Messages and Testimonies from the Seven Hills Ward Relief Society Presidency:
- Trisha Kikuchi, Secretary
As I reflect each day on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the words to the beautiful hymn “Savior, Redeemer of My Soul” come into my mind. How wonderful and comforting it is to know He lives and loves us all. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and for the precious gift of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
As you read the the enclosed words to this my favorite Hymn, may you find peace and comfort during these times of great tribulation.
“Savior, Redeemer of my soul,
Whose mighty hand hath made me whole,
Whose wondrous pow’r hath raised me up
And filled with sweet my bitter cup!
What tongue my gratitude can tell,
Oh gracious God of Israel.
Never can I repay thee Lord, But I can love thee.
Thy pure word, Hath it not been my one delight,
My joy by day, my dream by night?
Then let my lips proclaim it still,
And all my life reflect they will.
O’errule mine acts to serve thine ends.
Change frowning foes to smiling friends.
Chasten my soul till I shall be In perfect harmony with thee
Make me more worthy of thy love, And fit me for the life above.”
Text: Orson F. Whitney, LDS Hymnbook, #112
- Jitka Terry, Secretary
A few days ago, my husband and I were out riding our bikes, and as we approached a couple of women walking down the path, we called out “on your left” as you need to do to warn pedestrians that bikes are coming, and to alert them to move over. But instead of moving to the right side of the path, they split up, one to each side of the path. My husband successfully rode between them, but as I came within a few feet of them, the woman on the left turned and stepped back into the center of the path, nearly causing a serious accident for herself and for me on my bike. After I was able to calm my nerves and thought about it, I knew that Heavenly Father had protected both of us.
President Henry B. Eyring stated “You could ask yourself ‘How did God bless me today?’ If you do that long enough and with faith, you will find yourself remembering blessings. And sometimes, you will have gifts brought to your mind which you failed to notice during the day, but which you will then know were a touch of God’s hand in your life.”
I know and have faith that He protects us and watches over us all the time if we just ask. Subconsciously, we all exercise faith in small ways every day. For instance, when we turn on the hot water faucet, we have faith that hot water will run. Or when we turn the key in the ignition of our car, we have faith that the car will start. As we learn to exercise our faith, it becomes a regular part of our life in small and large ways. During this difficult time for the world and for our own community, I pray that we can develop the faith necessary to carry us through.
- Karen McCullough, Second Counselor
Being a new convert of only 3 years, I realized that I have had the love and support of the Church and Jesus Christ revealed to me like no other time in my life. With the deaths of my father and husband 3 months apart in 2019, I turned to the Book of Mormon for comfort. I continually remember the scripture of Alma 32:27:
"if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words,
and exercise a particle of faith, yea even if ye can no more than desire to believe,
let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place
for a portion of my words."
It goes on to compare the word to a seed that is planted in your heart, and if it is a good seed and you nourish it, with great faith and patience, this seed will sprout and grow. If you continue to nourish it, you will reap the rewards of your faith, which is everlasting life, the most precious fruit from the Tree of Life.
-Tyra Peterson, First Counselor
President Russell M. Nelson in the 2018 April conference encouraged us to follow the example of the Prophet Joseph Smith in prayer. "Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers and for comfort. Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses - yes, the very longings of your heart.”
In a BYU Devotional Elder Frischknecht said: “Of all the things we think we need to do in the morning, talking with our Heavenly Father is the first and most important. When the first thing we do each morning is to speak sincerely and humbly with our Father in Heaven, the rest of our day is more meaningful and inspired and productive. Because we have sought Him in prayer, early and first, we accomplish much more of what is important. Prayer opens a conduit through which the Holy Spirit can convey light, truth, knowledge, peace.”
President Thomas S. Monson affirmed that praying will "solve more problems, alleviate more suffering, prevent more transgression, and bring about greater peace and contentment in the human soul than could be obtained in any other way."
Throughout the scriptures, we are told to pray continually; to pray without ceasing; to pray morning, midday, and evening; and to counsel with the Lord in all our doings. God is our Eternal Father. He is the father of your spirit and my spirit. He knows each and every one of us. He discerns our thoughts. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. He knows our desires and goals. He loves us.
Quoting Elder Frischknecht again,“Every time we sincerely pray to the Father in the name of the Lord, a unique, sacred miracle occurs. The miracle is that you actually talked with God and that He in fact heard you and answered you. He is there. And perhaps, more than answering the urgent plea of the moment, which He seems well-pleased to do, His greatest desire is to give you reason to believe and be sure that He is there and He is your Father. He is generous and mindful of each one of us.”
Some time ago, my husband Gordon shared this quote with us from Elder Holland that fits with the thoughts I wanted to share with you. “God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.”
Let us each make prayer a very important part of every day. We have the time! I would like to end my thoughts today with this scripture which is very comforting as I think of my prayers with our Father each morning, night and all through the day with “my concerns, my fears, my weaknesses-yes, the very longings of my heart”: Mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst and ye cannot see me." Doctrine & Covenants 38:7
- Bronwyn McIntosh, Relief Society President
As a child I became acquainted with Jesus at about 8 years old. I had a challenging childhood as I bounced from house to house and home to home with my brother and sister. Over the next several years I learned many things about Him. I learned that He is my Savior, that I could rely on Him, and most important to me, that He loves me. Pretty soon I found that I just wanted to love Him.
Since I have been a member of His church now for a little over 30 years, I have learned much more about Jesus Christ as I have attended the Temple and made sacred covenants there. Temple service has become a very important part of my life. It has helped me to come closer to Jesus. I love the scripture in Isaiah Chapter 2 verse 3: “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways and we will walk in His paths...”
The temple has been closed for awhile and we haven’t been able to attend. I am grateful that I can hold the things I’ve learned there in my heart until the time I can go back and serve and continue to learn. Until then, I will find myself loving and relying on Jesus, who is my Savior, and trying to walk in His paths every day.
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