Because I Have Been Given Much

I am sitting here today cleaning and getting it all together as I am back from my trip to Haiti/Dominican Republic. I am waiting for my floor to dry so that I may continue to finish cleaning up around here and decided to play some church hymns. One night as I was out in the field among the people of Haiti I heard a hymn being sung in Creole. It was a familiar hymn and it brought me a feeling of peace as I listened to them sing with such sweet voices together.
I played a few hymns and turned to hymn # 219. I played and then read the words and felt so blessed to be able to give and grateful for my blessings and abundance. I asked the question to the others I traveled with as we looked out on the people at the area we were working. Why was I born where I was and not here? We all asked that question many times over the week as we looked around.
Because I have been given much, I too must give.
Because of thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live
I shall divide my gifts with thee
With every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me
Read this hymn and the visiting teaching message this month, Feb. ( Click on the handout to link to the full message.) Wow, is all I can say. We receive great counsel and we must heed it's message. I know from experience that this is important, this is how we need to structure our lives.
Have faith in the Savior—not just to do better but to be better.
I know It takes great faith to utter those simple word. My goal, my mantra: do not just do better, BE better!

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Soles 4 Soles

We will be collecting gently used shoes for men, women and children at each building until January 31st. All shoes donated must be clean and bound together by either tying them or in a clear zip lock. Since we are striving to keep it neat and orderly, we are asking all specialists to check on and collect the shoes when the bins get full -as to not have any overflow onto the floor.
Get the word out to everyone. The shoes will be delivered on January 31st to the Soles4Souls charity program sponsored by SportChalet. They are making an extra push for donations because of the crisis in Haiti .

Please spread the word to your ward members.

Thanks for your help. Sorry for the sudden notice!
Laurie

P.S. FYI Planning for another project involving assembling hygiene kits for Haiti is in the works...info coming your way soon. :)check out the pic of the hygeine kits to be put together.

Humanitarian Information for Haiti

SALT LAKE CITY 14 January 2010
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sending a team of doctors and medical supplies to Haiti immediately to help care for those injured by the devastating earthquake. The doctors will set up a temporary medical center in a Church meetinghouse in Port-au-Prince . The meetinghouse is largely undamaged by the quake.

Nate Leishman, manager of the Church’s humanitarian emergency response efforts describes aid being sent.

“We’re finding one of the greatest needs is medical care. Entire hospitals have been destroyed. Medical supplies are scarce. So this temporary medical center will be a tremendous asset,” said Elder Francisco J. Viñas, the area president who oversees the Church in Haiti .
The doctors are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have volunteered their time and skills to assist people in Haiti who are in critical need of medical assistance.
Other urgent needs following the devastating earthquake continue to be water, medical care, shelter and food. The Church is responding to those needs by sending relief supplies in addition to the medical personnel. Some shipments have already arrived, others are in process, and more are being planned.
Two planes, each loaded with 80,000 pounds of supplies donated by the Church, are expected to leave for Haiti on Saturday and Sunday. The supplies on the planes include 15,000 personal filtration bottles, which can each filter and purify 400 gallons of water. Also included in the shipments are food, blankets, hygiene kits, tarps, tents and other necessities. The first flight will leave from Denver on Saturday, 16 January, and the second will leave from Miami that day or the following day. Additionally, hygiene kits and other supplies sent from the Dominican Republic by truck arrived in Haiti on Thursday.
Some of the Church’s meetinghouses in Port-Au-Prince are also being used as temporary shelters for displaced persons.
“Normal daily activity has come to a stop in Haiti . Helping to restore normalcy in the midst of devastation will be our greatest goal. Our focus will be on helping people become self-reliant again.” said Elder Viñas.
The Church continues to monitor the humanitarian situation on an ongoing basis to determine how to best help. Donations for relief efforts can be made at http://give.lds.org/emergencyresponse.

Vancouver Temple

Wow, another dedication and Temple opening. This is near where I go to visit family on the West coast of Canada. I hope to get there around this time so I may attend the dedication or open house at least. Click here to check out the stats of this Temple.

Great Service Project Ideas!

Give a day and get a day. CLICK HERE to go to the link on Disney.com to read the information and sign up for a volunteer project and then get a ticket to Disneyland!

Just a Few Thoughts for 2010

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

5. Make time to pray.

6. Play more games

7. Read more books than you did in 2009.

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don't have negative thoughts on things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don't overdo. Keep your limits.

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake.

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..

18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:

25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything..

28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come..

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39. Your innermost is always happy. So, be happy.