the cutest kids on the block

here's a cute snap from after church yesterday... we are just days away from school and this cute little boy is about to go to kindy. can he handle it? can i handle it? only time will tell, but we are all very excited!

visiting teaching changes 2018

we'll be having a relief society "lesson" in the new format: the council meeting, on the first sunday in february. we constantly have questions and concerns about visiting teaching and being that the format of that has also changed we thought we would use our first one to discuss it.

there will no longer be a prepared message from the ensign for you to use each month when visiting. the new idea is to simply “do what she needs.”

sister bingham, relief society general president told the church news, “We want to help sisters understand how to really care for and strengthen each sister.” “The Church handbook doesn’t talk about our responsibilities to teach a lesson. It talks about how ‘visiting teachers sincerely come to know and love each sister, help her strengthen her faith and give service. Visiting teachers seek personal inspiration to know how to respond to the spiritual and temporal needs of each sister they are assigned to visit.” The changes are meant to help visiting teachers look beyond a universal prepared message and figure out what the sister they visit personally needs. “What are we supposed to do?” asked Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency. “Do what she needs.”

and thanks to the internet (once again) i even found this amazing hand out to give to the sisters in the lds relief society presidencies facebook page. thank heavens for the internet! it certainly makes lesson planning easier. here's hoping it all goes well! 

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update: late feb 2018

we had our council meeting, which went so well. i began with a few little readings, (it was our first one as our january one was taken up with a special pacific area wide lesson, so i thought it best to ease into it) then asked the following questions, we had to cut time at the end, because people had so much to say. phew! 

Sister Bingham, Relief Society General President told the church news, “We want to help sisters understand how to really care for and strengthen each sister.” “The Church handbook doesn’t talk about our responsibilities to teach a lesson. It talks about how ‘visiting teachers sincerely come to know and love each sister, help her strengthen her faith and give service. Visiting teachers seek personal inspiration to know how to respond to the spiritual and temporal needs of each sister they are assigned to visit.” The changes are meant to help visiting teachers look beyond a universal prepared message and figure out what the sister they visit personally needs. “What are we supposed to do?” asked Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency. “Do what she needs.”

Close your eyes and raise your hands... this will be completely anonymous, only I will know how you have answered

Who LIKES VTing?

Who likes being VTaught?

Who DISLIKES VTing?

Who DISLIKES being VTaught?

I have had a few questions regarding visiting teaching... so I’m going to do a quick Q&A. If you asked these questions, don’t worry, I’m keeping this anonymous too. 

1. Are we still required to visit Sisters in their homes? 

YES! We would encourage you to visit in your sisters homes at LEAST once a quarter. If you can visit monthly, that’s great! If you can’t, that’s okay too. Some of you are able to visit more often, we love you for it.

2. Is any form of contact counted? 

YES! The new way of visiting teaching as of Jan 1st this year was to “BE WHAT SHE NEEDS.” If your sisters need a cuddle hand one over. If you feel like they need a night off of cooking? Do that! Passing and saying “hi how are you?” in the hallway is a nice thing to do, but is it helping you know their needs and how you can personally ease their burdens? Get to know them away from the noise, in a quiet secluded space is the best way to do so.

3. Do I NEED to report my visiting teaching? 

YES YES YES A MILLION TIMES YES. This is how we know which sisters are being contacted and who we need to be aware of. Let us know your sisters needs PLEASE! Tell us what we can do to help, what they need, anything that concerns you, we are here to help. You can also tells us random facts like what their favourite colour is, how many pairs of shoes they own, what their cats name is... I’m interested. I actually know quite a lot of people’s pets names. 

4. Do I HAVE to cook for them? (Okay for your amusement, this person then asked who Kate and Valerie visit teach (well known excellent cooks in our ward). Asking for a friend of course...) Absolutely NOT. But if you’re a good cook, it is always appreciated! No one ever took offence from a lovingly baked treat

BE WHAT SHE NEEDS. But please don’t forget that the visiting teaching program is inspired! You might not think you are suited for the round, area, Sister (even companion!!!) you have, but a lot of prayer (AND even more juggling!) goes into getting these rounds right over and over again. 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do your visiting teaching. Don’t treat it as a chore, or something you need to check off. Get to know your sisters... and you’ll love them more than you know! 

The most important thing you need to remember is DO WHAT YOU CAN!

• What motivates you to VT?
• What stops you from doing your VT?
• What are some creative ways we can VT? There are so many ways you can do your visiting teaching! (take a walk together, meet for a hot chocolate, see a movie, text each other, write an email, send them an uplifting talk or video via the Internet, let them know you miss them when they aren’t around, send them some notes from the Sunday lesson they may have missed and/or keep an extra handout, call them after church! Plus I found this idea online and thought it was perfect: I wanted to share what I asked my VT to do for me when I was in the middle of a very busy “season” in my life & I rarely had time for visits. I asked each of them to prayerfully select a conference talk for me and email it - then I could read it when I had time and I could be spiritually fed. It worked great for me - maybe this will work for some of your sisters.

• How is visiting teaching a two-way street?
• What’s the best thing a VT ever did for you?
• What do you wish a VT had done for you?
• What things keep us from serving and seeking out others needs? What can we change to fix this?
• What does it mean to minister?
• How do we stop worrying about what “counts” in VTing and focus on what the sister needs?
• I know that RS is trying to get away from what “counts” in VTing, but what do we report?

school ready

it's school time in just 8 days (but who's counting, oh me for sure! my kids are squabbling and it is time...) and i am ready to go! mum came over for the day and whipped up a library bag for joseph, cars of course. 

finished an art smock for madeline...

and then made a new library bag for madeline (she's over the frozen one that poor mum made and then hand embroidered her name into last year. sigh)

i spent the day labelling pencils and books and packing everything ready to go for next week and i am pleased to report that we are done and dusted.

now to work out how i'll cope with my baby at school next year. thank goodness it's only five days a fortnight. i don't know what i'd do with myself otherwise! i'll let you know how we go! 

fremantle (+ lapa brazilian bbq)

i have rambled in many past posts about how much i love fremantle. the ocean, the old streets... and most of all the old buildings. we went to dinner in fremantle tonight with some old friends, who are over visiting from sydney, so after we parked, my poor husband had to deal with watching me take photos of building after building as we wandered up to the restaurant.

seriously, how beautiful is this place!

we tried lapa brazilian bbq for the first time and man was i impressed! the food was so authentic and i can certainly see why, all the staff are brazilian too, so they obviously know what they are doing! it's a wide range of perfectly bbq-ed meat plus sides... and they even had my favourite drink, guarana antartica. so happy! (for those who came in late, i lived in brazil for a year, so i certainly know how it's all spoosed to taste!) plus it was all you can eat, so my meat loving husband was in heaven! seriously though, it's so worth a try, i know for sure we will definitely go back!

more photos on the way back to the car... 

maybe one day when i win lotto (haha you have to buy it to win it...) i'll get us a house here,

because fremantle is a little piece of heaven on earth ♥

we thank thee o god for a prophet

at midnight last night, we were blessed to be able to watch a love broadcast in which the new first presidency of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints was announced. our seventeenth president of the church will be russell m. nelson, with dallin h. oaks and henry b. eyring as his counselors.

having grown up in the church, i have listened to these men speak all my life and i know they will serve the lord with all their hearts. what really got me though, was the final words of newly called president nelsons testimony. "i declare my devotion to god our eternal father, and to his son, jesus christ. i know them, love them, and pledge to serve them - and you - with every remaining breath of my life." what a truly inspired man who i know will lead our church to do amazing things in these latter days.

this morning i awoke to see a post from a very close friend on a facebook group we are both in. tears sprung to my eyes, as i read something truly beautiful:

"sisters my heart is so full and i thought that i would share

i knew that president nelson was an accomplished cardiac surgeon. perhaps i've been living under a rock but i've only just discovered that he pioneered the technology and procedures that more recently saved my daughter's life. even though we live literally on the complete opposite side of the globe from him his influence has already made such a profound impact on our family.

but it's not just our family who has been blessed by his talent in his field. his accomplishments have a direct impact on every child with congenital heart disease or person who has an open heart surgery procedure. perhaps some might think this sounds a bit silly but i don't think that it's a coincidence that right now, at a time when mens hearts are failing them that the lord has prepared a man to lead his church who literally repairs hearts. i can not wait to learn more from this great man."

in april 2003 president nelson spoke about how the lord helped him do the first tricuspid valve repairs (this is one of the repairs my dear friends daughter needed during her surgery. when i shared my appreciation for her comments, she then forwarded a portion of the above linked talk to me)

Many of us have had experiences with the sweet power of prayer. One of mine was shared with a stake patriarch from southern Utah. I first met him in my medical office more than 40 years ago, during the early pioneering days of surgery of the heart. This saintly soul suffered much because of a failing heart. He pleaded for help, thinking that his condition resulted from a damaged but repairable valve in his heart.

Extensive evaluation revealed that he had two faulty valves. While one could be helped surgically, the other could not. Thus, an operation was not advised. He received this news with deep disappointment.

Subsequent visits ended with the same advice. Finally, in desperation, he spoke to me with considerable emotion: “Dr. Nelson, I have prayed for help and have been directed to you. The Lord will not reveal to me how to repair that second valve, but He can reveal it to you. Your mind is so prepared. If you will operate upon me, the Lord will make it known to you what to do. Please perform the operation that I need, and pray for the help that you need.”

His great faith had a profound effect upon me. How could I turn him away again? Following a fervent prayer together, I agreed to try. In preparing for that fateful day, I prayed over and over again, but still did not know what to do for his leaking tricuspid valve. Even as the operation commenced, my assistant asked, “What are you going to do for that?”

I said, “I do not know.”

We began the operation. After relieving the obstruction of the first valve,we exposed the second valve. We found it to be intact but so badly dilated that it could no longer function as it should. While examining this valve, a message was distinctly impressed upon my mind: Reduce the circumference of the ring. I announced that message to my assistant. “The valve tissue will be sufficient if we can effectively reduce the ring toward its normal size.”

But how? We could not apply a belt as one would use to tighten the waist of oversized trousers. We could not squeeze with a strap as one would cinch a saddle on a horse. Then a picture came vividly to my mind, showing how stitches could be placed—to make a pleat here and a tuck there—to accomplish the desired objective. I still remember that mental image—complete with dotted lines where sutures should be placed. The repair was completed as diagrammed in my mind. We tested the valve and found the leak to be reduced remarkably. My assistant said, “It’s a miracle.”

I responded, “It’s an answer to prayer.”

The patient’s recovery was rapid and his relief gratifying. Not only was he helped in a marvelous way, but surgical help for other people with similar problems had become a possibility. I take no credit. Praise goes to this faithful patriarch and to God, who answered our prayers.

i feel as though she has made the most perfect statement as to why president nelson has been called to lead the lords church. i truly hope that men (and women) all over the world allow their hearts to be mended by this wonderful man.

president nelson, i sustain you with all of my heart. ♥

_________________________________________

later today, i also stumbled across an article from gregtimble.com which included the following:

Speaking of hearts… it’s interesting that you’ve been called to serve as the prophet of the church at this time. Your entire life has revolved around fixing other people’s hearts. Literally. You performed the first successful cardiac operation in Utah and are known around the world as being one of the most important pioneers in the field of cardiology. You repaired a bad heart valve and saved the life of previous prophet and president of the church, Spencer W. Kimball. You know hearts… maybe better than anyone on this earth. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I don’t think so for a minute. Consider the symbolism and imagery involved as we live in a day in which the Lord states that “the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them.” You just happen to find yourself positioned in these last days to help repair those spiritually broken hearts through your teachings, testimony, and love of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

looks like someone else feels exactly the same way. i can't wait to hear more from president nelson, april conference can't come quickly enough!

tiny dancer

well, i did say it was going to be a year of firsts... just yesterday we enrolled madeline into the step up dance academy here in ellenbrook to do ballet lessons this year. she is so excited that we can't get her to take her outfit off and she keeps doing dance moves and jumps all around the house. it's so adorable! i just hope she loves it once she is doing lessons as much as she does now.

but seriously... how cute is she! ♥

eternal friends

my friend lisa came to perth for christmas and we some how managed to squeeze in a quick catch up this morning before she left to go back to utah this evening. we have been friends since we were little girls and still have plenty of things to talk about, even all these years later. i miss having her live close, but i am super grateful for technology and being able to talk and text still.

just for laughs... joseph stole my phone and decided to take a picture at the same time we were taking ours!