January 10 Lesson Recap

Links to Lesson -

Intro - https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-howard-w-hunter/the-life-and-ministry-of-howard-w-hunter?lang=eng

Lesson 1 - https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-howard-w-hunter/chapter-1-jesus-christ-our-only-way-to-hope-and-joy?lang=eng

Recap

President Hunter was born in Boise, Idaho in 1907, but moved to Southern California in 1928. In the Los Angeles area he not only found a career, but also met his sweetheart and had extensive opportunities to serve in the church. He would call the LA area home for more than 30 years before being called to be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve in 1959.

During his career in Southern California, he was a successful lawyer. He was known for his integrity, precise thinking, clear communications, and sense of fairness. He was also known as a “people lawyer”—someone who “always seemed to have time and the interest to help people with their problems.”  One attorney said that Howard “was much more concerned about seeing that people got the help they needed than that he got compensated for it.”

Some of the church projects and initiatives that he was involved with -

- As Stake president, he felt strongly about Family Home Evening and encouraged his stake members to abide by setting aside Monday nights for FHE

- As Stake president, met with Quorum of the Twelve to discuss establishing an early morning seminary program - Sister Pat Neser commented that she was actually a member of the first early morning seminary class in Los Angeles.

- Encouraged his stake members to contribute generously to building the Los Angeles temple (more than $1.5 million was raised in six months)

- Served as president of the church's genealogical society for eight years

- President and Chairman of the Board of the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Hawaii - became one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hawaii under his leadership

- Oversaw planning and construction of the BYU Jerusalem Center

Some of his teachings about Christ (from Lesson 1) - A prominent theme in President Howard W. Hunter’s teachings is that true peace, healing, and happiness come only as a person strives to know and follow Jesus Christ. President Hunter taught that “Christ’s way is not only the right way, but ultimately the only way to hope and joy.”

"We must know Christ better than we know Him and remember Him more often than we remember Him."

MARCH Enrichment Meeting
March 18 at 7:00 p.m. at Woodland Hills Building

This month we'll be having two options for Enrichment Night and yep, you'll have to choose as both will happen at the same time on the same night.

1)      Financial Resources! It's that tax time of the year, so we thought it would be a good time to talk finances! Sister and Bishop Cowley from the Tarzana Ward will speak about managing financial resources (aka, budgeting ... but we don't like that word so much!). 

2)     General Conference Preparation - Want to get the most (or just more) out of watching General Conference? We'll have ideas for watching with young kids as well as your own personal prep (hey, I like to color too!!!)

If you'd like bring a treat/snack to share - the theme for the month is Easter. Maybe you've seen something on Pinterest that you want to try out before you take it to the family Easter gathering? This is the perfect time - make it, share it and find out if it is really as good as it looks! Here's a site with some examples:

EASTER TREAT IDEAS!

BABYSITTING?? Will you need a sitter for the evening?? We plan to provide babysitting, but would like to know what the need is so that we can plan ahead with sitters for the evening. So, if your child (or children) will need babysitting, please email Kristina and let her know!

Enrichment Meeting
January 21 at 7:00 p.m. and Woodland Hills Building

This month we'll be creating personal "vision" boards - bring a poster board, some magazines and glue (we'll have a few of all of the above if you forget or have trouble getting to a store before the meeting).

Creating a vision board can be a useful tool to help you conceptualize your goals and can serve as a source of motivation as you work towards achieving your dreams.

Hi All!
Wanted to make sure that everyone was aware of and had the opportunity to sign up for a couple of things happening this week and next –

1)      Bishop’s Storehouse – we still need two volunteers to serve at the Bishop’s Storehouse this Thursday, September 11 from 2:45 to 5:30. Volunteers need to wear close-toed shoes. I know it is a not the most ideal time, but please sign up if you’re schedule is open – people who have served say it is a lot of fun and very rewarding experience

2)      Enrichment Night! September, 17 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This is will be a very fun evening and we hope everyone can come. Four things to sign up for and/or participate in –

a.      Halloween Decoration/Banner – cost is $15 and if you plan to make, please bring pinking shears, craft scissors, an iron, and a glue gun (we’ll have a few, but please bring if you have these things)

b.      Halloween Treats - Seen something on pinterest that you want to try before you make it for the BIG NIGHT!? Here's your chance to try it out and share the results (good or bad, let us be your guinea pigs)!
 Here's a site with an example:
http://www.myeasyrecipes.net/best-20-halloween-treats-ideas/halloween-healthy-snack
And some more ideas -
http://www.myeasyrecipes.net/best-20-halloween-treats-ideas

c.       Missionary Care Package – We’ll be putting together a Help support the missionaries in our ward by bringing items for a care package - we will also have supplies to write notes and letters to our missionaries:

-          Elder Braiden Green

-          Sister Jasmine Zamani

-          Elder Nathanuel Davis

-           Elder John & Sister Caroline Viernes
 What can we bring for a care package? Here is a site that has some GREAT ideas (note – not specific to LDS missionaries):
http://amanda47.blogs.com/following_an_unknown_path/2007/06/care-packages.html
What's NOT a good idea - items that are HEAVY in weight and quickly perishable or that will MELT.

d.      BABYSITTING!! Will you need a sitter for the evening – we plan to provide babysitting, but would like to know what the need is so that we can plan ahead with sitters for the evening. So, if your child (or children) will need babysitting, please sign up!

Use the button in the upper right to sign up or use the following link - they'll both take you to the same page!
Woodland Hills Relief Society Sign-Up Page

Relief Society Sisters - our Relief Society lesson this week will be #17 in the Joseph Fielding Smith Manual - Sealing Power and Temple Blessings and will be given by Sue Graff. (We've switched the schedule a little from your printed schedule - we will have a conference talk next week and the bishop will teach on the fifth Sunday).

https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-joseph-fielding-smith/chapter-17-sealing-power-and-temple-blessings?lang=eng

Faith, Covenants, and Personal Revelation 
based on "Conversations" with Elder and Sister Bednar

Our lesson on Sunday, August 3 was based on excerpts of an episode from an audio program on The Mormon Channel called "Conversations." The episode the lesson was based on is an interview with Elder and Sister Bednar that was conducted by Sheri Dew. The excerpts below are elements of doctrine that Elder Bednar, and in some cases Sister Bednar, talked about during the interview. We shared and discussed these during the lesson. The link to the full audio is above. If you haven't yet listened, it is a great interview!

Joseph Smith taught that faith is a principle of action and of power in all human beings.

When we act in accordance with correct principles, we are then taught by the Holy Ghost. The teacher is never a man or a woman, teacher is the Holy Ghost.

When we act in accordance with truth, we get it for ourselves. 

Acting in accordance with truth > receiving witness from Holy Ghost > Touches our heart 

This is what moves us from intellectual knowledge in our mind to spiritual conviction in our heart.

Not enough to know it in your mind, you need to have a spiritual conviction in the heart to stand in the midst of adversity that we now experience and will yet experience.

"If I thought we had to execute this transition relying on our own experience, then I would be terrified. But we will have help from heaven. No, I'm not scared.

You have to take a step into the darkness, anticipating that the light will move. Most of us would like the light to light the pathway. Take the step and then the light moves. (Elder Bednar's comment to a colleague who asked if he was scared on the evening before Ricks College became BYU-Idaho. Elder Bednar was then President of Ricks College and oversaw the transition from a two-year college to a four-year university)

Sometimes we talk and act like recognizing the Holy Ghost in our lives is the rare and exceptional event. Remember that the covenant promise is that we may always have His spirit to be with us. 

Covenants help us access the power of the Savior's atonement. In covenants we use our agency to accept the terms and conditions of agency as they have been established by God. We give to God the only thing we can give. Not my will, but thine. Only then do we have access to the full power. 

Learning how to receive personal revelation  comes when we are acting and moving, not when we are being acted upon or sitting and waiting. 

D&C - Oliver Cowdery is directed to meet Joseph Smith. Section 6 - intended to help Oliver understand he had been receiving revelation and didn't know it. 

Sometimes we think revelation is before the fact, but Nephi went back to Jerusalem, to obtain the plates of brass, not knowing why. 

Action first - revelation when we go. 

Sacrament meeting. We covenant to Mourn with those that mourn, etc. During Sacrament meeting, Sister Bednar said that she thinks about the Savior, and asks that the spirit help her identify someone who needs help - maybe just a smile or a note, etc. She said the Spirit helps you recognize someone, then she will write down the name and sometimes take it home, etc.

Revelation comes as a conclusion, not as an explanation. We want to attach a reason to an impression. There is rarely a why, there is always a what. 

To the degree that we respond to impressions, the capacity to receive revelation is increased. To the degree that we do not act upon that impression, our capacity is decreased. And if we don't respond to those simple, obvious promptings, then we won't be able to.

Revelation comes most clearly when it moves us to help others. This shows how eager our Father is to help his children.

My Heart is Telling Me by Annaliese Enderle

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..." Prov. 23:7

I was visiting my old ward for fast and testimony meeting;
my heart was bursting as I told the following story:

Our house was a mess, and it was time to clean! I
told my five
year old son, James, that he needed to help me clean. He told
me he didn't like to clean. I told him that I didn't like to clean,
either (that's why it was a mess!), but that we all needed to
help out. He started giving me some attitude, so I told him to
go to his room and that he could come out when he was
ready to help. He stomped off, and I started cleaning.

About two minutes later, James returned, looked at me, and
said, "I'm going to help you clean. Do you know why?

I rolled my eyes and asked, "No, why?"

He said, "Well, my brain is telling me that I don't like to clean,
but my heart is telling me I should anyway."

I explained to him that was what choosing the right felt like.
Sometimes in life we have to do what our heart tells us to do
instead of what our brain is telling us to do.

The next Sunday a dear friend pulled me aside and told me
of some unfortunate events that had occurred in their home.
Over the previous week, one of their children had become
suicidal. At one breaking moment, the mother told her
daughter they both needed to pray. Each went to her room
and prayed. The daughter returned a few minutes later and
the mother asked her how she felt. With tears in her eyes,
she told her mother that all she could think about was what I
had said in testimony. She said, "My brain is telling me that I
don't want to live, but my heart is telling me I should
anyway.

I cried at the thought that a simple story could have such
impact on a struggling teenager. I am happy that the Spirit
prompted me to tell that little story, and I'm even happier
that she was listening.

(Story from Chicken Soup for the Latter Day Saint Soul)

Pumpkin Dump Cake (Hazel's Pioneer Day winning Cake)

Ingredients

15 ounce can pumpkin puree
10 ounces evaporated milk
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
3 teaspoons pumpkin spice
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 cup graham crackers (crushed)
1/2 cup toffee pieces (I used Heath Bar Pieces)
1 yellow cake mix

Directions:

Preheat to 350
Spray 9x13" baking pan with cooking spray.
Combine pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs and pumpkin spice. Stir to combine.
Pour into prepared pan, and sprinkle with cake mix, followed by the graham crackers and toffee.
Pour melted butter evenly on top.
Bake 45-50 mins until center is set and edges are browned.

Serve with ice cream of whipping cream.

(The original recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, but Hazel only used 1/2)

Here is a video if you need a visual

Quotes

Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse
to raise theirs.
-Mandy Hale

What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters
compared to what lies within us. And when you bring what
is within out into the world, Miracles happen.
-Henry David Thoreau

I don't care what you think about me, I don't think about you
at all.
-Coco Chanel

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable
because God had forgiven the inexcusable in you.
-C.S. Lewis

Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem,
smarter than you think, and twice as beautiful as you ever imagined.

Linger Longer This Sunday

We are planning a Linger Longer after church this Sunday, 7/27 (so sorry for the late notice!!) to say thanks and goodbye to both the Tippetts family as well as the outgoing Relief Society Presidency. This will be the Tippetts last Sunday before they move out of our ward (we will miss them sooo much!!).

We're using VolunteerSpot to help us organize the sign-ups. Please click the link below to learn more and sign up to to bring some goodies for the pot-luck. Thanks for helping us express our love and appreciation to both the Tippetts and the outgoing Relief Society.

If you have questions, you can contact Shirley Maney at 818-710-0905.

Sign Up Now / Learn More

Kristina Ferrin,

Relief Society Pres.

Lularoe Pop Up Shop hosted by Natasha Rezai

This is going to be from 1 to 3 pm on Saturday, July 26th. The owner of Lularoe is a member of the church so these clothes will be modest as well as stylish. Please bring cash or check.

Seminary Registration Time

To parents of all Seminary-age students:

It is Seminary Registration time! The Church has implemented a new on-line registration system and all parents are being asked to sign up their students right away. It would be very helpful for our incredible teachers to have an idea of how many incoming students they should be preparing for, so please take a few minutes to register your child at seminary.lds.org.

If you have any difficulties with this process or if you require any additional information, I can be reached at ddcollett@yahoo.com or (818) 451-3805.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter,

Debra Collett

Stake Seminary Supervisor

Single Adult Pot Luck

DON'T FORGET

ITS MONDAY

 

SINGLE ADULT FAMILY HOME EVENING

IS

MONDAY 21 JUNE 2014

AT

6:30 PM

IT'S

POT-LUCK TIME

AT

RN & JS JORGENSEN RESIDENCE

23147 CALFIA STREET

WOODLAND HILLS, CA 91367

818-347-6915

VIEWING

THE JOSEPH SMITH PAPERS

EPISODE 14 LUCY MACK SMITH, JOSEPH'S

FIRST BIOGRAPHER

 

 COUPLES ARE WELCOME

Stake Single Adult Devotional

Single Adults Opportunity - CP Stake Single Devotional will be held on Sunday, July 20th at 4:00 p.m. at the CP Stake Center. We will be blessed to hear from Brother Tony and Sister Margo Harper. Brother Harper has 38 years in law enforcement and recently retired as the Asst Police Chief in Simi Valley. His wife is a professional nurse and at one time assisted Cardiac Surgeon, Russell M. Nelson. The dinner will be provided by the Reseda Ward. Hold the date: Aug. 23rd - Fish Fry, Chatsworth Bldg.

The How and the Why

 To have any measure of appreciation and gratitude
for what [Jesus] accomplished in our behalf, we must
remember these vital truths:
 Jesus came to earth to do our Father’s will.
He came with a foreknowledge that He would bear
the burden of the sins of us all.
 He knew he would be lifted up on the cross.
He was born to be the Savior and Redeemer of all
mankind.
 He was able to accomplish His mission because He
was the Son of God and He possessed the power of
God.
 He was willing to accomplish His mission because
 He loves us.
 No mortal being had the power or capacity to
redeem all other mortals from their lost and fallen
condition, nor could any other voluntarily forfeit his
life and thereby bring to pass a universal resurrection
for all other mortals.
Only Jesus Christ was able and willing to
accomplish such a redeeming act of love.
 We may never understand nor comprehend in
mortality how He accomplished what He did, but we
must not fail to understand why he did what he did.
Everything He did was prompted by His unselfish,
infinite love for us...
As was so characteristic of his entire mortal
experience, the Savior submitted to our Father’s will
and took the bitter cup and drank.
 He suffered the pains of all men in Gethsemane so
they would not have to suffer if they would repent.
 He submitted Himself to humiliation and insults
from His enemies without complaint or retaliation.
 And, finally, He endured the flogging and brutal
shame of the cross. Only then did He voluntarily
submit to death. In His words:
“No man taketh it [my life] from me, but I lay it
down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I
have power to take it again. This commandment have
I received of my Father” (John 10:18)

Quotes

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to
something bigger than oneself.
Joseph Campbell

“And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I
know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.”
Lee Greenwood

This nation will remain the land of the Free only as
long as it is the home of the Brave
Elmer Davis

Where liberty dwells, there is my country.
Benjamin Franklin

It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that
this great country was founded, not by religionists, but
by Christians, not on religions but on the gospel of Je-
sus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths
have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of
worship here.
Patrick Henry

Recipe: Burrito Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
6 large flour tortillas
1 can refried beens
3 cups shredded cheese
1 can mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 cup sour cream
hot sauce (if you want it a little spicy)

Directions:
Brown ground meat and onion, drain if necessary.
Add taco seasoning and mix in refried beans. Mix
sour cream and soup in separate bowl. Spread 1/2 of
soup mixture in casserole dish. Tear up (or cut into
strips with a knife) 3 tortillas and spread over soup
mixture. Put 1/2 of meat mixture over tortillas. Add
a layer of cheese and then add hot sauce if you are
using it. Repeat layers. Then sprinkle cheese over
and bake uncovered 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

The Parable of the Bicycle

by Stephen E. Robinson

I was sitting in a chair reading. My daughter, Sarah, who was seven years old at the time, cam in and said, "Dad, can I have a bike? I'm the only kid on the block who doesn't have one."

Well, I didn't have the money then for a bike, so I stalled her. I said, "Sure, Sarah."

She said, "How? When?"

I said, "you have to save all your pennies, and soon you'll have enough for a bike." And she went away.

A couple of weeks later I was sitting in the same chair when I heard a "clink, clink" in Sarah's bedroom. I asked, "Sarah, what are you doing?"

She came to me with a little jar, a slit cut in the lid, and a bunch of pennies in the bottom. She said, "You promised me that if I saved all my pennies, pretty soon I'd have enough for a bike. And, Daddy, I've saved every single one of them."

My heart melted. My daughter was doing everything in her power to follow my instructions. I hadn't actually lied to her. If she saved all of her pennies, she would eventually have enough for a bike, but by then she would want a car. I said, "Let's go look at bikes."

We went to every store in town. Finally we found it -the perfect bicycle. She was thrilled. Then she saw the price tag, and her face fell. She started to cry. "Oh, Dad, I'll never have enough for a bicycle!"

So I said, "Sarah, how much do you have?"

She answered, "Sixty-one cents."

"I'll tell you what. You give me everything you've got and a hug and a kiss, and the bike is yours." Then I drove home very slowly because she insisted on riding the bike home.

As I drove beside her, I thought of the atonement of Christ. We all desperately want the celestial kingdom. We want to be with our Father in Heaven. But no matter how hard we try, we come up short. At some point all of us must realize, "I can't do this by myself. I need help." Then it is that the Savior says, in effect, "All right, you're not perfect. But what can you do? Give me all you have, and I'll do the rest."

He still requires our best effort. We must keep trying. But the good news is that having done all we can, it is enough. We may not be personally perfect yet, but because of our covenant with the Savior, we can rely on his perfection, and his perfection will get us through.

June Recipe

Quick and Dirty Chocolate Pie 
Note: This is seriously one of the best desserts I have EVER
made. -Sydnie Powell

Ingredients:
2-4 Tablespoons heavy cream
3-4 Tablespoons honey
2 Cups Ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon good tasting Stevia
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Directions:
Combine heavy cream, honey, salt, ricotta, stevia, and vanilla in
a food processor. Blend for a couple minutes, until perfectly
smooth. No lumps! Melt unsweetened chocolate on High in
microwave for 40 seconds. Stir, and melt chocolate in 15 second
intervals until liquefied. Scrape chocolate into food processor and
blend until thoroughly incorporated. With no streaks of chocolate
visible. Taste filling, and add more stevia if necessary. Spread
filling into a pie plate, or whatever serving container you desire.
Chill until firm. Top with stevia-sweetened fresh whipped cream
(3/4 cup). Grate 85% cacao chocolate over whipped cream if
desired.

June Quotes

"The greatest thing a father can do for his daughter is to
love her mother." -Elaine S. Dalton

"A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised,
unnoticed, and yet on of the most valuable assets in our
society." -Billy Graham

"What is a dad? A dad is someone who wants to catch you
before you fall, but instead picks up, brushes you off, and
lets you try again. A dad is someone who wants to keep you
from making mistakes but instead lets you find your own
way, even though his heart breaks in silence when you get
hurt. A dad is someone who holds you when you cry, scolds
you when you break the rules, shines with pride when you
succeed, and has faith in you even when you fail…"
-Author Unknown

"A father is someone who carries pictures in his wallet
where his money use to be." -Unknown

Happy Father's Day