Sunset Relief Society March mag

n g i I te

Photo by Anna Osborne Winner of the Sunset photo contest

Sunset Ward Relief Society Newsletter

March 2018

Welcome

Help us keep in touch?

Hi everyone

We love keeping in touch with all the sisters in our ward, we will regularly post things on our Facebook page, if you are not on facebook and would like to receive notices via email or have a printed version please let us know. Our facebook page is called Sunset Ward Relief Society.

Welcome to our new Relief Society magazine, we hope you enjoy the articles. This year is speeding through and we are already in March, doesn’t time pass by so fast. This month our message is getting to know each other and the importance of being unified as one.

The Saviour taught us that we should be unified, one way we can do this is serving each other. We all have things in common with each other, build on relationships and things we have in common is a great starting point. Taking time to get to know each other an becoming friends.

In Acts 4:32 it reads And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

As we serve each other we can know how to help each other, giving of our time, talents, our compassion is a wonderful Christ like attribute.

Our visiting teaching message is found on page 5 which is all about getting to know the sister you visit and her family.

Pray and ask Heavenly Father for guidance on the homes that you serve and he will lead and direct you.

Thank you sisters for everything you do, we love you very much and if there is anything we can help please let us know.

Enjoy your month.

Love from the Relief Society Presidency Jenie, Hilda and Alvina

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In this issue Welcome

Page 2

Get to know her and her Family

Page 5

Marieke Murphy

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Birthdays

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Ward Notices

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Enrichment Activity Exercising

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Enrichment Activity Recipes

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Do you need Help?

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Always remember Him

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Self Reliance

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Visiting Teaching Message

Get to know her and her Family Visiting teaching is about sincerely coming to know and love each sister so that we can help strengthen her faith and give service.

Rita Jeppeson and her visiting teacher have become good friends as they meet and share gospel conversations. But their visits also include playing word games together, which helps Rita’s aging mind stay sharp. Because her visiting teacher has learned what Rita needs and enjoys, they both look forward to each visit. Rita knows that they are friends and that the visit is not just an obligation.

There are so many things sisters can do during a visit, such as taking a walk together or helping a sister with her chores.

The Lord through Moses commanded the children of Israel that “the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love [her] as thyself” (Leviticus 19:34). The sisters we visit may be “strangers” as we begin our service, but as we get to know her and her family, our desire will increase to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light” and have our “hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another” (Mosiah 18:8, 21).

Lucy Mack Smith, mother of the Prophet Joseph Smith, expressed her feelings in 1842 about how Latter-day Saint sisters in the newly established Relief Society should feel about one another. She said, “We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction, that we may all sit down in heaven together.”1 This is still true today.

Consider This

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “See yourselves as emissaries of the Lord to His children. …

We would hope … that you will establish an era of genuine, gospel-oriented concern for the members, watching over and caring for each other, addressing spiritual and temporal needs in any way that helps.”

Within the families of the sisters you visit, what upcoming events should you be aware of and remember?

Ministering Rather than provide a specific message, this page will feature a different principle each month to help us minister more effectively to each other. As you pray and seek inspiration, you will know the spiritual message and service each sister needs.

https://www.lds.org/liahona/2018/02/getto-know-her-and-her-family?lang=eng Page 5

Getting to know

Marieke Murphy I am the daughter of Noeline Van’t Wout and Allistair Odgers. I am the oldest child and have 3 younger brothers.

Most of my childhood I lived and grew up on a 33 acre farm that my parents bought when I was 10 as they wanted to teach us how to work.

I served a mission in Brisbane Australia. North Canterbury is where my home and heart is.

Andrew and I have been married for 14 years We have 3 children Samantha - 9, Spencer - 5, and Alice is almost 2. I’m a stay at home Mum.

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I’m an introvert so not always the best in social situations.

I love creating in any form. Some of my favourites are clothing design and gardening.

I love learning to make things from scratch. I can make my own yogurt, cheese and bread.

Auckland is the last place I ever wanted to be.

I would go home in a heartbeat but I will do anything for the Lord and my family.

March Birthdays!

Happy birthday to the following sisters this month. We hope you have a wonderful day on your birthday.

5 March - Jasmine Brown 7 March - Deborah Cruickshank 8 March - Bui, Thuy Huynh 9 March - Glogoski - Patricia

Purvis, Christa 11 March - Hotere, Bridget 16 March - Keyes, Charlene 19 March - Tapusoa, Millie 23 March - Fu, Carol

Gatoloai, Vivian 26 March - Kapa, Shan 29 March - Eketone, Melanie

Happy Birt hday

Ward Notices Chapel cleaning March 4 March Perrett, K Marsh, Barao/Boanereke, Young 11 March Keyes, Scott, Murphy, Nizetich, Carreon 18 March Te Maari, Seo, C Marsh, Vos, Watts 25 March Bizaoui, Schulte, Francois, Pear, D&S Mitchell, Coward 8 March - YM Okura bush run - YW Faith Walk 10 March - Faith in God - Easter Activity

- YSA/Priest/Laurel devotional with Elder Neil L Anderson 7pm

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Enrichment activity by Rachel Keyes

Exercise Guidelines

Stretching Benefits

• M inimum of 30min moderate intensity exercise 5 days aweek

• Increased movement efficiency

• O r minimum of 20 min vigorous intensity exercise 3 days a week

• I ncreased blood supply and nutrients to joint structures

• M oderate intensity exercise can be accumulated to 30 min with nimimum bouts lasting 10 minutes

• incrased neuromuscular coordination

• M uscular strength and endurance exercise at least 2 days a week

• Reduced muscular tension

• Decreased risk of injury

• Decreased risk in low back pain • Improved balance and postural awareness

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Enrichment cooking by Nikki Murray Our last enrichment Nikki talked about the importance of putting good food into our bodies and shared the following family favourite receipes with us.

Beet and feta wrap Heat a small wrap. Grate one raw beet and two carrots (or more if you like to store it). squeeze half a lemon and combine. serve the mixture on baby spinach and top with feta cheese. makes 4 decent wraps.

Overnight oats layer 3 tablespoons wholgrain oats, one grated apple, 3 tablespoons of greek yoghut, frozen raspberries, and pumpkin seeds in that order, in a container. cover and refrigerate over night for softer oats or eat immediately for chewy oats.

Protein balls 2c wholegreain organic oats 2 Tablespoons raw cacao 3 Tablespoons honey 1/3 c peanut butter 1 scoop protein powder 1/4c dark chocolate (over 70%) blitz together in a food processor until it forms a dough. roll into balls.

Makes aprox 35 small balls.

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Do you need help ?

Mental health, Food, child care Physical health, spiritual help

Sisters do you need help with the following? Do you know where to go if you need help? If you need help with anything please contact anyone in the Relief Society presidency, we are here to help and have several resources available to help you. We also have our compassionate service team who are ready to help. We are available during church and we are also available by phone or via fb messenger. Please don’t be afraid to ask for help.

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Always Remember Him Can you picture with me the prophet Moroni inscribing the final words of the Book of Mormon on the golden plates? He was alone.

He had seen his nation, his people, and his family fall. The land was “one continual round” of war (Mormon 8:8). Yet he had hope, for he had seen our day! And of all the things he could have written, he invited us to remember (see Moroni 10:3).

My message is an invitation, even a plea, to remember. Here are three suggestions about what you could remember each week when you partake of the sacred emblems of the sacrament. I hope they are helpful to you, as they have been to me.

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) was fond of teaching that the most important word in the dictionary could be remember.

Because we have made covenants with God, he said, “our greatest need is to remember” them.

First, remember the Savior. Remember who He was while on earth, how He spoke to others, and how He showed kindness in His acts. Remember whom He spent time with and what He taught. The Savior “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). He visited the sick.

He was committed to doing His Father’s will.

You can find the word remember throughout the scriptures. When Nephi admonished his brothers, often he invited them to remember the Lord’s words and to remember how God had saved their forefathers (see 1 Nephi 15:11, 25; 17:40).

In his great farewell address, King Benjamin used the word remember seven times. He hoped that his people would remember “the greatness of God … and his goodness and long-suffering” toward them (Mosiah 4:11; see also 2:41; 4:28, 30; 5:11–12).

When the Savior instituted the sacrament, He invited His disciples to partake of the emblems “in remembrance” of His sacrifice (Luke 22:19). In every sacrament prayer you and I hear, the word always precedes the word remember (see D&C 20:77, 79).

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Remember Jesus Christ

Most of all, we can remember the great price He paid, out of His love for us, to remove the stain of our sins. As we remember Him, our desire to follow Him will grow. We will want to be a little kinder, more forgiving, and more willing to seek the will of God and do it.

Remember What You Need to Do Better It’s hard to think of the Savior—His purity and perfection—without also thinking of how flawed and imperfect we are in comparison.

We have made covenants to obey His commandments, yet we frequently fall short of this high standard. But the Savior knew this would happen, which is why He gave us the ordinance of the sacrament.

The sacrament has its roots in the Old Testament practice of offering sacrifices,

which included a confession of sin (see Leviticus 5:5). We don’t sacrifice animals anymore, but we can still give up our sins.

The scriptures call this a sacrifice of “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:20).

Come to the sacrament with a repentant heart (see D&C 59:12; Moroni 6:2). As you do so, you will obtain forgiveness of sins and you will not stray from the path leading back to God.

thing all the time. But no matter how well you keep your promise to always remember Him, He always remembers you.

Remember the Progress You Are Making

So, He welcomes you back to the sacrament table each week, once again offering you the chance to witness before Him that you will always remember Him.

As you examine your life during the ordinance of the sacrament, I hope your thoughts center not only on things you have done wrong but also on things you have done right—moments when you have felt that Heavenly Father and the Savior were pleased with you. You may even take a moment during the sacrament to ask God to help you see these things. If you do, I promise you will feel something. You will feel hope.

When I have done this, the Spirit has reassured me that while I’m still far from perfect, I’m better today than I was yesterday.

And this gives me confidence that, because of the Savior, I can be even better tomorrow.

Always is a long time, and it implies a lot of focused effort. You know from experience how hard it is to think consciously of one

The Savior knows your challenges. He knows what it is like to have the cares of life press upon you. He knows how urgently you need the blessing that comes from always remembering Him and obeying Him—“that [you] may always have his Spirit to be with [you]” (D&C 20:77; emphasis added).

Teaching from This Message Life can get hectic and make it difficult for us to always remember our Savior Jesus Christ. The sacrament, however, provides a special time each week when we can reflect on His life and teachings. With those you home teach, consider how you use those quiet moments now, and discuss how you can increase your focus on the Savior. How can you use those moments to reflect on the things you can personally improve? What is the value of remembering the progress you make each week?

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Self-Reliance Principles What is Self-Reliance?

12 Principles of Self-Reliance

“Self-reliance is the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the spiritual and temporal necessities of life for self and family” (Handbook 2: Administering the Church [2010], 6.1.1).

The Lord has declared, “It is my purpose to provide for my saints” (D&C 104:15). This revelation is a promise that the Lord will provide temporal blessings and open the door of self-reliance. He has also declared that “it must needs be done in [His] way” (D&C 104:16). To receive the blessings of self-reliance, we must accept and live the principles of self-reliance, which include the following:

President Thomas S. Monson has counseled, “[Self-reliance] is an essential element in our spiritual as well as our temporal well-being.” (“Guiding Principles of Personal and Family Welfare,” Ensign, Sept. 1986) How self-reliant are you? Find out before you start helping others. Complete the workbook My Path to Self-Reliance.

1. Exercise Faith in Jesus Christ (D&C 104:15) 2. Use Time Wisely (Alma 34:32) 3. Be Obedient (D&C 130:20–21) 4. Manage Money (D&C 104:78) 5. W ork: Take Responsibility (D&C 42:42; 2 Nephi 2:16, 26) 6. Solve Problems (Ether 2:18–19, 23; 3:1, 4) 7. B ecome One, Work Together (Moses 7:18; D&C 104:15–17) 8. C ommunicate: Petition and Listen (D&C 8:2) 9. Persevere (Hebrews 12:1; D&C 58:4) 10. Show Integrity (Mosiah 4:28; Job 27:5; Articles of Faith 1:13) 11. Seek Learning and Education (D&C 88:118–119) 12. Stay On Task, Receive Ordinances (D&C 84:20; D&C 136:4; 1 Nephi 18:2–3)

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