Important: Church Time Change

Beginning next Sunday and throughout 2014, the Union Fort 3rd Ward will have meetings beginning at 9:00am.  We will continue the same schedule with Relief Society/Priesthood Meetings being first, then Sunday School, then Sacrament Meeting.

Mark Your Calendars!

Ward Christmas Party 2013 by camialane

Names of Christ - 12 Days of Christmas Idea

Biblical Names

of Christ

Lamb of God

John 1:29

Emmanuel

Matthew 1:23

Bread of Life

John 6:35

The Light

John 8:12

Lord of Lords

Revelation 17:14

Redeemer

Job 19:25

King of Israel

John 12:13

Shepherd

John 10:11

Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9:6

Mediator

1 Timothy 2:5

Living Water

John 4:10

King of Kings

Revelation 17:14

December Newsletter

Check out the December Newsletter!

NL-Dec2013

A Stake Message for You

Words of President Suhaka:

If someone randomly stopped you on the street and said, “Hey, I hear you’re in the Midvale Union Fort Stake.  What is the stake presidency teaching?” I hope you would know how to answer that.

If you could summarize the focus of the stake presidency over the last 4 years into one word, it would be: Temple!

Why?  Because, as it says in D&C 84:21-23, receiving the temple ordinances is the only way to be reconciled with the Father.  It’s the temple that gets us Home.

Our challenge is and has been to get yourself to the temple. If you’re not worthy, you can be.  And it’s worth it!

We have also asked you to take your families—living and dead—to the temple because it is the only way back to God.

For those that participated in the stake Day of Jubilee in September, you were promised a deliverance from the struggles you took to the Lord.  Many of you have felt that deliverance; miracles have occurred.  And many of you are still waiting for that deliverance.  For those still waiting, we are praying for you.  To you, I say: You cannot doubt that it’s coming! God has said so!  God does not renege on promises.  We must wait patiently. 

As a stake, we performed approximately 3,000 temple ordinances in one day for our Day of Jubilee.  There are approximately 3,000 people in this stake.  That means we helped create an entire stake in heaven!  And we are not done.  We will just keep going.  Let’s go create another stake in heaven.  We will keep going with the temple at the center of our lives—individually and as families. 

If you were asked, “What is the gospel of Jesus Christ?” and had 15 seconds to answer, what would you say?  What if you were asked, “What does it mean to follow Christ?”  or “What does it mean to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?”  Here is 15 seconds.  What would you say?

I believe it is summarized perfectly, simply, and sincerely by the Savior Himself as recorded in John 15:12: “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”  This sums up the entire gospel message.  Jesus is trying to say that it really is that simple!

Usually when we hear this scripture, we think it means to love everyone.  And while that is true, what does “another” mean?  If you’re sitting at dinner and ask for “another” serving, how many do you expect to receive?  One.  “An other.”  Love one other besides you, the way I have loved you.  He’s not asking us to go save the world. 

Here is our invitation to you: Go find an other.  Who is it you are committed to love how the Savior has tried to love you?  Who is it that needs to feel God’s love?  Put yourself in the world of one other person.  Share God’s love with them.

Listen to these words:

“How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?” (Matthew 18:12)

“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?” (Luke 15:8)

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”  (John 15:12)

So, if you are asked what is the stake presidency teaching?

1 – Go to the temple. It’s the only way back home.

2 – Go get your families and take them to the temple.  It’s the only way back home.

3 – Go put yourself in the life of someone else.

As you do this, you have been promised to feel the Savior’s love in your life.  “As I have loved you, love one another.”  If you find one other, you will feel His love for you.

November Newsletter

Check out this month's Relief Society Newsletter for announcements, birthdays, and more!

RS Newsletter - Nov. 2013

Upcoming Super Saturday Crafts

"Super Saturday" will be Saturday, November 16 from 10am to 1pm at the chapel.  We will have a speaker, a food demonstration, a light lunch, and the following crafts.  You must sign up and pay for your crafts by Sunday, November 3, so we have time to order the materials. (That's coming right up!)  Sign-up sheets will be available at church on Sunday.

Craft options:

1 - Dry erase calendar.  Supply your own frame (up to 16x20) and pay $5.00 for the vinyl.

2 - 4"x4" Photo Blocks. Supply your own photos and pay $5.00 for the blocks, paint, and trimmings.

 3 - Dryer vent pumpkins. $10.00 for two.  (Please let us know if you just want one for $5.00.)

4 - Burlap wreath. $10.00.

15 Tips to Improve Your Photos

Here is what we talked about at the Relief Society Activity last Saturday.

Whether you have a point-and-shoot camera, a tablet, camera phone, or a DSLR, there are some composition tips you can practice to help your photos look better without editing.  Here are my favorites.  (Let me say here that I consider myself at an intermediate level in photography and am by no means a professional. Also, this is nothing you couldn't find with a simple Google search.  All of the photos were taken by me with the exception of the grid--which I got off the Internet--and the family portrait on the final tip, which was by Colton Spencer.)  ~Cami Evans

1 - Lighting Trumps Background
So, so, so much can be said here about good lighting, (especially considering "photograph" literally means "image of light"), and I would highly recommend studying light and shadows if you want to learn photography.  But for this tutorial, start by learning about open shade.  For starters, don't let your subject look into the sun when you take their picture.  Place the sun behind or to the side of the person/thing you want to photograph, so nobody's squinting and the lighting is even.

Remember, the background of the photo is not as important as the lighting!!  If there is something you really want a picture by but the lighting is poor, try taking the photo from another angle or at a different time of day.

Family reunion shot posed in open shade (the trees were behind us, not above us) so the lighting is even across everyone's faces (no sun spots or harsh shadows).

2 - Look for Catchlights

A catchlight is a gleam of reflected light in the eye of a person or animal in a photograph.  It is what makes the subject look alive. To achieve catchlights in a photo, the subject needs to be facing the light source.  This takes practice!  Look for the catchlights in their eyes before you take the photo and move them around until you see the sparkle.

 

My favorite way to light my kids indoors is to open the curtains when the sunlight is bright but not coming in directly, stand with my side to the window, and have them face me.  The light reflects in their eyes without blinding them.

3 - The Rule of Thirds

Above anything else, practicing this tip will dramatically improve your photography!

The "Rule of Thirds" is when you split your photo into thirds vertically and horizontally and emphasize your subject at the intersections. To do this, draw a tic-tac-toe board over your viewfinder/photo in your mind.  Position your subject at one of the four intersecting corners in the grid shown in red above--these are "power positions" in a photo.  Basically, stop centering everything in your picture!  (If you can't quite master the rule of thirds while taking pictures, you can always crop them later to emphasize a power position, but try to learn how to do it without editing!) 

Placing the subject in the lower left of the photo draws your attention to her immediately and is more pleasing to the eye than if she were sitting in the middle.  You see her, then you look around the photo.

If you can't get the subject to be in one of the four power positions, at least push them to the outer quadrants of the photo instead of centering them.  It still directs your focus to the subject first.

A person's eyes are the subject of a portrait.  Do your best to place their eyes at the top line of your tic-tac-toe board.  Here, her right eye is at the top left power position.

The flag in focus is on the lower left power position.

4 - Simplify.

Pay attention to extraneous things in your photo before you snap the shot.  Remove anything in view that does not contribute to what you want to convey in the picture.  The saying goes, "If in doubt, take it out." If there is a garbage can in the background or a light pole that seems to be coming out of a person's head, move the garbage can or move yourself or your subject around until it is no longer in the frame.  Look around the whole area before you take the picture.

There is nothing in this photo that does not tell the story in it.

5 - Framing

Put things in the foreground of your photo to create a frame around the subject.

Looking through the wagon wheel and keeping part of it in the photo adds a frame around his face.

 

Framing the temple with greenery (and placing it in a power position!).

6 - Change Your Perspective

 To me, this is the most fun composition tip.  Look at things a different way.  Shoot from high above, down below, far away, or whatever you can think of and try to think out of the ordinary.

Walk right up to the trunk of a tree and look up.  Don't worry about getting the whole tree in the photo.

Look through their eyes.

 

Pay attention to shadows.

7 - Place Heads at Different Levels

When taking photos of groups, place their heads at different levels instead of all lined up.

The slant from lower left to upper right of their heads creates direction in this photo.

8 - Squish together!

People need to be closer than they think. There should be no background showing between people when they are posing close together.

Leaning in and scooting close shows the family's relationship.

9 - Cropping 

Cropping photos is fun.  But here I'm not talking about cropping with software on the computer; I'm talking about purposely cropping things when you compose the photo to create the look you want.  Look at things more closely.  Fill the frame with your subject.  It's okay to crop out a person's forehead but be careful to not cut out their chin because it will make you wonder what happened to their body.  Try to crop limbs well away from joints so they don't look amputated.  
 

Cropping out the dad puts focus on the son.

10 - Put Men in Masculine Positions & Women in Feminine Positions

There are books on posing, so this is just scratching the surface on this topic.  Masculine positions include: the face leaning toward the body to create a 'C' shape, the body facing the camera straight-on to show power and strength, hands/arms in more harsh or straight angles, and showing the back of the hand to the camera.  Feminine positions are the opposite: the face leaning away from the body to create an 'S' shape, the body turned at an angle to the camera for an instant slimming effect, hands/arms softened and light, and the side of the hand facing the camera.

My favorite part about this tip is that females can do feminine or masculine poses (depending on what you're trying to convey), while men should stick to masculine ones.

Tip Inside a Tip: If someone wants to take your picture and it's not for a passport, please don't face the camera directly.  Step one leg back and lean on it.  Lean your back shoulder toward the camera just a little.  Tilt one ear back an inch and smile.

His head is leaning more toward his chest than his back.  If you drew a line from his head, through his body, to his feet, it would be a 'C.'  (If his head were leaning back over his shoulder, it would put him in more of an 'S' shape and make him look feminine.)

Facing the men straight at the camera adds power, intensity, and masculinity.  They are each naturally leaning their heads towards their chests in the 'C'-shape.

 

After my hair was cut tragically short, I spent months growing it to this length where it finally laid down.  Wanting to take a self-portrait that conveyed the strength I desired to feel, I purposely leaned in a 'C'-shape, put the back of my hand to the camera, and put my left arm at a right angle to add just a touch of masculinity to the pose.  (See how I also cropped part of the image and placed myself in a power position?)

11 - If it bends, bend it.

Repetition gets boring so if something repeats, make it different.  (That applies to music as well.)  What this means for photography is "if it bends, bend it."  Keep arms from hanging down at the sides by bending one or both of them.  Lean on one leg and bend the other.  Change things up!  Also look at how this tip was put into action in the group shot under tip #10 above.

Let people pose themselves comfortably.

12 - Try something besides "Smile!" or "Say cheese!" 

You will have to get creative in order to get genuine smiles out of people.  Be the clown.  Make funny faces.  Ask them to do them with you. Dance around.  Be silly.

Here I called out, "Say stinky feet!" and clicked the camera when she laughed.

13 - Shoot from above to flatter just about anyone

Whatever is closest to the camera will look larger, so if your eyes are closer than your waist, you will look skinnier.  Taking pictures from up above makes just about anyone look good.  (The first photo under tip #10 was purposely shot from above.)

What pregnant woman wouldn't have you look in her beautiful eyes and see her smile over her ever-growing belly sometimes?

14 - Shoot at or below eye level, especially with kids

If you're short like me and can't always shoot your subjects from above to flatter their figures, the rule of thumb is to shoot at eye level.  For children, that means squatting down to their height.  I also like to shoot from below to make them look taller.
 

I was laying in the grass looking up at her.

15 - Take it with a grain of salt.  

Wait, I thought there wasn't supposed to be space between the subjects or heads at the same level? 

 

So much for keeping the subject out of the center!

Look, photography is an art, which means it is judged subjectively.  What makes a "good" photo is up for debate and a matter of opinion.  So take pictures of what you like.  Feel free to break the rules if that's what you want to do.  Express yourself and don't worry too much about what other people think.

Dance Aerobics

Hi,

 

I'm in the Relief Society Presidency of the 6th ward and we're trying to get dance aerobics set up weekly for those interested. We want to invite all the sisters in the stake.

This Wednesday, Oct. 9, we'll be doing dance aerobics from 7 to 8 pm at the stake center in the gym. If you have any questions, please email me (sarah.beu@gmail.com) and I'll be happy to answer them for you. 

Thanks,

Sarah Roberts

Soup's On!

Whether or not you were able to make it the Relief Society Service Auction and partake of the yummy soups served there, you may like to have these soup recipes in your winter food arsenal.

Crockpot Prep Tip #1 - Buy Reynold's Slow Cooker Liners and put one in your slow cooker before adding any food.  After you've eaten the food, you just pull out the bag, pour the leftovers in a container, throw away the bag, and your crockpot is clean!
Crockpot Prep Tip #2 (for the minestrone) - Chop all the veggies the night before and keep in the fridge since the soup needs to cook for a long time. 
 
By the way, the chicken noodle soup that was served can be purchased at Costco already made! :)

Taco Soup

1 can corn with juice
1 can kidney beans with juice
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground hamburger or ground turkey, browned and drained
Chili powder to taste

Combine everything in a soup pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Or combine in a crockpot and eat when warm! 


Butternut Squash Soup

1 small butternut squash
1 tart apple
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbsp raw rice
1 tsp sugar
1 pinch curry powder
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup cream
6 oz. jalapeno cheese (add more if you want it extra spicy)
milk to stretch
salt to taste

Peel and cube the squash and apple. Place in a 3-quart saucepan with the onion, rice, curry powder, and chicken stock.

Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Puree in a blender and return to pan (or use an immersion blender in the pan). Heat and add cream, cheese, milk, and salt.


Crockpot Minestrone

Chopped veggies:
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced

Spices:
1 Tbsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
garlic salt, to taste
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or minced garlic)

Canned veggies:
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can corn
1 can green beans
1 can kidney beans or white beans
about 2 cups chicken broth
about 3 cups tomato juice

Prep your chopped vegetables and put in slow cooker. Add spices then canned vegetables (keeping the juice with the diced tomatoes but draining the others). Fill out the soup with the chicken broth and tomato juice, leaving a little room for the soup to cook and expand.  Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.  Top with Parmesan cheese and croutons or crackers if you like.

Don't Miss Stake Conference!

There will not be regular church meetings this upcoming Sunday because it is Stake Conference!

Adult Session - Saturday, September 14, 2013 @ 6:30pm at the Stake Center (7115 S. 540 E)

Priesthood Leadership Meeting - Sunday, September 15, 2013 @ 7:00am at the Stake Center

General Session - Sunday, September 15, 2013 @ 10:00am. Our ward will meet at the NW Building (6770 S. 500 E.)

Directions to NW Building: Take Fort Union Blvd west and turn north onto 700 East. Turn West onto 6770 S. Stay to the left on Larchwood Dr. and then turn R onto 500 East.

The Sunday general session is a multi-stake event being broadcast from the Conference Center!

Get Ready for the Service Auction!

Would you like help with chores around your house?  Would you like someone else to bring you a home-cooked meal?  Would you like to take home a handmade piece of jewelry, a fresh new cookbook, or plate of cookies for free?

Can you offer free babysitting for an hour or two?  Do you know how to sew, cook, play a musical instrument, take photos, or have another talent you would like to share with someone in the ward?

Then you are in luck because it's time for one of our favorite Relief Society activities of the year - the SERVICE AUCTION!  And it's coming up quick, so pay attention!

Make sure to look for the sign-up sheet going around in Relief Society (and also in Priesthood) to let us know what acts of service or donated items you wouldn't mind putting up for auction.  

Use the attached tally sheet to keep track of nice acts of service over the next few weeks (and mark what you've done since August 19), then bring your sheet to the Relief Society Activity on Wednesday, September 18.  Your tallied points will be converted to service bucks (monopoly money) which you can then use to bid for items at the auction.

Come enjoy a lovely soup dinner, chance to mingle with sisters in the ward, and trade service for service!  It's going to be great!

Service Auction 2013 by camialane

September Newsletter

Here is the Relief Society Newsletter for September 2013:

Newsletter Sept. 2013

Notes from Bishop's Breadmaking Class

WHY USE A YEAST STARTER?

Wheat has several components in it, including phytic acid and phitase--chemicals that are not digestible by humans.  In order to make wheat more consumable, it needs to go through the correct process of soaking and reaching the correct pH balance.  A wet yeast starter helps make wheat more consumable by treating it properly.  Rapid rise yeast makes bread rise faster and helps reduce bakery workloads but it overlooks the fact that the wheat is not given enough time to chemically change the phytic acid and phitase properly.

So if you have a hard time digesting wheat, it is probably the phytic acid and phitase that is making you sick.  Using a yeast starter and allowing the bread to rise for a long time will help you digest the wheat better.

HOW TO USE YOUR YEAST STARTER

The yeast starter that Bishop Sheneman uses (and distributed at the activity) was created from batches that stretch back to the original starter made in 1858 in the Midwest, maybe Chicago; it came across the plains!  The bishop named his starter “Harry” because you have to treat it like a pet and make sure to feed it every 4 days to keep it alive.  It needs to be “fed” every 2-4 days.  It will grow and double in size and then when it starts to go down and a little bit of water collects on the top, it is time to feed it.  If it still doesn’t look like it needs to be fed at day 4, go ahead and feed it.  Four days is the maximum for keeping it alive and healthy.  (Keep it cold in the fridge or you’ll have to feed it every 4 hours instead of every 4 days!)  You can go up to 9 days if you put the jar in the coldest spot in your fridge and accidentally forget about it, but you’ll have to pour off the hootch (alcoholish-liquid on the top) and feed it, and nurse it back to health when you get back.

The way you feed your starter is to estimate the amount of starter you have and feed it equal parts water and flour.  If there’s a ½ cup of starter in your jar, you’ll feed it ½ cup of flour and ½ cup of water.  If it’s a cup, then feed it a cup of flour and a cup of water.  Stir and put it back in the fridge. 

Try to keep at least 1 cup of starter in reserve in your jar.

You can use the yeast starter for any recipe you like.  ½ cup starter = 1 pkg yeast.


You usually make yeast out of hungry starter, but it can be done both ways.  The bishop said to give it a full day after feeding to make bread.  Sometimes if you wait too long between feedings and bake bread from really hungry starter, the bread will end up a bit tangy, maybe on the sourdough side.  

Remember to keep 1 cup in reserve.

 SPECIAL REMINDERS

If you put the canning lid on correctly, it will make a yeast bomb.  So be sure to turn the seal upside-down and then screw on the ring.

The recipes came from the book “The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast” by Caleb Warnock & Melissa Richardson.  Caleb’s blog is calebwarnock.blogspot.com.

Stay away from bleached flour.  Get a good flour like King Arthur at Smith’s or Prairie Gold 100% Whole Wheat, or the hard white wheat flour from Lehi Roller Mills (at Costco).

Don’t use margarine or vegetable oil—they are so bad for you!  Acceptable fats to use in cooking are olive oil, coconut oil, butter or lard.

For the Honey: Use local honey that you can purchase at farmer’s markets.  It is better for you and also helps combat hay fever.  You could also use Grade B real maple syrup instead of honey.  You can use other sweeteners (like molasses or white sugar), but honey is the best. 

WAFFLE RECIPE

1 cup starter

2 eggs

1 Tbsp oil (or melted butter, coconut oil or lard)

¼ tsp salt

Pour into waffle iron.  Cook hotter and longer than usual.

NATURAL YEAST PANCAKE RECIPE

1 egg

¼ cup milk

3 Tbsp oil (or melted butter, coconut oil or lard)

¼ tsp salt

1 cup starter

Cook at a lower temperature than normal pancakes to cook evenly.

BREAD RECIPE

½ cup starter (make sure you stir the starter before measuring out the ½ cup!)

2 ½ cups lukewarm (room temperature) water

2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon fat (olive oil, coconut oil, or butter)

¼ cup honey

5-7 cups flour

Note that this recipe needs to rise for a long time, so plan ahead.  It’s good to make it at night, let it rise overnight, and bake it in the morning.

Mix all but the flour together in a large bowl.  Add 2 cups flour at a time and stir with a plastic/rubber spoon.  When you can no longer stir it with the spoon it’s time to hand knead it.  Pour out some flour on a flat surface and dump the bowl into it.  Gather up the lumps of bread and work them into the flour by continuing to flatten them and fold them – adding more flour until it mostly doesn’t stick to your hands. 

Knead the bread for 9 minutes until it is thick and elastic.  If you take a small piece and stretch it until it is thin enough to see light through (called windowpane-ing) – then it’s ready.  (If you have a bread mixer, you can knead it 9 minutes in the mixer, adding flour until it stays in one lump and doesn’t stick to the sides).

Put the bread in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise overnight.  You want to let it rise a minimum of 6 hours to 14 hours.  This is the process that allows the wheat to soak, allowing the phytic acid and phitase to be eaten away or soaked into submission.  So – the 6-14 hours is the key to making the bread easier for your body to process!

After the bread has been left alone for 6-14 hours, then punch down the bread and divide it in 2.  Knead, fold, turn in for a minute to make it in a loaf shape.  Put in two greased bread pans.  Make a slit down the center of each loaf, about an inch or more deep.

Allow the bread to rise again in the loaf pans for 1 – 1 ½ hours.  Bake at 375 for 25 minutes—time is approximate.  What you really want is for the internal temperature of the bread to be 170 degrees.  So after 20-25 minutes, when it looks done and has baked long enough to not squash when you poke it, take the temperature with a baking thermometer. If it isn’t quite to 170 degrees, allow it to cook longer.  It takes about 3 minutes of cooking for it to rise another 10 degrees.  When the temperature is right, it’s time to cool a little and then enjoy!

This bread is better for you if you are diabetic, too.  A normal slice of white bread will spike your blood sugar 25 points, whereas 2 slices bread from this recipe will only spike it 6 points.

This Week's Challenge

Relief Society Challenge: Read your scriptures every single day this week. 

 Spencer W. Kimball wrote: “I stress again the deep need each woman has to study the scriptures. We want our homes to be blessed with sister scriptorians—whether you are single or married, young or old, widowed or living in a family. Regardless of your particular circumstances, as you become more and more familiar with the truths of the scriptures, you will be more and more effective in keeping the second great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself.  Become scholars of the scriptures—not to put others down, but to lift them up! After all, who has any greater need to ‘treasure up’ the truths of the gospel (on which they may call in their moments of need) than do women and mothers who do so much nurturing and teaching?... No greater recognition can come to you in this world than to be known as a woman of God.”

New Theme

 

This is the new theme for the Union Fort 3rd Ward Relief Society.

In Jan Norton's lesson on Sunday, she told about a man who takes his toolbox with him every time he goes home teaching--because who can resist a man with a toolbox?  Jan's love of e-books and knowledge of e-readers is something she can share with people she comes in contact with.  What "tools" do you have to offer the sisters you visit teach?  Pray to know how you can create friendships in the ward through sisterhood and service.

July RS Newsletter

Make sure to read about the Birthdays, Announcements, Recipe, Visiting Teaching Message, and other information on this month's Relief Society Newsletter:

Click on this link to Save or Download:

July 2013 RS NL by camialane

New Section on LDS.org

Sunday's broadcast encouraged each member to join in the Lord's call to missionaries of hastening the gathering of the saints.  A new section on lds.org has been set up to help us learn about "Hastening the Work of Salvation."  Click here to learn more: http://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/a-new-vision?cid=HPL1P01W01031&lang=eng

RS Picnic Book Recommendations

For those of you that missed it, here are the books and authors that were recommended at the Relief Society Picnic tonight:

Katie Glazier: The Rent Collector by Camron Wright

Marge Taylor: You Are Special by Max Lucado

Connie Case: Author Jim Butcher – Codex Alera series and Dresden Files series; Author Brandon Mull – Fablehaven series and The Beyonders series; The Great and Terrible series by Chris Stewart; Author Orson Scott Card – Ender’s Game series, and others like The Lost Gate

Libby Cain: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Marquelle Wilkinson: Queen Noor by Susan Muraddi Darraj

Mandy Keller: The Greatest Generation (there are two volumes) by Tom Brokaw; And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns)

Eileen Gidley: Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life by Clay Aiken

Cami Evans: I Am a Mother by Jane Clayson Johnson; Better (and also the book Complicated) by Atul Gawande

Amberly Phillips: Author Studs Terkel (an oral historian), particularly the books The Good War and Hard Times; Author Erik Larson – The Devil in the White City and In the Garden of Beasts

Jan Norton: Author Harlan Coben (favorite mystery writer); Author Susanna Kearsley – characters from The Winter Sea and Shadowy Horses are unexpectedly woven together in Firebird

Laura Wilson: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Carrie Warburton: Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas

Kathy Christensen: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Kim Garcia: Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

Lynda Richards: The Drama of the Lost Disciples by George J. Jowett

Roberta Nelson: Agent Bishop: True Stories from an FBI Agent Moonlighting as a Mormon Bishop by Mike McPheters

Linda Hoskisson: Author Anita Stansfield – Emma: Woman of Faith (about Emma Smith)

Deb Johnson: All Moms Go To Heaven – Dean Hughes

RS Picnic This Wednesday

Bring a friend and a book you'd recommend reading and come to the Relief Society Picnic on Wednesday, June 19 at 6:30pm at the Stake Center Pavilion (7155 South 540 East, Midvale, UT 84047).  Dinner will be served.

Visiting Teaching Reminder

The month is halfway over already!  If you haven't done so, track down your sisters and make appointments for visiting teaching before the end of June.  And don't forget to report that you did.

Important Church Time Change & Broadcast

President Thomas S. Monson will be giving a worldwide broadcast to all members entitled "The Work of Salvation" on Sunday, June 23 which can be viewed at the Stake Center at 4pm.

Since our church meetings end at 4pm, on June 23 we will be changing our meeting times to allow all interested members to attend the broadcast.  Instead of our 1-4pm meeting schedule, on that day only we will meet from 12pm to 2pm, with Relief Society first then straight to Sacrament Meeting.  Then we will adjourn so that you can go home to eat and prepare yourself for the broadcast and have time to get there when it begins at 4pm.

So mark your calendars and prepare to hear the prophet of God.

RS Book Group Reading List

It's not too late to join Book Group!  

Here are the books for 2013:

(Click on picture to see it larger.)

Many of the books are available as free e-books.  Ask Jan Norton or Cami Evans for more details (or comment below).

We generally meet the second Wednesday of each month to discuss the book (and have some good chatting time).

What is the Midvale Stake Day of Jubilee?

In preparing for Stake Conference on January 20, 2013, President Michael J. Suhaka and his counselors pleaded with the Lord, “What can we do? What can we promise?” And the voice of the Lord was heard saying, “Redeem your families. Take them to my temples.”

President Suhaka admonished: “If you are lonely, struggling financially, sick, depressed, stuck in sin, battling addiction, whatever, and praying, ‘Lord, help me!’ I have given you the answer.  If you think, ‘I don’t have time,’ then don’t ask for help anymore! Put your head down and do it by yourself.  But if you want to see the hand of the Lord in your life, redeem your family; take them to the temple.”

In the Old Testament we learn of the year of jubilee, which symbolized a time of freedom and celebration.  As a stake, we will have a Day of Jubilee where we plan to join together and do 1,000 family file temple ordinances in the Jordan River Temple in one day.  We will fill the temple from morning till night in redeeming our families.

The Day of Jubilee has been set for Wednesday, September 4, 2013.

Each member of the stake has been asked to do personal family history work and find one name within your own ancestral line to take to the temple on the Day of Jubilee.   President Suhaka promised that “as you reach out and take the Lord’s invitation to answer the pleas of ‘help me,’ and redeem your families, you will feel a deliverance.  You will feel a power.  You will feel a redemption.  It may not come how you want it, but it will come in the way the Lord intends it.  Psalm 81:7 says, ‘Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder…’ That secret place is His House, the temple of the Lord. Go there and hear His voice.”

President Suhaka asked the Lord if he could seal this promise upon us, and He said yes.  “In the name of Jesus Christ and through the keys of His Melchisedek Priesthood, I seal upon every family, every man, every woman, and every child, the promise that there will be a deliverance of your pleas of ‘Help Me!’ if you will redeem your family and take them to partake of this Day of Jubilee and put aside everything that we have that day and offer up a sacrifice.”

If you cannot find a name in your family line, do what you can to redeem your family.  Take steps to hold a temple recommend, record your personal family stories, help others go to the temple, and do your best to work on family history. 

Book Group this Wednesday

The Relief Society Book Group will meet to discuss this month's book "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell this Wednesday, June 12 at 7pm at the church.  Please come even if you didn't read the book--it's always good to see your face!

Announcements

(TOMORROW) Saturday, June 8 @ 10am -  Cooking Crepes @ Lynda Richards' home.

Wednesday, June 12 @ 7pm—Book Club in the Relief Society Room.  "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell.

Wednesday, June 19 @ 7pm—RS Picnic @ Stake Pavilion.  Bring a favorite book to share & tell a friend!

Saturday, June 22 @ 9:30am - Active Shooter Awareness Course at the church.  Contact Marquelle Wilkinson for details.

(IMPORTANT!) Sunday, June 23 @ 12 noon—Our ward church services will start an hour earlier than normal.  RS will start at noon & then Sacrament Meeting, which will let out at 2pm.  This will allow you to go home to eat before the Worldwide Broadcast.

(IMPORTANT!) Sunday, June 23 @ 4pm—Special Worldwide Broadcast “The Work of Salvation” @ the Stake Center by President Thomas S. Monson.

Sunday, June 30 @ 1-4pm—Ward Conference

Saturday, July 6 @ 10am—Cooking @ Lynda Richards' home

Wednesday, July 10 @7pm—Book Club in RS Room. “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyen

Challenge - Missionary Experience

In Relief Society on Sunday, Marquelle Wilkinson taught from D&C 88:73 and invited each of us to pray for missionary experiences this week that we might help the Lord in his work of salvation.  She asked us to report about these experiences here on the blog, so comment below! 

New RS Facebook Page

Due to some technical difficulties, we have created a new Facebook page for the Third Ward Relief Society.  Be sure to "Like" it so you can keep up with all the announcements!

Click here:

https://www.facebook.com/RSUnionFort3rdWard

Or sign into Facebook and search for "Relief Society - Midvale Union Fort 3rd Ward"

**Did you know there are also Facebook groups for Playgroup and Book Group?  Ask Cami Evans if you'd like more information.

June Cooking Class: Crepes!

Lynda Richards teaches a free monthly cooking class for our Relief Society in her very own kitchen to help us make easy, delicious, and budget-friendly family dinners using simple ingredients found at the Bishop's storehouse or any grocery store. All you have to do is show up with a pan, put on an apron, chat with the ladies, and assemble a meal to take home and eat with your family!  Not a bad deal!!  It's a lot of fun and doesn't take much time.

The next class will be Saturday, June 8 at 10am at Lynda's house (813 Tara Circle). We will be learning how to make crepes, both sweet and savory! Yum.

Kids are more than welcome to come play in the grandmother room or make some food for themselves as well.

Please call Lynda at 801-604-6626 if you plan on being there!

June Active Shooter Awareness Class

Martin Evans has offered to do another Active Shooter Awareness class for our RS. We're looking at doing it on Saturday, June 22.  Email wemt007@gmail.com if you would like more details.

Upcoming Events

Just a quick post about some activities happening in the near future:

      April 27th (Saturday)--Active Shooter Class with Martin Evans 10:30am-Noon. Must sign up with Martin to attend.
      April 28th (Sunday)--Last half of Genealogy class to be taught during the Sunday School Hour. Must sign up with Anitra Whittle.
      Book Club: The book for May is: One Second After by William R. Fortschen. The meeting is on Thursday, May 9th in the Relief Society room at the church building. Kids are welcome!
      May 3rd--Scout Spaghetti Dinner @ Stake Center
      May 10th (Saturday)--Cooking Class 10am @ Lynda Richards. Learning about cooking Mexican Food
      May 15th--RS Activity Night TBD
      May 18th--Young Women Yard Sale
      June 19th--RS Activity Night TBD
      June 23rd--Ward Conference