Daughters in my Kingdom

We had a wonderful Relief Society birthday Party a few weeks ago.  It was an incredible meal and a fun celebration.  We had a few women discuss various parts of the Relief Society’s most recent book Daughters in my Kingdom.

“Relief Society sisters have a glorious heritage. We pray that this volume will be an important resource for preserving that heritage.”

~ The First Presidency

In grateful recognition of the blessing of Relief Society in the lives of Church members, the First Presidency has directed the preparation of Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society.

The teachings, stories, and examples in this history book will guide you in establishing priorities and practices in your life that will help increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help those in need.

The history of Relief Society teaches the divine identity and infinite worth of daughters of God. It is a Spirit-filled story of strong, faithful, purposeful women who have served with little public recognition.

As you study this history you will see that our Heavenly Father knows His daughters, that He loves them, that He trusts them with sacred responsibilities, and that He guides them as they fulfill those responsibilities.

You are encouraged to share the book with others. Church members of all ages may use the book as a reference in lessons, talks, council meetings, and at home.

(Excerpts taken from lds.org)

Family Home Evening

You will notice a tab on the side of the blog with ideas for FHE!  We also had a bonus meeting recently where various sisters shared fabulous successful FHE ideas.  The spirit was very strong that evening.  It really all came down to the mere fact of just simply having family home evening.  The prophets and apostles have stressed the importance of keeping the family unit knit together.  It is Satan’s biggest hope to destroy the family.

“We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program. It can bring spiritual growth to each member of the family, helping him or her to withstand the temptations which are everywhere. The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest.”  President Monson

Family home evening is designed to take just one night out of the week to share our testimonies with each other, to feel the spirit as a family, and to enjoy simple family time.  It doesn’t have to be a planned out elaborate event.  We talked about the importance of having it during all stages of life, with children or when they have grown or simply just with your husband. 

Kaylyn Beck shared some ideas.

- “Don’t sweat the small stuff"

-http://finchfamilygames.com 

-Get children involved.

-See Family Home Evening Resource Book. 

-Use a Planning Wheel for assignments.

-Create your own lesson.  Have a money management lesson

Julie Bangerter did a church Jeopardy game.  (You can choose any topic and change them around to fit the age of your children.  5-6 different topics work well.  More than that becomes complicated. Primary songs, prophets, Book of Mormon, Temples)

If you have small children, follow the nursery manual, or primary manuals so your child will be prepared for the lesson that following Sunday.

Heather Kennedy brought packets that were done by her mom.  They are fully detailed packets and she is more than happy to share them with you if you need ideas and want to copy them.

The church has launched an updated Family Home Evening website.

You can find tips, suggestions, ideas and counsel about the importance of Family Home Evening. There is even a lovely feature where members from all over the world share memorable Family Home Evenings.

Check it out.

Remember, not every family home evening will be perfect.  The important thing is that we take the time to be together.  Most of us don’t remember all the lessons, but we remember spending that precious time building relationships with our eternal families.

Family History

Last month’s bonus meeting was on the importance of Family History.  Here is a recap in case you missed the evening:

Family History INFO:

St Petersburg Family History Center

Hours: Tuesday 10-6, Thursday 10-9, Saturday 10-4

Director: Jimmie White 399-8018

1.  Collection of 5000 Micro-Film.  Thousands of Fiche.  (There is now a directory that will tell you if we have the film/fiche on hand)

2.  You can now order film/fiche from home online.  The film will be sent to the FHC.  Charge is 7.50 for 60 days.

3.  We have 6 film readers, 2 fiche readers, 6 computers, all with internet access.

4.  Sign up from home for: new.familysearch.org.  This will show you all Temple work that has been processed for your ancestors.  You will need: Membership record number, date of birth and email addresses

5.  We still use Personal Ancestral File in order to compare what has been done at the temple

6.  Download “Roots Magic 4 or 5” Search for the file you want.

7.  Program: Familysearch.org.  This is for general research for names of your family members.  There is also Family Search Indexing” (This is where anyone, member or not, can help indexing all kinds of documents, such as census records, birth/death records, pension records. etc)

PHOTO information:

Family photos are so important.  It is worth the extra money to pay to have a professional photographer take regular family photos.

How do I take good photos?  Visit www.mycraftchannel.com and click on SHOWS tab at the top.  I heart faces series gives you excellent tips on how to get great pictures.  You don’t need an expensive camera to take good pictures.  Free Editing software at www.photoshop.com click on ONLINE TOOLS tab and using the drop down arrow, select Photoshop Express Editor.

What do I do with the photos?  Visit www.mycraftchannel.com and click on SHOWS tab at the top.  Watch Photo Freedom and Create to Remember shows.  You can use your photos in albums, in scrapbook, to create gifts and for home décor.  You can also make a family tree using photos. 

How do I store photos?  It is important to store photos and have back up copies of photos.  You can have an account at www.walgreens.com website.  You can create an account and family and friends can view your site.  Store photos in an acid free album.  Keep them in a dry and cool place.

Journaling:

You can make an online journal at ldsj.com.  Finally a way to make it easier!  Check it out!