We are excited to have another sister join our RS this week. Lois, with her daughters Bethany and Star, will be baptized on Saturday at 12.00 - please come along and support Lois and her family on this wonderful occasion.
Next Sunday there will be a Stake Standards evening for all youth (and parents) who will be attending this years FSOY at 6.30pm.
Our next RS Activity will be on Wed 9th July at 7.30pm where we will have an exciting evening looking at how to become Sister Scriptorians and learn to LOVE studying our scriptures.
Helping Hands:
We are really excited about this years HH project where we will be contributing to the Billion Graves Project - this is a worldwide project which is attempting to collect photos of graves around the world and index the information to make a searchable index of all graves to assist with family history work. Although it is not a church owned program the church are supporting its work and encouraging us to get involved and photos can be automatically uploaded to Family Search. It is incredibly important as so many graves are becoming unreadable due to age and condition.
There is a couple of things we need you to do before the day:
1. For each family if you have a smartphone (Android or Iphone) please download the Billion Graves App on at least one phone. This is free and can be done in Play Store or whichever programme you would normally download apps from. You can also put this on an Ipad or Tablet but this will only be of use on the day if you have access to GPS as this will be required.
2. Please visit the Billion Graves website: http://billiongraves.com/login.php#register where you will need to register, so you will be able to upload photos. Once you have registered you will receive an email - you MUST click on the link in this email to complete your registration.
On the day each family will need to bring a few items:
1. Bucket
2. Sponges
3. SOFT brush (this must be soft or it can cause more damage to the graves)
4. Shears / Scissors - to help clip away grass or weeds around the graves
5. Smartphone - with the app already loaded. As GPS will need to be switched on this uses more battery so please make sure they are fully charged.
6. Pen & paper to record the information on graves which are hard to photo. We will also provide large sheets of paper and crayons so children can help by doing rubbings where the writing is not clear.
The primary presidency have kindly offered to have children from nursery aged children up to age 6 at the chapel for the two hours we will be at the cemetery - however when we return to the chapel it is essential you collect your children immediately to free the sisters up to join the activity.
At 12.00 we will return to the chapel for a BBQ and a chance to upload the photos we have taken and to transcribe these on the site. There will be people at church who will be able to assist with this.
Please wear your HH tabards / T-shirts. And please use this as an opportunity to invite friends and serve together in the work of family history.
If you have any problems please let Sara or Neil Klotz know and we will try and assist. We are really excited about the project and hope you will all join us at the cemetery.
Lesson:
Today was our joint R/S and P'hood lesson as it was the 5th Sunday of the month and it built on the subject of love for our ancestors and doing our family history.
Bishop related that he loves Fathers Day and particularly receiving home-made cards from his children. This year Isaac's card said how much he loved his dad telling him stories. Bishop taught us the benefit of stories and time with their families. In fact children who feel loved and part of a family and are told stories do better than other children, they feel a part of something bigger, their self-confidence is greater and they have more resilience to face the world. There is great power in story telling and in families.
We watched the following lovely video: Find Our Cousins
Whilst we are aware of the hastening of the work here we were reminded by Brother Green that this hastening is also happening the other side of the veil - spirits are being prepared to accept the work we are doing for them, and to accept the gospel.
We watched part of the conference talk 'Roots and Branches' by Elder Quentin L Cook who told us that:
51% of adult members do not have both parents added to Family Search and
65% of adult members do not have all four grandparents added
Are we part of that percentage?
Today we were introduced to a wonderful booklet that can help us with our family history as well as helping us record family stories and through this strengthen our own families: My Family, Stories that Bring Us Together.
It is a wonderful booklet to record stories about our ancestors, add photos and record dates temple work is completed.With the booklet came 2 challenges to each of us:
1. Finish filling the booklet in by the end of the year and take the names to the temple
2. Share a booklet with a friend, use it as a missionary opportunity.
For those of you serving in Primary or who were not at church today and do not have a copy of the booklet, please let us know and we will ensure these reach you.
Alison reminded us that we all will soon have free access to Ancestry, My Heritage and Find My Past and that those who serve in the FHC are more than willing to teach you how to use these tools as well as Family Search so that our homes really can become Family History Centres!
Bev spoke to us to remind us also of those who serve in the ward as Family History consultants and are always willing to help:
Those currently called are: Bev Roddie, Annie Green, Keith and Maxine Adams, Ken and Marian Biggs, Norman and Trish Read, Diana Nunes and Jonathan Rumbold. Please call on them - they want to help!!!
Bishop summed up the presentation with a wonderful thought - When you were baptized your ancestors looked down on you with hope. Those who had never had the chance to accept the gospel and receive the ordinances and had waited centuries for help - now had hope through you! When you are reunited, they will meet you with either with gratitude or with terrible disappointment. Their hope is in your hands.
Do you want to help their hopes be realized? Do you want to keep your children safe and resilient in a troubled world? Do you want to be one of those who has their family safely on family Search and their work being done. You can be! We have all the tools to help, we just have to decide to move forward.
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