August 2013

Visiting teaching messages are currently focused on helping all sisters follow a higher path of discipleship. Visiting teachers can discuss these responsibilities with sisters they watch over, or they can teach a principle that will help sisters increase their faith, strengthen families, and give service.

Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life. For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org

Welfare

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The purposes of Church welfare are to help members become self-reliant, to care for the poor and needy, and to give service. Welfare is central to the work of Relief Society. President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, has taught:

“[The Lord] has from the beginning of time provided ways for His disciples to help. He has invited His children to consecrate their time, their means, and themselves to join with Him in serving others. …

“He has invited and commanded us to participate in His work to lift up those in need. We make a covenant to do that in the waters of baptism and in the holy temples of God. We renew the covenant on Sundays when we partake of the sacrament.”1

Under the direction of the bishop or branch president, local leaders assist with spiritual and temporal welfare. Opportunities to serve often begin with visiting teachers who seek inspiration to know how to respond to the needs of each sister they visit.

From the Scriptures

Luke 10:25–37; James 1:27; Mosiah 4:26; 18:8–11; Doctrine and Covenants 104:18

From Our History

On June 9, 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith charged the sisters in Relief Society to “relieve the poor” and to “save souls.”2 These goals are still at the heart of Relief Society and are expressed in our motto, “Charity never faileth” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Our fifth Relief Society general president, Emmeline B. Wells, and her counselors launched this motto in 1913 as a reminder of our founding principles: “We do declare it our purpose to … [hold] fast to the inspired teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith when he revealed the plan by which women were to be empowered through the calling of the priesthood to be grouped into suitable organizations for the purpose of ministering to the sick, assisting the needy, comforting the aged, warning the unwary, and succoring the orphans.”3

Today the Relief Society has a worldwide reach as sisters extend charity, the pure love of Christ, to their neighbors (see Moroni 7:46–47).

What Can I Do?

    1. How am I preparing to care for myself and for my family spiritually and temporally?
    2. How can I follow the Savior’s example as I help meet the needs of the sisters I watch over?

    Notes

    1. Henry B. Eyring, “Opportunities to Do Good,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2011, 22.
    2. Joseph Smith, in Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 63.
    3. Daughters in My Kingdom, 63.

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July 2013

Visiting teaching messages are currently focused on helping all sisters follow a higher path of discipleship. Visiting teachers can discuss these responsibilities with sisters they watch over, or they can teach a principle that will help sisters increase their faith, strengthen families, and give service.

Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life. For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org

Teaching and Learning the Gospel

Faith, Family, Relief

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Jesus Christ was a master teacher. He set the example for us as He “taught women in multitudes and as individuals, on the street and by the seashore, at the well and in their homes. He showed loving-kindness toward them and healed them and their family members.”1

He taught Martha and Mary and “invited them to become His disciples and partake of salvation, ‘that good part’ [Luke 10:42] that would never be taken from them.”2

In our latter-day scriptures, the Lord commanded us to “teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom” (D&C 88:77). Of teaching and learning doctrine, Cheryl A. Esplin, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, said, “Learning to fully understand the doctrines of the gospel is a process of a lifetime and comes ‘line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little’ (2 Nephi 28:30).”3

As we learn, study, and pray, we will teach with the power of the Holy Ghost, who will carry our message “unto the hearts of the children of men [and women]” (2 Nephi 33:1).

From the Scriptures

Alma 17:2–3; 31:5; Doctrine and Covenants 42:12–13; 84:85

From Our History

Our past prophets have reminded us as women that we have an important role as teachers in the home and Church. In September 1979, President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) asked us to become “sister scriptorians.” He said: “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?”4

We are all teachers and learners. When we teach from the scriptures and the words of our living prophets, we can help others come unto Christ. When we engage in the learning process by asking meaningful questions and then listening, we can find answers that meet our personal needs.

What Can I Do?

    1. How am I preparing to be a better teacher?
    2. Do I share my testimony with the sisters I watch over?

Notes

      1.  Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 3.
      2.  Daughters in My Kingdom, 4.
      3.  Cheryl A. Esplin, “Teaching Our Children to Understand,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2012, 12.
      4.  Spencer W. Kimball, in Daughters in My Kingdom, 50.


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Some other sites to check

Sugardoodle

The Idea Door
Inkablinka

My happy tribe

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June 2013

Visiting teaching messages are currently focused on helping all sisters follow a higher path of discipleship. Visiting teachers can discuss these responsibilities with sisters they watch over, or they can teach a principle that will help sisters increase their faith, strengthen families, and give service.

Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life. For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org

Joy in Family History

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Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught that the Spirit of Elijah is “a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family.”1

As members of Christ’s restored Church, we have the covenant responsibility to search for our ancestors and provide for them the saving ordinances of the gospel. They without us cannot “be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:40), and “neither can we without our dead be made perfect” (D&C 128:15).
Family history work prepares us for the blessings of eternal life and helps us increase our faith and personal righteousness. Family history is a vital part of the mission of the Church and enables the work of salvation and exaltation for all.

President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said: “When we research our own lines we become interested in more than just names. … Our interest turns our hearts to our fathers—we seek to find them and to know them and to serve them.”2

From the Scriptures
Malachi 4:5–6; 1 Corinthians 15:29; D&C 124:28–36; 128:15

From Our History
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead.”3 We can serve as proxy in the temple for our deceased ancestors and perform necessary ordinances for them.

Sally Randall of Nauvoo, Illinois, whose 14-year-old son died, found great comfort in the promise of eternal families. After her husband was baptized for their son, she wrote to her relatives: “What a glorious thing it is that we … can be baptized for all of our dead [ancestors] and save them as far back as we can get any knowledge of them.” Then she asked her relatives to send her information on their ancestors, saying, “I intend to do what I can to save [our family].”4

What Can I Do?
1. How can I help the sisters I watch over to do family history?
2. Am I recording my personal history?

Notes
1.  Russell M. Nelson, “A New Harvest Time,” Liahona, July 1998, 34; Ensign, May 1998, 34.
2.  Boyd K. Packer, “Your Family History: Getting Started,” Liahona and Ensign, Aug. 2003, 17.
3.  Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 475.
4.  See Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 21.

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May 2013

The message for May is taken from a conference talk. As you carefully consider the needs of those under your care select a talk/talks that would uplift them.

These quotes are all from the conference and can be downloaded by clicking on the image. They are 6x4 format ready to print.Or if you prefer resize and print smaller.

Digital elements from Summertimedesigns

April 2013

Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life. For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

Temple Covenants

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“The saving ordinances received in the temple that permit us to someday return to our Heavenly Father in an eternal family relationship and to be endowed with blessings and power from on high are worth every sacrifice and every effort,” 1 said President Thomas S. Monson. If you have not yet been to the temple, you can prepare to receive sacred temple ordinances by:

• Believing in Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.
• Cultivating a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the restored gospel.
• Sustaining and following the living prophet.
• Qualifying for a temple recommend by paying tithing, being morally clean, being honest,      keeping the Word of Wisdom, and living in harmony with the teachings of the Church.
• Giving time, talents, and means to help build the Lord’s kingdom.
• Participating in family history work. 2

President Monson further taught, “As we remember the covenants we make within [the temple], we will be more able to bear every trial and to overcome each temptation.” 3

From the Scriptures

Doctrine and Covenants 14:7; 25:13; 109:22

From Our History

“More than 5,000 Saints thronged the Nauvoo Temple after its dedication. …

“The strength, power, and blessings of temple covenants [sustained] the Latter-day Saints during their journey [west], when they [suffered] cold, heat, hunger, poverty, sickness, accidents, and death.” 4

Like many Relief Society sisters, Sarah Rich served as a temple worker. She spoke of her experience: “If it had not been for the faith and knowledge that was bestowed upon us in that temple by … the Spirit of the Lord, our journey would have been like one taking a leap in the dark. … But we had faith in our Heavenly Father, … feeling that we were His chosen people … , and instead of sorrow, we felt to rejoice that the day of our deliverance had come.” 5

The exodus was not a “leap in the dark” for faithful Latter-day Saint women. They were sustained by their temple covenants.

What Can I Do?

    1. Am I worshipping in the temple regularly?
    2. Am I encouraging my sisters to receive temple blessings?

Notes

1. Thomas S. Monson, “The Holy Temple—a Beacon to the World,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2011, 92.
2. See Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 21.
3. Thomas S. Monson, Liahona and Ensign, May 2011, 93.
4. Daughters in My Kingdom, 29–30.
5. Sarah Rich, in Daughters in My Kingdom, 30.

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Digital elements from Summertimedesigns

March 2013

Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your life. For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

Activation

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Our prophet, President Thomas S  Monson, has encouraged us to “reach out to rescue those who need our help and lift them to the higher road and the better way. … It is the Lord’s work, and when we are on the Lord’s errand, … we are entitled to the Lord’s help.”1

Many years ago LaVene Call and her visiting teaching companion visited a less-active sister. They knocked on the door and found a young mother in her bathrobe. She looked ill, but they soon realized her problem was alcohol. The visiting teachers sat and talked with the struggling young mother.

After they left, they said, “She is a child of God. We have a responsibility to help her.” So they visited often. Each time, they could see and feel a change for good. They asked the sister to attend Relief Society. Though reluctant, she eventually attended regularly. After encouragement, she and her husband and daughter attended church. The husband felt the Holy Ghost. He said, “I’m going to do what the bishop suggests.” Now they are active in the Church and have been sealed in the temple.2

From the Scriptures

3 Nephi 18:32; Doctrine and Covenants 84:106; 138:56

From Our History

Helping those who have gone astray come back to the gospel of Jesus Christ has always been part of being a Latter-day Saint and a member of Relief Society. President Brigham Young (1801–77) said, “Let us have compassion upon each other, … and let those who can see guide the blind until they can see the way for themselves.”3

Eliza R. Snow, second Relief Society general president, gratefully acknowledged the efforts of sisters in Ogden, Utah, USA, to strengthen one another. “I am well aware that a great deal is donated [in terms of service] that never reaches the [record] books,” she said. But recognizing that a heavenly record is kept of the sisters’ work as they reach out to those whose hearts have grown cold, she said: “President Joseph Smith said this society was organized to save souls. … Another book is kept of your faith, your kindness, your good works, and words. … Nothing is lost.”4

What Can I Do?

    1.    Am I confident asking a less-active sister to attend a Relief Society meeting with me?
    2.    Do the sisters I watch over feel comfortable asking me questions about the gospel?

Notes

      1.  Thomas S. Monson, “The Sacred Call of Service,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2005, 55, 56.
      2.  Letter to the Relief Society general presidency from the daughter of LaVene Call.
      3.  Brigham Young, in Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 107.
      4.  Eliza R. Snow, in Daughters in My Kingdom, 83.


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Digital elements from Summertimedesigns

February 2013

Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

Converted unto the Lord

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Faith, Family, Relief

New sisters of the Church—including Young Women entering Relief Society, sisters returning to activity, and new converts—need the support and friendship of visiting teachers. “Member involvement is vital to convert retention and in bringing less-active members back into full activity,” said Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Capture the vision that the Relief Society … can become [one of] the most powerful friendshipping resource[s] we have in the Church. Reach out early to those being taught and reactivated, and love them into the Church through your organization.”1

As members of Relief Society, we can help new members learn basic Church practices, such as:

• Giving a talk.
• Bearing testimony.
• Living the law of the fast.
• Paying tithing and other offerings.
• Participating in family history work.
• Performing baptisms and confirmations for their deceased ancestors.

“It takes attentive friends to make new members feel comfortable and welcomed at church,” said Elder Ballard.2 All of us, but especially visiting teachers, have important responsibilities to establish friendships with new members as a way of helping them become firmly “converted unto the Lord” (Alma 23:6).

From the Scriptures

2 Nephi 31:19–20; Moroni 6:4

From Our History

“With the ever-increasing number of converts,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008), “we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with ‘the good word of God’ (Moroni 6:4).”3

Visiting teachers are in a position to help those they watch over. Friendship often comes first, as it did for a young Relief Society sister who was the visiting teacher of an older sister. They had been slow in building a friendship until they worked side by side on a cleaning project. They became friends, and as they talked about the Visiting Teaching Message, they were both nurtured by “the good word of God.”

President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) said Relief Society “is a vital part of the kingdom of God on earth and … helps its faithful members to gain eternal life in our Father’s kingdom.”4

What Can I Do?

1. Do I pray for my companion and ask that the Spirit will guide us as we minister to our sisters?
2. In what ways do we serve each sister we watch over so that she knows we truly care about her?

Notes

1. M. Russell Ballard, “Members Are the Key,” Liahona, Sept. 2000, 18; Ensign, Sept. 2000, 13.
2. M Russell Ballard, Liahona, Sept. 2000, 17; Ensign, Sept. 2000, 14.
3. Gordon B. Hinckley, “Every Convert Is Precious,” Liahona, Feb. 1999, 9; “Converts and Young Men,” Ensign, May 1997, 47.
4. Joseph Fielding Smith, in Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 97.

Suggested handout   Download English file here
The file will download automatically and is 6x4 suitable for a photo print if you wish

Download Chinese file here

Some other sites to check

Sugardoodle

The Idea Door
Inkablinka

My happy tribe