Presidency Message for March

THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.

From The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

Presidency Message for February

Living Together in Love

“Love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). On this simple phrase hangs the success of every marriage and family. In the light of Christ’s love we see our family’s divine potential. We love them with all our heart, soul, and mind. And as we do, our ordinary family is transformed into an extraordinary one.

Presidency Message from December Newsletter

The Christmas season is wonderful in many ways. It is a season of charitable acts of kindness and brotherly love. It is a season of being more reflective about our own lives and about the many blessings that are ours. It is a season of forgiving and being forgiven. It is a season to enjoy the music and lights, parties and presents. But the glitter of the season should never dim our sight and prevent us from truly seeing the Prince of Peace in His majesty. 

Let us all make this year’s Christmas season a time of rejoicing and celebration, a time when we acknowledge the miracle that our Almighty God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem the world! 

 --Pres  Dieter Uchtdorf Dec 2010 Ensign.

Attitude of Gratitude Presidency Message for January

I have been seeing on a few people's blogs with the "gratitude" challenge. I went back and reread President Monson's talk from this past October's General Conference, The Divine Gift of Gratitude. There were quite a few points that President Monson made that really touched me:

• "Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love."
• "We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude."
• Those things which provide deep and lasting happiness and gratitude are the things which money CANNOT buy: our families, the gospel, good friends, our health, our abilities, the love we recognize from those around us. Unfortunately, these are some of the things we allow ourselves to take for granted." 
• "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it." 
• "When we encounter challenges and problems in our lives, it is often difficult for us to focus on our blessings. However, if we reach deep enough and look hard enough, we will be able to feel and recognize just how much we have been given."

 The above five quotes struck me because I need to improve in all of these areas. So I will be taking it upon myself to EVERY DAY have an Attitude of Gratitude and to post my gratitude each day. I want to show gratitude each day for things that are NOT SO OBVIOUS, like, my house, my car, my food, etc. even though I AM thankful for all of these but I feel SINCERE gratitude is towards the non-tangible aspects of my life.

Hence today I am thankful for being worthy to have the Holy Ghost abide with me. I started ironing our church clothes today and I kept getting the "feeling" that something was not right. I was hearing a crackling sound and was trying to figure our where it was coming from. It sounded like the chord from the iron was rubbing against something. Yet I was careful and more observant with what I was doing. All of the sudden ( after ALMOST finishing ironing Lavinia's dress) I heard a "pop" and saw a cloud of smoke come out of my iron. Here the chord (close to the base of the iron) split. I immediately unplugged the iron. That iron has to be at least 15 years old (how long we have been married) or more (since I moved out of Mom & Dad's house). I am just THANKFUL that I was right there when it happened and not out of the room checking on one of the kids or something else (like I've done in the past). I am also THANKFUL that this iron died NOW and not when I was making and ironing 100 handkerchiefs for the L-town Temple Re-dedication.

I am also THANKFUL for the opportunity I had to go to church today with my family with a peaceful attitude. Usually we are so rushed getting to church and usually never fails that we are looking for something at the very last minute (scriptures, shoes, etc.) so then we are late getting to church and I pretty much need the ENTIRE sacrament meeting to calm down. BUT today was AWESOME! I was able to have the spirit with me from the time of the iron incident all the way through church. It was a wonderful way to start the new year and the first new week of 2011. I feel ready for anything! THANK YOU!

Sisters, may we all take President Monson charge to heart; "My sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven....it is my prayer that in addition to all else for which we are grateful, we may ever reflect our gratitude for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."

Presidency Message from November Newsletter

"We recognize your faith and service even your support and especially your obedience.  Like many of you we felt the physical absence of our temple when there were no lights on at night.  Several times I found myself outside the stake center parking lot looking up at the darkness and knew the absence – the temple was closed.  The temptations of Satan continued to discourage and try to stop us from preparing to go to the temple.  We prepared physically in our community.  We prepared our families spiritually to provide service to the temple grounds and all those things we have done to prepare us and ourselves and others for the great historical events that will take place.  We will be blessed with our very own living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson who will be here in our midst.  May we prepare ourselves and continue to prepare for that." 

 "Truly, truly the Lord desires His people to be a temple going people.  Even the deepest desire of my heart is to have every member of the Laie Hawaii North Stake to be temple worthy.  I hope every member is worthy of carrying a temple recommend even if they will not use it often what ever the reason.  Brothers and sisters, let us be a temple attending, temple loving, covenant making and covenant keeping people.  Let us go to the temple frequently as time permits.  Serve as ordinance and volunteer workers.  Go not only for our kindred dead but for the personal blessings of temple worship and for the sanctity and safety provided within those sacred walls."

 "It is a place of beauty, a place of revelation, a place of peace.  It is the house of the Lord.  It should be holy to all of us.  I testify of the reality of the temple.  It is the house of the Lord.  I testify to all of this.  The temple is the house of the Lord.  It is holy to the Lord.  We cannot and we will not go back to Heavenly Father without the temple.  There is no other way.  We cannot.  May we prepare to be worthy at all times to attend and go to the temple."     

President Hafoka, Sunday session of the Laie North Stake Conference Nov. 7, 2010.

Presidency Message from October Newsletter

“....When a temple is conveniently nearby, small things may interrupt your plans to go to the temple. Set specific goals, considering your circumstances, of when you can and will participate in the temple ordinances. Then do not allow anything to interfere with that plan. This pattern will guarantee that those who live in the shadow of the temple will be as blessed as are those who plan far ahead and make a long trip to the temple..... When we live righteously and have received the ordinances of the temple, everything else is in the hands of the Lord. We can do the best we can, but the final outcome is up to Him. We should never complain, when we are living worthily, about what happens in our lives.”

taken from Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need by Elder Richard G. Scott

First Presidency Message for September

First Presidency Message

The Book of Mormon as a Personal Guide

“All of us feel, in our best moments, a desire to return home to live with God. He gave us the gift of His Beloved Son as our Savior to provide the path and to teach us how to follow it. He gave us prophets to point the way. The Prophet Joseph Smith was inspired to translate the record of prophets that is the Book of Mormon. It is our guide on the way home to God.

Joseph Smith said of that precious book,’I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.’

The precepts of the Book of Mormon are the commandments of God we find in it. Some are direct commandments from the Savior through HIs prophets as to what we are to do and what we are to become. The Book of Mormon gives us the Savior’s example to increase our faith and determination to obey HIs command to follow Him. The book is filled with the doctrine of Christ to guide us.

Each time I read even a few lines in the Book of Mormon, I feel my testimony strengthened that the book is true, that Jesus is the Christ, that we can follow Him home, and that we can take those we love home with us. It has been for me the book of books. It is the word of God.

I pray that we and all those we love will drink deeply and daily from it. I testify in the name of Jesus Christ that 

it is a true guide.

--President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, Sept. 2010 Ensign, pgs. 4-5