Growth—A Process for Two

“Spiritual growth comes by solving problems together—not by running from them. Today’s inordinate emphasis on individualism brings egotism and separation. Two individuals becoming ‘one flesh’ is still the Lord’s standard. (See Gen. 2:24.)

“The secret of a happy marriage is to serve God and each other. The goal of marriage is unity and oneness, as well as self-development. Paradoxically, the more we serve one another, the greater is our spiritual and emotional growth.”

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994),

“Salvation—a Family Affair,” Ensign, July 1992, 4.

Service Offer

On most days (M - F) I am available, along with my 3 kids, to come sit with with your kids between 2 and 6 (give or take a half hour) so that you can go to appoinments, meetings, errands, shopping, visiting teaching, etc. I prefer to schedule in advance, but much of the time I can be spontaneous and help in a pinch.

This is because of my husband's graveyard shift and how it sometimes helps to get my kids out of the house in the afternoons when he's sleeping. But my intention is NOT that this is a service "for me". I've just found that having him here so much I haven't BEEN SERVING as much as I'd like to, because I can't babysit, etc. in my own home for now. So if this can help anyone at all...

Call me to plan ahead: Evelyn Veylupek (G4) 362-8478

(Isn't this so nice?? Thank you for the offer Evelyn!)

Visiting Teaching

Visiting teaching is much more than a visit or sharing a thought with a sister. It is how we connect with one another. We share hearts and souls and extend charity, which is "the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love" (Bible Dictionary, "Charity," 632). Visiting teaching brings the love of the Lord to every home and to every sister. It is a sacred trust we have been given.

Why do sisters do visiting teaching? Mosiah describes it this way: "To bear one another's burdens, . . . to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort" (Mosiah 18:8–9).

Visiting teaching is the heart and soul of Relief Society. The purposes of visiting teaching are to build caring relationships with each sister and to offer support, comfort, and friendship. In visiting teaching, both the giver and the receiver are blessed and strengthened in their Church activity by their caring concern for one another.

This caring concern is described in Moroni 6:4: "And after they had been received unto baptism, . . . they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way."

To be named and numbered has special significance for those in need. Elder Henry B. Eyring describes it beautifully:

"You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands. . . . Your calling is to bless lives. That will be true even in the most ordinary tasks you are assigned. . . . You see, there are no small callings to represent the Lord" ("Rise to Your Call," Ensign, Nov. 2002, 76).

(copied from the church website: http://www.lds.org/pa/display/0,17884,4691-1,00.html)



We have made all changes for February Visiting Teaching and if anyone has questions they can email me (jessica.haworth@gmail.com).
-- Jessica S Haworth


*Thanks Jessica, for your contribution and reminders to keep us going!

So good.

http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_id=snAjZ8mfoYw&rel=1&eurl=&iurl=http

Get your FOOD STORAGE on

Lately I've been feeling a bit of urgency in this matter, and a special awareness of it's importance. I know it's hard financially to get everything into place, but you can definately build up your supply slowly but surely. If you can, try to pick up an extra can of beans here, an extra bag of rice there.. etc.

Last week when I was driving home from getting some soup for food storage, I was feeling good as I always do when I have hit a good deal. I felt more at ease with our food supply, and was comforted. Then all the sudden I had a huge revelation pop into my mind:

Make a 72 hour kit for your baby. It hit me like a ton of bricks. At first I wanted to slap myself for not having thought of that yet (we already had them for me and my husband), but it came so sure so specifically that as soon as I got inside, I was focused on getting it done. Thankfully we had an old backpack and some random free samples of formula and whatnots, but I also thought about all the other things he'd need: diapers, wipes, CLOTHES, blanket, binky (comfort item), etc. I'm a fan of the Target clearance racks, so I ventured out and found some sweatpants for $1.79 and a sweatshirt for $2. I can't explain the peace I felt when it was all packed and ready to go. After all, caring for my child would be the most important thing to me in an emergency situation. So, I thought I'd get the discussion up and running for the rest of you.. let's get some ideas out there to help eachother, whether it be good deals or storage advice. Who knows? Maybe there's a bunch of us out there who have never thought of an idea that you think is common sense. Comment away! We can all help eachother here.

Some advice from me and my family (my mom is the food storage guru!):

• Have water (bottles or a couple gallons) and a bag or backpack of emergency food in the car for when you're on the go. Also a blanket or two for the trunk.
• Have a warm and a cool outfit for each child packed away in their 72 hour kits.
• If you have no room for storage, get creative. When my sister was in a small apartment, she made coffee/sidetables with stacks of boxes and storage cylinders. Drape some fabric over it, top it with a piece of round glass, and WALLA! I NEVER knew about this til she lifted up the fabric and showed me. It looked SO nice and was completely functional for a small living space. Genius. Also, take advantage of the room under your beds. Water bottles, cans, bags of oats, wheat, rice.. whatever you can muster to squeeze in without hurting the dust bunnies.
• Only stock what you will eat. I've thrown away so many canned goods because they've expired. I never would've eaten them UNLESS there was an absolute emergency - they were gaggy - so make sure you have things that you can cycle through in your cooking. That way nothing goes to waste, and you won't make a bad situation worse by having to choke down those lima beans.
• Protein. Peanut butter, tuna, chili, etc. Don't underestimate it's importance.
• Don't get it all at once. Watch for good sales. You can end up getting twice the amount of storage for the same amount of money if you're smart about it.

And lastly, a couple good resources for all things storage:

http://myfoodstoragedeals.blogspot.com/ -->amounts to store, how to, what to, deals, etc.

http://weeklyshoppingguide.blogspot.com/ --> save the time of searching all the ads and check out what she's found! Updated almost daily.

http://grocerysmarts.com/utah/lists/splashg84csg.php -->COUPONS!



Remember: "The Lord has said, 'If ye are prepared ye shall not fear' (D&C 38:30)."

Please leave additional tips for the rest of us!

Death and Resurrection

"I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption (Alma 11:45). "
"And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection.
But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.
He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death (Mosiah 16: 7-9). "

As a child I was SO scared of death. And I'd be lying if I said it didn't still shake me. I think for the most part the reason death scares me is the thought of the mourning and pain I'd have to go through here on earth. But as my understanding of the Atonement grows, I realize that the sealing power gives us hope to be with our loved ones for ETERNITY. And as hard as our grief may be now, our time here on earth is "but a moment". And if we can endure this and live as Christ did, keeping our covenants as we go, we will be with our families forever. Eternity. I can't think of a better gift than that. Definately worth the work to get there, don't you think?

My favorite scripture:

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (Revelation 21: 4)."


Tomorrow's lesson is Chapter 26: Elijah and the Restoration of the Sealing Keys.
Click HERE to read. It is always great to have some time to ponder about the lesson so that we can receive it well, as well as bring our own thoughts to the room. I know our teachers appreciate it when we do!

Love you all.

Thought from Cameo

"We are women now, not children, and we are expected to pray with maturity. The words most often used to describe urgent, prayerful labor are wrestle, plead, cry, and hunger. In some sense, prayer may be the hardest work we will ever engage in, and perhaps it should be."

-Patricia T. Holland

I know I need to hear this because my prayers can get pretty careless sometimes and I know when I have kids I will really want my prayers to matter.

(Thank you so much Cameo!!)