When you hear the word ministering how does that make you feel? Does it fill you with love as you recall memories of love and friendship or does it fill you with guilt for all the things you feel you can not do?

Most of the time when I ask a Sister about her ministering she sheepishly tells me I'm not very good at it. I know at times we all feel this way.  

Being in this calling I have been blessed to see a little bit more of all the ministering that happens. It is overwhelming for me to see and experience the love that you sisters give to your families, friends, neighbors, and strangers. 

I am touched and humbled by your kind acts of love. There is a lot of ministering going on in the Homestead Ward and neighborhood. I am so touched as I see Sisters reaching out and lifting one another. I love to sit back and watch you sisters wrap your arms around one another, help someone pack up their home, enjoy one another's company at a RS activity or during our Sunday meetings, sharing meals with one another, serving those in need, I see you walking together, talking together, playing pickleball together all of this is ministering.

Ministering is always on our minds as a Relief Society Presidency. We start every Presidency meeting discussing, praying and pondering about how we can better serve the Sisters in our ward. Also, who and what would be best for each sister in our ward.

As a Presidency we can't minister to each sister personally. That is why ministering is so important. Ministering means serving others as the Savior did.When we minister we represent the Lord. 

I recently heard this quote from Elder Neal A Maxwell from his talk at a BYU devotional titled Endure it Well:

When, for the moment, we ourselves are not being stretched on a particular cross, we ought to be at the foot of someone else’s—full of empathy and proffering spiritual refreshment.

I have had times in my life when I have been stretched. I didn't have the ability to help myself. I needed the help of my ministering sisters and Relief Society to help hold me up, guide me through rough patches, show me how to feel the love of the Lord, counsel with me about raising my children, learning how to search the scriptures, learning how to cook, inviting me to the Temple, giving me opportunities to share my testimony, helping me through the passing of my Mom, etc. Ministering has shaped my life. It has brought me closer to the Savior. As I prayed to my Heavenly Father over and over again I was blessed by acts of love and service provided by the sisters in my ward and neighborhood. Ministering has brought me so much joy. Whether it's me ministering or me being the one ministered to!

We have recently made many, many changes to our ministering assignments in our Relief Society. As we prayerfully prayed and thought about each sister by name we asked for guidance and understanding on how ministering could bless the sisters in our ward and in our neighborhoods. I hope whether your ministering companionships changed or stayed the same that you will feel the love that Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for each of you.

I hope ministering will bless your life. 

Much love,

Lisa Nokes

Spring is coming! As we start to enter springtime in Midway, I get excited. I see the snow slowly melting and bulbs that we planted in the fall peeking their leaves through the soil. I see the buds on the trees outside my window slowly coming to life. I again hear the birds singing, bugs crawling, bees buzzing and the clean smell of the fresh air.

The cold dark of winter is giving way to the brightness of Spring with its longer days full of sunshine and all the color (soon to be) popping up all around us.

We have been blessed to have our spirits renewed and restored with Stake Conference & the Relief Society Devotional this past  March. Last week we were able to celebrate Easter marking the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior. To remember that we will live again. We will again see those whom we miss so dearly. To be reminded of new beginnings, hope and peace. 

We now get the chance to watch and listen to General Conference on  April 6th & 7th.  

General conference provides an opportunity to receive personal revelation as general Church leaders give counsel and direction. “We encourage members to listen to, study, ponder and apply the counsel and direction given,” stated the First Presidency of the Church (letter to congregation leaders, March 7, 2024).

General Conference gives us an opportunity to build faith in the Living Christ. It helps us learn how we can find peace, hope, and joy through Jesus Christ. We learn how to strengthen our families as we follow Jesus Christ’s teachings and how to receive personal guidance and inspiration from God.

I hope something has helped light your testimony a little brighter these past few weeks. I hope YOU can feel Christ and Our Heavenly Father's love for you. I hope you can feel the love and concern that our Stake Presidency and local leaders so freely give.

I especially hope that you can feel of my love for you. Many times a day I think about you. I long to get to know you better. I look forward to anytime I get to spend with the sisters in our ward and in our neighborhood. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to serve and spend time in the Relief Society. I am blessed every time I am with you individually or as a group. I pray for each of you by name. I know who you are. I learn so much from your examples of Christlike service. I want to be better each time I see your examples, hear your words and see you continue day after day to seek for peace through our Savior. 

I hope our paths can cross soon. 

With Love, 

Lisa Nokes

“Ministering means serving others as the Savior did (see Matthew 20:26-28).  He loved, taught, prayed for, comforted, and blessed those around Him (see Acts 10:38).  As disciples of Jesus Christ, we seek to minister to God’s children.  Ministering is an important way we keep the commandments to love God and to love our neighbors (see Matthew 22:25-40).”   This is just a small part of the purpose of ministering as provided in the handbook which I reviewed recently in wanting to be a better minister and to prepare for our recent ministering interviews.  We also reviewed this section when counseling together as a Relief Society Presidency to make ministering assignments. 

The previous method of caring for others with the now-obsolete “Visiting Teaching” program was fairly prescriptive, and therefore easier to follow.  If you visited in the home and shared the message from the church magazine, it likely was determined to be sufficient or successful.   Since that program has been replaced with a higher and holier way of ministering, I often ask myself how I can do better.  And believe me, I can do better.  I even want to do better, but still I struggle.  Many of you are an inspiration to me of how you care for and love those you minister to.  I know some of you feel like I do, that you want to do better.  I took some time to re-read some of the original instruction given.  You might be inspired by doing the same.  Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from that review. 

Elder Bednar taught “Ministering is about becoming more dedicated and converted disciples of Jesus Christ who have the same heart and compassion as the Savior.  The Lord has invited us to progress to ministering to others in natural and normal ways out of love.  It is not about doing ministering.  It is about becoming a minster like Jesus Christ (Dec 2020).“  He  reminds us that love is the motivation and the Savior is our example.  I love that he includes the invitation to progress!   Wherever we are on this journey to become like the Savior, we can progress. 

Sister Jean Bingham provided many excellent examples of how to be a minister. “it looks like going for a walk, getting together for a game night, offering service, or even serving together.  It looks like visiting in person or talking on the phone or chatting online or texting.  It looks like delivering a birthday card and cheering at a soccer game.  It looks like sharing a scripture or quote from a conference talk that would be meaningful to that individual (April 2018).”  One sister in our ward shared the following with me during a recent ministering interview.  “We do all the things that friends do; we call, we text, we have lunch together.”  In short, ministering looks like being a friend.   The women of this ward are truly exceptional! We have so many opportunities to build friendships and to serve.  I am grateful for your examples of doing these very things.   With love for God and love for our neighbors as our motivation, and the Savior as the example, I know we can all enjoy the blessings of being ministers and of being ministered to. 

With love,

Sister Johnson

Happy New Year Sisters,

I love a new year! I love that it started on a Monday this year. I love the hope that a new chapter is just waiting to unfold. It's a great chance to start new, try again, build on what we have learned the past year, and repeat the goodness. 2024 gives us the added bonus of studying the Book of Mormon through Come Follow Me. 

As a Relief Society Presidency we started to discuss in November what we thought the theme for our 2024 Relief Society should be.  

Almost all together we each said "Think Celestial."  This talk was given by Our Prophet this past General Conference in October.

I like this talk because it can be very personal. Each of us can interpret these  powerful two words, in our own way, to draw closer to Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ while finding peace, comfort and joy in a very personal way.

We have many choices of how and what we each need to do to "Think Celestial." As I listen, study, read books and listen to talks, about Our Prophet President Russell M Nelson  I am always reminded of the hope President Nelson seems to so easily give.  He is a calming voice in a world of confusion.  

For example.. President Nelson said.....I have learned that Heavenly Father’s plan for us is fabulous, that what we do in this life really matters, and that the Savior’s Atonement is what makes our Father’s plan possible. 

The only way I have found to get through the trials and tribulations in this world is through Jesus Christ. Being yoked to Him.

Last year, like many of you, our family dealt with changes, challenges, and trials.  I had a family member tell me "It took me 3 years to work through and move past a particular trial which our family was dealing with.  At first I thought "oh no that long" but as I expanded my timetables and realized we have eternity to work on this I felt empowered and hopeful.

It goes along with how President Nelson explained it..."when you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement."

By far the biggest blessing I received last year was having a front row seat to all the "Celestial" thinking that goes on in our ward. One of the things I love most about my calling is visiting with and talking with sisters in their homes. Each time I enter a home of one of our sisters I leave feeling lifted up. 

I love getting to know you and hopefully building a friendship with one other. These relationships have helped support my counselors and I in our callings. Thank you for being a friendly face and so accepting as we try to strengthen our sisterhood.

I encourage you wherever you are on your path to the temple that you will seek to spend more time in the temple. More time on the temple grounds, more time studying and building your testimony of the great blessings that can only come through the power of serving our ancestores in the temple. As we get ready for our temple here in the Heber Valley I hope you can and will feel the spirit of those who have come before us and made it possible.

As President Nelson concludes ..."Spending more time in the temple builds faith. And your service and worship in the temple will help you to think celestial. The temple is a place of revelation. There you are shown how to progress toward a celestial life. There you are drawn closer to the Savior and given greater access to His power. There you are guided in solving the problems in your life, even your most perplexing problems.

I have a strong testimony of the power that comes when we make the temple more of a priority. I know God lives. I know striving to Think Celestial will change our lives.  I love each of you and look forward to spending more time strengthening one another.

Love

Lisa Nokes