November RS Newsletter

Spotlight – Alicia Otto

1. She loves to paint abstract art
2. She loves candles and incense
3. She collects rubber ducks with her husband
4. Her favorite candy is Swedish Fish and anything Reese’s
5. Her dream vacation is England

RS Presidency Message – Gratitude for Gravity

I recently had a conversation with my son about astronauts and the necessity of exercise for their health. While they are in outer space, they don’t have the same gravity weighing on their bodies as we have here on earth. Thus there is a lack of resistance on the muscles and bones and as a result, astronauts tend to lose muscle and bone density. To prevent this muscle and bone density loss, astronauts have exercise equipment designed for outer space to allow them to exercise up to 3 hours a day using each muscle. Their muscles and bones need this resistance to maintain their stamina. The gravity we experience here on earth–the weight and heaviness–are a blessing to our physical survival.

Similarly to our physical bodies, our spiritual bodies need the gravity of trials and hardships to develop strength. This year has been a challenge for many of us. It has tested us in ways we have not been tested before. It has been an opportunity to rely more heavily on the Lord. It is easy to wish away these trials, to seek a life of comfort and ease. In this last General Conference of October 2020, Elder Holland reminded us of Elder Maxwell’s words:

‘I … suggest that “one’s life … cannot be both faith-filled and stress-free.” It simply will not work “to glide naively through life,” saying as we sip another glass of lemonade, “Lord, give me all thy choicest virtues, but be certain not to give me grief, nor sorrow, nor pain, nor opposition. Please do not let anyone dislike me or betray me, and above all, do not ever let me feel forsaken by Thee or those I love. In fact, Lord, be careful to keep me from all the experiences that made Thee divine. And then, when the rough sledding by everyone else is over, please let me come and dwell with Thee, where I can boast about how similar our strengths and our characters are as I float along on my cloud of comfortable Christianity.” ‘

I encourage each of us to take a step back and look at how the resistance and gravity of this year has helped us develop greater spiritual strength and faith. I know that as we turn to the Lord and lay the gravities of our lives at His feet, He will “consecrate [our] performance…that [our] performance may be for the welfare of [our] soul” (2 Nephi 32:9). I testify that He is our Savior and Redeemer and that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28), in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

RS Lesson Calendar

November 7 – 8: Virtual Stake Conference with area authority, James B. Martino. The adult session will be Saturday, November 7th from 6-8pm and the general session will be Sunday, Nov 8th from 10-12am. A link was sent out by the Stake presidency this week, but if you are still looking for it, contact a member of the RS presidency and we will get that to you.

November 22 – Virtual RS Lesson with Laura Perry. She will be leading the discussion on President Nelson’s talk, Embrace the Future with Faith. The lesson will be held at 1 pm. A link will be sent out as we near the date.

November 29 – We will be having a bonus virtual lesson with Ashley Behm before she leaves to serve her mission. She will be leading a lesson on talk, Choosing Charity: That Good Part, from Sister Bonnie D. Parkin. The lesson will be held at 1 pm. A link will be sent out as we near the date.

Missionary Meal Calendar

Here is a little plug for our wonderful sister missionaries! Their meal calendar has a lot of open days. If you would like to feed them, you can sign up HERE.

Memorial Service for Mildred Rueschmann

Mildred’s family will have a short memorial service next Thursday November 12th, at 11am at Shepherd Funeral Home in Hendersonville. Her burial will be at the Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain and will be private as the cemetery allows no visitors at the burial. An obituary will be in the Hendersonville newspaper this Sunday.

Free Dog

Wynn Vogel has a dog she is trying to find a new home for. It is a full bred schnauzer. He is housebroken but the owner cannot keep him. If anyone would like to welcome a new pet to their home, please contact Wynn Vogel or Mayi Mikos.