18 November 2007: Visiting Teaching Conference

Today was our ward visiting teaching conference. Thanks to all the men who did their best to fill in for the women today so that as many of us as possible could attend our conference. We each received a nice booklet about visiting teaching that you could probably get a copy of by contacting Shirley Thornton. Here is the outline of our lesson today:

Dear Visiting Teacher:

*You are the chosen messenger of the Relief Society (presented by Karen Rees)
-Karen remembers the day in 1982 when her first son was born and her ward reported 100% visiting teaching for the month. Visiting teaching is very important to her, and that is a very happy memory for her because it means that each of the 200 sisters in her ward had received a visit.

*You are the link connecting each woman with her organization (presented by Shirley)
-For this part, each of us wrote our names on a strip of paper and we formed a giant chain out of all the strips.

*To the sick you are the angel of mercy (Jessica Edwards)
-Jessica had severe preeclampsia and had to have her baby delivered early. She was only able to go home with the baby from the hospital if she had help. Her family couldn't come, but a group of sisters from the ward came to her aid.

*To the shut-in you are the sunlight (Liz Hedquist)
-Liz visits a sister in our ward with MS who lives in a nursing home. She has told Liz that it is so wonderful just to have someone to talk to.

*To the bereaved you are sympathy and understanding (Karen Aungst)
-When Summer's dad passed away, Karen sent her a card saying that she was keeping Summer in her prayers. That meant a lot to Summer.

*To the lonely you are a friend in need (skit by Nan Mastie, Kesli Aiken & Telia Anderson)
-This skit was our comic relief. Nan played a woman who did not want to be visit taught. Kesli and Telia played her committed visiting teachers. After nearly a year of phone calls and unannounced visits, Nan finally invited Kesli and Telia in when they came to her door dressed in bathrobes and shower caps.

*To the inactive member you are a challenge; a call to duty (Andrea Richards)
-I read an email that my mother sent me about a less active sister that she visits:
"I visit teach Lisa L. and her college-age daughter Tara. Lisa was baptized as a child but doesn't know anything much about the church. She doesn't even know if she believes in God or life after death. When I first got her name, I could rarely reach her by phone, and she didn't return messages. Her husband and son look very scruffy, and some members refused to go to the home because they were afraid of the family. I found her husband a little strange, but more like possibly slightly brain-damaged (I found out later that he has a panic disorder). Her son was huge and silent and dressed all in black, with long black hair. (Think of an overweight Professor Snape.) However, they never seemed threatening to me.

"Over the course of a few years, though, Lisa warmed up to me, and we now have really enjoyable visits. One thing that happened is that her nephew, whom she raised as her own son, was killed in Iraq. I found out about it and offered to help with food. Her work took care of that, and she didn't really want help from the church. I told Bishop T., however, and both of us went to the funeral home (separately). I think that meant a lot to her and her husband. A couple of weeks later, I saw him in Winco, and he was very warm and friendly to me.

"Last Christmas, Lisa gave me a basket full of homemade jams. When my dad died last month, I sent a letter to the sisters I VT and explained why I had had to be out of town most of the month. Lisa sent me a sympathy card. It really touched me.

"Tara is also very friendly. She also knows basically nothing about the Gospel...but she is nice. Bill, the husband, always stays in the room while I visit, so he hears the message too.

"I have learned that I can find something in common with almost everyone I meet. Many times people aren't knowledgeable about their own church, or they have personal reasons for not coming. There are so many different reasons: they are shy, depressed, too busy and overburdened, offended, living against the principles of the gospel and not ready to change, not in the habit, unwilling to go against a spouse's wishes. But most people eventually like people who like them. I try to find something I genuinely like about the sisters I meet, and the relationship grows from there. Also, I remember that God loves each sister I'm asked to teach, and He wants me to share His love with them."

*To the doubtful you are the answer to her questions (Sondra Soderborg)
-Sondra talked about how her father can always tell if the people from church who come to visit him are there in order to get the visit checked off and say they did it, or if they have a genuine interest in him. As you can imagine, he responds very differently to these two types of visits. She emphasized how vital it is that we visit without a spirit of judgment...that we listen to the things people want or need to talk about, and not let ourselves be shocked by whatever they may say. She reminded us that it is not only the less active sisters that have doubts and questions about our faith, and that we all need people who can listen without judging.

*To the active member you are a reminder of her blessings (Julie Kincaid)
-Julie has noticed that visiting with her sisters makes her more aware of and grateful for her own blessings. We all have trials, but most of us would prefer to keep our own rather than trade with another. When we take the time to immerse ourselves in the life of another sister, it gives us some important perspective on our own situation.

*To all who know you, you are the symbol of love and devotion.


We were all served a delicious pumpkin dessert and some refreshing ice water...sorry you can't experience that electronically! We also received new visiting assignments, so if you weren't there you may want to contact Shirley to get yours.

Have a great week!

11 Nov 2007 SWK#22: Revelation: "A Continuous Melody and a Thunderous Appeal" by Shannon Allen

Today Shannon Allen taught Lesson #22 from the Spencer W. Kimball Manual on Revelation. She emphasized a number of statements from the manual. The first one she selected was from page 237:

President Kimball trusted in the principle of continuing revelation, declaring that it was “the very lifeblood of the gospel of the living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”2 This trust, said Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “was clearly a part of the makeup of this very special man.”3 President Kimball took his responsibility as President of the Church seriously, knowing that he was the only person on the earth who was authorized to receive revelation for the Church. He testified: “I know that the Lord called me to this position. I know that there are greater prophets, perhaps, than I, but I wish to do all I can to carry forward the work of the Lord as he wants it done. Every night and morning I kneel and pray with deep sincerity that the Lord will inspire me and reveal to me the direction I should go and what I should tell the people of this Church.”4

I (Potato Girl) was impressed by the image of the prophet praying morning and night for guidance. I thought how helpful it would be in my life if I would pray this fervently for guidance in the various stewardships I've been entrusted with.

Shannon was a full-time missionary in Georgia, and frequently was asked about the issue of African Americans being denied the priesthood until the 1970s. She read us President Kimball's description of some of the preparation that went into receiving the revelation that it was finally time for all worthy male members of the church to have access to the priesthood and subsequent temple blessings:

“I knew that something was before us that was extremely important to many of the children of God. I knew that we could receive the revelations of the Lord only by being worthy and ready for them and ready to accept them and put them into place. Day after day I went alone and with great solemnity and seriousness in the upper rooms of the temple, and there I offered my soul and offered my efforts to go forward with the program. I wanted to do what he wanted. I talked about it to him and said, ‘Lord, I want only what is right. We are not making any plans to be spectacularly moving. We want only the thing that thou dost want, and we want it when you want it and not until.’ ”5

Shannon was particularly impressed that in spite of the social pressure on the church, and in spite of President Kimball's own fervent desire that the priesthood be extended to all worthy males, he wanted above all to do the Lord's will. She read:

“We had the glorious experience of having the Lord indicate clearly that the time had come when all worthy men and women everywhere can be fellowheirs and partakers of the full blessings of the gospel. I want you to know, as a special witness of the Savior, how close I have felt to him and to our Heavenly Father as I have made numerous visits to the upper rooms in the temple, going on some days several times by myself. The Lord made it very clear to me what was to be done. We do not expect the people of the world to understand such things, for they will always be quick to assign their own reasons or to discount the divine process of revelation.”6

Shannon asked us to raise our hands and talk about some of the things we think of when we hear the word 'revelation.' She told us that we often mistakenly think of it as something spectacular, something that we as individuals may not experiences. She said that as she prepared the lesson, she was struck by the importance of the act of seeking God's guidance. She read us this statement about the Father and Son's willingness to speak to us:

"Someone has said that we live in a day in which God, if there be a God, chooses to be silent, but The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims to the world that neither the Father nor the Son is silent. They are vocal and commune as proper and necessary, and constantly express a willingness, indeed an eagerness, to maintain communication with men."

God wants to be a part of our life, but we have to get on our knees and seek him.

She read us this statement:

"How presumptuous and arrogant for any man to say God is unapproachable, unknowable, unseeable, unhearable because that one himself has not prepared himself for the experience."

Shannon told us a story about the time in her life when she was trying to decide whether or not to go on a mission. She received an unexpected letter one day from a sister in the mission field that felt like an answer to her prayers for guidance. She prayed and asked god if this letter and the feelings she had reading it were indeed his answer for her.

She asked us how many times we should be getting on our knees in prayer each day. She asked us if we were relying on our own intellects to guide our lives without thought to what the Lord might want for us. She read this statement:

"It should be kept in mind that God cannot be found through research alone, nor his gospel understood and appreciated by study only, for no one may know the Father or the Son but “he to whom the Son will reveal him.” (Luke 10:22.) The skeptic will some day either in time or eternity learn to his sorrow that his egotism has robbed him of much joy and growth."

She concluded by reading this series of questions posed by President Kimball and challenging us to answer them on our own at home:

"Do you want guidance? Have you prayed to the Lord for inspiration? Do you want to do right or do you want to do what you want to do whether or not it is right? Do you want to do what is best for you in the long run or what seems more desirable for the moment? Have you prayed? How much have you prayed? How did you pray? Have you prayed as did the Savior of the world in Gethsemane or did you ask for what you want regardless of its being proper? Do you say in your prayers: “Thy will be done”? Did you say, “Heavenly Father, if you will inspire and impress me with the right, I will do that right”? Or, did you pray, “Give me what I want or I will take it anyway”? Did you say: “Father in Heaven, I love you, I believe in you, I know you are omniscient. I am honest. I am sincerely desirous of doing right. I know you can see the end from the beginning. You can see the future. You can discern if under this situation I present, I will have peace or turmoil, happiness or sorrow, success or failure. Tell me, please, loved Heavenly Father, and I promise to do what you tell me to do.” Have you prayed that way? Don’t you think it might be wise? Are you courageous enough to pray that prayer?"

SWK #21: "The Prophet Joseph Smith" by Sondra Soderborg

Dearest Sisters:

I have gotten so behind on our blog that I'm just going to start over. What follows is Sondra's handout from today's lesson. It is very similar to what she actually said. Enjoy!

Lesson 21: The Prophet Joseph Smith

November 4, 2007

President Kimball testified of Joseph Smith:

This young boy was entrusted with the greatest block of knowledge known to men. Remember, that spring morning not one of all the people in the world had absolute knowledge of God. There were many good people, but they had all walked in spiritual darkness these many centuries. But here was a boy who knew that morning in the grove in New York when the Father and Son came to him was perhaps the greatest revelation ever given to the world. (Manual p. 230)

The scriptures testify of Joseph Smith’s life: 2 Ne. 3:14-15. The words in Isaiah 29:11-12, 14 comforted Joseph and helped him understand his prophetic calling. He came to understand them at a very dark time in his life, when Emma, nearly dying in childbirth, delivered a son who lived only briefly, and Martin Harris told Joseph about the lost 116 pages of translation.

Joseph Smith had singular knowledge and responsibility. His claims and his work were audacious, and his burdens were at times almost unbearable. When he was allowed to show the plates to the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, Joseph’s mother wrote of his reaction:

He threw himself down beside [me] and exclaimed that “the Lord has now caused the plates to be shown to more besides myself.” “They will have to bear witness to the truth of what I have said, for now they know for themselves, that I do not go about to deceive the people … I feel as if I was relieved of a burden which was almost too heavy for me to bear, and it rejoices my soul, that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world.”

(Rough Stone Rolling, pp. 78-79).

Despite his unique position in the history of the world, his work could only go forward based on his righteousness and humility. David Whitmer describes Joseph challenged in an ordinary way, and unable to do his work without resolution:

One morning when he was getting ready to continue the translation, something went wrong about the house and he was put out about it. Something that Emma, his wife, had done. Oliver and I went up stairs and Joseph came up soon after to continue the translation, but he could not do anything. He could not translate a single syllable. He went down stairs, out into the orchard and made supplication to the Lord; was gone about an hour—came back to the house, asked Emma’s forgiveness and then came up stairs where we were and then the translation went on all right. He could do nothing save he was humble and faithful.

(Rough Stone Rolling, p. 77).

In the face of grave hardships that surrounded the early years of the church, Joseph suffered great harm and disappointment. In 1838, William W. Phelps, a high-ranking church leader in Missouri and the composer of some of our most important hymns, including “The Spirit of God, was excommunicated for disobeying counsel and using church money for his own purposes. His testimony at a trial helped put Joseph and other church leaders in prison. Two years later, on their way to Europe, two missionaries found him. With their encouragement, he wrote to Joseph asking forgiveness. Joseph Smith replied on July 22, 1840. His response, which demonstrates his commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ, said in part:

I must say that it is with no ordinary feelings I endeavour to write a few lines to you … at the same time I am rejoiced at the priveledge granted me. You may in some measure realize what my feelings, as well as Elder Rigdon’s & Bro Hyrum’s were when we read your letter, truly our hearts were melted into tenderness and compassion when we ascertained your resolves &c

It is true, that we have suffered much in consequence of your behavior—the cup of gall already full enough for mortals to drink, was indeed filled to overflowing when you turned against us: One with whom we had oft taken sweet council together, and enjoyed many refreshing seasons from the Lord “Had it been an enemy we could have borne it”

Believing your confession to be real and your repentance genuine, I shall be happy once again to give you the right hand of fellowship, and rejoice over the returning prodigal.

Your letter was read to the Saints last Sunday and an expression of their feeling was taken, when it was unanimously resolved that W.W. Phelps should be received into fellowship.

“Come on dear Brother since the war is past,

For friends at first are friends again at last.”

(Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, pp. 472-473).

William W. Phelps composed “Praise to the Man” after Joseph’s martyrdom.