2016 Relief Society Lessons

2016			Teachings of Living Prophets
3-Jan		Presidency Instruction
10-Jan		Howard W. Hunter #1 P. 39	Jesus Christ Our Only Way
17-Jan		Howard W. Hunter #2 p. 49	"My Peace I Give To You"
24-Jan		TFOT  Ensign 11/15	Why the Church Christofferson
31-Jan	5th Sunday	Determined by Bishop
7-Feb		Presidency Instruction
14-Feb		HW Hunter #3 p. 61	Adversity
21-Feb	Stake Conference
28-Feb		TFOT Ensign 11/15	Yielding Hearts Marriott
6-Mar		Presidency Instruction
13-Mar		HW Hunter #4 p. 75	Help From On High
20-Mar		HW Hunter #5&6 p.87 & 99	JSmith…The Atonement..
27-Mar		Pres. Inst./TFOT Ensign	What Lack I Yet? Lawrence
3-Apr	General Conference
10-Apr		HW Hunter #7 p.111	Continuous Revelation…
17-Apr		HW Hunter #8p.121	Taking the Gospel to All…
24-Apr		TFOT Ensign 11/15	Behold Thy Mother Holland
1-May		Presidency Instruction
8-May		HW Hunter #9 p.133	The Law of Tithing
15-May		HW Hunter #10 p. 143	The Scriptures…..
22-May		TFOT Ensign 5/16	TBA
29-May	5th Sunday	Determined by Bishop
5-Jun		Presidency Instruction
12-Jun		HW Hunter #11 p. 155	True Greatness
19-Jun		HW Hunter #12 p.169	Come Back and Feast...
26-Jun		TFOT Ensign 5/16	TBA
3-Jul		Presidency Instruction
10-Jul		HW Hunter #13 p.177	The Temple-The Great….
17-Jul		HW Hunter #14 p. 187	Hastening Family History
24-Jul		TFOT Ensign 5/16	TBA
31-Jul	5th Sunday	Determined by Bishop
7-Aug		Presidency Instruction
14-Aug		HW Hunter #15 p. 197	The Sacrament of the Lord's..
21-Aug	Stake Conf?
28-Aug		TFOT Ensign 5/16	TBA
4-Sep		Presidency Instruction
11-Sep		HW Hunter #16 p. 207..	Marriage an Eternal Patrner..
18-Sep		HW Hunter #17 p. 219	Preserve & Protect Family
25-Sep		Pres. Inst./TFOT	TBA
2-Oct	General Conference
9-Oct		HW Hunter #18 p.233	We Believe In Being Honest
16-Oct		HW Hunter #19 p.243	Our Commitment To God
23-Oct		TFOT	TBA
30-Oct	5th Sunday	Determined by Bishop
6-Nov		Presidency Instruction
13-Nov		HW Hunter #20 p. 255	Walking the Savior's Path
20-Nov		HW Hunter #21 p.267	Faith & Testimony
27-Nov		TFOT Ensign 11/16	TBA
4-Dec		Presidency Instruction
11-Dec		HW Hunter # 22 p.279	Teaching The Gospel
18-Dec		HW Hunter #23 & 24 p.291 & 305	No Less Serviceable & Following
25-Dec		TFOT	TBA

December 2015 Relief Society Presidency Message

“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38.). This was Mary’s faithful and obedient response when the angel declared unto her that she was to be the earthly mother of the Son of God - Jesus the Christ, the Savior of all mankind. She acknowledged and accepted and accomplished her divine roll with gratitude and humility. 

In her October General Conference talk, Sister Rosemary M. Wixom, Primary General President stated:

“ We come into this world “trailing clouds of glory.”² “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” teaches that each one of us “is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents” and “each has a divine nature and destiny.”³ Heavenly Father generously shares a portion of His divinity within us. That divine nature comes as a gift from Him with a love that only a parent can feel.

We come to this earth to nurture and discover the seeds of divine nature that are within us.

We have come to this earth to help build His kingdom and to prepare for the Second Coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. With every breath we take, we strive to follow Him. The divine nature within each one of us is refined and magnified by the effort we make to draw nearer to our Father and His Son.

Our divine nature has nothing to do with our personal accomplishments, the status we achieve, the number of marathons we run, or our popularity and self-esteem. Our divine nature comes from God. It was established in an existence that preceded our birth and will continue on into eternity.”

Elder Jeffrey R Holland, of the First Presidency, paid this tribute ,” To all of our mothers everywhere, past, present, or future, I say, “Thank you. Thank you for giving birth, for shaping souls, for forming character, and for demonstrating the pure love of Christ.” To Mother Eve, to Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, to Mary of Nazareth, and to a Mother in Heaven, I say, “Thank you for your crucial role in fulfilling the purposes of eternity.” To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle—and all will—I say, “Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are. In fact, you are saviors on Mount Zion,¹³ and like the Master you follow, your love ‘never faileth.’¹⁴ ” I can pay no higher tribute to anyone. 

Today I declare from this pulpit what has been said here before: that no love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child. “

Dear Sisters, you are each priceless and precious daughters of a God who loves you dearly; who know us and our divine potential. Let us, as Mary, fulfill our lives as handmaids of the Lord.

We love you and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 Sister Cathy Bentley

1st Counselor Centralia Stake Relief Society

Presidency Message

     A family decided to spend a hot summer afternoon floating down a river on inner tubes. A river guide gave them clear instructions to make their trip enjoyable and safe. In particular, he warned them about a stretch of river where a bridge produced a strong undercurrent. He instructed them to get out of the river at that point and carry their tubes to the next launching area.
     All went well, until one adult family member decided to ignore the river guide's warning. The detour seemed like an unnecessary limitation. Besides, he had floated the river before, and he knew what he was doing.
     It was a mistake. the violent undercurrent flipped his tube over and plunged him into the water. luckily his life jacket kept him afloat, and all he lost were some of his belongings. It could have been much more tragic. He quickly realized how much better off it would have been to avoid the danger zone altogether.
     The counsel to avoid dangers at first seem like an unnecessary and unwanted restriction. sooner or later, however, we realize that such counsel does not restrict us; it protects us. It is not enough to simply "go with the flow". The safe course is rarely a path of least resistance; rather, it requires deliberate choices, willingness to learn, and humble recognition that we don't know everything.
     Although we can choose to rationalize, reject, or ignore good counsel and divine commandment, the choices we make-though they may seem small and unimportant at the time-have lasting consequences. Often the best course is to heed the advice of those who have foreseen the dangers or who are wiser and better informed-such as a parent, teacher, bishop,prophet, or God speaking in the scriptures. Our choices determine our safety, our happiness, and our destiny to make it home to Our Heavenly Father.

Sister Val Walsh
Centralia Stake Relief Society Secretary

October Presidency Message "The Empty Pickle Jar, Relief Society Style"

Dear Sisters,

We hope that you enjoy this video titles" The Empty Pickle Jar, Relief Society Style" as a remembrances of the things that are essential and important in our lives and what order they should be placed. In the busy world that we live in with many conveniences and such at our fingertips it is very easy to overload ourselves with many things that keep us from focusing on the most essential and important  things. The hustling and bustling we do as young mothers and grandmothers sometimes wears us out and then we get overwhelmed with many things that take us away from the essential and important things. We are approaching the holiday season within the next month or two and our families and lives will be filled with many fun and enjoyable opportunities. Let us choose wisely and be sure that we include the essential and important things as a focus.

http://youtu.be/hekYUf87cao

Love to Each of You,
Sister Sallye Johnston
Centralia Stake Relief Society President

September Presidency Message

 We look forward to seeing each of you at the first session of General Conference on Saturday September 26, 2015 at 4:45 at the Centralia Stake Center.

September 1^st, 2015

I just love new beginnings, don’t you? The first day of September, first day of school, and so on. I’ve personally launched a new effort toward healthier living today. I’m sixteen hours into it and I’m doing great ;)

It’s easy to become discouraged with life’s adversities, isn’t it?  But, thanks to the Lord, we have new beginnings and hope for better days ahead. I just wanted to encourage you sisters to look on the bright side of things and keep on trying. As President Monson said, “Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family.” " And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." Alma 36:3

In hard times she had learned three things-

She was stronger....than she ever imagined,

Jesus was closer...than she ever realized,

and

She was loved...more than she ever knew.

Wishing you joy as continue you journey!

 

Love,

Sister Chris Jackson

1st Counselor

 

August Presidency Message

Dear Sisters,
     In Robert Lewis Stevenson's "A Child's Garden of Verses", he writes a very simple poem entitled "Happy Thoughts" where he says "The world is so full of a number of things. I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."
     Summer brings with it many happy things; swimming, biking, vacations, family time, and for many growing and harvesting a garden, and sharing the harvest with others. The First Presidency offered this message (as stated in "All is Safely Gathered In...Family Home Storage" pamphlet)
"Dear Brothers and Sisters: Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to "prepare every needful thing" (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.We encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings..."
     There are an abundance of opportunities for preparing for adverse conditions no matter what your circumstances. Contact your ward Preparedness Specialist, Relief Society President, Bishop, or access lds.org for additional guidance and ideas. Share your home preparedness ideas, skill and talents with others, helping them in turn to be more self sufficient.

"Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home!
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin;
god, our Maker, doth provide
for our wants to be supplied..."

In Doctrine and covenants 38:30, the Lord Himself promises us that "...if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."

We love you and pray for you and your families.
Sister Cathy Bentley
Second Counselor Stake Relief Society

Presidency Message July 2015

                                                                 After The Storm

Dear Sisters,
     Why is it that faithful Saints have trials and tribulations, even when we are trying to do Heavenly Father's will? Why does it seem so hard? Why such terrible tribulations? To what end? For what purpose? As we ask these questions, we realize as we have been taught the purpose of our life on earth is to grow, develop, and be strengthened through our own experiences. How do we do this? The scriptures give us an answer in one simple phrase: we "wait upon the Lord."
     Tests and trials are given to all of us. These mortal challenges allow us and our Heavenly Father to see whether we will exercise our agency to follow His Son. He already knows, and we have the opportunity to learn, no matter how difficult our circumstances, "all these things shall [ be for our]
experience, and...[our] good" (D&C 122:7).
     Does this mean we will always understand our challenges? Won't all of us, sometime, have reason to ask, "O God, where art thou? Yes! When as a family we experience financial hardship. When children wander from the path, a mother and a father will cry out in sorrow. When we or a loved one experiences a major health issue. In Psalms 30:5 "weeping may endure throught the night, but joy cometh in the morning". Then, in the dawn or our increased faith and understanding, we arise and choose to wait upon the Lord, saying, "they will be done." In the scriptures to wait upon the Lord means to hope, anticipate, and trust.  Quoting Elder Hales he says, "To hope and trust in the Lord requires faith, patience, humility, meekness, long-suffering, keeping the commandments, and enduring to the end."
     Sisters, we live in the latter days when we need to be prepared for the trials and tests that will come our way. May we look at our various challenges as growth opportunities in the areas of increasing our faith, hope, and  trusting in the Lord and what he has done for us as we endure to the end. We have been blessed with a wonderful sisterhood  within the divinely organized Relief Society, may we strengthen ourselves and one another, watch over one another, and pray for one another always. May we remember that we are never alone! Our Savior will always be there for us!.

With Love,
Sister Sallye Johnston
Centralia Stake Relief Society President
  
 

PRESIDENCY MESSAGE June 2015

Blessings from heaven surround us, but we must open our hearts to see them. Daily life can be so demanding, though, that we may not always notice how heaven is pouring out blessings and guiding our efforts. Hurrying from one commitment to the next, accomplishing one task after another, we seem to be much more aware of our daily difficulties than the abundant blessings.

Anciently, the Israelities who fled Egypt were much the same way. Nearly every morning during their 40 years in the wilderness, they awoke to find manna lying on the ground. And yet, while the Lord saved them from starvation by literally raining down bread from heaven-not to mention delivering them from slavery- the children of Israel complained to Moses that they missed the fish, fruits, and vegetables they had enjoyed in Egypt.

Because the manna came so easily, so regularly, and for so long, they stopped being amazed by it and even grew tired of it. They did not consistently acknowledge, let alone thank the Lord for their daily bread.

Are there some "daily little miracles" in our lives that we fail to notice? Do we take for granted the blessings that shower gently but generously upon us-the love of family, the support of true friends, the glory of daily sunrises and sunsets, the peace of daily prayer-just because they are available everyday? What a different tone our lives take when we turn heavenward with thankfulness for the favors that come our way. Not only do we recognize more of our blessings, but we also stand ready to receive more divine help. Let us open our eyes and our hearts to the blessings that surround us and rejoice anew in each miracle of daily bread.
(Lloyd D. Newell, October, 2012, Music & the Spoken Word)

Sister Val Walsh
Centralia Stake Relief Society Secretary

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Sisters,

    The month of May is the month that has been designated to recognize and celebrate our mothers,and being a mother. I hope that it is more frequently than one month that we remember and honor our mothers and motherhood AND womanhood.  I am sure that we all think back frequently to our own mothers and the many things that we  were taught and learned from our individual mothers.
     Mother's carry with them a multitude of memory snapshots collected at milestones in the life of her child; first smile, first steps, first words that inevitably lead to first day of school, first date, and the most blessed of mothers, first grandchild.
     Being a mother means you don't just bear one job description but a fleet of them. Motherhood has no finite job description. It's a little of every job. A mother is the facilitator and provider for your home and its environment. She is the family shopper, taxi driver,family referee, first-line health provider, educator, and disciplinarian. All this mothers do without receiving a paycheck. But we do it all quite willingly because we are an important element in the development of a child. I think Heavenly Father gives mothers a special something that includes a large dose of patience, determination, unrelenting love, and the ability to guide the children with whom we have been entrusted to raise.
     You measure your success not just by what you do for your children, but rather by what you teach them to do for themselves. And you try when possible to keep them from learning their lessons in the school of hard knocks.
     Ultimately, mothers- like love, family, and home are treasures to hold in your heart forever. May each of you find joy in being blessed to be a daughter of heavenly parents and to be upon this earth at this time as we help prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior , Jesus Christ.
     HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of you sisters in the Centralia Stake!

Love,
Sallye Johnston
Centralia Stake Relief Society President

Presidency Message

Dear Sisters,

We hope that you each took advantage of the wonderful opportunity to hear the messages presented by our General Authorities at General Conference. What a blessing to be taught at the feet of a living prophet and those who serve with him.  Their  testimonies of the mission of  Jesus Christ, and other messages, were born with boldness, clearness and love with the intent of reminding  us that God does live and that He loves us and wants to bless us; and does bless us in immeasurable ways.

As sisters in Zion, it is our blessed duty  to defend home and family and to raise up righteous children unto the Lord; whether they  be our own or others over which we have stewardship.  Prior to the General Women's Broadcast on March 28th, the Relief Societies from each ward in the Centralia Stake provided a display of ways to economically do just that through "Self-Reliance and Provident Living" with topics ranging from inexpensive gifts, to continuing education, to ham radio operators and many others in between.   Many, many thanks to each of the wards for sharing your fabulous ideas.  And, the yummy home made bread, honey and honey butter!!  If you need additional handouts or information, please contact the respective Relief Society President.

Saving Money (Centralia)

Provident living gift ideas (Rochester)

Education/Literary (Chehalis)

Health (Toledo)

FHE/Spiritual (Tenino)

Communication (Adna)

Employment (Morton)

Recreation (Mt. Vista)

Bread-baking (Winlock)

We pray for each of you dear sisters as you endeavor faithfully to strengthen your homes and families that you will make use of the many resources available to you through the church. Please take time to visit providentliving.org or lds.org. It will be well worth your time.

We love you. Thank you for being you!!

Cathy Bentley

2nd Counselor

My Sisters' Hands: Relief Society Presidency Message

Dear Sisters,

What a wonderful blessing it is to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in these latter days and to be blessed to be a Daughter of God! He loves us so much and cherishes who we are and knows of our everyday needs. As we celebrate the organization of "The Relief Society" this month of March may we reflect on the blessings that have come to each of us through belonging to the Relief Society. The video "My Sisters' Hands" reminds us of the sisterhood that we share. As we work and serve together we are strengthened in the purposes of the Relief Society to:
* Increase faith and personal righteousness
* Strengthen families and homes
* Seek out and help those in need

Each of these purposes have an impact on each of us as we learn and grow and strengthen one another.At the organization of the Relief Society Joseph Smith admonished the sisters to "live up to their privilege."with this encouragement as sisters we have been taught to live up to our divine potential by fulfilling our Heavenly Father's purposes for us. As we come to understand who (whose) we really are, God's daughters, with innate capacities to love, nurture and serve we reach our potential as holy women. The Relief Society was established as an integral part of the Restoration, the Relief Society helps us as Latter-day Saint women to live up to our privilege. I so appreciate each and everyone of you sisters and the gifts and talents that you share within the Centralia Stake.

Throughout this year may we focus on each of the purposes of the Relief Society as we strengthen ourselves and one another through our service to one another. We are living at a time in our day where  the  family is under attack and as sisters in the Relief Society we need to especially focus on strengthening families and homes.The families that we need to strengthen not only include our own, but those of our sisters we are asked to serve  through the watch care of Visiting Teaching.

Presidency Message: February

A Love Note

Just wanted to remind you of the love note that President Uchtdorf delivered to you back in September 2014.

Always remember that YOU ARE LOVED

“My dear sisters in the gospel, whether you are 8 or 108, there is one thing that I hope you truly understand and know:

You are loved.

You are dear to your heavenly parents.

The infinite and eternal Creator of light and life knows you! He is mindful of you.

Yes, God loves you this very day and always.

He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles. He is aware that you reach up to Him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer. He knows of the times you have held onto the fading light and believed—even in the midst of growing darkness. He knows of your sufferings. He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed. And still He loves you.

And God knows of your successes; though they may seem small to you, He acknowledges and cherishes each one of them. He loves you for extending yourself to others. He loves you for reaching out and helping others bear their heavy burdens—even when you are struggling with your own.

He knows everything about you. He sees you clearly—He knows you as you really are. And He loves you—today and always!

Do you suppose it matters to our Heavenly Father whether your makeup, clothes, hair, and nails are perfect? Do you think your value to Him changes based on how many followers you have on Instagram or Pinterest? Do you think He wants you to worry or get depressed if some un-friend or un-follow you on Facebook or Twitter? Do you think outward attractiveness, your dress size, or popularity make the slightest difference in your worth to the One who created the universe?

He loves you not only for who you are this very day but also for the person of glory and light you have the potential and the desire to become.

More than you could ever imagine, He wants you to achieve your destiny—to return to your heavenly home in honor.”

Let’s always remember and always help one another achieve our destiny.

With Love,

Sister Chris Jackson