Saviors on mount Zion-

We as faithful members of the church are given the opportunity to do work for our dead. This is a vital work for both us and our dead

Sunday's Lesson:

Natalie gave an awesome lesson on friendship this week. Great topic, great discussion.

I had one question at the end that I think is pretty important, but unfortunately we were out of time. I was wondering if we could discuss it on the blog. In terms of friendship, naturally some people will "get" us (and we them) much more easily. They will understand our struggles - for example, maybe feminist issues or something - and they might have a similar sense of humor or various other qualities that produce some sort of inherent friend chemistry. We could also use the term "bosom friend," like in Anne of Green Gables. So first of all, there is this natural component to friendship. But then there's the fact that it might not even be reasonable to expect ourselves to be friends on such an intimate level with everyone.

My question, therefore, is twofold: first, practically speaking, what are ways we can approach friendship with the people with whom we don't naturally click, and second, what sort of middle ground can/should we strive to develop that's something between "bosom friends" and friendly acquaintances (i.e. are sincere, but possibly somewhat superficial friendships better than nothing)?

Sunday's Lesson: I am doing a great work and cannot come down

This week's lesson was about doing the things that matter most in this life, and not letting the other things get in the way. We talked about making sure we are doing the best things and not just good things.

By the way- sorry for not having updated the blog in the last two weeks, I have been on vacation, but will try to do better from now on.

Sunday's Lesson: Missionary Work

Sorry I have been lax in posting things lately- my summer just got crazy.

Sunday's RS lesson was about Missionary work. We talked about the need we all have to do missionary work, how we can fulfill our own personal missionary plans, and how we should not be scared of doing missionary work

Sunday's SS lesson was on the priesthood, and how we as women (and men) can honor that priesthood.

Sunday's Lesson: Ward Conference: Dating

This Sunday we had a joint RS/EQ combined lesson where the stake presidency addressed our questions about dating and relationships. They spoke of the need we as women have to say yes to the men who ask us on dates- and they issued a challenge for the men to ask one girl a week on a date. They also discussed how to know how to proceed in a relationship and other important parts of dating/marriage.

Sunday's Lesson: Redemption for the Dead

This Sunday the RS lesson came from Chapter 35 in the Joseph Smith book. We talked about the necessity of doing ordinances for those who have passed on. We spoke of the importance of this doctrine and the strength it gives us in dealing with death.
The SS lessons addressed the idea of seeking learning We talked about the different types of learning both secular and nonsecular.
So, as always, if you didn't have time to comment, or have thought of something new, please post your comments (you can always comment anonymously)

Peace Be to You.

In thinking about this week's scripture topic (sorry I am posting this so late in the week) I have been contemplating peace, and the difficulty we all have in finding it in this world. The Lord said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27 What does that mean to you? What is the difference between worldly and godly peace?
There is a song I have always loved called "E'en So Lord Jesus Quickly Come" which speaks peace to my soul when I am having a difficult time. The words are as follows:
Peace be to you, and grace from Him
Who freed us from our sin,
Who loved us all, and shed His blood
That we might saved be.

Sing Holy, Holy to the Lord,
The Lord, Almighty God,
Who was, and is, and is to come;
Sing Holy, Holy Lord!

Rejoice in Heaven, all ye that dwell therein;
Rejoice on earth, ye saints below.
For Christ is coming, is coming soon;
For Christ is coming soon!

E'en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come,
And night shall be no more.
They need no light, nor lamp, nor sun
For Christ will be their All.

Sunday's Lesson: The Power of Forgiving

Sunday's Lesson was chapter 34 in the Joseph Smith manual.
In RS we talked about what goes in to forgiveness. We discussed the who, what, when, where, and why of forgiveness. We discussed the difficulties we all face in forgiving both ourselves and others. There were many comments- and I know we didn't get to all of them, so comment away- enjoy!

Faith Before Knowledge

Why do you think it is important to have faith in the principles of the gospel before we have knowledge? -Alma 32

Sunday's Lessons: Mind, Body, Spirit and The Second Coming

Today's RS lesson was given by Heather and covered the importance of strengthening our Minds, Bodies, and Spirits. We talked about our spiritual motivation, overcoming the natural man, having joy in our bodies, and the ways Satan attempts to destroy us.
The SS lesson covered the signs of the second coming and how we can prepare for it.
So have at it, comment away. . . if you feel like you didn't get to share something in one of the lessons, now is the time. If you just have more to add. . . fee free, and as always feel free to e-mail me with suggestions at lp1rsliteracy@gmail.com

Sunday's Lesson: The Ward Mission Plan

So yesterday was ward mission plan day. We talked about missionary work, the ward mission plan, and our personal mission plans during all three meetings. Since, it was a non-traditional meeting, I will just post the basics of the ward mission plan, and let everyone talk about missionary work, their experiences, and whatever else they think applies.

Scripture: "It filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake" -1 Nephi 18:12

Ward Mission Plan:
1. Each member will extend at least one invitation per month
2. There will be at least 2 baptismal services in LP1 per month
3. The missionaries will receive at least 3 member referrals each week
4. Each companionship of missionaries will have at least 4 investigators at church
5. At least 5 less-active members will be prayerfully nurtured each month
6. Each member will write a personal mission plan:
a. Open our mouths
b. Make existing church activities missionary opportunities
c. Remember missionary work in each prayer
d. Do your HT/VT
e. Share your experiences

Opinions

I would like everyone's opinion- I am thinking about making a second blog where we can explore the RS and SS lessons in more depth, I would post the lesson numbers, some of the scripture references, and some questions from each lesson, and we would be able to further explore what we talk about on Sundays. Here are my questions for everyone:
1. would you be interested in having this type of blog?
2. would you rather me post things from the upcoming lesson the week before, or would you rather me post it after we have had the lesson- as kind-of a follow-up?

My other questions are about this blog. . . since everyone seems to think it is a good idea, and yet I am not getting too much feedback in the way of comments on this blog like I would have hoped, I was wondering what you think I should do better. So here are the questions pertaining to this blog:
1. Is there a way you think would be better for posting comments?
2. Would you rather I picked topics, or specific scriptures to explore?
3. Would you be interested in having a different person pick a topic and blog about it each week?
4. Whatever else you think I should ask.

Please give me some feedback via comments or e-mail me at either BanannaBat@gmail.com or lp1rsliteracy@gmail.com (which is what I prefer since it is the e-mail I set up specifically for this)

Hardships

As our first study topic I have chosen something I know we all have, hardships. I don't know about you, but I know for me life is a constant struggle, and that many times I feel as though I am drowning and have only a moment to come up for a breath before another wave crashes down upon me. I do know that the Lord is there and we need to recognize that though we may feel like we have only a moment at the surface before we are pushed down again by the trials and hardships of this life, he is the one who lifts us up and allows us to take that oh so necessary breath before that next wave hits. The Lord is there, and will not let us drown.

Here are some links to things I found helpful:
"Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time" by Elder Quentin L. Cook: Talk Youtube Video
"The Ministry of Angels" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: Talk
"Come What May, and Love It" by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin: Talk
Topical Guide: Hardship
Scriptures to think about:
Alma 14:10-11- reason for suffering (sometimes)
Alma 14:18-28- I love this one because you can actually see the outcome of Alma and Amulek's faith in their trials.
Ether 6:3- the Lord never leaves us without what we need.
Ether 6:5-12- think about how the trials they seemed to be undergoing (the waves, and tempests, etc.) were actually propelling them toward their goal.

As always: please feel free to e-mail me with other scripture references or links you found so I can post them, or just leave them in your comments.

Feedback

So, I am trying to start this blog as a way of reading the scriptures and studying together as a RS. If there are other people like me, sometimes you just need a little help deciding what to study, or you want to know what other people think about a certain topic or scripture. I have decided to post topics for discussion, with some supporting quotes and scripture references (hopefully I will be able to do this weekly). If you have any specific topic you think would be good to talk about, or any suggestions about making the blog better please feel free to e-mail LP1RSLiteracy@gmail.com and I will see what I can do. All the comments made on the blog will be posted to the blog (after I have ok'd them- just in case)- feel free to either write your name after your post, or remain anonymous. So I welcome your feedback, and I hope this can be a helpful tool in building and strengthening our RS.
-Catherine Evans