Seeking and Receiving Personal Revelation

How Can I Seek Personal Revelation?

"We prepare to receive personal revelation as the prophets do, by studying the scriptures, fasting, praying, and building faith. Faith is the key. Remember Joseph's preparation for the First Vision:

" 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. . . .

" 'But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.' "1

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.


"Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil.

"But that is not all. To one who thought that revelation would flow without effort, the Lord said:

" 'You have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.

" 'But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.' "2

President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Strengthening Faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ through Personal Scripture Study

"A study of the scriptures will help our testimonies and the testimonies of our family members. Our children today are growing up surrounded by voices urging them to abandon that which is right and to pursue, instead, the pleasures of the world. Unless they have a firm foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, a testimony of the truth, and a determination to live righteously, they are susceptible to these influences. It is our responsibility to fortify and protect them."2

President Thomas S. Monson.



"When I was a new bride, . . . I was invited to a lunch for all of the Relief Society sisters in my ward who had read either the Book of Mormon or a short Church history book. I had become casual in my scripture reading, so I qualified to attend the luncheon by reading the short book because it was easier and took less time. As I was eating my lunch, I had a powerful feeling that though the history book was a good one, I should have read the Book of Mormon. The Holy Ghost was prompting me to change my scripture reading habits. That very day I began to read the Book of Mormon, and I have never stopped. . . . Because I started reading the scriptures daily, I have learned about my Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and what I need to do to be like Them. . . .

" . . . Every woman can be a gospel doctrine instructor in her home, and every sister in the Church needs gospel knowledge as a leader and teacher. If you have not already developed the habit of daily scripture study, start now and keep studying in order to be prepared for your responsibilities in this life and in the eternities."

Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president.

Better Visiting Teaching

How To Be Better Visiting Teaching Companions:

• Become friends
• Keep in touch
• Remember each other’s birthdays
• Socialize together at church and at activities
• Support each other
• Get along
• Encourage each other (especially those who are new to visiting teaching)
• Be a motivator, even if it means doing most or all of the work
• Decide in advance who will make the assignments and who will plan the lesson (one sister can do everything one month and the other can do it the next month or you can split the assignments and switch them each month)
• Help arrange baby sitting if needed

How To Be Better Visiting Teachers:

• "Just Do It"
• Plan early
• Listen to your sisters and get to know them
• Pray for your sisters and pray for inspiration to help them
• Be aware of their needs (look beneath the surface) including health concerns
• Don't make them a statistic, love them
• Don't give up or be discouraged, have faith
• Respect them, don't judge them
• Have a message prepared but be open for spiritually inspired messages or teaching opportunities
• Read the full message with your sisters
• Remember their birthdays
• Socialize with your visiting teaching sisters at church and at activities
• One monthly visit/contact should be the minimum not the maximum

How to Have Better Visits:

• Teach with love
• Pray with your companion before the visit
• Begin and end each visit with a prayer
• Leave your own troubles at the door
• Learn to listen, don't just talk
• Cultivate Christ-like attributes
• Have one companion play with disruptive children while the other visits with the sister (when necessary)
• Don't gossip during or after your visits (center conversations around those present)
• Keep your visits confidential (unless something important should be reported to the Relief Society President or Bishop)
• Be positive and uplifting

How to Visit Less Active Sisters:
Including many of the ideas above here are some additional ideas to help you visit those sisters who are less active or who don't want to be visit taught:

• Make an effort to contact them more than once a month
• Invite them to activities/church
• Serve them
• Try all kinds of ways to contact them (notes, cards, treats, phone calls, flowers, small gifts, etc.)
• Leave a copy of the monthly message or other inspired thoughts/scriptures (it might be their only spiritual contact for the month)
• Pray for inspiration for other types of approaches you could use, such as humor or other special type of service
• Talk to their family or friends (if available) to see if they have any special concerns (such as health/allergies)
• Talk to their home teachers to see if they have had contact with them and if so see if you can accompany them on their next visit so the sister can get to know you
• Always pray for them

When we do our best the Lord will do the rest. Remember this is his work and if you are willing he will use you as a tool to accomplish his work.

Exciting announcement!

Ogden Temple to Get
Architectural Facelift

OGDEN, Utah 17 February 2010 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced plans today to remodel and architecturally change the appearance of the Ogden Utah Temple and its grounds. Elder William R. Walker made the announcement in downtown Ogden with Mayor Matthew R. Godfrey. “The Ogden Utah Temple has been a beacon of faith in downtown Ogden for nearly forty years and has blessed those who have served and worshipped within its walls,” Elder Walker said. “We hope these improvements will not only better serve Church members but also add to the beauty of downtown Ogden for all to enjoy.”

Elder Walker went on to explain that the temple’s entire exterior will be reshaped with new stone and art glass. The entrance to the temple will also be moved from the west side to the east side, where it will face Washington Boulevard.

Inside the temple, some rooms will be reconfigured, but the core building design will remain the same. As has been the case in renovations of other temples, old electrical, heating and plumbing systems will be replaced with modern, energy-saving equipment. Other notable improvements include underground parking and a complete re-landscaping of the temple block with a major water feature.

“We are excited with the announcement today of improvements to both the building and the grounds,” said Bishop Keith B. McMullin of the Presiding Bishopric. “These improvements will not only help us meet the increased needs at a busy temple but will also be part of the enhancement and beautification of downtown Ogden.”

Mayor Matthew Godfrey praised today’s announcement as a major step forward in the city’s downtown revitalization plan. “I am thrilled with the announcement today,” he said. “The improvements to the temple and the grounds will be a beautiful addition to our city.”

The Ogden Utah Temple currently serves approximately 76 stakes and is comprised of approximately 261,928 Church members. During the construction project, members are encouraged to attend the Logan Utah and Bountiful Utah temples.

The Ogden Utah Temple was originally dedicated in 1972 as the 14th operating temple for the Church and the fifth in Utah. There are now 152 temples announced or under construction worldwide.

Latter-day Saint temples provide a place where Church members make formal promises and commitments to God and where the highest sacraments of the faith occur, such as the marriage of couples for eternity. Temples differ from the tens of thousands of local meetinghouses where members typically meet for Sunday worship services and midweek social activities.

The first Utah temple was completed in St. George in 1877, followed by Logan in 1884, Manti in 1888, Salt Lake City in 1893 and Ogden in 1972.

Visiting Teaching Idea

Avoiding Debt

The Visiting Teaching Message for February is "Managing Resources Wisely and Staying Out of Debt". I was really drawn to the last paragraph of the message, where it talks about how we need to exercise faith in the Savior to be better in sacrificing our wants in order to meet our own and others' needs.

In order to demonstrate the need we have to tighten our purse strings, I made a little purse with the quote printed on the inside flap, and filled it with coins that have the five key steps to financial freedom printed on them.

All you really need to make your own purses to share with the sisters you visit teach is some adhesive (I used double-sided tape) and 1 sheet 8 1/2 x 11 paper. I used scrapbook paper, but you could use whatever you have on hand - you could stamp or embellish copy paper or cardstock and get a similar result.

Everything else is extra - you could get by without it, and still have a cute handout to share.

I used a green flower brad as an accent on the purse flap, and a piece of adhesive velcro to close it up (you could just use tape or a sticker). I found some chocolate coins that I glued the "five keys" onto, but they also looked really cute going solo, with the same pattern as the purse on the back.

Begin by downloading the purse and coin pattern here. Cut out the purse and fold on the dotted lines. Make creases where the bottom of the purse meets the front and back. Apply adhesive on the flaps sticking out from the base and the back of the purse.

Press the base flaps to the back flaps, then do the same with the front to the back.

Apply adhesive to the handle edges and press to the inner sides of the purse.

I then punched a hole and added the green flower brad.

I pressed the velcro on top of the brad's legs and carefully placed the other side of the velcro to the front of the purse so it would be positioned to close correctly.

As you share the message, you can begin by emptying the purse of its coins, then dropping them back in one at a time as you discuss the "five keys".

Enjoy!

With Valentines day coming up we though it might be fun to share some homemade valentines ideas.

Lollipop Flowers

See larger photo

MaterialsThere is something irresistibly simple and lovely about this card, and your sweetheart is sure to be a sucker for the candy treat it hides.

• Red and green construction paper or card stock
• Scissors

• Lollipop
• Glue stick

Instructions

1. From red construction paper, cut out a heart that's just larger than the lollipop candy and glue it to the wrapper.

2. For the leaves, fold the green paper in half and cut out a leaf shape, leaving the two sides attached at the seam.

3. Unfold the double leaf shape, coat the entire inside surface with glue, and fold it back over the lollipop stem, pressing to secure.

Tips:

If you use cardboard templates, one child can trace and cut hearts while another works on the leaves.

Variations:

Make cardboard templates of the hearts and leaves.

Wheel Fun

See larger photo

MaterialsRace through your card making like Solomon Hauser, a 5-year-old automobile enthusiast from Perry, New York, who made these tracks with paint-dipped toy cars. The "coupe" de grace on his card? A sweet chocolate car, available at party and candy stores and through online retailers such as CandyWarehouse (candywarehouse.com).

• Newspaper
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Red card stock (each 8 1/2- by 11-inch sheet makes 4 cards)
• Black acrylic paint
• Paper plate

• Toy truck with textured wheels
• Scissors
• Marker
• Foil-covered chocolate cars
• Double-sided tape

Instructions

1. Cover your work area with newspaper. Use the pencil and the ruler to divide the card stock into 4 equal sections.

2. Pour some black paint onto the paper plate. Drive the toy truck through the paint a few times to coat the wheels well.

3. Roll the truck over the card stock to make tracks, taking care to leave some room in each section for a message.

4. Let the paint dry, then cut the card stock into 4 pieces and use the marker to write a note on each one.

5. Attach the chocolate cars with the double-sided tape.
   
   
   Suggested messages:
   I never "tire" of your friendship
   To a wheely good friend
   Valentine, you make my heart race!