Stake Temple Week, Day 4

Dear Young Women,

Elijah the prophet appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on April 3, 1836 in the Kirtland temple and conferred upon them the sealing authority, which is essential for priesthood ordinances to be valid and binding both in heaven and in earth.

Elijah the prophet stood before Joseph and Oliver and said:

“Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come—

“To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—

“Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors” (D&C 110:14-16).

The restoration of the sealing authority by Elijah in 1836 was necessary to prepare the world for the Savior’s Second Coming and initiated a greatly increased and worldwide interest in family history research. 

From Elder David A. Bednar, The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn, General Conference October 2011

"I now invite the attention of the young women, young men, and children of the rising generation as I emphasize the importance of the Spirit of Elijah in your lives today. My message is intended for the entire Church in general—but for you in particular.

Many of you may think family history work is to be performed primarily by older people. But I know of no age limit described in the scriptures or guidelines announced by Church leaders restricting this important service to mature adults. You are sons and daughters of God, children of the covenant, and builders of the kingdom. You need not wait until you reach an arbitrary age to fulfill your responsibility to assist in the work of salvation for the human family.

 The Lord has made available in our day remarkable resources that enable you to learn about and love this work that is sparked by the Spirit of Elijah. For example, FamilySearch is a collection of records, resources, and services easily accessible with personal computers and a variety of handheld devices, designed to help people discover and document their family history. These resources also are available in the family history centers located in many of our Church buildings throughout the world.

It is no coincidence that FamilySearch and other tools have come forth at a time when young people are so familiar with a wide range of information and communication technologies. Your fingers have been trained to text and tweet to accelerate and advance the work of the Lord—not just to communicate quickly with your friends. The skills and aptitude evident among many young people today are a preparation to contribute to the work of salvation.

 I invite the young people of the Church to learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah. I encourage you to study, to search out your ancestors, and to prepare yourselves to perform proxy baptisms in the house of the Lord for your kindred dead (see D&C 124:28-36). And I urge you to help other people identify their family histories.

As you respond in faith to this invitation, your hearts shall turn to the fathers. The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be implanted in your hearts. Your patriarchal blessing, with its declaration of lineage, will link you to these fathers and be more meaningful to you. Your love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase. Your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding. And I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary.

 As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives.

Parents and leaders, please help your children and youth to learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah. But do not overly program this endeavor or provide too much detailed information or training. Invite young people to explore, to experiment, and to learn for themselves (see Joseph Smith History 1:20). Any young person can do what I am suggesting, using the modules available at lds.org/familyhistoryyouth. Aaronic Priesthood quorum and Young Women class presidencies can play an important role in helping all youth become acquainted with these basic resources. Young people increasingly need to be learners who act and thereby receive additional light and knowledge by the power of the Holy Ghost—and not merely passive students who primarily are acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:26).

 Parents and leaders, you will stand all amazed at how rapidly your children and the youth of the Church become highly skilled with these tools. In fact, you will learn valuable lessons from these young people about effectively using these resources. The youth can offer much to older individuals who are uncomfortable with or intimidated by technology or are unfamiliar with FamilySearch. You also will count your many blessings as young people devote more time to family history work and temple service and less time to video games, surfing the Internet, and Facebooking.

Troy Jackson, Jaren Hope, and Andrew Allan are bearers of the Aaronic Priesthood who were called by an inspired bishop to team teach a family history class in their ward. These young men are representative of so many of you in their eagerness to learn and desire to serve.

Troy stated, “I used to come to church and just sit there, but now I realize that I need to go home and do something. We can all do family history.”

Jaren reported that as he learned more about family history, he realized “that these were not just names but real people. I became more and more excited about taking the names to the temple.”

And Andrew commented, “I have taken to family history with a love and vigor I did not know I could muster. As I prepared each week to teach, I was often nudged by the Holy Spirit to act and try some of the methods taught in the lesson. Before, family history was a scary thing. But aided by the Spirit I was able to step up to my calling and help many people in our ward.”

 My beloved young brothers and sisters, family history is not simply an interesting program or activity sponsored by the Church; rather, it is a vital part of the work of salvation and exaltation. You have been prepared for this day and to build up the kingdom of God. You are here upon the earth now to assist in this glorious work."

(Read all of Elder David A. Bednar's talk here: The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn)

I have a testimony that Elder Bednar's testimony is real. He has become a good friend of my brother-in-law Sam and when they meet together he asks Sam to do family history work and promises him that it will bless his life. I also have a testimony that the sealing power is real. My grandmother, not a member of our faith, passed away 3 weeks ago. I was comforted to know that in a year, my sisters and I will be able to complete her temple work and because of the sealing power she can now be bound to us eternally.

 In July we have some fun activities planned as a young women's group that will hopefully instill in you, the Spirit of Elijah (which as Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught, is "a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family.") And also prepare you to take a family name to the temple to be baptized and confirmed for. How special to perform temple work for someone of your own family!

Love, Sister Chambers

On My Mind Recently...

Good Evening! I just wanted to share a few things that have been on my mind recently...

This last week at work I had an interesting experience. I was in my unit cleaning a patient's teeth and I overheard a conversation between two dental assistants that went something like this:

J: So last night my son asked me if Satan was a beast.

M: That is so funny! What did you tell him?

J: Well, I told him that he was kind of a beast. That would be one name for him. Then my son wanted to know where Satan came from.

M: What did you tell him?

J: Well, I didn't really know what to tell him. He was confused and so was I. He asked if God had made Satan and I told him yes God made everyone. Then he wanted to know why God had made Satan a beast.

M: That is a good question.

J: I told him I wasn't quite sure why God had made Satan that way. I also told him that one time his grandma had told me a story about how Satan use to be a beautiful angel and then he got kicked out of heaven.

M: You know, that is a hard question to answer. I don't know the answer to that question either. That's a hard one...

As I sat in my operatory listening to this conversation a lot of things started entering my mind.

First of all- I have never wondered where Satan has come from at all. I have been taught since I was a little girl who Satan is, why he doesn't live in heaven, why he doesn't have a body, and why he tempts us. I am grateful for the restoration of the gospel and that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and have the fulness of the gospel. I am grateful to parents who taught me basic principles of the gospel so I would not be confused. I had never considered that others might wonder about Satan and be curious about his identity and his "background."

 Second of all- If they had asked me that question, I wondered how I would have responded. So in my mind I began forming a very short, 1 1/2-2 minute response that could help answer their question. Hopefully my response would make sense, but also help them have the desire to learn more. I am sure that my answer would make much more sense to J and to her son than what she knew (which was pretty much nothing). 

I thought back to Sister Dutton's lesson a few weeks ago when she talked about missionary work and studying Preach My Gospel. Those who are not members of the church have so many questions and it is important that we be able to answer them with a direct but short response. When faced with a gospel question we shouldn't always have to respond with, "Well come to my house and meet with the missionaries because talking about Satan could take an hour because you have to get into the pre-existence and choosing between Jesus' plan or Satan's plan and then 1/3 of the hosts of heaven leaving and how angry he is because he doesn't have a body so he tries to get us to misuse ours..." Most of the time when someone asks you a question they want a simple short response. And then if that leads to more questions that might be a good time to get the missionaries involved. Be grateful a friend feels comfortable asking you questions about the gospel. And if you don't know the answer it's ok to say you don't know but that you will find out and get back to them. 

 I planned on telling J and M what I knew about Satan, but after I finished with my patient they were busy and then a time when the three of us could be together just never happened. Maybe soon enough I can resolve their confusion. 

There are opportunities all around us to share what we know to be true. I know that if you will pray and ask Heavenly Father to help you be aware of those situations he will help you to recognize them. And if you will ask him to help you to know what to say, he will also help you. Those who seek to do the Lord's will and serve others will always have his assistance.

 This last week my dad has been visiting for my little sister's college graduation. She graduated from ISU with a Master's degree in Counseling. I am so proud of her. 

When my dad visits it can sometimes be difficult. He has some different ideas about how people should live their lives. He is a member of the church but doesn't believe some of the things that church teaches in regards to the family. 

My dad has always taught me and my sisters that an education should be the number 1 priority in your life. And if you need to put anything else in your life on the "back burner" than you should.

 I know that my dad wishes I was at a different place in my life right now.

I have chosen a family over career and large amounts of money. My dad believes I am "doing it all wrong." But I disagree. I feel peace that I am doing an important work in my family.

My dad thinks he knows what brings happiness. But I am more than happy. I feel joy in my family.

 This life is about families. Before we came to earth we started out as a family. We are part of our Heavenly Father's family, we are his spirit children. We came to this earth and joined families. Families can bring us so much joy in this life. Families are a great way for us to learn about the principles of the gospel. Being a member of a family helps us to develop Christ-like attributes and be more like our Heavenly Father. In the family unit is the greatest place to learn all that we need to in this life. Many of our families are different. Growing up I felt like my family was so different because my parents were divorced and I hated that. No matter your family circumstance today or what they may even be like in the future, remember that you are always a part of Heavenly Father's family and remember that you are his daughter....

When considering your future families THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO is to seek the Lord's guidance. He has a different plan for each of us. There are things he needs each of us to do to build the kingdom of God. Always seek his will and be willing to follow through. He will never lead you astray but will always lead you to true happiness. 

I love each of you and know that your futures look bright if you will stay close to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Love, Sister Chambers 

Thoughts on the Atonement

What a great month of lessons we have had! All who have taught have done such a wonderful job and I have learned so much each Sunday and always felt buoyed up as I have left. 

Today during Sister Dutton's lesson I was reminded of a story Sheri Dew told. I have mentioned several times in young womens how much I admire Sheri Dew. I love to read her books, she speaks to me in ways that I understand and after listening to or reading her words I am always edified. I thought I would share a portion of something she shared.

In New York City for a work meeting, Sister Dew was sleeping in a hotel when she was woken up at 3:00 am by a fire alarm. As she sprung out of bed, she worried she might not be allowed back in her room and did not want to attend her meeting in sweats and no makeup and without her work. So she grabbed her suitcase and briefcase and ran out of the room to join the other guests as they made their way down the fire escape to safety. Sister Dew was on the 44th floor. She had recently had knee surgery and was still recovering, so her other knee took the brunt of the force as she carried 40 pounds of luggage and traveled straight down 1,232 steps. (Consequently her other knee needed surgery as well and the recovery was much slower...) Looking back on the experience she wondered why she hadn't just grabbed her laptop, phone and scriptures. She reflected on the experience and applied it to our mortal existence. 

"... on this jaunt through mortality we've simply got to leave our baggage behind, because our spiritual joints can't take the pounding. When I speak of baggage, I'm not talking about burdens. Burdens are part of the mortal experience- the burdens that come with unfulfilled expectations, with disappointment and heartache, with affliction and wavering faith. Loneliness can be a burden. Emotional wounds can be burdens. Heavy assignments from the Lord can feel like burdens. And certainly, sin creates burdens. But the Savior atoned precisely so we wouldn't have to carry our burdens alone. He knew they'd be too heavy for us. 

 Thus His entreaty, "Come unto me,  all ye that... are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."... When we cast our burdens upon the Lord, He sustains us either by helping us carry the burden or by ridding us of it entirely.  Alma's people experienced this when their burdens "were made light; yes, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease." ... Baggage, however, is another matter entirely. Burdens have the potential to exalt us, but baggage just weighs us down and wears us out. When we don't repent, sin becomes baggage. Natural man-behaviors that we aren't ready to give up become baggage. Worry, jealousy, and guilt are baggage. An unforgiving heart, anger, regret, and pride are baggage. Resentment, the desire to retaliate, fear, and insecurity create unbearable baggage. We choose whether or not to pick up the baggage, and Satan loves nothing more than loading us down like pack mules. ... The best manuals on baggage disposal, as well as on learning how to cast our burdens upon the Lord, are the scriptures, which are filled with truth and light. 

 "And he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50:24). ... Indeed the scriptures are a magnificent conduit of light, or personal revelation- which is why they are the ultimate latter-day survival manual. ... The scriptures can help us with both our burdens and our baggage if we'll learn how to mine them for answers to every life situtation."

Excerpts taken from, "If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard" by Sheri Dew, pages 27-31.

I always appreciate the wonderful comments you girls share. I am reminded of the young woman who shared that during volleyball practice, while in the bathroom, her and another young woman who had been "fighting" for years made up and apologized to one another. Definitely that baggage was lifted from both of them.

I often think of Sheri Dew's advice about baggage and have thought, "Life is already difficult enough, why would I want to try to add more problems that are unnecessary?" I try to keep this in mind, but often I must be reminded by a loving Heavenly Father to get rid of my baggage.

 In these past lessons we have really had some great reminders about why we must pass through trials. And what a plethora of quotes to lift us up. Here is another, "All of us have problems. We face them every day. How grateful I am that we have difficult things to wrestle with. They keep us young, if that is possible. They keep us alive. They keep us going. They keep us humble. They pull us down to our knees to ask God in heaven for help in solving them. Be grateful for your problems, and know that somehow there will come a solution. Just do the very best you can, but be sure it is the very best. Then leave it in the hands of the Lord."

President Gordon B. Hinckley, February 7, 2003 

A personal testimony of Jesus Christ and an understanding of the power that lies within His gospel will make it possible for us to do our best.

 After the lesson today, Sister McDaniel remarked that often she doesn't know when other people are going through trials because so many people handle them gracefully. Perhaps the reason that they handle their trials "gracefully" is because:

1- They are seeking our Heavenly Father's guidance through personal prayer, scripture study, fasting, and church/temple attendance.

2- They are allowing our Savior to ease their burdens through his infinite atonement.

3- Their personal testimony of Jesus Christ and his gospel has burrowed deep within their hearts and they recognize that this trial has the potential to exalt them to godliness.

I have a testimony that trials are part of our Heavenly Father's plan for us and I am motivated after these lessons the past month to work harder to allow my Savior to ease my burdens and seek out my Heavenly Father for guidance and love.

How I love to learn from one another. Thank you all for sharing your faith-building experiences.  

Love, Sister Chambers

Our Bodies Are Temples

I enjoyed so much teachings today's lesson. 

I know that our bodies are gifts from our Heavenly Father. They house our spirits and were made in his image. Showing respect for our bodies shows our Heavenly Father how much we are grateful for his gift to us. As we treat our body like a temple we show him that we know we are his daughter and that we do desire to gain all that he has.

 I know Satan wants to tempt us to hate, harm, defile and abuse our bodies. We doesn't want us to love ourselves. He would be happy if we destroyed our great gift because he will never have one. Two ways Satan tries to deceive us about our bodies is to tempt us to be unchaste and immodest. 

Here is a link to the two videos we watched in class today:  

 http://www.mormonchannel.org/february-youth-videos?v=1101415421001

 195 Dresses

You girls understand why it is important to be modest. I can tell from our discussion today that you want to dress your body to reflect the Savior. Remember what I read from Sister Tanner,

"Happiness comes from accepting the bodies we have been given as divine gifts and enhancing our natural attributes, not from remaking our bodies after the image of the world. The Lord wants us to be made over—but in His image, not in the image of the world, by receiving His image in our countenance."

My challenge to you after watching and discussing this video was to decide: How can I encourage others to be more modest?

 You girls are already an influence for good. As you focus your attention on encouraging others to be more modest you will find Heavenly Father guiding you to know how you can do this.

 Chastity: What Are the Limits

I loved the pilot analogy in this movie. What a great example of why it is important to set limits. I hope that you girls will take the challenge by Elder Scott and set personal standards for yourself. Setting personal standards for yourself will keep you focused on being chaste and help you to avoid finding yourself in a compromising situation. Set limits that keep you far away from danger... not near a waterfall's edge or rickety bridge with a hungry alligator below...

 My patriarchal blessing counseled me to always stay worthy to enter the temple so that when that time did  arrive nothing would be amiss in my life that might keep me from attaining the greatest blessing Heavenly Father bestows upon his children in this life.

I testify that being sealed to a worthy young man in the House of the Lord for time and all eternity is worth remaining modest and sexually pure.

Love, Sister Chambers

What Do The Choices I Make Matter?

This life is all about choices. What a great gift from our Heavenly Father!

We have decisions to make that vary from the insignificant (what to wear, what to eat, what sports to play...) to those of serious consequence (who to marry, whether we keep our covenants or not...). Heavenly Father could have chosen Lucifer's plan, but he did not. He chose to give us our free agency, the right to choose. Heavenly Father was aware that we would not always make the best choices, so he sent his son to atone for our sins. Because of the atonement, we have the opportunity to make mistakes (which we will as a result of the natural man) and repent, learn from our poor choices and improve who we are, continually becoming more like our Heavenly Father and Savior. Our Father in Heaven gives us the opportunity to choose because as we make righteous decisions we become more like him and Jesus Christ.

 We have the choice of what kind of life we want to live. We "are free to choose liberty and eternal life...or to choose captivity and death." (2 Nephi 2:27) To choose liberty and eternal life we must follow our Heavenly Father commandments. The reason our choices matter is because the right choices lead to eternal life. He will guide us to make the right decision and encourage us when it seems difficult to make the correct choice. Captivity and death comes by making poor choices.

Often we can lose focus of our end goal, eternal life, because it seems so far into the future and in the present are so many difficult things we are faced with. To keep yourself on the straight and narrow path:

Study your scriptures daily.

 They were written for us, to help teach us which choices will lead us to happiness in this life and eventually, eternal life, and they give us strength to do what we know is right.

Earnestly pray to your Heavenly Father.

 He hears and answers your prayers. Learn to recognize how our Father answers your prayers. Seek his guidance always.

Strictly obey the commandments. 

Do not justify even a little sin because it begins a pattern of poor decision making. If you will keep the "little" commandments you will never find that you have broken a serious one.

Attend the temple.

 Find every opportunity to attend the temple. It is the Lord's house. Whether for temple baptisms or walking on the grounds. Always be worthy to enter the Lord's house and continually be preparing for the day you will enter there to receive your own endowment.

At mutual we read the scriptures associated with and then discussed the Choice and Accountability required experience #1. The challenge was to establish regular prayer and scripture study that would help you to make a wise decision about something you are struggling with. If you did not then take the challenge, I hope that you now will after again discussing on Sunday why making good decisions is important. If you are already saying your prayers and reading your scriptures, do so more dilligently and see if it will increase your desire to make wise decisions. 

At the time of Tuesday's mutual I had not yet chosen something to work on. But Wednesday I found myself losing my temper with Creighton after numerous potty accidents. I have decided to immerse myself in my scriptures and pray fervently for the Lord's help that I may make better decisions as a mother throughout the day. I want to be more patient, understanding and loving. I know with the Lord's help it will be easier to make the decision to be the kind of mother I want to be when confronted with a less than ideal situation. As a mother, the choices I make strongly affect my children.

If you feel comfortable sharing, I would love to hear what decisions you have asked the Lord to help you with.

 I am so grateful for my calling in Young Women's and the opportunity I have to teach. I learn so much by preparing to teach you young women. I am also blessed by my associations with you girls. Thank you for your strong testimonies. I know you are trying to make good choices!

Love, Sister Chambers

There were several recipes left at my home so here is a copy in case yours was left behind!