I just love spending time with my family, but REAL time not just time in the same room doing different things. You know what I’m saying! I struggle to know what I could be doing to strengthen our relationship with each other and therefore I set out to make a list because I need lots of ideas to choose from and because of course I do love lists. Sure, we are going to be together forever, but if my family doesn’t love spending time with me now, they sure wouldn’t want to be around me forever. Our family loves Disney’s Phineas and Ferb TV show. Our 3 year old son wakes up every morning and every afternoon from his nap and says, “Mom, what are we going to do today?” LOL. So I’m determined to making this summer a great time for our whole family. I started with a goal of 104 things to do for summer because of their theme song of “104 days of summer vacation,” but ended up with about 204. You really won’t be lacking on things to do. We don’t need to spend thousands to have a great time together.

I was of course inspired by the quote President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave in his October 2010 address titled, “Of things that Matter Most:”

We build deep and loving family relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinner and family home evening and by just having fun together. In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time. Taking time for each other is the key for harmony at home.

And for a more recent quote about “family time” we have President Boyd K. Packer‘s quote in his address titled “And a Little Child Shall Lead Them:”

“Husbands and wives should understand that their first calling—from which they will never be released—is to one another and then to their children.”

Read this over and over! “Family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected. We urge our members to show devotion to their families.”

Don’t you just love those! I can’t stress enough how you also must continue to DO the ESSENTIALS (Prayer, FHE, Scripture Study, Fasting, Temple Attendance) so that when you add these fun family things into your routine you will truly feel the joy that comes from family time and not just something you crossed off a fancy list. And because I personally can’t function without the essentials, I of course need to mention it. So, here’s my list, by no means is this ALL there is to do, you can always do so much more. Please, don’t feel overwhelmed you DON’T need to do all of them, let me repeat you DO NOT NEED to do all of it, just pick what works best with your family and schedules.

Download this Summer’s 200+ Family Activities Ideas Sheet:
Download this month’s Visiting Teaching 200 Family Summer Time Ideas List and give them to the sisters you Visit Teach, by clicking either the previous text link or the link images below. You can also laminate it and give it to them so they can keep it handy.

Instructions:
1. Download the PDF file above. Just right click to download.
2. Print in Color or Black and White on cardstock (so it lasts longer)
3. Laminate (so it lasts all summer!) and include a sharpie to check things off the list.
4. Give this to anyone and everyone and enjoy your time with your family!

NOTE: If you don’t understand an idea, since I could only put a short line of info, just search for it on Google.com or Pinterest.com you’ll find it! You’ll find details on exactly how to do some of them, not that you need full details because most are self explanatory. I made it as generic as possible, so it won’t say Disney but it says Theme Park and it doesn’t say Hike Mt. Timpanogos, but says Hike a Mountain, this is to help you apply it to your surroundings.

Print Text from LDS.org | English PDF, Spanish PDF, Portuguese PDF | Listen to MP3, Escuchar, Ouvir

Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

Visiting Teaching—a Sacred Assignment

As visiting teachers, we have an important spiritual mission to fulfill. “The bishop, who is the ordained shepherd of the ward, cannot possibly watch over all of the Lord’s sheep at one time. He is dependent on inspired visiting teachers to help him.”¹ Seeking and receiving revelation as to who should be assigned to watch over each sister is essential.

Inspiration begins as members of the Relief Society presidency prayerfully discuss the needs of individuals and families. Then, with the bishop’s approval, the Relief Society presidency gives the assignment in a way that helps sisters understand that visiting teaching is an important spiritual responsibility.²

Visiting teachers sincerely come to know and love each sister, help her strengthen her faith, and give service when needed. They seek personal inspiration to know how to respond to the spiritual and temporal needs of each sister they visit.³

“Visiting teaching becomes the Lord’s work when our focus is on people rather than percentages. In reality, visiting teaching is never finished. It is more a way of life than a task.”⁴

Print PDF Articles & Messages: English, Spanish, Portuguese

Listen or Watch General Conference Online: English, Spanish, Portuguese

34 of Linda’s Favorite Quotes!

Some of my favorite quotes from April 2012′s General Conference which you’ll find in this month’s Ensign/Liahona are the following. They are not in any specific order. I have more but it’s super late and I just want to post this so you sisters will have them to share with the sisters you Visit Teach ONTIME and even let your husbands know because they can use these too.  Enjoy & uplift!

1. “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.” – quoted by, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (from a bumper sticker he read)
2. “We are not diminished when someone else is added upon.” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
3. “Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary? The likelihood is most remote, but if so it could never heal its own torn pages, or reproduce its own newer editions!” -Elder Russell M. Nelson
4. “If you come upon a person who is drowning, would you ask if they need help, or would it be better to just jump in and save him from the deepening waters – the offer whilst well-meaning and often given ‘let me know if I can help?’ is really no help at all.” – Elder Ronald A. Rasband
5. “Wonderful, glorious things are in store for you, if only you will believe, obey and endure.” – President Thomas S. Monson
6. “A sense of humor is an escape valve for the pressures of life.” -Elder Richard G. Scott
7. “In the Kingdom of God there are no second-class citizens.” – Elder David S. Baxter
8. “Acting on even a twig of faith, allows God to grow it.” – President Henry B. Eyring
9. “Envy is… Downing another quart of pickle juice anytime anyone around you has a happy moment!” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
10. “Lesson number one from the Lord’s vineyard: coveting, pouting, or tearing others down does not elevate your standing, nor does demeaning someone else improve your self-image. So be kind, and be grateful that God is kind. It is a happy way to live.” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
11. ‘You can’t be right by doing wrong, and you can’t be wrong by doing right.’ quoted by: -Ulisses Soares (from an old adage, President Thomas S. Monson frequently quotes this one)
12. “…while you cannot change the past, you can shape the future.” – Elder David S. Baxter
13. “What thinks Christ of me? …love Him, trust Him, believe Him, and follow Him, you will feel His love and approval.” – Elder Neil L. Andersen
14. “Are you a Mormon?  If not, you should be!” – Elder L. Tom Perry
15. “Relief Society is not a program. It is an official part of the Lord’s Church…it is a way of life for Latter-day Saint women” – Sis. Julie B. Beck
16. Speaking of the gospel President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “The WHAT informs, but the WHY transforms.” (from Priesthood Session)
17. “It’s never too late to strengthen the foundation of faith.” – President Henry B. Eyring
18. “Persistence is the answer, and a sense of humor helps.” – Elder Quintin L. Cook
19. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: Stop it! – President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
20. “Be worthy to enter the temple now. Put on your “shiney”! -  Sis. Elaine S. Dalton
21. “Don’t hyperventilate about something that happened at 9 o’clock in the morning.” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
22. “Seek heavenly guidance one day at a time. Life by the yard is hard; by the inch, it’s a cinch.” – President Thomas S. Monson (General YW Session)
23. “His Spirit guides; his love assures that fear departs when faith endures.” – Elder Quentin L. Cook
24. “There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from the home… There is no happiness without service, and there is no service greater than that which converts the home into a divine institution, and which promotes and preserves family life…The home is what needs reforming.” -Elder M. Russell Ballard – quoting Joseph F. Smith
25. “…be in tune with the sacred music of faith.” – Elder Quentin L. Cook
26. “Worthiness and willingness…—are the qualifications for priesthood ordination.” – Elder David A. Bednar
27. Speaking of the Priesthood – “Ordination confers authority, but righteousness is required to act with power as we strive to lift souls, to teach and testify, to bless and counsel, and to advance the work of salvation.” – Elder David A. Bednar
28. “One of the great discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children than we ever did from our parents.” – President Boyd K. Packer
29. “What we are speaks so loudly that our children may not hear what we say.” – Elder Quentin L. Cook
30. “Family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected.” – President Boyd K. Packer
31. “Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail but to succeed gloriously.” – Elder Richard G. Scott
32. “Rarely will you be able to spend as much time dedicated to learning as you can now.” – Sis. Mary N. Cook
33. “wise parents prepare their children to get along without them…ultimately children need to depend upon the Lord, not their parents.” – Elder Larry Wilson
34. “If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world.” – Sis. Elaine S. Dalton

Print Text from LDS.org | English PDF, Spanish PDF, Portuguese PDF | Listen to MP3, Escuchar, Ouvir

Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

Love, Watch Over, and Strengthen

Like the Savior, visiting teachers minister one by one (see 3 Nephi 11:15). We know we are successful in our ministering as visiting teachers when our sisters can say:

(1) my visiting teacher helps me grow spiritually;

(2) I know my visiting teacher cares deeply about me and my family; and

(3) if I have problems, I know my visiting teacher will take action without waiting to be asked.¹

How can we as visiting teachers love, watch over, and strengthen a sister? Following are nine suggestions found in chapter 7 of Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society to help visiting teachers minister to their sisters:

• Pray daily for her and her family.
• Seek inspiration to know her and her family.
• Visit her regularly to learn how she is doing and to comfort and strengthen her.
• Stay in frequent contact through visits, phone calls, letters, e-mail, text messages, and simple acts of kindness.
• Greet her at Church meetings.
• Help her when she has an emergency, illness, or other urgent need.
• Teach her the gospel from the scriptures and the Visiting Teaching Messages.
• Inspire her by setting a good example.
• Report to a Relief Society leader about their service and the sister’s spiritual and temporal well-being.

Print Text from LDS.org | English PDF, Spanish PDF, Portuguese PDF | Listen to MP3, Escuchar, Ouvir

Study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

Daughters in My Kingdom

We are daughters of our Father in Heaven. He knows us, loves us, and has a plan for us. Part of that plan includes coming to earth to learn to choose good over evil. When we choose to keep God’s commandments, we honor Him and acknowledge our identity as daughters of God. Relief Society helps us remember this divine heritage.

Relief Society and its history strengthen and support us. Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president, said: “As daughters of God, you are preparing for eternal designations, and each of you has a female identity, nature, and responsibility. The success of families, communities, this Church, and the precious plan of salvation is dependent on your faithfulness. … [Our Heavenly Father] intended Relief Society to help build His people and prepare them for the blessings of the temple. He established [Relief Society] to align His daughters with His work and to enlist their help in building His kingdom and strengthening the homes of Zion.”¹

Our Father in Heaven has given us specific work to help build His Kingdom. He has also blessed us with the spiritual gifts we need to accomplish this specific work. Through Relief Society, we have opportunities to use our gifts to strengthen families, help those in need, and learn how to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said of discipleship: “By patiently walking in the path of discipleship, we demonstrate to ourselves the measure of our faith and our willingness to accept God’s will rather than ours.”²

Let us remember we are daughters of God and strive to live as His disciples. As we do so, we will help build God’s kingdom here on earth and become worthy to return to His presence.

From the Scriptures

Zechariah 2:10; “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.”
Doctrine and Covenants 25:1, 10, 16;
1 Hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, while I speak unto you, Emma Smith, my daughter; for verily I say unto you, all those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom.
10 And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.
16 And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my voice unto all. Amen.
Doctrine and Covenants 138:38–39, 56;
38 Among the great and mighty ones who were assembled in this vast congregation of the righteous were Father Adam, the Ancient of Days and father of all,
39 And our glorious Mother Eve, with many of her faithful daughters who had lived through the ages and worshiped the true and living God.
56 Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.
“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2010, 129). Free PDF download.

From Our History

On April 28, 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith said to the sisters in Relief Society: “You are now placed in a situation in which you can act according to those sympathies which God has planted in [you]. … If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.”³

Recognizing the power of Relief Society to serve others and to help individuals increase in faith, Zina D. H. Young, third Relief Society general president, promised the sisters in 1893, “If you will dig in the depths of your own hearts you will find, with the aid of the Spirit of the Lord, the pearl of great price, the testimony of this work.”⁴

What Can I Do?

1. How can I help my sisters reach their potential as daughters of God?
2. How can I apply in my life the counsel and warnings given to women in Doctrine and Covenants 25?

For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

Notes

1. Julie B. Beck, “‘Daughters in My Kingdom’: The History and Work of Relief Society,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2010, 112, 114.
2. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Way of the Disciple,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2009, 76.
3. Joseph Smith, in History of the Church, 4:605.
4. Zina D. H. Young, “How I Gained My Testimony of the Truth,” Young Woman’s Journal, Apr. 1893, 319.

I used to be afraid of sharing the caring, just report if I visited or not. But I have learned that our Visiting Teaching Supervisors, Relief Society Presidents and Bishops want to know you’re caring for your sisters. They want the details! This is not an assignment of secret charity, save those for other peeps. This is our assignment from the Lord, where we can do a lot and brag about all of the service we’ve done to our VT supervisors because they need the info and they want to praise us for caring about our dear sisters. Of course still be humble and always be willing to improve. They want to know HOW sisters you visit are feeling of the Saviors love. So let’s not be afraid and go all out! The Savior loves us and our Supervisors have been called to share His love for us as we report our caring through Visiting Teaching.

I went to my favorite place to download some cute digital products LetteringDelights.com. I used a couple of different digital products. You take the Cupcake for the Cupcakes and DB Hello Cupcake DoodleBat Font for the black and white version, LD Cursive Font for the font, Cup Cake Celebration for the frame and Dress Up Paper Dolls for the gal’s head shot silhouette.

Title: My Super Sweet Supervisor (Font used LD Cursive Font)
To fill in: supervisor’s name, address, phone & cell phone, option if you receive texts, then put your email address. Picture can be glued on top after printing or added using a photo editing software.
Then says: “Reporting our Visiting Teaching is a piece of cake!”

SPECIAL NOTE: If you’re not a Visiting Teaching Supervisor yet, you won’t need to download this free printable. This is for all of the Visiting Teaching Supervisors, Visiting Teaching Coordinators or Relief Society Presidencies who want to help the sisters of their ward know who to call to report their Visiting Teaching. Print it and fill it out with the Supervisors Information and pass out to the sisters in her district maybe even with a cupcake! If you know how to use photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Elements then you can add text before you print it and even add your picture in the circle provided. Otherwise there is just a blonde silhouette of a gal in it’s place.

Supervisors, I created 2 different designs for you! 1 in color which you can print at your favorite photo place and a black and white one which you can print from home on cardstock and cut out and pass out with a cupcake!

Color: 4×6 (click to enlarge and save file. Sized for photo printing on matte photo paper. No cutting necessary!)

Black & White: 3-up – 4×6 (8.5×11 size to print at home or your local copy shop on cardstock)

Instructions:
1. Download the 4×6 JPG file or the PDF file. Just click to enlarge and then right click to download.
2. [Optional] You can open the JPG or PDF and edit them using Photoshop if you want to add text or pictures to them before printing. If you are not familiar with that, you can do a search online and learn, sorry this site is to help you with Visiting Teaching only. You can also just print them and then write on them with a fine tip sharpie and pass them out. You can then glue your pic on them too. Works just as good!
3. Upload the JPG to your favorite online photo printing store or print the PDF at home with black ink on cardstock.
4. Cut them out on the dotted lines if you’re printing the Black and White version, each card should be 4×6 or if you downloaded the individual JPG just print it and it’s ready to go.
5. Write your info, glue a pic of yourself if desired and give to the sisters in your Visiting Teaching District! and I’ve already suggested it but seriously how cute to pass this out with a cupcake! Maybe I’m suggesting it because I want one right now.

Print Text from LDS.org | English PDF, Spanish PDF, Portuguese PDF | Listen to MP3

Study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

“You are the guardians of the hearth,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) as he introduced “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” in the general Relief Society meeting in 1995. “You are the bearers of the children. You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives. No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God.”1

For almost 17 years now this proclamation has reinforced that our most significant responsibilities are centered in strengthening families and homes—no matter our current circumstances. Barbara Thompson, now second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, was in the Salt Lake Tabernacle when President Hinckley first read the proclamation. “That was a great occasion,” she remembers. “I felt the significance of the message. I also found myself thinking, ‘This is a great guide for parents. It is also a big responsibility for parents.’ I thought for a moment that it really didn’t pertain too much to me since I wasn’t married and didn’t have any children. But almost as quickly I thought, ‘But it does pertain to me. I am a member of a family. I am a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, a niece, and a granddaughter. I do have responsibilities—and blessings—because I am a member of a family. Even if I were the only living member of my family, I am still a member of God’s family, and I have a responsibility to help strengthen other families.’”

Fortunately, we are not left alone in our efforts. “The greatest help,” says Sister Thompson, “we will have in strengthening families is to know and follow the doctrines of Christ and rely on Him to help us.”2

From the Scriptures

Proverbs 22:6; Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

1 Nephi 1:1; I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.

2 Nephi 25:26; And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Alma 56:46–48;

46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

Doctrine and Covenants 93:40 – But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.

From Our History

“When Sister Bathsheba W. Smith served as the fourth Relief Society general president [from 1901 to 1910], she saw a need to strengthen families, and so she established mother education lessons for Relief Society sisters. The lessons included counsel on marriage, prenatal care, and child rearing. These lessons supported President Joseph F. Smith’s teachings about the Relief Society helping women in their roles at home:

“‘Wherever there is ignorance or at least a lack of understanding in regard to the family, duties of the family, with regard to obligations that should exist and that do rightfully exist between husband and wife and between parents and children, there this organization exists or is near at hand, and by the natural endowments and inspiration that belongs to the organization they are prepared and ready to impart instruction with reference to those important duties.’”3

What Can I Do?

Notes

1. Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 101.
2. Barbara Thompson, “I Will Strengthen Thee; I Will Help Thee,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2007, 117.
3. Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 153.

Here’s what she says: “The importance of this month’s visiting teaching message is very real to me. I gave birth to my third son this week and while caring for that little angel, I know of the importance of a woman’s work here on Earth. Even if we do not have children of our own, we still belong to a family, an eternal family, that we can nurture and bring unto Christ.”

Visit Telisa’s blog site, she has way too much energy for a mommy of 3 boys under 3 and she makes some pretty cute and crafty things. Definitely a bunch worth pinning for later!

“You are the bearers of the children. You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives. No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God.” – President Gordon B. Hinckley

“Even if I were the only living member of my family, I am still a member of God’s family, and I have a responsibility to help strengthen other families. Fortunately, we are not left alone in our efforts. “The greatest help, we will have in strengthening families is to know and follow the doctrines of Christ and rely on Him to help us.” – Sister Barbara Thompson

Here’s what she says about this month’s message: “I really like this months message because it reminds us the importance of womanhood. It is something I need to be reminded of everyday with a crazy busy life that we all have.  It is nice to sit back and take a look and realize I am important and I have a purpose.”

Kassidy used a quote from President Hinckley:

“You are the guardians of the hearth,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) as he introduced “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” in the general Relief Society meeting in 1995. “You are the bearers of the children. You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives. No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God.”

Download the February’s 2012 Visiting Teaching 4×6 Postcard:
Download this month’s Visiting Teaching Postcard by Sugar Tot Designs and give them to the sisters you Visiting Teach, by clicking either the previous text link or the link images below.

Instructions:
1. Download the 4×6 JPG above or the 2-up PDF.
2. Print the PDF in Color at home or the JPG at your favorite photo printing store. (i.e. costco, walmart, etc..) Make sure they don’t change the size for the image because it’s exactly 4×6, you should not have any white on the sides.
3. Cut them out.
4. Write a message on the back if desired.
5. Gift it to the sisters you Visit Teach and include a copy of the whole message so the sisters can read it too.

Kassidy knows sometimes both time & money are scarce, so if you’d like to save some cash and have your Visiting teaching Handouts ready to go when you are this month she is giving you %15 off your WHOLE purchase. If you’re a Visiting teacher of course!  Just use the code: VISITTEACH and you will receive 15% on their entire purchase from her shoppe. BowPeepCreations.com. website no longer exists

Kassidy used a quote from President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency:

“Charity [means] far more than a feeling of benevolence,” taught President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency. “Charity is born of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and is an effect of His Atonement.” For Relief Society sisters, visiting teaching can be charity in action, an important way to exercise our faith in the Savior.

After I saw her printable I totally wanted to throw a CIA or “Charity in Action” party with that cute bunting banner. oooo I think I do like that title, CIA workshop. So many ideas flowing there! Anyways…that’s just me brainstorming. You can ignore my ranting.

Download VT Printable Sheet:
Download this 4.5×6 JPG here or by clicking the image below to download the PDF.

Instructions:
1. Download the 4.5×6 JPG or the 2-up PDF.
2. Print the PDF in Color at home or the JPG at your favorite photo printing store. (i.e. costco, walmart, etc..) Make sure to reduce the image to fit the 4×6, you will have white on the sides.
3. Cut them out.
4. Write a message on the back if desired.
5. Gift it to the sisters you Visit Teach and include a copy of the whole talk so the sisters can read it.

She has one of the most darling Visiting Teaching Kits she is selling on her site if you’d rather let her do all the work for ya. She is even including a free Contact Card which she will edit for you and include you and your companion’s info on it.