Elders Quorum Lesson Recap August 26th, 2018
Led by Mark Stevens

Topic of discussion: Helping those we minister to to grow spiritually.

In the movie, A Christmas Story, Ralphie gets a pink bunny suit for Christmas from his Aunt. He hates it. Have you ever received a gift that wasn’t what you needed or wanted?

Sam Dahl: Got a backpacking backpack. Hated it at first. Later in life, loved it.  

Patrick Oborn: 12 years old had a party and got rocks for his birthday. He cried...but then got an aquarium and fish to go with it.

Will marriott: Socks and ties

Alex Boone: Pilot fur lined vinyl exterior hat for ice fishing. They weren’t even warm. Never wore it.

Ministers focus on the needs of others.

Have you received a gift from someone who clearly knew what you needed and wanted? How did that feel?  Bro. Stevens shared when he moved in, our ward provided man power to help him move in. He was so grateful.

Alex Boone: Grandma gave a set of coasters. He learned more about it and found out they were owned by his Grandpa. He was really close to his Grandpa who had passed away. The coasters felt like a piece of his grandpa. It meant a great deal to him.

Mike Alder: His ward from when he was married. 5 children under 10. Had just started a new company. His wife had cancer. Every night at 5pm the ward provided dinner for 3 months. It was the greatest gift he had ever received.

Example from Elder Uchtdorf:

A single mother of 2 small children came down with chicken pox. The task of caring for herself and little ones was almost too much. Her house became messy. While she was struggling with children her visiting teachers came. They could hear and see the distress of the sister, the situation of the house, that she needed help. They went to work to help. Why? To love god and fellow man.

Mark Stevens: The sisters took ownership. They saw what was needed and came in and helped.

Bro. Eric Larsen: Elder Holland’s talk. Flooded basement...Home teachers said, call us if you need us. Maybe sometime we’re like that.

Bro. Jerry Brown: Lived in Boston for 30 years. If someone got sick they would get chicken broccoli casserole. It became the ward joke. The ward became a big family. The need for service.

Bro. Will Marriott: It can be awkward and difficult to walk into someone’s home to show up and see and fill a need. A certain relationship is required. It takes trust in order to allow someone to receive it.

Bro. Joe Riggs: How do we get to that point to be able to help? Joe feels like we’re all willing to hep. Part of the issue is recognizing that need.

Tracy Burnham: During Ellcy's last heart operation Sister Bowen came to the Burnhams and with a list of things she'd like to do to help out..."This is what I'd like to do to help..." Michelle turned her down a few times but after gentle persistence from Ann Bowen, Michelle accepted.

Joey Ekstrom:

Pay attention. I like not knowing what’s going on win other people’s lives but really when we pay attention we can identify what it is they need.

Joe Willis:

As a presidency, as we have been performing ministering interviews it is becoming clear that we are running into a problem. When our ministers ask how the family would like to be ministered to, the family says they're good and they don't need anything. Then it puts our ministers in a tricky position of wanting to minister but not having the family's encouragement or approval. We as a quorum must learn how to receive help in our lives. Everyone here is willing to minister however very few of us allow ourselves to be ministered to. Few are willing to raise their hands and ask for help and share what they need. Because we are so willing to give and help, it just might be that for our quorum we could benefit more from receiving help than from giving.

Thank you Bro. Stevens for leading the discussion and for all of the participation.

Elders Quorum Recap August 19th, 2018 Led by Troy Walker

Pure Love: The True Sign of Every True Disciple of Jesus Christ
By Elder Massimo De Feo Of the Quorum of the Seventy

Watched a video on love in our marriages:

How does service make you feel?

What does it mean to be a true disciple of christ?

How do we do a better job of forgiving?

When we forgive someone it’s something we do for ourselves. Holding a grudge is drinking poison and hoping the other person will die.

Bro. Hafen:

    His brother sent him a talk..."Be 100% Responsible."

    Write down all your problems on half the piece of paper. Then on the other half write down your responses. Rip it in half and just keep the side of how you react. That’s all you have control over.

Dave Wirthlin:

    Perspective. Ask yourself. Why does that bother me so much? Will that bother me in 10 days? If not then let it go. If it will then you need to address it.

Jake Carter:

    The concept of fairness in his household and the idea that the world has to be just. He sat down with his family and discussed how Christ handled fairness.  Was it fair for him? Then he asked them to think about where do you live, what you eat, what you have, we have so so much that really we don’t have the right to talk about fairness. We are blessed beyond measure.

Bro. Clyde:

    As you struggle to forgive someone you backslide. You find you have to forgive over and over again.

“True disciples love to submit themselves to the Lord with humble heart…” Quote from the talk. True disciples know it’s not always what we want but rather what the Lord wants for us.

Pure love Is the true sign of every disciple of Jesus Christ….story of his mother dying and praying for his son. (In the talk)

Mike Alder:

Went on his mission without a testimony. But praying for others with all his heart...the spirit was poured down upon him...the spirit said “finally you have figured it out. I want you to love others, not yourself.”

Are we doing all we can to love our wives and nourish that relationship?
Great discussion Troy! Thank you for your preparation and testimony.

Ward BBQ Was a Success!

We had a great turn out, delicious food, and fun music. Thanks to all who helped set up, grill, take down, and eat. We enjoyed getting to know so many new ward members and spend some time together before the school year starts.  We hope you enjoyed yourselves and know that if you were unable to make it, you were missed. See you at the next activity!

Upcoming EQ Lesson Topic for Aug. 19th, 2018

Study Materials for August 19th, 2018

Elders Quorum Discussion will be led by: Bro. Troy Walker

Pure Love: The True Sign of Every True Disciple of Jesus Christ

By Elder Massimo De Feo

Of the Seventy

Click the link below to access the talk:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/pure-love-the-true-sign-of-every-true-disciple-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng

"True disciples love to serve. They know that serving is an expression of true love and a covenant they made at baptism.3 Regardless of their callings in the Church or their role in the community, they feel an increasing desire to love and serve the Lord and one another." - Elder Massimo De Feo

"I remember thinking, “How can someone who is in such great pain pray for someone else? She is the one in need.”

Then the answer came clearly to my mind: pure love. She loved me so much that she forgot about herself. In her most critical hour, she loved me more than herself.

Now, dear brothers and sisters, isn’t this what the Savior did? Of course, in an eternal and much broader perspective. But in the midst of His greatest pain, in the garden that night, He was the one who needed help, suffering in a way that we cannot even imagine or comprehend. But in the end, He forgot about Himself and prayed for us until He paid the full price. How was He able to do it? Because of His pure love for the Father, who sent Him, and for us. He loved the Father and us more than Himself...

Pure love is the true sign of every true disciple of Jesus Christ."

Recap of Sunday's Elders Quorum Lesson Aug 12th

Elders Quorum Lesson August 12th, 2018

Lead by Bro. Hafen

Topic: Revelation For The Church, Revelation For Our Lives by Pres. Nelson

"In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost." - Pres. Nelson

Discussion: What do we need to provide our youth in order to survive the coming days? How do we help them gain the influence of the Holy Ghost in their lives? How do we prepare them spiritually?

• One on one time with our children
• Personal Priesthood Interviews
• Listen to their prayers and you will know if they have a relationship with Heavenly Father
• Bless your children
• Feast upon the scriptures
• Build YOUR relationship with Heavenly Father and your children will feel and follow

“Each of these blessings have come from seeking and heeding the prompting of the Holy Ghost...This is the grand privilege of every Latter-day Saint … that it is our right to have the manifestations of the Spirit every day of our lives.”4 - pres. Lorenzo Snow

“The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children.”

Discussion Question: What is the purpose of personal revelation?

Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will “grow into the principle of revelation.”9

Discussion Question: Why does it seem so hard to receive revelation sometimes?

What kind of time and effort are we putting into our relationship with our Heavenly Father? 

Sometimes do we miss the revelation because we didn't get the answer we were looking for? 

To be sure, there may be times when you feel as though the heavens are closed. But I promise that as you continue to be obedient, expressing gratitude for every blessing the Lord gives you, and as you patiently honor the Lord’s timetable, you will be given the knowledge and understanding you seek. Every blessing the Lord has for you—even miracles—will follow. That is what personal revelation will do for you.

Bro. Hafen shared a personal story about his Dad.

His father was diagnosed with a disease when bro Hafen was 14. Dan was sick of his Dad’s sickness...right before his mission...sat him down for a blessing with every intention to heal him...as he began to give him a blessing it became very clear that his Dad was not meant to be healed.  Revelation is not what you want...it’s what God wants and his will…You are just the mouthpiece...The words came, his dad is not going to be healed. Dan realized at that time that his Dad was going to die. That there’s a bigger plan.

‘Through the manifestation of the HG the Lord will assists us with our righteous pursuits.”

“If we truly receive the Holy Ghost”. What does it mean to “truly” receive the Holy Ghost?

Bro. Hafen shared another great story: 

Bro Hafen's Dad was living in Minnesota. One winter a pipe burst in one of the church buildings (I think it was a church building). Frantic to shut off the water to avoid greater damage his Dad was running everywhere trying to find the water shut off valve. In his frantic state he said several flippant prayers asking for help. While searching for the shut off valve, he realized that his flippant prayers was not the way to approach the Lord. He repented, found a quiet place and asked for help. While praying he had a clear view as to what to do and where to go to find the water shut off valve. He got up and went directly to the spot and turned it off.

We had great participation and it was a wonderful lesson. Please share what thoughts and impressions you had during the lesson.

Funeral Service For Orin Adams: HELP SETTING UP TABLES & CHAIRS

Setting Up Chairs & Tables 

August 13th noon and 3:00pm

As many of you know, Orin Adams in our ward passed away last week. The funeral service is being held today Monday August 13th, 2018 at 11:00am at our ward building.

After the funeral service the family will leave for the graveside service and then come back for a luncheon.

Once the family leaves for the graveside service we need help setting up chairs in the gym for a luncheon. We anticipate needing help around noon for the luncheon.  We need 12 tables set up with eight chairs at each table.

After the luncheon we need additional help putting the tables and chairs away roughly around 3:00pm.

If you can be there to help set up roughly around 12:00pm or take down roughly around 3:00pm that would be a tremendous help.

Thank you Elders and High Preists

Bro. Bethers Needs Help & Possible Help Needed Wed. for Move In

Bro. Bethers Needs a Lift!

Brother Dale Bethers is going through some health challenges. It is difficult for him to leave the house although he would love to take a car ride a few times a week around town or down to the lake. This would allow him to get out of the house as well as give Sister Edith Bethers a break and some time for herself. If you are in a position to help please reach out to Sister Edith Bethers 801-785-2085.

Help the Richards Family Move In

Wed Aug 15th

Time: (Evening...exact time TBD)

3034 Millcreek Rd.

The Richards Family may be needing help moving into the Brostrom's home 3034 Millcreek Rd. Pleasant Grove this coming Wednesday evening. The exact time is yet to be determined. Details to come but block out some time on your calendar to come help and welcome this family into the ward.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Ward BBQ Saturday

Ward BBQ Party is coming up

When:

Saturday August 18th, 2018 5:30 - 8:30

Location:

Manila Creekside Park (in the gated community)

Ward Will Provide:

Burgers, Hot Dogs, possibly chips, waters, plates, utensils, napkins, and
DJ will be provided.

What to Bring:

Bring a side dish to share with ward members. We will be eating picnic style so bring whatever you want to feel
comfortable.

Who Is Invited:

All ward and neighborhood members. Feel free to invite neighbors who do
not regularly attend church services. This is a chance to get to know our
neighbors and enjoy a summer evening together.

Additional Questions contact Joe Willis 801-380-4180

Notes from : 5th Sunday 3rd hour July 29th, 2018 Combined Lesson

***Disclaimer: The following are notes taken from the combined 3rd hour last Sunday. I know I got a lot wrong so please feel free to add additional insights, corrections, and clarifications in the comment section. Please do not rely on the accuracy of the notes and quotes, they're only meant to jog our memories and encourage us to follow up with feelings we had during the class. 

Bishop's Remarks:

We covenant to be the Lord’s friend.

"Faith without works is dead"

“You’ll find the answer to your prayers when you’re doing the Lord’s work.” -Joseph Smith

When we are on the Lord’s errands we qualify for the answers/blessings.

D&C 130: 20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

If you need a blessing, find out what law it's tied to and do your part to qualify for that blessing. 

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and Man.” - Luke 2:52

We need to make a conscious effort to work on our spirituality. Set goals.

Sister Walker's Remarks: Prayer and Covenants

Nothing opens the blessings of heaven more than when we keep our covenants...When we keep our covenants we gain access to His power.

When times are tough, let your covenants be paramount.

Our covenants can be a delight to us.

Prayers: What do prayers have to do with covenants?

D&C 121:45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

Be specific in your prayers.

Prayer will help unlock the promises the Lord is willing to grant.

Are we willing to wrestle in prayer?

As we keep our covenants we will have the confidence to go before the Lord and ask for a solution or a blessing.

Shared a powerful story about her daughter who was sick on her mission. Sister Walker felt that the only one who could help her was the Savior. Sister Walker prayed specifically that her daughter would be healed the next morning. She later received a letter from her daughter saying that when she woke up the the next morning, to her astonishment, she was was completely healed.

Brother Larsen: Let the Scriptures be your Liahona

Bednar: Revelation is the doctrinal reason for studying the scriptiures. Scripture study is for receiving personal revelation.

Elder Oaks and Elder Bednar had compared the scriptures to the Liahona.

Use the scriptures to help you get answers to your prayers.

Bro. Of Jared story...brings rocks and asks the Lord to touch them.  He brought Rocks to the Lord! When you need help in your life...do you come up with a plan and take it to the Lord pleading with faith that he will honor and help fufill your plan?

***Eric then put me on the spot and asked me to recap the story of the conversion of Alma the younger. After butchering the story, I was flustered and didn't take notes after that so sorry Eric... it's up to you to finish out the rest of  these notes.

Eric shared a personal story about praying specifically on behalf of a family member who was in need of help Eric asked that the Lord would send either his wife's Father or his own Father to assist this family member.

Brother Edwards: Spiritual Work

We have received several invitations recently from the Prophet as well as from our stake presidency:

1. Do a personal inventory. Where are you in your life? Where are you on the covenant path.
2. I urge you to stretch beyond your current ability to receive personal revelation. (That you might know the mysteries that bring you joy) I plead with you to do the spiritual work to enhance your ability to receive personal revelation. Go back to Nelsons talk and see his invitations.
3. The Stake has asked us to …attend the temple, make the temple our highest priority, do family history work, keep your temple covenants….If we do, we will deepen our personal conversion, become better parents, keep his commandments, forgive, share the gospel, prosper the lords way, be filled with the saviors love. ...how does serving in the temple help us receive these blessings?

Our spiritual work is that we are working on our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We are cultivating a relationship with a parent who loves us. Who wants to bless us.

Embue spiritual work with joy. Look for what we can do better and seek the revelation in your life.


***That's all I got and I know I missed so many wonderful parts and insights. Please add comments and share what you got out of the combined lesson.