The Loneliest Journey Ever Made.

Below is an Easter-season message intended for everyone.

It is particularly directed "to those who are alone or feel alone or, worse yet, feel abandoned."

This may include "those longing to be married, those who have lost a spouse, and those who have lost—or have never been blessed with—children.  Our empathy embraces wives forsaken by their husbands, husbands whose wives have walked away, and children bereft of one or the other of their parents—or both.  This group can find within its broad circumference a soldier far from home, a missionary in those first weeks of homesickness, or a father out of work, afraid the fear in his eyes will be visible to his family."

"In short it can include all of us at various times in our lives."

US Senate resolves to commend our welfare.

Want to know why we fast, and where our donations go?

The following is a resolution that recently passed in the US Senate:

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the 75th Anniversary of the Welfare Program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the significant impact of the Welfare Program in the United States and throughout the world in helping people in need.

Whereas in 1936, while the United States was mired in the Great Depression, Heber J. Grant, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to in this Resolution as `the LDS Church'), announced the creation of what came to be known as the Welfare Program;

Whereas President Grant explained, `Our primary purpose was to set up . . . a system under which the curse of idleness would be done away with, the evils of a dole abolished, and independence, industry, thrift and self respect be once more established amongst our people . . . The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership.';

Whereas, the LDS Church's Welfare Program, which is based on the principles of self-reliance and industry, has expanded throughout the world and assists people of all faiths by caring for the needy while simultaneously teaching principles to help them become self-reliant and retain their self respect;

Whereas funding for the LDS Church's Welfare Program is provided by the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who routinely fast for 2 consecutive meals every month and make donations to the LDS Church's Welfare Program that is at least equal to the money they would have spent on food;

Whereas the LDS Church's Welfare Program provides opportunities for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help the less fortunate by working at dozens of farms and canneries located throughout the United States and Canada that produce food for needy people;

Whereas needy people in the community are identified by the leader of each local church congregation, in consultation with other local leaders, including the Relief Society President (a woman from the congregation who serves as the local leader of the LDS Church's women's organization);

Whereas people in need are provided free food and household items at facilities called Bishop's Storehouses after receiving a written requisition from the leader of their local congregation;

Whereas the 129 Bishop's Storehouses, which are located throughout the world, provide needed commodities from the consecrated sacrifices of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;

Whereas recipients of these commodities are given service opportunities, to the extent of their ability, which allow them to demonstrate their gratitude for what they have received;

Whereas employment resource service centers, which are also part of the LDS Church's Welfare Program, provide a place where people can receive job training, learn to enhance their resumes, and find job opportunities;

Whereas there are nearly 300 employment resource service centers throughout the world, at which volunteers help hundreds of thousands of people to find jobs every year, a large percentage of whom are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;

Whereas the LDS Church's Welfare Program also includes Deseret Industries, which serves as an employment training facility and operates thrift stores;

Whereas these thrift stores provide on-the-job experience for refugees or others who need help qualifying for long-term employment and are stocked by individual donations, which are offered to the public at inexpensive prices;

Whereas the LDS Church's Welfare Program also includes LDS Family Services, a private, nonprofit organization that provides counseling, adoption services, addiction recovery support groups, and resources for social, emotional, and spiritual challenges;

Whereas the influence and power for good exerted by the Welfare Program of the LDS Church has greatly expanded over its 75-year history; and

Whereas the positive impact of the LDS Church's Welfare Program in the United States has assisted untold numbers of United States citizens:

Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) recognizes the 75th Anniversary of the Welfare Program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;

(2) congratulates the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the significant contribution that its Welfare Program has had on United States citizens and many people throughout the world; and

(3) commends the many efforts made by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members, through its Welfare Program, to serve others regardless of religious affiliation.

Pool of Bethesda

Carl Bloch

Time Out for Women - Choose to Become [review part 9]

A recap of the messages I heard and felt.



We all attend meetings and firesides to leave better than when we came.  That’s what Sheri Dew first said to us women, the last speaker for the day.

So, when I need to clear my head, think about new direction, and so forth, I should go to a conference, a fireside, or (if none) open the words of previous conferences and firesides.

Sometimes we forget that this life is but a short act, and we forget to look any further.  LeGrand Richards once declared, said Sheri: ‘I Am More Interested in the Long Hereafter Than in the Brief Present’ (the title of his 1975 BYU speech).  We can sometimes find ourselves acting as thought we are going to stay here.  But we can’t!  And we won’t.  So our choices should not reflect that perspective.

Sheri then turned our attention to the book of Revelation.  We didn’t discuss fire, brimstone, and dragons, but rather how Satan knows he hasn’t much time left.  What?  Let’s have a look at chapter 12.  “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. …for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”

Let’s look at that point for a moment.  Satan knows and understands the plan of Heavenly Father.  He knows very well who we really are, what we are capable of, and that our loving Heavenly Father wants us (and is helping us) all to return to His presence.  He also knows he has a short time to do as much destruction as possible.  And considering what dispensation we are currently living in, he has had much practice.  And success.  “He knows how to go for the proverbial spiritual jugular”, said Sheri.

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought for the man child.

Although it is generally accepted that the reference to the woman is a reference to the Church, Sheri emphasised that it could be read literally – it is hard not to.  The devil persecutes women.  And how true this is.  The woman is the centre of the home.  If he corrupts her, he corrupts the entire family.



Sheri then spent the remained of her time with us illustrating the need to develop spiritual roots.

She shared the story of her garden, having just finished planting 40-odd plants in her garden over a period of about 3 weeks.  The winter was a particularly long one, so the time to plant was short.  When she finally finished the gardening project one evening, she cleaned up and went to bed early around 9pm.  I have to admit here – how did she find the time to devote such time to gardening?  This woman, albeit single, is most definitely living a full life.  Anyway, the story continued: she awoke the next morning and opened her front door to judge the weather for the day and what to wear.  That was when she noticed dirt on her front porch.  Knowing that she had swept and clean up the night before, Sheri stepped out further to investigate.  She discovered that all her 40-odd plants were missing.  All of them.  And since they were all newly planted, they had no roots to hold them firmly in the ground.  So on the discovery of the 40-odd holes in her garden, and with a history of vandalism around her home, Sheri rang the police with the unusual tale of stolen plants.  An officer came around to help, and discovered all 40-odd plants lined up neatly in a row next door.  And so, Sheri and the police officer went next door to meet the neighbours.  Literally – they were new neighbours.  Hello!  Welcome to the neighbourhood, did you steal my plants?

It turns out that their 6 year old daughter loves flowers, and she had uprooted all 40-odd plants because she thought they looked pretty.  My first thought: what was this 6 year old doing out of bed past 9pm, and how did her parents not notice?  Negligence.

Anyway, the point was this: newly planted plants have no roots.  They would have easily slipped out of the soil with a small tug.  Our spiritual roots need to be planted deep, and then watered with living water.  So vital are these elements to our roots that we will wither and die (spiritually speaking) without them.

A long time ago, being wearied with travel, Jesus sat on a well and met a woman from Samaria.  She had come to the well to draw water for her household. Jesus, being a Jew, asked this Samarian woman for a drink.  Perhaps puzzled and curious as to why a Jew would speak to her, she asked “How is it that thou, being a Jew, asked drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.”  Christ said this: “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that said to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”

“Whosover drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

We are all in desperate need of living water.


…more to come