By the time they reached the shores of America, the Pilgrims had sacrificed much of what they held dear to worship God. They left their native country, family, friends, home, livelihood and many of the comforts of life, and landed in a cold and hostile wilderness.  

William Bradford tells us, “Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet  on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.”

But their troubles were far from over. Bradford recounts, “It pleased God to visit us then with death daily, and with so general a disease that the living were scarce able to bury the dead.” More than half of the Pilgrims died the first winter.

And yet, when spring arrived and the captain of their ship offered to return them to England for free, not one Pilgrim accepted his invitation. Their faith in God gave them the strength to persevere.

Governor William Bradford declared, “Thus out of small beginnings greater things have grown by His hand. Who made all things out of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light enkindled here has shone to many, yea, in a sense, to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.”

The Pilgrims were willing to sacrifice everything for the freedom to worship God as they believed. In so doing, they laid the foundation for the creation of the greatest nation in the history of the world.

As we enjoy a feast with friends and loved ones, let’s take time to give thanks to God, to retell the story of the Pilgrims and the incredible price they paid to be faithful, and to recommit ourselves to pay the price to be true in our day. 

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

Here are some resources to help your family create happy, meaningful memories.

Watch

• The Mayflower Compact (4:25)
• The Mayflower Story (36:26)
• The Thanksgiving Story for Children  (24:35)
• Plimoth Plantation Virtual Field Trips

          - Mayflower (19:52)
          - Pilgrim Village (17:54)
          - Wampanoag Homesite (16:51)
          - Plimoth Plantation (30:23)

• William Bradford for Kids (2:30)
• Squanto, the Legendary Friend of the Pilgrims (7:09)
• Pocahontas - Animated Hero Classics (33:58)
• Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving-DTH (5:20)  
• History of Thanksgiving David Barton (6:42)
• True Story of Thanksgiving Rush Limbaugh (14:21)

Do

• Work together to prepare your Thanksgiving feast and to clean up afterwards.
• Do something nice for a military family and tell them how thankful you are for them.
• Help refugees or other immigrants in your community.
• Make or draw "We Are Thankful for You" posters or pictures and deliver them to friends and neighbors. Kids love to make it an anonymous surprise. Tape the picture to the front door or on the windshield of a car, ring the doorbell, and run.
• Take pictures of things you are thankful for and make a "Gratitude Scrapbook."
• The Pilgrims and Indians had friendly competitions.  You could participate in the local Turkey Trot, play games like catch, football, horseshoes, or frisbee golf.  
• Make Pilgrim Hats and Indian Headdresses for the kids.
• Do the Five Kernels of Corn activity.
• Make a Gratitude Craft.
• Do some Plimoth.org: Just for Kids activities.

Read

• The Pilgrims Depart from the Old World
• Pilgrims Arrive in the New World
• Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
• The Story of Thanksgiving
• Stories of the Pilgrims 
• Paying the Price to Be True
• George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
• Abraham LIncoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
• A Thanksgiving Message from Ronald Reagan
• Thanksgiving Quotations

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This article was originally posted on PatrioticMoms.com. It is shared here with permission.
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SALT LAKE CITY — In a video interview Friday in Salt Lake City, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reaffirmed the Church’s position on marriage and outlined handbook changes in Church policy affecting same-sex couples and their children. The interview will help Church members, the media and the public better understand the context and purpose of the changes, which have been discussed extensively in the news media, on social media and elsewhere.

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The changes were made this week in the Church’s Handbook 1 (a policy and instruction guide for local Church leaders) and were approved by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The revisions were outlined in a letter that was sent to local Church leaders throughout the world.
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This article was originally published on MormonNewsroom.org. It is shared here with permission.

Learn More:  DeseretNews.com
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Watch Meet the Mormons in English here!

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The official, full-length version of the movie is available on YouTube for a limited time in the following languages: Armenian, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch,  English,  Estonian,  Finnish,  French,  German,  Hungarian,  Icelandic,  Italian,  Japanese,  Korean,  Latvian,  Lithuanian,  Mandarin,  Norwegian,  Polish,  Portuguese (Brazilian),  Portuguese (European),  Romanian, Russian, Spanish (European), Spanish (Mexican), Spanish (worldwide), and Swedish.

• Get a free download of the title song “Glorious” in English and Spanish.

• Get your personal copy of the movie Meet the Mormons on DVD or Blu-ray.

• Watch the movie Meet the Mormons on video-on-demand (Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Comcast, DISH, DirecTV, Google Play, Vudu, etc.)

• Learn more about the movie Meet the Mormons.

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• Visit MeetTheMormons.com.

Meet the Mormons is a 78-minute documentary film produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The movie tells the story of six individuals from around the world who lead diverse lives but are all devout members of the Church. In addition to various places in the United States, Meet the Mormons takes you to Nepal, Costa Rica, Germany, and South Africa, providing an around-the-world look at Latter-day Saint families who meet their daily challenges with faith in Jesus Christ.

Meet the Mormons was ranked #10 for box office receipts the premiere weekend. The film has since made over $6 million, making it the 34th biggest documentary of all time. (All net proceeds were donated to charity.)

This article was originally published on LDSMediaTalk.com. It is shared here with permission.

SALT LAKE CITY — Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke Tuesday morning at the ninth World Congress of Families being held in Salt Lake City. Several thousand participants have gathered at the Grand America Hotel for the four-day meeting, which features 185 speakers comprised of scholars, researchers and religious leaders.
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“Society, law and popular opinion may change, but we know that society’s version of the family cannot and will not substitute for God’s purpose and plan for His children,” said Elder Ballard in his opening remarks as he outlined “how completely linked [Mormon] theology is to the traditional family.”

“In today's world, where marriage and children are increasingly marginalized, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not stand alone in identifying the traditional family as one of its most important doctrinal elements,” he said, adding that Pope Francis, the Southern Baptist Convention and other churches and prominent Christian leaders have also promoted traditional families.

Elder Ballard explained the Church’s position on marriage, which was outlined 20 years ago in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” He said, “This doctrine explains our strong position on the family. We also believe we are to reach out to all people with understanding, love and compassion.”
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The proclamation, signed by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, states, “Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and … the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”

Elder Ballard also stressed the significance of temples to Mormons. “Temples are very important to Latter-day Saints because in them couples are married for ‘time and all eternity,’ not just ‘till death do you part.’”

“We must rally all the support we can to strengthen and protect our faiths, families and freedom. Some are actively trying to strip us of these rights,” he said.

Elder Ballard also encouraged those in the audience to “extend a hand of fellowship to those with whom we disagree.” He cited the Church’s support of recent legislation passed by the Utah Legislature that protects LGBT people from being fired or denied housing because of their sexual orientation. The legislation also protects religious freedom.

“By engaging in compromise and extending love to all God’s children, who are our brothers and sisters, we can create a peaceful, diverse tapestry of ideals and beliefs,” Elder Ballard said. “Remember, married or single, that, in the end, we are each a unique part of God's grand plan.”

​The global World Congress of Families has been held in previous years in Sydney, Madrid and Amsterdam.

​This article was originally published on MormonNewsroom.org.  It is shared here with permission.

In his recently released book titled “Lights Out,” distinguished journalist Ted Koppel explores the challenges the United States would have if there were widespread power outages caused by a cyberattack. 

The book includes three chapters discussing the history and efforts of preparedness by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members.

​Mr. Koppel writes, "What distinguishes the Mormons is their extraordinary focus on the integration of self-sufficiency and charity." He adds, "The LDS church has set world-class standards for disaster preparedness and imbued its membership with a sense of individual and group responsibility."

As part of his research Mr. Koppel spent several days visiting Utah including Church headquarters and its facilities. We recognize his significant work to explore, research and gain greater understanding of our faith, organization and efforts to ensure Church members are prepared for all of life's uncertainties.

See more information and context on the Church’s teachings on preparedness.

This article was originally published on MormonNewsroom.org.  It is shared here with permission.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Provident Living
• Church Welfare Plan
• 2014 AP Story
• 2014 Welfare Fact Sheet
• First Presidency Message: Are We Prepared?
• Tithing Topic Page
• Tithing and Charitable Donations
• Fasting Topic Page
• Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Food Storage
• Food Storage Topic Page
• All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances
• All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage
• Bishops’ Storehouse

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[September 23rd] marks the 20-year anniversary of the release of an important document. In 1995, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put forth a set of principles that would help strengthen families and communities throughout the world. Those time-tested guidelines came in the form of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” Virginia H. Pearce, daughter of late Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, was serving in the Church’s auxiliary leadership at the time. She shares her thoughts on the moment she heard the proclamation and her feelings today.

'I cannot help but reflect back to the first time I heard it’ 

As we mark the 20th anniversary of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” I cannot help but reflect back to the first time I heard it. Wanting to breathe oxygen into the fire of nostalgia, I even went so far as to pull down from the cloud the General Relief Society Meeting of September 23, 1995.

Oh my goodness. Click, click, and there I was again, seated in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on that soft September afternoon in the old Tabernacle, listening with multiple sets of ears — the ears of a general Church officer (I was serving at the time as the first counselor in the general Young Women presidency), the ears of a daughter, the ears of a wife and mother, the ears of a Relief Society sister and the ears of a member of the family of God.

I had meant to skim through the words of the speakers this morning, but I couldn’t help myself. Clicking on the video feed, I feasted on the meeting, from beginning to end. Sisters Jack, Okazaki and Clyde spoke movingly of Relief Society and God’s intention that we sisters “strengthen each other,” teaching that Relief Society can act as “a balm of Gilead,” a place where we can feel our Heavenly Father’s Spirit and [our] sisters’ “unfeigned love and encouragement.” Little acts of compassion from others “inspire us; they take the edges off our problems,” “particularly helping us at home.” Our Relief Society leaders reminded us all that “even in hearts and homes in apparently ideal circumstances, there are hidden heartaches and taxing challenges.”

Before I knew it, the meeting moved on to President Hinckley. And how can I not respond to the voice that all during the years of my childhood awakened me in the morning and was the steady backdrop to our chatter at the dinner table? On that evening in 1995 and even now, his voice awakens additional trust and comfort because layered onto the familial relationship is my God-given witness that he stood at that podium as a prophet.

His was a message filled with gratitude and tender emotion. He counseled, “Regardless of your circumstances, walk with faith”; “reach out in love to those in distress and need.” More than once, particularly as he read a rather lengthy letter a woman had sent to him, he had to pause with emotion. She spoke of her pain and difficulty and yet her trust in God and the promises made to her through this prophet, saying, “I have found if you cast your burden at the Savior’s feet, He will carry it for you and replace anguish with love, compassion, empathy, instruction and hope.”

President Hinckley’s words preceding the proclamation created an important context for the document that would be the capstone of the meeting and the foundation for all our discussions about family for the ensuing decades.

My faith isn’t very complicated. It centers around a clear conviction that God lives and that His purpose and the Savior’s purpose is to change us — to make us better than we are, changed enough that we can live with Them again. Little wonder that the most compelling sentence of the proclamation for me was, and still is, “Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.”

I heard those lines with all of my “ears” 20 years ago, and they still echo for me today. Today, however, I think more and more about the big family I belong to — the family of God. If it is to be successful, we will each need more faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work and, yes, a bit of wholesome fun. Let’s work on those things for another 20 years!

Read "The Family: A Proclamation to the World."

This article was originally published on MormonNewsroom.org  It is shared here with permission.

In today’s world, children--our children--are often exposed to pornography at a very young age. As parents, we need to talk with them and prepare them. They need to understand what pornography is and why they should avoid it. And they need to know we love them and they can come to us any time they have questions or concerns.

This video can help. It teaches about the dangers of pornography in an open, honest, and supportive way, and it encourages children to talk with their parents about what they are experiencing.

As we prayerfully consider how to teach and support our children, we can be guided how to help them avoid the pain and problems associated with pornography use.

My wife and I have known each other since high school, but didn’t date until much later. We had only dated a couple of weeks before we realized that we were madly in love and wanted to get married.

I was all for it! I even suggested a spontaneous, immediate wedding in Vegas. (Seriously.) Kim, however, was a bit more practical about the whole thing. She wanted to take time to plan it all out.

I felt deflated. “We’re so different,” I said. “You like to plan, while I like to be spontaneous.”
Kim’s eyes widened. “I can be spontaneous!” she said, hurriedly. “I can totally be spontaneous. You just have to tell me in advance when you want to be spontaneous, and I will write it down in my planner…”

I gave her a strange look. She was totally serious! Clearly, Kim did not understand the meaning of spontaneity.

Funny as it may seem, the more I think about this conversation the more I’ve come to realize that planning to love someone—or choosing to love someone—is actually one of the most beautiful things about love.

I’ve heard it said that real love is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person.

It’s true.

When all the butterflies have fluttered away and your wedding day becomes a distant memory, you will discover that you’ve married someone who is just as imperfect as you. And they, in turn, will come to learn that you have problems, insecurities, struggles, quirks—and body odor—just as real as theirs!

Then you will realize that real love isn’t just a euphoric, spontaneous feeling—it’s a deliberate choice—a plan to love each other for better and worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health. Of course, you don’t choose who you’re attracted to, but you definitely choose who you fall in love with and (more importantly) who you stay in love with.

Read the rest of this wonderful article at SethAdamSmith.com

When children are young, moms and dads have daily opportunities to serve and teach them important truths. Vital lessons can be shared by what loving parents say and what they do. 

But as the years pass, wise parents realize that though their children are grown, and don’t need daily support, they can still benefit from the inspired example and counsel of mom or dad from time to time.

This is a story of a dad setting a wonderful example of love, service and prayer for his young sons, even when it wasn’t convenient. It’s a great reminder not to let worthwhile activities distract us from the things that matter most, that our highest priority is to lovingly live, and teach, gospel principles in our homes.

In my family, all our children left home by the time they were seventeen or eighteen. When our oldest left for BYU at age seventeen, my wise husband began the tradition of writing her a weekly email. Each Sunday he took time to send a message full of great love, fun family news, expressions of respect and appreciation, and occasional inspired counsel. Over the years he has continued this tradition with each of our children. He prayerfully seeks inspiration and guidance for what he can say that will help them. And the Lord has blessed our children and family because of my husband’s faith, love and diligence.

Each of us can create inspired opportunities to love and teach our children, growing and grown. As we seek the Lord’s help, our loving, inspired service and counsel can be a guiding influence and powerful blessing for those we love.

"A successful parent should never be too busy to capture a moment in a child's life 
when an important lesson can be taught."  ~Elder L. Tom Perry

SALT LAKE CITY —  Boyd K. Packer, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at home Friday, July 3, 2015, at about 2 p.m. MDT from causes incident to age. He was 90 years old.

“He was truly an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. From the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, he represented the Savior of the world,” said Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

President Packer was serving as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the time of his passing, a position he held since February 3, 2008. Prior to that, he served as acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve since June 5, 1994. He was ordained an apostle on April 9, 1970, and served for over 50 years as one of the Church's general authorities.

For decades, President Packer declared the gospel of Jesus Christ and played a critical role in the growth and development of the global Church, which now numbers more than 15 million members.

"The lessons that he's taught are long in the hearts of people and in their minds," said Elder Allan Packer, President Packer’s son and a member of the Quorum of the Seventy.

President Packer served on a committee with other Church leaders and scriptural scholars that produced new editions of the LDS scriptures in 1979 and 1981. The new editions featured study aids and formats that would significantly improve Church members’ ability to study the scriptures. Of the project, President Packer said, “With the passing of years, these scriptures will produce successive generations of faithful Christians who know the Lord Jesus Christ and are disposed to obey His will.” He continued, “These references from the four volumes of scripture constitute the most comprehensive compilation of scriptural information on the mission and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ that has ever been assembled in the history of the world.”

“President Packer always felt that if we could read the words of the Lord we would be far better off and much safer than speculating with our own ideas," Elder Ballard said. "It was not unusual for him to say, ‘Brethren, let me read to you.’ And then he would turn to a very important scripture in the standard works and let us listen to what the Lord had to say. And we all learned at his feet.”

At the Church's April 2014 general conference, President Packer declared, "After all the years that I have lived and taught and served, after the millions of miles I have traveled around the world, with all that I have experienced, there is one great truth that I would share. That is my witness of the Savior Jesus Christ.”

President Packer was born September 10, 1924, in Brigham City, Utah. He was a United States bomber pilot during World War II in the Pacific Theater. An educator by profession, President Packer’s career included service as supervisor of seminaries and institutes of religion for the Church and as a member of the administrative council of Brigham Young University.

President Packer studied at Weber Junior College and subsequently received his bachelor of science and master of science degrees from Utah State University. He received a doctorate in educational administration from Brigham Young University.

He was well respected by Church members as a master teacher of the principles of the gospel. “The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior,” he taught.

President Packer was also known as a fearless defender of the gospel of Jesus Christ and spoke boldly about the teachings and doctrine of the Church. “He had a deep testimony of the gospel, an inherent love of the Savior, of the people themselves, and wanted to share with them that which was important,” Elder Allan Packer said. “So I think he, when he knew those things, felt a responsibility to communicate and to share and to teach.”

He authored many books during his lifetime and was also an accomplished artist.

Despite the heavy load of his Church positions, family was the priority for President Packer. His son Allan recently said his father made himself available in the home to take advantage of every opportunity to teach. “He’s still a father, and that’s his number-one priority.” He is survived by his wife, Donna, and their 10 children.

The Church will announce details regarding funeral arrangements as they become available. It is undetermined when the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will be filled.

Learn more about his service and ministry:
MormonNewsroom.org.
LDS.org
Church News
DeseretNews.com

This news release was originally published on MormonNewsroom.org. It is republished here with permission.