Thank You

We'd like to Thank all of you that were able to attend our Christmas dinner and musical program.  We'd especially like to Thank those that participated in the program.  Teri Sundquist and Natasha Geddes played beautiful piano solos, Shannon Watkins and Hollie Wilmes sang two wonderful songs, Stephanie Dirks and Laurie Dykes played a neat piano duet, and the sisters all sang Away in a Manger and Silent Night.  It was a magical night.  Thanks for braving the frigid weather and joining us!  We want you to know that we recognized and missed those that were not with us.  We love you all!!

Merry Christmas!!!

December Visiting Teaching Message

An Extensive Sphere of Action

09692_000_006

The Lord, His Church, families, and communities need the influence of righteous women. In fact, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that “every sister in this Church who has made covenants with the Lord has a divine mandate to help save souls, to lead the women of the world, to strengthen the homes of Zion, and to build the kingdom of God.”¹

Some sisters may wonder if they can accomplish such lofty aims. But as Eliza R. Snow (1804–87), second Relief Society general president, explained, “There is no sister so isolated, and her sphere so narrow but what she can do a great deal towards establishing the Kingdom of God upon the earth.”² Sister Snow also taught that Relief Society was organized “for the accomplishment of every good and noble work.”³

Participation in Relief Society enlarges our spheres of influence by giving each sister opportunities to build faith, to strengthen families and homes, and to provide service both at home and throughout the world. And fortunately, our efforts as individuals and as Relief Societies need not be large and overwhelming, but they should be deliberate and consistent. Righteous practices such as daily personal and family prayer, daily scripture study, and consistently magnifying Church callings will help increase faith and build the Lord’s kingdom.

To sisters who wonder if these seemingly quiet contributions make a difference, Elder Ballard affirms: “Every sister who stands for truth and righteousness diminishes the influence of evil. Every sister who strengthens and protects her family is doing the work of God. Every sister who lives as a woman of God becomes a beacon for others to follow and plants seeds of righteous influence that will be harvested for decades to come.”⁴

From the Scriptures

1 Corinthians 12:4–18; 1 Timothy 6:18–19; Mosiah 4:27; Articles of Faith 1:13

From Our History

Eliza R. Snow, who had served as secretary when Relief Society was organized in Nauvoo, was called by President Brigham Young (1801–77) to travel throughout the Church, helping bishops organize Relief Society in their wards.

Sister Snow taught: “If any of the daughters and mothers in Israel are feeling in the least circumscribed [limited] in their present spheres, they will now find ample scope for every power and capability for doing good with which they are most liberally endowed. … President Young has turned the key to a wide and extensive sphere of action and usefulness.”⁵

What Can I Do?

Open Your Gift

Christmas Day

Some of you may not know, but Christmas Day lands on Sunday this year.  Just an FYI, We will only be having Sacrament meeting that day.  There will be no other meetings held.  We hope you have a great Holiday Season this year.  May we remember to keep Christ in Christmas and in our lives all year long!

I have never...

For those of you that missed our Ice Cream Social, we sure missed you!!  We didn't want you to feel left out, so we thought we'd would post some answers from one of our games, I have never.  You state something that you have never done/liked/eaten and so on.  Those that have done the thing you named had to get up and eat Raquel's YUMMY Apple Cinnamon Chex Mix.  Here are some of the I have nevers...

Gotten a speeding ticket
Gone to the bathroom outdoors
Gone to Prom
Dyed my hair
Worn Heals
Sky Dived
Eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Like seafood
Had a baby
Waterskiid
Had a vaginal birth
Tried Caviar
Scuba Dived
Seen the ocean
Been to Hawaii
Been to Wisconsin
Been to another Country
Run a marathon
Ran more than 1 mile without stopping from exhaustion

There were many more, but I'm having a hard time remembering them all.  We had such a fun night hearing embarrassing stories, weird facts, random thoughts, eating ice cream, and listening to inspiring music and thoughts.  Thank you to those that were able to make it.  Thank you to the men that sacrificed in the Nursery for us to bring our kids.  Thank you to a loving Heavenly Father that give us everything.  Including the wind!  What a fun night.  We hope more can come to the Christmas Dinner on December 6th.  Prepare yourselves for a night of Spiritual Power!  Remind those that don't make it to church regularly.  We'd love all to come!

Daughters In My Kingdom

Relief Society sisters have a glorious heritage. We pray that this volume will be an important resource for preserving that heritage.

~ The First Presidency

In grateful recognition of the blessing of Relief Society in the lives of Church members, the First Presidency has directed the preparation of Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society.

The teachings, stories, and examples in this history book will guide you in establishing priorities and practices in your life that will help increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help those in need.



The history of Relief Society teaches the divine identity and infinite worth of daughters of God. It is a Spirit-filled story of strong, faithful, purposeful women who have served with little public recognition.

As you study this history you will see that our Heavenly Father knows His daughters, that He loves them, that He trusts them with sacred responsibilities, and that He guides them as they fulfill those responsibilities.

You are encouraged to share the book with others. Church members of all ages may use the book as a reference in lessons, talks, council meetings, and at home.

October Visiting Teaching Message

If We Do Not Doubt

09690_000_012

In the Book of Mormon we read about exemplary young men who were exceedingly valiant, courageous, and strong. “Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him” (Alma 53:21). These faithful young men paid tribute to their mothers—their examples and teachers.

The mothers of Helaman’s warriors lived in times not unlike our own. Their circumstances were difficult and dangerous, and youth were being called upon to defend physical and spiritual liberty. Today we live in a world where we “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Challenging times cry out for strong parents and examples who teach the truth that Helaman’s warriors knew: “If they did not doubt, God would deliver them” (Alma 56:47). Teaching and exemplifying this truth today requires vigilance. However, we need not fear. When we know who we are and who God is and we have made covenants with Him, we—like these mothers of warriors—will have great influence for good.

Most likely, each of Helaman’s 2,060 warriors was influenced by a mother. But these mothers did not act alone. Together with other righteous men and women, these mothers must have united their faith and example to teach the power of covenants. The young people of the day understood the covenant their parents had made not to engage in warfare. And even when it seemed impossible, a loving Heavenly Father opened a way for these parents to keep their covenant—and to preserve their liberty (see Alma 56:5–9). We likewise must honor our covenants so that children and youth—our own children and those in our wards, branches, neighborhoods, and communities—will understand and support covenant keeping.

When we honor our covenants, Heavenly Father can prepare the way for us. We are to live our covenants with precision. We can, for example, be precise in praying, in studying the scriptures, in holding a current temple recommend, in dressing modestly, in honoring the Sabbath. As we do so, our children will know and be able to say, “We do not doubt our mothers knew it” (Alma 56:48).

Latter-day Saint women who recognize that their strength comes from the Lord’s Atonement do not give up during difficult and discouraging times. As covenant keepers, we excel at upholding, nurturing, and protecting children and youth so that one day we might say of this rising generation, “Never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all” (Alma 56:45).

Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president.

From the Scriptures

Alma 53; 56–58

What Can I Do?

1. 1.How can I help my sisters recognize and act on the power they have to influence the rising generation?
2. 2.What inspiration will I find in the Book of Mormon to answer the challenges I face today?

Wyoming Temple Announcement

Good Morning Sisters,

We hope you had a wonderful Conference Weekend with your loved ones.  It sure was inspiring and spiritually packed.  How fun to see President Monson so fun-loving and happy.  How awesome it is to have a living Prophet on the earth today.  For US!

With the news of many other temples around the world, the exciting news that hit close to home for all of us was the announcement of a temple in Wyoming!  Star Valley is now the envy of all of us!  Sisters, President Hopkins promised that if we can get 2 Stakes, we would be considered for a temple of our own.  We are still in the 15% of LDS membership that live more than 200 miles from a temple.  Let's work hard to change that!  Make the commitment now to attend more frequently.  If you have not yet gone through the temple, make the commitment to go soon.  Ready yourselves for this most Sacred and Wonderful Covenant with our Heavenly Father.  He Loves us.  He wants us to return to him.  Let's work hard to get a temple in Casper, Wyoming.  Let's be a "Covenant Keeping People."

September Visiting Teaching Message

Strengthening Families by Increasing Spirituality09689_000_0

Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president, said: “There has grown in me an overwhelming testimony of the value of daughters of God. … 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.”

Sisters can help create strong homes and families as they act on personal revelation. “The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life,” Sister Beck continued. “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. 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. … Daily prayer is essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us.”¹

We also strengthen our family members spiritually as we help them understand Heavenly Father’s eternal plan. “What can we do to better prepare our children spiritually for their eternal roles?” asked Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Perhaps the most inclusive answer is: Teach them how to live the principles of the gospel.” This teaching comes through daily prayer, scripture study, and family mealtimes as well as weekly family home evening and Church attendance. Elder Ballard explains: “We prepare each day, right now, for eternal life. If we are not preparing for eternal life, we are preparing for something less, perhaps something far less.”²

From the Scriptures

Proverbs 22:6; 1 John 3:22; Doctrine and Covenants 11:13–14; 19:38; 68:25

From Our History

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught the sisters in an April 1842 Relief Society meeting that they had a solemn obligation to seek their own salvation. He said, “After [my] instruction, you will be responsible for your own sins; it is a desirable honor that you should so walk before our heavenly Father as to save yourselves; we are all responsible to God for the manner we improve the light and wisdom given by our Lord to enable us to save ourselves.”³ He taught them to be righteous individuals, to become a holy people, and to prepare for temple ordinances and covenants.

What Can I Do?

1. 1.How can I help my sisters increase in spiritual self-reliance?
2. 2.How can I improve my own ability to recognize and respond to the Holy Spirit?

Welcome Sisters

We as a Relief Society Presidency wanted a way for everyone to have access to the goings-on of all things 5th ward.  This will be a place where you'll find announcements, activities, and other information needed to feel apart of this sacred organization within our 5th ward.  Please feel free to browse and let us know if there is anything else you'd like added to our Relief Society Blog.  You can email us at casper5thwardrs@gmail.com.  We love you, Sisters.  We pray for your well being.  Please don't hesitate to ask us for anything.  Remember, "Don't worry about what others say about you.  Worry about what they say about themselves when they are with you."