Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Good LDS Books

Believing Christ the Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News      Following Christ: The Parable of the Divers and More Good News   Happy Like Jesus: Lessons From Jesus Christ on How To Live  To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson
  Why?: Powerful Answers and Practical Reasons for Living Lds Standards    The Infinite Atonement   The Continuous Atonement    House of Learning: Getting More from Your Temple Experience

Promptings or Me? Recognizing the Spirit's Voice   The Kolob Theorem   Odds Are, You're Going to Be Exalted: Evidence That the Plan of Salvation Works   The Divine Center

Men of Influence: The Potential of the Priesthood to Lift the World   Magnifying Priesthood Power   Are We There Yet?   Talking with God: Divine Conversations that Transform Daily Life







Sunday, August 28, 2011

In the Quorum: 8/28/11 Sunday

Elders Quorum Announcements:
  • Reminder to complete home teaching assignments for August
  • Brother Gene Tamashiro will be receiving endowments on 9/14 Wed, 7pm @ Laie Temple.  Support Gene by attending.
  • Report on 8/27 flood
  • Stake General Priesthood meeting on 9/4 Sunday.  6:30pm to 800pm @ Kaneohe Stake Center for all priesthood in the stake.
  • Splits with missionaries will be on Wednesday evenings.  Kanoa Kanahele and Damon Magalogo will go out this week (8/31).  Turner and Ammon Kau will go out on 9/7 Wed.  
  • Upcoming EQ Activities
    • Flag football -- Labor Day 9/5 3:30 pm @ Kaneohe Elementary lower field. Open to all. Bring a neighbor or friend.
    • Menrichment (eat dinner @ Thelma's in Waipahu, in late September, specific date TBA)
    • Family early morning hike to Makapu'u Lighthouse (on a Saturday in October, specific date TBA).
Today's lesson in the Quorum (teacher Ka'ano'i Walk):
  • The Spirit of Revelation by Elder David A. Bednar.  We had an interesting discussion and were reminded that very few revelations received are of the "sacred grove" or "road to Damascus" types.  Most are of the line-upon-line variety and if were are faithful in acting upon the revelatory promptings we receive, more promptings will be given.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Flood today: report

Today's flood, whereby we were on the Lord's errand to visit ward members, was this morning.

Meeting time was 9:45 a.m. at the Waikalua Chapel.  We had a devotional, with a stirring singing of Called to Serve to inspire us.  All in all, there were 14 of us participating in the flood. We organized ourselves into five teams and set out. 

The results:  44 homes visited.  Of these 44 visits, 12 members were ministered to.  Of the other 32 visits:
  • 15 = member still lives there but not home.
  • 1= moved with contact info given.
  • 5= moved with no info about current residence
  • 9= no one home/could not verify if still living there
  • 2 = no such address

Sunday, August 21, 2011

8/21/11 -- Church today

Aloha Brethren:

Sacrament meeting highlights:
  • Brother Miles Jung shared about how his son Sean is doing on his mission in Mexico (he's doing well).
  • Brother Irving Chun (from Stake high council) spoke about the importance of regularly studying and pondering the scriptures. 
  • The trio of Kanoa Kanahele, Damon Magalogo, and Joseph Faumuina (all EQ members) sang The Lord is My Shepherd (Hymn 108).  
EQ announcements:
  • We will be having a Flood this coming Saturday (8.27).  We will meet @ 9 a.m. 9:45 a.m. @ church, organize ourselves, and then go out to visit members (we have 70-80 on our list).
  • Stake General Priesthood meeting (for all priesthood).  Sunday 9/4 @ 6:30 at the Kaneohe Stake Center.
  • Splits with missionaries.  Two brethren (assignments will be made) from the quorum will be teaming up with missionaries to make visits, teach lessons.  This will take place on Wednesday or Thursday evenings. 
Today's EQ lesson:

Gospel Principles, Chapter 39: The Law of Chastity.

Lesson handout/notes (pdf)




Next week's (8/28 Sunday) EQ lesson will be based on one or both of the following talks.
Recommended is reading both talks to prepare for the lesson.

We appreciate all the good work you do!

Have a good week.


    Sunday, August 14, 2011

    Elders Quroum Today -- 8/14/11

    Aloha Brethren:

    A good day at church.  One of the sacrament meeting speakers was Michael Ahuna, just back from his mission to Siberia.  In a week, Michael and his brother James (the newest member of our quorum) will be heading off to BYU in Provo.  Michael  shared about how cold it was in Siberia (40 below at times), how large an area it was he had to serve in (one transfer he made required a 3-day train ride!), and how no-nonsense the Siberian people were.  Michael emphasized how important it is to keep the commandments.

    In Elder's Quorum today, we discussed the upcoming flood.  We will have about 80 households to visit and the more participation we get, the further our reach can be. 

    Kanoa taught the lesson today.  It was about eternal marriage (Chap 38 from Gospel Principles).  It was a good lesson, with "eternal perspective" being mentioned a lot.

    Friday, August 12, 2011

    Aug 27 Flood

    In the map to the left, the area within the light blue line is our Kaneohe 1st Ward boundaries.  All the orange dots represent households of members of our ward.

    On Saturday, August 27, from 9am 9:45 a.m. to noon, we will be holding a Elders Quorum flood, the objective of which is to visit families we are responsible for and who have not been visited recently (or at all).

    Meeting time will be 9 a.m. 9:45 a.m. at the Waikalua meeting house.

    Sandwiches and snacks will be served afterward.

    For more details, contact one of the EQ presidency.

    We look forward to seeing you there.

    Sunday, August 7, 2011

    EQ today--8/7/11 Sunday

    Aloha Brethren:

    In the Quorum today, we discussed home teaching and what it is about and ways we can make progress in completing our HT assignments. See current Home Teaching assignments.

    We also discussed an upcoming EQ flood on 8/27 Saturday.  We will be organizing ourselves to visit households we have been assigned to watch over.  More details about the flood will be forthcoming.

    Also passed out, were copies of the First Presidency message for August 2011 to be delivered/discussed/taught for Home Teaching this month.

    Thanks for your continued good work!



    Wednesday, August 3, 2011

    1st Presidency Message for August 2011

    President Thomas S. Monson

    Love at Home


    Blessed Family Life

    “When we have sampled much and have wandered far and have seen how fleeting and sometimes superficial a lot of the world is, our gratitude grows for the privilege of being part of something we can count on—home and family and the loyalty of loved ones. We come to know what it means to be bound together by duty, by respect, by belonging. We learn that nothing can fully take the place of the blessed relationship of family life.”1

    Sharing Our Love

    “Give your child a compliment and a hug; say, ‘I love you’ more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of ‘what if’ and ‘if only.’ …
    “Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey and share our love with friends and family. One day, each of us will run out of tomorrows. Let us not put off what is most important.”2

    Showing Our Love

    “Brethren, let’s treat our wives with dignity and with respect. They’re our eternal companions. Sisters, honor your husbands. They need to hear a good word. They need a friendly smile. They need a warm expression of true love. …

    “To you who are parents, I say, show love to your children. You know you love them, but make certain they know it as well. They are so precious. Let them know. Call upon our Heavenly Father for help as you care for their needs each day and as you deal with the challenges which inevitably come with parenthood. You need more than your own wisdom in rearing them.”3

    Expressing Our Love

    “To you parents, express your love to your children. Pray for them that they may be able to withstand the evils of the world. Pray that they may grow in faith and testimony. Pray that they may pursue lives of goodness and of service to others.

    “Children, let your parents know you love them. Let them know how much you appreciate all they have done and continue to do for you.”4

    What Is Most Important

    “What is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, ‘They do not love that do not show their love.’ We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.”5

    Bringing Heaven Closer

    “May our families and homes be filled with love: love of each other, love of the gospel, love of our fellowman, and love of our Savior. As a result, heaven will be a little closer here on earth.
    “May we make of our homes sanctuaries to which our family members will ever want to return.”6

    A Prayer for Families

    “Inasmuch as the family unit is under attack in the world today, and many things long held sacred are ridiculed, we ask Thee, our Father, to make us equal to the challenges we face, that we may stand strong for truth and righteousness. May our homes be havens of peace, of love and of spirituality.”7

    Teaching from This Message

    In one type of learning activity, “the teacher presents a question or situation and gives learners a short amount of time to freely suggest solutions or ideas” (Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 160). As you read this article with the family, ask them to listen for counsel or ideas that impress them. Family members could then suggest ways to increase love in their home. Consider inviting the family to review these ideas in an upcoming family home evening.
    Youth

    Mother Rescued Us


    When I was six, my little sister and I were watching our older sister’s basketball game. My dad left, and then we decided that we wanted to go home with him, so we ran after him in the rain. When we couldn’t find him, we went back to the gym to go home with our mom, but by the time we entered the gym, everyone in the building was gone.

    I remember huddling in a doorframe, trying to get my little sister and me out of the rain, praying that someone would come. Then I remember hearing the door to our red van slam shut, and we went running toward the sound. Then came one of the most vivid childhood memories I have: our mother enfolding us in her arms “as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings” (3 Nephi 10:4). My mother had rescued us, and I never felt more secure than I did at that moment.

    As I think of her influence on me, I see that my mother’s life has pointed me toward the Savior and has shown me what it means to “lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (D&C 81:5). She relied on Jesus Christ, who gave her strength “beyond [her] own” (“Lord, I Would Follow Thee,” Hymns, no. 220).

    I never felt more secure than I did at the moment my mother enfolded us in her arms.
    Children

    Building a Happy Home


    President Monson suggests ways we can build a happy home. Look through the article to find things you and your family can do to make a happy home.

    Each time you find something you can do, write it in one of the spaces provided. After you have found your first item, draw the part of the home listed next to the line. Find at least five ways you can build a happy home and draw the whole house and your family in it.
    1. Walls ______________________________________
    2. Roof ______________________________________
    3. Door ______________________________________
    4. Windows ______________________________________
    5. Family ______________________________________

    Welcome!

    The Kaneohe 1st Ward Elders Quorum is now live on line!! We hope you find this blog very helpful and that it makes it easier to keep in touch with your fellow Elders. On this site you will find information for and by The Elders of the Kaneohe 1st Ward, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Please feel free to browse the entire site and let us know what you think. You will find everything from information on upcoming events to lesson schedules, as well as things related to the 3 fold mission of the church and home teaching. Please check back often as we are still in the process of developing and streamlining the site so the content will change quickly. We love each of you and your families and hope you will find this a useful tool to help keep you up on the many issues that affect your life.

    Sincerely, 
    Your Elders Quorum Presidency

    Monday, August 1, 2011

    Kaneohe 1st Ward Elders Quorum Activities

    Upcoming Activities:
    • To be announced
      Activities report:
      • 12/16/11 Friday.  Christmas carolingSee report.
      • 11/24/11 Thursday.  Turkey Bowl flag football.  Thurs Nov 24, Thanksgiving morning 7:30 @ Kaneohe Elementary School field.  A good time (and calorie-burn) was had by all.
      • 10/29/11 Saturday -- Family See-the-sun-rise hike to Makapu'u LighthouseRead the report and see some pics.
      • 9/5/11 Monday -- Labor Day Bowl (Flag football).  3:30 p.m  @ Kaneohe Elementary School lower field.  Good turnout, fun, and fellowship.   Over 20 turned out to play, including eight full-time missionaries from our zone, Chauncey St. Laurent and friends, a couple of youth (Rocky Baso and Darin Shichida) and five quorum members (Ka'anoi Walk, Ray Estrella, Marcus Tani, Jershon Laimana, and Dayle Turner).   There were lots of touchdowns scored but in the end, no one knew for sure (or really cared) which team scored more.  
      • 10/8/11 Saturday -- Filipino Food Fest @ Thelma's Restaurant (Waipahu).  Six quorum members (Kanahele, Kau, Magalogo, Steffen, Tamashiro, & Turner) enjoyed an array of sumptuous food. 
      We are also The activities/service committee is also brainstorming (prayerfully!) to come up with some possible activities such as
      • Paint ball battle
      • Date night (with our wives not with each other!)
      • Beach BBQ
      • Soap box derby
      • Basketball
      • Family Home Evening
      • Hiking
      • Talent night
      If you have ideas for activities, let them be known here via a comment or voice them during Elders Quorum meetings on Sunday.
      A good read.

      Service Projects -- Kaneohe 1st Ward Elders Quorum



      • Adopt-a-highway.  We have adopted a 2-mile section of roadway [see map] which includes Kahekili Hwy from Haiku Road to Likelike Hwy to Kaneohe Bay Drive (by Burger King).  We have committed to pick up trash a minimum of 4x per year for the next 2+ years (October 2011 to December 2013). The first service outing date is 12 Nov 2011 Saturday.  Meeting time is 7:30 a.m. at Kaneohe Burger King parking lot.  Instructions and assignments will be given.
      We're planning other service projects and we would appreciate your input.

      Past projects we have done included:
      • Blood drives (in cooperation with Blood Bank of Hawaii)
      • Feed the hungry @ a downtown Honolulu shelter
      • Christmas toy drive
      • Yard clean-ups
      • Painting lines in the parking lot of Ben Parker School
      • Helping members to move household furniture and goods
      • Clean-up and clearing areas in Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens
      If you have an idea for a service project, preferably one that we can do in our ward boundaries, please post a comment here.