Oct 1 - 2 General Conference Preparation

In the Mail

Whatta HAPPY surprise to discover in our mailbox today! Thank you, Esplin's!

Dead Sea Scrolls Online

General Relief Society Conference...Forget Me Not

Thanks, Lisa, for the photo link!

The forget-me-not flower can be a symbol of little things that sweeten the lives of women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said President Dieter F. Uchtdorf during church's General Relief Society Meeting on Sept. 24.

"There is something inspiring and sublime about the little forget-me-not flower," he said.

First, forget not to be patient with yourself. "I want to tell you something and I hope you will take it the right way. God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect," he said. "Let me add: God is fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not."
Second, forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice. "An acceptable sacrifice is when we give up something good for something of far greater worth," said President Uchrtdorf.
Third, forget not to be happy now. Recalling the children's story "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," President Uchtdorf said people were looking for a golden ticket in a candy bar. Unfortunately, the candy bar itself became an utter disappointment if it did not contain a gold ticket, he explained. "So many people today are waiting for their own golden ticket — the ticket that they believe holds the key to the happiness they have always dreamed about." The problem, he added, comes when a person puts their happiness on hold as they wait for some future event — or gold ticket — to appear.
Fourth, forget not the 'why' of the gospel. Sometimes, he said, LDS church members focus on what the Lord wants them to do and how to do it, but forget the why. "While understanding the 'what' and the 'how' of the gospel is necessary, the eternal fire and majesty of the gospel springs from the 'why,' " he said. "When we understand why our Heavenly Father has given us this pattern for living, when we remember why we committed to making it a foundational part of our lives, the gospel ceases to become a burden and, instead, becomes a joy and a delight. It becomes precious and sweet."
Fifth, forget not that the Lord loves you. President Uchtdorf said as a child, when he looked at little forget-me-nots, he sometimes felt like that flower — small and insignificant. "I wondered if I would be forgotten by my family or by my Heavenly Father." To the worldwide audience of women, President Uchtdorf added, "You are not forgotten, sisters, wherever you are and whatever the circumstances."

In closing, he promised the women that they are destined for more than they can possibly imagine.
"Continue to increase in faith and personal righteousness. Accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as your way of life. Cherish the gift of activity in this great and true church. Treasure the gift of service in the blessed organization of Relief Society. Continue to strengthen homes and families. Continue to seek out and help others who need your and the Lord's help."

Stake YSA Committee Meeting

Listening to and learning from these impressive YSA made us feel good about the future!

NJ Trivia: Elephant Sculpture

"Lucy" is the world's largest elephant, and the only one in America designated as a National Historic Landmark. She was built in 1881 by James V Lafferty, a real estate developer with a knack for promotion. Standing 6 stories tall, weighing 90 tons, covered with 12,000 square feet of sheet tin, Lucy was more than an object of awe--she was a functioning building, serving first as a real estate office, as a summer home, even briefly as a tavern, until unruly drunks nearly burned her down. She also gave people a reason to come to Margate City, New Jersey, while Lafferty gave his real estate pitch.

NJ Trivia: Blueberries

Today, New Jersey, though diminutive in size, remains the 2nd largest producer of blueberries nationwide, behind only Michigan.

They Make Us Smile

After class, we happily mingle with young single adults....

and we are always rewarded with a SMILE hearing their stories!

For instance, Enzo schooled us that Peru is actually the center of the universe, but admitted he has yet to visit Machu Picchu.

Communicating with the Lord

DeGrazia's "Little Prayer"

Preparation:
Gather communication visual aids such as letter or postcard, walkie-talkie, old telephone with cord, radio, computer, cell phone, picture of telegraph, etc. Place on table or board at front of room. Write scripture references below on 6 strips of paper. Have blank papers and crayons or markers available.

Presentation:
(Display items/pictures.) All these things can be used for same thing. Guess what that is. Guess until it is figured out that all of them can be used to get messages from one person to another.

There is someone you can communicate with, without using any of these items. That person is Heavenly Father. You can talk to him whenever you need to, just by saying a prayer.

Activity:

Divide into 6 groups. Make sure leader is in each group. Give each group one scripture references. Take a few minutes to read scripture and create simple drawing that shows what scripture teaches about prayer (who, when, or where).

Let each group present their picture and explain their scripture.

3 Nephi 18:21. Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.

Matthew 6:6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

1 Nephi 16:32. Now when they beheld that I had obtained food, how great was their joy! And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord, and did give thanks unto him.

Psalms 55:16-17. As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

Matthew 21:13. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer.

Alma 34:19-20. Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him. Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.

After groups have presented their scripture and drawing, summarize messages taught, bear testimony and end with prayer.

-from LDS Living Magazine

Seek the Best Books

Bodie's Cornflake Macaroons

Looking for something different to take for treats tonight....so tried these. Humidity keeps them moister than at home.

3 egg whites, beaten into stiff peaks with a 1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar, gradually added to stiffened egg whites

Gently fold in following 3 ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups cornflakes

1 cup chocolate chips

Drop by spoonful onto parchment lined cookie sheet(s).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, watching carefully so as not to burn.

Makes 30 large macaroons or 45 small macaroons.

FHE with Mission President

Mission Home

Our Mission President's wife has tablesetting talents!

Senior missionaries listen to Pres Jeppson's
Church humanitarian aid briefing for northern Jersey after Hurricane Irene.

Monday CES "Culture" Day

Have a nice day...and we did! Gorgeous weather!

Princeton University's architecture is extraordinary!

Our Princeton tour guide and Institute student, Jacquie!

Between the Chapel and the Firestone Library is
Jacques Lipchitz's "Song of the Vowels" sculpture.

I spy Henry Moore's "Oval with Points".

Our CES Director introduces our group to Halo Pub's heavenly ice cream!

Then he led us around the corner to The Bent Spoon to try some of their "unusual" flavored sorbets....

....like AVOCADO!! Perhaps they'll make Tortilla Chip & Salsa Sorbet flavors to accompany???

So we settled for DARK CHOCOLATE, SOUR CREAM & RASPBERRY in one cup--guess WHO's?
And raspberry and HONEY in the other cup. Y-U-M!

Tourist Tip: Neither Halo Pub or The Bent Spoon takes plastic....CASH ONLY...so come prepared!!

Stafford Branch & the Jersey Shore

Jersey shore near Barnegat, NJ.

This is the Stafford Branch building in the East Brunswick Stake.

Today we drove southeast 90 minutes to attend Sacrament meeting with a few of our YSA in Stafford Branch as well as take the opportunity to drive a few miles more through Barnegat, NJ to Manahawkin Bay.

Fun poster on Stafford YM/YW door!

L O V E

We LOVE These Faces

How to Survive & Thrive at Non-LDS University

This article written by Molly and
contributed to LDS Living 2011

Deciding to go to a non-LDS Church school isn't easy, but, to borrow a common phrase, it can definitely be worth it.

“So, are you excited to go up to BYU?”

I so wanted to lie to the sweet old woman who had watched me grow up in her ward, but, alas, I knew that if I was making this decision, I had to stand by it or no one would ever understand why I did it.

“Well, no actually. I decided to go to Ohio State University in Ohio. But I’m really very excited to head out there!”

Luckily for me, I thrived in college—I was a walk-on varsity athlete for a year and the managing editor of the student newspaper, I graduated with two majors and I had both ward and stake callings. I saw everything from the power of the world’s influence on those around me to the power of the Savior’s love to change people’s lives.

But it wasn’t easy. I had a lot to learn along the way and I was far from perfect. Here are my best tips for surviving and thriving at a non-LDS university.

1. Be loud and be proud. When I first moved into the dorms and started classes, I was pretty quiet about my faith. I thought that people would judge me and I wouldn’t make any friends. Once I was unafraid to address my faith in casual conversation (it took a little practice), I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction from most people. And I realized that people who wrote me off weren’t people I wanted to associate with anyway.

2. Attend institute. This might seem trite or like an advertisement for the Church Educational System (CES), but truly, attending institute was the best decision I made during college (outside of regular church attendance, of course). The institute building itself is usually more conducive to studying than any library on campus, and I made many friends and future roommates in class.

3. Pray for missionary experiences, but be okay when people turn you down. I saw many conversion stories of wonderful people while I was in Ohio. But I also had many friends meet with missionaries and have no subsequent interest in the Church. At first that was painful to take, but I had to remind myself that because I was a daily example and friend, I was planting gospel seeds.

4. Have good friends. I think this tip holds true for LDS schools as well, but find good friends who will support you. I made many good friends in the Church while I was at school. But I also had several good friends outside of the Church who knew my standards and always made sure that I felt comfortable with what we were doing.

5. Keep a journal. Often times, at a non-LDS school, you might feel like no one around you understands your trials and tribulations. Aside from prayer, I have found that keeping a journal was one of the best ways to debrief—to unload all of the drama, worry, pain and concern and move on.

6. Stay away from sororities and fraternities. As Ice-T once put it: Don’t hate the playa, hate the game. I have met many wonderful people who happen to be “Greek,” but the fact of the matter is that Satan has a lot of power in those places. Just stay away. Plus, singles wards pretty much act like a co-ed fraternity—and the activities are uplifting!

7. Do service. I think college students can be some of the most selfish people on the planet. You can’t blame them, it is human nature. When you are young and single you really don’t have to think much about anyone but yourself. To avoid this casualty of the single life, engage in service! It will bring you closer to others and closer to the Lord. And it will always bring missionary experiences.

So there you have it. A foolproof (well, almost) way to survive and thrive at a non-LDS school. Now go out and be examples to the world!

400th Anniversary of King James Bible

Humidity

The cupcake liner on the left has been in a sealed container. The one on the right has been out, unsealed; it is limp and slightly damp to the touch.

Friends have asked for our PROS and CONS on serving in the East.

PROS...definitely the FRIENDLY, HELPFUL people.

CONS...the traffic and the time it takes to get any where AND THE HUMIDITY! Limp, damp paper is one thing, but I don't even want to get into what humidity does to curly hair! Just one bad hair day after another! :( 

If It's Wednesday, This Must Be Princeton

Ya gotta LOVE college kids who pose as directed by an OLD woman with a camera!

Another Definition for CES

It was our turn to bring brunch
for our bi-monthly Inservice meeting

Our CES Director gave me another definition of CES....

Constantly
Eating
Something

He schooled me that "CES" has officially been changed to "S&I" for "Seminary and Institutes".

(The initials might be different but there is still FOOD involved!!)

NJ Trivia: Where is a Battleship a Museum?

USS New Jersey (BB-62), ("Big J" or "Black Dragon") is an Iowa-class battleship, and was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of New Jersey. New Jersey earned more battle stars for combat actions than the other three completed Iowa-class battleships, and is the only U.S. battleship to provide gunfire support during the Vietnam War.

         During World War II, New Jersey shelled targets on Guam and Okinawa, and screened aircraft carriers conducting raids in the Marshall islands. During the Korean War, she was involved in raids up and down the North Korean coast, after which she was decommissioned into the United States Navy reserve fleets, better known as the "mothball fleet". She was briefly reactivated in 1968 and sent to Vietnam to support U.S. troops before returning to the mothball fleet in 1969. Reactivated once more in the 1980s as part of the 600-ship Navy program, New Jersey was modernized to carry missiles and recommissioned for service. In 1983, she participated in U.S. operations during the Lebanese Civil War.

         New Jersey was decommissioned for the last time in 1991, having earned a Navy Unit Commendation for service in Vietnam and 19 battle and campaign stars for combat operations during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Lebanese Civil War, and service in the Persian Gulf. After a brief retention in the mothball fleet, she was donated to the Home Port Alliance in Camden, New Jersey, and began her career as a museum ship 15 October 2001.

NJ Trivia: What Do Monopoly and New Jersey Have in Common?

One of our favorite childhood board games was "Monopoly".

If you look closely at the playing board, you will see all the streets are named after REAL places in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Atlantic City had the first "boardwalk" in the USA, built back in 1870. You can walk on it for 4 1/2 miles!






Other New Jersey Tidbits:
-Lenapes Indians lived here 1,000s(?) of years

-Giovanni da Verrazano, Italian, explored for king of France, one of 1^st Europeans to stop in NJ

-Jersey City was 1^st permanent NJ city in 1660s—Swedish & Dutch settled

-English declared NJ belonged to them, taking it from Dutch

-For over 25 years NJ divided into East Jersey and West Jersey

-1721 William Trent founded “Trent’s Town”—now called “Trenton”

-Trenton played important part during Revolutionary War: NJ was called “Crossroads of Revolution” because 296 battles happened here, more than any other colony

-20 Nov 1789 NJ became first state in Union to ratify Bill of Rights—beginning process of making 1^st 10 amendments to US Constitution

-1800s Cape May oldest seaside resort

-1804 Alexander Hamilton, 1^st secretary of US treasury, and Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson’s VP, had a duel in NJ. Burr had just lost election for governor of NY. They were enemies. Hamilton wouldn’t apologize for bad things he said about Burr so Burr challenged him to duel. Burr shot and killed Hamilton.

-1824 John Stevens of Hoboken invented steam locomotive

-1846: 1^st official baseball game between Knickerbocker Club and NY 9 at Elysian Fields in Hoboken (Knickerbockers won 23-1)

-Hoboken is where Frank Sinatra grew up

-Walt Whitman’s home is museum

-1858 Hadrosaurus foulkii was 1^st dinosaur found in US in Haddonfield, NJ

-1870s saltwater taffy was invented at Jersey shore and 1^st boardwalk built—4.5 miles long

-Wizard of Menlo Park, Thomas Edison, holds 1,093 patents including ticker tape machine, phonograph, in 1879 incandescent light bulb, and motion picture camera

-1896 1^st professional basketball game was played at Cadwalader Park in Trenton YMCA vs Brooklyn YMCA (Trenton won 15-1)

-1900 John Holland built 1^st submarine

-Pres Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) is buried in Princeton

-Princeton University is one of 1^st colleges in USA

-1927 “Lucky Lindy” or Charles Lindbergh, resident of NJ, flew his airplane called “Spirit of Saint Louis” from Long Island to Paris

-In 1930s Albert Einstein came from Europe and lived in Princeton

-1930s Les Paul invites one of 1^st electric guitars

-1933 Morristown National Historic Park was 1^st nat’l historic park in USA—where more than 12,000 soldiers slept in bitter cold winter of Revolutionary War

-1933 Richard Hollingshead invented drive in movies

-1937 Hindenburg disaster at Lakehurst Naval Air Station

-1961 “Unimate” was 1^st robot to work in General Motors factory in Trenton

-1978 Pine Barrens became 1^st national preserve with over 1 million acres of land

-1995 NJ Devils, state hockey team, won Stanley Cup

-Garden State grows tomatoes, lettuce-escarole, corn, cranberries, and seedless watermelon was 1^st grown in NJ, peaches, blueberries and strawberries, too…honey

-Honey bee is NJ state insect

-State flower is violet

-State tree is red oak

-State animal is horse

-State bird is Eastern goldfinch

-State fruit is blueberry

-State vegetable is Jersey tomato

-State dance is square dance

-Both NJ & NY own some of both Liberty and Ellis Islands

-Meadowlands—NY Jets & NY Giants play football here surrounded by 8,400 acres of wetlands known for bird-watching

-Campbell’s Soup is in Camden

-First seaplane built here and first airmail from NJ to Chicago

-There are more than 600 diners in NJ—most of any place in world

-Invented in Maplewood, NJ—golf tee and ultimate Frisbee

-“Kingda Ka” is tallest steel roller coaster in whole world at 456 feet at Six Flags –it goes 128 miles per hour

-Pharmaceutical companies

Helping Hands

Church members in northern New Jersey were called upon Saturday to join other community volunteers cleaning up neighborhoods and homes still digging out from "Irene." Another opportunity to serve our neighbors is being organized for next Saturday.

Update: Young missionaries from Southern NY mission have been bused during the week of Sept 11 to knock on doors in northern New Jersey along with FEMA volunteers to get "work orders" from Hurricane Irene flood victims who are still "digging out." On weekend of Sept 17 & 18, Church members from southern NY and northern NJ will take "work orders" and divide up with other community volunteers to assist in emptying water from basements, tearing out drywall, removing water damaged items, etc. Trucks with humanitarian supplies (hygiene kits, blankets, generators, tools, building supplies, food, etc) are arriving daily. Some are saying this natural disaster is worse than Hurricane Katrina.

Here is a link to Mayor of Lincoln Park, New Jersey's comments on Hurricane Irene's aftermath.

If you would like to help in the cleanup of Hurricane Irene, please call 201-262-8278.

Bishop Burton Discusses the Role of Church Members in Responding to Disaster  

2011-09-13

Responding to Disasters

...“When we talk about ‘the Church’ offering help in times of disaster, we’re really talking about the people [in the Church]—your local friends and neighbors in your surrounding ward,” he said. “When disasters are larger, the response might include stakes or even areas of the Church.

“Our strategy has always been that local priesthood leaders try to meet the needs at the local level with whatever support they may require from the institution of the Church,” Bishop Burton continued. This may include things like personal hygiene or cleaning supplies, which the Church collects and stores for occasions when people have been displaced from their homes.

Priesthood keys play a significant role in the execution of relief efforts, Bishop Burton said.

“Priesthood keys entitle [local priesthood leaders] to inspiration as they direct the affairs of assisting their members. … Yes, we have the modern conveniences of electronics. [But] we all know that sometimes in disasters those tools are not available or very reliable. Our bishops, stake presidents, and others are inspired by our Father in Heaven to give direction as required at the local level,” Bishop Burton said.

One example of this came in the aftermath of the May 22 tornado in Joplin, Missouri, USA.

The morning after the tornado, Bishop Chris Hoffman of the Joplin First Ward met with several other brothers from the ward at a central spot in town to begin accounting and assessing. But they weren’t sure where to start or whom to go visit first. With communication lines down, the group turned to prayer. “The answers came,” Bishop Hoffman said. “They always did. They always will.”

In another instance, a bishop in Japan whose congregation was at the heart of the Sendai earthquake wasn’t sure how to check on members of the ward. Gas was not readily available, and roads were congested. Yet this bishop “got on a motorbike and made it his business to see and find every member of his flock,” Bishop Burton said.

Finding Purpose in Disaster

That same priesthood leader, Bishop Burton said, was also very instrumental in rallying his ward to help one another. Consequently, the ward drew much closer than they had been before the earthquake.

….That was the case for members of the Church and the community in North Dakota, USA, who were affected by severe flooding in June 2011.

“It’s just a ‘can-do’ spirit,” said Janelle Williams of the Minot First Ward, one of two units in the affected areas. “On every corner people with trucks and trailers [were] just pitching in and helping.”

Bishop Burton also cited people in the Intermountain West in the United States who had gathered to protect each other’s homes and fields from flooding during the summer of 2011. He also commented on people in the Philippines, where “a number of disasters” ranging from typhoons to earthquakes to volcanoes frequently “seem to befall communities.”

“Those amazing Filipino people survive because they have learned that they can help one another, and they understand the benefit of uniting with each other to reach out as they go about recovering from these disasters,” Bishop Burton said.

But those directly affected by disasters are not the only ones who are blessed by the opportunity to reach out. Bishop Burton received reports about wards in all parts of Japan who, even “when the news had hardly sounded” about the Sendai earthquake, started wondering what they could do to assist the people there.
“Bishops have reported what a spiritual feeling it was to help and what that feeling has done to affect the lives of those who were the givers as well as those who were recipients of their service,” Bishop Burton said.

Similar things happened in Peru following the 2007 earthquake there. Bishop Burton recalled that quorums and Relief Societies from all over the region pitched in to help others rebuild their homes.

“There is a strong camaraderie that comes [when] people who have not known one another [get] callouses on their hands digging foundations and doing all the things that are necessary to help people recover,” Bishop Burton said.

He emphasized that regular, everyday members of the Church can respond to disasters in their area “in a host of ways.”

“Certainly the first thing that comes to mind is a little muscle,” Bishop Burton said. “Muscle is the common ingredient for virtually every disaster. Things need to be cleaned up. People need to be helped. Roofs need to be repaired. There are a myriad of things that are critical. Members can be very proactive in such volunteerism as they respond to their priesthood leaders in an organized way.”

Just listening to those who have been through traumatic situations is also widely needed. “One of the things we have learned … is how important it is for people who have lost virtually everything to have someone they can talk to and tell them what’s on their minds. That takes patience and longsuffering, but we’ve learned that it’s an important ingredient in the recovery process.”

Those who live in regions where they may not be called on to offer physical labor or even to be physically present can help by providing other resources. Donations to the Church Humanitarian Fund (which can be made using a standard tithing slip) go “a long way,” Bishop Burton said. “We have the opportunity to use our excess cash—a dollar here, five dollars there—and when millions of Latter-day Saints do that, it adds up. It gives the Church the resources to respond to disasters and other humanitarian needs.”

“Disasters are probably more important for the salvation of those who are givers than those who are the recipients,” he continued. “If we are good disciples of Jesus Christ, we will do what He would do if He were here, and that is to reach out and love and help and be respectful of our fellow man.”….

Cheerful

God

loveth

a cheerful

giver

2 Corinthians 9:7