A Child's Prayer

My sister Adalyn and I were playing with a watering hose in the back yard. We stuck it down a gopher hole about 5 feet. It got stuck really good. My sister and I thought maybe a gopher was grabbing onto it hard, but mom told me it might have been stuck between some roots. When dad got home, mom told dad, but dad didn’t believe us, so he went outside and he tugged and tugged and he couldn’t get it out. I was feeling really sad because it was the longest garden hose and mom said we might need to cut it off. I offered $3.00 but mom didn’t accept.

The next morning, I woke up about 6 am and went outside, still in my PJ’s, before anyone else was awake. I got the shovel out and dug a little more at the hole mom had started the day before, which was about 3 feet deep. I still couldn’t get the hose out. I turned on the water full blast and there was a little bit of water in the hole. I used that tiny bit of water to be my guide. I dug a little in the mud, and then I prayed to Heavenly Father saying, “Please help me to get the hose out before anyone is awake so that mommy won’t have to buy a new hose”. When I opened my eyes, there was a big pool of water. I thought the hose might be loose. I pulled on it and it came straight out. I think it must have been pushing it’s way out, but most importantly, I think that one little prayer got the hose out. I’d like to share my testimony that I know the church is true and I know that every prayer is answered.

Audrey Kent
8 years old

Pam Henderson's Lesson~"Pray Always" by Elder Bednar

Making your prayers more meaningful. Alma 37:37

Principle #1: Counsel with the Lord in all our doings.
When we recognize the relationship between ourselves and Heavenly Father, prayer becomes more comfortable and instinctive. He is our Father and we are his children. As we ask in faith, we can receive revelation upon revelation and knowledge upon knowledge and come to know the mysteries and peaceable things that bring joy and eternal life. As we recognize that everything was created spiritually before they were made temporally, morning prayer becomes the spiritual creation of your day. During the day, we receive strength from our morning prayer. This strength is the answer to our prayer and personal revelation. By recognizing Heavenly Father's answer, we can offer a silent prayer of gratitude, thus keeping "a prayer in our heart" during our daily activities. At the end of the day, we report back to Father. We review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks and gratitude. We repent and with the assistance of the Spirit, identify ways we can do better tomorrow. Thus our evening prayer builds upon our morning prayer and then prepares us for our next morning prayer. They are all related, linked together, helping us to obtain perfection.

Principle #2: Heartfelt Gratitude
The most meaningful and spiritual prayers can be prayers which contain many thanks and few requests. Elder Bednar recommends that periodically you and I offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for nothing. Simply let your soul rejoice, striving to communicate appreciation with all the energy of your heart.

Principle #3: Pray for others with real intent and a sincere heart.
Petitioning Heavenly Father for the blessings we desire in our personal life is good and proper. However, praying for others, both those who love us and those who despitefully use us is also an important element of meaningful prayer. Just as expressing gratitude more enlarges the conduit for revelation, so does praying for others with all our energy.

Our prayers can be more meaningful when we pray always, counsel with the Lord in all our doings, express heartfelt gratitude and pray for others. The prayers of the prophets are childlike in their simplicity and powerful because of their sincerity.

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC~~~RELIEF SOCIETY TREASURE TRADE

We had our highly anticipated "Treasure Trade" Tuesday, February 17th. It was a HUGE success. We had LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of donated items. We started off the evening by having 2 brief classes on organization. Jamiee gave us great tips on how to keep the clutter down in your children's rooms. She showed us a great tracking system for chore lists for your children and suggestions on storage for their rooms. Sara had tips on paper organization and filing important papers. Trish had a GREAT idea of scanning important documents into your hard drive and then shredding the paper. Debbie showed a decorative ribbon holder that you can make at our October Enrichment night. Pam won the highly coveted "Door Prize" which was a "Diva" dustpan and small brush.

We sent the "shoppers" out in groups of 10 for 4 minutes each. Each sister got to choose 1 thing from one of the 4 rooms; Room 1~Christmas Dec & Linens Room 2~Children/Baby Items Room 3~Books, CD's, Videos, Dishes & General Kitchen and Outdoor Items Room 4~Clothing, Shoes, Bags/Purses, Home Dec, Furniture, Art.

Each shopper got two 4 minute shopping turns and then it was a "Free For All". We held a drawing for the Changing Table and Secretary. Nicole won the Changing Table and Marnell Hanson won the Secretary. There were several items left at the end of the evening and some of the members of the Oxnard Spanish Wards came and took items they needed.

We had delicious Chocolate Desserts as we shopped. It was a great evening!

Camarillo Second Ward Primary Activity

The Primary Children sang to the residents of Park Place Village on Friday, February 13th. Primary President, Kirsten Kent, led the music and Lynn Nelson accompied them. They sang "The Family Is Of God", "Do As I'm Doing", "Popcorn Popping", "We Are A Happy Family", "If You're Happy And You Know It", and "Love One Another".

"Missionary Service: A Holy Calling, a Glorious Work" by Heidi Yeates

This lesson describes the early missionary efforts of the Church. Missionaries sent to England led to thousands of converts who came to Zion to help build the Church.

Missionary work is still vital today. Missionary work should be done with meekness, grace, and honesty, as well as with the Spirit. We should not contend with others over doctrinal issues. Just share the simple gospel. And being a good example is being a missionary.

Chief Warrant Officer Jody Markham Is Home!

Tanner with dad
Our Hero
Jody in Kuwait

Morgan, Tanner & Megan

Megan, Jody, Tanner & Morgan

Our newest member of our ward, Tracy Markham, is thrilled to have her hubby home from a 7 month deployment to Kuwait. She shares the following information with us so that we can get to know him a little better.

Warrant Officer Jody Markham has proudly served in the Navy Seabees for 21 years now. He has had a variety of challenging and important missions. For the last 7 months Jody has been in Kuwait defending our freedom in the Iraq war. He was in charge of a team who provided support and accommodations to 5,719 personnel from various U. S. and coalition forces. His Embark team personally coordinated the timely movement of over 9,198 PAX including unit movements, single troop movement, and emergency leave personnel, directly supporting American war-fighters. Jody is proud of his mission defending America in the war on terrorism.
Needless to say, the Markham family is happy to have their Hero Home!!

How Do I Love Thee?

Tracy Markham's Baptism Feb 13, 2009

February Cooking Class-Soups

Recipes

Red Borsch by Yvonnne Hawkins
1/2 head of cabbage
1 lb of stew meat (pork or beef)
4-5 medium sized potatoes
1 beet
1 carrot
1 onion
12 cups boiling water

Cut meat into stew pieces. Boil cut pieces of meat in salty water until nice and tender approx 20 minutes. While meat is cooking, chop cabbage into small pieces and peal and slice potatoes. Stir occasionally. Grate carrots and chop onion. Put all these in a frying pan and fry on medium heat in a small amount of vegetable or olive oil until everything is tender. (Approx 5-7 minutes) Grate beet and fry after the carrots and onion are added to the soup. When potatoes and cabbage are cooked, add fried mix of carrots, beat and onion into the water. Let boil for a minute or two. Turn the heat off and add a couple of bay leaves and pepper. As optional you may add whatever spices you like with stews.

Chicken & Salsa Soup by Melanie Scobell
1 3/4 c water
1 14 1/2 oz can chicken broth
8 oz skinless boneless chicken (or 1 can of chicken)
1-2t chili powder (depends how hot you like it)
1 11 oz can whole corn
1 c chunky garden style salsa
Combine first 4 ingredients. Boil and simmer 8 minutes. Add corn. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Stir in salsa, heat through.
Top with any of the following: shredded cheese, cilantro, tortilla chips, lime, chopped green onion, avocado or sour cream.

Tortellini Soup by Linn Evans

4 cups chicken broth
4 cups cooked cheese tortellinis
1 can white beans
1 can chopped tomatoes or 1 1/2 cup fresh chopped tomatoes
Mix broth, beans and tomatoes and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add tortellinis. Then add:
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
2 T Balsamic Vinegar
1 t salt 1/2 t fresh ground pepper.
Cook for about 20 minutes-boil. Serve and top with Parmesan cheese. TIP: Only cook enough tortellinis for 1 meal. If you have leftovers, add fresh tortellinis. They get very large and absorb most of the broth if stored as leftovers.


Split Pea Soup by Bonnie Knapp

This recipe works for: immune power, men’s health, & sports nutrition

Bring 4 cups Water to boil, add 2 cups Quick-cooking Split Peas, 3 Ribs Celery diced, 2 Yellow Onions in chunks, 4 cups Low-fat Chicken Broth, 1 tsp Sea Salt, ½ tsp. Black Pepper.
Simmer, partially covered over low heat for 2 hours. Cool slightly. Puree in the blender until smooth. Return to soup pot, heat through for 5 minutes and serve. Serves 8.



Olive Garden Style Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
10 min prep and 30 min. cook time

1/3 cup olive oil or butter
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 lb. chicken
1/3 cup flour
1/2 carrot shredded
1 stick of celery
1/2 cup fresh chopped spinach
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
3 chicken bullion cubes
Cracked pepper to taste
17.6 oz. of Gnocchi from Target

On medium heat melt butter in a soup pot, add in the garlic and saute, add your chicken and cook through out. Add flour and stir in flour and mix well until the flour is cooked into the chicken. Next add your milk and heavy cream. Then add the veggies(Carrots,Celery,Spinach) Add three bullion cubes. Add your Gnocchi last-it takes 3-4 min. to cook throughout. Mix ingredients well until soup thickens and stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Zuppa Toscana Soup like Olive Garden's®
Spicy sausage and bacon, russet potatoes and greens in a creamy broth.
Serves: 10 Prep. Time: 0:35

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage - crumbled
1/2 lb. smoked bacon - chopped
1 qt. water
(2) 14.5 oz. cans (about 3 2/3 cups) chicken broth
2 lg. russet potatoes - scrubbed clean, cubed
2 garlic cloves - peeled, crushed
1 med. onion - peeled, chopped
2 cups chopped kale
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper - to taste-
In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain, set aside. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown bacon; drain, set aside. Place water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes. Add kale and cream to pot; season with salt and pepper; heat through

Sheri's Bean Soup

1 17 bean mix from Albertsons 6 cups Water

seasoning packet that came in bean mix

salt pork
1 can tomatoes

Beware the Bitter Fruits of Apostasy by Donna Maygren

APOSTASY: When individuals or groups of people turn away from the principles of the gospel, they are in a state of apostasy.

“Before you joined this Church you stood on neutral ground. When the gospel was preached, good and evil were set before you. You could choose either or neither. There were two opposite masters inviting you to serve them. When you joined this Church you enlisted to serve God. When you did that you left the neutral ground, and you never can get back on to it. Should you forsake the Master you enlisted to serve, it will be by the instigation of the evil one, and you will follow his dictation and be his servant.”

‘I will give you a key that will never rust,—

if you will stay with the majority of the

Twelve Apostles, and the records of the

Church, you will never be led astray.’

Joseph Smith

LDS Church News story by Barbara Likovich and BYU Story by Brittanie Morris Stott

To see the article you may click on this link or read below. 'Be On The Top Of Your Game'
'Be at the top of your game,' Sister Beck urges
By Barbara Murphy Likovich Church News contributor
Published: Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009

In the first visit by a general Relief Society president to California's central coast in at least 50 years, Sister Julie B. Beck counseled sisters on how best to serve their families and help less-active loved ones return to the Church.
Sister Beck made her comments during a two-day visit Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 to Camarillo and Santa Barbara, Calif., where she trained Relief Society leaders and addressed women from eight stakes that hug the coastline from central California to just north of Los Angeles.
In comments prompted by questions from the audience, she spoke to nearly 2,000 sisters and priesthood leaders in a series of meetings, including a message she delivered in Spanish to members of two wards in the Camarillo California Stake.
Sister Beck said she learned how to prioritize her time as a wife and mother while observing her father-in-law, a steel worker who at various times in his career worked the day, evening or night shift. She said she realized she was working all three shifts simultaneously, and she had to prioritize the demands on her so she could provide the service her family most needed.
The most valuable time of the day for a family, Sister Beck said, is the afternoon/evening shift.
"Be at the top of your game on swing shift," she said. "People are hungry, people are teachable. You feed them; that's when you serve them the most. Plan for swing shift, and then work the rest of your day around that."
On the topic of reactivation, Sister Beck counseled the sisters to remember they are missionaries and to consider their loved ones as investigators. A study of the Church's Preach My Gospel manual contains many ideas on how to share the gospel with the Spirit, she said, and it doesn't have to be in a formal lesson.
Many times, those who have left the Church have lost hope they can return, Sister Beck said.
"They see you and they see your example, but they don't see themselves going where you are," she said. "They need to have hope that they can change, that mistakes are forgivable. … They need to have hope they can start where they are and make their way back."
Speaking to the Spanish wards in Oxnard, which is part of the Camarillo Stake, Sister Beck told those attending a joint Relief Society-priesthood meeting that she has confidence in their ability to let the Holy Ghost show them how to protect their families.
Sister Beck based her counsel on Alma 48:7-9 in the Book of Mormon, which describes how Captain Moroni strengthened the Nephites to defend themselves against their enemies. In those verses, Moroni prepared the Nephites' minds to be faithful to the Lord, helped them build a fort for protection and fortified their weak areas first. Those same techniques will help anyone defend themselves against those who would destroy their families, she said.
"If we can establish in our homes a culture of the gospel, we will little by little prepare our children, and that will be a defense," she said.
In a special meeting with young-adult sisters and Laurels, Sister Beck said Relief Society is exactly what those sisters need right now or will need by the time they turn 18. After several young adults told Sister Beck what they must know to succeed in school — skills such as time management and setting priorities — the general president smiled and told the sisters Relief Society is designed to help them with just such subjects.
"This is what we do in Relief Society," she said. "We help you do what you need to do better."
She also called the single sisters "the Lord's secret weapon" and encouraged them to step forward and get involved in His work.
"The Lord can't do what He needs to do if His daughters are sitting on the sidelines cheering," Sister Beck said. "He wants you in the game, building His Church."

New Relief Society General Presidency Announced
By Brittanie Morris - 2 Apr 2007

A new General Relief Society Presidency was announced in the Saturday morning session of the LDS general conference, March 31, 2007.
Sister Julie B. Beck was called as the new Relief Society general president, succeeding Sister Elaine S. Dalton, with Sister Silvia H. Allred as first counselor and Sister Barbara Thompson as second counselor.
Sister Beck was the former first counselor in the Young Women General Presidency prior to her call to direct the Relief Society, one of the largest women's organizations in the world.
Sister Beck learned Portuguese while living in Brazil as a child with her family, where her father served as mission president.
In the church, Sister Beck has served on the Young Women General Board, as ward Young Women and Primary president, as counselor in a stake Relief Society presidency and at the Missionary Training Center in Provo.
As Relief Society general president, Sister Beck said she looks forward to working on a united front with the Young Women general presidency to remedy problems women face in the world today.
"I see a great attack on the family and the self worth of women," Sister Beck said. "Many women have lost their sense of identity."
Sister Beck said she looks forward to the unique experience, vision and perspective in her new calling and said the motto of the Relief Society, "charity never faileth," still applies to women everywhere in the world.
Sister Allred is from El Salvador and speaks Spanish as her native language. She has traveled all over the world and established relationships with women in the Relief Society in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Spain.
Sister Allred joined the church at age 15 and was the first convert in her family. At age 16 she served as secretary in the Relief Society of her branch.
"I have seen the transformation the church can make in women," Sister Allred said. "It helps them establish leaderships skills, become better wives and mothers and provide better community service."
Sister Thompson, a Salt Lake City native, has served on the Relief Society General Board, as a Gospel Doctrine teacher, ward Young Women president, Laurel adviser, ward Relief Society counselor, Beehive adviser and camp director.
Sister Thompson said the Relief Society means a lot to her as a single woman in the church. She said she really looks forward to meeting the many fabulous women throughout the world.
"When we get a grasp of who we are, we naturally want to be members of the Relief Society in addition to church members," Sister Thompson said.
Copyright Brigham Young University 2 Apr 2007

The Tongue of Angels-Speaking Kindly lesson by Debbie Morris

Read James 3:2-10

Elder Cree L Kofford said, “Have you noticed how easy it is to cross over the line and find fault with other people? Mercy for me, justice for everyone else is a much too common addiction. There are those among us who would recoil in horror at the thought of stealing another person’s money or property, but who don’t give a second thought to stealing another person’s good name or reputation”

Competition over our differences: Why does a compliment to one have to diminish the value of another? Build and Lift each other

Parable of the Clothesline as told by Camille Fronk Olson:

A clothesline hung with freshly laundered and sorted clothing on Monday morning sent a message to the world that here lived an efficient, hard-working woman. In Grandma's neighborhood, it meant even more, with enviable stakes indeed. A silent competition raged each week to identify the woman who displayed her clean laundry earliest each Monday morning. My mother remembers times when Grandma hustled to have her first load of laundry on the line by 5:30 am only to discover the victory sheets and pillowcases waving on the neighbor's line. "She must have run a batch on Sunday night," Grandma muttered accusingly in her attempt to remain competitive.

Speaking kindly and lovingly to our husbands:
Another husband said, “If you can’t accentuate the positive, at least acknowledge it. The world is full of messages to men that there are standards we don’t meet. There is always another man who is more handsome, more virile, more successful in business or more athletic than we are. None of that matters if the most important person in our life looks up to us, accepts us as we are, and loves us even though we aren’t perfect. A husband who has a wife who supports him and praises him for the positive things he does is the envy of all the other men who have to live with criticism, sarcasm, and constant reminders of their failures.”

Summary from Heidi Yeates lesson Jan. 27th

Lesson 26: Elijah and the Restoration of the Sealing Keys
This lesson details the appearance of Elijah to the prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Elijah committed to Joseph and Oliver the keys of the sealing power - the power to bind and validate in the heavens all ordinances performed on earth. This restoration of the sealing keys - and the turning of the hearts of the children to the fathers - was crucial to Heavenly Father's plan, and was necessary to prepare the world for the Savior's second coming.
What does this mean to us? It means that we have the opportunity to receive all of the gospel ordinances and be sealed to our families. It also means that we need to do the work - perform these saving ordinances - for our ancestors. If you think about it, never before, in the history of the world, have the Lord's people had these most important keys AND the technology to research vital records worldwide. We live in a time when modern conveniences, such as washing machines, automobiles and Target, give us the time to do this work. It is our responsibility to do this work.
If you haven't yet read this lesson, it would be worth your time. I would also recommend reading Doctrine and Covenants sections 110 and 128, especially 128:22.

Sister Julie B. Beck

What a special privilege we had on Saturday to be taught and counseled by Sister Beck, the Relief Society General President. She was warm, humorous, down to earth and her message spoke to each person in the audience. As she began to speak she said, "This is your meeting and I have come to help you with those things that you have concerns or questions about." She asked the sisters to pose questions that they needed counsel or guidance with and then spent the next hour teaching, counseling, sharing scriptures, quotes and stories that answered those questions. One of the questions posed was how do we handle all of our responsibilities we are given as women and mothers. She talked about how women don’t just work one shift a day they work all 3 shifts - morning shift, swing shift and night shift. She emphasized how important it was to save our best for the swing shirt, that time of day when children come home from school and need our attention, husbands come home, dinner is held with the family and children are put to bed. That’s the most important time of the day, a time when a mothers influence is great. She reminded all of us that as women we are blessed with and born with compassion and nurturing abilities. Whether or not we are mothers, we all have the responsibility to take care of and uplift others. She talked about the great work that the single sisters have to do and called them “The Lord’s Army.” She reminded us of our responsibility in belonging to a “Relief” Society, to nourish and strengthen one another. She pointed out to us that Relief Society continues around the world and as we are preparing for our Sunday meetings, sisters are sitting in Relief Society on the other side of the world. The relief this great society provides continues to circle the world. Each sister who attended left feeling uplifted and blessed to have been there. Thank you Sister Beck.