January 25, 2015 CHALLENGE

(NOTE: Please feel free to add to the comment thread at any time before or after this lesson to comment on this challenge!)

Tomorrow in Relief Society we will be studying the talk given by Tad R. Callister in October 2014 General Conference, "Parents:  The Prime Gospel Teachers of Their Children."  Please bring a copy of the talk with you if possible.  

Take some time before class to reflect on the successes you have had in teaching your own children, or ways you have been taught, personally, that have had a great impact on your life.  

If you have any current challenges or questions or need ideas regarding teaching in our homes, please reflect on these things and come ready to share and discuss together.

If you won't be in Relief Society tomorrow but would like to ask a question or get an idea please feel free to post the question by replying to this email.

Thanks!  Looking forward to a great discussion tomorrow.

Amy Groves  

Exciting News

A couple of exciting things to pass along....

FIRST...there is a brand new family history interactive center that has just opened to the public. My family had the opportunity to go see it Friday afternoon and it was amazing. It is located in the family history center at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City.  Every person is given an iPad that can dock at 7 different interactive stations that will provide the most incredible journey into who you are, where you come from, and who your family is. You need to make an appointment by going to familysearch.org/discoverycenter. They can accommodate groups up to 30 people...although I would recommend a much smaller group. I promise that there is something for everyone in your family from the little people to the "bigger and harder to impress" people! 

(The film "Meet the Mormons" is also showing now at the Legacy Theater there so it would be a fabulous day outing, family home evening field trip, etc.)

At one of the stations you can dock your iPad and pull up traditional costumes from all over the world. Your face appears and you can take pictures of yourself representing all the cultures and lands of your ancestors. Here Jacob is exploring his "New Zealand" ancestry.

At another station, you are asked a series of life history questions that you can then answer and record. It is your own private recording studio!

One of the stations pulls up a huge world map and drops as many of your ancestors as it can find into the countries they were from. You can tap on their pictures and see pictures, read their stories, and explore their journeys. 

Another station allows you to explore the meaning of your name and to see lots of information from the year you were born.

My kids loved that they each got their own iPads that personalized the experience for each of them. It was so outstanding and not only kindled an interest in the past, but made each of us anxious to record our own life stories.

SECOND...our Relief Society lesson schedule as well as links to all the lessons and talks can be accessed on lds.org. Go to lds.org and sign in with your username and password. Once you see your name in the top right hand corner, click on it and then click on "lesson schedules" in the drop down menu. It will pull up our ward's lesson schedule. You can see which lesson is coming up on the next Sunday or click "View Year" and see the entire year's lessons. It will provide links to all the lessons and talks as well as providing additional material you can read and study. You can print it out and/or reference it as often as you like. A great way to prepare for our Sunday lessons...without all the extra paper!

Hope these are helpful!

January 2, 2015: Challenge

Dear Orchard Hills Sisters,

This Sunday, the lesson taught in both Relief Society and Elder's Quorum/High Priest group is going to be an introduction to the Come Follow Me style of teaching. This is the methodology that has been instigated in all the youth classes and which our stake is anxious to have all of us learn as we teach in our many different roles and capacities in life. It is an exciting and amazing way to share the gospel with others and to help others gain their own powerful testimony of the truths of the restored gospel.

In preparation for our time tomorrow, I would love to have ALL our sisters contemplate the following 2 questions:

1) Who has been an influential teacher in your life? (Parent, school teacher, youth leader, etc.) What characteristics did they possess personally or utilize as a teacher that was so influential for you?

2) What is your favorite story about Christ in the scriptures? What makes it a special account for you?

I would love to have all sisters take a moment and contemplate your response to these questions. If you would be willing, I would love to have you respond to this email and share your responses...especially those we don't have the privilege of hearing from in R.S. each week.

This way of thinking about how we interact with others and how we can better emulate the Savior in our sacred roles and responsibilities as parents, grandparents, sisters, friends, teachers, etc. will truly change your life in wonderful ways. I can personally bear you that testimony. I hope as we embark on learning these new skills this year, that you will feel a new closeness to the Savior and a new tenderness in the relationships you share with those the Lord has sent for you to mentor and teach.

Sincerely,

Amy Carr