Merry Christmas!

Wishing all our sisters a Very Merry Christmas! 

Columbia Maryland Stake Relief Society Presidency
Lisa Larson - Cindy Erekson - Jill Goodrich

2017 Relief Society Curriculum

The Relief Society lessons for the 2nd and 3rd Sunday's each month will be from the newly published Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley.  You can download the manual to your mobile device via the Gospel Library app, you can access it on lds.org and most wards will still probably order a few hard copies (or you can purchase your own hard copy at store.lds.org).

The 1st Sunday of the month is taught by a presidency member on topics that they have felt inspired to share. The 4th Sunday of the month is a lesson taught based on a General Conference talk (determined by the Bishop or Branch President).

Having served in callings over the years that gave me chances to teach these various lessons - I know the value of the sisters coming prepared to learn and participate.  A large part of that preparation comes through reading the lesson in advance and doing our part to invite the Spirit into our Relief Society meetings.

I am looking forward to this year and studying the words of President Hinckley. With the exception of more recent converts, most of us will have a personal connection to him and his teachings. What a blessing it will be to recall those times we heard him speak and felt the Spirit bear witness of his words.

-Lorie Pierce

Our Missionaries - Not Forgotten

In early November, I left for Oregon and the birth of my 2nd grand-daughter.  Before I departed, I bought cards and stamps to be able to send Christmas wishes to all our missionaries serving from the Columbia Maryland Stake.  A couple days before leaving, I thought "I should do these cards before I go" BUT I immediately answered myself "I will be home right after Thanksgiving - there will be plenty of time".  Well, plans changed and I'm still in Oregon and the cards are sitting in Maryland waiting my return in a few more days.  I feel bad because I know that now many of the missionaries will not receive our card until after Christmas.

This morning I was talking with a missionary mom friend and she mentioned that her missionary had only received one card this season.  He was feeling a bit forgotten.  How very sad!  I've had two sons serve missions and have a daughter out now.  I recognize how much hearing from people back home makes a difference to these young men and women.

I know that many sisters and their families have sent and will still send Christmas wishes out to our missionaries and I along with the other missionary moms are grateful!  I also understand that some might feel awkward sending to a missionary they don't know. But I assure you that they will welcome every card.  Last year, we signed our missionary cards, "The Pierce Family of Eldersburg Ward/Columbia Stake", so they knew we were from the stake.  

Below is the link to my November blogpost with all their pictures....so fun to look at!  There is a link to the address list in that original blogpost.

http://columbiastakers.blogspot.com/2016/11/sending-christmas-wishes-to-our.html

My 3 year old grand-daughter loves to look at pictures on my iPad.  She loves it when I bring up that November blogpost.  She thinks Elder Mitchell washing his clothes in a bucket is "funny" and Elder Lindsey with the stop sign is too.  She loves to see the ones with children and in front of temples and Elder Peterson standing by the statue of Jesus.  She says "who's that?" to each and every picture.  She calls them all "Jessica's friends" - except the McGinns she says they are "Grandma's friends". Of course she gets very excited when she sees her Aunt Jessica's picture with all those other missionaries.

I know many of our sisters are participating in the Light the World campaign.  Today's theme is "Jesus Ministered To The Children...."  These missionaries are children away from their families at a time of year when most gather together as families. Let's put our arms around them with our Christmas wishes as hugs from home.

-Lorie Pierce

"Rise Up in Strength, Sisters in Zion"

Rise Up in Strength, Sisters in Zion

In her General Women's Session address, Young Women General President, Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson stated: Sisters, we live in “perilous times.” The conditions of our day should not be a surprise to us. They have been foretold for millennia as a warning and admonition so that we can be prepared...” Joseph Smith—Matthew indicates that in the last days even the “very elect … according to the covenant” will be deceived.

She quotes President Russell M. Nelson when a year ago he told the women: “Attacks against the Church, its doctrine, and our way of life are going to increase. Because of this, we need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ and who will use that understanding to teach and help raise a sin-resistant generation. We need women who can detect deception in all of its forms. We need women who know how to access the power that God makes available to covenant keepers and who express their beliefs with confidence and charity. We need women who have the courage and vision of our Mother Eve.”

Sister Oscarson continues that “It will take concerted effort to be converted and to keep our covenants. To do so, we need to be girls and women who study the essential doctrines of the gospel and have an unshakable testimony of their truthfulness. There are three areas I believe are foundational to strong testimonies and that I consider to be essential to our understanding.

First, we need to acknowledge the centrality of God our Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, to our faith and salvation. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.

Second, we need to understand the need for the restoration of the doctrine, organization, and keys of authority in these latter days.

And third, we need to study and understand temple ordinances and covenants. The temple holds a place at the very center of our most sacred beliefs, and the Lord asks that we attend, ponder, study, and find personal meaning and application individually.”

Sister Oscarson closes by stating that: “I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I am eternally grateful for the direction, power, and daily help I receive as a covenant daughter of God. I testify that the Lord has blessed us, as women who live in these perilous times, with all of the power, gifts, and strength that are needed in order to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that we may all see our true potential and rise up to become the women of faith and courage our Father in Heaven needs us to be.'

I echo her sentiments. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that we, as daughters of God, have all the strength we need to overcome these perilous times. All we need to do is to tap into that strength through study and faith. By doing so, we can unlock the powers of Heaven.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

- Jill Goodrich, Stake Relief Society 2nd Counselor

Joy & Spiritual Survival and Am I Good Enough?

In 1996, President Hinckley said, “...in all of living have much of fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.” That quickly became my life’s mantra. That was 20 years ago - before a mortgage and kids and before life got too serious! It was so much easier to have fun and to laugh and to enjoy life. But as the years have progressed, my fun level and laughter have definitely decreased.

I like to listen to general conference talks with the intent of finding ways to help me get back to enjoying my life and not just enduring it. I find that I’m barely able to keep my head above the water and I know there’s more to this life than laundry and grocery shopping and teaching my children (I’m a homeschool mom so I do this last one a lot!). There were two conference talks that really stood out to me from October’s general conference. The first one was “Joy and Spiritual Survival” by President Russell M. Nelson and the other was “Am I Good Enough? Will I Make It” by Elder J. Devn Cornish.

President Nelson talks of Lehi and his circumstances. Lehi was persecuted for preaching of Christ, commanded to leave his possessions and travel in the wilderness not knowing where they were going and then watched two of his sons rebel and attack their brothers. And then Lehi tells us, “Men are, that they might have joy (2 Nephi 2:25).” In order to spiritually survive these last days, we need to have joy. According to Lehi, we were created to have joy.

So, how do I go about doing that? I’ve learned over the years that the times I truly feel joy are when I’m doing those simple things that the Savior has asked me to do - read my scriptures, pray, attend the temple, etc. Sometimes when I’m struggling the most, it’s usually because I’ve stopped doing these simple things. But one idea that I hadn’t really thought of that President Nelson suggested was to pray for joy. If I was created to have joy, then who better to ask for help finding joy then the Creator Himself.  

Another thing that hinders my enjoying life are my feelings of doubt. This is why Elder Cornish’s talk stood out to me. I question whether I am good enough and often feel discouraged as I go through my mental list of what I should be doing and realizing that I’m not doing as much as I think I should. Elder Cornish reminds me that,  Yes! I am good enough! He reminds us that the Lord is not a “heartless referee looking for any excuse to throw us out of the game” but is “our perfectly loving Father, who yearns more than anything else to have all his children come back home and live with him”. And that’s what I yearn for too, to someday go back home.

Elder Hinckley said in the October 1989 conference, “Please don’t nag yourself with thoughts of failure. Do not set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. Simply do what you can do, in the best way you know, and the Lord will accept of your effort.”

I am good enough - we all are! And the Lord will accept our efforts. I know that as I come to stop comparing myself with those around me and stop beating myself up for not doing everything on my list and really focus on my Savior and walking with Him on this journey of life, I will be able to do more than just endure this life but learn to actually enjoy it too!

- Lisa Larson
Stake Relief Society 1st Counselor

No Greater Joy Than To Know That They Know

Dear Sisters,

Wasn’t General Conference wonderful!   Unfortunately,  I got to see very little of this conference ‘live’, so instead of waiting for my Ensign to arrive, I have spent the past few weeks watching the sessions I missed and reading the talks on-line. What a blessing it is to have ready access to the words of our beloved leaders! I truly felt their love and the love of our Savior wash over me as I listened to their words.

            Since I have been asked to share my thoughts on one of the talks that especially touched me, I would like to remind us of the words of Elder K. Brett Nattress of the Seventy, in his talk entitled No Greater JoyThan to Know That They Know. This talk refers to our own children, but I also feel it refers to all those whom we have stewardship over and those we teach or visit teach.

First, our children:  Elder Nattress begins by asking “if all that your children knew of the gospel came from you – as their only source – how much would they know?” … “Is there any greater gift that we can impart to our children than a memory burned deep into their hearts that we know that our Redeemer lives? Do they know that we know? And more important, have they come to know for themselves that He lives?” 

I am sure the story of his mother reading the Book of Mormon to him each day, though he insisted he wasn’t listening, struck a chord with most of you as it did me.  How many days did we rush through scripture reading just to ‘get it done’? How many times did my kids curl up in a blanket on the floor during Family Home Evening, sleeping while they ‘pretended’ to be listening? How many times have I wondered if anything was getting in at all! Her response to him was priceless and brought tears to my eyes. “I will not lose you!”

He goes on to say: “Her words pierced my heart. Notwithstanding my imperfections, I was worth saving! She taught me the eternal truth that I am a son of a loving Heavenly Father. I learned that no matter what the circumstance, I was worth it. This was a perfect moment for an imperfect little boy.”

 Isn’t that why we do what we do? Isn’t that why we drag our kids off to church each week and struggle with them all through Sacrament meeting? Isn’t that why we strive to follow the counsel of our leaders, even when it is difficult? Isn’t that why we don’t give up when they start to stray? We DO NOT want to lose our children.  We want them with us through all eternity because we love them, and we know what joy that will bring to all of us.            

Let me now go back to his first question,-and I hope Elder Nattress won’t mind if I change the wording a little…”If all your Sisters knew of the gospel came from you – as their only source- how much would they know?  Is there any greater gift that we can impart to those whom we serve than a memory burned deep into their hearts that we know that our Redeemer lives? Do they know that we know? Can we help them come to know for themselves that He lives?”  Do our Sisters know that they are worth saving – no matter what their circumstances?

 Elder Nattress quoted President Packer: “Save for the exception of the very few who defect to perdition, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ.”²

He then goes on to say: “I don’t know if anything in this world could bring more happiness and joy than to know that our children know the Savior, to know that they know “to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” That is why, as members of the Church, “we preach of Christ” and we testify of Christ”

 Preparing and teaching lessons, visiting teaching, and serving others in any capacity can be challenging, tiring and unrewarding, if we allow ourselves to forget that our service is helping to bring others to Christ. If we can take this one step further and let those whom we serve and teach know that we do this because of our love for our Savior, if we can testify truly of Him, then our efforts will not be in vain.  Our time will be well spent, and the Spirit of the Lord will shine through us as we preach and testify of Him.

Of this I testify in the name of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.  

       

Cindy Erekson

Stake Relief Society President

Gathering As Sisters - Ellicott City

In October the Ellicott City Relief Society sisters gathered for a "getting to know you" activity.  It was a relaxed, casual and comfortable evening.  The sisters came together and shared things about themselves.  What amazing diversity and talents and interests I discovered as I listened.

painting - graphic design - wood furniture building - quilting - Korean HipHop - gardens - dancing - travel - children - temple service - missionary moms - young moms - homeschool moms - new converts - life long members - grandmas - vegetable eaters - chocolate eaters - crafters - noncrafters

What they all had in common was their love of the Lord and their families.  I truly enjoyed my opportunity to be there and feel of their sisterhood.

-Lorie Pierce

Sending Christmas Wishes to Our Missionaries!

We had such a great response last year from across our Stake to this...Time to do it again!

There are currently 27 missionaries serving from the Columbia Maryland Stake in 9 States and 11 Countries.  They are scattered all over the country & the world.  We have 4 in Utah (all different missions) and 2 in Argentina, 3 in Peru (2 of them being President & Sister McGinn) and even 2 in the exact same mission in Benin/Togos Africa!  (so when you look at the list of addresses...no I didn't make a mistake both Elder Mahaffey and Elder Mitchell are in the same mission)

Missions are great & wonderful AND hard & discouraging.  Let's flood our Columbia Maryland Stake missionaries' mailboxes with Christmas wishes this season and let them know they are not forgotten - that they are loved - that we appreciate their service!

When addressing the envelopes in most cases you will start with the missionary's name (Elder or Sister First Last Name) and then the next line would be the name of the mission - followed by the rest of the address.  Any exceptions to that are noted in the address list.  If you have trouble opening the address list Google Doc link, please email me (loriepierce.rs@gmail.com) and I will send it to you as a file.  If you want to send a package rather than a letter - you will need to contact the missionary's parents for instructions.

Columbia Maryland Stake Missionary Addresses 2016

I've enjoyed seeing all these happy missionary faces - I'm sure you will too!

Gathering As Sisters - Eldersburg Ward

In October, the Eldersburg Relief Society learned how to "chill out" in response to the age-old question, "What's for dinner!?!" The topic was freezer meals! The class was very well organized by Sister Beverly Christensen with loads of handouts and videos about different strategies to prepare meals that can be stored in the freezer and used at a moment's notice to create delicious meals. She's posted it all on her Pinterest board if you'd like to check it out! ( Beverly Christensen)  A group of sisters met afterwards in an effort to organize a freezer meal exchange group where they will share meals amongst themselves. Cool!

Also, a separate group of ladies learned how to crochet flowers to help adorn the knitted sassy caps the sisters in the Eldersburg Ward have been making to donate to cancer patients. The caps are adorable!

It was a wonderful evening!

-Jill Goodrich

Gathering As Sisters - Columbia 2nd Ward

Bon voyage and bon appetit! Traveling to far-off lands is always more fun with friends, and food! That's what made Columbia 2nd Ward's Relief Society Cultural Dinner activity (October 12) such a success! Sisters brought food from all over the world representing their heritage or interests. Also, there were tables set-up with objects representing cultures such as the Lakota tribe, Hawaii, Korea, and Ireland. Two sisters shared their experiences from countries where they lived or were born which included Spain and Korea. So many interesting cultures bless and enrich our Relief Society Sisterhood. In all it was very informative, friendly, and yummy! Good job sisters! It was a pleasure traveling with you!

- Jill Goodrich

Gathering As Sisters - Savage Mill Ward

What fun to go out and mingle with the sisters in our stake!  My most recent visit was to Savage Mill for an activity centered on recording and sharing the stories of our lives.  It was a relaxed and welcoming evening.  I am grateful I was able to participate with them.
- Lorie Pierce

Below are the highlights from their activity as written by Sarah Christiansen, counselor in their RS presidency:

We started off talking and sharing stories.  Our table found out the Pacini's have THE best worst vacation story... its a good one!  We all have so many amazing and wonderful stories to share that make up our lives.  It was fun to listen and to talk and share.  The second part of our night was centered around recording the stories of our lives through journaling with 3 speakers.

Corinne Edwards shared about her journey of writing and recording her life.  It was inspirational.  She has learned so much through her journaling experiences and had powerful things to say about the importance of recording our histories through journaling.  Corinne shared three important tips: 1. Decide that your story matters because it does.  Every story is unique and wonderful even if you just fold laundry or can peaches!  2. Decide what form of journaling works for you... whiteboards, blogs, computers, sticky notes, notebooks, chatbook, scrapbook, or regular old journal...  3.  Decide to be gentle with yourself.  Don't start every entry with "Oh, I can't believe its been so long since I wrote last.."  Just move forward knowing your life is full and set a goal.  Remove from your head that you need to journal every day.  Maybe start with once a year... on New Years or every Fast Sunday take an hour to write about your life.  Discover what works and keep going! 

Sarah Christianen shared tips on how to create habits of journaling with our families and children.  There is a great article in the September Friend with some prompts and ideas to get kids writing.  https://www.lds.org/friend/2016/09/happy-sabbath-keep-a-record?lang=eng  Another idea was to keep a notebook or journal by each child's bed and every night before they go to bed ask them what the best part of their day was and write it in that book.  A Family Home Evening journal was another suggestion on how to get kids and families journaling together.  You could write testimonies or have the kids write about the topic you learned about in your lesson.  If you can find a way to fit journaling into a routine you are already doing than it will make recording your history a habit.  I also touched on StoryCorps which is a fantastic group that records oral histories.  Some of them have been put to cartoons.  They are real life stories... sometimes a bit raw and gritty, but there are some amazing ones out there.  Here's a story I love, probably because she reminds me a bit of my grandma... https://storycorps.org/animation/no-more-questions/

Angela McGhie shared about the importance of recording our ancestor's histories.  There are so many options available through Family Tree.  Angela shared the app Memories (just type in Family Tree within your app store and it will come up).  Within this app you can make a collage of photos, add typed histories/stories, and record an audio memory.  So when you are at a family reunion or a holiday get together with your family this season and Grandpa starts talking about when he grew up on the farm with his Mom and Dad you can have this app on your phone and record the story right as he tells it.  Then you can upload those stories right to Family Tree under Grandpa's name and his parents.  Go check out Family Tree and this Memories app and put it on your phone.  Try it out the next time you are with family.  These apps are free and imagine the great stories you'll be able to find and share by just capturing them on your phone!

Gathering As Sisters - Clarksville Branch

Last week I had the opportunity to join the Clarksville Branch sisters for their very first Relief Society activity as a new unit.  What an uplifting evening it was!

Their theme was "Things That Matter Most" based on President Uchtdorf's talk "Of Things That Matter Most".  They shared one of my favorite Mormon Message videos entitled: "Moments That Matter Most".

After the video, four sisters shared personal experiences with focusing on the things that matter most in their relationships.  It was a wonderful evening of learning from our sisters and through the Spirit.  We ended with pie and ice cream - can't go wrong there!

Did You Know? JustServe

Thanks to Cari Larkins for this Guest Post all about the new JustServe initiative!

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What is JustServe?

JustServe is a new, inspired initiative sponsored by the Church. It is not a program, but an initiative created to assist Church members and missionaries in following the admonition of the Savior to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” JustServe provides opportunities for Church members, missionaries and anyone else in the community to relieve suffering, care for the poor and needy, and enhance the quality of life in the communities around them.

JustServe is intended to fundamentally change the culture of the church when it comes to service. This initiative is intended to help members create relationships and learn to value experiences serving outside of the church, in their communities.

How does JustServe work?

JustServe is a website and an app for mobile devices. The website/app can be used by anyone in community, whether Latter-day Saint or not.  Users can enter a zip code or the name of a city and state where you are interested in finding service opportunities.  You can peruse the site to locate opportunities that might be appropriate for you, your family, quorum, class, ward, branch or scout troop, school or any other group. Clicking on the opportunity will provide you with more details about each listing.

Once you find an opportunity that you’re interested in, click “Volunteer.” This will either redirect you to the organization’s own website for more information, or enable you to send a message to that organization’s point of contact to let them know you’re interested in volunteering.

How can Church members be expected to participate in JustServe when they have so many other things to do?

There are no quotas or record keeping associated with JustServe. JustServe is a tool that can make it easier for Latter-day Saints to better do that which they are already trying to do—love their neighbors, improve their communities, serve others and be an example.

President Monson has said, “We have a responsibility to be active in the communities where we live . . . to work cooperatively with other churches . . . It’s important that we eliminate the weakness of one standing alone and substitute for it the strength of people working together.”

JustServe is intended to make it easier for individuals, families, quorums, classes, groups etc., to find meaningful service opportunities close to home.

What are the motives of JustServe projects?

There are no underlying motives in serving. Neither Church members nor missionaries should volunteer in the community as a guise for proselytizing. Our motive should be a pure desire to help others in need, regardless of their beliefs.

President James E. Faust said, “I don’t think our motivation for service and community relations ought to be proselyting. I think it ought to be trying to make the world a better place in which to live. Of course, we are happy to share the gospel with anyone who is sincerely interested. But it ought to be a happy consequence of what we’re doing, not the primary motivation for it.”

JustServe service opportunities focus on non-profit organizations or group. JustServe projects don’t involve fund-raising or have a political focus.

How do projects end up on JustServe.org?

The Stake JustServe Committee has spent the last several months contacting service organizations and churches within the stake boundaries, which either need or provide volunteers. Members of the committee work with these organizations to post their opportunities on the site. No service opportunities are posted to the site without the permission of the organization. 

If you’re aware of a service opportunity or organization that you think would benefit from JustServe, contact your ward/branch JustServe specialist or the Stake JustServe coordinator, Cari Larkins at carryoncarryon@gmail.com.

Why JustServe.org when there are already other volunteer websites that do the same thing?

JustServe is a first presidency-endorsed initiative.  While there are other websites that function like JustServe.org (VolunteerHoward.org), JustServe is a nationwide program and will hopefully be easily- recognized and known by more and more communities throughout the country. It is the website that members of the Church and full-time missionaries serving in missions in the States will be encouraged to use as their resource for community service opportunities.

What do I do to start participating in the JustServe initiative?

Visit JustServe.org or download the free app. Register for a free account. Enter your zip code and check out some service opportunities in your area. If you’re familiar with the opportunities that are on the site in your area, you will be better prepared for occasions when groups, quorums, classes, your family are looking for meaningful service opportunities.

Contact the Columbia Stake Director of Public Affairs, Cari Larkins at carryoncarryon@gmail.com with any questions.

Celebrating the Joys of Womanhood

Last night's Stake Women's Social and General Women's Session Broadcast were wonderful!  Thank you to all who assisted in preparing the food tables!  And a extra HUGE thank you to the brethren who assisted us with setup, serving and cleanup - truly without their help we would not be able to accomplish such a nice evening.  Thank you also to all the wonderful Primary girls, young women and sisters who came to mingle with us and listen to the inspiring words of our leaders.  How blessed we are to be able to participate in such an uplifting session of Conference!

Confession - I didn't actually hear much of the meeting last night.  I was in the kitchen with the brethren and then went home early not feeling well.  But I took the time today to listen to the meeting via lds.org   As I listened to the words spoken by Sisters Bingham, Stephens and Oscarson and then President Uchtdorf, I heard messages that I personally needed to hear - promptings of things I need to improve in my life - hope for concerns I have - courage to try more diligently.   My heart and soul were touched.  My testimony and faith in the Gospel message were strengthened.

If you weren't able to listen or watch last night, I would encourage you to take advantage of the video and audio recordings available on lds.org.  It will also be available to read in a few days.

General Women's Session Oct 2016

Our theme for the Stake Women's Social was "Celebrating the Joys of Womanhood".  Each table reflected themes from the Primary, Young Women and Relief Society phases of our lives.











-Lorie Pierce

Did You Know? Provident Living Resources

What is Provident Living?

"Latter-day Saints believe in being prepared and self-reliant. We believe in preparing educationally for employment, in preparing financially for a rainy day, and in preparing temporally for natural disasters or other challenges. Most important, we believe in preparing spiritually for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and for living with our Father in Heaven again. This approach to preparedness is called provident living. Living providently reflects our true eternal nature: we are “to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon” (2 Nephi 2:26). The Lord wants us to be responsible and independent (see D&C 78:14). He wants us to live providently because of who we become in the process: responsible, generous, mature, kind. For the more self-reliant we are, the better we can help our families and others. How can we feed the hungry if we ourselves are hungry? How can we impart knowledge if we ourselves lack knowledge? How can we build others’ faith if we ourselves lack faith?"  (Oct 2012 Ensign, "Provident Living Prepares Us For The Future")

The Church has an abundance of resources to help us in our efforts to live providently.  They cover topics such as Education, Finances, Food Storage, Physical and Mental Health and more.  We can each improve in some area and these resources can aid our efforts.  Spending a bit of time exploring their site Provident Living on lds.org would be a good thing to do.

As disciples of Christ, we covenanted at baptism "to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light...to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in".  (Mosiah 18:8-9)   Provident Living is a way of life that helps us to strengthen ourselves and prepares us to strengthen others.  As the old adage says: You can't draw from a dry well.  It is the same with our lives and our ability to share physically, emotionally, and spiritually with others in need.  But before we become overwhelmed with one more thing to do, we need to remember that the Lord expects us to do all things "in wisdom and order" (Mosiah 4:27).  We simply need to start somewhere and move forward.  As long as we are trying, the Lord will bless our willing hearts and efforts.  We will see the blessings in our own lives, in our families and in our ability to bless other's lives.

-Lorie Pierce

Come Gather With Us!

Twice a year, we as sisters in the Columbia Maryland Stake have a chance to gather together with the young women and Primary girls (8+years) for the General Women's Session of Conference.  This session of Conference is always held on the Saturday one week prior to the General Sessions.

It is a great opportunity to hear messages from our General Auxiliary leaders as well as a member of the First Presidency.  We also have the opportunity to socialize with our sisters prior to the broadcast.  This year, with all the recent changes in so many of our wards/branches, that opportunity to socialize will be especially wonderful. It is a chance to see friends from all across the stake.

Hopefully the publicity postcards have made their way into your wards/branches over the past two Sundays.  There were plenty distributed to allow for sisters to use them to invite less-active sisters or non-member friends to join with us that evening.  We would also encourage you to look at the young women or Primary girls (8+years) in your ward/branch - are there any who don't have a mother to accompany them?  Could you fill the void?

We are not serving a meal, but there will be lots of sweet and savory finger foods to enjoy.  Our set up this time will facilitate mingling.  We hope that sisters will take the opportunity to introduce themselves to those they don't know and begin new friendships as sisters of the Columbia Maryland Stake.

Should you have any questions please let us know at columbiastake.rs@gmail.com.

Does It Uplift?

Years ago as a young mother, I attended a family reunion.  My Uncle Jim, as the family patriarch, gathered us all together and took the opportunity to provide some counsel to us.  He spoke of the things we allow to influence our lives, the things we allow to enter our homes, the things we allow to demand our time & attention.  Then he gave us a benchmark question.  "Does it uplift?"  He told us that if we would measure those influences and our decisions regarding our lives, our homes, our time against that question we would find ourselves with more peace in our lives and more confident of our path back to our Father in Heaven.  We came home from that reunion and promptly put a sign above our TV that read "Does it Uplift?".  It was a simple reminder, but yet a powerful motivator to us and our children.

I was thinking about that sign the other day.  Years of moving and changing TV equipment - the sign was long ago lost - but the message stayed with us.  The more we seek to invite the Spirit into our lives, the stronger our filters of the junk in the world becomes.

Last week the sister missionaries came for dinner and afterward showed us a Mormon Messages video.  As I watched that video, I was again reminded of how precious our time is - of how many good choices there are - of all the relationships we can strengthen.  We are truly blessed with good, better and best options.  The Church is doing wonderful things in offering us those options.  If you aren't familiar with Mormon Channel, it is a great place to find uplifting media.

Here is one of my favorite Mormon Messages videos.  If you can't view it on your device - the direct link is below the embedded video frame.

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/moments-that-matter-most-2

-Lorie Pierce

Discover and Deepen our Understanding

Dear Sisters,

As we try to navigate through this earthly existence, we have so many obligations and are pulled in so many directions that sometimes we may wonder if all that we do really even matters.  It is, therefore, imperative that we stop and ponder on what is truly effective as we strive to save ourselves and our loved ones.  The following is an excerpt from a general conference address given by President Henry B. Eyring entitled, “The Power of Teaching Doctrine”:

“There has been a war between light and darkness, between good and evil, since before the world was created. The battle still rages, and the casualties seem to be increasing. All of us have family members we love who are being buffeted by the forces of the destroyer, who would make all God’s children miserable. For many of us, there have been sleepless nights. We have tried to add every force for good we can to the powers swirling around the people who are at risk. We have loved them. We have set the best example we could. We have pled in prayer for them. A wise prophet long ago gave us counsel about another force which we may at times underestimate and thus use too little.

Alma was the leader of a people faced with destruction by ferocious enemies. In the face of that danger, he could not do everything, so he had to choose. He could have built fortifications or created armaments or trained armies. But his only hope of victory was to get God’s help, and for that he knew the people must repent. And so he chose to try one thing first:

“And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had … more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God” (Alma 31:5)

The word of God is the doctrine taught by Jesus Christ and by His prophets. Alma knew that words of doctrine had great power. They can open the minds of people to see spiritual things not visible to the natural eye. And they can open the heart to feelings of the love of God and a love for truth.”  (emphasis added)

Our Savior knows that we are faced with much confusion which could lead us away from the safety of His fold.  He has not left us alone.  There is a current emphasis in the church to focus on teaching the saving doctrines of Christ.  Due to modern technology, never before have so many sources of misleading information been able to infiltrate our lives, BUT, with the help of modern technology, we can fortify ourselves and our family with pure doctrine so that we can withstand the intellectual storms of these latter days.  “Ongoing historical research, revisions of the Church’s curriculum, and the use of new technologies allowing a more systematic and thorough study of scriptures have all been pursued by the Church to that end.” (Intro to Gospel Essays: see below)

Here is just a few examples of resources the Church has to offer:

1.  Bible Videos-   What a great resource to share with our families and fellow Christian neighbors!   https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/?lang=eng

2.  Come Follow Me and Teaching in the Savior's Way-  Two recent programs to help us be more effective as we teach and learn.  https://www.lds.org/youth/learn?lang=eng

3.  Preach My Gospel-  The new'ish 'not-just-for-missionaries' guide for personal and family gospel study.  Great for Family Home Evening lessons. https://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service?lang=eng

4.  Gospel Topics Essays-   (From the introduction...) “The Church places great emphasis on knowledge and on the importance of being well informed about Church history, doctrine, and practices. We (the church leaders) again encourage members to study the Gospel Topics essays cited in the links (below) as they “seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”https://www.lds.org/topics/essays?lang=eng

5.  New BYU/Institute Courses-  Did you know that there are ALL NEW religion courses that focus on doctrine, rather than individual books of scripture? Welcome the new “Cornerstone” courses. https://www.lds.org/topics/education/new-religion-classes?lang=eng

6.  Seminary Courses- Seminary also has a new doctrinal mastery component:     https://www.lds.org/si/seminary

In a quote from Elder M. Russell Ballard, we can sense the urgency for all of us to become students of doctrine. We must consider us all as the  students and teachers he mentions:

“Gone are the days when a student asked an honest question and a teacher responded, “Don’t worry about it!” Gone are the days when a student raised a sincere concern and a teacher bore his or her testimony as a response intended to avoid the issue. Gone are the days when students were protected from people who attacked the Church. Fortunately, the Lord provided this timely and timeless counsel to you teachers: “And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/evening-with-a-general-authority/2016/02/the-opportunities-and-responsibilities-of-ces-teachers-in-the-21st-century?lang=eng

I pray that we all may be more diligent as we discover and deepen our understanding of the saving doctrines of the gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Sister Jill Goodrich

Save The Date! General Women's Session

This event is for all sisters, young women and Primary girls ages 8+.  It will be a great opportunity to gather and mingle as friends across the stake.  We hope to see many of you there.  Visiting teachers - if you visit a less-active sister, please take one of the postcards to invite her to attend.

Did You Know? "Come Follow Me" Curriculum Supplement Videos

For our teachers of youth the phrase "Come Follow Me" has added meaning.  It is the title for the curriculum they use in teaching Sunday School and YW/YM classes.  When the curriculum was first introduced a few years ago there were a series of videos associated with the monthly themes.  These were available online and eventually some were made available on DVD and provided through the Media Centers in our church buildings.

Today on lds.org something caught my eye and I discovered another source of curriculum videos for the "Come Follow Me" monthly topics.  The topic for August is "Marriage and Family" and this link will take you to a set of videos in the Media Library online that exist for your use.  And since the youth themselves are to be involved in the teaching of these topics - perhaps the teachers, mothers, friends who read this post can share this resource with them too.

Come Follow Me Curriculum Video Supplements

We truly are not alone in this Gospel and in the effort to strengthen one another.  How blessed we are that the Lord has provided technology where by we can develop and share useful and uplifting resources. Resources that can help us build our testimonies, faith and knowledge as well as our family's and those we have stewardship for in the Church.

-Lorie Pierce

Gathering as Sisters - EC

Our "Gathering As Sisters" post series is designed to help us as sisters within our wards/branches see that we are part of a whole - that across the stake there are other groups of sisters gathering together in activities and service to support & teach one another and develop friendships as they fulfill the purposes of the Relief Society in building faith, strengthening families and providing relief.  Each month through the end of this year, we will share one or two highlights from activities within our Relief Societies.

We have truly been blessed with our current Handbook of Instruction that allows each ward/branch to counsel together and then plan with inspiration according to their specific needs. We hope that by sharing some of the wonderful things happening within our wards/branches, we can understand better the individual yet similar needs we share as sisters in the Columbia Maryland Stake.

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Our Ellicott City Ward Sisters:

In July, the Ellicott City sisters got together to celebrate our pioneer heritage, learn new things and have a little fun.  They shared family history stories and pulled taffy.  Sisters were able to learn how to make simple wooden shelves and work on a family history decorative fan chart.  The friendship and sisterhood between these woman was clear as they chatted and laughed together.  How truly wonderful the sisters of the Columbia Stake are!