Relief Society Christmas Dinner

Sunday's Lesson

This week we are going to talk about Love Life and Learning. This can be read many ways:

Love Life
Love Learning

Love
Life
Learning

Love Life by Learning

Love Learning through Life

What do you think it means?

Fireside

ALL members of the Vineyard Ward (adults and children of all ages) are invited to attend our Ward Fireside on Sunday 23 August @ 7pm at our Church building at 7th Ave. and Southern Ave.

The Fireside is hosted by Bishop Malone. The guest speaker is District President Gene Wikle of the Kabul Afghanistan Military District. President Wikle, a member of the Vineyard Ward, will briefly speak on the growth of the LDS Church in Afghanistan, and he will also present portions of a DVD containing the first and historical LDS District Conference in Afghanistan. The speakers in the DVD, whom President Wikle will show, are Relief Society General President Julie B. Beck and Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland. In his marvelous talk, Elder Holland gives an Apostalic Blessing to the LDS people serving in Afghanistan, their supporting Family members, their Friends, and their individual Wards. This includes our Vineyard Ward.

Please come, feast upon and enjoy the spirit and blessing of this special Fireside!

Discussion Group

Discussion group is tonight. If you have questions or please contact Kim Butler or Sister Wikle.

This will be a great opportunity to expand your knowledge and spirituality.
Hope to see you there.

Class Title: Spiritually Preparing for Marriage (for all single sisters, married sisters, widowed sisters, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, every sister)

Instructor: Sister Jackie Malone

Place: Susan Wikle's Home: 818 W. Allen Street

Time: Thursday, 30 July @ 7PM

Exercise Schedule!

As school is starting next week (yee haw!) the activity details at the Laveen building will be changing to the following:

Monday, 9am: Volleyball
Tuesday, 9am: Strength Training Class (Bring a mat and weights if you have them)
Wednesday, 9am: Basketball
Thursday, 9am: Volleyball
Friday, 9am: Kickboxing (Bring a mat and weights if you have them)

I believe, also, that there is some sort of Pilates class taught on Thursday nights. I will verify the time (I think 8pm?)


Join us!

Humanitarian Activity

Here is a reminder that next Saturday (July 18th) we will have our Humanitarian Activity. This will be from 11-3 at the church. We are still looking for some more fabric for dresses. Also please sign up for to help with lunch.

Questions please contact Kim, Taisey or Celia.

5 July 2009 Lesson

Delight in Service and Good Works

Sunday there was a request for quotes used during the lesson to be posted. Most of the lesson was taken from Mary Ellen Smoot’s talk, “We Are Instruments in the Hands of God,” Ensign Jan 2001. There is where she listed 4 thing we can do to be better able to give service in a meaningful way.

“So how do we do it? Amid the pressures of life, how do we become the most effective instruments we can be in the hands of the Lord?

Number 1. Our own conversion must come first.
Number 2. We must wax “strong in the knowledge of the truth”.
Number 3. Service is a key to being an effective instrument.
Number 4. Love must undergird everything we do.

Here is the quote from President Uchtdorf that made an impact on me and I believe many of you as well.

“In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair; let us feel the silent prayers of others around us, and let us be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to answer those prayers.” Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Happiness, Your Heritage,” Ensign, Nov 2008.

I pray that each of us can be effective instruments in the Lord's hands and remember to be the answer to other prayers.

Water Safety Class on Tuesday the 16th!!

Come learn to keep your kids safe around water. Class will be taught by swim instructor Erin Guerena of Aqua Babes.

Tuesday, June 16th * 6:30pm at Amberly Robinson's house, 2436 W. Bloch Road

The class is not intended for children to attend. We will not be swimming, so there is no need to wear your swimsuit.

See you there!

June Calendar!

Unselfish Service

This lesson was given by Lindsay Faller on Sunday, May 24th. When considering service, how selfish or unselfish are we truly acting? How often do we think "What's in it for me?"

Examples of unselfish service? Church leadership serves voluntarily - they take time away from their families, etc... sisters taking meals to others, watching eachother's children, church callings... taking care of elderly parents...

Feeling gratitude is one of the blessings of service.

President Hinckley on his mission in England was frustrated with the work, and felt he was doing no good. He wrote home to his father - and his father wrote back and in his letter responded back "Forget yourself and go to work."

You can never love the Lord until you SERVE the Lord by serving others.

Get an attitude of service and you'll find that your problems pale in comparison to others' problems.

An attitude of love characterized the mission of the master.

Parenting is ALL about service! Parents make sacrifices daily for their children. Mothers suffer pain and loss of personal priorities and comforts to bear and rear each child. Fathers adjust their lives and priorities to support a family. The gap between those who are and those who are not willing to do this is widening in today's world. Some opt to be "childless by choice".

We rejoice that so many Latter-Day saint couples are among that unselfish group who are willing to surrender their personal priorities and serve the Lord by bearing and rearing the children our Heavenly Father sends to their care. We also rejoice in those who care for disabled family members and aged parents. None of this service asks, "What's in it for me?" All of it requires setting aside personal convenience for unselfish service. All of it stands in contrast to the fame, fortune, and other immediate gratification that are the worldly ways of so many in our day.

President Monson taught, "Perhaps when we face our Maker, we will not be asked, 'how many positions did you hold?' but rather, 'how many people did you help?' In reality, you can never love the Lord until you serve Him by serving his people."

The ultimate blessing of service will be being in the presence of God the Father and his son Jesus Christ.

Scrap-n-Yap

Scrapbook Night will be held at Shellie Carter's home on Thursday, June 11th, at 6:30pm. This month is a free night, to work on your own projects, or finish anything left hanging from months before. Come hang out with your fellow crafters and revisit your 2009 goals! Shellie will probably make something gooey and delish for a treat...

Email Shellie for directions. shelliedesign@qwest.net

KICKBOXING update -

Kickboxing is now going to be held TWICE A WEEK! Woohoo! Mary Davis from Maryvale ward has been leading a 1-hr. kickboxing class at the Laveen building. She is a professional teacher and everyone gets a great workout!

Please join us every WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY at 8AM.

I promise you'll love it! There is no need to be self conscious. You can adapt any move to your fitness level, and take it as gently as you need to. There are ladies from several wards who attend. Kids usually play in the corner with toys or hang out in the nursery. Bring a yoga mat if you have one... if not, a towel works great. Bring weights if you have them too.

PLEASE support this effort, ladies... those of us who partake would be quite sad to see it go away...!

The Laveen building is located at 41st avenue and Baseline, just west of Cesar Chavez high school.

May 2009 Calendar

Hello, Sisters!

The May 2009 calendar was updated from the first printing due to a change in schedule for the Scrapbooking class. It had to be switched to Thursday, May 14th because of a conflict with another church function on Thursday, 5/21. Please make a note of the change to the date. We hope to see you there!

I hope the rest of your Saturday is wonderful.

Love,

Shannon Hutchinson

Gordon B. Hinckley

Janice Kapp Perry took the following excerpt from President Hinckley and put it to music. The song is touching, knowing the timing of the publication early last year. Pres. Hinckley approved the song and lyrics just days before he passed away.

What is this thing called death,
This quiet passing in the night?
'Tis not the end, but genesis
Of better worlds and greater light.
O God, touch thou my aching heart,
And calm my troubled, haunting fears.
Let hope and faith, transcendent, pure,
Give strength and peace beyond my tears.
There is no death, but only change,
With recompense for vict'ry won.
The gift of Him who loved all men,
The Son of God, the Holy One.

May Scrapbooking Night

Scrap-n-Yap was held at Shellie Carter's home on Thursday, May 14th. Shellie had prepared kits with a 2-page Christmas layout, so many ladies signed up, brought their photos and were able to complete their project fairly quickly. Other sisters brought their own projects to work on, and were all able to share ideas with each other. If you have any suggestions as to scrapbook projects you'd like to do in the future, please leave a comment!

The Truth of God Shall Go Forth

This lesson was shared on April 26th by Brittany Lake. It is based on the M. Russell Ballard talk from October 2008's general conference.

The work of the church is unstoppable. It has progressed steadily, and increased exponentially throughout the years. The lesson outlined the church's history and work that has been accomplished, even though challenged every step of the way.

The growth of the church has been great in spite of, and perhaps because of, great challenges faced by the world.

Joseph Smith knew that no enemy then present or in the future would have sufficient power to frustrate or stop the purposes of God.

Nearly 18 decades have passed since the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1830. We have had 178 years to observe the fulfillment of prophecy and to watch "the truth of God" as it goes forth "boldly, nobly, and independent."

Throughout the 1840s, while persecution raged against Joseph Smith and the early church, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ continued to cover the earth through faithful service of 1,454 missionaries.

Soon after the martyrdom, Brigham Young and the church made preparations to move west. Hardship, affliction, death, and apostasy were ever present with the pioneers, still, the work moved forward. In the 1850s, 705 more missionaries were called and served in areas including Scandinavia, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Hawaii.

By the time Brigham Young died in 1877, worldwide membership had grown to more than 115,000.

The work continued in this fast pace throughout much of the next century. None of this was easy, however. Challenges, obstacles and persecution accompanied every attempt to take "the truth of God" into every continent and country so that it could "sound in every ear".

The destiny of this church and its literal fulfillment through the decades is to remind us of this simple truth:

"This is God's work, and God's work will not be frustrated."

The challenges we face today are different, but they are no less demanding. Instead of angry mobs, we face those who constantly try to defame. Instead of extreme exposure and hardship, weface alcohol and drug abuse, pornography, all kinds of filth, sleaze, greed, dishonesty, and spiritual apathy. We see the institution of the family under attack.

The Lord isn't asking us to load up a handcart, he's asking us to fortify our faith. He's not asking us to walk across a continent, only to walk across the street to visit our neighbor. He's not asking us to give all our worldly possessions to build a temple, only to give of our means and time, despite the pressures of modern living, to continue to build temples and then to attend regularly the temples already built.

"He isn't asking us to die a martyr's death, he's asking us to live a disciple's life."

April Scrapbooking Night - needing night vision goggles...

We held April's Scrapbooking night on Thursday, April 23rd at Shellie Carter's home. Everyone brought their own individual projects to work on. We even had a couple of new faces come and participate! However, the power was off and on that night (mostly off) so we spent most of our time together chatting and eating brownies in the dark. It was actually a lot of fun!

Visiting Teaching Thought

Learn to be there for your sisters. It is not only the responsibility of the visiting teacher to develop that relationship. It is on YOU as well. Don't be afraid to share your problems with them or ask for help. Heavenly Father has set up the church and the VT program exactly for that purpose, and to help you with what YOU need, specifically, no matter how trivial you may think your need is. Like Christ's atonement, if we're not invested in that VT relationship, or are too proud or afraid to ask for help, then those programs are all for not, and turn out to be a waste.

God Shall Be With You Forever and Ever

Sherri Wright gave this lesson on April 19th based in the story of Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail.

Notes from the lesson:

Joseph's captors knew he and his companions were innocent, yet they still went along with what the mob demanded.

The conditions in Liberty Jail were almost inhumane. The jail cell didn't allow the prisoners any sunlight, nor any room to even stand upright. Joseph and his companions were imprisoned with true criminals, yet their unbearable circumstances never broke their spirits.

Trials can make or break you. Joseph's experience taught them, and it teaches us, to rely on the Lord.

** Difficult circumstances have the ability to bind the hearts of family and friends. **

** Trials can actually strengthen marriages and family relationships. **

The Lord's love is always there. We may not feel it because of OUR choices, or attitude, or actions, but His love is unconditional and always available to us.

We should remember when the Lord tells us things will be hard, or "for a small moment" that it is from His perspective and not ours. 50 years to us may seem an eternity, but truly isn't when COMPARED to eternity.

If we can keep the Lord in sight and know what is on the other side, it becomes easier to let go of the pain and suffering we experience through our trials. It makes Christ's sacrifice pointless if we hold onto our own pain. We need to be able to be "finished" and turn our pain over to him.

For children and those around us who make bad choices and are suffering, we just have to keep in mind that we are ONLY in control of ourselves. Those making poor choices must learn for themselves. All we can do is be good examples.

When we get through adversity, each successive trial becomes easier to handle. "If I got through THAT, then I can certainly handle this."

March Discussion Group: Apocolypse Chow

March's discussion group was held at Eachel Austin's home on Tuesday, March 31st.

They discussed becoming financially self-reliant which included getting out of debt (examples of debt reduction plans reviewed), ideas and tricks to stretching food budgets, discussed different food storage programs from Noah's Ark to Basics, and discussed becoming spiritually prepared to be able to withstand any hardships or to assist with completing goals set towards becoming self-reliant.

March Scrapbooking Class - Lucky Me!

Scrapbook Night was held on March 26th at Shellie Carter's home. We all worked on a little blessings book entitled "Lucky Me". This was a good exercise in journaling, and in gratitude, as people were able to think about and list their top twelve blessings. Everyone gained a few new scrapping techniques as well.Also turned out to be a cute addition to desks and bookshelves!

March Cooking Class - Japanese Cooking

Cooking Class was held on Tuesday, March 24th at Ashley Nillsen's home. We had a great turnout for the Japanese Cooking! After a short intro to Japanese food, the sisters were able to help make some food. We made two types of sushi, inarizushi (a sweet fried tofu stuffed with rice) and makisushi (rolled sushi, like California rolls). We also made gyoza (Japanese potstickers). Everyone enjoyed talking, cooking and especially eating all of our creations!

Living with Others in Peace and Harmony

Sherri Wright gave this lesson from the Joseph Smith manual on March 15th. Joseph obviously experience much persecution. The lesson relates a story about a day when the Prophet was visiting his parents’ home in Far West. A group of armed militiamen came in and announced that they had come to kill him for a supposed crime. After sitting down and conversing with the men about the beliefs of the church and the trials the church members had gone through, they vowed to never again harm Joseph.

Speaking the truth in a kind, forthright way, Joseph Smith overcame prejudice and hostility and made peace with many of those who had been his enemies.

Question: How can we be a peacemaker in our homes?

We see a huge difference as we observe different mothers and how they react in tense situations. We need to possess these qualities in ourselves, and in our homes before we can be a peacemaker in our community.

Questions to ask yourself: Do you look for pride and selfishness? Or do we look for the positive qualities in others?

Focus on the good, and their positive qualities will overshadow the bad ones.

April 2009 Calendar

Discussion Group

Please join us for an evening of fun and tips. Please contact Kim Butler or Rachel Austin if you have any questions.

We passed around a sign-up sheet today in church, but I also wanted others to know, who may have missed the sign up sheet. There will be other sign up sheet going around the 12th and 19th of April also.

The church has put out a new Gospel Art Book. If we buy the as a group (20 +) they cost $1.50 a piece. We are putting in a group order April 18th for those who are interested in ordering. Jackie Malone has a book that you can look at if you want to see what it is like.

If you want to order please let Rebekah Mickelson know and have money to her by the Monday, 20th of April.

March 2009 RS Calendar

Here is the March 2009 RS Calendar. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Shannon Taylor-Hutchinson at either 623-670-9442 or shannondeetaylor@aol.com.

Kickboxing Class

Mary Davis is planning on teaching a kickboxing or circuit training class on Fridays at the Laveen Building (41st Ave./Baseline). The class starts at 9:30am.

Mary said to let everyone know that plans on going to bring some weights for the class Friday. Either 2 empty milk cartons that they can fill with water at the church or some regular weights.

Hope to see you there!

Blogging Class

Just a reminder that 5 Feb 2009 is the blogging class. How funny that I am posting this on a blog and the class is geared to helping the novices (such as me) learn how to set up a blog and how to keep it up. Look forward to seeing all of you there.

6:30pm at Kim Butler's home - 6026 S 20th Glen

For everyone's information: Dara & Jim McEnaney, who moved out of our ward a year or so ago (she was YW president in the newly created Vineyard ward), welcomed a little girl into their family earlier this month. If anybody wants more info, here is their blog:

http://mcenaneyfamily.blogspot.com/

Ashley Nilssen will be sending a package for Azlyn sometime in February, if anyone is interested in sending something up, get in touch with her.

January 2009 Relief Society Calendar

Happy New Year, Sisters!

Here is the January 2009 RS calendar for anyone who didn't get a copy at Relief Society today. A change has been made to this one that needs to be noted on your printed copies, if you haven't already done so. The time for the Visiting Teaching Conference on 1/22/2009 will be at 6 PM. The first batch of printed copies that I brought this morning said 7 PM, so please make note of that change!

Have a great week!

Shannon Taylor-Hutchinson
Vineyward Ward RS Secretary