go here.

Job Interviews

• Spend more time preparing for the interview than the interview will actually last.
• Study the organization your interviewing with. Learn as much as you can about the company, your desired position, etc.
• Anticipate what questions you're likely to be asked. Here's a few examples.
• Dress appropriately for the interview. If in doubt, wear your Sunday best.
• Arrive 15 minutes early. Showing up late for an interview just gives the impression that you don't take the job seriously enough to be on time.
• TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE!!
• The first five minutes are the most important!
• Ask lots of questions. You're interviewing them, as well. Just keep the questions job related.
• After the interview, ask for a business card, follow up, and send a Thank You card.

Networking

• Networking is simply who you know. A network could be your friends, coworkers, fellow church members, whoever! If you're looking for a job, use your network to help you find one.
• The internet offers lots of ways you can search for jobs. I'll post links to those sites at the end of the post.
• Social networking sites like Facebook or Myspace can also be used to find jobs. For example, I know a guy who used a status update on Facebook to say he could fix frozen pipes and got several jobs that way. So now you can tell the naysayers that you ARE doing something productive on Facebook. :)

This is what we talked about in a nutshell. I really enjoyed it but thinking about getting a job makes me nervous. I've been a stay at home mom for 3 years now and plan to be one for awhile so going back in the working world scares me. Hopefully, I can remember these awesome tips when I go back on the job market in the future.

Happy job hunting!

Job Searching Websites
Employmentguide.com
Indeed.com
Craigslist.com
Americajobs.com
I-hire.com
Monster.com
Alabamajobs.com
Careerbuilder.com
TheLadders.com
Tva.gov
Usajobs.com
Google
Yahoo

Social Networking Sites
Facebook
My Space
Linked In

Other Helpful Websites
Times Daily
Salaries.com

Chapter 1 - Summary

Chapter 1 - Our Heavenly Father

Since it's a new year, we're starting a new set of lessons in Relief Society. We're taking a break from Teachings of the Presidents of the Church and learning from the Gospel Principles manual, instead. This manual is generally used for the Gospel Principles class which is taught to investigators and new members during the Sunday School hour of church. The book has recently been updated and revised, which hasn't happened for over 30 years! To read more about the updates and why we're studying them in Relief Society/Priesthood, go here. Russell M. Nelson does a wonderful job of explaining it.

As usual, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, so I missed part of the lesson. What I did hear was wonderful, though. This manual teaches very simple truths. We have a Heavenly Father. I have always known that, but it's good to be reminded of his love for me.

The part that I loved the most was at the end. These lessons are really short (so we have no excuse to NOT read them haha), so we had some extra time. Our teacher bore her testimony about how she loves Heavenly Father, and then turned the time over to the sisters to share their testimonies of Heavenly Father.

The first testimony was my own. I know that God is a God of miracles. Early last year my daughter was born. She started her life with double pneumonia from miconium aspiration. The x-rays of her lungs were really bad. So bad, in fact, that she could've died. My husband and his father were able to give her a priesthood blessing. The very next day, she was out of the NICU and in a recovering unit. During the doctor's rounds, I heard one of the doctors say, "Oh, yes, I remember this baby. She is the baby that got miraculously better." So, yes, I believe in miracles.

Not long after that experience, she was in the hospital again for a condition called NEC. It was scary stuff. As part of the treatment, she couldn't eat for 10 days. I remember one night after a long day of watching my baby suffer and not being able to help her getting on my knees and asking God why she had to suffer so much. I knew that ultimately her suffering now would help her later, but it was still really hard to watch. As I was praying, I realized that our Heavenly Father had a similar experience. He watched his own Son suffer because he knew that ultimately it would make all of His children's lives better. It made me realize how much my Heavenly Father must love me to allow his own Son to suffer so that we might live.

After my testimony, another sister stood and talked about her trials with having a child with Down Syndrome. She said that she knew God answered prayers even though they might not always be in the way we wanted it to happen. When she was pregnant with her first child, she prayed for two things: that her daughter would be healthy and intelligent. After her daughter was born with Down Syndrome she said that most people would say that her prayers were not answered. She said that she remembered reading in John 9 about Jesus and his disciples coming upon a man who was blind, and his disciples asked him who had sinned that this man was born blind. Jesus answered and told them that no one had sinned but that he was born blind so that the works of God may be made manifest in him. He then healed the man. She said that she had read that scripture so many times and thought nothing of it. This time when she read it, she thought of her dear daughter. She shared some experiences of when the greatness of God had been made manifest through her. Her daughter is my niece, and I completely agree. She then testified that she knows that Heavenly Father loves and knows each of us individually. It was such a strong witness. I loved it.

If you'd like to read the lesson, I've put a link at the very top of this post. It's very simple, but it speaks such great truths.

Read the Scriptures With a Little Help From the Internet

I've added a new link to my 'Helpful Links' box on the side. (Has anyone even noticed that little box? haha) It's to a site I was just informed about via Facebook called ReadTheScriptures.com.

How many times have you said, "I'm going to read the scriptures EVERY DAY!" and then fail miserably after about a week? That would be me pretty much all the time. I forget. A lot. This website lets you choose whatever book of scripture you want to read (or even Sunday School lessons, etc.) and choose the amount of time you want to read it in. You can choose the default of a chapter a day, or you can do a custom time where you choose when to start and finish. Once you set your goal, it will e-mail you the scriptures you need to read every day. And it won't send you the next day's reading until you've marked it "completed" just in case you skip a day.

I think this is a wonderful tool! I've signed up to read the Old Testament, and set a goal to read it by the end of the year. I've tried to read it before and quit before I even got out of Genesis. Hopefully, this will keep me on track, and I'll actually finish it this time!

There's also a Team feature where you can set up a team of people to encourage one another to reach your goal. It could be fun to do it with other people.

Check it out! This could be YOUR year to finally keep that goal to read every day! :D

New Year's Resolutions

I don't like New Year's resolutions. I really don't. I think that if you're going to start something new, you should just do it! Why wait until the New Year, right?

And, yet, every year, I set some New Year's resolutions that I know I'm not going to keep. This year, however, I resolved to NOT resolve anything. Ha! But that didn't work, either, because instead I thought about things I'd like to change about myself.

I finally came up with one that I'm going to try my hardest to stick to. I am going to try to say only positive things about my family. And not just my husband and kids, but all of my extended family. It's easy to say negative things about anybody, and I tend to do that--especially when I'm with other women. For some reason, husband bashing happens a lot when married women get together. Or kid bashing, for that matter. I am very guilty of it, and I'm very aware of it when I do it.

SO my resolve is to say only positive things, and for every negative thing I say, I must say two positive things to make up for it.

After I told my husband that, he said the thing about saying two positives for every negative was in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I guess I'm just as smart as Mr. Covey. :)

I figure that if I start with my family, then I'll eventually branch out to people outside my family, as well, and develop a more Christ-like attitude towards all people. Because, I mean, that's my main goal, after all--to be more like Christ.

What resolutions are you going to make this year? I'd love to hear them! We could all work together to make sure we actually keep them this year.

P.S. Due to stomach virus, there won't be a lesson summary this week. Sorry, guys. :(

Lesson Summary - "The Love of God" - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"The Love of God" - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

This is an absolutely beautiful talk, and I encourage you GREATLY to read it for yourself. He does a much better job of talking about it than I do. I promise!

He asks the question "Are there attributes above all others that should define us as members of His Church, even as disciples of Jesus Christ?" Ironically enough, he answers this question with other questions.

How do we become true disciples of Christ?

In our lesson today, several sisters said that keeping the commandments and loving and serving others was a great way to become true disciples. Christ told us in the New Testament that the greatest commandment is "thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Mark 12:30-31). If we follow the first commandment, then the second one should be a little easier.

Why should we love God?

Obviously, God has given us everything. He deserves our love. And even though he's commanded it, he doesn't need it. It is US that need to love him. I liked what someone said, "What we love determines what we seek." If we love God then we will seek to serve him and keep his commandments. If we love worldly things like money, then we will seek that which doesn't lead to happiness at all. Since we are God's children we have a great capacity to love as he does.

Why does He love us?

Good question, right? Sometimes I feel like such a huge screw-up, but for some reason God still loves me. I guess it's the same reason I still love my kids even when they disobey and drive me crazy. They're my kids, and I want them to succeed at life. I want what's best for them. Now, take that times a gazillion, and that's Heavenly Father's love for us. Our teacher said that this was her favorite paragraph:

"He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our resume but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God's love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked."

I liked this one: "Regardless of our current state, there is hope for us."

How can we increase our love of God?

One sister suggested engaging ourselves more when we do temple work. Another said we should also do that in our callings. I liked that one of the sisters said that doing service is HUGE! It's a great way to feel closer to Heavenly Father. There are opportunities for service all around. Today, actually, I had my baby with me. I conducted the meeting and while I was walking around trying to get announcements and such, one of the ladies offered to hold her for me. Later while I was trying to take notes, another wonderful lady just came and took her from me and kept her for the rest of the lesson. THAT was a great service to me! And what great examples they're setting for the rest of us in watching out for our fellow (wo)man). (Thanks, ladies! You're the best!)

How can we hear God's voice?

We've got to make the effort! Sometimes life gets so busy, we can't hear his voice. Our teacher explained how she is working and going to school and has maybe an hour home a day. It gets difficult for her to find time to do spiritual things sometimes! I know that most people can relate to that feeling. But I know that in my own life, when I take time to do spiritual things, my life runs so much smoother, and I am more able to recognize the Holy Ghost when he speaks to me.

Why is love the greatest commandment?

If we love God, we will WANT to follow his other commandments. I absolutely loved one sister's comment about how when we learn to love, it changes us. Other commandments we are asked to do, like paying tithing, may not change us. But learning to love like God loves will change our lives. Another sister pointed out that it's hard! It's hard to love some people some times. It's easier to just not like them! It requires more of us to love and accept people. Our teacher also told us that it's important to love ourselves. It can be difficult to love others if we don't love ourselves.

So going back to his original question of what's the most important attribute of all?

The answer is simple... Love. Love God. Love your neighbor. Just love!

The Christmas Spirit

I left early from church Sunday because of a sick baby, so I don't have a lesson summary. Perhaps someone else took notes... but I don't know. Until then, enjoy this video on what Christmas SHOULD be about.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!

Lesson 45 - Summary

Joseph Smith's Feelings About His Prophetic Mission

I apologize for not doing a lesson summary last week. I forgot to take notes until the very end, and by that time it was too late. My memory's not good enough to just recall what I heard, either. So, again, my apologies for those who missed it.

This week, I had to make some announcements to the Young Women and the sisters in Primary, so I missed most of the lesson. HOWEVER, I did take notes once I got in there, and what little I heard was fantastic. Thanks to my wonderful teacher and the ladies who have the courage to make comments and share personal experiences with the rest of us. They touched my heart.

I'm going to only focus on the last part of the lesson that I heard, so if you would like to read the entire lesson, you can click on the link above.

Apparently, when I walked in, they were discussing this question:

"What experiences have you had in which God has helped you to fulfill your responsibilities in your family or in a Church calling?"

I heard testimony after testimony of how my fellow sisters have been strengthened because of their callings. One sister spoke of how she was terrible at remembering names, but when she received a calling where she needed to do so, she was able. Another sister said that when she got called to be a temple worker, she told the Temple President that she had trouble getting around sometimes because of pains. She said, though, that once she entered the temple to serve, the pain went away so she could do the Lord's work, and as soon as she stepped out the door it was back. Yet another sister said that as a mother she feels like she can't do enough and doesn't teach her children like she should, but when they get together for Family Home Evening, her son will say something profound. When she asks him where he learned that, he says, "From you, Mom."

How blessed we are to be aided by the Lord in our weaknesses!

When I was called to be in the Relief Society Presidency, I felt more than inadequate. I'm only 25 years old (24 at the time), so I felt way too young to be responsible for women who were older than me and knew way more than me. I had never really been in Relief Society, so I didn't know the first thing about it. I assumed I was getting called as a counselor because the Lord thought I needed humbling. The Bishop said to me that he felt like whenever he felt good about his calling and that he was doing well, he got called to do something else. That was exactly how I felt.

I can tell you that even though I still feel under-prepared and basically stupid (for lack of better word) about what I'm doing, the Lord has helped me tremendously. Somehow, our Relief Society activities have come together because I know that HE wants them to happen. Somebody there needed it, and so He works through me to make it happen. I know that others have had similar experiences, and I would love to read them if you care to share.

I really liked one sister's comment about how sometimes we don't know why we're directed to do certain things, but God has reasons. For example, she didn't know why she was supposed to move here because she's been unable to find work, but she now feels like she's here to help her brother's family in their time of need. I wish my words could do her comments justice.

I'm sorry that I wasn't able to get more of the lesson today. I hope that what I've written will help those who were unable to attend Relief Society. Feel free to leave comments about anything I've written.

5th Sunday - Lesson Summary

Relief Society: A Serious Work

I wasn't in town this Sunday due to Thanksgiving, so I asked my step-mother to take notes for me in Relief Society so that I could do this. What a sweet lady, eh? :) She took fantastic notes about sacrament meeting, too, but I'm just going to stick with Relief Society.

Thank you SO much for doing this for me! <--Directed to my step-mom :D

Normally, on fifth Sundays we combine with the Priesthood, but I was informed that they didn't do that this time, so the presidency had to come up with something quick. Our Relief Society President actually called me while I was several states away telling me what she wanted to teach about and how we would do it, and I'm like, "Uhhh... I'm not there." Fun times.

I'm hoping that most of you know that the enrichment program has changed since the Relief Society Broadcast. They are no longer called Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment meetings--just Relief Society meetings. Sister Julie B. Beck, General Relief Society President, elaborated further on the changes to the Church News which is where the link above will take you. Our Relief Society President wanted to use this extra Sunday to explain to the sisters about these changes.

It's too bad I wasn't there because this involves MY calling directly. Oh, well.

So, enough of my rambling... these are my step-mom's notes... in her own words:

• It impressed me that she said we can't write policy for one culture or place. We must be mindful of what our area needs and can do. RS activities should be under priesthood direction. Goes back to keys and revelation for our ward and our sisters and our families.
• We have more flexibility.
• We need to teach women their role in the gospel and improve understanding. (what YSA can do, help Young mothers know what they can do, etc.)
• Emphasized we should not ask sisters to do things costing money.
• Time is also a key factor. The Lord is hastening His work and RS can't require things that weaken our lives and homes.
• Weekday meetings are not mandatory.
• We must make decisions based on what is essential for our family.
• Be careful about what RS asks sisters to do in relation to time.
• We don't need to go outside our ward for ideas and teachers.
• We had several comments and discussion. It seems that the groups will not be organized by RS anymore. If someone wants to teach or learn something, it can be announced, but not put on the church calendar.
• I think it is great that our leaders have reminded us of the times we live in. We do need times together, but as Sis. Beck said anytime two RS sisters are together it is fun. ;-)

If you have any more questions about the new Relief Society meeting guidelines, feel free to message me or comment on this entry. I'll answer your questions the best I can.

Stake Conference - Sunday Session

Today was kind of a crazy day for my family at Stake Conference. I watched my father-in-law be released as Stake President after serving for 9ish years only to watch my father get called in his place. I was kind of suspicious last night, but when I saw my sister at stake conference that doesn't even live in our stake boundaries, I got nervous! It wasn't even me receiving the calling, but I was nervous all the same.

My father-in-law was Stake President when I started dating his son 7 years ago. He is a great man with a great love of the gospel. I have seen him answer phone calls and go to meetings and I, honestly, don't think I ever heard him complain. He complains about other things, but never about his calling. I admire him so much. His wife bore her testimony today, and I was reminded how amazing my mother-in-law really is. I don't know how she does all that she does. She told about how when she started dating her husband, he was not a member. I imagine it took a lot of guts for her to say, "I can never marry you," because she knew that her goal was to be married in the Temple. What an example she is! And because of her courage and testimony, he was baptized and has served in numerous callings in the church faithfully, and they've raised a beautiful family together. I am rather partial because I married one of their sons. :) But I think most people would agree that they are wonderful people. I am grateful for their example and for his service as Stake President.

Now, my Dad is Stake President. I listened to his testimony today, and it was so weird... I knew he was my Dad, but he looked like my Stake President. The mantle has been passed. I could tell. I had the opportunity to be present as he and his counselors were set apart, and the Spirit was there. I am grateful to my Dad for shouldering this huge responsibility. I am excited to see where our Stake goes under his leadership.

One thing the visiting authorities really pointed out today was how the system of calling new leaders works. It is a wonderful process. Elder Carlson told of how when he was a member of another faith long ago, their preacher retired, and it took months and months to find a new one that everyone was happy with. Yet when it's time for a new leader in our Church, it is all done in one day of interviews, and the congregation accepts him because that's who the Lord calls. It is an amazing process.

One of Dad's new counselors said that he's noticed two types of members in the church when a new leader is called. The first kind is the member who gets behind him and is ready to work and follow. The second kind is the kind that says, "We'll wait and see if he's any good, and then we'll follow him." He said that being the second kind is a waste of time because the Lord knows what he's doing and knows who he wants to call. Why should we not trust the Lord's judgment?

The visiting authorities also emphasized the importance of rescuing those who may be lost. Every soul is precious, and we need to reach out to the inactive members. Of course, we want to continue with missionary work, but there seemed to be a lot of emphasis on helping those who may have lost that fire they had right after baptism.

And, finally, one comment that I really liked was that if I was the only person that Christ's Atonement saved, he still would have suffered all those pains... just for me. He loved me that much. And he would have done the same exact thing for each of us. Christ's love is baffling to me. How could he love us so much when we're so imperfect? I am so very grateful for his atoning sacrifice.

I hope that you were all able to go, but if you weren't I hope this made you feel like you were there... sort of... through my eyes.