A great letter from a great sister...

Hello Sisters, August 16, 2007
Recently I was thinking about trying to buy a home. I never had one of my own before and was kind of excited and yet really scared. I even went looking at houses and found one I really liked. Yet, no matter how I went over my finances I just couldn't manage to come up with all of the needed money right now. I was anxious and frustrated. This was not at all the "peacefull feeling from the Holy Ghost I expected to feel. After all, wasn't this a "good thing"? Didn't I do all of my "homework" and make a decision? So why wasn't I feeling that peace? Could it be I wasn't supposed to move yet? But that hardly seemed logical since the longer I wait the more difficult it will be to get a loan and move. I wanted that house. Still I felt unsure and anxious. But was that really the spirit or just the normal I'm going to owe on this for the rest of my life anxiety?
I was perplexed and asked for a blessing. In the blessing I was told that Heavenly Father knew of my desire for a home of my own but that he wanted me to wait for awhile. I seemed to feel some relieve but also disappointment that I would never attain this goal. Why am I telling you all of this? For two reasons 1) we all face every day delimmas in which we are sometimes uncertain if it is the spirit or our own feelings and anxieties. We all want to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do so we must really trust that when we have good calming feelings our answer is yes. The opposite is also true. We must trust that when we have strong anxiety and uncertaintly then we shouldn't do as we planned no matter how much we may think we want to. 2)As I was contemplating this very thing and wondering if some day I would have a home of my own and if so how, I came across a wonderful scripture that can help us all to increase our faith and patience Doctrine Covenants 5:34 "Yea, for this cause I have said: Stop, and stand still until I command thee, and I will provide means whereby thou mayest accomplish the thing I have commanded thee." There it is sisters, all we have to do is be obedient and He not us will provide a way for us to accompish what he commands us to do. This scripture has brought me much relief and hope in my everyday problems. I hope it does the same for you.
Sister H. M.
Stake R.S. pres.

Faith

Faith is not so much something we believe; faith is something we live.

Dead Duck

There once was a wealthy man who had a servant named John. This servant was very humble and tried to keepthe commandments and serve others. One day his master said to him, "John, why do you try so hard to be good, go to church and keep the commandments? It doesn't do you any good. You wife is ill, your children poorly clothed and you must work hard every day just to feed them. While I never go to church. I don't worry about others or try to keep the commandments. Yet I have a big fine house, lots of money and my family is healthy. Why does your god allow such things?" John shrugged his shoulders and said, "I can"t answer that right now but let me think about it."

A few days later John was hunting with his master. The master shot two ducks and sent JOhn to retrieve them. One duck was dead and the other wounded. John headed toward the dead duck. His master yelled to him, "No John, leave that one it is dead. It won't go anywhere. Get the one that is wounded before it gets away!" John retrieved both ducks and returned to his master. "I have an answer foryour question you asked the other day. Why is it I have so many trials while you seem to have none. Well sir, you're a dead duck! Satan has to worry about me getting away!"
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When it seems like so many things are happening to us or we can't seem to get a break just remember - don't be a DEAD DUCK! Make Satan fight to try and get you!

Trials

"Rather than simply passing through trials, we must allow trials to pass through us in ways that sanctify us."

--Elder Neil A Maxwell, "Enduring Well", April 1997 Ensign

7 Ways to Mind Your Mind

"If we can pattern our life after the Master, and take his teachings and example as the supreme pattern for our own, we will not find it difficult to be consistent and loyal in every walk of life, for we will be committed to a
single, sacred standard of conduct and belief."

--Howard W. Hunter, "Standing As Witnesses of God", Ensign, May 1990, 60


Choosing the right isn't always about choosing from right and wrong. Sometimes it can be about choosing the right way and choosing the easier way. Something that someone said in church yesterday has stuck in my head. They said you can really tell what kind of a person someone is by what kind of thinking they do when there is no need for thinking at all. When not engaged in learning, conversation, etc., what do you think about it? There's some food for thought.

One speaker at the youth conference held this past weekend gave a pretty amazing talk about 7 Ways to Mind Your Mind, because a member of our Bishopric that went spoke about it in Sacrament.

1. Guard your mind in what you see and think
2. Discipline your mind, aka: No dumping allowed!"
3. Help discipline your mind by memorization of spiritual thoughts (aka: scriptures, hymns)
4. Clear your mind of noise (you don't always have to be listening to music, watching tv, or have some type of background noise. Listen for the whisperings of the Spirit to talk to you)
5. Putting in additional light in your mind
6. Develop your minds (aka: education)
7. Don't do anything that would cast out the Spirit or drive the Spirit away.

Moral Agency

"As we yield our will to His, God will tutor us in the successful use of our moral agency. We will find freedom to be, to feel, and to do."

--Name Elder D Todd Christofferson, "Allegiance to God", Ensign, Jan. 2005, 8

Doctrine & Covenants 101:78 --That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.

Helaman 14:30-31 -- And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free. He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.

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Our lesson today in young women's was about agency. We learned about how every choice we make has a consequence, whether that be a positive or negative consequence. Funny that the things I studied today also discussed about agency. :-)

In sacrament the youth that attended the youth conference over this past weekend went to bear their testimonies about attending it. As I listened to them, it brought me back on memory lane remembering the burst of light and being high on life leaving those conferences with the strength, confidence, and the Spirit in me to take on the world and what it might have in store for me. Some of the youth talked about how they felt they (those that attended from our ward) drew closer to one another into a more tight knit circle of friends...bonded...while there. How awesome is that to have our youth draw strength from one another, buoy each other up and walk side by side through life?

And thus were they prepared

When the Lamanites were wanting to take the city Noah, they were surprised that they couldn't overthrow them. Why? Because the Nephites had obeyed the words of the Lord. They fortified themselves with the things the Lord gave them and hence had "all power over their enemies."

How many years have we been told to be prepared??? One year supply of food storage, keeping enough oil in our lamps, attend the temple often, nurture our family. It's not only to protect us physically, but spiritually as well. How much are we heeding to that counsel?