(The process of counseling with councils was recently discussed in a Church magazine article as well: Obtaining the Spirit through Counseling Together). Five principles of counseling with councils are discussed:

1. Pray, Ponder, and Counsel Together
2. Seek Unity
3. Move Forward with Faith
4. Let the Spirit Help You See Others’ Points of View
5. Look to the Person Who Presides to Confirm the Inspiration

See also Elder M. Russell Ballard’s talk, Counseling with our Councils

The post The Council System — Decision making in the Mormon Church appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Or perhaps you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and want some thoughts on how to answer gospel questions.

There is a new resource available to help address stereotypes about Mormons and answer questions people have about our faith.

The purpose of this website is to help provide “clear, simple statements that present those who are curious with the basics about the Church as it is today.”

The LDS Church News article quoted above gives an example of the kinds of questions you can find answers to, related topics such as Mormon Church doctrines, policies of the Church, and information about the worldwide nature of the Church.

For instance, under the link Questions about Church Doctrines, users can find a list of resources answering specific questions such as, “How could members respond to the question, ‘Are Jesus and Satan brothers?’” and “Do Church members believe they can become gods?”

Along with each question are scriptures, talks, lesson materials and other resources from lds.org that can help Church members or those interested in understanding Mormonism better find information and Church teachings about various subjects.

The post Dispelling Mormon Stereotypes and Answering Common Questions appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

A recent study (the 2012 Religious Congregations and Membership Study) shows that in over half of the United States, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fastest-growing religion. The Muslim faith is also growing rapidly in comparison to other faiths. .

The study, conducted every 10 years, tracks religious growth across the United States at the county level.

One Huffington Post article explains more about the survey:

Overall, the survey identified nearly 350,000 religious congregations in the United States, from Albanian Orthodox to Zoroastrian. Those churches, temples and mosques are the spiritual home for 150.6 million Americans, and researchers say they were able to capture 90 percent of all U.S. congregations.

Another Huffington Post article explains that

According to the report, Mormons are the fastest-growing religious group in 26 states and have reported 2 million new adherents in 295 counties over the past decade. Muslims have gained 1 million new adherents in 197 counties — up from 1 million in 2000 to 2.6 million in 2010. (-from this article)

In a recent infographic, the Newsroom of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints noted that Mormonism is the fourth largest Christian religion in the United States, but even with the growth within the United States, more than half of the 14 million Mormons worldwide live outside of the U.S.

The post Mormons and Muslims at top of list of fastest-growing faiths appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

This year leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or the nicknamed “Mormon Church”) have released a beautiful book called Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society. I am very excited for this book and the light that I know it will bring into my life. It is a compilation of the history of a wonderful society which is now one of the largest societies for women in the world.

Daughters in My Kingdom tells the stories of faithful, humble women who made significant sacrifices to help build up the kingdom of God on the earth. Some women did this quietly in their homes, congregations, and communities. Other women made a much more global impact by supporting such things as the women’s suffrage movement. The wonderful thing about this book is that is reminds us as women that however we impact the world around us, we are equally important and valued in the eyes of our Father in Heaven. We all have divine potential as His daughters and we each have a purpose to fulfill.

Relief Society General President Julie Beck said of part of the purpose of this book:

There is a worldwide hunger among good women to know their identity, value, and importance. Studying and applying the history of Relief Society gives definition and expression to who we are as disciples and followers of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our faithfulness and service are signs of our conversion and commitment to remember and follow Him . . .

The history of Relief Society teaches us that our Heavenly Father knows His daughters. He loves them, He has given them specific responsibilities, and He has spoken to and guided them during their mortal missions. Additionally, the history of Relief Society elevates and validates the standing of women and demonstrates how they work in companionship with faithful priesthood leaders.(“Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society,” Julie Beck, Ensign, November 2010).

By studying this book, Mormon women will be reminded of their value and will be shown patterns they can follow from the women who have gone before them. Learning from the past is an essential skill each of us must learn. I am very grateful to have this book today.

Read Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society

The post Daughters in My Kingdom appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

By Eric Schulzke, Deseret News

Published: Saturday, Jan. 14 2012 8:12 p.m. MST

The Pew Foundation survey of Mormons released this past week confirms that U.S. Mormons are more conservative (66 percent) compared to the general public (37 percent), and on most issues, they closely track white evangelicals. But immigration is one issue that sets Mormons apart from their evangelical counterparts.

Asked whether immigrants are a strength or a burden, 59 percent of white evangelicals said they were a burden, while only 41 percent of Mormons felt the same, compared to 44 percent of the general public. The result is surprising given how staunchly conservative Mormons are on nearly every measure. Interestingly, 50 percent of white mainline Protestants and 49 percent of white Catholics also tilt against immigration, though neither group is as uniformly conservative as evangelicals or Mormons on other measures.

Dan Cox, Research Director at the Public Religion Research Institute in Washington, D.C. sees several reasons for the surprising result. He points first to demographics to explain why Mormons are more open to immigrants than are white evangelicals. “White evangelicals are significantly lower on the socioeconomic scale than most other religious groups. Those who are more economically vulnerable are more likely to see newcomers as threats,” he says.

The Pew results validate the socioeconomic explanation. The key is a strong link between Mormon religious commitment and socioeconomic status. Eighty-four percent of Mormon college graduates are highly committed to the Church, but just 50 percent of those with high school education share that same level of commitment. This socioeconomic gap also translates to immigration: 50 percent of less committed Mormons see immigrants as a burden, against 36 percent of highly committed Mormons.

Cox also points to age as a key factor, noting the surprising anti-immigration sentiment among mainline Protestants and white Catholics. “Both of these groups tend to be older than the general public,” Cox says, “and we find that younger people are much more open to immigration.” Sure enough, Pew finds that 49 percent of Mormons between the ages of 18-49 see immigrants as a strength, while just 39 percent Mormons over 50 say the same. The Mormon youth movement has an impact on the results: according to a 2009 Pew study, 41 percent of the general population was over fifty years old, while just 34% of Mormons fall into that category.

Cox also thinks culture is a factor in the Mormon tendency to be more tolerant of immigrants, citing in particular the outward focus of the LDS church and the percolating influence of missionaries returning from foreign lands. “When you have more interaction with someone,” Cox notes, “you have increased comfort with them.” One statistic conveys the impact of this element of Mormon culture: 70 percent of the 33,000 students at BYU are bilingual.

Theresa Martinez, a non-Mormon sociology professor at the University of Utah, emphatically seconds Cox on the outward focus. “I’ve taught over 7,000 students,” she says, “probably about half of them LDS, with a large proportion of those return missionaries, and half of those from Latin American missions.” Her students express strong attachment to the peoples and communities they served, Martinez says. “And after that, you are not the sheltered little Mormon kid, and you understand that life is much bigger than your backyard.”

While the seeds of openness are embedded in the culture, others note that Church leaders recently gave a gentle push in that direction. Last year Utah illegal immigration hard-liners were poised to copy Arizona’s stern immigration policies, when centrists—with quiet but clear support from Church leaders—turned tables with widely-noted legislation that will allow some undocumented workers to obtain drivers’ licenses and work. In the fall of 2010, the Church also stated support for the principles of the The Utah Compact, which urges humane and measured solutions at the federal level.

And yet, divisions within the LDS community remain. Utah House Rep. Chris Herrod of Provo, a leader on anti-illegal immigration efforts in Utah, considers himself pro-immigration, noting that his wife is from Ukraine, his sister-in-law from Korea, and his business partner from Ethiopia.

Herrod points out that the Pew study addresses immigration per se, rather than illegal immigration, and says he has often been puzzled when debates on the two issues become muddled. “I believe in immigration,” he says. “It’s the melting pot that has made the country great. But lately we seem to be splitting into a bilingual and bicultural nation. We need to give equal chances to Africans, Asians, South Asians, and Eastern Europeans, and we need to get back to those core beliefs, where you adopt the language and blend the cultures.”

Richard Davis, a political science professor at Brigham Young University, sees the Church position last summer as impacting dialog on this issue within Utah and among U.S. Mormons. “For years the drumbeat was all about illegal immigration and the need to enforce the law,” he says. “The Church has nudged the agenda. Now it’s more about how we treat people, however they got here.”

Charles Morgan, a BYU sociologist who studies immigration, sees culture and Church positioning as mutually reinforcing. Morgan notes that the “closer the contact you have with a group, the more likely you are to have compassion and see them as equals.” Like Davis, Morgan also sees the Church’s positioning as significant: “The Church is projecting a positive image of immigrants, and I think this is resonating with the more devout Mormons.”

Morgan points to Arizona, where a Mormon state senator from the heavily Mormon Mesa area, who was president of the Senate and had authored the state’s controversial immigration policy, was replaced in November by another Mormon in a recall election. The new senator, Jerry Lewis, was encouraged to run by LDS members in the Mesa area who were concerned with what they saw as a harsh tone on illegal immigration.

Jason Labau, who researches Arizona political history at the University of Southern California, also sees recent Church policy and underlying cultural factors as reinforcing. “This is a much longer shift,” he says, “and it stems from the missionary experience. Several friends I grew up with in Arizona are staunchly conservative, and the only issue we see eye to eye on is immigration. They served missions in Chile, Guatemala, and Mexico, and they see these people as equals who are looking for something better.”

Eric Schulzke is the director of the Apollo 13 Project (a13.org), a prisoner reentry initiative based at Utah Valley University. He can be reached at eric[at]a13.org.

The post Mormon Beliefs and Attitudes on Immigration appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Editor’s note: Special thanks to Kit for sharing her conversion story and testimony with us here at Mormon Women: Who We Are. Kit joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints earlier this year. You can read more about her journey and her testimony at her blog.

As a child I called [Mormon] temples little plastic castles, never being close enough to see them for what they are. As an adult, I had traveled past one while commuting from Los Angeles to San Diego on a regular basis but was never able to grasp what they were or their importance, only that I wasn’t permitted to venture inside.

Over the last three years, the walk of my life would redefine who I am through education, tragedy, relationships and the moving of the Holy Spirit in my heart. Over the next few pages, I’ll be sharing with you that journey which is the testimony I wish to bare to you. It is also the story of my life and the story of my heart.

My life has never been an easy one. Some people will talk about bad days, bad weeks, bad months, bad years or bad decades. Until a few months ago, I would stand firmly on the grounds that I have had up until this point a “bad life”.
Don’t get me wrong, my parents are amazing people and I have a wonderful family and we all did the best we could with what we have and were given, but the circumstances that would befall me through my most influential years could be considered nothing more than a series of unfortunate events. These losses, some more tragic and devastating than others, from loved ones to innocence, as well as poor life choices that resulted in domestic violence are ones of the past. Some so grievous that there are those who know me as a person and have watched me grow over the past few years and can’t help but to ask, “How is it you stayed sane?” (I personally argue sanity as a point of view of the beholder and that when it comes to my own mental capacity, that I am neither sane or insane, but unsane which is the art of being both and neither at the same time.)
To skip through some of the most gruesome details that are not fit for polite conversation, and ones that after years of personal study through Celebrate Recovery and working my steps and processing these events, have finally been healed through is a blessing not just for me, but for you. Recent changes in my life have also washed these events away and I stand firm in this belief.
The most important parts of this story began around my birthday on in March of 2008. I didn’t necessarily want to go home and see my family. We’re the kind of family that loves each other dearly, but also gets along much better when there are a few thousand miles between us and our time together spent well and for less than a few weeks at a time. In the back of my head, I felt a push toward going home and found myself looking at air fare which would take me from Austin, TX to Syracuse, NY. Deciding I couldn’t afford the tickets, the thought was pushed aside.
Over the next few weeks I wouldn’t just feel an insisting pull toward home, but I would hear a voice that insisted that I go home. After weeks of fighting the urge and promptings, I finally looked at my work schedule and purchased tickets that would take me home at the end of May. The fare was affordable, much more so than the week before, so despite the urging of that voice which told me I should go home sooner, I was content with the thought that I would soon be on my way home.

This brings us to May 12, 2008, only six days before I would fly home. Just thinking about this day brings tears to my eyes and causes my heart to jump into my throat. It’s one of those days, a moment really that threatens to define you. One where you either give in to the enemy and are lost forever or one where you truly begin listening to the promptings of spirit.
My mother called late in the evening on May 12. Working overnights, I hadn’t quite woken up yet, nor did I answer my phone. Rarely, if ever does she leave a message and I was definitely surprised that my phone ‘dinged’ after downloading voice mail.

“Ker – as soon as you get this call me.”

My mother has only said that twice since. Once in November of 2010 had been to tell me that my grandfather had taken his life and the other was a false alarm. This time, she would tell me that my oldest nephew, Zachary John had a brain tumor. My mother, being a nurse for longer than I have been alive also told me it wouldn’t be operable and that there would be little that anyone could do.

While his illness brought our family blessings beyond any we could have imagined (nearly half a year of paid vacation time donated by the members of the local fire and police departments, treatment at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis by the most amazing care team, a community outpouring of generosity through an amazing fund raiser, a pug pup which Zak would name Burrito and so many more), ultimately there would be nothing anyone could do. Zak suffered from a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DipG). While it was possible to beat back the cancer into brief remission, only 4% of the children with his condition survived their first round of chemotherapy. There was a 2% statistic for those who made it through their second round into remission as the disease returned more furiously and more resistant after the first round. There still is no statistic for children making it past their second remission.

I wanted to move my tickets and go home immediately, but my mother would plead with me to wait to come home because we didn’t want to scare him. After several days of testing, at the urging of my Uncle Buddy, my sister and my nephew’s doctors reached out to St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital, the next morning, the one before I would fly home, St. Jude’s reached out to them. They would have a 9 AM flight and they raced to catch it, escorted by the local police department.

I learned quickly not to ignore that prompting that I hadn’t felt in years.

In August, Zak would return from St. Jude’s healthier than he had been when he left to on his Mission as a Cancer Warrior. Despite this general improvement, he tired easily, and had begun swelling as a result of the steroids and chemotherapy treatments.

A week later I would come home for two weeks on FMLA to relieve my sister, spend time with my niece Victoria, and her older brother Joshua, the middle child as well as get my fill of Zak attacks and his humor, his smile, his laughter, and help him combat his depression now that he knew what he was up against.
While I was home, Zak asked me if I’d see him in heaven.

At the time, I was anything but a believer. But I couldn’t help but reassure him that I would. I prayed with him to ask Jesus into my heart, but at the time I was so heart broken that I didn’t feel anything, only the need to make sure that my nephew who had been ministering to our family through his illness and doing his best to make sure we believed he wasn’t in pain, even though he was, had as few worries as possible.

Zak would be swept up by Heavenly Father on December 26, 2008 while in the arms of his mother and father, and surrounded by his family. As per his wishes, University Hospital would remove the baseball-sized tumor from his brain and send it to St. Jude’s for study.

I myself would return home defeated. At the time I didn’t understand that making Zak ill was the only way that the enemy could effect him and that the miracle wasn’t in Zak’s healing, but was in the release from the bonds of his illness. My life was in turmoil and I was in a state of frustrated, pain filled anxiety.

Having given my life to Christ I would go through the motions of dealing with my grief through my first encounters with Celebrate Recovery and by attending Grace Covenant Church. Though the hardest part of this journey was that I still didn’t believe. Despite baptism, and the progress I had made so quickly, it was superficial.
I finally turned to God and demanded that he prove to me that there was a Star of Bethlehem. This proof needed to be based in science, historical and astronomical fact and as far as I had known, no one had discovered the Star or been able to explain it’s origins.

If I could prove that there was no star then there would be no Wise Men leaving the tribe of Daniel to follow it to Bethlehem, no baby in a manger and no Christ because he would turn instantly into a fairy tale. Then I wouldn’t need to worry about God, Jesus or any of the religious “nonsense”.
I researched, coming to understand the characteristics of the star and based on the information I had was not able to locate it, I’d even failed to do the obvious and search for the Bethlehem Star on Google. (That in and of itself would have been to easy…) As such, I felt I had my justification to denounce the belief of Jesus as the Christ in every way shape and form.
The Sunday School class I had been attending was having a gathering after church one Sunday afternoon. The same day I demanded God show me proof of the star or that this was it. No star, no Jesus, no God, no Kit following them because they didn’t exist, end of story.

During our outing, after our potluck, we watched the Bethlehem Star where a lawyer would locate the Star itself, based on the nine characteristics of the star, a mistranslation of a work by Kapernicus and Starry Night Backyard Edition located the star itself. In the documentary Larson himself even mentioned that his website was the most trusted search result. I had a ginormous “duh” moment, but when it comes down to it, I know that I needed to do the research to identify the Star’s characteristics before I would have accepted Larson’s documentary and research for fact. (www.bethlehemstar.net for details)

So, I have to admit, God got me there. I was on my way and even decided I wanted to continue to work with women through recovery because at the time it felt like it was all I was doing. During this course of study, I had to write a paper based on the works I had studied regarding the Evangelical view of the Mormon Church and the basis of it’s theology.
While finishing the paper itself I began to date my now boyfriend Jeremy and began to get to know the members of his Mormon family. The problems I had with what I had finished in my paper verse what I was seeing, was a completely contradictory to what I had written for school. These were no cultists, they in no way resembled the Fundamentalists who made bad press for the church itself.

I turned to a friend at work who was a returned missionary and recently married and sealed in the Temple and asked Steven what I should do and what should I expect. Jeremy’s presence in my life was definitely different than the presence any man had ever brought into my life.

Steven, knowing my thoughts about science and how they interact with my spiritual beliefs told me to start with the Book of Mormon where Christ appears in the “New World” and work backwards and compare the stories to the Incan, Aztec and Mayan histories.

Here, working backwards in the Book of Mormon, were the stories of a people that hadn’t been fully vetted by scholarly journals as told by a man with very little education, one that could barely read let alone write.

With these thoughts in mind I took a semester off, during which the university I was studying at did not renew it’s nation accreditation and I ended up withdrawing from my combined Bachelors, Masters and Doctor of Ministry program in order to pursue study of the Book of Mormon.

On September 24, 2011 I was baptized, having done most of the work for our Missionaries.
This week, while on vacation, I had the opportunity to see several Temples. We’d visited Rexberg and Idaho Falls in Idaho, saw the Ogden and Bountiful Temples from the road and wandered Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
Needless to say, I finally got to see those little plastic castles up close. They were anything but little. Walking around the Salt Lake City Temple, Jeremy laughed as I sat there and cried while looking into the reflection pools, fell in love with the organs in the Tabernacle and in the Conference Center.
During our walk on the grounds we made our way up to the top of the South Visitor’s Center and found the statue of the Christ surrounded by a painting of the universe. While Jeremy took pictures, I couldn’t help but cry.

While meditating over the painting of Joseph Smith meeting Christ and Heavenly Father in the grove for the first time, I felt a stirring in my heart, but this stirring was much more powerful and very different.

I was filled with overwhelming joy. I know now in my heart soul what I knew scientifically and historically only a few weeks before this day knew and it is my testimony to bare to you.

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of Heavenly Father in flesh, the child foretold of by Old Testament Prophets who left the tribe of Daniel and journeyed to Bethlehem to find. The same man would go on to heal the sick and minister to those who were spiritually poor, share the word of His Father with common man and would ultimately atone for the sins of man and reunite man with Heavenly Father.

The Holy Bible is the Word of God.

The Book of Mormon is the Word of God translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith who would restore the Church of Christ based on this work and his vision.
I also testify that Thomas S. Monson is a living Prophet who speaks from the Heart of our Heavenly Father and is guiding us during trying times where we have begun to see the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

I am thankful and blessed to have the Elders and friends who guided me forward on this journey and also for the welcome I have received by the Church and the Relief Society as a whole. I’ll even admit that for a moment when the ward voted to welcome me that part of me in that split second pondered what would happen if they had voted no, even though I knew that they would welcome me with open arms.

With these things in mind, I can testify that not only based on scientific fact, but spiritually, that through my education, my research and my time walking in this life which ultimately brought me to be who I am today, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the one true church.
I leave this testimony for my children and any who will come after me in either investigation of my faith or in need of renewal of their spirit in the name of Jesus Christ.

Kit Lampman

The post My Mormon Conversion Story, by Kit appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I belong to the Relief Society organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. All women of the church become members of this organization when they turn 18 years of age. I have been part of this organization since 1963. Through the years I have learned how to be a better women, employee, manager, friend, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and especially daughter of God. I have grown in my testimony of my faith. The Relief Society is the largest women’s organization in the world and has evolved over the years  to meet  the needs of women throughout the church.  The focus of the Relief Society is to provide opportunities for service, to teach us, and to inspire us as sisters in the gospel to prepare for the blessings of Eternal Life. The Relief Society motto is “Charity Never Faileth”.  In 2008 “The Relief Society Declaration,” The Family: A Proclamation to the World was initiated. The  Relief Society Declaration is a powerful message to us all. Here is that declaration.

“We are beloved daughters of God, and our lives have meaning purpose, and direction. As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar. We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and clarity who:

Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ through prayer and scripture study.

Seek spiritual strength by following the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Dedicate ourselves to strengthening Marriages, families, and homes

Find nobility in motherhood and joy in womanhood.

Delight in service and good works.

Love life and learning.

Stand for truth and righteousness.

Sustain the priesthood as the authority of God on earth.

Rejoice in the blessings of the temple, understand our divine destiny, and strive for exaltation.

Just think about how wonderful it is to know that we are beloved spirit daughters of God.  Knowing that we once lived together as children of our Heavenly Father; this answers that age old question of “where did we come from”. In the Relief Society organization we are all sisters in the gospel. Part of our assignment in this great organization is to watch over one another as we go through our individual life experiences. I have been a Visiting Teacher for over 45 years. My mother was a Visiting Teacher in the Relief Society throughout her adult years. She provided for me a wonderful example of faithfulness in watching over the sisters she was assigned to visit. It is wonderful to have the support of our fellow sisters  in our efforts to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and as we strive at all times to be women of faith.

In our Relief Society meetings each Sabbath day we learn from each other more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we listen to lessons and share our thoughts on the topics given.  In these meetings we study the scriptures and teachings of our prophets through the ages and also other timely subjects for our era. We are encouraged in our efforts to increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ through daily prayer and scripture study. I have found that when I have my prayers and scripture study each day that I have grown in my love for my Savior Jesus Christ. I have increased love for the scriptures and I have realized that the Scriptures are our  greatest manual for raising our families and finding answers to our daily questions.

I have had many experiences with the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I find that when I am obedient to the commandments and am striving to live a Christ like life; that I recognize the still small voice in my everyday life. I love this quote by President Boyd K. Packer in his conference report in the Ensign, Nov. 1994: “The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice that you feel more, than you hear….While we speak of ‘listening’to the whisperings of the Spirit, most often one describes a spiritual prompting by saying, ‘I had a feeling…'” “The voice of the spirit speaks gently, prompting you what to do or what to say, or it may caution or warn you.” I am so grateful for the Spirit of The Holy ghost.

A few of the goals of the Relief Society is to strengthen marriages, families, and homes. I have learned so much on how to be a better wife, mother and now grandmother. The following are two thoughts from the lessons “The Family Can Be Eternal;” and

” Family Responsibilities”.  President Harold B. Lee taught, “The most important of the Lord’s work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church; Harold B. Lee 2000, 134). In the next lesson, President David O. McKay stated that motherhood is the noblest calling. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay) Just pause for a moment and think about how wonderful it is to hold a new born baby, fresh from Heaven. Motherhood is a scared calling, a partnership with God. We have the calarion call to nurture our children. It is a noble cause. We are all mothers regardless of our status; this is a call for all women.

In the Relief Society we have countless opportunities to provide service to our ward sisters, community and  humanitarian causes. I have felt the sweet spirit of service in my life both as a giver and receiver. Charity Never Faileth is our motto and goal in all that we learn and do. Serving is part of our everyday life experiences. I have found great joy in serving.

We are to stand for truth and righteousness by being examples of our faith in all that we do. We are committed to follow the Savior and do as He would have as do.

We are to sustain the priesthood, counsel with our husband as equal partners and follow our Prophet.

I have the great privilege of working as an ordinance worker in the Jordan River Temple. I love serving in the temple and am so grateful to be able to do this work. There are so many rich blessings that come from temple attendance and work. The temple is a peaceful haven from the world and I have found that within those walls I have found answers to prayers and have been guided in all facets of my life. We all should strive to increase our temple service and strive for exaltation.

I am so grateful to be part of this great  organization and I stand by the Relief Society Declaration.

By LeAnn

The post Thoughts on “The Relief Society Declaration” ~ appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

One  heartfelt article was from a guest post, titled   “Adaptation and The Family Proclamation” by Jen Fuller as found on “We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice In Christ. Jen was in a car accident that left her with physical limitations and emotional distress. Here are a few of her thoughts on what she learned from her experience that relates to the following part of the Family Proclamation; “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness….Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their cildren”. “It became clear during the early months of this recovery time, that I would have a lot of limitations now with my  physical activity- otherwise known as my life. When I now thought about who I was, I had no identifiers that I recognized. I not only had to figure out how I was going to get through life being a mom and wife, but I had to figure out who I was as a person…. I had to dig deep and see what there was left inside of me that was worth, something. She was concerned for her husband and thought; “This was not what he signed up for.This was not what I signed him up for.” Take a moment and read her inspiring post.

Next was a wonderful post titled “Deep Impact”  by J Roberts as found on her blog; “Welcome To Madness”. Here is a quote from this post: ” I had a wonderful set of parents that are a great example to me. I have a pretty extensive family, and married into another pretty decent size family. We all get along pretty well… What more could I learn? Since  I thought I should maybe know a bit more about the topic of The Family: A Proclamation To The World, I started to study it. Oh boy! Turns out that although I had read it a few times, and knew it was inspired doctrine, I didn’t really have a testimony of the truthfulness that it contains. I now know”.  Does that tell us all that perhaps we should study this enlightening proclamation?

I loved this guest post by Alex Boye’ titled “Good Music In The Home and The Proclamation In Our Hearts” which is found on the blog, “Redheaded Hostess”. This is a must read on the music of the world and the music of the spirit. Here is one thought by Alex: “A friend recently made a comment that has stuck with me. He said: “In my opinion, families will never be together forever if we try to think the way that the world thinks, and try to live the way the world lives”.  We do need to know what our children are listening to and watching.  I have a testimony of the fact that good music can bring the spirit into our homes and into our hearts.

A great read is “Warning Labels” by Darla on “Chocolate On My Cranium”. She states: “I’m finding there are warning labels on virtually everything”! Stop by this post and read her thoughts on prophetic warnings and how the proclamation can help us avoid these warnings.

It has been a wonderful two weeks of outstanding posts on “The Family: A Proclamation To The World”.  Stop by and read the wrap up messages by these four ladies: Jocelyn at “We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ”; Shannan at “Redheaded Hostess”;  Cocoa at “Chocolate On My Cranium”; and J. Roberts at “Welcome To Madness”.

By Le Ann

The post A Wrap Up Review of “Celebrate Family 2011” ~ appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Valerie J. Fulmer

Why I am a Mormon

I was raised a Mormon. My parents could not have given me a better gift. I have continued in the faith because it has blessed my life in numerous ways. To name a few:

• I have a happy marriage and a positive and close bond with our children.
• I have many opportunities to help and serve others which makes me feel I am making a positive difference in the lives of others.
• My family and I have received service and love from many members of the Church.
• I have met and made friends with many of these members.
• I have been enabled to overcome trials and come out stronger and wiser than before.
• I have felt the Love of God in my life in various ways.
• I have learned that living the gospel to the best of my ability and sincerely repenting of my sins has helped me to be at peace, regardless of any tribulation which besets myself or my loved ones or the world around me.

I also love being a Mormon because the church has an organization called LDS Family Services. This organization offers counseling, information about counseling services and a library full of articles dealing with social, emotional, and spiritual challenges, help for birth parents, adoptive couples, and an Addiction Recovery Program.

I am a Mormon because the church offers many resources to help each of us on our own unique journey of life. I am a Mormon because I know Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, and that the Book of Mormon is, indeed, the word of God.

I know, without a doubt, Jesus Christ atoned for our sins so that if we come unto Him, strive to live the commandments of God, and sincerely repent as needed, we can be worthy to attain the highest degree of glory for the eternities. And we can be truly happy in this life, through the good times and the difficult times. I wish to share what has blessed my life to all those who are members and who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The post Why I am a Mormon – by Valerie appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

How can we be “builders, not destroyers”? Consider President Uchtdorf’s wise words:

“It takes courage … and humility to put away old hatred, divisions and traditions that constrict and confine people into a blind succession of destructive behavior toward others,” President Uchtdorf said. “It is within our reach to breach barriers of hate and build bridges of brotherhood and understanding between opposing cultures, beliefs, religion and world views.”

You can find the entire transcript of his talk here, or watch the address in the video below:

The post President Uchtdorf Addresses Los Angeles World Affairs Council appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.