Homestead Ward 

Relief Society Newsletter

January 12, 2025


Announcements

Homestead Ward Temple and Family History Page                                        

Do you know that the ward website's Temple and Family History page has all kinds of great information about temple and family history work? This includes:

Here is a direct link to the Temple and Family History page: https://www.homesteadward.org/temple-family-history 

Upcoming Activities

Dinner Groups

Relief Society Discussions

Sunday, January 12, 2025

The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again

by President Russell M. Nelson

You may review the talk by clicking on the image


Come, Follow Me

Hearken, O' Ye People

The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Helpful Information

Mount Timpanogos Temple 

Just Serve

Community Service

Presidency Contact Information

Lisa Nokes

President

801-725-3975

Andrea Johnson

First Counselor

970-556-4833

Morgan Walker

Second Counselor

208-670-2036

Recent Presidency Messages

Presidency Message          

by Morgan Walker, 2nd Counselor


September 2024


I heard this quote a few days ago, and it was one of those that I never want to forget. It says:


“Do not ask your children

to strive for extraordinary lives.

Such striving may seem admirable,

but it is the way of foolishness.

Help them instead to find the wonder

and the marvel of an ordinary life.

Show them the joy of tasting

tomatoes, apples and pears.

Show them how to cry

when pets and people die.

Show them the infinite pleasure

in the touch of a hand.

And make the ordinary come alive for them.

The extraordinary will take care of itself.”

-William Martin


It got me thinking about how I tend to crave the extraordinary. I will look forward to an upcoming trip, feeling so excited to escape normal life for a bit. I count down the days until the next big holiday. I try my best to get through the week so that I can enjoy my fun weekend plans. The list goes on and on. There’s nothing wrong with making plans or doing exciting things outside of our norm.  But what if we looked forward to every day with the same sort of anticipation? How would our outlook on life change? Would we wake up feeling more gratitude for the day that lies ahead of us? Would we live happier lives? By focusing on the extraordinary, are we looking beyond the mark? Are we missing the small moments of joy that are right in front of us?


Ever since becoming a stay at home mom, I have definitely experienced the burnout of doing the same things over and over again. But I’ve noticed that when I take a step back and take in all the seemingly ordinary, yet beautiful moments happening around me, my mindset changes. Instead of feeling stuck in the mundane, I feel grateful for the opportunity I have to watch my little ones grow. I am able to see my lifelong dream of being a mother unfolding right before my eyes. I am able to relish in all the details that I might otherwise miss. We can choose to see the ordinary as boring, repetitive and bland. Or we can see it as a magical compilation of moments that we once prayed for. We can be co-creators with God to create moments of joy throughout our day. How amazing is that?


How grateful I am for a father in heaven who granted me the gift of agency so that I can choose a happy life. And how grateful I am for a Savior who makes it possible to feel joy even amidst the sadness and hardship of life!

July 2024

by Lisa Nokes, President

When you hear the word ministering how does that make you feel? Does it fill you with love as you recall memories of love and friendship or does it fill you with guilt for all the things you feel you can not do?


Most of the time when I ask a Sister about her ministering she sheepishly tells me I'm not very good at it. I know at times we all feel this way.  


Being in this calling I have been blessed to see a little bit more of all the ministering that happens. It is overwhelming for me to see and experience the love that you sisters give to your families, friends, neighbors, and strangers. 


I am touched and humbled by your kind acts of love. There is a lot of ministering going on in the Homestead Ward and neighborhood. I am so touched as I see Sisters reaching out and lifting one another. I love to sit back and watch you sisters wrap your arms around one another, help someone pack up their home, enjoy one another's company at a RS activity or during our Sunday meetings, sharing meals with one another, serving those in need, I see you walking together, talking together, playing pickleball together all of this is ministering.


Ministering is always on our minds as a Relief Society Presidency. We start every Presidency meeting discussing, praying and pondering about how we can better serve the Sisters in our ward. Also, who and what would be best for each sister in our ward.

As a Presidency we can't minister to each sister personally. That is why ministering is so important. Ministering means serving others as the Savior did.When we minister we represent the Lord. 


I recently heard this quote from Elder Neal A Maxwell from his talk at a BYU devotional titled Endure it Well:


When, for the moment, we ourselves are not being stretched on a particular cross, we ought to be at the foot of someone else’s—full of empathy and proffering spiritual refreshment.


I have had times in my life when I have been stretched. I didn't have the ability to help myself. I needed the help of my ministering sisters and Relief Society to help hold me up, guide me through rough patches, show me how to feel the love of the Lord, counsel with me about raising my children, learning how to search the scriptures, learning how to cook, inviting me to the Temple, giving me opportunities to share my testimony, helping me through the passing of my Mom, etc. Ministering has shaped my life. It has brought me closer to the Savior. As I prayed to my Heavenly Father over and over again I was blessed by acts of love and service provided by the sisters in my ward and neighborhood. Ministering has brought me so much joy. Whether it's me ministering or me being the one ministered to!


We have recently made many, many changes to our ministering assignments in our Relief Society. As we prayerfully prayed and thought about each sister by name we asked for guidance and understanding on how ministering could bless the sisters in our ward and in our neighborhoods. I hope whether your ministering companionships changed or stayed the same that you will feel the love that Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for each of you.


I hope ministering will bless your life. 


Much love,


Lisa Nokes

Presidency Message

June 2024

by Morgan Walker, 2nd Counselor


Many of you know that I recently had another baby. Little Scotty was born just 12 days ago! Having him here with us has caused me to reflect on all the feelings that come with having a new baby. There is nothing quite like the newborn days…feeling stretched so thin, while simultaneously feeling heaven so near. Although caring for a tiny, new human being is a big sacrifice, said sacrifice brings a whole new love right along with it.


It seems to me that the more we sacrifice for someone, the more we grow to love them. I remember when my oldest, Junie, was a newborn. The first few days were difficult as I navigated the challenges that come along with breastfeeding. I remember being exhausted at night, barely able to keep my eyes open each time she would wake me up to feed. But after a few weeks, I noticed that I would look forward to when she would wake me up. I started to see those feedings as a chance to bond with her. The more I gave, the more my love for her grew. The same applies to my life now. Having a newborn baby and a needy toddler has been tiring, but the more I give them, the more connected I feel to them.


I believe that we can see the same phenomenon happen within our relationships with Heavenly Father. The more we give to Him, the stronger our bond with Him will be. There are times that we may feel that He asks a lot from us. But He does not ask us to make sacrifices without blessing us in return. As we give all we can to keep our covenants with Him, our relationships with Him will become much closer. We will be able to feel of His love for us more strongly.


On Mother’s Day, Bishop Heugly came into Relief Society and shared with us four different cards that he wrote to us, the sisters of the Homestead Relief Society. These cards were so sincere and heartfelt. I know that many of us were touched by his words and the genuine love that came with them. These cards are attached in the newsletter for those who would like to read them again. Something I felt through the bishop’s words is that the sacrifices that we make as women do not go unnoticed. The bishop sees us. Our Heavenly Father sees us. He loves us so much and He appreciates all the sacrifices we make as mothers, mother figures, wives, sisters, daughters, and friends.


The world likes to make us think that our divine role as women is not important, and that it can be easily replaced. Such feelings lead us to feel inadequate and worthless. I hope each of us can remember how needed we are in God’s plan and in the building up of His kingdom. I hope we can recognize how irreplaceable our influence is. I hope that we can see ourselves the way God sees us. Sisters, you are so important and so loved.

by Andrea Johnson, First Counselor

Following the 5th Sunday lesson at the end of December, I have tried to improve in one of the principles taught which was to be an active participant in sacrament meeting.  Suggestions were to arrive early (I’m still struggling with this), whisper if you need to talk to others, be spiritually prepared, reverently listen to the prelude music, sing the hymns, focus on the Savior during the sacrament, and actively listen to the speakers.  The blessings of doing so are to improve my own ability to feel of the spirit and to not detract from others opportunity to feel the spirit.  

President Nelson has taught, “each member of the Church bears responsibility for the spiritual enrichment that can come from a sacrament meeting.  Each should sing with a grateful heart and respond with an audible “amen”, at the conclusion of a prayer or a testimony.  We personally ponder the atonement of Jesus Christ.  We reflect upon the significance of His suffering at Gethsemane and His Crucifixion on Calvary.  At this time, each of us is to “examine himself” (1 Cor. 11:28) and reflect upon the personal covenants made with the Lord.  At this time, we meditate upon the sacred things of God.” (World Wide Leadership June 21, 2003). 

Recently, I had an experience which reminded me of the responsibility to be an active “listener” and of the opportunity to help others to “hear” the word of God.  While visiting another congregation, I needed to use a listening device to hear testimonies, spoken mostly in Italian, translated into English.  Because the speaking in the microphone was much louder than the whispered English in my listening device, I had to really focus to hear what I intended to hear.  While I appreciated the translator’s efforts to share the spoken word, at times it was frustrating and I would turn off the listening device and just try to understand what I could from the person bearing testimony.  After a few minutes of not understanding, I would try again to hear the message. 

In this same congregation was a member who was deafblind and one who was deaf.  I watched as two women used sign language to allow those needing it, to “hear” the word.   All four appeared to be totally engaged, not allowing distractions.  For the deafblind member to receive the message, he would feel the hands of one woman signing.  The deaf member would watch and communicate with the other signer.  The two women providing the sign language occasionally switched roles.  I admired the apparent focus and commitment of all four involved in this experience of helping all to know what was being said and to be able to feel the spirit of those testimonies.  I’m sure most of us have witnessed a similar situation, even in our stake conferences.   What made this experience stand out, was that during the music, many members of the congregation, including the bishop, signed the words to the hymns.  No doubt that it created a feeling of unity in the ward.  One of the hymns that day was “Press Forward, Saints” (hymn 81); a sweet reminder to have love for all mankind, endure trials, have hope and feast on the words of Christ; important messages for any day, but that seemed especially appropriate that day.

I hope that we can all help make the messages and spirit of sacrament meeting available to all, to be engaged listeners and help others receive the messages just as the focused interpreters did that Sunday.  I’m so grateful for the opportunity to partake of the sacrament each week and enjoy the spiritual feast available to those who spiritually prepare.

April 2024

by Lisa Nokes, President

Spring is coming! As we start to enter springtime in Midway, I get excited. I see the snow slowly melting and bulbs that we planted in the fall peeking their leaves through the soil. I see the buds on the trees outside my window slowly coming to life. I again hear the birds singing, bugs crawling, bees buzzing and the clean smell of the fresh air.

The cold dark of winter is giving way to the brightness of Spring with its longer days full of sunshine and all the color (soon to be) popping up all around us.

We have been blessed to have our spirits renewed and restored with Stake Conference & the Relief Society Devotional this past  March. Last week we were able to celebrate Easter marking the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior. To remember that we will live again. We will again see those whom we miss so dearly. To be reminded of new beginnings, hope and peace. 

We now get the chance to watch and listen to General Conference on  April 6th & 7th.  

General conference provides an opportunity to receive personal revelation as general Church leaders give counsel and direction. “We encourage members to listen to, study, ponder and apply the counsel and direction given,” stated the First Presidency of the Church (letter to congregation leaders, March 7, 2024).

General Conference gives us an opportunity to build faith in the Living Christ. It helps us learn how we can find peace, hope, and joy through Jesus Christ. We learn how to strengthen our families as we follow Jesus Christ’s teachings and how to receive personal guidance and inspiration from God.

I hope something has helped light your testimony a little brighter these past few weeks. I hope YOU can feel Christ and Our Heavenly Father's love for you. I hope you can feel the love and concern that our Stake Presidency and local leaders so freely give.

I especially hope that you can feel of my love for you. Many times a day I think about you. I long to get to know you better. I look forward to anytime I get to spend with the sisters in our ward and in our neighborhood. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to serve and spend time in the Relief Society. I am blessed every time I am with you individually or as a group. I pray for each of you by name. I know who you are. I learn so much from your examples of Christlike service. I want to be better each time I see your examples, hear your words and see you continue day after day to seek for peace through our Savior. 

I hope our paths can cross soon. 

With Love, 

Lisa Nokes

Presidency Message

March 2024

by Morgan Walker, 2nd Counselor

My 18-month old, Junie, is starting to become very opinionated. She is very selective about the books we read together. If I offer to read a book that she is not interested in at that moment, she will usually either say no, or throw it on the ground. But she will never turn down a book about Jesus. She has a little collection of children’s books about Jesus and she adores each one. Whenever I offer to read her one, she climbs into my lap, listens to the words and takes in all the illustrations. She seems to have an innate curiosity for Jesus. And she recognizes Him in almost every painting or picture that depicts Him. She points Him out by excitedly saying, “Jesus!” This has caused me to reflect on how each and every one of us has an innate desire to get to know Jesus. On top of that, we all have a natural craving for his love. Whenever I have a hard day, I’ve noticed that one of the first things I ask for in my prayers is that I can feel of my Savior’s love for me. It seems to be one of the only things that can fill the voids in my heart. And after each time I say “amen”, my load seems to feel a little lighter. Jesus has a way of filling the emptiness in our souls, replacing sadness and gloom with light and love. As we reflect a little more on His sacrifice for us this month, let us lean into his love. Let us ask for it when we are feeling broken. Nothing can heal a broken heart quite like the love of our Savior can. I know that when He knelt in the garden, feeling completely alone and weighed down by grief, He thought of you and me, and because of the deep love He felt for each of us, He was able to complete that great sacrifice and fulfill the will of His Father. I hope you all enjoy this beautiful Easter season and can feel Christ’s love for you! 

February 2024

by Andrea Johnson, First Counselor

“Ministering means serving others as the Savior did (see Matthew 20:26-28).  He loved, taught, prayed for, comforted, and blessed those around Him (see Acts 10:38).  As disciples of Jesus Christ, we seek to minister to God’s children.  Ministering is an important way we keep the commandments to love God and to love our neighbors (see Matthew 22:25-40).”   This is just a small part of the purpose of ministering as provided in the handbook which I reviewed recently in wanting to be a better minister and to prepare for our recent ministering interviews.  We also reviewed this section when counseling together as a Relief Society Presidency to make ministering assignments. 

The previous method of caring for others with the now-obsolete “Visiting Teaching” program was fairly prescriptive, and therefore easier to follow.  If you visited in the home and shared the message from the church magazine, it likely was determined to be sufficient or successful.   Since that program has been replaced with a higher and holier way of ministering, I often ask myself how I can do better.  And believe me, I can do better.  I even want to do better, but still I struggle.  Many of you are an inspiration to me of how you care for and love those you minister to.  I know some of you feel like I do, that you want to do better.  I took some time to re-read some of the original instruction given.  You might be inspired by doing the same.  Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from that review. 

Elder Bednar taught “Ministering is about becoming more dedicated and converted disciples of Jesus Christ who have the same heart and compassion as the Savior.  The Lord has invited us to progress to ministering to others in natural and normal ways out of love.  It is not about doing ministering.  It is about becoming a minster like Jesus Christ (Dec 2020).“  He  reminds us that love is the motivation and the Savior is our example.  I love that he includes the invitation to progress!   Wherever we are on this journey to become like the Savior, we can progress. 

Sister Jean Bingham provided many excellent examples of how to be a minister. “it looks like going for a walk, getting together for a game night, offering service, or even serving together.  It looks like visiting in person or talking on the phone or chatting online or texting.  It looks like delivering a birthday card and cheering at a soccer game.  It looks like sharing a scripture or quote from a conference talk that would be meaningful to that individual (April 2018).”  One sister in our ward shared the following with me during a recent ministering interview.  “We do all the things that friends do; we call, we text, we have lunch together.”  In short, ministering looks like being a friend.   The women of this ward are truly exceptional! We have so many opportunities to build friendships and to serve.  I am grateful for your examples of doing these very things.   With love for God and love for our neighbors as our motivation, and the Savior as the example, I know we can all enjoy the blessings of being ministers and of being ministered to. 

With love,

Sister Johnson

January 2024

by Lisa Nokes, President

Happy New Year Sisters,


I love a new year! I love that it started on a Monday this year. I love the hope that a new chapter is just waiting to unfold. It's a great chance to start new, try again, build on what we have learned the past year, and repeat the goodness. 2024 gives us the added bonus of studying the Book of Mormon through Come Follow Me. 


As a Relief Society Presidency we started to discuss in November what we thought the theme for our 2024 Relief Society should be.  


Almost all together we each said "Think Celestial."  This talk was given by Our Prophet this past General Conference in October.


I like this talk because it can be very personal. Each of us can interpret these  powerful two words, in our own way, to draw closer to Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ while finding peace, comfort and joy in a very personal way.


We have many choices of how and what we each need to do to "Think Celestial." As I listen, study, read books and listen to talks, about Our Prophet President Russell M Nelson  I am always reminded of the hope President Nelson seems to so easily give.  He is a calming voice in a world of confusion.  


For example.. President Nelson said.....I have learned that Heavenly Father’s plan for us is fabulous, that what we do in this life really matters, and that the Savior’s Atonement is what makes our Father’s plan possible. 


The only way I have found to get through the trials and tribulations in this world is through Jesus Christ. Being yoked to Him.


Last year, like many of you, our family dealt with changes, challenges, and trials.  I had a family member tell me "It took me 3 years to work through and move past a particular trial which our family was dealing with.  At first I thought "oh no that long" but as I expanded my timetables and realized we have eternity to work on this I felt empowered and hopeful.


It goes along with how President Nelson explained it..."when you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement."


By far the biggest blessing I received last year was having a front row seat to all the "Celestial" thinking that goes on in our ward. One of the things I love most about my calling is visiting with and talking with sisters in their homes. Each time I enter a home of one of our sisters I leave feeling lifted up. 


I love getting to know you and hopefully building a friendship with one other. These relationships have helped support my counselors and I in our callings. Thank you for being a friendly face and so accepting as we try to strengthen our sisterhood.


I encourage you wherever you are on your path to the temple that you will seek to spend more time in the temple. More time on the temple grounds, more time studying and building your testimony of the great blessings that can only come through the power of serving our ancestores in the temple. As we get ready for our temple here in the Heber Valley I hope you can and will feel the spirit of those who have come before us and made it possible.


As President Nelson concludes ..."Spending more time in the temple builds faith. And your service and worship in the temple will help you to think celestial. The temple is a place of revelation. There you are shown how to progress toward a celestial life. There you are drawn closer to the Savior and given greater access to His power. There you are guided in solving the problems in your life, even your most perplexing problems.


I have a strong testimony of the power that comes when we make the temple more of a priority. I know God lives. I know striving to Think Celestial will change our lives.  I love each of you and look forward to spending more time strengthening one another.

Love

Lisa Nokes

December 2023

by Morgan Walker, 2nd Counselor

This time of year always gets me thinking about how I can intentionally keep Jesus Christ at the center of my life. During the Christmas season, things can get busy and there can be distractions, so making time to think about Him can help keep us focus on the reason of the season. Something that helps me remember Him is seeing symbols of Him in my day-to-day life. The scriptures give us l many examples of things that represent Christ. A few of these are a lamb, a rock, light, daily bread, and living water. I find it interesting that in many stories in the scriptures, Jesus is compared to things that were found in people’s everyday lives. I’m sure this made it easier for them to see Him everywhere. Imagine if we were more intentional about finding symbols of Him in the small and simple things around us! How much more would we think of Him? There are so many symbols of Jesus Christ all around us this time of year. Here are a few I have noticed recently: my Christmas tree reminds me of the life He gives me; the lights on the tree remind me of the light He offers me during the dark times of my life; the snow outside reminds me of the purity and cleanliness I am promised when I use His Atonement; the gifts we give one another remind me of His gift of Eternal Life; seeing someone shovel their neighbor’s driveway reminds me of His loving, selfless character; the warmth I feel when going from the cold outdoors to a heated building reminds me of the comfort with which He fills my soul. I invite all of you to find symbols of Christ in your own personal life this Christmas season. I know that as you do so, you will be filled with even more love and gratitude for our Savior. 

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