Balance Through Service

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President Thomas S. Monson repeats what the Savior said—that in order to find purpose in life, lose yourself in the service of others.

President Monson further teaches this doctrine by telling how individuals in one group found purpose in their lives by serving their neighbors.

In a letter President Monson received, Sister Mori Farmer explained that her family had experienced difficult financial times. One week, the Farmers attended a family reunion, and when they returned they found a letter taped to the garage door. The note read:

“We hope you had a great family reunion. While you were gone, we and about 50 of our friends had a great party at your house. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the years of unselfish service you both have given to us. You have been Christlike examples of untiring service to others. We can never repay you for that—but just thought we’d like to say thanks. Signed, your home teachers.”

The Farmer family was shocked as they entered their house.

“Our home teachers had decided that they would fix our carpet while we were away. They had moved the furniture out into the front yard so the carpet could get stretched and finished. One man in the ward stopped and asked what was going on. He returned later with several hundred dollars’ worth of paint and said, ‘We might as well paint the house while everything is out.’ Others saw the cars out front and stopped to see what was going on, and by week’s end 50 people were busy repairing, painting, cleaning, and sewing.

“Our friends and fellow ward members had fixed our poorly laid carpet, painted the entire house, repaired holes in the drywall, oiled and varnished our kitchen cabinets, put curtains on three windows in the kitchen and family room, did all the laundry, cleaned every room in the house, had the carpets cleaned, fixed broken door latches, and on and on. … All of this had been accomplished between Wednesday and our return on Sunday.”

Those who served the Farmer family said they felt spiritually uplifted and humbled as they demonstrated the pure love of Christ by serving those who had unselfishly served others for years.

Taken from Serve God by Serving Others.

To see the Neighborhood News for Monday, 12 September, please click here.

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Special Moments

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We can relate to the stories we're portraying in the newsletter today simply because I'm pretty sure we've all been able to share the gospel with somebody, or hope that our children would remember the teachings we've imparted to them, or at some time or another had a misunderstanding with a friend.

I'd like to share my own special moment today. Even though my temple wedding was the most special day of my life, and the birth of my son was the second one on my list, the third spot is taken by the time we went to the temple to have our baby girl sealed to our family.

Our daughter had to come to our family a different way, so when she was six months old and the adoption was final, we went to the Salt Lake temple where my husband and I had been sealed years earlier. Our son was eight, and our bishop gave him a temple recommend, so he could be there with us, even though he didn't need to, since he'd been born in the covenant.

It was so wonderful and beautiful to have our family complete at last. We were waiting for our children in the sealing room accompanied by family and friends. Then the temple workers brought our children to us, dressed in white. Our baby girl was peacefully asleep.

If you're like us and had to wait a long time to get your children, then being at the temple dressed in white with your children's hands over yours is the most heavenly feeling you can possibly have.

If you have a special moment and would like to share it with us, please do.

To see the Neighborhood News for Monday, 22 August, please click here.

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Personal Reflection

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Being able to sit back and think on something like a note, a list, a choice made or just a reflection in a mirror, it's great to be able to not only relate to it, but share our thoughts with others.

The following excerpt comes from the article A Reflection on Gratitude, by Michelle Van Tassell:

"One morning I was doing laundry when I caught a glance of myself in a mirror. The reflection surprised me. I had not showered or groomed for the day, and as I looked at myself, I thought I was lucky that anyone would want to wake up next to me every day. For the first time, I found myself feeling grateful to my husband for loving me. I examined myself with new eyes and thought about our marriage from his perspective. The revelation that followed had little to do with bad hair and no makeup but much to do with my behavior. I considered all the contention I had introduced into our home. For the first time, I felt real gratitude for my husband—he had continued to love me even though I had been critical and ungrateful. 

"That simple moment changed my perspective as well as my relationship with my husband. Now, years later, we share the intimacies I once coveted in other marriages. My husband and I still retain our different backgrounds and our own preferences and mannerisms, but I stopped dwelling on issues I couldn’t change. The peace of the Spirit has returned to our home, and I am grateful for the witness I received to marry my husband."

What kind of reflection do we see in the mirror? Do we like what we see, or hate it?  Do we agree with what we see of ourselves?

To see the Neighborhood News for Monday, 11 July, please click here.

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Forgiveness and Healing

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We see too much evil on the world today. We hear so many tragic stories of abuse. How can we deal with them, and be of support to others who’ve experienced it?

In a General Conference address from 2008, Elder Richard G. Scott has said in his talk To Heal the Shattering Consequences of Abuse:

“Moral agency is a vital element in our Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness. He understood that some of His spirit children would use that agency improperly, causing serious problems to others. Some would even violate sacred trust, such as a father or family member abusing an innocent child. Since our Heavenly Father is completely just, there has to be a way of overcoming the tragic consequences of such damaging use of agency for both the victim and the perpetrator. That secure healing comes through the power of the Atonement of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to rectify that which is unjust. Faith in Jesus Christ and in His power to heal provides the abused with the means to overcome the terrible consequences of another’s unrighteous acts. When combined with complete repentance, the Atonement also affords the perpetrator a way to avoid the severe punishment the Lord has decreed for such acts.”

It is of comfort to us to know that our general authorities are in touch with what some of us are going through and are extending a needed, loving hand towards us. We should listen to their message to be healed.

As always we welcome your comments.

To view a copy of the Neighborhood News for Monday 13 June, click here.

Grace Helps

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Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.

2 Nephi 10:24 

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From the Gospel Study, we find the following under ‘Grace’:

“Grace is a gift from Heavenly Father given through His Son, Jesus Christ. The word grace, as used in the scriptures, refers primarily to enabling power and spiritual healing offered through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ.

“Everyone on earth experiences physical death. Through the grace of Jesus Christ, all will be resurrected and will live forever (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-22; 2 Nephi 9:6-13).

“Because of personal choices, everyone also experiences the effects of sin (see 1 John 1:8-10; Mosiah 16:4). These effects are called spiritual death. No one can return to the presence of God without divine grace. Through the Atonement, we all can be forgiven of our sins; we can become clean before God. To receive this enabling power, we must obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, which includes having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and trying to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ for the rest of our lives (see Ephesians 2:8-9; James 2:17-22; 2 Nephi 25:23; 31:20).

“The grace of God helps us every day. It strengthens us to do good works we could not do on our own. The Lord promised that if we humble ourselves before Him and have faith in Him, His grace will help us overcome all our personal weaknesses (see Ether 12:27).”

We can’t see in people’s hearts to know if they’ve repented or not. All we can do is hope that they have, and give second, third and more chances. We’re all dependant on the grace of God to keep going.

 We welcome your comments.

To see the Neighborhood News for Wednesday, 8 June, please click here.