An Invitation - Will We Accept?

This past Sunday (September 20) the High Council speaker in our ward extended an invitation from President Mitchell.  This same invitation should have been heard in all the wards/branches of our Stake.

The invitation was simple:

Invite - by the end of the year - at least one non-member to a place where he/she could meet the missionaries and then follow through with that introduction.  This could be in our homes, at Church on Sunday, at a service activity, or at another Church event.

I've spent the week thinking about this invitation.  I can count on one hand the non-member friends I have that live locally and my interaction with them is rather limited.  My non-member acquaintances is a slightly larger count, but still not a group that I can immediately think "oh I'll invite her".  But I know that when I follow the lead of my leaders - I am blessed.  My conclusion is this - I will pray for the opportunity - that the Lord will provide me guidance and inspiration to be where I need to be and to hear what I need to hear and to say what I need to say.

So sisters...I'm accepting the invitation and I hope all of you will too!

-Lorie Pierce

A Legacy of Faith and Service - Post Three

In 1999, Sister Valerie Sucher was called as the third president for the Columbia Maryland Stake Relief Society.  She had been serving as a counselor to the previous president, Sister Maureen Johnston.

Sister Sucher had attended a BYU Women's Conference a few months earlier and had been impressed with the scope of the humanitarian service projects.  She had a vision of the sisters of our stake coming together to accomplish something of a similar kind.  This idea came to fruition in the form of the 2000 Women's Conference held at the Columbia Stake Center.

The following is from a news clipping saved in the Relief Society history papers:

This humanitarian service project set the tone for future Stake Women's Conferences and ward level activities.  Our wards/branches have found ways to continue involvement with organizations such as Project Linus, The House of Ruth, Walter Reed Hospital, Grass Roots as well as other shelters and food banks.

The 2001 Stake Women's Conference theme was "Beloved Daughters of God" and Sister Sucher's presidency took on more challenging topics that they could see were of real concern for the sisters in our Stake.  Subjects of depression, abuse, stress, forgiveness, women's health and diversity were addressed.  But the new expectation was the humanitarian project and that year the sisters participated in efforts to bless the lives of children in the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

"Let Your Light So Shine" was the theme for the 2002 Stake Women's Conference.  Again Sister Sucher and her presidency broadened our horizons, as they invited Sister Chieko N. Okazaki, former counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency (1990-1997), to come speak to the sisters in our stake.  Sister Donna Schott of the Hampstead Ward recalled her visit, "I remember her as a vivacious, happy lady.  I think her husband had died recently before her visit, but her talk was uplifting and filled with encouragement."

Another significant part of the 2002 Women's Conference was the inclusion of the newly formed Columbia 3 Spanish Branch.  The sisters of the branch presented a class entitled "Sharing the Latin Heritage".  They shared about their cultural diversity within their common Latin heritage.  

Sister Sucher was released later in 2002 as she and her family moved out of the area.  In the short time, she served as president, many of us were able to realize the ability to reach beyond our small sphere of influence and see a way to help others in a way that would truly matter.  She and her presidency set the bar high as they challenged us to live more fully lives of faith and service within our homes, our ward/branches, our communities and the world.

-Lorie Pierce

Patriarchs and Patriarchal Blessings

With the passing of Patriarch Everard Cox this past week, my thoughts have turned to the role of a Patriarch as an office in the Priesthood and the gift of a Patriarchal Blessing.

Below are links to two incredible General Conference talks about Patriarchs and Patriarchal Blessings.  After re-reading them this morning, I feel that anything I might say would pale in comparison to what they taught.  So I will instead simply share a personal story and bear my testimony.

My father was called as a Stake Patriarch as I was entering High School.  There were five of us children still living at home and things were not always peaceful and happy there.  The evening that Dad and Mom returned from their appointment with Elder Boyd K. Packer, my parents invited us into the living room and told us where they had been and why.  Then Dad said to us that he could not accept the call to serve unless we as his children could remove the contention from our home.  He explained that in order for him to have the Spirit with him as he would need, we must do our part to not only Not drive the Spirit away with our arguing, but that we must also Do those things that would invite the Spirit to be in our home.  I don't think my youngest two siblings really comprehended what the significance of the request or his new call was, but me and my older sisters certainly did.  There was a change in our home from that point on.

My oldest sister became Dad's first scribe.  He would record his blessings on a pocket tape recorder and then with a headset and typewriter, she would transcribe the words.  Dad would then laboriously listen to the tape and compare it to what my sister had typed.  He would then make any corrections and she would type the final copy.  As my typing skills improved and my older sisters married and moved away, I became his scribe.  It was a very unique and precious assignment - one that I cherish.  I was always amazed at how powerfully I could feel the Spirit each time I sat and transcribed a blessing.  I knew without a doubt that it wasn't my father who was guiding those statements, but rather it was the Lord guiding my father to say the words for each individual person.

My own Patriarchal Blessing is a precious gift to me from not only my Father in Heaven, but also my Dad as he place his hands on my head and pronounced that blessing.  That was 36 years ago and still I am seeing the fulfillment of those blessings in my life.  How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father, who has provided me with my personal guide, my personal scripture, and as President Monson taught, my personal Liahona.

Sisters, if you have yet to receive your Patriarchal Blessing, I would encourage you to speak with your Bishop/Branch President and learn what you need to do to prepare for that event.  It is a gift worth seeking.

You Have a Noble Birthright, Julie B. Beck, April 2006

Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light, Thomas S. Monson, October 1986

-Lorie Pierce

Teachers and Learners

In the Church, we are all both teachers and learners.  Some of us are better at one or the other of those categories and undoubtedly we all have room for improvement in both areas.

In the past few years, the Church has made great efforts to improve our opportunities within our Church based classrooms.  The Come Follow Me youth curriculum is just one example.  The Church website at lds.org provides a wonderful resource for both teachers and learners.

There is currently a post on the homepage of lds.org announcing the 2016 Churchwide Curriculum.  This statement caught my attention:

"Where possible, students and teachers are encouraged to use digital versions of 2016 curriculum materials, which can be found online and in the LDS Gospel Library mobile app. If you haven't tried the app, now is a good time to experience the ease of preparing, teaching, and learning from a library of gospel resources that fits in your pocket."

Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women General President stated the following:

“An ordinary teacher prepares to teach a lesson. An extraordinary teacher prepares to ignite a spark which kindles a testimony and changes lives.” 

In thinking about that statement and in thinking about what I 'get out of' my Sunday meetings - it occurs to me that the same principle applies to the learner as much as to the teacher.  So my flipside would read:

An ordinary learner prepares to hear a lesson.  An extraordinary learner prepares to allow a spark to ignite which kindles their testimony and changes their life.

In the course of 2016, we will have approximately 156 hours of Sunday teaching and learning opportunities (give or take for Conference weekends).  How will we approach those opportunities?  Will we reach then end of 2016 having grown both as teachers and learners?  I know for myself - I am going to ponder and decide a course to improve my own preparation and participation, so that those 156 hours will be for my benefit rather than passive meetings I sit through.

-Lorie Pierce