Recent Relief Society Media Available in Many Languages

I was recently sent this information and thought it amazing how quickly these great sources could be made available to so many.  I hope this helps some.

Archives for the General Relief Society Meeting have been posted in more than 60 languages. To choose your language, simply select it from the drop down menu on the top right hand side of the page, as shown below.

 

Also, PDF files for the book Daughters in my Kingdom are now available in 18 languages:

• Cebuano
• Dansk
• Deutsch
• English
• Español
• Français
• Gagana Samoa
• Italiano
• Lea Fakatonga
• Norsk
• Português
• Reo Tahiti
• Suomi
• Svenska
• Tagalog
• Vosa vakaviti
• Русский
• Українська

To learn more about the book visit HERE.

Preparing for the BIG Weekend!

So I have much to share in preparation for the exciting event of General Conference that awaits us.  Read through the whole post for a myriad of ways to prepare yourself and your family to hear the word of God:

1. Go into General Conference remembering that it has something just for YOU!
   
   Elder Holland said, “If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal little, prophetic epistle just to you.”
   
   Enjoy this video and you may also enjoy reading THIS arcticle from the September Ensign about a Sister's experience in finding out that Conference had something just for her.
   
   

 2. This week ponder about and write down some questions or concerns that you have and pray to receive answers and direction for those specific things during Conference.  Answers will come.

 3. Create new General Conference traditions or plan to carry out old ones.  This can give something similar and concrete about each Conference for your children (and yourself) to look forward to.  You can find one of our traditions HERE.

 4. Play some games or watch this video sometime this week to get your kids thinking about what is coming.
You can find an Apostle Matching Game and Fun Fact Cards HERE.  There are also a few fun online games from lds.org you can find HERE.


 5. Get some of these printables ready for your children to use throughout Conference:
LDS.org Printables
Sugardoodle.net Printable Packets for all ages.
Sugardoodle.net Other Conference activities and printables.
Deseret Book Printable

And there are so many other creations, ideas, and printables all over the internet.  I hope you find something you like.

6. Think about joining in this fun Video Conference event, check out this video to learn more:

6. I was sent a document with many FAQ about Genereal Conference but don't know how to put the information on my blog.  If you are in need of answers to any of these questions leave a comment with the question you'd like answered and your email address or email me with this information at becominglds@gmail.com. 

• How can I access General Conference?
• When will conference materials be available?
• What languages are available?
• Can I put General Conference on my mobile device?
• Can I download just the music from General Conference?
• Is General Conference on Twitter or Facebook?

7.  And finally, I know this challenge comes a little late but do you remember our semi-annual no tv weeks well since things have changed in that department quite a bit at our house we aren't holding an official one but if you'd like to try it out and turn your tv off for the week it really does make turning on the tv for Conference such a refreshing and wonderful experience.  I dare you! ;)

Now let's all get prepping!  What does your family do to prepare for Conference?

Don't Miss It or You Might Miss Something

We are just a short time away from the Relief Society broadcast and you won't want to miss it.  If you haven't been able to make it much in the past or just haven't made it a habit try to get there this time around. It really is worth our time.
You wouldn't want to miss another message like this:



Or a message from our Prophet that contains inspiring words like this:

"A young couple, Lisa and John, moved into a new neighborhood. One morning while they were eating breakfast, Lisa looked out the window and watched her next-door neighbor hanging out her wash.

“That laundry’s not clean!” Lisa exclaimed. “Our neighbor doesn’t know how to get clothes clean!”

John looked on but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, Lisa would make the same comments.

A few weeks later Lisa was surprised to glance out her window and see a nice, clean wash hanging in her neighbor’s yard. She said to her husband, “Look, John—she’s finally learned how to wash correctly! I wonder how she did it.”

John replied, “Well, dear, I have the answer for you. You’ll be interested to know that I got up early this morning and washed our windows!”

Tonight I’d like to share with you a few thoughts concerning how we view each other. Are we looking through a window which needs cleaning? Are we making judgments when we don’t have all the facts? What do we see when we look at others? What judgments do we make about them?"

So determine to make it a point to participate this Saturday whether you watch/listen to it at home, head to a nearby stake center, or are lucky enough to sit in the Conference Center.  The messages will be inspired.  The Spirit will be present.  We will all learn something about ourselves and this journey we are on.  I am excited.

Here are some details from lds.org:

Relief Society sisters worldwide are invited to view the satellite broadcast of the general Relief Society meeting, which will be held on Saturday, September 24, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. (MDT) and will be broadcast to many areas of the world.

All sisters 18 years of age and older are encouraged to gather together in meetinghouses to view the broadcast.

Video of the broadcast will also be available live in American Sign Language, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish at conference.lds.org. Additional languages will be available as a live audio broadcast at the same site. Archives of the broadcast will be available in those same languages at the same site within 24 hours. Live audio will also be available in English at mormonchannel.org.

The Book of Mormon: What's the Story?

This starts a series of several posts about the Book of Mormon.  The content will come from the October 2011 Ensign which is available to look at online today. 

Over the next several days I will be posting about what happens in the Book of Mormon (today), common questions about the book, how you can know if the Book of Mormon is true, how to study it, and lastly the formats it is available in and the devices you can access it on. 

If any of you have any questions about the Book of Mormon along the way don't hesitate to ask.  I am happy to help in any way I can.

So on to today's post:

The Story of the Book of Mormon
Article taken from October 2011 Ensign pgs 16-19

1. The Book of Mormon begins with a prophet named Lehi. He warned the wicked people in Jerusalem to repent, but the people didn’t listen. The Lord told Lehi to take his family, including his wife, Sariah, and their sons—Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi—into the wilderness. (See 1 Nephi 1–2.)
2. Lehi sent his sons back to get the scriptures written on brass plates. These plates had the history of their ancestors and other things the Lord had told them to write. Lehi and Nephi took good care of these plates. They also wrote on metal plates what happened to their family. (See 1 Nephi 3–5.)
3. The Lord gave Lehi a compass called the Liahona to guide his family through the wilderness to the promised land. (See 1 Nephi 16.)
4. The Lord told Nephi to build a boat to take Lehi’s family to the promised land. Nephi obeyed his father and the Lord, but Laman and Lemuel did not. (See 1 Nephi 17.)
5. Lehi and his family sailed to the promised land on the boat they built. (See 1 Nephi 18.)
6. Laman and Lemuel continued to disobey their father and the Lord. Their descendants are known as the Lamanites. Nephi continued to obey his father and the Lord. His descendants are called Nephites. (See 2 Nephi 4–5.)
7. After Lehi and Nephi died, other people, such as Nephi’s brother Jacob, were in charge of writing important teachings and events on the plates. (See Jacob 1.)
8. Enos prayed to be forgiven of his sins, and he was forgiven. (See Enos 1.)
9. King Benjamin built a tower to teach his people the gospel. (See Mosiah 2–6.)
10. A wicked king named Noah had the prophet Abinadi put to death. But Abinadi’s teachings converted one of Noah’s priests named Alma. (See Mosiah 11–17.)
11. Alma escaped from King Noah’s court, taught other people about the gospel, and baptized them. (See Mosiah 18.)
12. Alma’s son Alma the Younger was not obedient. He and his friends, the sons of Mosiah, were wicked. Then an angel told them to repent. Alma and the sons of Mosiah repented and spent the rest of their lives preaching the gospel. (See Mosiah 27–28.)
13. Mosiah’s son Ammon converted many Lamanites after Ammon defended King Lamoni’s flocks and won his trust. (See Alma 17–19.)
14. Captain Moroni wrote the title of liberty and fought to defend the liberty of his people. (See Alma 46; 48.)
15. Helaman led an army of 2,000 righteous young men. (See Alma 53; 56–58.)
16. A Lamanite prophet named Samuel prophesied that Jesus Christ would soon be born. (See Helaman 13–16.)
17. Far away in Bethlehem, Jesus Christ was born. He taught His gospel, healed and blessed people, and set up His Church. Then He was crucified and resurrected. (See 3 Nephi 1; 8–10.)
18. After His Resurrection, He visited the righteous Nephites and Lamanites. He taught them His gospel, healed them, and blessed them, just as He had in the land around Jerusalem. (See 3 Nephi 11–28.)
19. A 10-year-old boy named Mormon was chosen to write on the plates when he grew older. At age 24 he began combining the most important stories from all the records onto a set of metal plates. (See Mormon 1.)
20. Before Mormon died, he gave the plates to his son Moroni. Moroni was a general in the army. He was the last Nephite to survive a great battle between the Lamanites and the Nephites. (See Mormon 6; 8.)
21. Before Moroni died, he buried the plates in a place called Cumorah. About 1,400 years after Moroni buried the plates, a 14-year-old boy named Joseph Smith prayed to know which church was right. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:5–16.)
22. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ visited Joseph Smith and told him that none of the churches were true and complete. Joseph would help restore the true Church of Jesus Christ. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:17–20.)
23. Moroni visited Joseph Smith and told him about the buried plates. When Joseph Smith got older, he would get the plates and translate them. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:27–54.)
24. When Joseph Smith was 21, he went to the Hill Cumorah and got the plates from the place where Moroni had buried them. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:59.)
25. Through the power of God, Joseph Smith translated the writing on the plates. He published this translation. It is called the Book of Mormon. (See title page and introduction to the Book of Mormon.)

You can read the entire Book of Mormon online HERE.
You can also request a FREE hard copy of the Book of Mormon HERE.

What's The Book of Mormon All About?

The Church has been working on a special Edition of the Ensign (a Church magazine) since 2009 that will focus solely on The Book of Mormon.

LDS Church News had this to say about the special edition:

You can find the full article at this link.

"The special-edition Ensign and Liahona will be available for purchase Oct. 1 at Church distribution centers. A digital version will be available online at LDS.org on Sept. 20. Subscribers will receive their monthly issues as usual."

"Members are encouraged to use the special issue in two ways," said Elder Paul B. Pieper of the Seventy and executive director of the Curriculum Department. "First, members and missionaries should review it for their personal edification and to strengthen their testimonies. Second, they should share the magazine with others, including less-active Church members and nonmembers."

Here is a list of just some of the things you will find in this special issue:

• First Presidency message by President Thomas S. Monson.

• Visiting teaching message by Sister Julie B. Beck, general Relief Society president.

• A new full-color Book of Mormon timeline.

• Full-page artwork.

• Sheet music for a new Book of Mormon-themed song called "Two Thousand Stripling Warriors," with music by Janice Kapp Perry and lyrics by Bonnie Hart Murray.

• Tips on using mobile devices for scripture study.

• President Ezra Taft Benson's classic address — "The Book of Mormon: Keystone of Our Religion."

• A new Book of Mormon-themed Mormon ad.
• Tips on how to study the Book of Mormon
• A side-by-side comparison of doctrinal passages from the Bible and Book of Mormon
• Commonly asked questions about the Book of Mormon and corresponding answers.

I you want to learn more about the Book of Mormon head over to LDS.org on September 20th.  As we all receive access to this special edition I plan to have several posts to correspond with it.  I am excited.

New Relief Society Book Available to All

The book, Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society is now available to download as a PDF file.

LDS.org has this to say about the book:

"The teachings, stories, and examples in this history book will guide you in establishing priorities and practices in your life that will help increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help those in need.
The history of Relief Society teaches the divine identity and infinite worth of daughters of God. It is a Spirit-filled story of strong, faithful, purposeful women who have served with little public recognition.          

As you study this history you will see that our Heavenly Father knows His daughters, that He loves them, that He trusts them with sacred responsibilities, and that He guides them as they fulfill those responsibilities.

You are encouraged to share the book with others. Church members of all ages may use the book as a reference in lessons, talks, council meetings, and at home."

They have also created a site to help readers of the book and leaders in Relief Society know how to best use this great resource.  I'm excited to read and learn.

Remembering 9/11: Our Prophet's Thoughts

9/11 destruction allowed us to spiritually rebuild 
(From the Washington Post)

By Thomas S. Monson

 The calamity of September 11th, 2001 has cast a long shadow. Ten years later, many of us are still haunted by its terrible tragedy of lost lives and broken hearts. It is an episode of anguish that has become a defining moment in the history of the American nation and the world. This week, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, along with Tom Brokaw, will pay its own homage to the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001.

There was, as many have noted, a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy. People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.

Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.

Our Father’s commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change.

But we are less faithful than He is. By nature we are vain, frail, and foolish. We sometimes neglect God. Sometimes we fail to keep the commandments that He gives us to make us happy. Sometimes we fail to commune with Him in prayer. Sometimes we forget to succor the poor and the downtrodden who are also His children. And our forgetfulness is very much to our detriment.

If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.

The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day. We truly “need Him every hour,” not just in hours of devastation. We must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him. If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men. We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.

It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.

Thomas S. Monson is president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

More On Faith and 9/11: (from other prominent world religious leaders)

Desmond Tutu: Our post-9/11 failures

Thomas Monson: Rebuilding our souls

T.D. Jakes: Spirituality after the attack

Feisal Abdul Rauf: Radical Islam on its way out

Donald Wuerl: Peace begins internally

Katharine Jefferts Schori: Live the memorial

Mark Driscoll: Death and the hope of resurrection

Karen Armstrong: Unite through compassion

Deepak Chopra: Divided hearts, divided world

Yasir Qadhi: Americans still don’t know Islam

New Videos Created from Friend Magazine Articles

So I was recently sent this short video from Sun Swing Media to review and share with all of you. They are a new company that is creating short videos based off of stories found in the Friend magazine.  The video I watched is called, “The Decision.”  It costs $1 to download and the money goes toward making the next short video called, “ The Do-Gooders.” 

The video is about pornography and is geared toward young children.  It is sad that it has come to the point when talking about pornography can’t be put off until older years but pornography is there and it is there early. 

At first I wondered how young people would respond to the quite simple animations but I knew that the simple yet profound story-line would be perfect for young audiences.  So I tested it on my 4 year old and I think his review is much more significant than mine.  Although I must say that an article I read said it was geared more toward 6-12 year olds.

I started the video for my little boy and he immediately seemed engaged.  Afterward, he instantly asked if he could watch it again.  I played it one more time and then we talked.  I asked him what the video was about and he answered “pornography”.  We talked about what happened and he definitely recognized the good choice that the boys made in the film and how proud all of their parents were of them.  After our short discussion he asked, “Could I watch it again sometime if I want to?”  I said yes and told him that we could maybe watch it for FHE sometime and he said, “We should’ve watched that video last night for FHE.”

So if you can’t tell, my 4 year old seemed to enjoy it quite a bit and he seemed to comprehend the important principles taught in the video. I would recommend the video to anyone with young children.

Here is a small portion of the video:

You can download “The Decision” for $1 HERE.

You can learn more about Sun Swing Media HERE.

You can read the original story in the Friend HERE.
Sun Swing Media even has an FHE lesson plan you can use HERE.