Sister Spotlight

Meet Alejandra Frost!

I am from Honduras, I learned English in High School and then was able to practice it a lot while working at the US Embassy in my hometown Tegucigalpa. I think it could be better by now if my husband didn't speak Spanish, but he does and so we speak half and half most of the time.  All my family is in Honduras and yes i miss them a lot, but Skype is my best friend :) i get to see them everyday. Ryan and I  moved here to AZ because we started a technology business. I'll start attending ASU this Summer and i will be working on a degree called Non profit Leadership and Management. We're are also starting a non profit organization to help the less fortunate children in Honduras by providing them with full scholarships to obtain a quality education. I'm very excited about this!

Here are a few more questions we asked Alejandra to get to know her even better:

1.  Tell us about you and your family. (for example...where are you from? What is your career?  Where did you go to school/major? Are you married? What does your husband do? etc.)

I am from Honduras, I learned English in High School and then was able to practice it a lot while working at the US Embassy in my hometown Tegucigalpa. I think it could be better by now if my husband didn't speak Spanish, but he does and so we speak half and half most of the time.  All my family is in Honduras and yes i miss them a lot, but Skype is my best friend :) i get to see them everyday. Ryan and I  moved here to AZ because we started a technology business. I'll start attending ASU this Summer and i will be working on a degree called Non profit Leadership and Management. We're are also starting a non profit organization to help the less fortunate children in Honduras by providing them with full scholarships to obtain a quality education. I'm very excited about this!

2.  If you had an hour free time, what might we find you doing? 

Talking on Skype with my family

3. Share an experience that has strengthened your testimony or why the gospel is important to you?

Several years ago i was praying for something i desire so much, it was a righteous desire and i was sure that Heavenly Father was going to grant it to me. I was so happy about it that i had already started making plans, but my surprise didn't last for too long when i got a NO for an answer. I remember how sad I was, I cried and cried for hours, I felt hopeless, I felt alone, I even thought that Heavenly Father didn't hear my prayers.


During that moment a thought came to my mind that I should go check my mail so I did and to my surprise there I found the Ensign, at the beginning I must admit I didn’t even want to open it, I was still crying, but something told me to open it and reluctantly I did.  I started reading the first presidency’s message which was written by Pres. Uchtdorf as soon as I started to read it the Holy Ghost filled my heart again with hope and joy.  All the sadness I had was gone and now my heart was again rejuvenated after I read this paragraph: “The answers to our prayers come in the Lord’s due time. Sometimes we may become frustrated that the Lord has delayed answering our prayers. In such times we need to understand that He knows what we do not know. He sees what we do not see. Trust in Him. He knows what is best for His child, and being a perfect God, He will answer our prayers perfectly and in the perfect time.”

Those words brought a perfect reassurance that my Father was very aware of me and my righteous desires, that He was listening to my prayers and that he had written those words of encouragement to me at that time. My testimony about prayer has increased so much since that time and whenever i receive a NO for an answer my thoughts are always brought to that beautiful experience i had with my Heavenly Father.

 4.  What are your following favorites:

·  Dessert - Ryan's triple layer chocolate cheesecake

·  Hobbies - Biking, puzzles, putting things together, playing games

·  Scripture - Joshua 24:15 and 2 Nephi 4 Nephi's psalms

Thanks so much for sharing with us Alejandra!  

Blog Updates

Hi Everyone,

Good news... we've made improvements to the blog!  You can now find the activities and Sunday lesson schedules on the right.  And also on the right we have added a resource section for new sisters moving into the ward.  We hope you like the improvements.

Love,
Kate and Ashley

Called to Serve Relief Society Meeting

Dear Sisters,

We had a great evening,  the Spirit was strong.  This meeting was about missionary work and how important it is to be a good friend to everyone, young and old, nonmembers and members. 

Kristy Budge shared her conversion story.  She spoke of the importance of ward support and feeling loved and valued.  She shared many experiences of ward members helping her and her family.  She reminded us all to never assume that people are taken care of and to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Ashley Williams also shared her conversion story. She spoke of the value of friendship.  At a young age Ashley and her family received the missionary discussions and were baptized.  She recounted feeling the spirit and her family growing closer together.  Those blessings only lasted a short while.  Her family became inactive.   Ashley grew up longing to have the gospel in her life. In college Ashley started attending church, but felt years behind the other sisters in gospel preparation.  She went through periods of not attending church. It wasn't until members of the church extended their friendship to her that she was able to overcome these feelings.  Ashley said she is forever grateful to those kind sisters.  Now she is married and has a little boy and is so happy he is being raised with the gospel in his life.

Both Lindsey Smith and Lindsey King shared experiences from their missions and spoke of ways we can do missionary work. Lindsey Smith testified that we should be good examples to our families and those we visit teach.  She said to extend the hand of friendship and invite people to activities. Some great ideas she shared were: to keep pass-along cards in your purse, and study the words of Christ daily to bring the spirit into your lives.  By doing these things    we are better prepared to share the gospel.  Lindsey King said FRIENDSHIP is the key to sharing the gospel.  She shared that if we want people to feel the pure love of Christ, we must be a true friend.  We also should strive to be the friend that we would love to have.


Laura Foster spoke about an experience during her mission in Russia.  While she was there she saw a faithful sister work to bring back a less active friend.  Through her efforts she was able to rekindle her friend's testimony, and see her embrace the gospel.  As time passed the the tables turned and the once faithful sister fell into inactivity, and previously inactive sister has made it her duty to bring the joy of the gospel back into her friend's life. Laura testified of the importance of bolstering each other's testimonies, and helping one another through trials.

Annie Jordan talked about the missions she and her husband have served.  She talked about how to prepare for a mission, spiritually, emotionally and temporally. She also shared some of her favorite scriptures Proverbs 3: 5-6.  

Dorthy McVae shared experiences from her mission.  She served in the Family History Center in SLC.  She wanted to do something to thank the Lord for His goodness to her.  She shared how service drew her closer to the Lord.  She talked about the concerns she had with leaving her home behind, but it all worked out. She is grateful for the experience and would recommend to anyone to serve a mission.

Dana Erickson spoke about how to prepare your sons for missions.  She currently has a son who is out serving a mission.  She focused on the importance of raising your family with gospel principles. She said her son grew up with a desire to serve the Lord.  She also said she has learned so much from reading her son's letters. Preparing and seeing her son serve a mission has greatly increased her testimony of the gospel.

Julianne Harmon spoke about teaching your children the meaning of the word "missionary". She shared a cute story about how she taught her little boy the meaning.  She also said to share your missionary experiences with your children and let them see you being a missionary and the joy it brings you and the ones you are helping.  She said if you have a family member or know someone on a mission talk about it with your children and read them their letters.

This truly was an inspirational meeting.  We hope you all will attend the next one. 

Thank you everyone for coming, and to all those who shared their experiences and testimonies with us. You brought a wonderful spirit to the meeting. 

Here are the yummy dinner recipes:

canning basics class

Last Thursday, Melissa McAfee gave a very informative class on canning basics. Melissa taught about canning equipment, preparation of jars and food, the different methods of canning and when you use each one, as well as some tricks she has learned over the years. She also shared some items that she had recently canned, black beans, green beans and jam. Everything tasted very fresh and delicious! The best resource, Melissa suggested, if you would like to begin canning is:

Melissa and her husband are avid, self taught canners and have learned a lot of things the hard way. Both of them are a fabulous resource if you have questions about canning. Melissa also shared where she gets all of her vegetables that she cans. Canning is a great way to start or add to your food storage.

In regards to food storage, there is an article in the March 2012 Ensign on food storage by Emily Jamison, "Everyday Home Storage." Additionally, the Stake has an upcoming activities that is worth noting.

On September 15th, there will be a Stake Preparedness Fair at the Stake Center, from 1pm till 5pm.

On Friday, Sept 14th at 7pm, the evening before the Fair, our Stake is bringing in a special guest speaker, Wendy DeWitt, a noted expert on home storage for an Stake Adult Fireside. There are many videos on/about/by Sis DeWitt on YouTube and she maintains a food storage blog at:

http://everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com/

March Book Group

Here is a recap from March's book group meeting by Anslin Ball:

Last week for book group we discussed "These is My Words," a fictional diary of a woman making a life in Arizona in the 1880s and 90s. The book follows Sarah Price from the age of seventeen, traveling across the wild west almost to the age of forty as she settles and raises her family. It was interesting to talk about the similarities between a woman in 1890 and women today. We all had some way to relate to Sarah from the way w feel about our husbands - "I love you every way there is to love a man" - to the way we learn to not worry about blue hand prints on the wall. I think most of what I got from the book was it is possible and brings us greater happiness to be virtuous and strong in that virtue no matter what our circumstances.

Thanks Anslin!

The book for next month is:

Book group will be meeting at Laurie Martin's home on Tuesday, April 17th at 7:30 p.m. Anyone looking for a great discussion on a beautifully written story should make sure to be there!

Saturday Morning of Service

Dear sisters,

Thank you so much for participating in the Saturday morning of service either by donating and/or assembling each project. We had such a success and I can't believe how fast we got everything done and cleaned up. You are all amazing and I hope you were able to learn something there as well. It was a great opportunity to serve and will truly benefit the needs of our ward! 

Thanks,

Michelle Hepworth

Sister Spotlight

Meet Lila McCleery!

Lila is an Arizona native. Hopefully you will recognize her because she teaches in Relief Society. Something you may not know about Lila is she is a convert to the church. One of the things that means the most to Lila is the relationship that she has with her family and the Savior. 

Here are a few questions we asked Lila to get to know her better:

Q: What are some things you enjoy doing? 

A: Crafts and visiting with friends.

Q:  What is something you would like to do someday? 

A: A session at the Washington Temple. 

Q:  What is one thing you would like to learn someday? 

A: To be a really good cook.

Thank you so much Lila for sharing!