SACRAMENT MEETING NOTES JULY 31, 2016

                                                          BISHOP JORDAN MERRILL


We were warmly greeted by Marilyn and Fred Smith.

Conducting: 2nd councilor, Earl Bleak Snow. 

Announcements: 
Ward picnic at Pine Valley will be this Tuesday. They would like us to be there at 5:30 so we can eat at 6 o'clock. Coming into Pine Valley you go past the Pine Valley Church. At the stop sign turn left. At the check-in station tell whoever's there that you're with Bloomington Third Ward then take the first right to the campground.

Book of Mormon reading for next week: Alma chapters 36 through 39.  

There will be a Provident Living Fair, Saturday August 13 in our building from nine to 11:00 AM for all sisters in the ward.

It is our month to clean the building so be prepared to receive a phone call and help keep our building looking spiffy. 

Invocation:  Lyla Joy Thomas. 

Released: Dean Baxter as a High Councilman in the Southgate Stake. 

Sustained: Michael Capik as a Southgate Stake High Councilman. 

Our youth speaker today was Aaron Carey Junior

and his topic was Sabbath Day observance. He told us that the Sabbath was given for our benefit. we are to attend our meetings on Sundays; be on time; partake of the sacrament,  and be willing to learn. Observing the Sabbath will bring us closer to the Lord and give us spiritual strength.

He quoted from Isaiah 58:13-14. "if thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy will on my holy day (if you will do my will rather than your will on the Sabbath); and call the Sabbath a delight, (have a good attitude about the Sabbath), The holy of the LORD honorable; and shall honor him (The Lord), not doing thine own will, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shall thou delight thyself in the LORD (then you will have joy in the Lord);  and I will cause thee to ride up on the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy  father (you will receive the Lord's choicest blessings, blessings of Abraham Isaac and Jacob); for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it (this is a promise!).

Celina Brocknank shared her testimony.

She was so grateful to be able to go to girls camp where she was a youth camp leader. The sweet spirit of her testimony cannot be conveyed here!!

Cristalle Carey also bore her testimony.

She is thankful to live around people of her faith; grateful for the atonement and it's healing power and for priesthood power. She and her family will be moving out of the ward into the Bloomington sixth Ward area. We will surely miss them all. 

Concluding speaker was Aaron Carey Sr. 

His remarks came from Elder Mervyn B.Arnold's talk in April conference "To the Rescue."  Elder Arnold told of his mother who quietly ministered to many that she was not even assigned to.

When we are called to rescue someone we must not delay; we must never give up and we are to bring souls into Christ. No matter our age we are all called to rescue others. 

Elder Arnold also spoke of a priesthood leader who went out one Sunday morning to find one of his young priests who was missing. He found him surfing in the ocean. Without removing his jacket or his shoes he waded out into the water and brought that young man to shore. Said young man married his sweetheart in the temple. They now have five children who have all been married in the temple and served missions; he has many grandchildren and other relatives who are active in the church and have submitted thousands of names for temple work!!  Again, when we are called to the rescue, We must not delay & we must not give up!!!!  

Benediction:  George Thomas

SACRAMENT MEETING NOTES - 24 JULY 2016

                          BISHOP JORDAN MERRILL

We were Warmly greeted today by Marilyn and Fred Smith

  
                    Conducting: 2nd councilor, Earl Blake Snow.

Announcements:

Book of Mormon reading for next week Alma, chapters 32 through 35 "The Word is in Christ  unto Salvation."

The ward picnic will be in Pine Valley on Tuesday, August 2. When you pass the Ranger checkpoint station take the first right into Forsyth campground.

Invocation: sister Jean Jolley. 

Released:  Bill and Lyla Lee Smith as Weblos leaders.

            

                          Steve Adam as physical facilities Cordinator.

Stustained:  Gary and Jeanene Benson as physical facilities Cordinator's. 

Awards: Jemelle Mullins daughter of Malia and Jeff Mullins received her. Faith in God award today. 

Our youth speaker was Alina Eyring. Her topic was choice and accountability. She told us that the little day to day choices are the things that trip us up. And that life is God's gift to us and how we live it is our gift to him. She received her patriarchal blessing here recently and was told that many would except the gospel because of her teachings. 

Allisyn Wright spoke to us about pioneers as this is Pioneer day. She told that they always expressed gratitude in spite of the many hardships and sacrifices they had to make.  One mother from England who died on the plains had told her daughter that she wanted to go to Zion so that her children could be raised in the gospel of Jesus Christ. "Blessed, honored Pioneers! Blessed, honored mothers."

Brad Wright's topic was Temples and Temple work. He told about one of his ancestors, Mariner Wood Merrill Who was president of the Logan Temple right after it was built. About how he was standing at his window one day and saw a large group of people coming up the hill and onto the temple grounds. They were poorly dressed. He thought to himself "we don't have room for all of these people in the temple" but they just milled around the temple grounds. Finally he went out and asked the obvious leader who they were and what was going on. The person informed Pres Merrill that he was Satan and that they had come to stop the work of the temple and that he would disseminate his people throughout the region. For 10 to 12 years there was little work done in the Logan Temple. These beings did their work well  apparently, whispering into the ears of the people that they didn't have time to go to the temple etc.

Then he gave another example of an 83 woman from Basin, Wyoming who drove 300 miles to the Idaho Falls Temple and spent the rest of the afternoon doing endowment sessions; the entire next day doing endowment sessions and half of the day the next day before driving back to Basin, Wyoming, a round trip of 600 miles. There is an obvious lesson here for those of us who have the temple just 10 minutes away!

Benediction: Brother Gordon Jolley. 

FROM SUNDAY SCHOOL.

Do we all know and can we tell an investigator or our nonmember friends what the three main purposes of the Book of Mormon are? We've gone over these in our Sunday school class for the last two Sundays. They are 

(1. To show what great things the Lord has done for our fathers.

(2. So that we may know the covenants of the Lord.

(3. To convince both Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ!

SACRAMENT MEETING NOTES - 17 JULY 2016

                                                          BISHOP JORDAN MERRILL


We were warmly greeted this afternoon by Marilyn and Fred Smith.

Second counselor Earl Bleak Snow conducted.

Announcements Dean and Donnie Baxter have received their mission call to the Seattle Washington mission where they will be serving in Bellevue Washington seminary and institute. They will leave August 1.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

July 24 we meet at 2 o'clock in the afternoon in the cultural hall. 

Tuesday, August 2 is our ward picnic at Pine Valley at 6:00 PM. Invite your neighbors and friends!

We are asked to pray for baby Hazel Webb. 

Book of Mormon Reading - Alma Chapters 30-31. The lesson for next Sunday is "All things Denote There Is a God."

RELIEF/PRIESTHOOD Lesson for Next Sunday: TFOT - "Family Councils" by Elder M. Russell Ballard -  May 2016 Ensign, pg. 63

Invocation: Kathy Snow

Stake business: Ed Sappington of the BL Seventh ward has been called as a stake employment specialist. 

SUSTAINED: Marcie Abboud as our new Sacrament meeting chorister.

 Kaitlyn Boulton as personal progress leader in Y\W

Devro and Jessie Brinkerhoff as Weblos Leaders

 and Austin Eyring was advanced to the Melchizedek Priesthood.

He also received his Duty to God award. This award was designed to instill good habits and work ethics in young men.

Dawnie Baxter was our youth speaker today! She told us how they received her mission call and that she felt like Moses. When Moses was told to deliver the Israelites from bondage he said to the Lord "they're not going to believe me. The Lord tells Moses "I will be there with you. I am God I can do anything. I will teach you what you must do."

Dean Baxter's topic was "Choose the harder right rather than the easy wrong." He told us he had made two good decisions in his life the first was to follow the Lord; the second one was to marry Dawnie and follow her counsel.

He then told us about Jonah. How he had been sleeping one night but was awakened by the Lord and told to go to Nineveh and preach the gospel. He had protested because he said the people of Nineveh were wicked then he ran away and got on a ship. There was a big storm and Jonah was thrown off by the sailors and swallowed by a whale. He was in the whales belly for three days and then was expelled on a beach. He went to Nineveh and preached the Gospel to the people and after 40 days every person in the Nineveh repented and the city was saved from destruction. We need to build up our faith do the little things; if we choose Christ we will have made the right choice.

SPECIAL MUSICAL NUMBER:  Erika Wright,

 daughter of Alliyson and Brad, sang "My Heavenly Father Loves Me."

High Councilman Brad Hannig also spoke on "Choices."   He said we need to develop faith that will sustain us and bolster our decisions to do right; that we are to let virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly. The Lord needs disciples that hunger and thirst after righteousness; honor the Sabbath day and follow the impressions of the Holy Ghost. 

BENEDICTION:  Nels Davidson

SACRAMENT MEETING NOTES - 10 JULY 2016

BISHOP JORDAN MERRILL

We were warmly greeted this afternoon by Marilyn and Fred Smith.

Brother Earl Bleak Snow, second counselor in the bishopric, conducted. 

Invocation was given by Knar Gavin. 

Announcements:

Mary Alice Moncur was released last Sunday as a sacrament meeting chorister. 

Saturday, July 9 Cody and Morgan Fenstermaker and their children were sealed as a family in the St. George Temple. 

Book of Mormon reading for next week - Alma chapters 23 through 29.

Our chapel will be undergoing some construction beginning July 24 and our sacrament meeting that day and until further notice, will begin at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and we will meet in the cultural hall. Construction is expected to last about 60 days.

The ward picnic that was to be held on July 19 has been postponed because of the fires up on Pine Valley mountain. 

Randy and Jill Webb have added to their family. Hazel was born Wednesday, July 6. Welcome to our ward family baby girl!!

Tuesday evening July 12 the Y/M will meet at the Hanson's to clean up their yard at 7:00 pm

Ward business:

Released: Nate LeonI as a primary worker

and Marilyn Pearson as a Sunday school teacher.

Sustained were Kim Clegg as the assistant MIA Maid adviser and her husband Landon as a Sunday school teacher. 

Memberships of the Hernandez family were read in:  Jesse, Rosanne and Malinda. Their three children were not in attendance today and I didn't get their names but I will. 

That new blonde priest you saw at the sacrament table today is Corey Taigen!!

And Elder Zuniga has a new companion; Elder Nordstrom from Florida!!

Our talks they were given by Annie and Jake Green. 

Annie chose the conference talk by Elder Jeffrey R Holland "Tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."  Talk is found in it's entirety in the May issue of the Ensign on page 124. She told us that the picture he showed of the dinosaur represents tomorrow and the children that are running from him are us!! 

She Also quoted Elder Holland saying "the first great truth in all eternity is that God loves US with all HIS heart might mind and soul." He will never desert us. And from Romans 8:28 "all things work together for those who love God."

Jake informed us that the leading cause of death in Utah is suicide in our youth ages 11 to 17 and the number has tripled since 2007! But he is convinced that our youth Can have peace (he referred us to John 16:33 where it says "in me ye might have peace") and that they can do hard things. 

He then talked about Bishop W Christopher Waddell's remarks taken from"A Pattern for Peace" on page 90 of the conference talks; May issue. 

In our search for peace and amidst the daily challenges of life we've been given a simple pattern to keep our thoughts focused on the Savior who said "learn of me and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my spirit and you shall have peace in me. I am Jesus Christ."

Benediction was offered by Paul Gavin.