A big welcome to lovely Eliza who is the newest member of our Relief Society after being baptised yesterday. She is a wonderful, happy sister with a beautiful smile.
This Wednesday we have our annual Fish and Chip evening. We will be meeting outside the Felixstowe Leisure Centre at 7.30pm. If you would like to come and need transportation to Felixstowe, please let Sara, Miriam or Yvonne know.
The cleaning team for this week is: Mervyn Holmes, Mel Holmes and Yvonne & Graham Holmes.
There is a Ward Fun Day activity on Bank Holiday Monday which will be at the park near the chapel. Please bring a picnic for your family.
Lesson:
Raquel taught our lesson today on Chapter 16 of The Teachings of President Joseph Fielding Smith: Bringing up Children in Light and Truth.
It was a wonderful lesson where Raquel had the sisters share reasons why we need to raise our children to love the Lord and the people who are involved in that process. Whilst the main responsibility is of course the parents, we discussed how no matter the position we are currently in, we can have a great influence, for good or bad, to the children in our lives.
As President Smith stated: "There are many great and real dangers to be reckoned with and those which concern us more than all others combined have to do with our children. The only real protection or adequate defense can be afforded by the home and its influences."
Raquel reminded us of the talk given by Sister Linda S Reeves in the most recent General Conference where she told us the "only real filter that will ultimately work is the personal internal filter that comes from a deep and abiding testimony". So for the remainder of the lesson in groups we discussed the HOW. How do we ensure we are raising children with those kinds of testimonies. This is what was suggested:
1. Set a Righteous Example:
Be honest in all YOUR doings / Don't be hypocritical in your actions / Work side by side with your children / Serve together / Don't criticize others / Put forward your best efforts / Go to church activities WITH your children / Encourage and teach them to do things, even if it is easier or quicker to do it yourself / Let them see you living the gospel, praying and studying / Take them to the temple / Be positive about your calling / Take them to tithing settlement with you.
2. Begin Teaching Children when they are young:
Our example begins from Day One / Involve them from birth in FHE, prayers and scripture study / Build an open relationship with your children so they can approach you about anything / Discuss lessons and their days over dinner / Find teaching moments everywhere / Teach them about their 'inner filter', so they start choosing the right and have the responsibility / Teach them the dangers of the internet from the start / Become their friends and get to know their friends and their parents.
3. Teach Children to Pray:
Be an example / Use Primary songs / Teach them who we pray to / Start with small and simple steps / Use encouragement and praise / Include them as much as possible in Family Prayer / Have a daily routine with prayer / Get the young children to repeat what you say / Teach them to say their own prayers / Have a positive attitude and cheerful heart when it comes to prayer.
4. Introduce Children to the Scriptures:
Use Cartoon scripture videos and LDS scripture story books / Have family, daily scripture study / Act out and role play stories / Use Internet resources eg Mormon Channel / LDS.org / Use the Friend magazine / Read to them until they can read themselves / Show pictures.
5. Hold Family Home Evenings:
Choose gospel topics relevant to your family / Make it a special together time / Be constant / Learn together / Get everyone involved / Invite friends and family / Serve one another / Grow in love / Utilise technology.
6. Teach Children Virtue, Chastity and Morality:
Follow For The Strength of Youth / Be an example / Learn from others mistakes / Be open so your children can come to you / Answer questions honestly, even when it is not easy / Dress modestly.
7. Prepare Children to be Witnesses of the Truth and to Serve Missions:
Talk about missions from Day One / Talk about your own mission experiences and those of your extended family / Read the Book of Mormon and other scriptures / Start a mission fund / Show integrity and honesty in all aspects of your life / Provide children opportunities to work / Invite the missionaries into your home for meals / Serve with the missionaries / Encourage boys 14+ to go Home Teaching / Dress modestly / Have FHE / Invite returned missionaries into your home / Write to the missionaries / Help your children to know and recognize the Spirit / Study Preach My Gospel / Understand the Atonement / Give children opportunities to lead scripture study / Encourage participation in Seminary, Institute and the youth programme.
8. Help Children Prepare to have Eternal Families of their own:
Show them photos of your own Temple wedding / Have pictures of the temple in your home / Practice the principles from The Proclamation of the Family / Take your children to the temple to see wedding parties emerge / Hold FHE, family prayer and scripture study / Teach them basic principles and then help them to see the blessings of it in their lives / Encourage dating within the church.
Our children and youth are precious - let us follow the counsel of President Smith:
"Let us try humbly to keep our families intact, to keep them under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord, trained in the principles of the gospel that they may grow up in righteousness and truth...Children are given to us that we might train them in the ways of life, eternal life, that they might come back again into the presence of the God, their Father."
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