Fallbrook Second Ward Newsletter: March 2009

Fallbrook Second Ward Newsletter

http://Fallbrook2ndWard.blogspot.com/

March 2009

If you have a missionary or other spiritual moment you would like to share, we'd love to hear about it! Please email it to lowell_stephanie@yahoo.com or give to a member of the bishopric so we can share it with the ward.

From the Bishopric

March Newsletter (from the Bishopric)

We have been given most precious gifts. We have been given the life and sacrifice of the only begotten of the Father: even Jesus Christ, literally our Savoir. We have the "good news" of the gospel and the Plan of Salvation with the role of the atonement being central to it. We have the gift of the Holy Ghost who is the Comforter, Testator, and Revelator. These things have far greater value than anything that can be found in this mortal life. And the absolute beauty of these gifts is that they enlarge and exponentially increase in beauty and luster as they are given to others.

It is incumbent upon us to heed President Eyring's recent reminder: "Here is the charge given to each of the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 'Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor'." [D&C 88:81]

Member missionary work requires faith and trust in the Lord; and we must be more faithful in sharing the exquisite beauty of the gospel with others. Let us do more to follow the admonition of the Prophet Joseph Smith, "After all that has been said, our greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel."

Let us renew our energies and exercise our faith and pray daily for opportunities to share the gifts we've been given so that we might bless the lives of others. May we each commit ourselves to be part of this great effort.

Brother J. Morrison

Primary

March

We had a very successful blue and gold dinner. Liam Holman and Jacob Nye helped raise $250.00 for our cub scouts with their cakes they made and were auctioned off. Liam is our newest cub scout and he will be a great addition to our troop. Chris Noblit will be leading our cub scouts and we are very blessed to have her with her knowledge, skills and enthusiasm for scouting. She will have our scouts on track in no time.

We had a special treat last Sunday in primary with the Towers family presenting a lesson in sharing time on the "tree of life." We were all reminded to hold to the iron word which leads us to our Heavenly Father.

March is a busy month. We will be focusing on "family members have important responsibilities." Next Sunday we will be having donuts and milk with the Bishop to celebrate another jar full of marbles for the children bringing their scriptures each week. They are doing a super job! March birthdays include Baily Gleason on the 11th, Victoria Russell on the 12th and Mark Rutherford on the 18th.

We will have the pinewood derby for our cub scouts on March 25 at 7:00 at the church so cubs get those cars ready!!

The children's art festival will be held at the Stake Center on March 21 at 7:00. We will have a choir rehearsal on the 8th at the Fallbrook building and the 15th at the Stake Center. Also, get your art entry fliers into the Stake by March 1.

Parents, please make sure your children 8yrs-11yrs old are working on their faith in god. Primary Activity Day girls is the second Tuesday of each month here in the primary room at 7 p.m. Sister Gibb always has something fun for the girls to do. They will be cooking this month.

What a blessing it is to share with your children each week our testimonies of eternal families and of the temple. How grateful I am for the plan our Heavenly Father has put into place for each of us. It's a simple plan. A perfect plan. A true plan of happiness. For that, I am truly grateful for and hope to live my life each day in gratitude for all the blessings I have--especially of being able to be surrounded by his "little ones" each week.

Beth Moffat

Young Men/Scouting

Scouts of Troop 718 (Deacons)

In March the Scouts from the Deacon's quorum plan to work on the Communications merit badge, another Eagle Required! Events for the month include the semi-annual merit badge roundup in March 7^th at the Stake center from 10 to 2 pm. On the 21^st the Young Women are sponsoring a hike in the Anza-Borrego desert. Finally on March 31^st, all Young Men will have a court of honor. Check out all our activities at www.bsatroop718.blogspot.com

Keep working on your family life merit badge and cooking!

High Priests

February 22, 2009

Have you ever realized how very important it is to have patience with the ones we love most?

Family life can test your true inner strength and patience. Elder Robert Oaks said, "Patience may well be thought of as a gateway virtue, contributing to growth and strength of its fellow virtues of forgiveness, tolerance, and faith.

A story was told about a frustrated four year old that brought a handful of rose pedals to her mother. When asked what was wrong, the child replied that she had tried to make the rosebud open up like a big beautiful flower. The mother gently explained about patience and that flowers need time to grow in their own way and will bloom when they are ready. She advised her daughter to just enjoy the flowers and watch them grow. Years later when the daughter was eleven, the mother impatiently tried to change the daughter's behavior. Fortunately, the mother began to study child development and found that her daughter acted like a normal eleven year old. This time the lesson on patience was for the mother. She needed to show her unconditional love, be firm, trust and let go. It wasn't easy but before long she saw her daughter becoming a confident young woman and their relationship improved. Patience is one of the most difficult requirements of being a parent, yet it is critical to our effectiveness.

The Book of Mormon provides many great insights on the power of patience and teaches us that without patience we would seriously lack with respect to a Christ like character. It also teaches us that there is a distinct relationship between patience and charity. Moroni 7:45 says, "…Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

The Bible offers a classic portrait of patience in Job. In the face of losing everything, Job was still able to proclaim, "…The Lord giveth and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21 Through all this he did not charge God or sin. He was a great example of patience.

The greatest example of all patience is found in the life of Jesus Christ. His long suffering and endurance was demonstrated in the Garden of Gethsemane. When he uttered in agony, "…O Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." He truly suffered and bore all things with the perfect example of faith and patience. Matthew 26:39

Sometimes it is easier said than done to do the things we should do. Often the things in life that are most worthwhile are the hardest to achieve. Our family life can be improved if we can learn and truly try to become more patient, it is one step closer to following our Saviors example.

Sincerely,

John Hoopes, Jim O'Brien, Paul Olsen, and Jack McClellan

High Priest Group Advisors

Young Women

No information at this time.

Relief Society

Dear Sisters,

This month we get to celebrate the 167^th birthday of the Relief Society. We are so very blessed to be fellow members of such a great organization! In no other women's organization can we find such a complete program for self-improvement, family strength, and salvation through Jesus Christ. In the March Ensign our Relief Society general president, Julie B. Beck said, "Relief Society helps provide defense in these perilous times. Sunday lessons, Relief Society activities and meetings, and visiting teaching are how we do the Lord's work and strengthen individuals and families." She continues by saying, "though we are confronted with issues such as divorce, disobedience, debt, depression, apathy, and addiction, we cannot forget that we also live in a day when the Lord's Spirit is poured out upon us." The Lord has certainly blessed our ward Relief Society with his spirit and love. We can feel it every time we meet together. Thank you for your service and prayers. We encourage each of us to continue to reach out to one another through Visiting Teaching. Now, more than ever, we need each other for comfort and guidance.

Love,

Your Relief Society Presidency.

March Calendar

March 4 – Ward Temple Night

March 9 – Empty Nesters - 6:15 p.m.

March 7 – Visiting Teaching Breakfast and Interviews (9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Please sign up for your interview time and come enjoy brunch with us.

March 18 – Relief Society Birthday Dinner 6:00 p.m. – all sisters invited

March 19 – Book Club is attending "The Scarlett Pimpernel" production at Lawrence Welk Theater 1:30 p.m.. Cost is approximately $40. Please contact Anna O'Brien as soon as possible if you wish to attend.

April 4
&
5 – General Conference

Relief Society Birthdays

Our apologies to our newer sisters. We do not have all of your birthdays yet.

02 Mary Ellen Holman

04 Carol Wilson

05 Linda Gjefle

08 Beth Moffat

12 Annette Schreiber

12 Alejandra Webb

18 Sharon Towery

28 Debbie Sorensen

30 Donna Thompson

30 Kathy Geyer

Here is the recipe for the dish from our Visiting Teaching interviews, thanks Sister Finnigan:

Baked French Toast Casserole

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
Butter, for pan
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Raspberry Syrup, recipe follows

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch thick each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 45 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with Raspberry Syrup.

Praline Topping:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Spread over bread as directed above.

Raspberry Syrup:

1 cup raspberry preserves

3 tablespoons water

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until warm and thinned out like syrup

Family History

Having the Stake Temple Day in November was a wonderful goal and many of you were able to take the challenge of our Stake President and take your family names to the temple. Now that the holidays are over and things are getting back to normal, we need to refocus on our family history. Make it a resolution, if you will. I am ready to assist you in getting your family history goals accomplished.

We still need to work on "New Family Search." Everyone needs to be registered on New Family Search and working to make that "Book of Remembrance" as complete as possible. By registering, you make sure you and your family are found in the book. By combining names, you are helping to avoid future duplication. Let me know if you need assistance with this or any other family history needs. Anne Renshaw

LDS Employment Services

If you are looking for new or better employment, please contact our Ward Employment Specialist, Bro Denning at 760-723-3367, or our Stake Employment Center at 760-631-4070. Current job listings can be reviewed at www.ldsjobs.org.

Other Events/Organizations/News

The Stake public affairs is asking for your help!

The Union Tribune has established an Internet site called sdbackyard.com, on which we can put articles. We need members and friends to go online to read and rate the articles and make comments. Please sign up on this web site with an e-mail address and a password to make a comment and rate the article. The articles that get the most interest or "hits" will run in the paper. There are 2 articles from Vista Stake at the present time, one titled the "Mormon Battalion has Ties20to Fallbrook and It's Residents" and "Vista Scout Troop 715 Rides Bikes Across California". Go to www.sdbackyard.com and register with an email address and password. Then, you can select "Vista" or Fallbrook" under the drop down menu for Community and find the articles about our Stake. If you have any questions you may call Sister Cole at 760-451-5070.

WARD ACTIVITIES

We are well into the New Year. February has come and gone, but not without a fun time at our tri-ward Valentines dance and social. We have some mighty talented couples in our ward. For those of you who missed our gala, you missed Sonny and Cher (The Sparkman's) and a group from the sixties showed up with their stringy long hair and tie-died clothes. (The Lowell's)

March is quickly approaching. This month we have our Stake Young Artist Festival on March 21 at 7:00. Mark your calendars and come see the talent of our youth in our ward as well as the stake.

Don't forget to watch our ward Sunday bulletin for upcoming activities!!

Missionary Update