Love One Another

Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior

• A Savior and Leader Was Needed

We understood that we would have to leave our heavenly home for a time. We would not live in the presence of our Heavenly Father. While we were away from Him, all of us would sin and some of us would lose our way. Our Heavenly Father knew and loved each one of us. He knew we would need help, so He planned a way to help us.

• Jesus Christ Became Our Chosen Leader and Savior

Jesus Christ was chosen and foreordained to be our Savior. Many scriptures tell about this (see, for example, 1 Peter 1:19–20; Moses 4:1–2). One scripture tells us that long before Jesus was born, He appeared to a Book of Mormon prophet known as the brother of Jared and said: “Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. … In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name” (Ether 3:14).

• The War in Heaven

Because we are here on earth and have mortal bodies, we know that we chose to follow Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Satan and his followers are also on the earth, but as spirits. They have not forgotten who we are, and they are around us daily, tempting us and enticing us to do things that are not pleasing to our Heavenly Father. In our premortal life, we chose to follow Jesus Christ and accept God’s plan. We must continue to follow Jesus Christ here on earth. Only by following Him can we return to our heavenly home.

• We Have the Savior's Teachings to Follow

By following His teachings, we can inherit a place in the celestial kingdom. He did His part to help us return to our heavenly home. It is now up to each of us to do our part and become worthy of exaltation.

(To read the entire lesson, click here)

Alma 37:6 ..... by small and simple things are great things brought to pass .....

Other similar scriptures:

1 Nephi 16:29 ...... by small means the Lord can bring about great things.

Doctrine and Covenants 64:33 ...... out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

Ether 12:27 ...... if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

We must never underestimate what something small and simple can do:

Doctrine and Covenants 123:16 ..... a very large ship is benefitted very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm ......

The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple but some people think they are too learned for something so easy. Think of Moses and the Israelites he was leading out of Egypt into the promised land:

1 Nephi 17:41 ..... He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten, he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.

Alma counseled his son of the same:

Alma 37:46 ..... do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way ......

Let us look to God and live:

Helaman 8:15 ...... as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal.

We learn the gospel by taking baby steps at first and as we continue to show forth obedience, the Lord reveals more to us:

2 Nephi 28:30 ..... I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

All the small and simple things we do are like drops of oil that we add into our lamps, much like the five wise virgins:

Spencer W Kimball: Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching, control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures -- each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payments of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternity -- these, too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can at midnight refuel our exhausted lamps.

Sisters, let us not be weary in well-doing:

Sister Ann M Dibb: The small and simple things you choose to do today will be magnified into great and glorious blessings tomorrow.

I know the Lord watches over us and He delights in the small and simple things that we do in faith and obedience to Him. He blesses us abundantly as He will never be indebted to us. Let us press forward with a perfect brightness of hope and endure to the end. In Jesus Christ's name, amen.

How Do I Love Thee?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Quote - Out of Small Things

"In the meridian of time, among other things, the Savior gave a touch here, a kind word there, food (both real and spiritual) to the hungry, advice and counsel to those in need. He gave prayers with the frightened, kindness to the passed-over, respect and affection for the children, loving care for those who are burdened. “And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things."

--Stephen A West, "Out of Small Things", Ensign, May 1999, 28

Friends, Family Pay Homage to Fallen Elders in Romania

Elder McKay Choy Burrows

Sisters, this is an article about Elder McKay Choy Burrows and Elder Jace Edwards Davis who died Saturday from accidental natural-gas asphyxiation due to a gas leak in their apartment in Romania.

Elder Burrows was the nephew of our very own Sister Jenny Han. She has gone to Highland, Utah to be with her sister and her family.

Please pray for the families of these two elders that they may feel comforted during this very difficult time.

(To read the entire article, click here)

The Lord's Prayer by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Andrea Bocelli, and David Foster

God's Creations

Congratulations to the Weists!

Sisters, do you remember the Weist family? Michael, Erin, John and Emily? Well, this is their newest addition: David Edward Weist. Hope we'll get to meet him some day!

First Presidency Appeals to Church Members to Help People in Haiti

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appealed today to the worldwide membership of the Church to help relieve the suffering in Haiti.

In a statement published on the Church’s official Web site, Church President Thomas S. Monson and counselors Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf said they are “keenly aware that many in America are dealing with economic challenges brought on by the recent recession.” Many Church members have made substantial contributions to Church Humanitarian Services, but more is needed. Church members and others wishing to contribute to the aid efforts may do so by using the Donation Slip they normally use for Church donations or by logging onto lds.org and clicking on Humanitarian Services Emergency Response.

(To read the entire article, click here)

Moral Discipline

Sisters, this talk was the basis of the lesson we had in Relief Society yesterday. I felt impressed to upload these videos (Part 1 & Part 2) instead of posting it in the written form. I hope all of us will watch and listen again to Elder Christofferson's message so that we can strengthen ourselves as well as our family members, especially our children in this ever-increasingly wicked world.

Quote - Integrity

"In all the world there is no substitute for personal integrity. It includes honor; it includes performance. It includes keeping one’s word. It includes doing what is right regardless of the circumstances."

--Gordon B Hinckley

"Integrity means always doing what is right and good, regardless of the immediate consequences. It means being righteous from the very depth of our soul, not only in our actions but even more importantly, in our thoughts and in our hearts. Personal integrity implies such trustworthiness and incorruptibility that we are incapable of being false to a trust or covenant,"

--Joseph B Wirthlin

3rd Annual Associated Sisters in Asia Women's Conference

March 11 – 13. 2010

Hong Kong

To be held

Thursday evening

through

Saturday noon

at the

Wan Chai Church Office Building.

Guest speakers from Asia Area

Registration

from January 11 - February 20, 2010

Registration Fee - HK$150 (approx. US$20, including lunch on Friday)

To register copy the following in an email and send to

ASIAConference@gmail.com

Name:

E-mail Address:

Ward or Branch you currently attend:

Country in which you reside:

Cell Phone Number (if your phone will receive calls in Hong Kong):

Dates you plan on being in Hong Kong:

Would host housing be necessary? ___ yes ___ no

Hotels - Do you need information about hotels in Hong Kong? (If there are enough sisters who are planning on staying at hotels, we will try to negotiate with several hotels for the best rates.)

____ YES ___ NO

Any questions please contact us at ASIAConference@gmail.com

or by phone at 9108 3219 or 801 805 2512 (vonage line)

or go to the website http://asiaconference.googlepages.com/conference2008

Sisters, our very own Sister Karen McKinley will be speaking at this conference!

Quote - Moral Courage

"The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance. Do not be deceived; behind that facade is heartache, unhappiness and pain. .. YOU be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone. Have the moral courage to be a light for others to follow."

--Thomas S Monson, "Examples of Righteousness", Ensign, May 2008, 65-68

Our Heavenly Family

• We Are Children of Our Heavenly Father

God is not only our Ruler and Creator; He is also our Heavenly Father. All men and women are literally the sons and daughters of God. “Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335).

• We developed Personalities and Talents While We Lived in Heaven

We were not all alike in heaven. We know, for example, that we were sons and daughters of heavenly parents—males and females (see “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). We possessed different talents and abilities, and we were called to do different things on earth. We can learn more about our “eternal possibilities” when we receive our patriarchal blessings (see Thomas S. Monson, in Conference Report, Oct. 1986, 82; or Ensign, Nov. 1986, 66).

• Our Heavenly Father Presented a Plan for Us to Become Like Him

Our Heavenly Father knew we could not progress beyond a certain point unless we left Him for a time. He wanted us to develop the godlike qualities that He has. To do this, we needed to leave our premortal home to be tested and to gain experience. Our spirits needed to be clothed with physical bodies. We would need to leave our physical bodies at death and reunite with them in the Resurrection. Then we would receive immortal bodies like that of our Heavenly Father. If we passed our tests, we would receive the fulness of joy that our Heavenly Father has received. (See D&C 93:30–34.)

(For the full lesson, click here)