Elder Bednar's Oct. 2008 Conference Talk..."Pray Always"

For my November visiting teaching, I have chosen to share with my sisters, Elder Bednar's talk entitled "Pray Always". ( scroll down to the next post and you will see a link that will take you directly to this talk as well as the rest of the October Conference talks) There was a paragraph in his talk that really stuck in my mind as he spoke in Conference, probably because I had in the recent past, done what he admonished us to do with regard to praying to our Heavenly Father. This is the quote that I am referring to....

"As we strive to make our prayers more meaningful, we should remember that “in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments” (D&C 59:21). Let me recommend that periodically you and I offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for nothing; simply let our souls rejoice and strive to communicate appreciation with all the energy of our hearts."

Following Conference, the words "Offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude," ran thought my mind over and over. I remembered some years back on when I did this very thing and I remembered how uplifted I felt after thanking my Heavenly Father, instead of asking for one thing. I wanted to feel it again, so I took Elder Bednar's recommendation to heart, and for the entire week following October conference, each night when I said my personal prayers, I thanked my Heavenly Father and asked for nothing. Gratitude poured into my heart and soul and more and more memories of the blessings that I had received came into my mind. I became keenly aware that my Heavenly Father was intimately involved in my life. He has been by my side over and over and given me strength when I thought my strength was gone. He has been a listening ear for all of my heartaches & trials as well as my joys and triumphs. He has wept with me and I have felt loving arms wrapped around me. Best of all I realized once again, that He is always there ready to listen to me and that I am never truly alone, He is always there for me and I owe my all to Him

When I think of gratitude in praying, probably the greatest example I know was of my Grandmother Great as we called her. Her name was Mary Jane Cunningham. She was the mother of 12 children, two of which died in infancy. She and Great Grandpa lived in a 3 room cabin in American Fork, Utah. Her husband was a brick mason and was working in Provo, Utah and fell off the scaffolding to his death, leaving Grammy Great to raise her 10 children on her own. I can scarcely imagine the weight of the burden she must have felt when she realized what was ahead of her. But she was a strong woman with great faith and a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Every night she would gather her children to say evening prayer. She would turn the chairs with the seat outward around the kitchen table so that as she and her children knelled to pray, they could rest their arms on the seat of the chair. The picture that paints in my mind is priceless! My own Grandmother Doris Cunningham Robinson, one of Grammy greats daughters, told of how hard it was to kneel on the hard-wooden floors when it was Grammy Greats turn to pray. She said that Grammy Greats prayers lasted what seemed like hours, as she would thank Heavenly Father for every single thing she had, realizing she wouldn't have it if it were not from the Lord. She thanked Him for the cow that provided them milk, and the fruit trees that provided fruit to feed her her family, and enough to bottle for the winter. She thanked him for the birds that sing, each child by name, and on and on. She didn't miss expressing gratitude over and over to Heavenly Father for the simple abundance he had provided. My Grandmother Robinson said that it wasn't until she was a teenager that she realized just how poor her family was, because when her mother prayed thanking Heavenly Father for so many things, she thought they must be really rich to have so many blessings.

How often do we forget that the blessings we are given come to us from the Lord and how often do we take the time to really thank him? I urge you and will challenge the sisters that I visit teach, to take recommendation of Elder Bednar, to pray with thankful hearts asking for nothing and experience for yourselves the wonderful feeling of Thanksgiving that comes. We all have so much to be thankful for! What a more perfect time to contemplate those things we are thankful for, than during the month we celebrate Thanksgiving?

I have been working on a vintage post card collage to give to my sisters for the Month of November. The photo of Sister Manwaring and daughters praying is used Courtesy, ofm L.Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library,Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602.

My inspiration for this collage was that if anyone isn't able to get and in home visit with one of her sisters for whatever reason, print off the post card and send it in the mail along with a copy of the Conference talk. This should not take the place of a visit but I know that sometimes for a variety of reasons, a sister is missed. This way you can contact the sister through the mail and share the message too.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think! Katie

My Visiting Teaching Message for November.. what's yours?

Didn't you just love October 2008 Conference? Just when you think that talks can't get any better, then another conference comes around. I loved the entire conference and though it was hard for me to choose only one talk to give for my November Visiting teaching message, I have found the one I will use. I thought I was giving you a hint to what my message I picked for November would be, but I just clicked on the link and it didn't work. Sorry for that. The Talk that I have chosen is David A. Bednar's talk called "Pray Always". You can find it at this link

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=f6654bb52a73d110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

or read all of the conference talks at:

http://www.lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-947,00.html

I will post my handout in about a week, so keep coming back so that you can get that as well.

Here's some food for thought...

I went to LDS.org today to copy off the Visiting teaching message for the month of October which incidentally is located at http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=7d2adb98e2b9c110VgnVCM100000176f620a

and I hadn't ever noticed that you can email the message to someone. I was thinking that in areas of the world, where it isn't always easy to get an actual visit to all of your sisters, at the very least you can email the message to them to make sure they have the opportunity to read it. If I needed to use this mode of delivery, I would certainly add to the message my testimony, and special greetings or thoughts about he message before I clicked the "Send" button. I would also follow up with a phone call if I couldn't visit a particular sister and make sure things are going well with them.

Now the food for thought.... There isn't a reason now that any sister can't have the message delivered to them whether it be personally with an in - home visit, by telephone, by mail, or by email. The church thinks of everything! No more excuses!

Some Visiting Teaching Halloween Holiday fun!

Have you scheduled your Visiting teaching visits for the month of October yet? It is half way through the month and the end of the month gets kind of "SPOOKY" (pun intended) so you have better get your visits set up. Here's just a cute little poem and idea that you could do for a fun

Halloween Treat...

Poem:

Three little pumpkins sitting on a fence,

a witch came riding by,

Ha, ha, ha, I'll take you all,

and make a pumpkin pie!!

Print off the tag and Recipe that is pictured and attach it to either a personal size pumpkin pie wrapped up in cellophane with raffia or a matching bow or a small plate of pumpkin cookies for each of the sisters you teach. Very cute and a yummy Halloween treat!

Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

1 sm can of pumpkin

1 box cake mix (spice or pecan is good)
1 pkg. of mini chocolate chips

Directions
Mix all three ingredients. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 5-10 min, depending on size. Amount varies based on size of cookie. Dust with powdered sugar, or not! Makes allot of cookies! and fast too!

Have a "SPOOKTACULAR" time visiting your Sisters! !

Diversion from Visiting teaching to relay an important message....

This is a bit of a diversion from the topic of Visiting Teaching however I know that there have been many women who have been affected in one way or another by this message I feel inspired to share with you. I realize that many people are coming to my blog and I appreciate it, so I felt that if I could touch even one person who was suffering right now or whenever, that it would be worth posting. Please read on....

I am a missionary for the LDS Church Addiction Recovery program under the direction of LDS Family Services. Many people don't know about this program unless for some reason they have had the misfortune to have to be referred to it. I say misfortune only because that means that their life has been touched by their own addiction or the addiction of another who is close to them. I want everyone to know that there is hope and healing from addictions.

This program is free and available to anyone even if they are not a member of the LDS Church. Everyday there are meetings all over the United States and the world for that matter to help people get on their way to recovery. I live in Utah and serve in the Sandy, Utah area. My husband and I do English as well as Spanish meetings in the Addiction Recovery program. It is my hope and desire that anyone who reads this message, who is in need of help fr themselves or for someone that they love, that they go to LDS.org and look under Home and Family, then look under Marriage, family and individual counseling, and then Addiction recovery program. You will find a downloadable manual as well as a list of where all the meetings are held and the times. In the manual the introduction will give you an overview of the purpose of the Addiction Recovery program. Then just go to the meeting. Meetings are for those who are addicted to just about everything including Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs, Pornography, Food disorders, Anger, and those are only the tip of the iceburg, as well as for those who are an affected family member or friend wanting to support them in overcoming their addiction.

This program can help just about anyone who has a desire to rid themselves of addiction and put their hands in the capable hands of the Lord. There is hope and there is healing, and only you can take the first step to get help. It is up to you. Think about it and if you need the help, just go to a meeting and there will be people waiting for you to teach you the 12 steps to healing your wounded body and soul.

Nobody will force you, especially the Lord, to get help for your addiction. as you can just keep it going as long as you decide. You must first want to make the changes in yourself enough. You must want the help and have the desire to change, more than you want to continue your addiction. I have a question for you to ponder.... Do you love the drug of choice more than you love yourself or those lives your addiction is effecting? When you take the drug you are making the choice that your drug is the most important thing in your life? I urge you to get help and do it today.... in fact, how about NOW?

I would love to hear from you or your comments. Just click on "Comments" below this post and feel free to share.

With love and concern for you,
Sincerely,
Katie G.

A Note of diversion from Visiting Teaching

I realize that what I am about to write doesn't have much to do with Visiting teaching, although what I am going to write about I am certain that myriads of women have been touched or affected by in their lifetime, and in fact probably more than have ever even admitted it. I realize that many people are visiting my blog to which I am grateful, so I felt inspired to share something that is close to my heart with you.

I am a missionary for the LDS Church Addiction Recovery program under the direction of LDS Family Services. Many people don't know about this program unless for some reason they have had the misfortune to have to be referred to it. I say misfortune only because that means that their life has been touched by their own addiction or the addiction of another who is close to them. I want everyone to know that there is hope and healing from addictions. This program is free and available to anyone even if they are not a member of the LDS Church. Everyday there are meetings all over the United States and the world for that matter to help people get on their way to recovery. I live in Utah and serve in the Sandy, Utah area. My husband and I do English as well as Spanish meetings.

It is my hope and desire that anyone who reads this message, who is in need of help for themselves or for someone they love, that they go to LDS.org and look under Home and Family, then look under Marriage, family and individual counseling, and then Addiction recovery program. You will find a downloadable manual as well as a list of where all the meetings are held and the times .In the manual the introduction will give you an overview of the purpose of the Addiction Recovery program. Then just go to the meeting.

This program and meetings are for those who are addicted to just about everything including Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs, Pornography, Food disorders, Anger, and those are only the tip of the iceberg. It is also for those who are affected by the addiction of a loved one who wants to offer their support and know what they can do to help. This program can help just about anyone who has a desire to rid themselves of addiction and put their hands in the capable hands of the Lord. There is hope and there is healing, and only you can take the first step to get help.

It is up to you. Nobody, especially Heavenly Father will force you to get help for yourself, you have to want the help more than you want the addiction. You have to want to love and be loved by your family and friends more than you love your drugs of choice. When you make the choice to persue your addiction, you are telling yourself and your family that your addiction means more to you than they do.

Think about it and if you need the help, just go to one of the meetings that is close to you and there will be people waiting for you to teach you the 12 steps to healing your wounded body and soul. You are loved by your Heavenly Father and He wants you back and is waiting for you to reach out to Him! I urge you with all the sincerity of my heart to take the first step and do it today. Take the first step right now!

If you would like comment, feel free to leave me your comments below. I look foreword to hearing from you.

Much Love and Concern,
Katie G.

October Visiting Teaching

October Visiting Teaching

Wow the time has flown by and I am finally getting back to coming up with a new idea for October Visiting teaching. I love October probalby because it is my own Birthday month but there are so many fun little things you could do for the sisters that you teach that have to do with Pumpkins, or other Fall and Harvest ideas. If you click on this link it will take you directly to the October message from LDS.org. The link is http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,2044-1-4478-1,00.html I like one specific quote that I will focus on this month and that is the following:
Margaret D. Nadauld, former Young Women general president: "Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. . . . We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith" ("The Joy of Womanhood," Liahona, Jan. 2001, 18; Ensign, Nov. 2000, 15).

Don't you just love this quote. I moved this past year and I cannot tell you how many people I have spoken to have asked me the question..."Do you work... What is your job?" Many times I have wondered if ones identity as a woman has to be categorized in what her lifes job was. Since I am an empty nester now , the next question after I have answered the first one is usually...."What do you do with all your time now?"

First things first, I have been a Homemaker and full time Mom and totally dedicated to my vocation. I feel so blessed to have a husband who placed so much value in my Mothering and teaching skills, that he worked enough for the both of us in earning an income that alowed me to be able to stay at home with our children. Both he and I had faith in what our church leaders have counceld and we both made being a full time Mom my lifes vocation. I honor and love my husband for that blessing. I also realize that not every woman can be a stay at home Mom, and the world needs all the talents of women.

When I was in my teens I received my Patriarchical blessing. My patriarchical blessing told me that I was blessed with many talents and many yet to be developed talents that will be used for service and in blessing the lives of others. Being a stay at home Mother has been the key to the fulfillment of these blessings, because there were so many talents that I learned along the way from being a stay at home Mom.

I learned how to develop a preschool coop , taught about 30 boys in Cubscouts more skills than just camping, learned how to be my kids biggest fan and greatest confidant. Was team mother for my boys and girls and all the other boys and girls on the teams. I taught my
children the love of music, how to play the piano and violin. I learned how to be a tutor with homework, an expert decorator for decorating on a dime, a quilter, a seamstress and expert costume maker. I developed my writing skills as I wrote and directed plays for my childrens classes, as well as for Road Shows, Visiting Teaching Seminars, and all kinds of other Ward programs. I learned how to use the computer because I needed to keep up with not only my children but technology. I've taught so many craft, cooking and creative classes that my children call me Martha Stewart and their tummies have been filled with delicous food and home made confections. I learned how to be a leader, and served my family at home and individuals in my community and church. I learned how to nurse sick children and deal with the unkind acts of individuals directed toward my handicapped child. My compassion and love helped me to be able to teach my own children to respect difference and diversity and to show kindness and compassion to everyone.

These kinds of learning experiences are developed by Mom's who stay at home to raise their children. It is my testimony that growt comes in the mind, and heart and soul of women who choose to make "Mommy" their favorite nickname. Families are blessed and paraphrasing what Sister Nadauld says, we need women who are tender, women who are kind and women who have faith. This isn't to say that there aren't challenges and difficulties that come with raising children and not all children will choose to follow the guidance and councel of their parents but I believe that the Lord has given only women a stewardship and this blessed calling.

The lesson gave a quote from Sister Julie Beck that says...."Female roles did not begin on earth, and they do not end here. A woman who treasures motherhood on earth will treasure motherhood in the world to come"

I hope that all women will understand and appreciate the divine role she will play as she becomes a mother to some of the choicest of Gods children here on this earth. Motherhood doesn't end here either it will be a blessing upon all righteous mothers in the life to come.

These are my thoughts I have had for this months Visiting teaching lesson. I would be interested to hear what your focus would be on as well. Feel free to post if you like.