Be Prudent and Conservative!

Many areas of the world have experienced difficult economic times. Businesses have failed, jobs have been lost, and investments have been jeopardized. We must make certain that those for whom we share responsibility do not go hungry or unclothed or unsheltered. When the priesthood of this Church works together as one in meeting these vexing conditions, near miracles take place."We urge all Latter-day Saints to be prudent in their planning, to be conservative in their living, and to avoid excessive or unnecessary debt. The financial affairs of the Church are being managed in this manner, for we are aware that your tithing and other contributions have not come without sacrifice and are sacred funds."Let us make our homes sanctuaries of righteousness, places of prayer, and abodes of love that we might merit the blessings that can come only from our Heavenly Father. We need His guidance in our daily lives." ~~Pres. Thomas S. Monson~~

Let us heed to the cousels of the prophet. Let us be Frugal and Save for our future use and during calamities and crisis like we have right now!

Scripture Study Outside the Box

How do we make family scripture study work in our daily lives? Reading at the dinner table or first thing in the morning have always been the standby suggestions, but new ideas can only help.

Sweet is the Word

The English family uses "Scripture Sweets" to encourage their children's enthusiasm for family study. Each night they have a treat as they read scriptures and pray. The children, ages 11 years to 10 months, gather happily.

The Mother of the family, Monica English, says, "They won't let us forget because they don't want to miss that treat." And the candies keep little fingers and mouths busy so the ears can listen. The best part, says Monica, is the spirit of enjoyment that now accompanies scripture study, even for the littlest toddlers.

MP-Triple Combination

And what about those of us always on the go? The Church offers the scripture free in MP3 format, downloadable to an iPod or other device, at lds.org (go to the "Gospel Library" link and then the "Audio" link). They also have audio files of Church magazines, conference talks, and gospel classics like Jesus the Christ. You can listen to them on the train, on the treadmill, or on the way to school or work.

Scriptures in My Inbox

According to the Pew Internet and American Life project, over half of Internet users check their e-mail at least once a day. Wouldn't it be nice if your scripture were in there, too? They can be. Readthescriptures.com is a free service that will help you set up a reading plan (such as, read a chapter a day, or finish by a certain date) and e-mail you the text of the scriptures you choose.

It even keeps track of your progress, and has room for online notes and journaling, if you like. Extended families can set up reading teams to read together and have e-mail discussions.

Scripture Skits

Allowing children to act out favorite scripture stories gets them into it. Preschoolers, teenagers, and even adults can enjoy playing their favorite heroes and heroines, and the dramatic focus puts their energy on likening the scriptures to themselves. How did Nephi feel when his father asked him to go to Jerusalem again? What would it be like to be Isaac or Abraham? Just a few simple props or costumes can get the ball rolling.

It can even be fun to videotape your scripture skits as part of your home movies. Although it's difficult to do a skit every night, it can be a family night activity that you plan as you read.

Manila Philippines Temple

This is where I received my endowment in January of 1990. It was witnessed by my one of my Best friends from church, and her name is Melissa from San Pedro, Laguna. It has been 20 years since I joined the Mormon church and been endowed for 18 years now. Joining the church is one of the best things that ever happened to me and one of the happiest days of my life as well. Manila, Philippines temple is the 29th operating temple in the world.

Location: 13 Temple Drive, Greenmeadows Subdivision, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Phone Number: (63) 2-635-0954.
Site: 3.5 acres.
Exterior Finish: Ceramic tile
Temple Design: Modern adaptation of six-spire design.
Number of Rooms: Four ordinance rooms and three sealing.
Total Floor Area: 26,683 square feet.
Announcement: 1 April 1981
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 25 August 1982 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Public Open House: 3–15 September 1984
Dedication: 25–27 September 1984 by Gordon B. Hinckley

Temple Locale
Standing on a hilltop that overlooks the Marikina Valley, the Manila Philippines Temple anchors a complex of Church buildings including a temple annex, a patron housing facility, a missionary training center, and area offices. The beautiful grounds, open to the public, are filled with majestic palm trees and lush, colorful vegetation.

Temple Facts
The Manila Philippines Temple was the first temple built in the Philippines and the second built in Asia.
The street where the Manila Philippines Temple is located was renamed to Temple Drive during the temple's construction.

A typhoon approached Manila the day before the groundbreaking of the Manila Philippines Temple, creating concern that would event would have to be postponed. At a mission conference that evening, a missionary prayed for the weather to cooperate so that the groundbreaking could continue. The typhoon changed direction that night, and the groundbreaking proceeded as planned.

Nearly 27,000 toured the interior of the Manila Philippines Temple during its 13-day open house held prior to its dedication.
The days prior to the dedication of the Manila Philippines Temples saw several natural disasters in the Philippines including two typhoons, the eruption of Mayon volcano on Bicol Peninsula, and an earthquake in northern Luzon. The temple remained unaffected.

The Manila Philippines Temple was dedicated in nine sessions by President Gordon B. Hinckley, Second Counselor in the First Presidency.

On Sunday, December 3, 1989, the grounds of the Manila Philippines Temple were overtaken as the last rebel stronghold in an attempted military coup to overthrow the government. A planned attack by royal troops that evening was miraculously called off. Nevertheless, prior conflict had left the patron housing facility extensively damaged, the temple annex with minor damage, and the temple proper unentered and unharmed except for a single bullet hole at the top of the highest spire. Six mortar or rocket shells had exploded on the grounds, some even passing between the spires.

LDS Temples Worldwide

Facts About LDS Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Temple Firsts

1. Through the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple, all temples had been built in the same state (or territory) as Church Headquarters: Ohio, Illinois, and Utah. The Laie Hawaii Temple was the first temple "brought to the people."

2. The Cardston Alberta Temple was the first temple constructed outside of the United States (its states and territories).

3. The Bern Switzerland Temple was the first temple constructed in Europe.

4. The Hamilton New Zealand Temple was the first temple constructed in the Southern Hemisphere.

5. The São Paulo Brazil Temple was the first temple constructed in South America.

6. The Tokyo Japan Temple was the first temple constructed in Asia.

7. The Johannesburg South Africa Temple was the first temple constructed in Africa.

8. The first temple to be built in a nation under Communist rule was the Freiberg Germany Temple.

9. The Ogden Utah Temple was the first temple dedicated in the state of Utah. (Utah gained statehood on January 4, 1896. Four temples—including the Salt Lake Temple—had already been dedicated in Utah Territory.)

10. The Mesa Arizona Temple was the first temple to present ordinances in a language other than English. The ordinances were administered in Spanish in 1945.

11. The Bern Switzerland Temple was the first temple to not have English as its predominant language.

12. Endowments for the dead were performed for the first time in the St. George Utah Temple.

13. The first temple constructed with the idea of using a film rather than live acting to present the endowment was the Bern Switzerland Temple.

14. The first completed "smaller-and-remote-area" temple of the Church as conceived by President Gordon B. Hinckley was the Monticello Utah Temple.

15. The Vernal Utah Temple was the first temple to be converted from an existing building.

16. The Cardston Alberta Temple was the first for which the First Presidency invited architects to submit their original designs. (All previous designs had been received by direct revelation.)

17. Elder Boyd K. Packer dedicated the Regina Saskatchewan Temple—the first 20th century temple to be dedicated by an apostle who was not a member of the First Presidency.

18. The St. Paul Minnesota Temple was the first temple dedicated in the year 2000.

19. On November 14, 1999, the Halifax Nova Scotia Temple and Regina Saskatchewan Temple became the first two temples dedicated on the same day.

20. The Logan Utah Temple was the first temple built with a progressive room scheme for presentation of the endowment.

St Patrick Wishes

May luck be our companion
May friends stand by our side
May history remind us all
Of Ireland's faith and pride.
May God bless us with happiness
May love and faith abide.

May your neighbors respect you,
Troubles neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And Heaven accept you.

May you have:
A world of wishes at your command
God and his angels close at hand
Friends and family their love impart,
And Irish blessings in you heart.

May God grant you many years to live,
For sure he must be knowing
The earth has angels all to few
And Heaven is overflowing.

No More Noble Work

No more sacred word exists in secular or holy writ than that of mother. There is no more noble work than that of a good and God-fearing mother.

The nurture of children is a monumental responsibility and a glorious one. President Ezra Taft Benson reminded us, "Motherly teaching takes time—lots of time.” Good mothering involves body, mind, and spirit. And because it does, each of us must choose how to spend our time in fulfilling this eternal responsibility. In the Doctrine and Covenants we are warned, "Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength.”

Sisters, focus on what you can do as a mother in the time that you have. Mothering does take lots of time, but you can't do everything. So, prayerfully consider your family's needs and personalities. Prioritize your tasks according to your circumstances. Then, attend to those needs as best you can in the time you have. Value your family time because it is priceless. Do the best you can. If you've honestly done your best, then don't feel guilty. Just thank Heavenly Father for your family and your opportunity to serve, nurture, enjoy, and teach them.

You may have to let go of some tasks in order to spend your time on what matters most. Here are a couple of pieces of homespun advice from anonymous sources. You may have heard them before.

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow,
For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow;
So quiet down cobwebs; dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby—and babies don't keep.

And this:

Cleaning the house
While the children are growing
Is like shoveling snow
While it's still snowing

Not every woman will marry. Not every woman will bear children. It is my sincere and heartfelt desire that those who are among that number are not hurt by all these comments about mothering and families. First, remember that all belong to a family. Second, mothering also can and must be done by aunts, sisters, cousins, and so on. We can strengthen families without being the mother.

Motherhood, a Noble Work

"Motherhood is the greatest potential influence either for good or ill in human life. The mother's image is the first that stamps itself on the unwritten page of the young child's mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security; her kiss, the first realization of affection; her sympathy and tenderness, the first assurance that there is love in the world.”

"Motherhood consists of three principal attributes or qualities: namely, (1) the power to bear, (2) the ability to rear, (3) the gift to love .... "This ability and willingness properly to rear children, the gift to love, and eagerness, yes, longing to express it in soul development, make motherhood the noblest office or calling in the world. She who can paint a masterpiece or write a book that will influence millions deserves the admiration and the plaudits of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose influence will be felt through generations to come, . . . deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God.”

~~ David O. McKay ~~

The Plan of Salvation

The Father is the author of the Plan of Salvation; Jesus Christ is its chief advocate; the Holy Spirit helps carry it out, communicating God's will to men and helping them live properly.

Latter-day Saints believe that eons ago, God, in his infinite wisdom and never-ending mercy, formulated a plan whereby his children could experience a physical existence, including mortality, and then return to live in his presence in eternal felicity and glory. This plan, alternately called "the Plan of Salvation" (Jarom 1:2; Alma 42:5; Moses 6:62), "the plan of redemption" (Jacob 6:8; Alma 12:25; 42:11), and the "great plan of happiness" (Alma 42:8), provided both the way and the means for everyone to receive salvation and gain eternal life. Eternal life is God's greatest gift to his children (D&C 6:13), and the Plan of Salvation is his way of making it available to them. Although the term "Plan of Salvation" is used repeatedly in latter-day scripture, it does not occur in the Bible, though the doctrines pertaining to it are discoverable in its pages.

The Pink Heart Tag

This lovely heart tag was shared to me by Iceah of Chicken Heart. Thank you, dear for this one :-); this is very inspiring and worth sharing. The heart tag comes along with some inspirational phrases we can reflect on. Please do this tag and give special time to reflect on the phrases.

Here it goes.....

The 10 commandments is not a multiple choice.

The mind is like a parachute; it only functions when it's open.

One thing you can give and still keep is your WORD.

You lie the loudest when you lie to yourself.

When you lack the courage to start, then you're already finished.

One thing you can't recycle is TIME.

The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.

The heaviest thing you can carry is GRUDGE.

Be kinder than just necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of a battle.

A sharp tongue can cut your own throat.

If you want to make your dreams come true, do not oversleep.

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

The best vitamin for making friends is B1 (to be one yourself).

The pursuit of happiness is a chase of a lifetime. It is 'never late to become what you might have been'.

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right...Forgive the one's who don't. "Believe everything happens for a reason". If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. "Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it".

Friends are like balloons, once you let them go you might not get them back. Sometimes we get so busy with our lives and problems that we may not even notice that we've let them fly away. Sometimes we are caught up with who's right or who's wrong. Sometimes we just don't realize what friendship means until it's too late. I don't want to let that happen so I'm gonna tie you to my heart so I'll never lose you.

LDS Temple Marriage, Forever

LDS Temple Marriage - We believe that marriage can be for etrnity and that family can be together forever. To find out more about Mormons, visit http://www.mormon.org.

Come unto Him in Prayer and Faith By President Thomas S. Monson

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” So spoke the wise Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.

Jacob, the brother of Nephi, declared, “Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith.”

In this dispensation, in a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord said, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”

This divinely inspired counsel comes to us today as crystal clear water to a parched earth.

A prominent American judge was asked what we as citizens of the countries of the world could do to reduce crime and disobedience to law and to bring peace and contentment into our lives and into our nations. He carefully replied, “I would suggest a return to the old-fashioned practice of family prayer.”

Strength in Prayer

As a people, aren’t we grateful that family prayer is not an out-of-date practice with us? There is no more beautiful sight in all this world than to see a family praying together. There is real meaning behind the oft-quoted “The family that prays together stays together.”

The Lord directed that we have family prayer when He said, “Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.”

Accepting His Invitation

If our desire is to discard all doubt and to substitute therefor an abiding faith, we have but to accept the invitation extended to you and to me in the Epistle of James:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

This promise motivated the young man Joseph Smith to seek God in prayer. He declared to us in his own words:

“At length I came to the conclusion that I … must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to ‘ask of God,’ concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

“So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. … It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.”

Faith in Action

Wherever we may be, our Heavenly Father can hear and answer the prayer offered in faith. This is especially true in the mission fields throughout the world. While presiding over the Canadian Mission, under the direction of President David O. McKay (1873–1970), Sister Monson and I had the opportunity of serving with some of the finest young men and women in all this world. The very lives of these young missionaries exemplified faith and prayer.