Hello Ladies, 

What a wonderful Sunday.   Both SS and RS lessons were wonderful.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful  ladies as our teachers.  

Friday is the last day of the month for VT.  Please call your supervisor or Ginger to report.  

We (the RS) are singing Star Bright on Sunday December 23rd.  We have been practicing in RS and i will get a copy of the song to our YW and Primary sisters on Sunday.  

Love you all, 

Diane, Becky, Jolene, and Dawn

Hello Ladies,

Another wonderful Sabbath, We learned a lot from Connie Sowards and her family's talks in Sacrament today. What a wonderful family!

In SS Nellie's lesson was on Christ in America, what a beautiful beautiful lesson. Thanks Nellie.

Linda's lesson in RS was about temporal salvation, she told a story about a squirrel in her yard gathering nuts to store for the winter. Her lesson also touched on being prepared to help others.

Reminder!!!! 10 days left in the month to do your VT. Districts are still being reworked, please call a member of the presidency or Ginger Schettler 524-7214 to report.

Love to all, your RS presidency.

Relief Society President:

Diana Allen~635-1879

Education Counselor:

Becky Donaldson~649-8667

Enrichment Counselor:

Jolene Ficklin~522-5630

Secretary:

Dawn Jackson~644-9960

Hello Ladies,

Today in SS Eloise taught lesson 38 from the BOM lessons, “Old Things Are Done Away and All Things Have Become New”. 3^rd Nephi 12-15, I love 3^rd Nephi, don't you? Our lesson in RS was taught by Esmeralda, GAS lesson 19, Temporal and Spiritual Blessings of the Word of Wisdom. Can you think of any blessing you have received by following the WOW?

Announcements 10/14/12

Our most wonderful Ward Mission Leader has asked us to go on mormon.org and make a profile. Please read the FAQ.

Kara Jennings is having a baby (a girl baby) and is due in March!! :)

Jenny Lambson (past member of our ward) had a baby girl recently (Ellie) and could use your prayers.

Gaylene Yancey has ask us to save soup sized cans for Autumn.

Darlene Herring is doing very well and could use visitors.

We have some sisters in the ward that could use extra visits from us. Please listen to the spirit and while out doing your VT maybe if prompted you could add another visit to your list. ONLY 17 MORE DAYS TO DO YOUR VT THIS MONTH.

Sisters in Zion

October 2012

From the Presidency

My dear sisters, you marvelous women who have chosen the better part, I stand in great admiration for all that you do. I see your hands in everything.

Many of you are mothers, and that is enough to occupy one's full time.

You are companions—the very best friends your husbands have or ever will have.

You are housekeepers. That doesn't sound like much, does it? But what a job it is to keep a house clean and tidy.

You are shoppers. Until I got older I never dreamed of what a demanding responsibility it is to keep food in the pantry, to keep clothing neat and presentable, to buy all that is needed to keep a home running.

You are nurses. With every illness that comes along, you are the first to be told about it and the first to respond with help. In cases of serious sickness, you are at the bedside day and night, comforting, encouraging, ministering, praying.

You are the family chauffeur. You are driving your children about on paper routes, taking them to athletic events, driving them on ward outings, hauling here, there, and everywhere as they pursue their busy lives.

Gordon B. Hinckley, "To the Women of the Church," Ensign, Nov. 2003

With that in mind we have several ways we use to keep you informed on the happenings of RS...

e-mail= if we don't have your email address here's ours mesillavalleyreliefsociety@gmail.com drop us a line and we will add you to our list.

Blog= http://mesillavalleyrs.blogspot.com/ here is our blog address. If you save it to your favorites it will be easy to return to again and again.

Facebook= We have a group on Facebook!! Mesilla Valley Ward RS

lds.org= If you have an lds.org login and password we will be posting information on the new lds.org.

And finally this newsletter. We will be putting out a new one every month. Please take one for yourself and for those you visit.

With all you do in this 21^st century we hope one of these ways will help to keep you informed on what is going on. Love, your RS presidency

Focus on Family

Near the end of his life, one father looked back on how he had spent his time on earth. An acclaimed, respected author of numerous scholarly works, he said, ‘I wish I had written one less book and taken my children fishing more often.’ Time passes quickly. Many parents say that it seems like yesterday that their children were born. Now those children are grown, perhaps with children of their own. ‘Where did the years go?’ they ask. We cannot call back time that is past, we cannot stop time that now is, and we cannot experience the future in our present state. Time is a gift, a treasure not to be put aside for the future but to be used wisely in the present."
Salvation and Exaltation Russell M. Nelson

Emergency

Preparedness

Message

Pick one out-of-state and one local friend/family member to call in a disaster.

Teach children the phone numbers.

Pick two reunion locations, one right outside of your home, and one away from your neighborhood in case you cannot return.

Take a basic first aid and CPR class.

Visiting Teaching Message
HONORING OUR COVENANT
1. How do my covenants strengthen me?
2. How am I helping the sisters I watch over to keep their covenants?

OCTOBER

Birthdays

Karen Douds=1st

Claire Otero=2nd

Rebecca Slaughter=2nd

Christinne Stauffer=2nd

Irma Escalante=5th

Lydia Partin=5th

Esmeralda Reyes=8th

Lisa Schaefer=10th

Jolene Ficklin=14th

Bethany Lujan=15th

Michelle, Martinez=15th

Maria Anaya=18th

Carolyn Dixon=21st

Shara Zubiate=23rd

Betsy Stringam=26th

Connie Vallance=29th

Linda Miller=30th

OCTOBER 2012 PRIMARY THEME
Blessings of the Priesthood
Are Available to All
“And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord” (D&C 84:35).

Love to all!!!  

Week of September 17th

Hello Hermanas,

As usual we had wonderful lessons Sunday -- Bro. Allred taught in SS and Sis Allred taught in RS. Bro. Allred taught lesson 35 from the BOM lessons.

Through the prophet Samuel, the Lord said, “Blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me” (Helaman 13:11). How might some people attempt to repent without turning to the Lord? Why is turning to the Lord an essential part of repentance?

President Ezra Taft Benson taught:

“Repentance means more than simply a reformation of behavior. Many men and women in the world demonstrate great will-power and self-discipline in overcoming bad habits and the weaknesses of the flesh. Yet at the same time they give no thought to the Master, sometimes even openly rejecting Him. Such changes of behavior, even if in a positive direction, do not constitute true repentance.…

“…True repentance is based on and flows from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way. True repentance involves a change of heart and not just a change of behavior (see Alma 5:13)” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 71).

In RS we talked about lesson 18 in the GAS manual. George Albert Smith said that the used this counsel through out his life to guide his choices: “When I have been tempted sometimes to do a certain thing, I have asked myself, ‘Which side of the line am I on?’ If I determined to be on the safe side, the Lord’s side, I would do the right thing every time. So when temptation comes think prayerfully about your problem and the influence of the Lord will aid you to decide wisely. There is safety for us only on the Lord’s side of the line.”

Love to all, your RS presidency. Diana, Becky, Jolene and Dawn

Sunday Lesson September 2nd

Hello Sistas,

Our lesson yesterday was from "Daughters in My Kingdom" on visiting teaching. Becky went into some of the history and also reminded us of our own calling as visiting teachers.  We talked about ways we prepare for our visits and ways we share the lesson.

How Visiting Teachers Love, Watch Over, and Strengthen a Sister
Pray daily for her and her family.
Seek inspiration to know her and her family.
Visit her regularly to learn how she is doing and to comfort and strengthen her.
Stay in frequent contact through visits, phone calls, letters, e-mail, text messages, and simple acts of kindness.
Greet her at Church meetings.
Help her when she has an emergency, illness, or other urgent need.
Teach her the gospel from the scriptures and the visiting teaching messages.
Inspire her by setting a good example.
Report to a Relief Society leader about their service and the sister’s spiritual and temporal well-being.

If you want to read the entire chapter go to  https://www.lds.org/relief-society/daughters-in-my-kingdom/manual/pure-religion-watchcare-and-ministering-through-visiting-teaching?lang=eng

Does everyone have this wonderful book?   If not please let me know as Diana will be ordering some more.

Sunday notes

Hello Sisters, 

Great lesson today by the stake RS presidency they used “Finding Joy through Loving Service" by RUSSELL BALLARD from April 2011 conference talk. Elder Ballard talks about a young prospector during the gold rush looking for large nuggets of gold and not seeing all the tiny flecks he had. Sometimes we think we have to do something big to give service to others, but responding to the promptings of the holy ghost and making phone calls and sending cards may be exactly what is needed today. It can be very easy to overlook the small tender mercies our father gives us, I pray that we can all find and give little flecks of gold every day.

Announcements:

Aug. 29 at 7pm (Wednesday) - RS/YW activity combined with Rio Grande Ward - bring a favorite food and its recipe. If possible please email your recipes to Naomi Osterle  twix@nmsu.edu

September 7 at 6:30-8:30 ward game night. Bring your favorite game and a snack to share.

Sept. 22 - Ward temple trip - Baptistry scheduled at 4pm for the youth.

Johnny Smith is in ICU room 117. she would love visitors.

Please remember Christina Barela in your prayers as she has heart surgery tomorrow.

Love to you all, 

Diana, Becky, Jolene, and Dawn

We're back!!

Summer is so fun, but it's hard to keep a regular schedule!  But here we are again - beginning of a new school year, chile roasting going on all over town and just a couple weeks from Labor Day.  Wow!

We had a great lesson today about keeping the Sabbath day holy.  Thank you, Claire, for a wonderful lesson.  We were all reminded about the blessings we receive when we follow the commandments, and specifically, the commandments of attending sacrament meeting and keeping the Sabbath day holy.  President Smith's mother wouldn't tell him to not do something on the Sabbath when he was a child, instead she would say, "Son, you will be happier if you do not do that."  That's what it comes down to - we will be happier - more blessed, have the Spirit with us more, feel rejuvenated and refreshed more - if we choose to honor the Sabbath.

The announcements from today:
- If you do not have your ordinance summary, please get a copy from the ward clerk.  This will help you be able to work on Family History.

- Next Sunday, August 26, is ward conference.  It's always a great block of meetings where we are taught by our stake leaders.

- Also next Sunday, Aug. 26, there will be a youth fireside at the Osterle's home for our young men and women ages 12-18.

- Wednesday, August 29 at 7pm is our next activity.  It is sponsored by the Young Women and will be a combined activity with the YW and RS of the Rio Grande ward and our ward and is a pot luck food and recipe sharing activity.  Please bring a favorite dish (of any sort) and its recipe.  The Young Women are going to collect the recipes and assemble them into a cook book for themselves and for us as well.  If you would like to email your recipe, you can send it to Naomi Osterle at twix@nmsu.edu.

- Looking ahead - Saturday, Sept. 22 is our next ward temple trip with youth baptisms scheduled at 4pm at the Albuquerque temple.

- Thank you for being patient with Visiting Teaching.  With all of the movings in and out of people in our ward as well as summer travels, things have been very up in the air.  We anticipate having things revamped sometime in the next few weeks as we get the students coming back and things settle down.  So, please just continue as you have been doing - visit people on your most recent list if they are still around and feel free to visit others as the feeling moves you. 

- Health updates: Jean Hill is recovering well from her hip surgery and is now home from the rehab hospital.  She and Dean will be moving into Village at Northrise later this week.  And Johnnie Smith is recovering from her stroke and is now at the rehab hospital (in Jean's old room - # 604).  She loves visitors! :)

- A warm welcome to Dawn Jackson as our new secretary.  We are so glad to have her!

Thank you, sisters, for all you do.  We are so thankful for each of you.

July 15

We had another wonderful Relief Society lesson today about sharing the gospel effectively.  If you didn't get a chance to read it, it was chapter 14 from The Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith.  Next Sunday's lesson will be taken from Elder Andersen's General Conference talk, "What Thinks Christ of Me?"

Jennifer Barney could use any and all help packing up her apartment, wrangling kids and cleaning over the next couple of days.  She will be cleaning Tuesday morning.  If you can help, please text or call her.  See your email for her contact info.

Lunch Bunch is this Friday (7/20) at Sister Whiting's home.  It's a potluck meal, but come even if you can't bring anything - there's always plenty and it's a great opportunity to visit.

The stake is hosting a Pioneer Day 5K fun run (walk, run or crawl!) on Saturday, July 21 at La Llorona park.  Registration is at 6:30 am and the fun run will start at 7.  It's free to participate.

Katherine Andersen's funeral will be Saturday morning (7/21) at 10 am.  If anyone has more details - on location, etc - please let us know.

On August 19, the sisters in the ward will be singing The Lord Is My Shepherd (Hymn #316 - arranged for women) in Sacrament Meeting.  We are practicing it in RS meetings each Sunday, but everyone is invited and encouraged to practice it at home and to do their best to memorize the words and parts.  Here's a link to the Church website's music player/online hymn book: http://www.lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=1&searchseqstart=316&searchsubseqstart

Thank you for all you do.  We love you!

June 17 announcements

Hello you beautiful sisters!  This week we've got a few repeat announcements and a few new ones. (So pay attention!) :)

** THIS Thursday, June 21 at 6:30 pm is our Service Auction Activity.  We have a bunch of great services that will be auctioned off, so be sure you get your visiting teaching done and be good!

** Also this week, the stake is starting the Addiction Recovery groups.  The Addiction Recovery group will meet Tuesdays at 6:30pm at the Miranda Chapel and the women only support group will meet Thursdays at 7pm at the Institute building.

** June 30 is our combined temple trip with Picacho Ward.  The youth baptisms are scheduled at 2pm, but the trip isn't just for the youth.

** Our Sunday meeting times change July 1.  Sacrament meeting will begin at 11am and the meeting blocks will end at 2pm.

** Next week's lesson will be from President Henry B. Eyring's General Conference talk, "Mountains to Climb".


Have a great week and we'll see you Thursday!

Announcements! Announcements! Announcements!

Just a few reminders of things that are coming up...

- Girls Camp is going on this week for the Young Women, so if you're looking for one of them, that might be where they are.

- Mindi Avery from University Ward needs people to help sew "Adopt Me" shirts (is that what you call them?) for dogs that are up for adoption. This is a program through the Dona Ana County Pets Alive Program and Action Program for Animals. The programs will provide the pattern and material, but need people to sew them.  Contact one of the RS Presidency for more info.

- Start doing a little family history snooping and find Christmas traditions from your ancestors. We will be using these traditions and even recipes if you find them at our ward Christmas party this year. 

- June 21 is our next Relief Society Activity - a Service Auction that will be a combined activity with Desert Hills Ward sisters. And it's now June, so all of your good deeds count for auction points - reading scriptures, saying prayers, doing your visiting teaching. Think of a service YOU could offer at our auction - the more choices we have, the better it will be.

- Our lesson this past Sunday was chapter 4 from Daughters in My Kingdom - “A Wide and Extensive Sphere of Action”. It focused on the history of Relief Society and it's miraculous organization. You can read it here: http://www.lds.org/relief-society/daughters-in-my-kingdom/manual/a-wide-and-extensive-sphere-of-action?lang=eng

- Next week's lesson will be Chapter 11 from Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, "Revelation from God to His Children". This lesson can be read online here: http://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-george-albert-smith/chapter-11?lang=eng

Service Auction June 21

We are so excited for our next Relief Society activity.  On Thursday, June 21, we will be combining forces with Desert Hills Ward and having a service auction.  What is that?  Glad you asked!

Each of us will earn points through the month of June for being good - reading our scriptures, saying our morning and night time prayers, attending church, doing our visiting teaching, helping someone else out, etc. - you get the idea.  Those points will be what we use to buy different acts of service that sisters offer to do for someone else.  What we have to aution off will depend on what each of you offer up and what your talents are.  Some service ideas we have come up with are

• Baking a birthday cake for someone
• Bringing dinner
• Doing laundry
• Organizational help (organize a pantry, a closet, etc.)
• A family (or personal) photo shoot
• Flower arranging
• Gardening lessons
• Sewing lessons
• Help with family history
• Party planning
• Scrapbooking help/lessons
• Tackling someone else's ironing pile
• Mending clothes
• Washing windows
• Rides to activities/appointments/church

The list goes on and on!  So put on your thinking caps and come up with something that YOU would like to do to help someone else.  And while you're at it, think about something you might like to have done for you - maybe that will spark an idea in someone else.

So - save the date, be good, and start thinking about what you can do for someone else.  We will have coupons at church starting next week to write out the details of the service you would be willing to aution off.

This will be a fun way to do something good for someone else, get to know the sisters in our wards better, and to get something for ourselves as well.  Charity Never Faileth.

Lesson Schedule

Here's the lesson schedule for the next month or so.  Take the chance to read ahead when you can.  As we teach and learn together, we all get more out of our lessons.

April 29 - Combined Mtg:  Priesthood and RS - Bishopric teaching

                                                                                                                                                      

May 6 - Presidency Message - Camille Heiner                            

        13 - Chapter 9:  George Albert Smith - Open Your Soul to the Lord in Prayer - Esmeralda Reyes          

        20 - Chapter 10:  George Albert Smith - The Scriptures - the Most Valuable Library in the World  - Lynda Allred          

        27 - "Teachings For Our Times" -"The Merciful Obtain Mercy" Dieter F. Uchdorf (April 2012 General Conference) - Claire Otero

Announcements: April 16-21

Play group has been cancelled this week due to illness.

Lunch Bunch is meeting Friday, April 20 at Sister Whiting's home. 

When you need the 411 on the MS RS this is the new HQ!