Thursday, November 14, 2013

Updated 2013 Lesson Schedule

Here is an updated lesson schedule for the remainder of the year.

Date

Lesson



3-Nov-13

Presidency Message



10-Nov-13




17-Nov-13




24-Nov-13

Stake Conference



1-Dec-13

Presidency Message



8-Dec-13




15-Dec-13




22-Dec-13




29-Dec-13

Combined RS/Priesthood

Family Home Evening Ideas and Helps

Wondering what to do for Family Home Evening? Here are some helpful links provided by Sister Jeanie Morris that were previously available in the sidebar.

lds.org FHE Ideas
Family Home Evening Ideas for 0-5 Year Olds
101 Family Home Evening Activities
Ideas for Organizing FHE Files
100 Family Home Evening Activities
Family Home Evening Complete Lesson Plans
LDS Living

Family History Research Helps

The church has lots of information on Family History at lds.org, and here are some additional links provided by Sister Jeanie Morris that were previously available in the sidebar. If you would like to watch the videos on how to get started on FamilySearch click here.

Form for Tracking your Research and How and Why to Track Your Research

Our Local Family History Center
Address: 5912 S 12th Street, Tacoma, Washington
Phone: 253-564-1103
Hours
Monday: 9 am to 4 pm
Tues, Wed & Thurs: 9 am to 9 pm
Fri & Sat: 9 am to 5 pm
Closed: Major Holidays, Saturdays for Conference and when schools are closed for snow

Saturday, November 2, 2013

September Spotlight

September 2013 Spotlight:




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5 Fun Facts:

  1. I would rather take pictures.
  2. I am a country person
  3. "What's free time?"
  4. My favorite item of clothing is a sweater because it's comfy.
  5. I feel pretty old right now.

Garden Party

The Garden Party delayed start was a good choice.  Due to the  poor weather the party was delayed and we ended up with a beautiful evening.  Good company, good food, good message, an all around uplifting evening.

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Monday, August 5, 2013

2013 Garden Party for Relief Society

Always a good time...bring a friend and enjoy your time together!

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August Spotlight Celeste Pearson

5 Fun Facts about Celeste Pearson

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1. I graduated from BYU with a BA in English Teaching
2. I hope to write a novel someday
3. I have four boys - no girls!!
4. I am a triplet - I have two sisters who look like me (just not as cute)
5. My favorite thing to do is make a huge plate of nachos and watch TV with my husband

Monday, July 1, 2013

Spot Light for July Our own adorable Amber Malmberg



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Five Fun Facts

1. I raised a baby crow
2. I climbed the pyramids of Teotihuacan outside                             Mexico City.
3. I'm not a vegetarian, but I can't handle eating meat off the bone.  It grosses me out!
4. I would like to write a book someday celebrating Down syndrome.
5. Before I die I would like to see a herd of wild horses.  I'm terrified of riding them, but to see wild horses would be miraculous to me!

Friday, June 21, 2013

Building Families June 2013 Relief Society Evening Meeting

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Our June Relief Society was a HUGE success!  Our room was overflowing with Sisters, and that is the BEST!  Thank you to our wonderful Additional Meeting Board...you are so wonderful and I am extremely grateful for you!

ImageWe started out our evening with Mari F. doing a presentation on Temple Symbals.
Thank YOU Mari for your well prepared presentation!  It was amazing and I learned so much!  I should have been taking notes, there were so many wonderful insights that I really appreciated...the spirit was felt in abundance...What a wonderful opportunity we have at this time in history to have Temples so available to us today.  There multi-faceted teaching, from the architecture to the work that is done within the walls...beckons us to a higher level...turns our hearts and souls Heaven bound.  What a blessed opportunity it was to attend this meeting.
     We would also like to thank Fred F. for the loving AV support he offered his wife, it was really great!
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We then traveled to the seminary rooms where Jessica V. enlightened us about family indexing!  She gave us technical direction and filled our hearts with the spirit of the work.  Her sweet testimony and her great enthusiasm encouraged us to be active in the work of Salvation!  Here is a link to the website so you can get started... Family Search Indexing Download the program and enjoy the blessings of this inspired work in your homes!
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Another thank you to Todd V. who also came and gave technical support to his wife...what wonderful men you are and a great example of holders of the Priesthood.
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Finally...we gathered together to enjoy some wonderful heirloom desserts and beautifully prepared displays of family artifacts of some of the Sisters in our ward.



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 Emily's Grandmother was one of the first female pilots in the military!  I love that...Emily obviously comes from a strong, independent female heritage...what a sweet gift!
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Beautiful laces made by Sandra T's Grandmother!  Tatting and lace making is a beautiful art form!



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Bishop M. even came to join the fun! You are always welcome Bishop!!!
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Smiles and conversation... enjoying our Sisterhood!
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A Big HUG and THANK YOU to all those that helped make this a wonderful evening...realize Sisters...when you attend these events you multiply the joy for all!!


Sunday, June 2, 2013

Spotlight:

Sarah Rawls:

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5 Fun Facts:
  1. She's a chef, and does cake decorating
  2. She's a florist
  3. She's a California girl, and did water polo and swimming
  4. Cruises are her ideal vacation
  5. She's pregnant with her 1st baby, and is due this month!

Ward Activity

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RS Evening Meeting

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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Spotlight:

Tami Green:

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5 Fun Facts:
  1. A word that describes her best is…COMPLICATED!
  2. Her personal motto is: It's easier to get forgiveness than permission.
  3. Her personal skills are to break boards with her feet and elbows.
  4. If she could go anywhere on vacation she would go to New Zealand!
  5. She would rather take pictures than be in them.

RS Temple Trip

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RS Activity

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Monday, April 1, 2013

Spotlight!

Susan Gehring:

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5 Fun Facts:
  1. She's not really a math person, but she's great with languages.
  2. She teaches her children French.
  3. A word that best describes her is: outgoing!
  4. She loves chocolate.
  5. She would do anything to help someone in need.

Janice Kapp Perry Fireside

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Ward Luau

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Friday, March 1, 2013

SpotLight

Dakota Betts:

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5 Fun Facts:
  1. She loves being a wife and mom.  There's nothing else she'd rather be doing!
  2. She enjoys photography, and loves to capture magical moments to look-back on!
  3. She loves the outdoors.  Hunting, fishing, camping, etc.  She'd rather be outdoors than shopping!
  4. She's a 5th of 6 children.  A big family!
  5. She showed sheep in FFA when she was younger.  She loved the money, and the animals!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Friday, February 1, 2013

Evening Meeting

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Spotlight!

Emily Jolley:

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5 Fun Facts:
  1. She grew-up in the Philippines. 
  2. Has played the violin since she was 10 years old.
  3. She gets freaked-out by eating chicken off the bone.
  4. She's a closet computer gamer!  She likes the SIM games.
  5. She was born in Germany.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Relief Society Sunday Jan 6th Lesson

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I used a quote from Emma Smith when she held the first meeting of the Relief Society
"We are going to do something extraordinary."

I asked the question what are we doing that is extraordinary?  What does it mean to be extraordinary? There were wonderful responses such as Remi "If there is a need, the RS is there providing to those who need"  Emma "In this day and age that we live in, it is so easy to only do what is expected of us. It comes easily to desire to only uplift ourselves. To be extraordinary is to go above and beyond that. To not want to keep up with the Jones' but to help uplift the Jones'."  Debbie S. shared she had an Aunt that had fallen out of love with the church, her Aunt Said "You are the only church that keeps track of your people!"  Visiting Teaching is an unusual thing by the worlds standards.

I then asked what is the fourfold mission of the church?

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  • Proclaim the Gospel 




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  • Redeem the Dead




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  • Perfect the Saints


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  • Care for the Poor Needy





Each year during this time of year we make "New Year's Resolutions" or "Goals" for the new year.  I placed a sign above the fourfold missions...GOALS.

As I sat down to think about goals for the RS this coming year I just could not do it.  I could not see how me making goals for you was going to be affective!  You need to be invested!  I maybe the president of the this organization but I am NOT the Relief Society.  All of you are the Relief Society.  So I asked, what goals would you like to make for your Relief Society this coming year?

I am going to pose this question now to whoever takes the time to read this.  Please send me an e-mail with additions you would like to add to the following.  Please don't just read this and not give me some feedback.  What any of you have to say is of value!

There was a great discussion about the needs we see in this fourfold gospel.  I wish you all could have been there...I will try to share as best I can.

Proclaim the Gospel

v Invite people to church
v Encourage our children to invite their friends to church
v Take extra tender care of those new sisters who join the church.  Jakki explained "that after she joined the church she had so many questions and was so afraid to ask"  Her experience is not unusual, our new members need our care and nurture.  Visiting Teaching was talked about as a way to make this happen in our Relief Society.

Redeem the Dead

v Attend the Temple together as a Relief Society quarterly.  Enjoying lunch together in the Temple cafeteria
v For those new members of the church make one of those Temple trips a baptism trip so they can new members can attend
v (Encourage those that for whatever private reason they can't go into the Temple to come and enjoy a few hours on the grounds of the Temple allow yourselves the opportunity to enjoy the spirit of just being on that Holy ground enjoying the gardens.  The Deseret Book Store is just down the hill.  Many people have been in the same position, there was a time I could not go inside the Temple, but because of the love and nurturing I received I returned, you are not a lone your challenges!  But come anyway and enjoy the time...we will go out to eat that day instead of eating in the cafeteria!  We want no one to be excluded, come!)
v Make a plan to take names to the Temple of our own or of someone in the ward.

The challenge of going to the Temple when you have little ones was talked about.  Sister Gehring said "Trade child care with one of the other sisters in the ward that has children, you go and then they go to the next one"  YES!  Brilliant!  Brook said "Kids will grow up to respect the Temple and you if you make an effort to attend.  By your example you will teach them by your doing not just saying"  Several of the Sisters bore strong testimony of the truthfulness of attending the Temple to be strong examples to your children!

Perfect the Saints

v Smaller activity groups such as, quilt group, exercise, play group
As we visited about this I shared that people didn't come to these activities to keep them going when we had them.  We have 142 sisters on the rolls.  92 sisters that come to church at least some time during the three month quarter.  At our last evening meeting we had 24ish women attend.  These activities are not mandatory, but it is a wonderful way to get to know one another on a different level than that Sunday meeting.  Even if you don't feel like coming, think about this comment that was brought up to me after.  "Maybe it is not for you that you would attend, maybe it is your influence for good you may need to offer someone!"  How true is that?  Commitment is key, I know life happens, concerts happen, sick kids happen, work happens, exhaustion happens.  But try a little harder this coming year to attend your meetings and support the efforts of your Relief Society.
v We determined that our next goal would be to invite and bring people along with us.
v Never let a sister sit alone or not feel welcomed to any activity.

Care for the Poor and Needy

Sister Billie P.  One of our newest members made this comment: "These are the ones the Lord would have us take care of"  A truer statement was never made!

v Visiting Teaching was spoken about in all of these goals.  I would say Visiting Teaching was key to all of these goals!  It was decided that we would go for 90% Visiting Teaching.   Our Dec Visiting Teaching numbers were 68.5%  We can exceed this goal sisters!  When we realize that any contact is considered a visit, phone, e-mail/letter, physical visit we can make this happen!  I know we can.  Helen said we need to be cheerleaders for each other...get those pom pom's ready...

ImageIn conclusion I shared the year's theme for our Relief Society and our Ward is "Stand Ye in Holy Places"  As we focus our lives on these fourfold missions we are "Standing in Holy Places"  Any place we stand should be a "Holy Place"  Our homes, the church buildings and of course the Temple or its grounds. 

Heavenly Father has some extraordinary things to the bless the Steilacoom ward with, are we ready to receive those extraordinary things?  This theme for the year is inspired, I will share more of that with you at the Evening Meeting Social January 17th at 7:00 pm.  It will be a dinner and a wonderful evening to begin our New Year locking arms together...together this year we can have some extra ordinary experiences!