Sunday, October 15, 2017

Always Remember Him

Dear Sisters,
Today, the sacrament meant a lot to me.  
Image result for sacrament lds
I was so grateful for the opportunity I had to partake of the bread and water and think about the words that were said.  There are some goals I have set for myself, and some natural man tendencies I am working to overcome, and so it was meaningful to be reminded that I am making a covenant to be more like the Savior. How wonderful if felt to be reminded that if I try to be like him, I'll "always have his spirit to be with me."  Those words are so comforting to me.  Ironically that companionship of the spirit is precisely what I need with me in order to make those changes.  I almost slipped again this last week, and then I was reminded to look at the situation through a spiritual lens.  It helped me take a step back and make course corrections before things escalated.  I am excited that I can change myself. These bad habits that have taken years to develop.  The atonement is powerful!

“The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can go home but that—miraculously—we can feel at home there. If Christ did not require faith and repentance, then there would be no desire to change. Think of your friends and family members who have chosen to live without faith and without repentance. They don’t want to change. They are not trying to abandon sin and become comfortable with God. Rather, they are trying to abandon God and become comfortable with sin. If Jesus did not require covenants and bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, then there would be no way to change. We would be left forever with only willpower, with no access to His power. If Jesus did not require endurance to the end, then there would be no internalization of those changes over time. They would forever be surface and cosmetic rather than sinking inside us and becoming part of us—part of who we are.” 
― Brad Wilcox

This week, I would encourage you to take a close look at yourself.  Find some small thing you can work on.  Pray for the companionship of the Holy Ghost to help you over come, and notice the meaning words of the sacrament prayer this coming week. ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM.
These are simple steps, but they will help you draw closer to a God who loves you very much.
I hope you have a wonderful week and know that I love and pray for you!
Sincerely,
Lydia 
PS. Happy Autumn Time!  Go find some leaves to jump in!

Sunday, October 8, 2017

That He may know how to succor His people

Dear Sisters,
I hope you know how loved you are!  I am praying for you and hope you have a wonderful week!
This last weekend, we got to spend a little time with my in-laws.  They were excited to show us their brand new apple press.  It was pretty amazing... and the cider was heavenly.  

While my kids were watching their Grandpa turn the crank to press the apples down, he turned to them as said, "This analogy probably won't mean much to you now, but someday, when you make a mistake, and you are repenting and applying the Savior's atonement, I want to you picture the pressure of this apple press, pushing on these apples until liquid comes out.  Then think of the Savior, who felt the weight of the world, until he bled from every pour."  

I was grateful for the visual analogy.  I'm overwhelmed when I think of what our Savior endured.  I'm so grateful for the hope we are offered through his terrible sacrifice.

Alma 7:11-13
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and aafflictions and btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
  12 And he will take upon him adeath, that he may bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to csuccor his people according to their infirmities.
  13 Now the Spirit aknoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the bflesh that he might ctake upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.
Sisters, I know that the atonement is real.  I know the Savior knows how to succor you, because of what he endured and overcame.  I know that as we keep our covenants and turn to the Savior through repentance, we can be healed, forgiven, and made clean.  I'm so grateful for a wise Father in Heaven, who provided a way for us to return to him.
So, this week, when you see apples, think of our Savior's sacrifice for you, and make it count.
I hope your week is wonderful!  I love you and pray for your happiness and success!
Sincerely,
Lydia 

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Heavenly Father, the Perfect Parent

Dear Sisters,
This week, during my scripture study, I noticed such a great pattern for excellent parenting.  In Alma 12:27-34, Alma does a beautiful job of laying out the doctrine behind the Fall of Adam, and Heavenly Father's plan.   God is such a perfect parent.  To begin with, he had an excellent plan, then he allowed his children to fall and make a mistake.  He used that as an opportunity to teach.  "He sent angels to converse with them" and "he conversed with them", taught them his plan according to their faith, and checked for understanding.  Once he felt they understood, he gave them commandments, and allowed them "to act according to their will and pleasure" -- in other words, he let them exercise their agency.  But knowing they would make poor choices from time to time, in his mercy, he provided them with a Savior, who would make it possible for them to repent and return to him.
These steps are fairly simple and familiar to us, but it occurred to me as I was reading them, how great it would be if I tried to follow his example a little closer in my own parenting.  Sometimes I get short with my kids or I focus on their short comings, and I'm quick to correct their mistakes.  
This week, I'm going to try to be more understanding when my children make mistakes.  I'm going to take time to teach and check for understanding, so that my expectations are clear.  And if they still make mistakes, I'm going to teach and remind them about repentance.  
I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, who, in his great wisdom, created such a beautiful plan for us to return to Him.  I like to think that I was one of the ones who "shouted for joy" when I learned of this plan.  He is so merciful and good to us.  I'm grateful he has given us a living prophet and apostles.  Wasn't General Conference wonderful?!  I was inspired to do and be better, and I look forward to studying the talks closely.
I hope you take advantage of the tools God has made available to you to be successful in keeping his commandments.  Study the scriptures and conference talks.  Follow his excellent example this week!
Hope you have a lovely week!
Sincerely,
Lydia

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Seek ye first to build up the Kingdom of God

Dear Sisters,
A couple weeks ago, I was gifted an old sturdy dresser. Doug wasn't too excited, but I convinced him I would spruce it up, and that it was a good idea.  Last week, I was sanding down the dresser to paint it; however, my project was interrupted with other duties and I decided I would have to finish it the following day.  While I was at work the next day, we got an abundance of rain, and I came home to a completely ruined dresser.  It was totally warped, and the water damage was beyond repair.  I was discourage and frustrated with myself for not finishing the project, then to add insult to injury, as Doug and I were lifting this extremely heavy dresser to put it in the back of the truck and take it away, Doug's hand got stuck in between the trail-gait and the dresser while I lifting and pushing hard.  Due to our lack of communicating, I just kept right on pushing, and in pain, he dropped the dresser, which landed directly on my big toe.  Even with shoes on, it smashed the nail and took the skin off of top.  It was very painful for both of us.

I know... this is kind of a sad series of events, and I'm sure you are wondering why I would depress you with my silly first-world problems, but I learned two lessons from this experience that I was wanted to share.

1) Simplify.  We didn't really need the dresser in the first place.  Sometimes, it's ok to pass up a good deal or let something go. (Just not on your toe ;)  In the end, it's just stuff, and we can't take it with us.

"The prophet Alma taught, “Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world; for behold, you cannot carry them with you” (Alma 39:14). You’ve probably heard the saying “You can’t take it with you.” Well, it’s scriptural.
So where should our focus be? The Savior has told us to look beyond the way station of this world toward our final destination. He said, “Seek not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness” (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 6:38). He also taught, “Thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10)."

2) It is so important to communicate.  If Doug and I would have talked through our "lifting the dresser" job, we both would have been spared a lot of pain.

One LDS marriage counselor has written: “Effective communication is more than just ‘talking,’ it is the type of interaction that gets the job done: solves problems, builds self-esteem, enhances the relationships, relays important messages, reinforces mutual respect, and helps bond the couple together as an effective unit.” 1

Maybe, these lessons seem obvious, but I had to learn them the hard way, so hopefully this week, you remember to keep life simple by seeking first the Kingdom of God, and communicate.  
I care so much about you and hope you have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,
Lydia

Monday, September 18, 2017

Be A Little Kinder

Dear Sisters,
My sweet husband just told me a cute story about when he was a young boy.  His neighbors were having a company remove a tree stump from their yard.  The company's truck was partially in his family's driveway, and at one point, their truck spun out and did some damage to the driveway.  Doug was frustrated with them, thinking how foolish they had been, but he watched his Dad quietly go outside, and instead of getting justifiably upset, he kindly asked how he could help.  His simple attitude of kindness completely transformed the situation for the embarrassed, apologetic driver, and left quite an impact of the observing son.
  
His story was a good reminder to me to react with kindness.  We are often met with challenging situations that can test our patience and faith, but I believe things will always improve as we respond with loving kindness.
"Now, brothers and sisters, let us return to our homes with resolution in our hearts to do a little better than we've one in the past. We can all be a little kinder, a little more generous, a little more thoughtful of one another. We can be a little more tolerant and friendly to those not of our faith, going out of our way to show our respect for them. We cannot afford to be arrogant or self-righteous. It is our obligation to reach out in helpfulness, not only to our own but to all others as well.
May God help us to be a little kinder, showing forth greater forbearance, to be more forgiving, more willing to walk the second mile, to reach down and lift up those who may have sinned but have brought forth the fruits of repentance, to lay aside old grudges and nurture them no more." (President Hinckley)
This week, as you are met with a challenge, approach it in the patient way our Savior would.

Matthew 5:44-45
Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven
I sure love you sisters!  I'm grateful to rub shoulders with such great woman.  I hope you have a wonderful week!
Sincerely,
Lydia

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Orbits to Illuminate

Dear Sisters,
I hope you are all doing well!  I love and pray for each of you, and hope you are finding joy in your journey.  It was so neat to hear Sis. Sheri Dew speak last week at the tabernacle.
She quoted Elder Neil A. Maxwell, who said:

"Brothers and sisters, by divine appointment, “these are [our] days” (Hel. 7:9), since “all things must come to pass in their time” (D&C 64:32). Moreover, though we live in a failing world, we have not been sent here to fail.
Recall the new star that announced the birth at Bethlehem? It was in its precise orbit long before it so shone. 
​We are likewise placed in human orbits to illuminate. Divine correlation functions not only in the cosmos but on this planet, too."
Doesn't that just seem like such a perfect quote to ponder after that amazing eclipse?  

Sheri Dew talked about "expanding our orbit of influence to illuminate."  I have been pondering on that thought this last week.  I think there are many of you sisters who underestimate your influence and the light that you share.  You are a powerful source for good on this earth.  You make a difference.  You are here for a reason.  Allow yourself to be an instrument in the Lord's hand.
You probably don't even realize how many people you are touching.  This last week, my husband and I were talking about Jr. Shupe, who passed away.  I mentioned him to my husband as "Bro. Shupe" and my daughter piped in and said, "Oh, you mean Jr.?"  I was surprised to find that even she knew him because he had come and helped with girls camp.  Our lives are such a ripple, effecting so many.  Make a positive impact on those around you.
Expand your obit of influence this week.
Sincerely, 
Lydia

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Reaching Out With Love and Kindness

Dear Sisters,
Happy Summer!  (I'm going to say that as long as I still can. ;)
Today in Sacrament Meeting, we got to hear from a sweet new family, the Coverstones.  They gave excellent talks.  As I listened to Melissa, I felt a strong impression that I needed to see if I could get a copy of her talk to send out to the sisters.  I know many of you heard it, but I felt the message was so good for us, so I've attached her talk here and I am including that as my message this week.

​Also, Courtney Green shared a quote that has really stuck with me this week right along the same lines:

“We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.”        ― Madeleine L'Engle

Reach out and fellowship those around you with love and kindness this week.
Sincerely,
Lydia

Melissa's Talk:
Fellowshipping/Friendshipping               August 13, 2017                Lorin Farr 4th Ward

Introduction
Good morning, brothers and sisters. My name is Melissa Coverstone, and my family has been in the ward for roughly a month. Zach and I have 3 children: Jeffrey is 4, Clive is 3, and Cecily is 3 months old. Zach and I met at BYU where we both studied mathematics education. Zach will be teaching high school math at DaVinci Academy. I taught high school math for a year and a half, and now I am staying home with the kids.

Gander[i]
“Gander, [is] a town of about 10,000 people (and 550 hotel rooms) in Newfoundland, Canada.... On 11 September 2001, a total of 240 flights were rerouted to Canada when American airspace was closed after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and 39 of those flights ended up in Gander.” That day, 6,579 stranded passengers increased Gander's population by two-thirds.

So what did this small town do in this crisis? They opened their arms and doors and cared from the stranded passengers.

Responding to radio announcements, the residents and businesses of Gander and other towns supplied toothbrushes, deodorant, soap, blankets and even spare underwear, along with offers of hot showers and guest rooms. Newtel Communications, the telephone company, set up phone banks for passengers to call home. Local television cable companies wired schools and church halls, where passengers watched events unfolding in New York and realized how lucky they were.”

One of those stranded passengers later wrote, “During that time when all of us were frantic...our hosts were endlessly cheerful, giving and kind. They dropped everything to cook for us and make us feel less isolated and abandoned during those five days of uncertainty.”

Another passenger wrote, “Everyone was extraordinarily thoughtful of each other. One woman must have put her life on hold and was constantly checking on us. She even came to the airport when we finally left to make sure we all were fine. I never saw her without a smile. The lady who ran the cafeteria along with many neighbors made hot meals and brought in casseroles each day. Students helped us to use e-mail, and we were able to use the phone to call our family. No organization with financial backing was behind this – this was a call to neighbors and friends to come and help those of us in need.”

About the flight back from Gander to the United States, one flight attendant wrote, “When passengers came on board, it was like they had been on a cruise. Everyone knew each other by name....Our flight back to Atlanta looked like a chartered party flight.... It was mind-boggling. Passengers had totally bonded and were calling each other by their first names, exchanging phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses.”[ii]

The people of Gander made strangers feel welcome in a time of great need. As members of the church, we can do likewise. In the October 2013 General Conference, Bishop Gérald Caussé of the Presiding Bishopric stated, “A promise has been made to everyone who becomes a member of the Church: 'Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.'”[iii]

Meeting/Ministering/Welcoming Each Other
An essential part of being “no more strangers” is that we meet, welcome, and minister to each other.  Getting to know each other is one of the major purposes of meeting each week and of church activities. Why have a ward swim party like we did recently, or a ward talent show, if not to see each other in a different setting than the 3-hour-block, to talk with each other, and have a good time together? How can we minister to each other if we don't trust each other, and how can we trust each other if we don't get to know each other?

Another reason for our church meetings is so that we can minister to each other. Moroni explains in Moroni 6: “An after they [new converts] had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God...

“And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.”[iv] So one of the reasons we come to church each week is to talk to each other about how we're doing. That doesn't mean that this 3-hour block is supposed to be 3 hours of just socializing, but when we sit down and are waiting for Sunday School or Relief Society or Priesthood to start, we can ask those sitting around us how they're doing, and we can really listen to their answers. We can sit next to those we don't normally sit with. We can say hello to those we see in the hallway. Bishop Caussé said, “Whoever enters our meeting-houses should feel at home. The responsibility to welcome everyone has growing importance....

“Fellowshipping is an important priesthood responsibility. Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood quorums are to act in concert with the sisters under the direction of the bishop to ensure that each person is welcomed with love and kindness. Home teachers and visiting teachers will be watchful to ensure that no one is forgotten or ignored.”[v]

Home and visiting teaching serve as excellent opportunities to get to know each other and minister to each other. In last October's conference, Elder Holland spoke to the brethren in Priesthood session about home teaching. I believe it applies to visiting teaching as well. He said, “The appeal I am making tonight is for you to lift your vision of home teaching. Please, in newer, better ways see yourselves as emissaries of the Lord to His children. That means leaving behind the tradition of a frantic, law of Moses-like, end-of-the-month calendar in which you rush to give a scripted message from the Church magazines that the family has already read. We would hope, rather, that you will establish an era of genuine, gospel-oriented concern for the members, watching over and caring for each other, addressing spiritual and temporal needs in any way that helps....What matters is that you love your people and are fulfilling the commandment 'to watch over the church always.'”[vi]

Not Being Judgmental
In order to meet, welcome, and minister to each other, we need to not be judgmental of each other, both inside and outside the church. Bishop Causse explained, (quote)

A passage from the novel Les misérables illustrates how priesthood holders can treat those individuals viewed as strangers. Jean Valjean had just been released as a prisoner. Exhausted by a long voyage and dying of hunger and thirst, he arrives in a small town seeking a place to find food and shelter for the night. When the news of his arrival spreads, one by one all the inhabitants close their doors to him. Not the hotel, not the inn, not even the prison would invite him in. He is rejected, driven away, banished. Finally, with no strength left, he collapses at the front door of the town's bishop.

The good clergyman is entirely aware of Valjean's background, but he invites the vagabond into his home with these compassionate words:

“This is not by house; it is the house of Jesus Christ. This door does not demand of him who enters whether he has a name, but whether he has a grief. You suffer, you are hungry and thirsty; you are welcome. ...What need have I to know your name? Besides, before you told me [your name], you had one which I knew.”

“[Valjean] opened his eyes in astonishment.

“'Really? You knew what I was called?'

“'Yes,' replied the Bishop, 'you are called my brother.'”

In this Church our wards and our quorums do not belong to us. They belong to Jesus Christ. Whoever enters our meetinghouses should feel at home.[vii] (end quote)

We all have different struggles, seen and unseen, and should not criticize or think less of someone because they are different from us. The Savior is our perfect example. “Those who were excluded from society, those who were rejected and considered to be impure by the self-righteous, were given His compassion and respect. They received an equal part of his teachings and ministry.

“...The Savior went against the established the customs of His time to address the woman of Samaria, asking her for some water. He sat down to eat with publicans and tax collectors. He didn't hesitate to approach the leper, to touch him and heal him.”[viii] Our Savior treated them not as strangers but as fellow citizens with the saints.

My mother came from a part-member family. Most of the spiritual support and teaching that my mother received was from church members who took her under their wings. One time, my mother showed up to a youth Halloween activity wearing an immodest flapper costume that in her words “must have horrified” her young women leaders. However, instead of being judgmental, her leaders continued to love and teach her. How grateful I am for the Christ-like leaders who ministered to my mother and for the impact they had on her testimony in a critical time of her life.

Not only should we be non-judgmental of those within our church meetings, but we should be friendly and welcoming in our communities also. I recently read a letter from a non-member mother titled, “A Letter to Mormons.” In this letter, the mother explains that when the missionaries stop at their house, they ask if there is anything they can do for this non-member family. While the mother always pleasantly declines any help, she realized she does have a request. She writes, (quote)


“The next time a Mormon missionary asks if there’s anything they can do for me, I’m going to humbly and vulnerably reply as follows:

       Please teach your children to be inclusive of my non-mormon children and please guide them to carry that inclusion past grade school, into middle school, and throughout high school.
       Please encourage your children to sit with mine in the lunchroom.
       Please permit your kids to invite my kids to their slumber parties, birthday parties, and weekend get togethers even AFTER my child has made it clear that he or she is not interested in attending fireside, seminary, or church with your family.
       Please allow your teen to go with mine to school dances, athletic events, and group dinners trusting that just like you, my husband and I have done the best we know how to raise a teenager who knows right from wrong.
       Please welcome my children into your homes and permit your children to visit ours....

“As these hopes for my children spill out, I realize that these are the same yearnings I had when I was too young to express them and they remain yearnings for me now. I would like to know my Mormon neighbors. I would like for us to share our celebrations and mourn our losses together. I would like to enter into deep relationships with you that allow us to celebrate our differences and lift each other up versus silently judging one another from across the street or the backyard fence. I would like us to hug and share dinners, and text jokes, and go to movies, and have pool parties, and discuss politics, and cry and laugh, and live life together....

“For decades now I have felt an invisible yet palpable partition between my family and our mormon neighbors…a silent criterion that has said, “we can’t be that close…we can’t walk this life together too often, we can’t be intimate friends unless we share the same faith.” I want to tear down this barricade and abolish this silent destroyer of fellowship. I fear we are forfeiting valuable friendships and life-changing communion with one another as we allow religion to segregate our lives.”[ix] (close quote)

What I believe this mother is describing is her desire to be no more a stranger or foreigner in her own neighborhood, but a fellow citizen.

I have been privileged to know many good, Christ-like people who are not members of the church. I grew up in San Jose, CA and was blessed to be surrounded by adults in my ward who did a great job of reaching out in friendship to families in our neighborhood, both member and non-member alike. Let us make sure that our neighbors don't feel like strangers or foreigners because they live near lots of Mormon families. Remember the great commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. The Savior said, “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?

“And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so?

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”[x]

Part of being welcoming in our communities is seeing each other as the Lord sees us, seeing each other as we may become instead of as we are now. For those within our meetings and not, “we should develop the capacity to see men not as they are but as they can become when they are members of the Church, when they have a testimony of the gospel, and when their lives are in harmony with its teachings.”[xi]

 “In the words of President Monson, “I pray that we will have the courage to extend the hand of fellowship, the tenacity to try and try again, and the humility needed to seek guidance from our Father as we fulfill our mandate to share the gospel.”[xii]

Brothers and Sisters, I feel like this talk has been preaching to the choir. My family has felt welcomed in this ward, and we are grateful for your friendship and are looking forward to meeting more of you. I pray that we can, without being judgmental, meet, minister to, and welcome those who cross our paths, both in our ward and in our community, and that we can be no more strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens. May we see each other and those around us as they may become, in the name of our perfect example, even Jesus Christ. Amen.


[i]“Take a Gander” http://www.snopes.com/rumors/gander.asp
[ii]https://af-za.facebook.com/notes/janet-liebsch/a-911-story-about-delta-flight-15-and-gander-newfoundland/4052146054871/
[iii]Bishop Gérald Caussé, “Ye Are No More Strangers” October 2013 General Conference
[iv]Moroni 6: 4-5
[v]Bishop Gérald Caussé, “Ye Are No More Strangers” October 2013 General Conference
[vi]Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Emissaries to the Church” October 2016 General Conference
[vii]Bishop Gérald Caussé, “Ye Are No More Strangers” October 2013 General Conference
[viii]Bishop Gérald Caussé, “Ye Are No More Strangers” October 2013 General Conference
[ix]“A Letter to Mormons” https://laughslikethunder.blog/2017/08/09/a-letter-to-mormons/
[x]Matthew 5: 46-48
[xi]President Monson “See Others As They May Become”
[xii]President Monson “See Others As They May Become”