Moon Pie
1 1/2 cups water
6 T butter
2 T sugar
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups flour
6 eggs
Bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Do not evaporate. Add flour all at once and stir quickly until the flour pulls away from the sides. Let cool for a minute or two. Add eggs one at time mixing them completely in after each addition. (Use a hand mixer) Spread on a lightly greased cookie sheet (approximately 18x13x1) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
1 large and 1 small packet of instant vanilla pudding
4 cups of milk
10 oz of 0cream cheese
12 oz of cool whip
chocolate syrup
nuts of your choice
While the cream puff is cooling, mix 1 large and 1 small packet of instant vanilla pudding with a little less than 4 cups of Milk. Let the pudding set up. Soften the cream cheese and then mix it with a little bit of milk until it is smooth. Combine the cream cheese and pudding until smooth. Spread the pudding mixture on the cream puff then put the cool whip on top of that and drizzle with chocolate syrup and nuts. ENJOY!
Creamy Cilantro Dressing
Make 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing according to directions
Once it is set up put it in the blender with
2-3 tomatillos with the husks removed
2 jalapeno peppers with seeds removed
2 tsp of lime juice
3/4 of a bunch of cilantro
1 clove of garlic
dash of salt and pepper
Blend it up and let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes.
YUM!
Bulk Buy for July
Under the bed 72 second emergency kit
2 Light sticks $2.18
1 Radio $5.75
1 Flashlight $1.49
1 Dust mask $0.29
Total per kit $9.71
Shipping will be between $1.14 - 1.26 per order depending on how many things we purchase. The prices above will decrease if we get more than 20 kits worth. So for now figure out how many kits you need and then multiply that by $9.71 and then add shipping.
Start saving for this buy. I will need the money on July 26th.
Don't forget to be working on your EMERGENCY PLAN and take an INVENTORY of your food storage and supplies you have that could be put into 72 hour kits.
2 Light sticks $2.18
1 Radio $5.75
1 Flashlight $1.49
1 Dust mask $0.29
Total per kit $9.71
Shipping will be between $1.14 - 1.26 per order depending on how many things we purchase. The prices above will decrease if we get more than 20 kits worth. So for now figure out how many kits you need and then multiply that by $9.71 and then add shipping.
Start saving for this buy. I will need the money on July 26th.
Don't forget to be working on your EMERGENCY PLAN and take an INVENTORY of your food storage and supplies you have that could be put into 72 hour kits.
June Spotlight Cindy Fillmore
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Hello! I am Cindy Fillmore. I was born in Simi Valley, CA and spent most of my childhood in central coast Cali. My family moved to Utah when I was a freshman in high school, when my father was baptized. Although we miss family and some things about California, (like the beach… something about the ocean speaks to my soul), we have thoroughly enjoyed living in Utah. My husband is Mike, and we are celebrating 10 years of marriage next month! Time truly flies by! We have 4 children: Adam (8), Abigail (6), Kate (almost 3), and Ethan (4 mths). We feel so blessed to have these beautiful and healthy children in our family- they are our greatest joy. I get to stay at home with them, and even though it isn’t always easy and fun, I am grateful. We absolutely love living here in Salem- we moved here just over a year ago, and feel like we are part of a hidden treasure; everyone is so nice and caring. Some of our very favorite things to do as a family include playing outside, camping, hiking, fishing, being with family and friends, watching movies. A few of my favorite things include blogging (my way of scrapbooking), traveling (I love to see new places), crafting, baking, gardening (well, I’m a wanna-be green thumb- but we did put in our garden-yay! And I like weeding, weird I know, but it’s therapeutic to me), and I love to get to know people.
Picnic in the Park
Meet at the pond every Thursday at High Noon to have fun with friends and let the kiddos run and play!
May Presidency Message
As women in the Church, we have a special understand of our role and of its importance in our Heavenly Father’s plan for his children. We know that we were “divinely designated from before the foundation of the world” and that “there is nothing in this world as personal, as nurturing, or as life changing as the influence of a righteous woman” (Mothers and Daughters, Elder Russell M. Ballard). Our responsibilities are especially important in a world where the family and women are under attack. In the April General Conference, Julie Beck said, “A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence.” As women, we have within our natures the talent and stewardship to nurture and to serve.
However, knowing that we have such an important role as women, and so much responsibility can be overwhelming. At such times, we need to remember that our Heavenly Father has not left us alone. As with everything He asks us to do, He has provided us with a way to accomplish it. Some of things He has given us are the gospel, prayer, the scriptures, church leaders, husbands, mothers, friends and family. Along with those and many others, two of the most important gifts our Father has given us are His example and personal revelation. I encourage you to ponder the way our Father in Heaven, a perfect parent, parents His children – so many of whom are disobedient and unfaithful – and consider what we can learn and apply in our own lives by following His example. Our loving Father in Heaven has also given us a way to learn what we should do through personal revelation. Sister Beck said, “It requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions, but having the Spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks. Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times.”
With the guidance we receive from personal revelation, by pondering and then striving to follow our Heavenly Father’s example, and with the blessings the restored gospel brings into our lives, we will be directed and strengthened as we go forward in performing the eternally important work our Heavenly Father has given us.
However, knowing that we have such an important role as women, and so much responsibility can be overwhelming. At such times, we need to remember that our Heavenly Father has not left us alone. As with everything He asks us to do, He has provided us with a way to accomplish it. Some of things He has given us are the gospel, prayer, the scriptures, church leaders, husbands, mothers, friends and family. Along with those and many others, two of the most important gifts our Father has given us are His example and personal revelation. I encourage you to ponder the way our Father in Heaven, a perfect parent, parents His children – so many of whom are disobedient and unfaithful – and consider what we can learn and apply in our own lives by following His example. Our loving Father in Heaven has also given us a way to learn what we should do through personal revelation. Sister Beck said, “It requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions, but having the Spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks. Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times.”
With the guidance we receive from personal revelation, by pondering and then striving to follow our Heavenly Father’s example, and with the blessings the restored gospel brings into our lives, we will be directed and strengthened as we go forward in performing the eternally important work our Heavenly Father has given us.
NOW IS THE TIME
If you have not already established your 72 hour kits, don't beat yourself up for even a second, instead get busy and put them together.
There is so much information out there. Simplify! I have posted here on our website (under the preparedness label)a way to create "The Plan", "72 Hour Kit", "72 second under the bed kit", and much more.
When you decide what list you want to use stick to it and get it done! I am here to help and will offer bulk buys over the next few months.
When you start to prepare and especially when you have completed these things you will be filled with peace.
There is so much information out there. Simplify! I have posted here on our website (under the preparedness label)a way to create "The Plan", "72 Hour Kit", "72 second under the bed kit", and much more.
When you decide what list you want to use stick to it and get it done! I am here to help and will offer bulk buys over the next few months.
When you start to prepare and especially when you have completed these things you will be filled with peace.
Under Bed 72 - Second Disaster kit
Under Bed 72-Second Disaster Kit -
Keep items in a Bag/backpack (this will prevent glass and other debris from getting in your shoes)
Sturdy Shoes
Pair of Socks
Emergency contact list
Whistle (to attract the attention of emergency personnel)
Dust mask (Useful in fires and earthquakes)
Work gloves (To protect your hands when moving glass or debris)
Several bottles of water
Flashlight (Don’t use if you smell gas)
Light stick on a lanyard
Pry bar
Portable radio with spare batteries
On Bedside Night Stand Keep:
Extra car keys
Cell phone and charger
Glasses
Wallet
If you have batteries on hand and you purchase the flashlight, light sticks, radio, and dust mask through the ward bulk buys you can assemble this kit for $23.00
Keep items in a Bag/backpack (this will prevent glass and other debris from getting in your shoes)
Sturdy Shoes
Pair of Socks
Emergency contact list
Whistle (to attract the attention of emergency personnel)
Dust mask (Useful in fires and earthquakes)
Work gloves (To protect your hands when moving glass or debris)
Several bottles of water
Flashlight (Don’t use if you smell gas)
Light stick on a lanyard
Pry bar
Portable radio with spare batteries
On Bedside Night Stand Keep:
Extra car keys
Cell phone and charger
Glasses
Wallet
If you have batteries on hand and you purchase the flashlight, light sticks, radio, and dust mask through the ward bulk buys you can assemble this kit for $23.00
Creat your Emergency Plan
1. Determine what disasters your area is susceptible to. If you live in Kansas, you don't need to prepare for a hurricane, but you'd better be ready for tornadoes. While some disasters, such as fire, can happen anywhere, the hazards you might encounter vary widely from place to place. Check with your local emergency management or civil defense office, Red Cross chapter, or the National Weather Service to get an idea of what emergencies you should prepare for.
2 Find out what you should do in case a disaster strikes. The organizations above will likely be able to advise you what to do in an emergency. They may be able to provide you with evacuation maps and information about local warning systems and emergency plans. If you can't get all the information you need from officials, research your local hazards on your own. Figure out, for example, what preparations you should make for a tornado or hurricane (you can find information on many disaster situations right here on wikiHow) and how to survive if you're caught in a disaster, and determine the best evacuation routes on your own if need be. Remember, when push comes to shove, it's your responsibility to ensure your family is well prepared.
3 Pick a meeting spot and a way to get in contact with your family members. There's a good chance that all your family members won't be in the same place when disaster strikes, so it's important to have a predetermined rendezvous point. Choose a spot that will likely be safe and that is well away from your neighborhood, as you might not be able to make it back to your home.
4 Designate a friend or relative as a contact person that you, your spouse, and your children can call if you can't meet up. In order to minimize the chance that the contact person will also be affected by the disaster, choose someone who lives in a distant town or in a different state. Make sure that all your family members have the contact person's phone number with them at all times.
5 Discuss disaster scenarios with your family and make sure everyone knows what to do in all the likely emergency scenarios. It's important to educate yourself on how to respond to likely hazards, but what happens to your family if they are away from you or if you're killed or injured? It's not enough for one person in the family to know what to do--everybody should know the plan.
6 Fix potential hazards in your home. Once you've identified potential disaster scenarios, thoroughly inspect your house and try to make it as safe as possible. Here are just a few examples:
• Every home should have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Test smoke detectors at least once a month, and replace their batteries yearly or as needed. Fire extinguishers should be recharged according to the manufacturer's instructions, and family members should learn how to use them. Everyone should also know how to escape the house in the event of a fire.
• If you live in an area prone to earthquakes, you wouldn't want a tall, heavy bookcase sitting right next to the baby's crib, as it could be knocked over in a quake.
• If you live near woods with the possibility of forest fires, you should clear your property of brush and high grass to create a buffer zone between your home and the fire.
7 Teach your family basic life-saving techniques. Everyone who can learn CPR and first aid should take a certification class and keep their certification current. Adults and older children should know how to turn off gas, electricity and water if the house is damaged, and everyone should know how to detect a gas leak. Emergency numbers should be posted near phones, and even small children should be taught how to call 9-1-1 or the corresponding emergency number in your country.
8 Assemble a disaster kit. Be prepared for emergencies with at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food and potable water, prescription medications, first aid supplies, and other things you might need if you have no utilities and no way to purchase supplies. Keep a smaller kit in the trunk of your car. See the related wikiHow for more details on building a disaster kit. An inexpensive "pay-as-you-go" cell phone is a good addition to the kit.
9 Practice your plan. Practice makes perfect, and in a life-or-death situation, you want to respond perfectly. Periodically go over your emergency plans with your family, and update them as needed. Quiz and drill your family on important safety concepts. Do a live test with your family; make it an outing and get everyone involved. That will help you identify what works and what doesn't.
10 Have contingency plans. In the event your emergency site is unavailable or other things change, it's a good idea to have an alternate already identified.
React-During-an-Earthquake
How to create and emergency plan
How to create a grab & go list
2 Find out what you should do in case a disaster strikes. The organizations above will likely be able to advise you what to do in an emergency. They may be able to provide you with evacuation maps and information about local warning systems and emergency plans. If you can't get all the information you need from officials, research your local hazards on your own. Figure out, for example, what preparations you should make for a tornado or hurricane (you can find information on many disaster situations right here on wikiHow) and how to survive if you're caught in a disaster, and determine the best evacuation routes on your own if need be. Remember, when push comes to shove, it's your responsibility to ensure your family is well prepared.
3 Pick a meeting spot and a way to get in contact with your family members. There's a good chance that all your family members won't be in the same place when disaster strikes, so it's important to have a predetermined rendezvous point. Choose a spot that will likely be safe and that is well away from your neighborhood, as you might not be able to make it back to your home.
4 Designate a friend or relative as a contact person that you, your spouse, and your children can call if you can't meet up. In order to minimize the chance that the contact person will also be affected by the disaster, choose someone who lives in a distant town or in a different state. Make sure that all your family members have the contact person's phone number with them at all times.
5 Discuss disaster scenarios with your family and make sure everyone knows what to do in all the likely emergency scenarios. It's important to educate yourself on how to respond to likely hazards, but what happens to your family if they are away from you or if you're killed or injured? It's not enough for one person in the family to know what to do--everybody should know the plan.
6 Fix potential hazards in your home. Once you've identified potential disaster scenarios, thoroughly inspect your house and try to make it as safe as possible. Here are just a few examples:
• Every home should have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Test smoke detectors at least once a month, and replace their batteries yearly or as needed. Fire extinguishers should be recharged according to the manufacturer's instructions, and family members should learn how to use them. Everyone should also know how to escape the house in the event of a fire.
• If you live in an area prone to earthquakes, you wouldn't want a tall, heavy bookcase sitting right next to the baby's crib, as it could be knocked over in a quake.
• If you live near woods with the possibility of forest fires, you should clear your property of brush and high grass to create a buffer zone between your home and the fire.
7 Teach your family basic life-saving techniques. Everyone who can learn CPR and first aid should take a certification class and keep their certification current. Adults and older children should know how to turn off gas, electricity and water if the house is damaged, and everyone should know how to detect a gas leak. Emergency numbers should be posted near phones, and even small children should be taught how to call 9-1-1 or the corresponding emergency number in your country.
8 Assemble a disaster kit. Be prepared for emergencies with at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food and potable water, prescription medications, first aid supplies, and other things you might need if you have no utilities and no way to purchase supplies. Keep a smaller kit in the trunk of your car. See the related wikiHow for more details on building a disaster kit. An inexpensive "pay-as-you-go" cell phone is a good addition to the kit.
9 Practice your plan. Practice makes perfect, and in a life-or-death situation, you want to respond perfectly. Periodically go over your emergency plans with your family, and update them as needed. Quiz and drill your family on important safety concepts. Do a live test with your family; make it an outing and get everyone involved. That will help you identify what works and what doesn't.
10 Have contingency plans. In the event your emergency site is unavailable or other things change, it's a good idea to have an alternate already identified.
React-During-an-Earthquake
How to create and emergency plan
How to create a grab & go list
72 Hour Kit Checklist
72 Hour Kit Checklist
Food & Water (rotate every 6 months)
A three day supply of food and water, per person, when no refrigeration or cooking is available.
o Protein/Granola Bars
o Trail Mix/Dried Fruit
o Crackers/Cereals (for munching)
o Canned: Tuna, Beans, Fruit, Turkey, Vienna Sausages, etc. (MRE Food Pouches are lighter in weight)
o Juice/Protein Shakes (can or pouch like Slimfast but without all the sugar. They are full of protein, vitamins and minerals.)
o Candy/Gum
o Water (1 gallon/4 liters Per Person, Per Day!)
o Pet Food and Water
Bedding & Clothing
Change of clothing (short and long sleeved shirts, pants, jackets, socks, underwear, etc.)
o Rain coat/Poncho
o Emergency Heat Blankets
o Sleeping Bag
o Tent
o Sleeping Pad (important for insulation from cold ground)
o Cold Weather Gear – (Coat, gloves, hand warmers, etc…)
o Pet bedding, leash, crates, carriers, etc…
Equipment
o Can Opener
o Dishes, Utensils
o Shovel
o Radio (with batteries or crank!)
o Pen and Paper
o Pocket Knife: Leatherman or Gerber Tool
o 50 Foot Nylon Rope
o Whistle
o Wrench or Pliers to turn off utilities
o Duct Tape and Plastic Sheeting to “Shelter-in-Place
o Dust Mask
Personal Supplies & Medication
o Toiletries (roll of toilet paper-remove the center tube to easily flatten into a Ziploc, feminine hygiene, folding brush, etc..)
o First Aid Kit/Supplies
o Sanitation supplies (mini hand sanitizer, soap, garbage bags, etc.)
o Immunizations up-to-date
o Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, children’s medications etc.)
o Prescription Medication (for 3 days)
o Glasses/Contacts
Fuel & Light
o Lighting (Flashlights, Lamps, etc.) Don’t forget batteries if it’s not a crank!
o Extra Batteries
o Flares
o Candles & Lighter
o Water-Proof Matches
Personal Documents & Money
Place these items in a waterproof container!
o Scriptures
o Contact information of family & friends.
o Temple recommend (make sure it’s in your wallet when you leave)
o Copies of Legal Documents: Birth /Marriage Certificates, wills, vaccination papers, passports, contracts, insurance policies, bank info, genealogy, pet, etc…)
o Cash: $50-100 in small bills and $10 in quarters.
o Credit Card
o Pre-paid phone cards
o Extra Car and house keys
o Pictures of family
Games & Entertainment
You’ll want to keep just a few things in you kits to keep yourself and kids entertained.
o Books: Reading, Coloring
o Crayons, pencils and paper
o 1-2 board games and puzzles
o Favorite stuffed animal
Miscellaneous
o Bag (s) to put 72 hour kit items in (such as duffel bags or backpacks, which work great) Make sure you can lift/carry it!
o Infant needs (if applicable)
Remember you can always add more to your kit!
Tip 1: Your kit should be in a portable, easy to lift and carry, container located near an exit of your house.
Tip 2: Each family member should have their own 72 hour kit with food clothing and water. Distribute heavy items between kits.
Tip 3: keep a light source in the top of your kit so you can find it quickly in the dark.
Tip 4: Inspect your 72 hour kit a least twice a year. Check medication, check children’s clothing for proper fit, and check expirations dates on batteries, light sticks, warm packs, food and water.
Food & Water (rotate every 6 months)
A three day supply of food and water, per person, when no refrigeration or cooking is available.
o Protein/Granola Bars
o Trail Mix/Dried Fruit
o Crackers/Cereals (for munching)
o Canned: Tuna, Beans, Fruit, Turkey, Vienna Sausages, etc. (MRE Food Pouches are lighter in weight)
o Juice/Protein Shakes (can or pouch like Slimfast but without all the sugar. They are full of protein, vitamins and minerals.)
o Candy/Gum
o Water (1 gallon/4 liters Per Person, Per Day!)
o Pet Food and Water
Bedding & Clothing
Change of clothing (short and long sleeved shirts, pants, jackets, socks, underwear, etc.)
o Rain coat/Poncho
o Emergency Heat Blankets
o Sleeping Bag
o Tent
o Sleeping Pad (important for insulation from cold ground)
o Cold Weather Gear – (Coat, gloves, hand warmers, etc…)
o Pet bedding, leash, crates, carriers, etc…
Equipment
o Can Opener
o Dishes, Utensils
o Shovel
o Radio (with batteries or crank!)
o Pen and Paper
o Pocket Knife: Leatherman or Gerber Tool
o 50 Foot Nylon Rope
o Whistle
o Wrench or Pliers to turn off utilities
o Duct Tape and Plastic Sheeting to “Shelter-in-Place
o Dust Mask
Personal Supplies & Medication
o Toiletries (roll of toilet paper-remove the center tube to easily flatten into a Ziploc, feminine hygiene, folding brush, etc..)
o First Aid Kit/Supplies
o Sanitation supplies (mini hand sanitizer, soap, garbage bags, etc.)
o Immunizations up-to-date
o Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, children’s medications etc.)
o Prescription Medication (for 3 days)
o Glasses/Contacts
Fuel & Light
o Lighting (Flashlights, Lamps, etc.) Don’t forget batteries if it’s not a crank!
o Extra Batteries
o Flares
o Candles & Lighter
o Water-Proof Matches
Personal Documents & Money
Place these items in a waterproof container!
o Scriptures
o Contact information of family & friends.
o Temple recommend (make sure it’s in your wallet when you leave)
o Copies of Legal Documents: Birth /Marriage Certificates, wills, vaccination papers, passports, contracts, insurance policies, bank info, genealogy, pet, etc…)
o Cash: $50-100 in small bills and $10 in quarters.
o Credit Card
o Pre-paid phone cards
o Extra Car and house keys
o Pictures of family
Games & Entertainment
You’ll want to keep just a few things in you kits to keep yourself and kids entertained.
o Books: Reading, Coloring
o Crayons, pencils and paper
o 1-2 board games and puzzles
o Favorite stuffed animal
Miscellaneous
o Bag (s) to put 72 hour kit items in (such as duffel bags or backpacks, which work great) Make sure you can lift/carry it!
o Infant needs (if applicable)
Remember you can always add more to your kit!
Tip 1: Your kit should be in a portable, easy to lift and carry, container located near an exit of your house.
Tip 2: Each family member should have their own 72 hour kit with food clothing and water. Distribute heavy items between kits.
Tip 3: keep a light source in the top of your kit so you can find it quickly in the dark.
Tip 4: Inspect your 72 hour kit a least twice a year. Check medication, check children’s clothing for proper fit, and check expirations dates on batteries, light sticks, warm packs, food and water.
Cooking Tips and Other tricks
Weeds: Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
Don't just keep dental floss in your medicine cabinet. Keep some
in the kitchen. It's a great tool. Unflavored dental floss is
often better than a& knife to cleanly cut all kinds of soft foods,
soft cheese, rolled dough, layered cake and cheesecake.
Don't just keep dental floss in your medicine cabinet. Keep some
in the kitchen. It's a great tool. Unflavored dental floss is
often better than a& knife to cleanly cut all kinds of soft foods,
soft cheese, rolled dough, layered cake and cheesecake.
June Preparedness Bulk Buy
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Preparedness BULK BUY for June
Stove Tec Survival Stove
$40.00
• 45-50% more efficient than open fire cooking
• Burns wood, dung, sagebrush, weeds, pine cones, etc.
• 23,900 BTUs of cooking heat
• Generates little to no smoke
• Boils 1 gallon of water in 20 min with three 12” sticks of kindling
• Built to cook 3 meals a day for years of continuous use
• Easy to clean steel body
• Only 10-1/4” tall
Click here to see the website for this product.
May Spotlight
Alyse Hansen
I was born in Provo and grew up in Salem. I attended Salem Elementary, graduated from Spanish Fork High, and received an associates from UVSC.
David and I grew up in the same ward. He is nearly four years older than I am and took my sister to senior prom, (I took his nephew to a dance too, so it evened out)! We started dating shortly after I graduated from high school and were married a year later in the Timpanogos Temple on May 29, 2003. Shortly after being married we traveled across the country where David would start dental school in Lexington, Kentucky.
We have three children Adaline 5, Ashton 3 and Eli 11 months. As a family we love camping, horseback riding, hiking, softball, going to the park and just being together.
April Presidency Message
Julie B. Beck
Relief Society General President
In the past year I have met thousands of Latter-day Saint women in many countries. The list of challenges these sisters face is lengthy and sobering. There are family troubles, economic tests, calamities, accidents, and illnesses. There is much distraction and not enough peace and joy. Despite popular media messages to the contrary, no one is rich enough, beautiful enough, or clever enough to avoid a mortal experience.
The questions sisters ask are serious and insightful. They articulate uneasiness about the future, sorrow for unrealized expectations, some indecision, and diminished feelings of self-worth. They also reflect a deep desire to do what is right.
There has grown in me an overwhelming testimony of the value of daughters of God. So much depends on them. In my visits with the sisters, I have felt that there has never been a greater need for increased faith and personal righteousness. There has never been a greater need for strong families and homes. There has never been more that could be done to help others who are in need. How does one increase faith, strengthen families, and provide relief?1 How does a woman in our day find answers to her own questions and stand strong and immovable against incredible opposition and difficulty?
Personal Revelation
A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do. Life is not calm for most women, and each day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important. A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence. But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently.
The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness. Keeping the commandments, repenting, and renewing covenants made at baptism lead to the blessing of always having the Lord’s Spirit with us.2 Making and keeping temple covenants also adds spiritual strength and power to a woman’s life. Many answers to difficult questions are found by reading the scriptures because the scriptures are an aid to revelation.3 Insight found in scripture accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day. Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us.4 Those who earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study often have a paper and pencil nearby to write questions and record impressions and ideas.
Revelation can come hour by hour and moment by moment as we do the right things. When women nurture as Christ nurtured, a power and peace can descend to guide when help is needed. For instance, mothers can feel help from the Spirit even when tired, noisy children are clamoring for attention, but they can be distanced from the Spirit if they lose their temper with children. Being in the right places allows us to receive guidance. It requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions, but having the Spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks. Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times.
We are told to put our trust in that Spirit which leads us “to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously.”5 We are also told that this Spirit will enlighten our minds, fill our souls with joy, and help us know all things we should do.6 Promised personal revelation comes when we ask for it, prepare for it, and go forward in faith, trusting that it will be poured out upon us.
Relief Society—Teaching, Inspiring, and Strengthening
Additionally, the Lord in His wisdom has provided a Relief Society to help His daughters in these latter days. When Relief Society functions in an inspired way, it lifts women up and out of a troubled world and into a way of living that prepares them for the blessings of eternal life. This society has at its very core the responsibility to help sisters increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. Through Relief Society, sisters can receive answers to their questions and be blessed by the combined spiritual power of all the sisters. Relief Society validates the true and eternal nature of daughters of God. It is a sacred trust, a guiding light, and a system of watchcare that teaches and inspires women to be strong and immovable. Its motto, “Charity never faileth,”7 is embodied in all good women.
When a girl advances into Relief Society or when a woman is baptized into the Church, she becomes part of a sisterhood that strengthens her in her preparation for eternal life. Entrance into Relief Society signifies that a woman can be trusted and relied upon to make a significant contribution in the Church. She continues to progress as an individual without receiving much outward credit or praise.
The second general Relief Society president, Eliza R. Snow, said this to the sisters: “We want to be ladies in very deed, not according to the term of the word as the world judges, but fit companions of the Gods and Holy Ones. In an organized capacity we can assist each other in not only doing good but in refining ourselves, and whether few or many come forward and help to prosecute this great work, they will be those that will fill honorable positions in the Kingdom of God. . . . Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we like to be appreciated but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think is our due, what matters? We know the Lord has laid high responsibility upon us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in our hearts in righteousness but will be realized, and the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities.”8
Measuring Success
Good women always have a desire to know if they are succeeding. In a world where the measures of success are often distorted, it is important to seek appreciation and affirmation from proper sources. To paraphrase a list found in Preach My Gospel, we are doing well when we develop attributes of Christ and strive to obey His gospel with exactness. We are doing well when we seek to improve ourselves and do our best. We are doing well when we increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. We know we are successful if we live so that we qualify for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit. When we have done our very best, we may still experience disappointments, but we will not be disappointed in ourselves. We can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when we feel the Spirit working through us.9 Peace, joy, and hope are available to those who measure success properly.
A revelation in the book of Joel states that in the last days, sons and daughters of God will prophesy and the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His servants and His handmaids.10 President Spencer W. Kimball echoed this prophecy when he said:
“Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world. . . .
“Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and spiritual growth of the Church in the last days.”11
I bear my witness that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. The Lord depends on His daughters to do their part to strengthen the homes of Zion and build His kingdom on the earth. As they seek and qualify for personal revelation, the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His handmaids in these latter days. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Relief Society General President
In the past year I have met thousands of Latter-day Saint women in many countries. The list of challenges these sisters face is lengthy and sobering. There are family troubles, economic tests, calamities, accidents, and illnesses. There is much distraction and not enough peace and joy. Despite popular media messages to the contrary, no one is rich enough, beautiful enough, or clever enough to avoid a mortal experience.
The questions sisters ask are serious and insightful. They articulate uneasiness about the future, sorrow for unrealized expectations, some indecision, and diminished feelings of self-worth. They also reflect a deep desire to do what is right.
There has grown in me an overwhelming testimony of the value of daughters of God. So much depends on them. In my visits with the sisters, I have felt that there has never been a greater need for increased faith and personal righteousness. There has never been a greater need for strong families and homes. There has never been more that could be done to help others who are in need. How does one increase faith, strengthen families, and provide relief?1 How does a woman in our day find answers to her own questions and stand strong and immovable against incredible opposition and difficulty?
Personal Revelation
A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do. Life is not calm for most women, and each day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important. A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence. But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently.
The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness. Keeping the commandments, repenting, and renewing covenants made at baptism lead to the blessing of always having the Lord’s Spirit with us.2 Making and keeping temple covenants also adds spiritual strength and power to a woman’s life. Many answers to difficult questions are found by reading the scriptures because the scriptures are an aid to revelation.3 Insight found in scripture accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day. Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us.4 Those who earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study often have a paper and pencil nearby to write questions and record impressions and ideas.
Revelation can come hour by hour and moment by moment as we do the right things. When women nurture as Christ nurtured, a power and peace can descend to guide when help is needed. For instance, mothers can feel help from the Spirit even when tired, noisy children are clamoring for attention, but they can be distanced from the Spirit if they lose their temper with children. Being in the right places allows us to receive guidance. It requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions, but having the Spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks. Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times.
We are told to put our trust in that Spirit which leads us “to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously.”5 We are also told that this Spirit will enlighten our minds, fill our souls with joy, and help us know all things we should do.6 Promised personal revelation comes when we ask for it, prepare for it, and go forward in faith, trusting that it will be poured out upon us.
Relief Society—Teaching, Inspiring, and Strengthening
Additionally, the Lord in His wisdom has provided a Relief Society to help His daughters in these latter days. When Relief Society functions in an inspired way, it lifts women up and out of a troubled world and into a way of living that prepares them for the blessings of eternal life. This society has at its very core the responsibility to help sisters increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. Through Relief Society, sisters can receive answers to their questions and be blessed by the combined spiritual power of all the sisters. Relief Society validates the true and eternal nature of daughters of God. It is a sacred trust, a guiding light, and a system of watchcare that teaches and inspires women to be strong and immovable. Its motto, “Charity never faileth,”7 is embodied in all good women.
When a girl advances into Relief Society or when a woman is baptized into the Church, she becomes part of a sisterhood that strengthens her in her preparation for eternal life. Entrance into Relief Society signifies that a woman can be trusted and relied upon to make a significant contribution in the Church. She continues to progress as an individual without receiving much outward credit or praise.
The second general Relief Society president, Eliza R. Snow, said this to the sisters: “We want to be ladies in very deed, not according to the term of the word as the world judges, but fit companions of the Gods and Holy Ones. In an organized capacity we can assist each other in not only doing good but in refining ourselves, and whether few or many come forward and help to prosecute this great work, they will be those that will fill honorable positions in the Kingdom of God. . . . Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we like to be appreciated but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think is our due, what matters? We know the Lord has laid high responsibility upon us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in our hearts in righteousness but will be realized, and the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities.”8
Measuring Success
Good women always have a desire to know if they are succeeding. In a world where the measures of success are often distorted, it is important to seek appreciation and affirmation from proper sources. To paraphrase a list found in Preach My Gospel, we are doing well when we develop attributes of Christ and strive to obey His gospel with exactness. We are doing well when we seek to improve ourselves and do our best. We are doing well when we increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. We know we are successful if we live so that we qualify for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit. When we have done our very best, we may still experience disappointments, but we will not be disappointed in ourselves. We can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when we feel the Spirit working through us.9 Peace, joy, and hope are available to those who measure success properly.
A revelation in the book of Joel states that in the last days, sons and daughters of God will prophesy and the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His servants and His handmaids.10 President Spencer W. Kimball echoed this prophecy when he said:
“Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world. . . .
“Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and spiritual growth of the Church in the last days.”11
I bear my witness that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. The Lord depends on His daughters to do their part to strengthen the homes of Zion and build His kingdom on the earth. As they seek and qualify for personal revelation, the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His handmaids in these latter days. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Cooking Tips and Other tricks
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
Add a tsp of water when frying ground beef. It helps pull grease away from meat while cooking
Add a tsp of water when frying ground beef. It helps pull grease away from meat while cooking
April Spotlight
Brenda Dansie
Where were you born? Payson Hospital
Where did you grow up? Spanish Fork and Salem
What High School did you graduate from? Spanish Fork High
Where did you meet your husband? Cruising Main
Any fun story you'd like to share? I worked at a taco place with his sister so he used to come in there all the time.
How long have you been married? 16 years, we dated for 4 years before we got married.
How many children do you have? 3 Steffen 16, Tritney 15, Courtney 10.
Any exciting experiences you would like to share? I have led a good life and have appreciated all of my experiences, and I can't wait to have more.
Where have you lived during your married life? Spanish Fork and Salem
Do you work? Where? Yes, I'm a lunch lady at Mr. Loafer Elementary.
Your favorite hobbies? I love to scrapbook, do crafts, help others, and sew.
Your greatest joys? My husband and kids, camping, fishing, hunting, 4 wheelers and spending time with my family.
Fun experiences or travel you could tell us about? We go see my grandparents every year 1 or 2 times in the summer and play with them in St. George.
March Presidency Message
Self-Reliance is taking responsibility for our own spiritual and temporal welfare and for those Heavenly Father has entrusted us with. Only when we are self-reliant can we truly emulate the Savior and bless others. Our ability to serve is increased or diminished by the level of our self-reliance. (Robert Hales)
We become self-reliant by gaining knowledge and education, by managing our money and resources wisely, studying, serving, and becoming spiritually strong. By preparing ourselves and families for emergencies and by having good physical health and emotional well being. Self-reliance is an essential element in our spiritual and temporal well being.
What am I doing to help myself and my family become self-reliant? Do I know how to raise a garden, harvest it and put away food? Do I have a year supply of food and water? Can I sew and mend clothing? Am I prepared for an emergency? Am I budgeting, saving, and living within my means. Am I strengthening myself spiritually, emotionally, and physically? Will my testimony sustain me in times of trial?
There is great peace and satisfaction that come from becoming self-reliant. Many of life's problems can be avoided when we live this way. The church teaches us that responsibility for ourselves and family rest in this order:1-Ourselves (With the help of the Lord, 2 Family,3-Church (Ward Family)
President Boyd K. Packer states: "The aim of the church is to help people, help themselves. It is a self-help system, not a quick handout system. Our Bishop's face increasing calls to councel members with problems that have more to do with emotional than physical. There is an epidemic in the church of Counselitis. This problem drains spiritual strength from the church. We live in an instant society and seem to demand instant everything, including instant solutions for our problems. Spiritual independence and self-reliance is a sustaining power in the church. If we rob members of it by solving all of their problems, how will they learn to get revelation for themselves. They need to know how to get answers to their prayers."
It is meant that life would have challenges. I think we sometimes forget that we are but a prayer away from the Master Counselor of the Universe. A 24/7 service, free of charge! I know that we can be directed in every problem that we are faced with when we involve the Lord. He knows us and always knows what we need, He is the one to whom we should turn to for answers to life's problems. The scriptures are full of examples of people taking their problems to the Lord. One I find very remarkable is the Brother of Jared in the book of Ether. He was truly a man who knew how to pray and get answers. Read Ether Chapter 1, 2 and 3.
We are sent here to learn to become like the Savior and to learn to become God's and Goddesses. Without experience and growth, we can not do this.
Our trial may be physical, spiritual, economic, or emotional but when we treat them as opportunities to grow, standing self-reliant, doing our part and involving the Lord, great blessing will come into our lives.
We become self-reliant by gaining knowledge and education, by managing our money and resources wisely, studying, serving, and becoming spiritually strong. By preparing ourselves and families for emergencies and by having good physical health and emotional well being. Self-reliance is an essential element in our spiritual and temporal well being.
What am I doing to help myself and my family become self-reliant? Do I know how to raise a garden, harvest it and put away food? Do I have a year supply of food and water? Can I sew and mend clothing? Am I prepared for an emergency? Am I budgeting, saving, and living within my means. Am I strengthening myself spiritually, emotionally, and physically? Will my testimony sustain me in times of trial?
There is great peace and satisfaction that come from becoming self-reliant. Many of life's problems can be avoided when we live this way. The church teaches us that responsibility for ourselves and family rest in this order:1-Ourselves (With the help of the Lord, 2 Family,3-Church (Ward Family)
President Boyd K. Packer states: "The aim of the church is to help people, help themselves. It is a self-help system, not a quick handout system. Our Bishop's face increasing calls to councel members with problems that have more to do with emotional than physical. There is an epidemic in the church of Counselitis. This problem drains spiritual strength from the church. We live in an instant society and seem to demand instant everything, including instant solutions for our problems. Spiritual independence and self-reliance is a sustaining power in the church. If we rob members of it by solving all of their problems, how will they learn to get revelation for themselves. They need to know how to get answers to their prayers."
It is meant that life would have challenges. I think we sometimes forget that we are but a prayer away from the Master Counselor of the Universe. A 24/7 service, free of charge! I know that we can be directed in every problem that we are faced with when we involve the Lord. He knows us and always knows what we need, He is the one to whom we should turn to for answers to life's problems. The scriptures are full of examples of people taking their problems to the Lord. One I find very remarkable is the Brother of Jared in the book of Ether. He was truly a man who knew how to pray and get answers. Read Ether Chapter 1, 2 and 3.
We are sent here to learn to become like the Savior and to learn to become God's and Goddesses. Without experience and growth, we can not do this.
Our trial may be physical, spiritual, economic, or emotional but when we treat them as opportunities to grow, standing self-reliant, doing our part and involving the Lord, great blessing will come into our lives.
March Spotlight
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My name is Lillie Schramm Francom
I was born in a little two room adobe house on 3rd South and 6th East in Payson, UT where I grew up and went to school. With the exception of about 3 years when my family lived in Pioche, NV. I spent my youth in Payson. I went to Peteetneet grade school, Payson Junior High School and graduated from Payson High School in 1945.
I met my Husband Arthur L. Francom at my brother’s Missionary Farewell Dance in January of 1946 and we were married on July 5th 1946. We have four children they are Stewart, Ivy, Paula and Michele. We have 13 grandchildren, one granddaughter and 12 grandsons, and 11 great grandchildren five boys and six girls.
We were married for 60 years. My husband died just six weeks after our 60th wedding anniversary. We spent the first 25 years of our married life as farmers on our farm between Salem and Payson and he worked at Ironton and Geneva Steel form 1954 to 1986 running the farm on the side.
I went back to school at the age of 46 and got my LPN degree in nursing from Utah Technical College in Provo and worked at Payson Hospital until my retirement in 1991.
Both sides of my family have belonged to the church since its early beginnings and some helped build the Kirtland and Nauvoo temples and served in the Mormon battalion. My favorite scripture is the 23 Psalm.
I no longer do any work that I can get out of. My hobbies are spinning, knitting, sewing and whatever strikes my fancy. I have just finished compiling a book of family histories.
My husband and I did a little traveling before his health failed that included trips to Europe, Alaska, and Hawaii and trips to see our children that live in Kansas, Idaho and Iowa.
My greatest joys are family and friends and my greatest frustration is the computer.
Cooking Tips and Other tricks
Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
Eggs: To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
Eggs: To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
February Presidency Message
In Matthew 5:48, we are commanded to "Be ye therefore perfect." That is a scripture that can cause turmoil, when we think of all our weaknesses and faults. But when we read the last part of the verse "even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect", it raises the question, "What is perfection in Heavenly Father's eyes?" Does it mean to have a perfectly decorated and clean house, with perfectly cooked food? Does it mean to have perfectly straight teeth in a perfectly trim and healthy body? Does it mean to have perfect kids?
That doesn't sound like perfection - it sounds like exhaustion!
In what ways does Heavenly Father want us to be perfect? Surely not worldly ways.
The vision of the tree of life may help us understand. In this vision, Lehi sees a tree with beautiful white fruit. He partakes of this fruit and finds it delicious. It also fills him with indescribable joy. It fills him with such joy that desires his family to partake, too. Some of them do, but some of them don't. Laman and Lemuel are drawn to a large and spacious building where crowds of people are looking at those who are eating the fruit and scoffing at them. As Lehi and his family eat of the fruit a dark mist overcomes the scene. Those who still desire to eat the fruit must walk on a straight and narrow path, holding on to a rod of iron in order to make it to the tree. Even once they reach it, they are not safe. Some who eat are ashamed due to the continued mocking of the crowd and fall away. But all who eat are filled with joy.
Lehi's son, Nephi, wanted to know what his father's vision meant. He prayed in faith and was able to see a vision of his own which answered many questions. Because of Nephi's inquiry we find out that the fruit of the tree of life represents God's love for us. We realize that feeling charity, the pure love of Christ, is the most desirable thing we can attain in this life.
Wouldn't this be one way of defining perfection? Being perfect in love towards our Heavenly Father, Christ, and our fellow beings? That sounds easier than having a perfectly clean house, doesn't it?
Or maybe not. Because according to the vision, we are surrounded on all sides by mists of darkness, or the temptations and pride of the world. Satan uses everything he has to keep us from that joy. It is not easy to stay on the path.
But there is a way. It is to keep hold of the iron rod. This, according to Nephi, represents the word of God.
Where do we find the word of God? We immediately think of the scriptures and the words of the prophets. But there is another source and that is our personal revelation. All of us have access to
the gift of the Holy Ghost, which we received at baptism. Pres. Lorenzo Snow said, "It is the grand privilege of every Latter-Day Saint...to have the manifestations of the spirit every day of our lives...[so] that we may know the light, and not be groveling continually in the dark."
We can access the Holy Ghost simply by asking, listening, and following its promptings. We do need to be worthy - the Spirit thrives in some environments and is stifled in others. But we don't need to be perfect. We just have to ask, listen and obey. When we feel promptings, we need to heed them, or that gift leaves us for a while until we are willing to obey.
Learning to speak the language of the Spirit takes spiritual labor. It is no different than learning another language. It takes time. It takes practice. But it is the most important work one can do on earth. For, step by step, through the Holy Ghost we can recieve promptings that will help us overcome weaknesses, strengthen our testimonies, and, most of all, be filled with the perfect, joyous love of God.
That doesn't sound like perfection - it sounds like exhaustion!
In what ways does Heavenly Father want us to be perfect? Surely not worldly ways.
The vision of the tree of life may help us understand. In this vision, Lehi sees a tree with beautiful white fruit. He partakes of this fruit and finds it delicious. It also fills him with indescribable joy. It fills him with such joy that desires his family to partake, too. Some of them do, but some of them don't. Laman and Lemuel are drawn to a large and spacious building where crowds of people are looking at those who are eating the fruit and scoffing at them. As Lehi and his family eat of the fruit a dark mist overcomes the scene. Those who still desire to eat the fruit must walk on a straight and narrow path, holding on to a rod of iron in order to make it to the tree. Even once they reach it, they are not safe. Some who eat are ashamed due to the continued mocking of the crowd and fall away. But all who eat are filled with joy.
Lehi's son, Nephi, wanted to know what his father's vision meant. He prayed in faith and was able to see a vision of his own which answered many questions. Because of Nephi's inquiry we find out that the fruit of the tree of life represents God's love for us. We realize that feeling charity, the pure love of Christ, is the most desirable thing we can attain in this life.
Wouldn't this be one way of defining perfection? Being perfect in love towards our Heavenly Father, Christ, and our fellow beings? That sounds easier than having a perfectly clean house, doesn't it?
Or maybe not. Because according to the vision, we are surrounded on all sides by mists of darkness, or the temptations and pride of the world. Satan uses everything he has to keep us from that joy. It is not easy to stay on the path.
But there is a way. It is to keep hold of the iron rod. This, according to Nephi, represents the word of God.
Where do we find the word of God? We immediately think of the scriptures and the words of the prophets. But there is another source and that is our personal revelation. All of us have access to
the gift of the Holy Ghost, which we received at baptism. Pres. Lorenzo Snow said, "It is the grand privilege of every Latter-Day Saint...to have the manifestations of the spirit every day of our lives...[so] that we may know the light, and not be groveling continually in the dark."
We can access the Holy Ghost simply by asking, listening, and following its promptings. We do need to be worthy - the Spirit thrives in some environments and is stifled in others. But we don't need to be perfect. We just have to ask, listen and obey. When we feel promptings, we need to heed them, or that gift leaves us for a while until we are willing to obey.
Learning to speak the language of the Spirit takes spiritual labor. It is no different than learning another language. It takes time. It takes practice. But it is the most important work one can do on earth. For, step by step, through the Holy Ghost we can recieve promptings that will help us overcome weaknesses, strengthen our testimonies, and, most of all, be filled with the perfect, joyous love of God.
Dry Cannery
*********** DRY PACK UPDATE*************
In late December, the Lindon Home Storage Center (Dry Pack) requested the information about price changes happening on January 16th be sent to our distribution list. It was amazing to see the effects this had. Brother Anderson, Manager of the Lindon Home Storage Center, has now asked that we share the following with you:
Lindon Home Storage Center (Dry-Pack) update. For Dry Pack questions call: 801-785-0997
• Powdered Milk
On January 16th the price of powdered milk rose $10.60 per 25# bag, from $24.80 to its current price of $35.40. As noted on the Family Home Storage Center price sheet (found on-line at www.providentliving.org), prices are subject to change without notice. The $24.80 price was in effect for almost seven months prior to the increase.
As soon as we were notified of the price increase in early December, I sent out a notice via the great sisters in the Wet-Pack Cannery Office. The results were interesting:
o In November 2009, our patrons canned just under 800 #10 cans of milk.
o In December, they canned just under 700 #10 cans of milk (remember that we were closed for ~the last two weeks in December.)
o In the first two weeks of January - before the price change on the 16th - just under 2,500 #10 cans were processed.
o On Thursday, January 14th, there was so much demand that we literally ran out of product fairly early in the day. It should be noted that if the demand had peaked in the weeks before, we could have replenished the milk to meet the demands since we order each week for the following week. But, by the last week, it was too late to order more.
o Note: the canning stats above do not include the thousands of pounds that were purchased in bulk during this time.
o The parallel to the parable of the 10 virgins came to my mind after all the (milk) dust settled. Those who waited until the last minute lost the benefit of the better price.
o Please note that the price of our powdered milk is still excellent considering that ~two years ago the price was over $70 per bag!
• Potato Flakes
A new opportunity has now presented itself. With the new price changes, potato flakes (NOT potato pearls!) have dropped from $30.20 per 25 lb. box to $22.20, a decrease of $8 per box.
Potato Flakes are only dried potatoes. Their shelf life, when properly canned and stored under ideal conditions (as noted on the order form), will be 30 years. You can make them taste just as good as potato pearls by adding salt, butter and milk.
We recommend that you plan early to increase your own home storage inventory and take advantage of the lower price of this and other items.
Other items to take note of are:
• White Rice: Price dropped $1.90 (11.1%) per 25# box to $$8.45
• Black Beans: Price dropped $1.85 (4.1%) per 25# bag to $14.50
• Spaghetti: Price dropped $1.70 (7.4%) per 25# box to $14.55
• White Beans: Price dropped $1.65 (7.6%) per 25# bag to $14.10
• Pre Packs
As you were informed earlier, the prices of our pre-packed items are no longer the same price as the do-it-yourself cans of equal quantity. They are slightly higher, ranging from 11 cents to 23 cents per can higher depending on the product. This is still a great buy if you want to save time in securing these products for your home storage. You can buy these pre-packs directly off the shelf.
New Pre-Pack Items: Starting sometime after the 1st of April, we will be offering two additional pre-pack items:
• White Wheat
• White Flour
Pricing and availability will be forwarded to you as soon as we are notified. This information, as always, will also be posted when the time comes on the Home Storage Center Order Form at www.providentliving.org.
We strongly suggest that the counsel of the Brethren be followed and that you build up your home storage items by:
• First securing your 3 months supply of those items your family eats every day.
• Then slowly build up your long-term food storage.
o You don't have to do it all at once! But keep at it!
o We have some very excellent and EASY instructions to help you determine what you will need for a year's supply of food for your family. Come in and talk to one of our excellent missionary staff! They are all willing and anxious to assist you.
The Lindon Home Storage Center is open on a walk-in, first-come/first-serve basis on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Price and product information is located on www.providentliving.org. (Make sure to use .org extension since there is a .net website with the same name.) You are looking for the Home Storage Center Order Form link on this website. It is an interactive form where you can plan your expenditure by entering order amounts and seeing the total amount you will spend. After you complete the order form, print it off and bring it with you to expedite the check-in process at the Home Storage Center. Do not fill out your check prior to arriving at the Center just in case they are out of any of the products you planned to order.
One last note: Remember that it isn't enough just to buy food stuffs in bulk and store them, as-purchased, without preparing them to last long-term.
I talked with a patron a few months ago who wanted to buy 2,000 lbs of White Wheat. When I asked how she planned to store it, she said she had no idea what I meant. She felt that all that was needed to be prepared was to buy it in bulk. No thought was given to safe and secure storing procedures. Don't get caught with a lot of food storage that may be at risk because of improper storage preparations.
We love serving you!
Y'all come in and see us! Hear?
Elder Anderson, Manager
Lindon Home Storage Center
In late December, the Lindon Home Storage Center (Dry Pack) requested the information about price changes happening on January 16th be sent to our distribution list. It was amazing to see the effects this had. Brother Anderson, Manager of the Lindon Home Storage Center, has now asked that we share the following with you:
Lindon Home Storage Center (Dry-Pack) update. For Dry Pack questions call: 801-785-0997
• Powdered Milk
On January 16th the price of powdered milk rose $10.60 per 25# bag, from $24.80 to its current price of $35.40. As noted on the Family Home Storage Center price sheet (found on-line at www.providentliving.org), prices are subject to change without notice. The $24.80 price was in effect for almost seven months prior to the increase.
As soon as we were notified of the price increase in early December, I sent out a notice via the great sisters in the Wet-Pack Cannery Office. The results were interesting:
o In November 2009, our patrons canned just under 800 #10 cans of milk.
o In December, they canned just under 700 #10 cans of milk (remember that we were closed for ~the last two weeks in December.)
o In the first two weeks of January - before the price change on the 16th - just under 2,500 #10 cans were processed.
o On Thursday, January 14th, there was so much demand that we literally ran out of product fairly early in the day. It should be noted that if the demand had peaked in the weeks before, we could have replenished the milk to meet the demands since we order each week for the following week. But, by the last week, it was too late to order more.
o Note: the canning stats above do not include the thousands of pounds that were purchased in bulk during this time.
o The parallel to the parable of the 10 virgins came to my mind after all the (milk) dust settled. Those who waited until the last minute lost the benefit of the better price.
o Please note that the price of our powdered milk is still excellent considering that ~two years ago the price was over $70 per bag!
• Potato Flakes
A new opportunity has now presented itself. With the new price changes, potato flakes (NOT potato pearls!) have dropped from $30.20 per 25 lb. box to $22.20, a decrease of $8 per box.
Potato Flakes are only dried potatoes. Their shelf life, when properly canned and stored under ideal conditions (as noted on the order form), will be 30 years. You can make them taste just as good as potato pearls by adding salt, butter and milk.
We recommend that you plan early to increase your own home storage inventory and take advantage of the lower price of this and other items.
Other items to take note of are:
• White Rice: Price dropped $1.90 (11.1%) per 25# box to $$8.45
• Black Beans: Price dropped $1.85 (4.1%) per 25# bag to $14.50
• Spaghetti: Price dropped $1.70 (7.4%) per 25# box to $14.55
• White Beans: Price dropped $1.65 (7.6%) per 25# bag to $14.10
• Pre Packs
As you were informed earlier, the prices of our pre-packed items are no longer the same price as the do-it-yourself cans of equal quantity. They are slightly higher, ranging from 11 cents to 23 cents per can higher depending on the product. This is still a great buy if you want to save time in securing these products for your home storage. You can buy these pre-packs directly off the shelf.
New Pre-Pack Items: Starting sometime after the 1st of April, we will be offering two additional pre-pack items:
• White Wheat
• White Flour
Pricing and availability will be forwarded to you as soon as we are notified. This information, as always, will also be posted when the time comes on the Home Storage Center Order Form at www.providentliving.org.
We strongly suggest that the counsel of the Brethren be followed and that you build up your home storage items by:
• First securing your 3 months supply of those items your family eats every day.
• Then slowly build up your long-term food storage.
o You don't have to do it all at once! But keep at it!
o We have some very excellent and EASY instructions to help you determine what you will need for a year's supply of food for your family. Come in and talk to one of our excellent missionary staff! They are all willing and anxious to assist you.
The Lindon Home Storage Center is open on a walk-in, first-come/first-serve basis on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Price and product information is located on www.providentliving.org. (Make sure to use .org extension since there is a .net website with the same name.) You are looking for the Home Storage Center Order Form link on this website. It is an interactive form where you can plan your expenditure by entering order amounts and seeing the total amount you will spend. After you complete the order form, print it off and bring it with you to expedite the check-in process at the Home Storage Center. Do not fill out your check prior to arriving at the Center just in case they are out of any of the products you planned to order.
One last note: Remember that it isn't enough just to buy food stuffs in bulk and store them, as-purchased, without preparing them to last long-term.
I talked with a patron a few months ago who wanted to buy 2,000 lbs of White Wheat. When I asked how she planned to store it, she said she had no idea what I meant. She felt that all that was needed to be prepared was to buy it in bulk. No thought was given to safe and secure storing procedures. Don't get caught with a lot of food storage that may be at risk because of improper storage preparations.
We love serving you!
Y'all come in and see us! Hear?
Elder Anderson, Manager
Lindon Home Storage Center
February Spotlight
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Our Spotlight this month is Rita Jeffery
I was born in Ririe, Idaho, but I grew up on a dry farm near Sun Valley, Idaho.
I went to school in a two room schoolhouse, and was the only graduate. We skied to school most everyday in the winter months. My dad would leave our car in town and then our horses would pull us in a sleigh back and forth to our home. My dad was the bishop most all of my growing up years. So on Sunday mornings we would get into town and clean up the town tavern, (which was always a dirty mess from the bar the night before) then that is where we would hold church. So that is where I was taught and learned the gospel).
In the spring time it was such a wonderful time of year, so many gorgeous birds! Lots of meadow larks and bluebirds.
I graduated from college and I have a bachelor degree in Elementary Education. I taught school for 15 years. Kindergarten is my favorite. In Arizona I taught near an Indian reservation. I loved these children. Papago Indians and many Mexican children were in my kindergarten class. I also taught in a private school. That year when school was out for the summer, we had three missionaries out, and I thought what can I do to help out here, that is when I decided to start a preschool in my home, which worked out great, and I had it for 6 years.
I met my husband Ray a few years after our missions. We both served as missionaries in the Western Canada mission. We were serving at the same time, so I'm sure we must have met at zone meetings, but I really met him at a mission reunion some years later.
We have been married for 51 years. Ray worked for IBM. We lived in San Jose, Calif. in Longmont, Colorado and Tucson Arizona. He is always helping people. He honored every call in the church. He has served in two bishoprics and many other callings. We've both been very active in the church. After Ray retired we have served two missions. Santa Rosa, California where we worked mostly with Native Americans. We had several baptisms. One very special one with a paralized lady named Wonda. After she died I did her temple work.
We served as temple missionaries in Santiago Chili (2002-04) We learned all the ordinances in Spanish.
A special experence we had in Chili. The temple was closed for nearly a month in Dec. (this is their Summer.) We flew south with a group of missionaries. What an experience! We went to Penguin Island and saw 40,000 pairs of penguins plus their babies. It was unbelievable! I also have washed my hands in the Straights of Magellan. I have seen birds and animals that are no place else in the world! Also waterfalls and glaciers that are just breath taking. I've been in a wind that picked up rocks as big as your fist.
Ray and I have had many wonderful experences together.
We have 7 children. 5 living. I have had 2 sets of twins. Rawlin was our first then one year later, Ralph and Ryan (twins), Mary and Cinda (twins) they lived just a few hours. Jeana, and Jonathon. All of our children have served missions. All have graduated from college, three are doctors.
We have 11 grandchildren and 4 step grandchildren that we love so much.
My favorite hobbies are reading, walking, working in the garden, reading to children, and watching birds.
My greatest joys are my children, grandchildren, and working in the Temple.
My favorite scripture is; 2 Nephi 31:19-21
We love having Sister Jeffery in our ward!!! She lives at 577 S. Towers Dr.
Pictures are the Jeffery family on their 50th wedding anniversery and Grandsons who were serving missions at the time.
GOOD NEWS MOMENT
Jimmie and Lynette Black have been called on a service mission at the MTC.
Congratulations to the Fillmore family, they have a new baby boy!
Congratulations to the Fillmore family, they have a new baby boy!
January Presidency Message
"This is God's work, and God's work will not be frustrated. But there is still much to be done before the Great Jehovah can announce that the work is done. While we praise and honor those faithful Saints who have brought us to this point of public prominence, we cannot afford, my brothers and sisters, to be comfortable or content."We are all needed to finish the work that was begun by those pioneering Saints over 175 years ago and carried out through the subsequent decades by faithful Saints of every generation. We need to believe as they believed. We need to work as they worked. We need to serve as they served. And we need to overcome as they overcame."Of course, our challenges are different today, but they are no less demanding. Instead of angry mobs, we face those who constantly try to defame. Instead of extreme exposure and hardship, we face alcohol and drug abuse, pornography, all kinds of filth, sleaze, greed, dishonesty, and spiritual apathy. Instead of families being uprooted and torn from their homes, we see the institution of the family, including the divine institution of marriage, under attack as groups and individuals seek to define away the prominent and divine role of the family in society."This is not to suggest that our challenges today are more severe than the challenges faced by those who have gone before us. They are just different. The Lord isn't asking us to load up a handcart; He's asking us to fortify our faith. He isn't asking us to walk across a continent; He's asking us to walk across the street to visit our neighbor. He isn't asking us to give all of our worldly possessions to build a temple; He's asking us to give of our means and our time despite the pressures of modern living to continue to build temples and then to attend regularly the temples already built. He isn't asking us to die a martyr's death; He's asking us to live a disciple's life."
M. Russell Ballard, "The Truth of God Shall Go Forth," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 83–84
M. Russell Ballard, "The Truth of God Shall Go Forth," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 83–84
Cooking Tips and Tricks
Reheat Pizza - Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy.
Conditioner: Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...or those little bottles you bring home from a hotel.
Conditioner: Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...or those little bottles you bring home from a hotel.
Powdered milk, syrup, egg, hot cocoa
Two recipes for cocoa mix using powdered milk:
Instant Cocoa Mix
1 8-qt. box powdered milk (9 c)
1 1-lb. box powdered sugar (4 c)
1 1-lb. container Hershey’s or Nestles Quick (5 c)
1 10-oz. jar powdered creamer (3 c)
½-1 c unsweetened cocoa (to taste)
Mix in very large bowl. Store in covered container. Mix about 3 heaping spoonfuls to one cup hot water. Makes a lot!
Cocoa Mix Karen Wilcox
15 c instant powdered milk
1 ½ c sugar
1 c cocoa
1 ½ tsp. salt
Makes enough for 10 quarts or 40 1-cup servings. To use the mix, stir ½ c mix into 1 c hot water for a warm drink or ice cold water for chocolate milk.
Other recipes for using food storage: (These were in my recipe box along with the beans. I’m sure all of these recipes were from a homemaking meeting in the ‘90s, when 2nd Ward went clear to the Woodland Hills stoplight.)
Homemade Maple Syrup Tori Goudy
2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 c water
½ c Karo (opt)
1 tsp maple extract
Mix all ingredients except flavoring; boil to dissolve sugar. Add flavoring.
Egg for baking Tori Goudy
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
3 Tbsp cold water
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp boiling water
This mixture will substitute for 1 egg in a recipe.
Condensed milk
½ c hot water
1 c sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1 c pwd. Milk
Blend thoroughly in blender. Can be stored in refrigerator or frozen.
Buttermilk or Sour Milk
1 c water
1/3 c pwd milk
1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice
Drinkable Powdered Milk
To improve the flavor of powdered milk, mix it half and half with whole milk. Or try adding a little sugar or vanilla to enhance flavor. Let it chill several hours before drinking.
Instant Cocoa Mix
1 8-qt. box powdered milk (9 c)
1 1-lb. box powdered sugar (4 c)
1 1-lb. container Hershey’s or Nestles Quick (5 c)
1 10-oz. jar powdered creamer (3 c)
½-1 c unsweetened cocoa (to taste)
Mix in very large bowl. Store in covered container. Mix about 3 heaping spoonfuls to one cup hot water. Makes a lot!
Cocoa Mix Karen Wilcox
15 c instant powdered milk
1 ½ c sugar
1 c cocoa
1 ½ tsp. salt
Makes enough for 10 quarts or 40 1-cup servings. To use the mix, stir ½ c mix into 1 c hot water for a warm drink or ice cold water for chocolate milk.
Other recipes for using food storage: (These were in my recipe box along with the beans. I’m sure all of these recipes were from a homemaking meeting in the ‘90s, when 2nd Ward went clear to the Woodland Hills stoplight.)
Homemade Maple Syrup Tori Goudy
2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 c water
½ c Karo (opt)
1 tsp maple extract
Mix all ingredients except flavoring; boil to dissolve sugar. Add flavoring.
Egg for baking Tori Goudy
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
3 Tbsp cold water
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp boiling water
This mixture will substitute for 1 egg in a recipe.
Condensed milk
½ c hot water
1 c sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1 c pwd. Milk
Blend thoroughly in blender. Can be stored in refrigerator or frozen.
Buttermilk or Sour Milk
1 c water
1/3 c pwd milk
1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice
Drinkable Powdered Milk
To improve the flavor of powdered milk, mix it half and half with whole milk. Or try adding a little sugar or vanilla to enhance flavor. Let it chill several hours before drinking.
Rice
To cook rice:
One cup of uncooked rice will make 3 cups of cooked rice, or four servings.
Combine:
1 c uncooked rice
1 tsp. salt
2 c boiling water
Combine the ingredients. Bring to boil in a saucepan, stirring now and then to keep rice from clumping. When it reaches a boil, cover with lid and lower the heat to simmer. Cook about 15-20 minutes without removing lid or stirring, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
Ideas for using rice Karen Wilcox
• Cook rice in beef or chicken broth instead of water.
• Mix cooked rice with a variety of things—sliced mushrooms, sautéed onions, crumbled pieces of bacon, slivered almonds, or grated cheese.
• Try sour cream and chives mixed into cooked rice.
• Substitute ½ c fruit juice (apple, orange, cherry) for ½ c water when cooking. Vegetable juice cocktail or tomato juice may also be exchanged for 1 c of the water used in cooking.
• Add on of the following herbs to the cooking water when preparing rice.
o 1/8 tsp. dried thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, basil, or savory
o ½ tsp. celery seeds or dried dill
o ¾ tsp. dried marjoram
o seasoned salt instead of regular salt
o 1 small bay leaf
Sweet Rice Lili Hartman
Melt ¼ c butter in non-stick frying pain. Add 1 c rice, uncooked. Sauté rice. Add 2 c water and bring to a boil. Add ¼ c butter, turn to low. Cover and cook 20 min. or until liquid is absorbed.
One cup of uncooked rice will make 3 cups of cooked rice, or four servings.
Combine:
1 c uncooked rice
1 tsp. salt
2 c boiling water
Combine the ingredients. Bring to boil in a saucepan, stirring now and then to keep rice from clumping. When it reaches a boil, cover with lid and lower the heat to simmer. Cook about 15-20 minutes without removing lid or stirring, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
Ideas for using rice Karen Wilcox
• Cook rice in beef or chicken broth instead of water.
• Mix cooked rice with a variety of things—sliced mushrooms, sautéed onions, crumbled pieces of bacon, slivered almonds, or grated cheese.
• Try sour cream and chives mixed into cooked rice.
• Substitute ½ c fruit juice (apple, orange, cherry) for ½ c water when cooking. Vegetable juice cocktail or tomato juice may also be exchanged for 1 c of the water used in cooking.
• Add on of the following herbs to the cooking water when preparing rice.
o 1/8 tsp. dried thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, basil, or savory
o ½ tsp. celery seeds or dried dill
o ¾ tsp. dried marjoram
o seasoned salt instead of regular salt
o 1 small bay leaf
Sweet Rice Lili Hartman
Melt ¼ c butter in non-stick frying pain. Add 1 c rice, uncooked. Sauté rice. Add 2 c water and bring to a boil. Add ¼ c butter, turn to low. Cover and cook 20 min. or until liquid is absorbed.
Beans
Refried Beans Dawn VanNosdol
Soak and cook small red beans until very, very tender. Drain and while still hot, put in food processor or blender. Add a little water and process until desired consistency is achieved. Then add spices—these may include: garlic, onion, chili pwd., salt, dried green peppers, pepper, bacon fat or rendered ham fat, liquid smoke, or any others you like. All of the spices are optional.
Cook just long enough to blend spices together. This is all “make to taste.” You may use immediately or freeze.
*If beans are old, add ½ tsp. baking soda or more to your beans while you are soaking them. Rinse before cooking.
To cook old hard beans:
Wash and sort to remove any discolored beans or foreign material. For each cup of dry beans, add 2 ½ c hot tap water and 2 tsp. of baking soda and soak overnight. Drain and rinse two times. Then add water to cover. Cook until tender and soft, about two hours, adding more water as needed.
Adding a Tbsp. of oil will cut down on foam as beans cook. Stored beans should be rotated regularly. They continue to lose moisture and will not reconstitute satisfactorily if kept too long.
Cooking Beans Karen Wilcox
Soaking and cooking beans before mixing with other recipe ingredients helps to get the right tenderness and can minimize final cooking time.
Overnight Soaking:
For each 1 lb. beans, dissolve 2 tsp. salt in 6 c water. Wash beans, add to salted water, and soak overnight.
Quick Soaking:
For each 1 lb. beans, bring 8 c of water to boiling. Wash beans, add to boiling water, and boil for 2 min. Remove from heat, cover and soak 1 hour.
To cook soaked beans:
For each 1 lb dried beans, dissolve 2 tsp. salt in 6 c hot water; bring to boil. Add soaked beans. Boil, uncovered, adding water if needed to keep beans covered until tender. Yield: 6-7 cups.
To soak/cook beans in crock pot:
For small crock pot:
2 c beans. Fill the rest with water. Add 2 tsp. salt. Leave to cook all day (8 hrs.)
For large crock pot:
4 c beans. Fill the rest with water. Add 4 tsp. salt. Leave to cook all day (8 hrs.)
Soak and cook small red beans until very, very tender. Drain and while still hot, put in food processor or blender. Add a little water and process until desired consistency is achieved. Then add spices—these may include: garlic, onion, chili pwd., salt, dried green peppers, pepper, bacon fat or rendered ham fat, liquid smoke, or any others you like. All of the spices are optional.
Cook just long enough to blend spices together. This is all “make to taste.” You may use immediately or freeze.
*If beans are old, add ½ tsp. baking soda or more to your beans while you are soaking them. Rinse before cooking.
To cook old hard beans:
Wash and sort to remove any discolored beans or foreign material. For each cup of dry beans, add 2 ½ c hot tap water and 2 tsp. of baking soda and soak overnight. Drain and rinse two times. Then add water to cover. Cook until tender and soft, about two hours, adding more water as needed.
Adding a Tbsp. of oil will cut down on foam as beans cook. Stored beans should be rotated regularly. They continue to lose moisture and will not reconstitute satisfactorily if kept too long.
Cooking Beans Karen Wilcox
Soaking and cooking beans before mixing with other recipe ingredients helps to get the right tenderness and can minimize final cooking time.
Overnight Soaking:
For each 1 lb. beans, dissolve 2 tsp. salt in 6 c water. Wash beans, add to salted water, and soak overnight.
Quick Soaking:
For each 1 lb. beans, bring 8 c of water to boiling. Wash beans, add to boiling water, and boil for 2 min. Remove from heat, cover and soak 1 hour.
To cook soaked beans:
For each 1 lb dried beans, dissolve 2 tsp. salt in 6 c hot water; bring to boil. Add soaked beans. Boil, uncovered, adding water if needed to keep beans covered until tender. Yield: 6-7 cups.
To soak/cook beans in crock pot:
For small crock pot:
2 c beans. Fill the rest with water. Add 2 tsp. salt. Leave to cook all day (8 hrs.)
For large crock pot:
4 c beans. Fill the rest with water. Add 4 tsp. salt. Leave to cook all day (8 hrs.)
Lynette Black
I was raised right here in Salem. My parents are Max and Naomi Wride. I'm the oldest of five children. I thought I lived so far out of town and was grateful to have aunts, uncles and cousins close by. (Actually, I was even named after my moms brother Lynn Christensen, which I've always loved, its been fun living in the same ward with him and Aunt Aylene.)
My parents bought my mothers family home when I was very young which sits right across from by cousin Soren Christensen's big white and red barn that you see coming into Salem from Payson today. There were no homes south of us, just fields clear to the goose nest in Elkridge, actually fields everywhere.
We were all one ward here in Salem until I was 12 years old. When the town split into two wards, right down main street. I was devastated, because I was the only girl my age in the new 2nd ward. It all worked out, they just put me with the girls a year older.
I was in the last 9th grade graduating class from Salem. (It's exciting to have a Jr. High School coming to Salem again soon! Who would have thought a High School!! It's wonderful!) I graduated from Spanish Fork High School.
My husbands family moved to Salem when he was a Jr. in High School. Oh my goodness, were those cute "Black boys the talk of the town." I was to young though. ( I never let Jim forget! One day after church he ask me how old I was, and when I told him, he told me, "Oh your to young") We did start dating when I was 16.
After High School I went to Snow College and Jim went into the Marines. Thankfully after two years we got back together and were married in the Manti Temple April 29, 1966.
We moved to Sunnyvale Calif. where Jim worked for Hewlett/Packard. Our first daughters Patti and Cindie were born there, then we moved to San Jose where our son John was born. We moved back to Utah for a short time and our son Jeffrey(deceased) was born. Shirl Hanks was our wonderful bishop at this time. Then we moved to Santa Rosa Calif where our daughter Allison was born. When she was a year old we moved back to Salem, for good this time, and bought our home we still live in.
I started a Pre School at this time. Salem had never heard of anything like this, when we went to get a business license, they said they needed to talk to some other cities about us, so the next month they said, "go ahead" when they talked to other places they said, Oh, they'll just go away. So I had a wonderful time teaching pre school for over 25 years. As we can see they never went away.
Five years after Allison was born we were blessed with another son Bradley.
Today we have 17 beautiful grandchildren. 9 Boys and 8 Girls.
I love to travel, Jim & I have been to Czech,(where our oldest son served his mission) Hungary, Austria and Germany. Also, Japan it was wonderful, but I love the USA!
I work at the temple on Thurs. and love it! Jim and I will be starting a service mission at the MTC shortly which I know will be an exciting adventure.
Cooking Tips and Tricks
Expanding Frosting: If you must buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
Reheating refrigerated bread: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
Reheating refrigerated bread: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
December Presidency Message
During this time of year, we seem to be bombarded with good things to do – shopping for the perfect gift, baking for neighbors, making candy, decorating our homes, going to parties, and following our family traditions. Unfortunately, all of these good things we try to do often lead us to forget the most important part of the Christmas season – Christ. Elder Dallin Oaks gave us this counsel for our daily lives. It is especially relevant at this time of year. He said, “We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives“ (Ensign, November 2007, 104-8).
Many of us are like Martha in the New Testament. We are busy working and preparing for the “big event”, while the simple, but often most important, moments pass us by. When Martha complained to Jesus that her sister Mary, who was sitting listening to him talk, was leaving her alone to work, Jesus commended Martha for her work – it was good. But, he went on to say that Mary had chosen the better part. It is important to recognize at this time of year that many things are good, but some things are best. We should take a moment to evaluate what we are going to do this season and think of what we would really like to have happen. Do we want to celebrate with perfect decorations, wear ourselves out fulfilling every tradition and attending every party only to discover on Christmas day that we have forgotten the best thing – celebrating the birth of our Savior and strengthening our testimonies of His divine mission?
One sister described how she had begun to practice the principle of selective neglect at Christmastime by not planning to do everything every year. A tradition in her family was to make gingerbread houses. However, one year, after all of the pieces were baked and all the candy and icing ready, she and her family decided to eat it right then - laughing and talking and enjoying the moment. She said, “Surely the Savior would be more pleased with our family laughing and working together and eating its lopsided cookie pieces than He ever would by a prize-winning gingerbread house.” I am sure that was a memory no one in her family would ever forget. Her advice is this: “Christmas must not be a dreaded obligation to be waded through somehow; it is an opportunity to remember and celebrate the birth of our Savior by following his example of love” (Ensign, December 1980, 49).
President Monson said, “As we lift our eyes heaven ward ant then remember to look outward into the lives of others, as we remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive, we, during this Christmas season, will come to see a bright, particular star that will guide us to our precious opportunity. “ As we think of our Savior and try to love as He would love and serve as He would serve, I know we will be lead to find our “precious opportunities”. Then, our testimonies of Him, of His divine mission and of His love for all of us will be strengthened. I pray that during this wonderful time of year, each of us will choose the best things and provide for ourselves and our families the opportunity to enjoy and treasure the special moments this season can bring.
Many of us are like Martha in the New Testament. We are busy working and preparing for the “big event”, while the simple, but often most important, moments pass us by. When Martha complained to Jesus that her sister Mary, who was sitting listening to him talk, was leaving her alone to work, Jesus commended Martha for her work – it was good. But, he went on to say that Mary had chosen the better part. It is important to recognize at this time of year that many things are good, but some things are best. We should take a moment to evaluate what we are going to do this season and think of what we would really like to have happen. Do we want to celebrate with perfect decorations, wear ourselves out fulfilling every tradition and attending every party only to discover on Christmas day that we have forgotten the best thing – celebrating the birth of our Savior and strengthening our testimonies of His divine mission?
One sister described how she had begun to practice the principle of selective neglect at Christmastime by not planning to do everything every year. A tradition in her family was to make gingerbread houses. However, one year, after all of the pieces were baked and all the candy and icing ready, she and her family decided to eat it right then - laughing and talking and enjoying the moment. She said, “Surely the Savior would be more pleased with our family laughing and working together and eating its lopsided cookie pieces than He ever would by a prize-winning gingerbread house.” I am sure that was a memory no one in her family would ever forget. Her advice is this: “Christmas must not be a dreaded obligation to be waded through somehow; it is an opportunity to remember and celebrate the birth of our Savior by following his example of love” (Ensign, December 1980, 49).
President Monson said, “As we lift our eyes heaven ward ant then remember to look outward into the lives of others, as we remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive, we, during this Christmas season, will come to see a bright, particular star that will guide us to our precious opportunity. “ As we think of our Savior and try to love as He would love and serve as He would serve, I know we will be lead to find our “precious opportunities”. Then, our testimonies of Him, of His divine mission and of His love for all of us will be strengthened. I pray that during this wonderful time of year, each of us will choose the best things and provide for ourselves and our families the opportunity to enjoy and treasure the special moments this season can bring.
December Spotlight Linda Beddoes
Where were you born? I was born in Springville, Ut
Where did you grow up? I lived all my life in Springville until I married at age 21 then moved clear to Spanish Fork which was 6 miles south.
What high school did you graduated from? Springville
Any education beyond high school? I graduated from Cosmetology School and worked as a hair dresser for several years after I married Joe.
Where did you meet your husband? I was dating my husbands’ cousin and he introduced us and we were married 6 months later.
How long have you been married? In March we will have been married 42 years.
How many children do you have? We have three daughters.
What are their names? Michelle(Shelly) Smith , Salem. Robbin Averett, Kamas Ut. And Jamie Beddoes, Salem.
Any grandchildren? How many? Any exciting things you would like to share? We have a total of eight grandchildren, 6 girls and 2 boys. Because of not having the opportunity to raise boys, I have really enjoyed the two grandsons. They have been so good to share their lives with me.
Where have you lived during your married life? Our first 37 years of marriage were in Spanish Fork. We bought a very small, very old house and Joe proceeded to remodel it. He was still at it 4 years ago when we moved to Salem. This is where Joe was born and raised. He has always wanted to move back to Salem. We all feel like this is home.
Do you work? Where? I have worked all my married life but, the last 20 years were at Brigham Young University as the office manager in the Accounts Payable Dept. I just retired last April and it has been a big adjustment to stay home all day and start over again to be a full time wife. I think that I am learning.
Your favorite hobbies? I don’t really have any hobbies but I love to sit at the Baseball Park and watch the grandkids play ball. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Your greatest joys? My husband, my three daughters and my grandchildren. I thank my Heavenly Father for the opportunity to share in their lives.
Fun experiences or travel you could tell us about? I have a special group of 8 lady friends that I spend a lot of time with. We have been together for about 37 years. We have raised our children together and our husbands together. I think it is the cheapest therapy I can find. We have done a lot of traveling both inside the United States and out. Every once and a while we break down and take the husbands with us and we have had some wonderful experiences.
Are you a convert to the church? Do you have a favorite scripture? No I’m not a convert and I am not sure I have one favorite scripture.
November Presidency Message
Time… seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years ….. Time ticks on. It’s the thing that life is made of. Most of the time there is never enough of it! Yet sometimes we wish it away. Once it is gone, we can never get it back.
Have you ever thought about what fills your time? How you use it? President Ochtdorf posed this question. What are the non-essential things that clutter your days and steal your time?
As Latter-day Saint Women, we have many, many, responsibilities that fill our time and it seems like we never feel we have enough time to do everything that our hearts and our minds want to.
We recognize the many demands for your time and after taking that into consideration along with your commitments and responsibilities, we have discussed and prayed as a presidency, along with the Bishop as to the direction our ward should go with the changes that President Beck presented at the General RS Meeting.
Because we are a worldwide church, there are vast differences in each ward. Each ward has its own unique set of characteristics which can be compared to the DNA that identifies each of us as unique. Therefore the Lord has left it to each Bishop and RS Presidency to seek inspiration and direction for their ward, as to how often these meetings should be held. These meetings will no longer be called Enrichment but simply what they are, for example “Service Opportunity”. As we have prayed, we have felt directed to hold 4 meetings on a ward level with the stake adding 2 others. A total of 6 for 2010. Our focus will be to strengthen each other in Faith, Family, Service, Provident Living and Self Reliance. We have planned these meetings for January, March, June, and November. We hope this will give you more time to be with your families and serve the Lord. In an effort to involve more sisters and their individual talents and strengths, we will no longer have an Enrichment Leader or committee, but will be calling upon you to share your knowledge, skills and talents, as coordinators and participants for these meetings to help strengthen us in these areas and increase sisterhood and unity.
We feel a need to have more service opportunities available throughout the year. These are great places to invite our non-member and less active friends. We know that when we serve others we feel true joy and that our own problems seem lighter. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” President Monson said this, “I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.” “ Service is a great antidote to grief and despair.” Gordon B Hinckley “Man’s greatest happiness comes from losing himself for the good of others.” David O McKay
We look forward to these RS Meetings and hope you will plan to attend, for we know that we are strengthened when we meet together as sisters.
What a blessing it has been to meet with most of you in our VT interviews last week. As we discussed the rewards and challenges of Visiting Teaching, the most common challenge for most of you was Time. Finding the Time for Visiting Teaching. Most of you agreed that you know it is important and always feel good after you got it done.
Our dear prophet said: “I am confident it is the intention of each member to serve and help those in need. How many times has your heart been touched as you have witnessed the need of another? How often have you intended to be the one to help? And yet how often has day to day living interfered and you’ve left it for others to help? We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, and take a good look at what we’re doing, we may find that we’ve spent too much time taking care of the things which do not really matter much, while neglecting those more important causes.” Because Visiting Teaching can do so much good, the adversary does not want it to happen, so he works hard to put things and busyness in our way to distract us from the Lord’s work.
President Beck teaches, “A sister in this Church has no other responsibility outside of her family that has the potential to do as much good as does Visiting Teaching. Visiting Teaching is one duty we have in the Church where we are certain to have the help of the Lord if we ask for it.” Sisters, when you feel overwhelmed with too much to do, go to your knees and ask for His help! “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33
When we make time and effort to do the Lord’s work, He will assist us in getting it done. Just as the loaves and the fishes were multiplied, I believe the Lord can also multiply our time. Give us more time? Is it possible for the Lord to help me take care of the laundry, the homework, the fussy baby, to help me do my Visiting Teaching & church work? Yes, it is true, He can help. “Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to thine own understanding.“ The Lord will be with you and send angels to help you. DC84:88
When the Savior was on the earth, he was a very busy man, he had a lot of work to do!! When the multitudes gathered and wanted blessings, he could have pronounced a blessing on the whole multitude and been done-- but rather He made the time to individually bless each one. The same is true with VT. President Beck states,” If our responsibility were primarily about reporting that every sister in the ward received the VT message, it would be much more efficient to read it aloud in sacrament meeting& be done. Because we follow the example and teachings of the Savior Jesus Christ, we value the sacred assignment of Visiting Teaching, to individually love, know, serve, understand, teach, and minister in His behalf. Ideally every sister should watch over and strengthen at least one other sister in her ward. It is our blessing to pray for another sister and receive inspiration as to how the Lord would have us care for her. Visiting Teaching becomes the Lord’s work when our hearts focus on People. It is more a way of life than a task, it is never finished. “
I testify that when you give your time and heart to this work, the Lord will help you accomplish it. If you do not yet have a testimony of Visiting Teaching, please pray for experiences to give you that testimony. This responsibility will strengthen your homes and families as you become partners with the Lord. Thank you for your dedication to this divinely inspired work. It helps us keep track of each sister in our ward and her needs and challenges. The Bishop and I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you for being the eyes and the ears and hands. You are the angels in the lives of the sisters of this ward that help bear them up. You have ministered to those in need as the Savior would. We thank you for your work. There is still much to be done. We are surrounded by those in need of our encouragement, friendship, kindness, comfort and the gospel of Jesus Christ. May we use our time wisely when it comes to efforts in doing the Lord’s work. Make Visiting Teaching one of the more important things to be done. Begin early in the month, give them your time and your heart and you will feel the joy and peace that follow service. I testify that He lives and loves each of us individually and feel privileged to be a part of this great work.
Have you ever thought about what fills your time? How you use it? President Ochtdorf posed this question. What are the non-essential things that clutter your days and steal your time?
As Latter-day Saint Women, we have many, many, responsibilities that fill our time and it seems like we never feel we have enough time to do everything that our hearts and our minds want to.
We recognize the many demands for your time and after taking that into consideration along with your commitments and responsibilities, we have discussed and prayed as a presidency, along with the Bishop as to the direction our ward should go with the changes that President Beck presented at the General RS Meeting.
Because we are a worldwide church, there are vast differences in each ward. Each ward has its own unique set of characteristics which can be compared to the DNA that identifies each of us as unique. Therefore the Lord has left it to each Bishop and RS Presidency to seek inspiration and direction for their ward, as to how often these meetings should be held. These meetings will no longer be called Enrichment but simply what they are, for example “Service Opportunity”. As we have prayed, we have felt directed to hold 4 meetings on a ward level with the stake adding 2 others. A total of 6 for 2010. Our focus will be to strengthen each other in Faith, Family, Service, Provident Living and Self Reliance. We have planned these meetings for January, March, June, and November. We hope this will give you more time to be with your families and serve the Lord. In an effort to involve more sisters and their individual talents and strengths, we will no longer have an Enrichment Leader or committee, but will be calling upon you to share your knowledge, skills and talents, as coordinators and participants for these meetings to help strengthen us in these areas and increase sisterhood and unity.
We feel a need to have more service opportunities available throughout the year. These are great places to invite our non-member and less active friends. We know that when we serve others we feel true joy and that our own problems seem lighter. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” President Monson said this, “I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.” “ Service is a great antidote to grief and despair.” Gordon B Hinckley “Man’s greatest happiness comes from losing himself for the good of others.” David O McKay
We look forward to these RS Meetings and hope you will plan to attend, for we know that we are strengthened when we meet together as sisters.
What a blessing it has been to meet with most of you in our VT interviews last week. As we discussed the rewards and challenges of Visiting Teaching, the most common challenge for most of you was Time. Finding the Time for Visiting Teaching. Most of you agreed that you know it is important and always feel good after you got it done.
Our dear prophet said: “I am confident it is the intention of each member to serve and help those in need. How many times has your heart been touched as you have witnessed the need of another? How often have you intended to be the one to help? And yet how often has day to day living interfered and you’ve left it for others to help? We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, and take a good look at what we’re doing, we may find that we’ve spent too much time taking care of the things which do not really matter much, while neglecting those more important causes.” Because Visiting Teaching can do so much good, the adversary does not want it to happen, so he works hard to put things and busyness in our way to distract us from the Lord’s work.
President Beck teaches, “A sister in this Church has no other responsibility outside of her family that has the potential to do as much good as does Visiting Teaching. Visiting Teaching is one duty we have in the Church where we are certain to have the help of the Lord if we ask for it.” Sisters, when you feel overwhelmed with too much to do, go to your knees and ask for His help! “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33
When we make time and effort to do the Lord’s work, He will assist us in getting it done. Just as the loaves and the fishes were multiplied, I believe the Lord can also multiply our time. Give us more time? Is it possible for the Lord to help me take care of the laundry, the homework, the fussy baby, to help me do my Visiting Teaching & church work? Yes, it is true, He can help. “Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to thine own understanding.“ The Lord will be with you and send angels to help you. DC84:88
When the Savior was on the earth, he was a very busy man, he had a lot of work to do!! When the multitudes gathered and wanted blessings, he could have pronounced a blessing on the whole multitude and been done-- but rather He made the time to individually bless each one. The same is true with VT. President Beck states,” If our responsibility were primarily about reporting that every sister in the ward received the VT message, it would be much more efficient to read it aloud in sacrament meeting& be done. Because we follow the example and teachings of the Savior Jesus Christ, we value the sacred assignment of Visiting Teaching, to individually love, know, serve, understand, teach, and minister in His behalf. Ideally every sister should watch over and strengthen at least one other sister in her ward. It is our blessing to pray for another sister and receive inspiration as to how the Lord would have us care for her. Visiting Teaching becomes the Lord’s work when our hearts focus on People. It is more a way of life than a task, it is never finished. “
I testify that when you give your time and heart to this work, the Lord will help you accomplish it. If you do not yet have a testimony of Visiting Teaching, please pray for experiences to give you that testimony. This responsibility will strengthen your homes and families as you become partners with the Lord. Thank you for your dedication to this divinely inspired work. It helps us keep track of each sister in our ward and her needs and challenges. The Bishop and I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you for being the eyes and the ears and hands. You are the angels in the lives of the sisters of this ward that help bear them up. You have ministered to those in need as the Savior would. We thank you for your work. There is still much to be done. We are surrounded by those in need of our encouragement, friendship, kindness, comfort and the gospel of Jesus Christ. May we use our time wisely when it comes to efforts in doing the Lord’s work. Make Visiting Teaching one of the more important things to be done. Begin early in the month, give them your time and your heart and you will feel the joy and peace that follow service. I testify that He lives and loves each of us individually and feel privileged to be a part of this great work.
Cooking Tips and Tricks
Cheese: Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. Stays fresh longer, doesn't mold!
Garlic: Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic.
Garlic: Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic.
Chantel Ficklin
I was born in Salt Lake City, UT. I was born a red head.
I've lived in Salem my whole life.
I graduated from Spanish Fork High in 2007
I'm not working at the moment because I am going on a Mission.
I have been called to serve in the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo West Mission. And report to the Provo MTC on Nov. 4th, 2009.
I attended school for 2 semesters at UVU.
I have a lot of Hobbies or things I like to do. Theater is my first love, dancing, singing, acting. Next is reading. I also enjoy choreography. It’s fun because I can hear a song and a dance will come in my head along with it. I like to scuba dive when I can. I also enjoy writing stories, and being spontaneous. I am very laid back and enjoy meeting new people. I also love Music. People say I have the most random music collection they've ever seen.
My greatest joy so far in my life has been my family and friends. They are amazing!
I have been blessed with great opportunity's to travel quite a lot. Out of all the places I've been Lake Powell is my all time favorite place to be.
Something I think is funny about me is that my family jokes that I was born in the wrong time period. I love old fashion things; from Classic cars, to vintage dresses, to black and white movies. I Love the 1800's, 1920's, 1950's and 1980's!
I'm really excited to serve a mission and can't wait to be out there! I hope I can share the gospel to touch people’s lives. I have a firm testimony of the church. It is so TRUE! I have a lot of favorite scriptures, but I'll give you one that keeps me positive. Its 1 Samuel 16:7. This reminds me that the Lord knows what’s in my heart. And even though I was made smaller than the average person I can be big in so many different ways.
Cooking Tips and Tricks
Measuring cups: Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2" with apple cider vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. Flies are drawn to the cup and gone forever.
Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2" with apple cider vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. Flies are drawn to the cup and gone forever.
October Presidency Message
After almost 40 years of wandering in the desert, the ancient Israelites under Moses were, at last, very close to the promised land. They still had in front of them, however, several kingdoms to pass through (or conquer). After a particularly victorious battle, they asked permission for the king of Edom to let them pass through his land. He refused, which meant they would have to travel quite a bit out of the way to get to where they needed to be. They became discouraged. And then the fiery serpents came. They were very poisonous and killed whomever they bit. The people cried out to Moses to save them and the Lord gave Moses an answer. He was to create a brass serpent and put it on a pole. When people were bitten all they had to do was look up to the serpent and they would be healed. (Numbers 21:4-9)
Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon prophets shed a bit more light on this story. We learn that the brass serpent was a representation of Jesus Christ who would be lifted up on the cross (John 3:14). We also learn that although many were healed by looking at the serpent, many died. They refused to look because of the simpleness of the way (Alma 33:19-22).
There is an illness that is becoming rampant among us today. We all may be inflicted with it at one time or another. For some it passes, while for some it becomes fatal. That illness is despair, discouragement, and depression.
Like ancient Israel in the wilderness. we have experiences during our mortal lives that test us. In fact, we are living in that prophesied age when "men's hearts shall fail them" (D&C 45:26). Clear back in 1987, President Ezra Taft Benson gave a talk entitled "Do Not Despair", where he wrote, "As the showdown between good and evil approaches with its accompanying trials and tribulations, Satan is increasingly striving to overcome the Saints with despair, discouragement, despondency, and depression." If that was true then, it seems even more true now.And yet, with all the great troubles of our time, the promises are greater. Pres. Benson in that same address says, "We as Latter-Day Saints should be the most optimistic and the least pessimistic." Why? Because we know that good always overcomes evil. We know that the Lord is on our side. We know that as we make and keep our covenants we are promised power from on high. We have the promise that as we look to the Savior we will live.
LOOK AND LIVE
In the life and words of the Savior we see over and over again the word "come". "Come and see." "Come, follow me." In the Beatitudes the Savior speaks to the poor in spirit. "Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (3 Nephi 12:3)
COME UNTO ME
The essence of the gospel can be summed up in these phrases. The solution to ALL of our problems can be summed up in these phrases.Elder Holland, in his April, 2006, conference address, said, "My desire is for all of us - not just those who are poor in spirit, but all of us - to have more straighforward personal experiences with the Savior's example. Sometimes we seek heaven too obliquely, focusing on programs or history or the experience of others. Those are important but not as important as personal experience, true discipleship, and the strength that comes from experiencing firsthand the majesty of His touch. Are you battling a demon of addiction? Is your marriage in trouble or your child in danger? Are you searching for self-esteem? Do you - or someone you love - face disease or depression or death? Whatever steps you may need to take to resolve these concerns, come first to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Trust in heaven's promises."
What does this mean? To me it means that when we are facing trials and despair we FIRST turn to prayer. We FIRST ask Heavenly Father for help. I know that often we don't feel like talking to Him. We often feel distant from Him. We often feel like we are being punished by Him. But we pray anyway. Just that simple leap of faith is often enought to feel His presence again. We humble ourselves enough to ask for His help and guidance - and listen when He answers. Because sometimes His advice is to repent. And sometimes it is to forgive.
We also remember our covenants. Sisters, too often we take the sacrament for granted. We are concerned that so many sisiters are not attending Sacrament Meeting. We can find great spiritual strengh in partaking weekly of the Sacrament. We can find great direction from the Holy Spirit as we attend our meetings, often in least expected times and places.We can also find great strength in the temple. If you haven't made those temple covenants yet, or if you haven't attended in a while, please do so. When we attend the temple and partake of the sacrament we are charging our spiritual batteries. When we don't we can drain down and lose energy.We need to fill our lives with light from the right sources.
I would encourage you to read Pres. Benson's talk and Elder Holland's talk for inspiration on where that light should come from in your life. We may need to examine the friends we keep, or the amount of service we give. We may need to examine our health habits, or live the law of the fast in a better way. The Spirit will whisper the solutions as we turn to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.We live in an age where we will be overtaken and die spiritually if we don't tap into Heavenly Father's light and power. We don't have to die. All we have to do is LOOK AND LIVE and COME UNTO ME. It is that easy. We have a choice.I testify that, as it says in Helaman 5:12 "Remember, remember, it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon prophets shed a bit more light on this story. We learn that the brass serpent was a representation of Jesus Christ who would be lifted up on the cross (John 3:14). We also learn that although many were healed by looking at the serpent, many died. They refused to look because of the simpleness of the way (Alma 33:19-22).
There is an illness that is becoming rampant among us today. We all may be inflicted with it at one time or another. For some it passes, while for some it becomes fatal. That illness is despair, discouragement, and depression.
Like ancient Israel in the wilderness. we have experiences during our mortal lives that test us. In fact, we are living in that prophesied age when "men's hearts shall fail them" (D&C 45:26). Clear back in 1987, President Ezra Taft Benson gave a talk entitled "Do Not Despair", where he wrote, "As the showdown between good and evil approaches with its accompanying trials and tribulations, Satan is increasingly striving to overcome the Saints with despair, discouragement, despondency, and depression." If that was true then, it seems even more true now.And yet, with all the great troubles of our time, the promises are greater. Pres. Benson in that same address says, "We as Latter-Day Saints should be the most optimistic and the least pessimistic." Why? Because we know that good always overcomes evil. We know that the Lord is on our side. We know that as we make and keep our covenants we are promised power from on high. We have the promise that as we look to the Savior we will live.
LOOK AND LIVE
In the life and words of the Savior we see over and over again the word "come". "Come and see." "Come, follow me." In the Beatitudes the Savior speaks to the poor in spirit. "Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (3 Nephi 12:3)
COME UNTO ME
The essence of the gospel can be summed up in these phrases. The solution to ALL of our problems can be summed up in these phrases.Elder Holland, in his April, 2006, conference address, said, "My desire is for all of us - not just those who are poor in spirit, but all of us - to have more straighforward personal experiences with the Savior's example. Sometimes we seek heaven too obliquely, focusing on programs or history or the experience of others. Those are important but not as important as personal experience, true discipleship, and the strength that comes from experiencing firsthand the majesty of His touch. Are you battling a demon of addiction? Is your marriage in trouble or your child in danger? Are you searching for self-esteem? Do you - or someone you love - face disease or depression or death? Whatever steps you may need to take to resolve these concerns, come first to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Trust in heaven's promises."
What does this mean? To me it means that when we are facing trials and despair we FIRST turn to prayer. We FIRST ask Heavenly Father for help. I know that often we don't feel like talking to Him. We often feel distant from Him. We often feel like we are being punished by Him. But we pray anyway. Just that simple leap of faith is often enought to feel His presence again. We humble ourselves enough to ask for His help and guidance - and listen when He answers. Because sometimes His advice is to repent. And sometimes it is to forgive.
We also remember our covenants. Sisters, too often we take the sacrament for granted. We are concerned that so many sisiters are not attending Sacrament Meeting. We can find great spiritual strengh in partaking weekly of the Sacrament. We can find great direction from the Holy Spirit as we attend our meetings, often in least expected times and places.We can also find great strength in the temple. If you haven't made those temple covenants yet, or if you haven't attended in a while, please do so. When we attend the temple and partake of the sacrament we are charging our spiritual batteries. When we don't we can drain down and lose energy.We need to fill our lives with light from the right sources.
I would encourage you to read Pres. Benson's talk and Elder Holland's talk for inspiration on where that light should come from in your life. We may need to examine the friends we keep, or the amount of service we give. We may need to examine our health habits, or live the law of the fast in a better way. The Spirit will whisper the solutions as we turn to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.We live in an age where we will be overtaken and die spiritually if we don't tap into Heavenly Father's light and power. We don't have to die. All we have to do is LOOK AND LIVE and COME UNTO ME. It is that easy. We have a choice.I testify that, as it says in Helaman 5:12 "Remember, remember, it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
Home Made Bread
We want to give Donna a huge thank you for the fun and yummy bread class!
Donna Schwartz-Bread Recipe (with bread mixer)
combine and heat the following in a saucepan until shortening is melted:
2c. milk
3T. sugar
3T. salt
5T. shortening
Mix in a large bowl:
4c. cold milk with the saucepan mixture in bread mixer.
In a separate bowl measure about 13c. of white flour with 3T. of Saf-Instant Yeast mixed in.
Add flour mixture a little at a time to the liquid in mixer. Mix in bread mixer for about 10 minutes on #2 speed. After this is done, put about 1 T. liquid shortening on top of dough.
Cover and let raise 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and let raise 1 hour more. Punch down and put dough on a floured surface. cut dough into 6 loaf pieces. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Make loaves and put in bread pans that have melted shortening in them.
Cover and raise 1hr.
bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees and then lower heat to 325 and bake for 30 minutes more.
Remove bread from loaves and brush with butter and let cool.
Bread recipe (old fashioned way without mixer)
Follow the same recipe above accept put it in a large bowl instead of mixer and knead at least 10 minutes by hand.
Donna Schwartz-Bread Recipe (with bread mixer)
combine and heat the following in a saucepan until shortening is melted:
2c. milk
3T. sugar
3T. salt
5T. shortening
Mix in a large bowl:
4c. cold milk with the saucepan mixture in bread mixer.
In a separate bowl measure about 13c. of white flour with 3T. of Saf-Instant Yeast mixed in.
Add flour mixture a little at a time to the liquid in mixer. Mix in bread mixer for about 10 minutes on #2 speed. After this is done, put about 1 T. liquid shortening on top of dough.
Cover and let raise 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and let raise 1 hour more. Punch down and put dough on a floured surface. cut dough into 6 loaf pieces. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Make loaves and put in bread pans that have melted shortening in them.
Cover and raise 1hr.
bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees and then lower heat to 325 and bake for 30 minutes more.
Remove bread from loaves and brush with butter and let cool.
Bread recipe (old fashioned way without mixer)
Follow the same recipe above accept put it in a large bowl instead of mixer and knead at least 10 minutes by hand.
HALLOWEEN
Salem 2nd ward Trunk or Treat
Saturday, October 31 at 5 pm.
Meet at the church parking lot
Decorate your trunks and bring your treats
See you there!
Saturday, October 31 at 5 pm.
Meet at the church parking lot
Decorate your trunks and bring your treats
See you there!
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Rita and Bishop MacCabe, they are proud grandparents of a cute black haired baby boy! Born 10/10/09 at 8:22 p.m. His name is Caleb Thomas and he weighed 7lbs 7oz, 19" long.
Preventing H1N1
Add to this Vitamin D3 and lots of sunshine.Be careful with the Vitamin C.It's better to eat it in natural foods.
Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS, DRM, DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist)
having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital, Bombay Hospital, Saifee Hospital, Tata Memorial etc. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W). The following message given by him, makes a lot of sense and is important for all of you to know
The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a
global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not coming into
contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not
so much of a problem as proliferation is.
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1
infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms
and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not
fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced
(instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any
part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).
3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't
trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/
nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple
gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has
the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected
one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful
preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with
warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti
(very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose
hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in
warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.
5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C
(Amla and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin
C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids
has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They
wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where
they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS, DRM, DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist)
having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital, Bombay Hospital, Saifee Hospital, Tata Memorial etc. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W). The following message given by him, makes a lot of sense and is important for all of you to know
The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a
global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not coming into
contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not
so much of a problem as proliferation is.
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1
infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms
and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not
fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced
(instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any
part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).
3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't
trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/
nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple
gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has
the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected
one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful
preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with
warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti
(very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose
hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in
warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.
5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C
(Amla and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin
C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids
has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They
wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where
they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
Just for fun!
I am a little slow when it comes to technology but I discovered last month that you can download the Ensign, New Era, and Friend magazine along with the scriptures and many other LDS materials from iTunes for FREE.
This has been so fun. I listen to it in the car whenever I am out and about. I have listened to all of the August and September Ensign and New Era. I have not read both in their entirety for quite some time. The spirit has been with me more since I have started doing this. My mind has been uplifted and I have noticed that I have reflected on the stories and talks often throughout the month.
I am sure that many of you already knew about this, but for those of us who are slower with technology I thought I would share the good news.
This has been so fun. I listen to it in the car whenever I am out and about. I have listened to all of the August and September Ensign and New Era. I have not read both in their entirety for quite some time. The spirit has been with me more since I have started doing this. My mind has been uplifted and I have noticed that I have reflected on the stories and talks often throughout the month.
I am sure that many of you already knew about this, but for those of us who are slower with technology I thought I would share the good news.
Yummy Stir-Fry ready in 30 minutes or less
2 T cornstarch
2 T sugar
6 T soy sauce
1/4 c. apple juice
1 lb. boneless round steak, cut into thin strips
3 c broccoli florets
2 medium carrots thinly sliced
1 pkg (6oz) frozen pea pods, thawed
2 T chopped onion
2 T vegetable oil, divided
1 can (8oz) sliced water chestnuts, undrained
Hot cooked rice and cashews
In a bowl, combine cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce and apple juice until smooth. Add beef and toss to coat; set aside. In a large skillet, stir-fry broccoli, carrots, pea pods and onion in 1 T oil for 1 minute. Stir in water chestnuts. Cover and simmer for 4 minutes; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, stir-fry beef in remaining oil until meat reaches desired doneness. Return vegetables to pan; toss. Sprinkle with cashews and serve over rice. ( makes 4 servings)
tip: sometimes you can find a stir-fry veggie mix at the grocery store with all these ingredients already in them. This will speed up the process.
2 T sugar
6 T soy sauce
1/4 c. apple juice
1 lb. boneless round steak, cut into thin strips
3 c broccoli florets
2 medium carrots thinly sliced
1 pkg (6oz) frozen pea pods, thawed
2 T chopped onion
2 T vegetable oil, divided
1 can (8oz) sliced water chestnuts, undrained
Hot cooked rice and cashews
In a bowl, combine cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce and apple juice until smooth. Add beef and toss to coat; set aside. In a large skillet, stir-fry broccoli, carrots, pea pods and onion in 1 T oil for 1 minute. Stir in water chestnuts. Cover and simmer for 4 minutes; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, stir-fry beef in remaining oil until meat reaches desired doneness. Return vegetables to pan; toss. Sprinkle with cashews and serve over rice. ( makes 4 servings)
tip: sometimes you can find a stir-fry veggie mix at the grocery store with all these ingredients already in them. This will speed up the process.
October Spotlight
This month the spot light is Jamie Quesenberry
I was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. But, other than a couple years split between there and Utah when I was a baby, the rest of my childhood was spent in San Diego, California. My parents are Kaye and Glen Hunsaker. They both grew up here in Utah, so I have many relatives around here. In fact, the only vacation we used to take when I was younger was the annual trip through the desert - in a station wagon without seat belts nor air conditioning - to Utah to visit our relatives. We would usually leave at night so my dad could drive through the night and avoid the heat. Mom would pack sandwiches and apples so we could avoid having to stop in (gasp!) Las Vegas.I was shy as a child and teenager and did well in school. I went to BYU on a scholarship and majored in Civil Engineering, despite hating Math. My dream was to become an architect, but since BYU didn't offer that major, I chose Engineering as a close substitute. After my first year of college, my dad (who was the Stake President) set me up on a blind date with my future husband. It took me a while to pronounce his last name! We were inseparable until he left on his mission 3 months later. When he returned from his mission, he was so mean to me that I decided there was nothing to stop me from going on a mission myself! A week before I left, Steve proposed to me. But I ignored him and left anyway for the Argentina Buenos Aires South mission. We were engaged a week after I got back.After my mission and marriage I finished up college at the same time as Steve. We moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where Steve attended Law School and I worked in Kansas City. I worked until after we had our first child, then cried so much every time I dropped her off at the babysitter that I decided to quit. I have been, pretty much, a stay at home mom ever since.After law school, we moved to Seattle, Washington. We lived there for a few years, then decided to leave big city life for the small island town of Friday Harbor, Washington. We call this our hippie period. We lived in a double wide mobile home with a huge garden, a wood stove for heat, and chickens. We had 4 of our children in Washington State. We moved to Salem in 1997. We lived in the house the Emmichs own for about 7 years. We decided to move the year we had 6 kids, 3 foster children, an exchange student, my brother living part time with us, and I found out I was pregnant again. That house only has 1 shower! So we remodeled the house we live in now.We now have 8 children, 2 son-in-laws, 1 grandson, 2 cats, 4 chickens, and 2 bunnies. Maybe our hippie period isn't over yet!!I enjoy reading, walking, gardening, traveling, and, weirdly enough, math. Also, weird is the fact that I love meeting and talking with people, something that would have made me die of anxiety when I was young.
I was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. But, other than a couple years split between there and Utah when I was a baby, the rest of my childhood was spent in San Diego, California. My parents are Kaye and Glen Hunsaker. They both grew up here in Utah, so I have many relatives around here. In fact, the only vacation we used to take when I was younger was the annual trip through the desert - in a station wagon without seat belts nor air conditioning - to Utah to visit our relatives. We would usually leave at night so my dad could drive through the night and avoid the heat. Mom would pack sandwiches and apples so we could avoid having to stop in (gasp!) Las Vegas.I was shy as a child and teenager and did well in school. I went to BYU on a scholarship and majored in Civil Engineering, despite hating Math. My dream was to become an architect, but since BYU didn't offer that major, I chose Engineering as a close substitute. After my first year of college, my dad (who was the Stake President) set me up on a blind date with my future husband. It took me a while to pronounce his last name! We were inseparable until he left on his mission 3 months later. When he returned from his mission, he was so mean to me that I decided there was nothing to stop me from going on a mission myself! A week before I left, Steve proposed to me. But I ignored him and left anyway for the Argentina Buenos Aires South mission. We were engaged a week after I got back.After my mission and marriage I finished up college at the same time as Steve. We moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where Steve attended Law School and I worked in Kansas City. I worked until after we had our first child, then cried so much every time I dropped her off at the babysitter that I decided to quit. I have been, pretty much, a stay at home mom ever since.After law school, we moved to Seattle, Washington. We lived there for a few years, then decided to leave big city life for the small island town of Friday Harbor, Washington. We call this our hippie period. We lived in a double wide mobile home with a huge garden, a wood stove for heat, and chickens. We had 4 of our children in Washington State. We moved to Salem in 1997. We lived in the house the Emmichs own for about 7 years. We decided to move the year we had 6 kids, 3 foster children, an exchange student, my brother living part time with us, and I found out I was pregnant again. That house only has 1 shower! So we remodeled the house we live in now.We now have 8 children, 2 son-in-laws, 1 grandson, 2 cats, 4 chickens, and 2 bunnies. Maybe our hippie period isn't over yet!!I enjoy reading, walking, gardening, traveling, and, weirdly enough, math. Also, weird is the fact that I love meeting and talking with people, something that would have made me die of anxiety when I was young.