This change is more than just a policy update; it is an invitation for more of God’s children to bring their unique spiritual insights to the vital work of gospel instruction.

What This Means for Your Ward

The transition is effective immediately at the local level. Here is a quick look at how these new presidencies will be structured:

• Expanded Leadership: Bishops may now prayerfully call either a man or a woman to lead the Sunday School in their ward.
• Unified Presidencies: To maintain current administrative guidelines, presidencies will remain single-gender. If a woman is called as president, her counselors and secretary will also be women. Likewise, if a man is called, the presidency will remain all-male.
• Local Focus: For now, this change applies specifically to individual wards. Stake and General Sunday School presidencies will continue to be comprised of priesthood holders.

Strengthening the Heart of the Home and Church

The core mission of the Sunday School remains unchanged: to help us all come unto Christ through the diligent study of His word. Sunday School General President Paul V. Johnson noted that this change provides Bishoprics with “additional options” as they seek inspired leaders to foster spiritual growth.

Sara Daniela Acosta, a member of the Sunday School General Advisory Council, beautifully captured the spirit of this announcement. She reminded us that regardless of who stands at the head, the goal is for members to “learn together, teach each other, grow in faith and draw closer to their Savior.”

A Step Toward Greater Inclusion

For many who have long felt that the administrative tasks of Sunday School—such as organizing classes and supporting teachers—could be capably handled by the sisters of the Church, this news is a reason to rejoice. While the Church continues to move in “baby steps,” as some observers note, each step forward is a testament to the ongoing Restoration and the belief that “He denieth none that come unto him” (2 Nephi 26:33).

As we see more of our sisters stepping into these leadership roles, we can look forward to a richer, more vibrant culture of learning where every voice is valued and every soul is nourished by the good word of God.

This is a developing story.

The post A New Season for Gospel Teaching: Women Can Now Be Called as Sunday School Presidents appeared first on morefaith.ph.

Look past her clothing and get to know her

When people judge someone right off the bat because of outward appearance, they miss the opportunity to really get to know them and limit the chance to form a friendship. For a moment, look past her clothing and see her as one of the daughters of Heavenly Father—one who has the same divine nature and royal destiny as you, one whom the Father loves just as much as He loves you, one who rallied with you in the grand council in heaven to fight for the freedom to choose, and a fellow traveller in this mortal journey who is just as eager to return home to Heavenly Father as you are.

Just because a woman dresses differently than most LDS women does not mean she’s immodest.

Women wear skirts of different lengths and sizes—some like to wear them a little longer or a little shorter, some want it fit, flared or pleated. Some skirts cover the kneecaps while some don’t. The point is, that’s not something for anyone to judge. The Lord did not state how many inches is long enough to be called modest, so we should not label or judge anyone. The Lord warns, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

Teach others the Lord’s standards on modesty

Millions and millions of women around the world have not heard that their bodies are temples of God and do not have a clue about modesty. Some indigenous tribes do not even consider topless women to be immodest. The saying, “ignorance to the law excuses no one” does not apply to these women. These circumstances call for the women of the Church to be walking examples of the Lord’s standards on modesty and to spread what they know to people they come to associate with.

People have differing opinions on modesty. Find out how LDS women view modesty in dressing here.

The post What Length is Modest Enough for LDS Women? appeared first on morefaith.ph.

Remember who you are

In Genesis, we learn that we were created after the image of God. Knowing this absolute truth gives Latter-day Saints confidence in their beauty in whatever form they were physically created. Regardless of skin, hair color, race, height, social status and other attributes that can be linked to beauty, there is no mistaking of the fact that “[we] are gods, children of the most High.” (Psalm 82:6) This divine knowledge that we the offspring of an Eternal God—a God perfect and most powerful beyond comprehension—should give us a strong backbone to feel beautiful because everyone on this earth was born with innate beauty coming from the creator of beauty both in heaven and on earth. Everything created by God since the beginning is created with indescribable beauty and we are one of those masterpieces he created. This truth must be well planted in our hearts that we may all feel confidently beautiful even when the world says otherwise.

Receive His image in your countenances

The 5th chapter of the Book of Alma poses the question, “Have ye received his image in your countenances?” (Alma 5:14) Receiving the countenance of God is probably one of the most beautiful aspects of beauty a person can receive—a beauty that cannot be painted or surgically manipulated. This blessing is a result of righteousness, faith and obedience to the laws of heaven. This deep beauty shines from the inside out that radiates glow and brightness way beyond what the world consider as beautiful.

Look into the mirror of eternity

If we remain faithful unto the end and have proven worthy to return to Heavenly Father’s presence, we learn in the 10th chapter of the Book of Moroni in the Book of Mormon that we are promised that we will be perfected by the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ. (Moroni 10:32) This is an absolute truth of beauty for what more can be more beautiful than being perfect like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. This is an eternal beauty that has been promised to us by our loving Heavenly Father.

Seek, develop and share the best gifts

As children of the Eternal Father, we were given gifts to bless our lives and to bless the lives of our fellow travelers in our earthly journey. In the 46th section of Doctrine and Covenants, we are taught that “to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God…to some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.” (Doctrine & Covenants 46:11-12) In the same section is an account of some of these gifts.

13 To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.
14 To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.
15 And again, to some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the differences of administration, as it will be pleasing unto the same Lord, according as the Lord will, suiting his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men.
16 And again, it is given by the Holy Ghost to some to know the diversities of operations, whether they be of God, that the manifestations of the Spirit may be given to every man to profit withal.
17 And again, verily I say unto you, to some is given, by the Spirit of God, the word of wisdom.
18 To another is given the word of knowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge.
19 And again, to some it is given to have faith to be healed;
20 And to others it is given to have faith to heal.
21 And again, to some is given the working of miracles;
22 And to others it is given to prophesy;
23 And to others the discerning of spirits.
24 And again, it is given to some to speak with tongues;
25 And to another is given the interpretation of tongues.

These gifts need to be sought diligently, developed valiantly and used according to the will of the Great Giver of all these gifts. Seeking and developing these gifts means seeking and developing eternal beauty that cannot be purchased nor washed off. After seeking and developing these gifts, sharing it to other people is a great portrayal of beauty. A singer can sing to bring out the beauty of using clean language on song lyrics, a painter can paint a masterpiece for an art gallery to remind people to appreciate the beauty of nature, and a dressmaker can make clothing to express the beauty of modesty. These examples among many others are portraying beauty.

Beauty has its many forms and among these forms, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints see beauty as something that does not wear out, something that cannot be bought over the counter, something that cannot be corrupted by moth and the trends of this world. Beauty is godly attractiveness.

The post What Makes A Woman Confidently Beautiful With A Heart? appeared first on morefaith.ph.

I was studying in an amazing university, dating a returned missionary, and having awesome experiences when the thought of going on a full-time mission came to mind. I’ve always wanted to serve and I’ve been planning on it my whole life but things have suddenly changed and I wondered if it was a selfish decision not to go. I was scared that by choosing one path I will entirely miss out on a greater opportunity the other path has to offer.

I believe there’s a lot of you out there who find yourselves in the same situation I was in a few years ago. It’s a major decision in life and I know how overwhelming it can be. Allow me to share a few things about my experience as a full-time missionary that will hopefully help you in your decision to send that application paper or not.

The decision to serve is between you and the Lord. Your friends, family, and Church leaders will give you plenty of support and advice, but in the end it is YOUR decision and YOU have to make it. Always remember that whatever you choose to do, the Lord will respect your decision. He wants you to be happy and if you’re happy with your choice, then it means you won’t have any regrets later on. Developing a relationship with the Savior helped me understand His respect for my agency and gave me the courage to take that “leap of faith” to leave everything behind and serve as a full-time missionary.

Serving a mission is not for the fainthearted. Being a full-time missionary is hard. You work all day, you have to do things you’re scared of, and you’re always being stretched beyond your limits. When you think you’ve figured it out, you get transferred. You have to deal with difficult people and sometimes it’s the person you have to be with 24/7. The point is, you can’t go on a mission half-heartedly. It’s all or nothing. You can’t complain or just go home when it gets really hard because, after all, it’s your decision to be there.

Rejection galore! It is humiliation and heartbreak to a totally different level. I never knew people could be so mean. There are people who go out of their way to make you feel insignificant and unwanted while there are others who are more civil about it. There are also those who pretend you don’t exist even when you’re literally in front of them. People are interesting like that and you have to be emotionally ready for those kind of experiences.

You’ll feel like you have bipolar disorder. Your emotions reach extreme levels in the mission field.  One minute you’re so happy because your investigator finally decided to be baptized, the next minute you’re so depressed because your scheduled appointment got cancelled. It’s like that every single day. You become emotionally vulnerable and you end up extremely exhausted. That’s probably one of the reasons why 8 hours of sleep feels like 30 minutes. But seriously though, you feel so many emotions on your mission and it makes you aware of Heavenly Father’s love and His capacity to forgive and provide comfort. There are moments when you feel like your heart is going to burst with happiness and those are the times that will get you through the hard days.

Mission is like life in a nutshell. You will see and understand Heavenly Father’s plan in a whole new perspective. You will have experiences which will teach you the meaning of the Atonement and its power to change people. You will face challenges that will bring you down on your knees and make you question you’re purpose of being out there. But there will also be moments of extreme happiness that will fill your heart with warmth and love. Being on a mission is like experiencing life all at once with all of its joys and sadness. It’s overwhelming, scary, nerve wracking and amazing all at the same time. It’s just wonderful.

I could not possibly tell you everything you need to know so that you can make your decision. But I hope that with the things I’ve shared you will understand that serving a mission is not something you do just because you feel like it. You need to figure out your reason why you want to go. That reason will help you overcome the most challenging experiences in the mission field. It will be your constant reminder why you chose to be out there.

The post Serve a Mission or Not? appeared first on morefaith.ph.