Perspective

Now, think about how big you are!

(Thanks Sister Claire, for this reminder)

Quote - Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady

"Most of us have thought about how to prepare for storms. We have seen and felt the suffering of women, men, and children, and of the aged and the weak, caught in hurricanes, tsunamis, wars, and droughts. One reaction is to ask, “How can I be prepared?” And there is a rush to buy and put away whatever people think they might need for the day they might face such calamities.

But there is another even more important preparation we must make for tests that are certain to come to each of us. That preparation must be started far in advance because it takes time. What we will need then can’t be bought. It can’t be borrowed. It doesn’t store well. And it has to have been used regularly and recently.

What we will need in our day of testing is a spiritual preparation. It is to have developed faith in Jesus Christ so powerful that we can pass the test of life upon which everything for us in eternity depends. That test is part of the purpose God had for us in the Creation."

--Henry B Eyring, "Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady", Ensign, November 2005

(For the full article, click here)

Quote - Spiritual Gifts

"In our own day, we have been promised that the Lord has many gifts in store for 'those who love [Him] and keep all [His] commandments' and also those 'that seeketh so to do' (D&C 46:9). While not every gift of God is pledged to every person, we have been assured that 'to every [person] is given a gift by the Spirit of God' (D&C 46:11)."

--Cecil O Samuelson Jr, "Perilous Times," Ensign, November 2004, 51

Sister Jassy

We want to extend a warm welcome to Sister Jassy who was baptized on 16 May.  We are so happy to have her amongst us.  We hope all the sisters will get to know her and help her to feel loved.

Welcome to our Kuala Lumpur Relief Society, Sister Jassy!  Please let us know if there's anything at all that we can do for you. 

Mormon Radio Launches

Thanks Sister Merritt and Sister Cathy for this piece of news!



SALT LAKE CITY 18 May 2009
Mormon Channel, a new radio service of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, launches 18 May and can be accessed via the Internet or HD radio affiliates. The newly created 24-hour, 7-days a-week format is available live online at http://radio.lds.org, but content may also be downloaded.

(For the full article, click here)

We Are Doing a Great Work and Cannot Come Down

Pause for a moment and check where your own heart and thoughts are. Are you focused on the things that matter most? How you spend your quiet time may provide a valuable clue. Where do your thoughts go when the pressure of deadlines is gone? Are your thoughts and heart focused on those short-lived fleeting things that matter only in the moment, or on things that matter most?

Sometimes the things that distract us are not bad, in and of themselves; often they even make us feel good.

Even some programs of the Church can become a distraction if we take them to extremes and allow them to dominate our time and our attention at the expense of things that matter most. We need balance in life.

When we truly love our Heavenly Father and His children, we demonstrate that love through our actions. We forgive one another and seek to do good, for "our old [self] is crucified with [Christ]." We "visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction," and we keep ourselves "unspotted from the vices of the world."

These are the things that matter most. These are the things of eternal value that deserve our attention.

We cannot and we must not allow ourselves to get distracted from our sacred duty. We cannot and we must not lose focus on the things that matter most.

(For the full talk, click here)

Small and Simple Souls

Thanks Sister Cathy for e-mailing me this beautiful clip.  It helps to remind us that even the least of Heavenly Father's children have the potential to be somebody and make a difference in the lives of others!

Family Nights for Harmony

This was e-mailed to me by Sister Cathy:

"You remember Elder & Sister Merritt who were working very closely with The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry? Well, their work bore fruit as the ministry has declared Monday nights as Family Night!

I managed to locate the articles about Family Night from the Star Online. It appeared on both 21st March & 22nd March."

Here's an excerpt from the article on 22nd March. The one on the 21st is essentially the same.

Sunday March 22, 2009

PETALING JAYA: The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is encouraging families to spend more time together to form a strong, safe and harmonious unit.

“Each family should set one night a week as family night, to talk and share their views and problems with each other. Everyone should be treated equally and even the little ones can contribute,” Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said.

As an example, she said she had made Monday nights her ministry’s family enrichment night, to encourage her officers to spend more time with their families.

“There will be no meetings on Monday nights,” she said.

(For the full article, click here)

Sister Liew

How wonderful it was to see Sister Liew again after 18 months!  We are so proud of her for her honorable return from a fruitful mission in California.  

We hope she will be greatly blessed in whatever she plans to do next.  I for one, am really happy she's back amongst us again.  I have truly missed her presence.

WELCOME BACK!

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught: “Faith is a gift of God bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God’s laws the greater will be the endowment of faith” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 264). If we desire more faith, we must be more obedient. When we teach our children by example or precept to be casual or situational in obeying God’s commandments, we prevent them from receiving this vital spiritual gift. Faith requires an attitude of exact obedience, even in the small, simple things.

Desire is a particle of faith that develops within us as we experience divine truth. It is like spiritual photosynthesis. The influence of the Holy Ghost, acting on the Light of Christ within every human being, produces the spiritual equivalent of a chemical reaction—a stirring, a change of heart, or a desire to know. Hope develops as particles of faith become molecules and as simple efforts to live true principles occur.

As patterns of obedience develop, the specific blessings associated with obedience are realized and belief emerges. Desire, hope, and belief are forms of faith, but faith as a principle of power comes from a consistent pattern of obedient behavior and attitudes. Personal righteousness is a choice. Faith is a gift from God, and one possessed of it can receive enormous spiritual power.

--Kevin W Pearson

(For the full talk, click here)

Sister Yar Lee's a New Mom

We are delighted to hear that Sister Yar Lee has safely delivered her baby girl.  Congratulations to her and her husband, also to Sister Fang Mei for being a grandmother and Sister Yar Chin, a new aunt!

The Power of Forgiving

After reading this lesson, it felt like an extension of the lesson we had on the first Sunday of this month. The Lord saw it important enough for us to follow up with this lesson. I pray that we will take heed and apply ourselves diligently to this principle.

1. We are to exercise the principle of mercy and forgive our brothers and sisters.
2. Forgiving restores unity of feeling.
3. By showing long-suffering, patience, and mercy to the repentant, we can help bring them into "the liberty of God's dear children."

Some of my favorite paragraphs:

“Ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy, and be ready to forgive our brother on the first intimations of repentance, and asking forgiveness; and should we even forgive our brother, or even our enemy, before he repent or ask forgiveness, our heavenly Father would be equally as merciful unto us.”

“Suppose that Jesus Christ and holy angels should object to us on frivolous things, what would become of us? We must be merciful to one another, and overlook small things.”

The Prophet Joseph Smith said the following at a meeting with his counselors in the First Presidency and the Twelve: “I have sometimes spoken too harshly from the impulse of the moment, and inasmuch as I have wounded your feelings, brethren, I ask your forgiveness, for I love you and will hold you up with all my heart in all righteousness, before the Lord, and before all men; for be assured, brethren, I am willing to stem the torrent of all opposition, in storms and in tempests, in thunders and in lightnings, by sea and by land, in the wilderness or among false brethren, or mobs, or wherever God in His providence may call us. And I am determined that neither heights nor depths, principalities nor powers, things present or things to come, or any other creature, shall separate me from you [see Romans 8:38–39].

(For the full lesson, click here)

The Weists

The Weists have left our branch for Utah for a good three Sundays now.  Somehow, it feels like we're missing something or someone in church.  I'm sure the Primary misses them a lot.

Sisters, if you'd like to know how Sister Erin is doing, you can read her blog by clicking http://weistfamily.blogspot.com/.  

We hope they'll come visit us again and maybe even move back here sometime in the future.

Quote - Virtue

"In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord gives counsel to one of His precious daughters—Emma Smith—to be faithful and to “walk the paths of virtue before me” (D&C 25:2). The Lord’s advice to Emma Smith is also His advice to all His precious daughters. What are those paths, and what is virtue?

Virtue is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards. It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue includes modesty—in thought, language, dress, and demeanor. Virtue provides an anchor on the path leading to our Heavenly Father’s presence. The paths of virtue lead to happiness in this life and in the life to come. The paths of virtue lead to strong families. The paths of virtue contain the foundation stones for the blessings of eternity. They lead to the temple. No wonder the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things” (Articles of Faith 1:13).

In another revelation the Lord promises each of us that if we let virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly, we will have confidence. He promises that our “confidence [will] wax strong” and the Holy Ghost will be our constant companion (see D&C 121:45–46). Living Church standards helps each of us stay on the paths of virtue. Whenever we are worthy of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, we can have the confidence that the daily decisions we make will be correct even when they are difficult."

--Elaine S Dalton, "Cherish Virtue", Liahona, April 2009, N1-N8

Miracles

Those among us who have seen the movie "The Testaments: of One Fold and One Shepherd" might be interested to know this little trivia.

Elder (Neil L) Andersen has .... seen the need for reliance on the Lord in administrative aspects of his calling. As executive director of the Church's audiovisual department, he oversaw the production of the large-screen motion picture "The Testaments: of One Fold and One Shepherd."

"We were looking for someone who could play the role of the Savior," he recalled. "We had considered people who were in the acting field as well as others, and we took three suggestions to the First Presidency. They studied them; they liked them. They said, 'These are good people, but you don't have the right person.' With prayer and fasting, not knowing where to look, we found ourselves completely dependent on the Lord.

The answer came in the form of an e-mail from a member of the Church in Denmark. Subsequently, a video was made and a worthy Danish high priest was presented to the First Presidency. "They said, 'You have the right one.' That was quite dramatic," Elder Andersen said.

Such experiences have deepened Elder Andersen's testimony of the Savior. "My faith is that in the future I can anticipate an even greater understanding of these eternal truths," he said. "I do know with a perfect and certain clarity that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world."