WATCHING WITH ALL PERSERVERANCE

Hello Dear Ladies!!

How has your week been?  Are you enduring the heat?!  I have been thinking about you all this week and I am so thankful being surrounded by all the wonderful examples and the  “builders” of people that you all are.  Thank you for showing me how  real woman of God really act.  I love being with and around you woman!

Our lesson today was taught by the ever talented Suzann Garner.  She taught using the talk in this last conference by Elder Bednar called, "Watching with All Perseverance" In this lesson Suzann did a beautiful job talking about spiritual warnings.  She played different earthly warning systems for us and asked us to identify what they were.  Then talked about the warnings that we may feel or see that aren’t necessarily obvious at first. We talked about safeguards that keep us from missing these warnings, such as, our scriptures, prayer, spiritual family conversations etc. 

I have told you all before about my experiences from EFY (since I don’t have kids of my own yet) and one thing they stress to us as counselors is when youth ask questions, take them to the “SOURCE”.  Have them open the source, read what you are teaching, and so that when they are alone, or when they are in need of an IMMEDIATE answers, comfort etc they on their own will seek the RIGHT source.  Of course for sources we have the Book of Mormon and other scripture, Conference talks, For the Strength of Youth, and one of my all time favorite is True to the Faith. These are the things that will help us to:

1.       Talk to our Children

2.       Bear Testimony to them

3.       And invite them to ACT

My mom shared with me the sweetest story that she read out of the friend magazine and I loved how this young 11 yr old KNEW what she believed and how she could gain the spirit to testify about her beliefs.

Courage to Testify

Sophie E., age 11, Utah

Sophie E., “Courage to Testify,” Friend, Mar. 2010, 30

“I visited my grandpa and grandma who are not members of the LDS Church. On Sunday we went to the church where my grandpa preaches. A girl invited me to go to Sunday School with her. The teacher was teaching about “Mormonism.” I knew that what she was teaching was not the truth, and I felt angry. I excused myself from class. Once I was alone I said a prayer to ask Heavenly Father for courage to bear my testimony. When I got back to class, I raised my hand and said, “I am a Mormon.” Suddenly I felt the Spirit really strong and my fear went away completely.

The teacher asked me if I could tell the class why we are called Mormons. I said, “We are called Mormons because we believe in the Book of Mormon.” A girl said that she had started to read the Book of the Mormon but she laughed at it. She asked me how I could believe such a story. Her question hurt my feelings, but I said what was in my heart: “I know it is true because I prayed to Heavenly Father and He told me it was so.” Before this happened I did not think I could share my testimony with so many people who didn’t believe in our Church, but now I know that the Spirit will always give me courage.”

We will all at times in our lives need the “Courage to Testify”.  We will be given those spiritual promptings that tell us we need to open our mouths and share a gospel principle or use an everyday conversation to teach. It  may be with a child, a family member , neighbor, co-worker or someone we barely know.  If we put our life in harmony with receiving those promptings we will be able to turn those around us to the “source” and help them to understand something a little more.  I am so thankful for the blessings that we receive when heed the promptings of the spirit and we add more and more spiritual things into our life! As we do those spiritual things the promptings become richer and we are able to share more of ourselves and our testimonies with others!

Have an amazing week, full of good things my dear sisters!