* All About Mormons Newsletter *
June 1998
Welcome to the All About Mormons Newsletter! If you like what you read, email this to friends and family! If you have poems, stories, object lessons, questions, answers, or good ideas, to contribute, please send them to mormon@mormons.org
Thank you to everyone who sent their congratulations on our new baby girl. J
*In this newsletter:
*Book of Mormon Quote of the Month
Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed. (3 Nephi 18:21)
Latter-day Saints believe that the family is the most important organization in which we can ever participate. We believe that we belong to a heavenly family and that our choicest blessing will be to return to our Heavenly Father and continue living together as families. Our teachings reflect this high value we place on families.
David O. McKay, one of our prophets, taught, "No other success can compensate for failure in the home." I believe this is true. While jobs, friends, education, leisure activities and other pursuits are good, they should not take priority over our families. Our efforts in any other arena will never bring us as much joy and satisfaction as those we make with and for our families.
To help us strengthen our families, we are counseled to spend one night a week together having a family activity, discussion or lesson. We call it Family Home Evening. You don’t have to be a Latter-day Saint to have Family Home Evening. You can spend a night a week strengthening your family no matter what religion you are. Underneath the response of the month are ideas for things you can do to spend quality time with your family.
The world has become increasingly interested in promoting "family values." Every politician wants to be the candidate for family values. However, family values are incubated in families, not legislatures. How can we promote family values? By spending time with our families, showing love, and teaching what we think is important (through words and example). How can we help our children to be respectful? By being respectful ourselves—to people both in and out of our families. Children learn to be good citizens by watching parents who are good citizens and participating with them. They learn to be honest, faithful, committed, hard-working, forgiving, generous, compassionate, thankful and every other characteristic by watching and emulating someone. Let’s be that someone. Let’s spend enough time with our families that they will know what our values are by watching us, rather than merely hearing us. Let’s have activities with our families that will help them see and value what we think is important.
To learn more about LDS teachings about families, see http://www.mormons.org/basic/family/index.htm
To learn more about Family Home Evening, see http://www.mormons.org/daily/fhe/index.htm
A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force the body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. It just seemed to be stuck.
Then the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of cocoon. The moth then emerges easily. But it had a swollen body and small shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spend the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was the way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Freedom and flight would come only after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.
*What’s New on All About Mormons?
LDS Humor is continually expanding. Thanks to all those who have contributed so far! Keep on sending us your funny stories, jokes, etc. We want our humor to be enjoyable to all of our visitors, members and non-members alike, so please use discretion when choosing which ones to send. Our Other Good Stuff section is especially for non-religious humor. Laugh With Us!
All About Mormons now has even more information to keep you in touch with the Church, including Church related web sites and internet services, Church phone numbers, and magazine information. Check it out on our Welcome page!
For links to the following articles, check out our What’s New page.
A Teachings About the Sabbath Day home page has been created with articles from various Church leaders (05/10/98)
The Dating and Marrying Nonmembers article has been updated. (05/09/98)
Are Mormons Prejudiced? has been updated. (5/09/98)
Blacks and the Priesthood has been updated with comments from Joseph Fielding McConkie. (5/09/98)
Anti-Mormon Tactics has been updated. (5/06/98)
The Why is a Temple Recommend Necessary to Enter the Temple? article has been updated (5/04/98)
*Response of the Month: What fun things do you do together as a family?
| Go on vacations together Garden together Cook together Have a watermelon seed spitting contest Have a water fight Go out for ice cream Go to the park Go to a thrift shop and buy costumes Make popcorn and talk Tell your favorite stories and best jokes Form a surprise package company—secretly give packages to neighbors, friends, or someone who might need cheering up Paint a room, fence or picture |
Sing songs in the car Play a sport together Learn about an animal, sport, hero, tree, actress, writer, etc. Wash the car Wash a pet Drive someplace Swim together Have a parade on your street—play kazoos, pots, whistles Have a family talent show Adopt a grandparent Decorate a wall with a mural Have an outdoor or indoor picnic |
For more fun ideas, see http://www.mormons.org/daily/fhe/activities/index.htm
—These ideas will also work well for families—
http://www.mormons.org/ywc/gcfun/fun.htm
http://www.mormons.org/ywc/camp/camp_games_skits.htm
*Question of the Month: How can I tell my friend about the Church without offending her? I really value our friendship and I’m afraid that if I tell her about the Church, she might think I’m pushy or judgmental and our friendship won’t be the same.
Members and non-members are encouraged respond from their own perspectives. Let us know what you think. We want your wisdom and input!
Reader responses will appear in the next newsletter. E-mail responses to mormon@mormons.org
See you next month!
John and Jenny Walsh
All About Mormons