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Learn to Listen and Listen to Learn

I have been a bit behind in posting about our relief society lessons so I am going to do a little combining of last weeks and this weeks lessons as they both involved ministering. 
Today our numbers were few but because we have had several new sisters move in over the past couple of months, we took the opportunity to get to know each other a little better by stating our name and sharing a favorite vacation spot. I know this will make the post long but I'm going to include this little activity to help all of us learn about each other. (And let's face it....when do I ever post a short post anyways!)
Kathy Ivers--Hawaii for anniversary trip; Diane Doyle Broderick--ID or Seattle where married kids are; Kristin Collins--Lake Powell for family trip and Fiji for couple trip; Becky King-anywhere!; Donise Sarager Price--no favorites, she doesn't have a favorite child either! :)--Mary Call--even though from England and it is beautiful there she loves Switzerland; Vicki Ashton--cruises!; Linda Mariner--whatever her latest trip is her favorite so New York church history trip; Tammy Knight--Hawaii; Gloria Murphy--anywhere out of the heat; Vernita Granger--Lake Powell if she's wanting peace but she is also a history buff so loves Europe; Pam Wilson--her husband doesn't like to travel but she did enjoy a recent trip to Wisconsin to visit family and is looking forward to a trip someday to see the pageant in New York; Linda Spezia--top on her list is BYU Education week followed by Carlsbad; Kim Easton--20th anniversary to Europe; loved Rome; Meg Flam--Pinetop---no electronics and lots of family time; Elizabeth Ewell--depends on what she is looking for but Maui is a favorite for beaches and good food and Rome is a favorite for art and history; Ellie Pace--head to Hawaii tomorrow so anticipating that will be a favorite!; Shirlyn Cox--lived in Hawaii for five years and craves the beach; Jennifer Knight--tropical and beaches but doesn't touch the water-enjoys from a distance; Kristen Winter--has little kids so currently Disneyland but she is going on a spontaneous trip with just her husband this week to where ever the wind takes them! (sounds so fun and adventurous!); Jennifer Sears--Caribbean cruise; Barb Sandoval--white mountains with family; Rachel Terry Thomas--recent anniversary trip to Boston--loves history; Kristin Wonnacott--Disneyland for honeymoon; LeAnn Rosaaen Risenhoover--was NY but recent trip to Montana to spend time with family might top it. Nothing to do but connect to loved ones over a nightly camp fire on a swing;  Alicia Call Peterson--loves to camp so can reconnect and refuel but can't sleep when she camps so if she wants sleep she loves to cruise.  Molly Lichlyter Marks--southern CA since she visited her grandparents there often as a child; Dalynne Ashley Denhof--church history sites--Nauvoo!
In a nutshell today we decided that the "new" ministering approach is really a continuation of what we have already been doing with a change in the reporting aspect. Our ward family is wonderful at reaching out and helping each other. As we continue to be aware of each other's needs and to be there for each other whether they are assigned to us or not we will be ministering as the Savior did.
One way we can work on our ministering efforts is by improving our listening skills. Last week, Sister Joanna Beck reviewed 5 principles from the June Ensign that good listeners do: 1. Give them time. Don't try to rush people when they are expressing their thoughts. 2. Pay attention. Resist the temptation to think of how to respond as people are sharing and instead listen with the intent to understand. 3. Clarify. Ask questions to be sure you understand. 4. Reflect. Parrot back what you understand the other person has expressed. 5. Find common ground. Find a way to agree with what you can without misrepresenting your own feelings.
I personally took great comfort in the statement "Learn to listen and listen to learn from others". This means becoming a good listener is a skill we can learn! I think Sister Kim Easton's council today in her talk to "keep trying" applies equally as well to our ministering efforts as it does to our efforts to teach the gospel in our homes. We can continue to try to do a little better each day at listening and loving those around us!

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