This coming weeks chapters for Come Follow Me are Alma 8-12.

Alma was an amazing missionary and he shared his experience of finding and learning of the gospel with others to help them do the same. Last time I shared a thought, I talked about the importance of sharing our testimonies and this week Im going to expound on that.

The world around us is a bit chaotic lately but I have felt comfort from the gospel knowledge that I have that everything will be okay in the end. Some people don’t have that knowledge! Can you imagine not knowing you can be with your family forever? Or not having a ward family nearby to support you? Can you imagine even not knowing you are a child of God and that He loves you? It would be incredibly hard to feel peace during this time without that knowledge.

We are so blessed and we have a responsibility to share the things that bring us comfort with those around us so that they too can have peace.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, “It’s the small things that make huge differences in the lives of individuals and families.”

SMALL things. You don’t have to do anything big to share your testimony and make a “huge difference” in someone’s life. Remember that a testimony is like a muscle—the more you use it and share it, the stronger it becomes. And on the other hand, if you don’t use it or share it, it can become very weak.

Make goals this week to find ways to share your testimony now and in the future. Will you serve your neighbor? Invite someone to play with you? Do you want to serve a mission one day? Think about those things now so you’re ready when your Heavenly Father needs you to help someone else!

I know Heavenly Father will pour out blessings upon us as we help bring all of His children home to Him.

For a fun activity, find all the items in the hidden picture that you will need to serve a mission someday!

We love and miss you and hope you are all doing well! See you soon! ♥️

Alison Searle

This upcoming week our Come Follow Me chapters are Mosiah 29-Alma 4. In Alma 2 a man named Amlici seeks to make himself king over the Nephites. He and his followers break away from the Nephites, go to war with the Nephites but are defeated. Eventually they combine forces with the Lamanites and become quite a fearsome bunch for the Nephites to overcome! The Nephites pray mightily for God's help and are strengthened and "Alma, being a man of God, being exercised with much faith, cried, saying: O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands to save and preserve this people." (Alma 2:30) Truly the Lord heard his prayer and the prayers of the many Nephites and helped them overcome the challenges that were set before them.

As I thought of the many times God has heard and answered my prayers, my mind kept returning to a specific time on my mission. I was serving in the London South mission and had been serving about 3 months. My trainer was leaving and I was getting a new companion who had only been out for 6 weeks. I felt very unsure of myself as my new companion and I had both only been out for a short time. We had an appointment that evening and the person was not home. As a missionary you always have plans and back up plans but I had forgotten to make any back up plans. I felt terrified and embarrassed that I was already making a mess of things but my companion and I decided to pray and ask God where we needed to be that evening. As we prayed an apartment building came to mind that my trainer and I had planned to visit several weeks prior but had not been able to. We headed there, prayed again that we might know where to knock, and at the first door an older gentlemen from Africa answered and immediately invited us in. We taught him the first lesson and that Sunday he came to church. We continued to teach him, and he was baptized shortly thereafter. Certainly the Lord heard our prayers that night and led us to one of His children who was ready to receive the Gospel. What a blessing it is to "be an instrument" in the hands of the Lord.

The greatest experiences I had on my mission and in my life have been when I seek to know what the Lord desires for me to do. He will not lead us astray, He will guide us if we humbly seek his direction, and He will see us be victorious, just like the Nephites, as we hear Him and act upon his council.

This week, think of a time the Lord has heard and answered your prayers and look for an opportunity to share that experience with someone else, especially your children! And invite your children to think of a time they have had a prayer answered. Encourage them to write it down or draw a picture of their experience so they can always remember that the Lord hears and answers our prayers.

Love,

Sister Cazier

In Mosiah 24:14 it says “I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs...this I will do that ye may stand as witnesses for me...that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.”

In the Come Follow Me for Primary, they have a great idea to help teach children about God helping carry their burdens.

“Fill a bag with heavy objects (to represent burdens), and invite a child to hold the bag. Explain that when we are sad, sick, or have other troubles, it can feel like carrying something heavy. Invite the children to take turns helping the child carry the bag so that it becomes lighter. Explain that Heavenly Father can make our burdens lighter when we seek His help through prayer, serving others, and so on.”

I find this lesson very timely with all that is going on. Our kids are experiencing their own burdens right now of not being able to go to school, see friends, go to birthday parties, etc. We can help them learn to turn to their Heavenly Father for comfort and strength while we help strengthen them and serve each other through small and simple things.

Love,

Sister Longhurst

One of the greatest blessings we've received because of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that we have a living Prophets, Seers, and Revelators on the earth today. We are so blessed to receive their council and to be able to seek the Spirit to know their teachings are true. Ammon taught in Mosiah 8:17, "a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed..." I am so grateful, especially in these times, to have a Prophet leading and guiding this church. It gives me great peace and comfort.

A fun way to help your children learn about our current Prophet and Apostles is through a matching game with some facts about each one found here.

I pray that we will each look to the teachings of the Prophets through the scriptures, conference talks, church magazines, and any other way we receive their words to help strengthen and prepare us until our Lord and Savior comes again!

Love,

Sister Cazier

I really can’t believe it’s been almost 2 months since we’ve been together in the church building but I am so grateful that we have technology and that can share our testimonies through this new ward webpage.

From this weeks Come Follow Me lesson, I wanted to focus on the covenants we make when we are baptized and every time we take the Sacrament. I found this great graphic to help our children remember these promises.

Another fun activity might be to have your kids make missionary name tags and wear them around to remind them that they are always a representative of Christ.

I know that as we keep these sacred covenants that we will be blessed beyond measure. Not always in the way we might want but always in the way that we need. Heavenly Father loves us all and wants us to be happy! These covenants aren’t to restrict us but to provide even more freedom and joy in our lives.

Stay safe, friends! We love you! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything!

Sister Ali Searle

Hello Ward Family!

We hope this message finds you safe and healthy. We know this is a troublesome time in the world but we realized there is no better time for General Conference and especially Easter to come along.

Being forced to slow down and take a step back from our “normal lives” is the perfect time to focus our energy on the Savior and His Atonement. As your primary presidency we invite you to make an extra effort this year to make Christ the center of your home during this Easter season. Below we have two different activities that we believe can really help spark a conversation between family members about Christ and especially help children to understand what Easter is truly about.

We hope you enjoy them and that you have your most memorable Easter yet! Please let us know if you have any questions.

Easter ABC Fill-In

Resurrection Rolls

With love,

Pheasant Valley Primary Presidency

Margaret Cazier

Aubrey Longhurst

Ali Searle

Hannah Miller