Lesson Summary: August 19th

Today Mandy shared some beautiful thoughts from the lesson "Advancing the Work of the Lord."

"Can you not see how a marvelous work and a wonder has been going forward? Can you not see how we as individuals have only contributed our mite, but the multitude has united, and the word of the Lord has been disseminated among the children of men; not in a militant way, but in kindness and in love, with a desire to bless all mankind?" -George Albert Smith

Mandy brought a painting of Christ holding a child and reaching down to lift up a child from a rocky river. Likewise this is our chance to serve as Christ's hands to lift people up.

During the Presidency of George Albert Smith, church membership grew immensely and technology proliferated,  including radio, television and air travel. He used these to further the Church.

“We ought to regard these [inventions] as blessings from the Lord,” he said. “They greatly enlarge our abilities. They can indeed become blessings if we utilize them in righteousness for the dissemination of truth and the furtherance of the work of the Lord among men. The great challenge facing the world today lies in the use we make of many of these inventions. We can use them to destroy, as we have sometimes done in the past, or we can utilize them to enlighten and bless mankind, as our Heavenly Father would have us do.” -George Albert Smith

We have the same opportunities now to use technology. We can use blogging to gently share the gospel, we can share a link to mormon.org or fill out a profile on Mormon.org. There are also simple pass along cards. We can become fans of the church on social media sites. Mandy shared that she used social media to help her connect with young women in her ward.

"Those who misunderstand us now will know us better. Those who believe we have selfish motives will be undeceived, and our brothers and sisters of the world, who desire the truth and wish to know what the Lord wants of them, will be pricked in their hearts and accept the Gospel. Zion will rise and shine, and will become the glory of the whole earth, the Lord God of Israel has so decreed." -George Albert Smith

"It is not necessary that a man should be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, or the Presidency of the Church, in order to obtain the greatest blessings in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father. These are but offices required in the Church, and there are many faithful and devoted men worthy to fill these offices whose time and talents are needed throughout the Church. … Remember that in the ranks and throughout the Church there is ample opportunity for every man and for every woman to do something for the blessing of their fellows and for the advancement of the work of the Lord." -George Albert Smith

Every calling and service is important. From the nursery to the Apostles we are essential cogs in moving the work forward.

Lesson Summary: August 19, 2012

Today we heard from Lisa on the topic of "Doing our Part to Share the Gospel."

In post WW1 President Smith was serving as a president of the Europe mission. He struggled with a lack of young men to serve; often they couldn't get visas. Prejudices and false notions  about the church abounded.

We have all had misconceptions about the church brought to our attention. Several sisters shared experiences of living overseas and being confused with Amish or Muslims.  Others shared that people thought that we didn't drink milk or dance. People often find misinformation on the Internet. On a more serious note many believe that we are not Christian or believe Christ is our Savior. Some times misconceptions arise from our behavior, like believing that we only take care of our own. Do people look at us and know we are Christian by our actions?

"We should each do something every day to bring the light to our fellow beings... It is incumbent upon us to ascertain if there is not some means whereby we may  enable to do more than we have already done."- George Albert Smith

One resource for sharing is the Mormon.org website. It is easy to complete a profile and to share what Mormons are really like. A lot of our interactions are with other Mormons and we can be insular. Justserve.org is another website resource to find service opportunities outside the church.

"Peach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words." - President Uchtdorf quoting St. Francis of Assisi (attributed) 

It is our responsibility to share the Gospel. Lisa shared a story from her mission. One women every week would hold family home evening with friends and the missionaries. One week she went to their house and there were 27 people there for family home evening. Likewise, we can invite people to ward activities and the crèche exhibit and we need to be accepting and loving towards those that come. We need to be open to answering questions with no obligation to meet the missionaries. If we show people love and help them feel their divine worth whether or not they know that this comes from Christ we can make a difference. We can serve others.

We cannot be too focused on putting a good public face on the church. We should not be afraid to share our struggles, with faith and otherwise, and be real. Sometimes it isn't always sunshine and roses and it we should be honest about that.

President Kimball sayid that "in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world."