What you might have missed....

I just wanted to take a quick second and let you all know that we have a new member in our RS--Megan Winters turned 18 last week and we are thrilled to have her joining our ranks in Relief Society!!

Well, we have had a few additions to the calendar: The crocheting class will be starting again on Wednesday, the 29th of September at 6:30 somewhere at the church (We don't know which room yet, but we'll be there!)

Our normal First Tuesday of the month temple trip will be on the 5th at 8:00 am, contact Carol Hansen if you want to go.

The ward party has also been planned for Thursday, the 7th of October, which is when we were planning on having the book club, so the book club will meet the day before on the 6th at 7:00 pm in the Relief Society room. 

The ward party will be dinner at Sheep Summit, A-L bring any salad besides potato and green, and M-Z bring a dessert.  You'll need jackets or coats for sure since we are a little later in the year than normal, and chairs!!  This is several miles out the crestline road (Right turn at the nine mile rock on your way to Cedar and keep going down that dirt road, the Crestline Road, until you find us off to the right!)

Also, Sister Prince, our Provident Living Specialist told us that Wal-mart in Cedar City is having a case lot sell with 40 lb sealed buckets of hard red and white wheat for $9.72 a bucket, which is about half-price of even the cannery!!  Lots of other things, but I didn't end up getting a sheet from her after they got copied--so if you want to know more, give her a call!

As a side note, because this is not technically a RS sponsored event, but just in case you are interested in knowing  of it ;)  the former RS group known as the Breakfast Bunch, is still meeting, even with the closing of Cindy-Sooz's.  Carol Mathews will be hosting them at the Pine Tree Inn and Bakery on 3rd St on October 12, a Tuesday, at 9:30 am.  If you are interested in joining them, please RSVP to LuAnn Wilbur (4420), or Carol Hansen (4697) by Monday the 11th.  The cost of breakfast will be $5.00 and Carol will rotate different breakfasts each month for quite a few months.  So, if you have some time to spend visiting and enjoying each others company--this could be a nice way to do it!

FINALLY, for those of you who missed the stake activity--we had a really nice time visitng with our sisters from the other wards on this end of the county, while helping sew quilted wall-hangings to be used as decorations in orphanages around the US and beyond.  We also had some sisters from each ward share their tools and ideas for living providently, which was interesting and fun. 
The General Relief Society Broadcast followed, and if you missed it, I hope that you will listen to it at LDS.org, or read it as soon as it comes out in November.  Especially PresidentMonson's amazing talk.  I was so touched by the Spirit as it reafirmed to me, and I think to everyone else there (I could see there hands wiping away tears teh entire time he spoke) that he is truly a prophet of God.  ANd his message was beautiful and so important for all of us. 

HA HA, you thought I was done, but I always have more to add--I just remembered that if you use the internet much, or LDS.org, that the church ahs just finished updating a new sight www.new.lds.org/
and it will soon be replacing the old one,  but you can already start using it in it's new format if you want to give it  a try--the RS broadcast is available on it's home page.

Apples...If you are interested!!

Bev Peterson sent me this info and asked if I would share!  She said that she had these apples last year and they were crispy even into November and December and she really was very happy with them--so if you are interested in  ordering, let us know so we can hopefully catch one of us going over to help bring back for others!!

JECS Farm
September 20, 2010

Greetings To Our Apple Friends!
Another apple season is here and we look foreword to bringing you more great apples. Please foreword this email to all those you can.

This year we are introducing a new easy prepay system that will help get your apples to you in the freshest condition possible with minimal waste. It will also help us avoid bringing more apples then are needed. Here's how it works. Simply click on the link below and go to the order page of our web site.

http://www.applesinaseed.com/apple_order.html
You can than choose what type of apples you want, how many boxes and what general area you will pick up the apples. You can then choose to pay by credit/debit card or if you prefer, by mailing us a check. If you mail a check you must state: 1)how many boxes 2)what type of apple 3)the city you will pick them up in and 4)your name and phone number/email so we can let you know the delivery dates. Checks should be made out to 'Ken Dicken' and mailed to: PO Box 446, Methow, WA 98834


Golden: $24 (.60/lb)

Honey Crisp: $29 (.73/lb)

Fuji: $24 (.60/lb)
Tri-Cities, Washington

Cedar City, Utah (J/J Fife)

Las Vegas, Nevada

Those who order will be notified of the delivery date and address location. At this point it will be the same drop point for each location as in 2009. As in the past, each box will weigh approximately 40 lbs. If you are unable to pick up your order on the given day please have a friend pick it up for you. Any leftover boxes will be given to a local charity. Also, in the event of short supply as with Honey Crisp, orders will be filled in the order received.
Thank you for your support. PLEASE tell your friends and those groups you are involved with and foreword this email to them.
Our goal is to help as many people as possible benefit from these great apples. Remember, these apples are not only grown and freshly picked in the state of Washington which is often claimed as the greatest apple growing region of the world, but in the absolute best growing area of the state to bring on that perfect blend of great aroma and crisp juicy taste.
Order now as the early varieties are already being harvested.

http://www.applesinaseed.com/apple_order.html
Again, thank you for all of your support and for spreading the word. It really helps!



Sincerely,
Ken and Shauna Dicken
JECS Farm

Stake Conference.....

As usual, I came away from Stake Conference having been taught and edified.  Though, I must say that I always seem to get the most out of the adult meeting on Saturday night.  Maybe because I don't have kids there? ;)  At the end of last nights meeting President Phillips pointed out how remarkable it is that all of the talks tied so closely together, though none had been planned to do so and that we know why that is--because this is the true church, guided through revelation by our Father in Heaven.  The Spirit, though already strong, became so much stronger to me at that moment, more personal revelation of the powerful truths that he was speaking of.  The Spirit guides those who are called to serve in our Father's kingdom in order to teach what He would have us know, what we NEED to know, and I am so grateful for that.   Then to sum it all up, we sang a closing hymn that I did not really know and this is what it said:

(Thy Spirit, Lord, Has Stirred Our Souls, no. 157)
1. Thy Spirit, Lord, has stirred our souls,
And by its inward shining glow
We see anew our sacred goals

And feel thy nearness here below.

No burning bush near Sinai

Could show thy presence, Lord, more nigh.

2. “Did not our hearts within us burn?”

We know the Spirit’s fire is here.

It makes our souls for service yearn;
It makes the path of duty clear.
Lord, may it prompt us, day by day,
In all we do, in all we say.

Those words were so fitting and so perfect to close with.  They are what I think we feel so often in the church at our meetings, but are so easy to lose or forget as we return to our homes and our busy lives. I know that all too often it is that way for me--I see and feel and know what I am supposed to be doing and it definitely burns within me to do more to be better and to serve, but often just walking in the door and my kids starting in on each other sweeps away so much of that powerful force, and it takes work to bring it back and effort to keep up on--but, then again, aren't all of the best things in life that way?  We wouldn't know bitter if we didn't have sweet, wouldn't have true joy without having faced pain?  So, we keep striving for it.


Today as we sang, "Lord, I Would Follow Thee," I was also overwhelmed with the words of this song and their application to my life and especially to my call as Relief Society President. (Now wonder the song of the righteous is a prayer unto the Lord--just read the hymns and think about them, they are AWESOME!) At the same time, as I thought about the words, I wanted to make a few changes, to have them relate even closer, instead of referring to the brethren, to replace that with Sisters, and then I went even further and made up a few stanzas of my own.  My thoughts returning to the call from last nights meeting to Rescue those who are waiting for our help, to reach out and share our precious gospel to those who are waiting, and, of course, in so many ways for Relief Society Sisters, this all leads back to visiting teaching. 

If we could just overcome our fears, our doubts, our own struggles with ourselves to be confident and assured as we reach out to others--when in reality they are probably struggling with the same worries and cares.  WHY WHY WHY do we worry so much about what someone thinks of us?  Why do we so fear their thoughts, when it is the Lords thoughts about us that matter?  Why are we so scared to reach out when they are just as needy of friends and support as we are?  Who are you closest friends?  Most of mine are all people that I very specifically remember being nervous to reach out to, to meet, or to get to know better--and Oh, how grateful I am that I made the effort.  Well, here are the words I wrote- a prayer, a plea, for me, for you, and for all the sisters of our ward, to reach out and get to know each other, the Lord has given us the 'excuse' through visiting teaching to make some amazing friendships--are we going to waste our time with worry, or are we going to do it?

Savior, help me know my Sister,

Come to understand her soul.

Help me that I will not judge,

But listen with Thy righteous love.

Each day more worthy of her trust.

Savior, help me know my Sister,

Lord, I would follow Thee.

Savior, help me serve my Sister,

Reaching out with hands to comfort,

Or even just a smile to brighten

Through our lives her load I'd lighten

With Thy sure and constant guidance

Savior, help me serve my Sister,

Lord, I would follow Thee.

Savior, help me love my Sister,

Give me strength amidst my weakness,

So that I can help and teach her.

Overcoming my own faults,

As I open up my heart.

Savior, help me love my Sister,

Lord, I would follow Thee.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Sabbath, too.  I miss seeing you all each week, and feel that I am missing out on things that are important as I have been gone so much--your testimonies borne last week, your lessons, your smiles, but am grateful for the time my family still has to spend with my sweet mother-in-law, because it too is precious to me and my family.  So, I will be at our ward when I can and we'll be hoping that you will call or contact us whenever there is a need that we have not yet seen or met. 

 Love,

Sister Perkins

P.S. Speaking of the music from last night--if you missed it, Sister Thomas and her girls sang absolutely beautifully, and then Brother Pearson and his boys added to the evening with another number that President Phillips requested at the last minute--what amazing talent we have in our ward--thanks so much for sharing it with us!!

Social, Book Club and More......

Well, as usual I am rushing to get caught up.  We had a wonderful time at our soical last week, though there were many of you that we missed seeing.  We had lots of great food and great visits with each other--thanks for all who came, we hope you enjoyed it as much as our presidency did!  Thanks Rachelle for all you do as RS Meeting Coordinator.

At that social, we announced the beginning of our NEW Book Club, which will take a slightly different route than our old one did with the Deseret Book books.  We have the chance to use books from the elementary, that way we are able to offer the club without cost to anyone at this point.  These are all books that have been Caldecott (Together with the Newbery Medal, it is the most prestigious American children's book award) and Newberry (This award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.) Medal winners--So, it is a slightly different level of reading than we used before, but so far I have heard a lot of good things from those who have been reading our first selection, so far, which is "Where the Red Fern Grows," by Wilson Rawls.  If you are interested in reading the book, and meeting with the book club each month, DANA RODEN will be in charge of the club, and you can contact her or Loree Stackhouse about getting a book or get one from the library yourself if you want.  The book club will be held on Thursday evening, but which one, I am not positive, I will check and update it on the calendar to the side of the blog as soon as I know!  UPDATE: The 1st Thursday of every month will be book club and we will let you know at what time--it will be held in the RS room!

We are also excited to be starting work on reaching goals of provident living together.  Sister LORETTA PRINCE has accepted a call to serve as our Provident Living Coordinator and she will be working in a lot of areas such as: coordinating trips to the cannery, RS Workshops on self-reliance and provident living, and even on finding good deals on purchases for food storage and emergency preparedness.  We are just getting started, but as we get going we will keep you informed!!

I also forgot to mention that we will soon be setting dates to start our KNITTING CLASS (taught by Robin Bradfield)  our CROCHETING CLASS (Taught by Renae Hansen) and our PLAYGROUP for MOMS with YOUNG KIDS (Coordinated by Christy Cheney)  If you are interested in any of these groups please contact them or one of our presidency!!

I hope that if you ever have questions or concerns that you will come to us--I have been gone a lot on the weekends since receiving this call and will continue do so in order to spend time with Grant's mom, so I am relying heavily on my counselors to run Sundays, but am home during the week if needed, so please feel free to call us or email us over anything you might need!

Thanks,
Sister Perkins