What a great night was had by all who attended the Ward Activity– Deseret Ward’s got Talent. We wish to say a big thank you to all those who attended, participated, and organised the evening. We were serenaded, amused and gladdened by the variety of talent that our ward had to offer us. A big thank you goes to those behind the scenes that organised the venue and food, it was an enjoyable night that will be remembered fondly by all who attended.
There has been a proliferation in church sponsored internet websites in the last year or two. The church has made available an extensive array of free media ranging from; up to the minute church news of local and area activities (www.ldschurch.org.nz, www.newsroom.lds.org); a map finder to locate church buildings anywhere in the world so you will never have an excuse to miss another sacrament meeting during world travel (www.maps.lds.org); an entire site dedicated to Jesus Christ with audio talks, video, and even James E. Talmage's entire 'Jesus the Christ' book in MP3 downloadable format (www.jesuschrist.lds.org); and last but surely not least a family history research website that contains not only over 500 million names but also provides an online record of all temple work that has been done and is now the only resource available by which members can prepare names to take to the temple (www.new.familysearch.org).
in December 2007 Elder M. Russell Ballard gave a talk to the graduating BYU Hawaii students and referred to the internet as "a modern equivalent of the printing press... The Internet allows everyone to be a publisher, to have his or her voice heard, and it is revolutionizing society". He encouraged them to "join the conversation". One thing is clear; the church has certainly joined the conversation and we are missing out if we are not utilising these amazing and revolutionary resources.
Below is a link to the full video titled "Finding Faith in Christ". A must see for anyone who hasnt seen it yet and worth another watch during this special season where we remember and renew our faith in the Saviour, his life, and birth.
http://www.jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/finding-faith-in-christ/video/finding-faith-in-christ
The end of year Christmas activity is always a highlight on the Relief Society calendar. It’s a great chance for the women of Deseret Ward to get together for a bit of socialising, festive fun and of course, food. (Not to mention the chance for many to escape children and/or husbands for an hour or two).
On top of all that, this year’s activity held on the 29th November had a special emphasis on service.
The evening started off with a bang as the sisters were treated to a selection of carols from Santa (aka Brother Reti) and his elves (including Brother Beijerling, Enoka, Williams and Reihana, amongst others). The musical treats continued as Sisters shared their talents; Sister Dionne Evans is available for flute recitals at anytime, and Sister Alma Mayor does a great rendition of Boney M on the guitar.
With everyone well and truly into the spirit of things, we broke up into two groups and enjoyed getting creative and generally having a laugh. Special tins were carefully decorated and then filled with old fashioned sweets (fudge, coconut ice, and peanut brittle) ready to be given away to someone who needed it. (FYI, it was established that this did not include giving it to yourself).
At the same time, everyone got busy signing their names on aprons that had been specially made for each of us. By the end of the night everyone’s apron was covered in the positive notes from their fellow Desert Ward sisters. (Except Sister Gaylynn Tunstall’s – she decided she didn’t want anyone messing with hers). A special mention to our presidency and enrichment leaders for their countless hours of service spent cutting, sewing, and ironing each of these. They looked fab.
To wrap up the evening, Sister Evans then led us through a special service game. Each Sister wrote an act of service on a card that they could offer before Christmas. This included everything from window washing, baking, weeding, and even “an original poem” by Sister Charlotte Cammock. After the cards were handed out, a story was read involving the words ‘left’ and ‘right’, prompting each of us to pass our card left and right countless times.
For the most part everyone followed the rules. Sister Ardern however refused to pass on the offer of a baked Swedish tea ring from Sister Rose – she sat on the card would not budge. Meanwhile, Sister Osborne and Sister Parker caused a ruckus by fighting over the offering a famous Aunty Hana German Chocolate Cake. Sister’s Osborne and Parker should be banned from sitting next to each other at any future activities.
With that final activity complete, everyone mixed and mingled some more over the table of treats and goodies.
From all of the Relief Society Sisters, thank you to our Presidency and everyone else who made the evening possible. We’re looking forward to next year.
Music has always been an intertwined fundamental part of worship in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Wherever there have been saints gathered together there has always been song associated with them. In fact, the Lord has specifically decreed, “My soul delighted in the song of the heart, yea the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads” (D&C 25:12). From this simple scripture we learn a number of important teachings, including:
The song of the heart affects the soul
The synonymous relationship that song has to prayer.
As such, the offerer of it will receive answers to their prayers
If we look at these teachings in this light the application of it to our daily lives is such that each of us have inclinations towards our thoughts specific to us – a business person relative to their business, a missionary to how to find and progress investigators; and so forth. As such, our thoughts and actions are according to our heart’s desires and we reap the blessings of our harvest.
From the Lord’s viewpoint, if our heart’s desires are towards him and living the gospel, then our inner commitment to follow him is expressed in willingness to submit our will to his. As such these desires of our heart become our own individual song unique to us. It is interesting to note that astronomers, when locating any particular star within our own, or other galaxies, do so not according to the position of the earth relative to the universe; but rather from the resonance that each individual star gives off – they each have their own unique music! If it is possible that scientists are able to recognize stars within the universe from their own unique music, then it is in perfect harmony that Our Father in Heaven is able to recognize us individually from the song and prayer of our heart. The scripture teaches the song of our heart is a prayer, and if our prayers are not towards Heavenly Father, then who are we unknowingly praying to?
It is an established verity that as children of God we enjoy music – it can uplift, motivate and inspire. It can act as a powerful force for much good or it can destroy the soul. Hence, the importance the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is to the general conference in ushering the Spirit into each session.
May we be mindful of the connection between our heart’s desire, music, prayer and the importance The Lord places on it that we receive answers upon our heads accordingly.
"the Graduation Dinner was a nice reminder about how much the ward cares about us Youth. We were able to finish off all our hard work with a nice dinner and desert where we could enjoy each others company. hopefully our friendships that we have developed throughout Young Womans, Young Mens and School will last for many years to come".
With the many different learning challenges that lie in our path today – those including the economic, moral, cultural diversity, and for some - in conflict ravaged countries; we see the message of the gospel still going forth amongst the world ‘being sounded in every ear’.
With the message of the gospel still going forth amidst the turmoil and challenges of today, are we doing all we can in our homes to live the gospel equal to the challenges that are being surmounted around us in almost every aspect of our lives? Are we putting on the whole armour of God in order to protect ourselves whilst we are anxiously engaged in not only living the gospel, but sharing it; or are we just putting on part, some, or even most of the armour in our attempts to be members of the kingdom of God? The time has come when unless we do put on the whole armour of god, then we will not be able to withstand the wiles of the devil.
The imagery of putting on the whole armour of god has a direct positive correlation to our testimonies of the gospel. The more we fortify ourselves with counsel given in Ephesians 6:10-18, the stronger our ability to keep our covenants that we have renewed today in sacrament. D&C 115:6 teaches that the wickedness prior to the Saviour’s return to earth will be poured out without mixture on the whole earth, yet Pres. Uchtdorf reiterates Pres. Hinckley’s teaching that, “Our safety lies in the virtue of our lives, our strength lies in our righteousness” (Liahona Oct. 2008. pp. 2-7). This righteousness is an outward expression of testimonies, and our testimonies are an inner commitment to follow The Saviour. Yet it is our testimonies that mould how we act, live the gospel, and our ability to serve in the kingdom.
As we share audible testimonies today, may we be mindful of how we can edify and uplift others through what we say in order to affect how we feel about living the gospel. This time of the year when we remember the birth of Jesus, may we also remember the sacrifice He gave.
As we remember this, may we live lives that may precipitate greater conviction to entrench our testimonies deeper in righteousness and truth so that we may be equal to the message of the gospel. By so doing, we will be part of the work of spreading the gospel in a spiritually famished world.
When: Thursday 11 December 6.15pm-8pm
Where: The Recreational Hall, Foster Road Chapel
The Young Men are providing a service for parents of primary-aged children, by putting on a range of FUN activities for all primary children, allowing parents a night off during this busy festive season.
All activities will be supervised and the primary children do not need to bring anything and can be dropped off at 6.15pm. Please support the Young Men as they provide a service for our ward.
