Lesson Summary: August 25, 2013

Kathyrn L gave the lesson this week using "The Home: The School Of Life" by Enrique Falabella.

Elder Falabella discusses 6 lessons we should focus on teaching in the home.

1) The Temple is the Place

Discussion: What are some things we can do to make it a goal in our children's life to attend the temple?
- Display the temple in our homes
- Go to the temple with our kids
- Go often, especially if you live close
- Go the a temple open house with your children

2) To Contend, You Need 2 People
"One of my wife’s mottoes has been “In order to contend, you need two people, and I will never be one of them.”
(2013 April General Conference, The Home: The School of Life, Sun. Afternoon Session - By  Enrique R. Falabella)

Discussion: What practices do you use in your home to teach your kids to love each other?
- Be tender with your spouse
- Home should be a safe place
- Be open with children about difficult times, happy times, etc...

3) A Child Who Sings is a Happy Child
"How touching it is to hear the song of a little one who has been taught by his or her parents to sing, “I am a child of God.”⁵
(2013 April General Conference, The Home: The School of Life, Sun. Afternoon Session - By  Enrique R. Falabella)

4) I Need You to Hug Me
"The words “I love you,” “Thank you very much,” and “Forgive me” are like a balm for the soul. They transform tears into happiness. They provide comfort to the weighed-down soul, and they confirm the tender feelings of our heart. Just as plants wither with the lack of precious water, our love languishes and dies as we put to rest the words and acts of love.

"Our Father in Heaven is a perfect example of expressing love. As He presented His Son, He used the words “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”⁶
(2013 April General Conference, The Home: The School of Life, Sun. Afternoon Session - By  Enrique R. Falabella)

5) I love the Book of Mormon and My Savior, Jesus Christ

"How wise are the words of our Savior: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”⁷

Inspired by this, I asked my grandchild Raquel, who had recently learned how to read, “What would you say about setting a goal to read the Book of Mormon?”

Her answer was “But, Grandpa, it’s so hard. It’s a big book.”

Then I asked her to read me a page. I took out a stopwatch and timed her. I said, “You took only three minutes, and the Spanish version of the Book of Mormon has 642 pages, so you need 1,926 minutes.”

This could have scared her even more, so I divided that number by 60 minutes and told her she would need only 32 hours to read it—less than a day and a half!
(2013 April General Conference, The Home: The School of Life, Sun. Afternoon Session - By  Enrique R. Falabella)

Then she said to me, “That’s so easy, Grandpa.”

6) It Is Not Enough to Know the Scriptures; We Have To LIve Them

"I remember when I was a returned missionary, and having searched the scriptures diligently, I thought I knew it all. During our courtship, Blanquy and I would study the scriptures together. I used many of my notes and references to share my knowledge of the gospel with her. After we married I came to a serious realization as I learned a great lesson from her: I may have tried to teachher the gospel, but she taught me how to live it." 
(2013 April General Conference, The Home: The School of Life, Sun. Afternoon Session - By  Enrique R. Falabella)

Our homes need to be a place of refuge, happiness and a place to hold life's lessons. It needs to be a safe place to live the commandments and sometimes fail.
We can look at our own family and what we learn from them. 

Lesson Summary: August 18, 2013

Katie S. gave the lesson this week from the Lorenzo Snow manual, chapter 16 “That We May Become One”.

We have all experienced the magic of feeling unified and the heartache of contention and disconnection.  My earliest memory of feeling truly unified was in a singing group in 8th grade.  It was a wonderful feeling to blend, harmonize, and connect to create a beautiful sound.

Conversely, when I tried to rally my little troups to clean their bedroom the other day, my attempts to foster unity and togetherness were met with crying, fighting, and sadness. 

When the Saints were leaving Nauvoo, Brigham Young established the Perpetual Emigration Fund to assist church members in their efforts to coming to Salt Lake. Lorenzo Snow was asked to gather the funds, which he felt was a difficult task since almost everyone was already very poor.  He was amazed that the Saints were so willing to give even when they had so little.  This was an example of church members coming together to serve each other. 

Scriptures from the Lesson

John 17:21

"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me"

In this scripture Jesus is praying for his apostles to become one with Him and the Father, but we can apply this to ourselves as well.  When we are united in the gospel, others will come to understand and believe. 

Romans 12:5

"So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." 

D&C 51:9

"And let every man deal honestly, and be alike among this people, and receive alike, that ye may be one, even as I have commanded you."

Become "one" doesn't mean that we all have to be the same.  We are all different, and when we are of "one heart" our differences complement each other and we can do mighty things. 

Ephesians 2:19

"Ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God."

4 Nephi 1:17

"... neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God." 

Mosiah 18:21

"they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another."

We become united when we serve and help each other.

Quotes from President Snow:

"We must understand that we have got to act upon certain principles by which we can bind ourselves together as a people, to bind our feelings together that we may become one, and this never can be accomplished unless certain things are done, and things that require an exertion on our part." 

"Something has to be done by each party to secure each other’s friendship and to bind us together as a community." 

"it is our business to learn to secure the peace and happiness of those around us" 

"we need to sacrifice for others"

Example: The recent apartment home fire was an enormous trial for the family and the ward came together to help them.  The mother's email to the ward highlighted how many small acts of service made a big difference to their family. 

I love the imagery of our hearts being knit together.  A ball of yarn by itself might be a pretty color, but it is nothing compared to the beauty of many colors knit together to create a beautiful blanket.  By becoming "one" we do not lose our individuality . . . we become our best self.  We NEED each other, we cannot be saved alone.  Even our baptismal covenants are centered around serving and lifting each other as we "bear one another's burdens . . . " We can make a big difference in the world, when we are united together, each of us, all of us, through Christ and our Heavenly Father.

For more on this topic, please see "Our Hearts Knit As One" by Henry B. Eyring, October 2008.

Lesson Summary: August 11, 2013

This week Tori G. taught lesson #15 Faithful, Energetic Service in the Kingdom of God from the Lorenzo Snow manual. 

Tori emphasized 2 teachings from the lesson. 
1) We can be faithful in our calling, no matter what it is 
2) Giving cheerful and energetic service

Have you ever been asked to a calling you were not excited about?
Some callings are more visible than others. All are important.
Sometimes we are in a position in life, where we feel our service doesn't matter. 

Tori discussed the Parable of the talents. Matthew 25
We should pay attention to our effort instead of the outcome. 

Discussion- Can you think of a time you saw someone magnify a seemingly small calling? 
Examples:
 -Nettie W. discussed how she witnessed a primary teacher going the extra step for a particularly difficult child. After church she would go to the child's house and teach the lesson again one on one. 
-Jennifer G. discussed how her mother was the organist for 20+ years, yet she always consistently practiced.
-Sue A. talked about Brother Frika, a retired facilities coordinator for a church building in Germany. He was at the building every day and assured that it was immaculate.
-Deanne W. discussed how a nursery leader took specific interest in the children and as a result she saw a thirst for knowledge from each child. 
-Tori G. talked about when her mother was called as a ward chorister. Her mother was a nurse and worked mainly graveyard and weekend shifts. Even though there were some weeks her mother was unable to lead the music, she assured there was always someone to fill in.


Tori shared 2 talks by Brother Holland

"Because of Your Faith" General Conference October 2010

And to the near-perfect elderly sister who almost apologetically whispered recently, “I have never been a leader of anything in the Church. I guess I’ve only been a helper,” I say, “Dear sister, God bless you and all the ‘helpers’ in the kingdom.” Some of us who are leaders hope someday to have the standing before God that you have already attained.

"This Do in Remembrance of Me" General Conference October 1995

We could remember his magnificent but virtually unknown foster father, a humble carpenter by trade who taught us, among other things, that quiet, plain, unpretentious people have moved this majestic work forward from the very beginning, and still do so today. If you are serving almost anonymously, please know that so, too, did one of the best men who has ever lived on this earth.

The discussion was ended with reference to D&C 123:13 when Joseph was in Liberty Jail.

13 Therefore, that we should waste and ^awear out our lives in bringing to light all the ^bhidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven— 

And with a Pep talk from Tori
"LADIES LETS GO GET 'EM"