Chocolate!!!

Cooking Club this Wednesday at April Lewis' house! She will be showing all how to make some luscious chocolates.

Please come!

Of Primary Importance: Sacrament Mtg Presentation

Sisters, After many good intentions, I'm finally getting around to using this wonderful communication tool.... Ike disrupted our lives in so many ways, not the least of which by cancelling our Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation in September. In case you haven't heard, this special program has been re-scheduled for Sunday, October 26. This coming Sunday, October 19, we'll be doing a straight run-through practice. Please help your child(ren) prepare by reviewing their speaking part and the songs. If they've been assigned a "talk", please make sure it's complete and ready to be presented. As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact me. Thanks, Aletha Bradley

Food for Thought: California Proposition 8

Most of us know that the Church has spoken out about Proposition 8 in California and has promoted active campaigning by the membership there. For those of you who really want to know what it is all about, and if you tend to doubt the 'scare tactics' promoted by its proponents, below is an article from the San Francisco Gate, a publication which caters to the gay/lesbian demographic, which demonstrates the future in California if Prop 8 fails to pass.

To quote from a parent whose child attended this wedding and found no reason for concern: "How many days in school are they going to remember?" asked parent Marc Lipsett. "This is a day they'll definitely remember." What they learn from that experience will affect them their entire lives.

Read article here

To learn more about the issue and how you can help, even if you don't live in California, visit http://www.protectmarriage.com/.

Protect Marriage

Please, share this with all your family and friends who live in California. Encourage them to educate themselves on the issue and then get out and VOTE!

To learn what Mormons believe about the eternal nature of families, see The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

Link of the Week: Flight Aware

Here's an extremely useful link for travelers, and friends and family of travelers, and rather appropriate for me to post as I sit here drumming my fingers waiting for it to be time to go to the airport. Flight Aware, a free service, allows the user to track any flight anywhere in the United States and Canada. It offers up-to-the-second information.

Simply visit http://flightaware.com, and in the fields provided on the far left column (gray areas), enter in the required information. The site offers two different modes of tracking a flight: by the airplane number and the flight number, or by the airline and the flight number. All of this information is found on your ticket, e-ticket and/or itinerary.

For instance. Elder Freeman is traveling SkyWest on flight 1000A, in jet #DL 4006 from SLC to IAH. He is currently at 35,000 feet flying at 477 knots, has traveled 371 miles, with 827 miles to go. And, his flight is riding the wind and will arrive a few minutes early. Better alert the dad so we can be sure to be there when the son disembarks.

It also offers real-time Doppler satellite imagery so the user can see if the traveler will hit rough weather which may cause a delay, or worse still, a redirection. The bottom left gray field allows the user to review airport information such as weather, delays, alerts, security issues, etc.

This site was especially useful to us last Christmas when Dallas and Lynda got into bad weather, got redirected, and had to spend the night in Phoenix, Arizona. Keeping track of their many difficulties on Flight Aware was a lot easier than hoping that they'd eventually get where their cell phones would work and hopefully remember to call us.

So here it is. I hope it is found of use. Especially if you're pacing for someone in your family to come home after a two-year absence, you'll find this page a great stress reliever.

Preach My Gospel: Go Ye Therefore

Dear Sisters,

In her Conference address on Saturday, October 4, 2008, Sister Sylvia H. Allred, first counselor of the General Relief Society Presidency, spoke on missionary work and the great impact it can have in all of our lives. She offers us all a much needed nudge to improve in our own efforts. As so many of us realize, the dedication of one or two people can affect the futures and even the eternities of hundreds of people.

Sister Allred states:

Missionary work is the lifeblood of the Church. There is no greater work, no more important work. It blesses the lives of all those who participate in it. It will continue blessing future generations.

You might be asking yourself: How can I assist in missionary work? In what ways can I participate? There are two fundamental truths to keep in mind as you embark on the work. First, have a clear understanding that God loves all His children and desires their salvation. In Doctrine and Covenants 18:13 we read, “And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth.” Second, our message of Christ and His restored gospel is the most important gift you have to give.

As outlined in Preach My Gospel, missionary work is a four-fold endeavor: finding investigators, teaching and baptizing, fellowshipping new members, and fellowshipping and teaching less-active members.⁷ Every member of the Church—children, youth, and adults—can assist in any or all of these efforts.

Begin by being a good neighbor and a good friend. Set a example of righteousness and kindness. Let your smile radiate love, peace, and happiness. Live a gospel-centered life.

Then, be more specific in your missionary efforts. Let me suggest some ideas. You might find two or three that work for you:

• If you have children at home, help prepare them for missionary service.
• Prepare yourself for missionary service.
• Invite family and friends to listen to the missionaries or to attend our Church meetings and activities.
• Accompany the missionaries to investigators’ homes, or invite the missionaries to teach nonmembers in your home.
• Invite people to a family home evening in your home.
• Invite people to a family history center, or help them do family history research.
• Give referrals to the missionaries. Members can be the greatest and best source of referrals.
• Share your beliefs and testimony with nonmember friends and family.
• Seek for opportunities to reach out to others.
• Extend friendship to investigators and new converts.
• Give your best efforts to finding those who are seeking the truth.
• If you have family members or friends on missions, send them letters of love and encouragement, and pray for them.

You will experience joy in the fruits of your labor. A greater enthusiasm for missionary work will strengthen your entire ward or branch. The whole Church will feel the effects of your labor.

Follow the link to read the full article, or visit byu.tv to watch the Conference broadcast, then consider how you might enlarge upon the opportunities the Lord has given you for more missionary experiences.