Announcements and Lesson 11 May 2014

Announcements:

Women's Day is this coming Saturday - we hope you can all make it.  The Stake RS Presidency have planned a great day for us.  Registration begins at 9.30 and you will need to choose from 2 workshops for the morning.  The choices are:

1. Louise Lamb - Internet Safety

2. Toni Hewitt - Art Appreciation

3. Ros Lafevre - Relaxation / Pondering

4. Ruth Watling - Serving a Mission (aimed at YSA and Laurels)

5. Gwyn Fagg and Sarah Garnham - Observing our Covenants

6. Rogelia Pinho and Paula Pereira - Making Unity Soup


We have our next Enrichment meeting on Wednesday 28th May which will be the next in our series of food storage / emergency preparation classes with Kim Spencer.

As Bishop mentioned this morning June is to be our Month of Invitation as requested by the Area Presidency.  We have each been asked as families to prayerfully consider whom we might invite to come and share in the wonderful spirit of our meetings.

Lesson:

Wow - we had a real treat in our lesson today which was Chapter 9, Witnesses of the Book of Mormon and was taught by Alison Pentreath.  Alison invited some of our Young Men and leaders to sing the song they mentioned in many of their testimonies today Come Unto Christ.  It was amazing and I am sure touched the hearts of every Sister who heard it.  The power of seeing these young Priesthood holders who loved the Lord so much was beautiful.

CLICK HERE to hear the song (not by our YM sadly!) - the words are beautiful and true!

Alison talked to us about the Book of Mormon and the purpose of it - to bring each one of us to Jesus Christ.  What a blessing it is for every one of us. 

She shared a great quote from Elder Richard G Scott:

"The most important principle I can share...anchor your life in Jesus Christ, your Redeemer.  Make your Eternal Father and His Beloved Son the most important priority in your life...more important that life itself...more important than a beloved companion or children or anyone on earth.  Make Their will your central desire.  Then all that you need for happiness will come to you."

We spoke of the many witnesses we have of the BOM - those prophets who spoke within its pages, the Three and Eight Witnesses and their testimony of seeing and holding the plates, the many Latter-day Prophets and even the Saviour Himself who bore testimony to the book.  As Alison pointed out to us, each of the Three Witnesses (Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris) each became disgruntled by the church at some point in their lives and each chose to walk away from it.  BUT not once did any of these men deny their witness and testimony of the Book of Mormon.

Oliver in fact decided to return to the church at a later stage - at a time when the Saints were in extreme distress.  The extermination order had been given and they were in great danger, they were having to leave all they had built in Nauvoo and face an unknown future.  But this was the very time Oliver decided He needed to be with the Saints and make good with the Lord - he knew what the Lord had shown him and he was still a witness to the BOM and needed to continue to be.

Whilst all of these witnesses are so vital and important - the most important witness to each of us will be our own testimony of the truthfulness.  Alison had us think about the time WE knew the BOM is true and the experiences we have had in it bringing us closer to Christ.  Take a moment and think.  What a wonderful blessing it is to know for ourselves and to have the privilege of sharing that witness with our families and those we love.  Let us never, ever take that for granted.