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Celebrating Thanksgiving

11/19/2015

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Celebrating Thanksgiving

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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LDS Church Explains Policies and Context Affecting Same-Sex Marriages and Children

11/6/2015

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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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Meet the Mormons Movie Is Online in 29 Languages!

11/6/2015

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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.

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