Fwd: Jinqiao Branch Relief Society Bulletin June 7th

[Alena Budiman]

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   JUNE 7TH  2015 May’s fifth Sunday Combined Priesthood & Relief Society Lesson focused on planning for a wholesome  summer by including work, worship, and play in our family routines this summer.  We are encouraged to set goals for working together (service, or summer jobs), worshiping together (family home evening, family scripture study, family prayer), and playing together (whole some entertainment and recreation) in order to build our families.  What do you do in the summer time?  This column will remain at the beginning of the Relief Society Bulletin this summer to remind us to make these goals a priority.  If you have an idea to for a great activity you used in your family, please email me and I will include it in a future week’s bulletin.  This Week’s Lesson Summary: The Parable of the Sower  By Elder Dalin H. Oaks from April General Conference Becky’s lesson on Sunday focused on what we need to do to prepare our hearts to be the kind of soil in which the fruits of the gospel can flourish. What kind of soil is characteristic of our hearts? Dallin H. Oaks describes three different soils the Savior mentions in the parable. 1. Stony Ground, No Root Jesus explained that this describes those “who when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness,” but because "they have not root in themselves, …when afflictions or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.” What causes hearers to “have no root in themselves"? 2. Thorns: The Cares of the World and the Deceitfulness of Riches "Jesus taught that “some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit” He explained that these are “such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.  This is surely a warning to be heeded by all of us.”  What kinds of thorns do we have in our lives? What is one of your personal thorns? Thorns can be distractions, and worldly cares, as well as the love of money.  “We surrender to the pleasures of this life (1) when we are addicted, which impairs God’s precious gift of agency; (2) when we are beguiled by trivial distractions, which draw us away from the things of eternal importance; and (3) when we have an entitlement mentality, which impairs the personal growth necessary to qualify us for our eternal destiny. 3. Good Ground and Brought Forth Fruit  “The parable of the sower ends with the Savior’s description of the seed that fell into good ground and brought forth fruit in various measures.  How can we prepare ourselves to the that good ground and to have that good harvest? Read the Lesson   Scriptures Matthew 13:19 Mark 4:14 Luke 8:11 Mark 4:4 Mark 4:5–6 Mark 4:16–17 Mark 4:7 Mark 4:18–19 Mark 10:17–24 1 Timothy 6:10 Alma 4:8 Luke 8:14 Matthew 13:8 Colossians 2:6–7  Alma 5:12–14 Next Week’s Lesson:  Chapter 11: Follow the Living Prophet Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson "The most important prophet, so far as we are concerned, is the one who is living in our day and age." Read the Lesson in Advance    June Birthdays Becky Nicol 13th Lisa Peterson 21st Be sure to wish these sisters a happy birthday with a text or email.    Announcements Have a safe and happy summer.  I will try to continue sending out the bulletin this summer Thought for the week:  "Unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.” —President Thomas S. Monson More on LDS.ORG Study April 2015 General Conference   Visiting Teaching Be sure to report this month’s contacts and visits. We now have two Visiting Teaching Supervisors.  If you report to Victoria email your reports to her with this link:  Victoria Zungunde Call her or send a text to  136-7176-7402 The rest of the sisters email your reports to Norma Crosetto Call her or send a text to  186-2172-9760 June Visiting Teaching Message Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Virtue   Email a Missionary! Ryan Clark rnc...@myldsmail.net Jared Johnson jar...@myldsmail.net Dallen Peterson dallen....@mylds.net Jacob Dyer dyer....@myldsmail.net Nash Miller Jinqiao Branch Relief Society Anne Hayden President Becky Nicol 1st Counselor Camilla Sterri 2nd Counselor Alena Budiman Secretary Rather not receive it anymore?  Unsubscribe   Subscription Update Email Address    Share   gale...@gmail.com 418 Jinxiu Dong Lu #445 Willow Brook Pudong, Shanghai  China 200135