July RS Newsletter

Sister Spotlight – Pam Goldschmidt

Pam moved to the Asheville area a little over 6 months ago. We are excited to get to know her better. Here are 5 fun facts about her!

1. She climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with her husband in 2019 and after went on a Safari in Serengeti to see the great migration of the Wildebeest.
2. She completed the Camino Santiago (Way of St. James) 500 mile walking Pilgrimage in Spain 7 years ago which led to her baptism upon her return.
3. She has traveled to 53 countries including a recent trip to Antartica on The National Geographic Explorer, Orion.
4. Since moving to Asheville in late October 2019, she has taught herself to quilt and to grow veggies and herbs in her home garden.
5. She loves to cook and has monthly healthy cooking classes on zoom from her home kitchen. She hopes to have in-person classes once COVID is under control.

July RS Lesson Schedule

July 12th – “An Especially Noble Calling.” Joy D. Jones. Saturday Morning Session,
April General Conference 2020. MacKenzie Ostler will be creating a study that we will be posting here on the website to enhance your personal study. Feel free to comment below with any insights you receive as you study.

July 26th – “Deep in Our Heart,” Douglas D. Holmes. Saturday Morning Session,
April General Conference 2020. We will be holding another virtual lesson online at 1pm. Mark your calendars for that date. We would love to see you and share in the discussion with you!

RS Presidency Message – Religious Freedom

As I have been studying the passages in The Book of Mormon this week in the Come Follow Me Manual, I have been amazed at the miracles that started once the Lamanites (once converted, called Anti-Nephi-Lehies) received religious freedom–and the Lord’s hand in making that happen.

Aaron and his brethren “went forth whithersoever they were led by the Spirit of the Lord, preaching the word of God” (Alma 21:16). One of the places the Spirit led Aaron, was to the King of the Lamanites. The king was “troubled in mind because of the generosity and greatness of the words of [Ammon]” in an encounter he had with him earlier (Alma 22:3). Because of this his heart began to open and he was being prepared to receive the gospel.

After Aaron taught the king about God, the creation, fall, plan of redemption, and the power available through Christ’s atonement, the king desired for his own salvation that he could have the joy Aaron spoke of. He was willing to give up everything he had. His possessions. His kingdom. All his sins. The one that I want to focus on for this message is his willingness to give up his kingdom.

He was willing to give up his kingdom that he could experience joy and come to know God, but in God’s wisdom, He did not ask for the king to give up his kingdom. Instead He saw the wisdom in using the King’s position to bless more of His children. Because the king was converted, he sent a proclamation throughout all the land and “amongst  his people who were in all his land” that “they should not lay their hands on Ammon, or Aaron, or Omner, or Himni, nor either of their brethren who should go forth preaching the word of God, in whatsoever place they should be, in any part of their land…but that they should have free access to their houses, and also their temples, and their sanctuaries” (Alma 22:27; 23:1-2). Because of the king’s position as a leader of the land, he had power to open up each land for the preaching of the gospel. This was just the beginning of many miracles. Miracles of thousands of Lamanites who once were a wild, hardened, ferocious people who delighted in murdering. Miracles of a people whose hearts were upon riches who loved to rob, plunder, and worship idols becoming converted to the Lord. These people became so righteous that they never did fall away. All of these miracles happened because of the religious freedom that happened in the land.

I feel so blessed that we too have the gift of religious freedom. Because of that, I have seen countless miracles in my life. Miracles big and small. I am thankful we have the opportunity to worship according to the “dictates of our own conscience” (Article of Faith 11). This truly is one of the greatest gifts we have been given. May we cherish and defend this gift of religious freedom. I know that as we do, miracles big and small will happen in our own lives.