Walk To Zion program

A great idea from Beverly Qualheim:
A few weeks ago while I was walking with a friend, she told me of a program they once did in their ward to get the sisters walking.I loved the sounds of it and would like to start something similar onthis list since this year marks the 150th anniversary of the Handcartcompanies crossing the plains to get to 'Zion'. They called it 'WALK TO ZION' and they literally walked near theirhomes or in their homes, the equivalent of how many miles the handcartcompanies walked, keeping track of their personal miles.

I looked up some info on the Mormon Handcart companies and found thefollowing stats:"Across Iowa they followed an existing road about 275 miles (443 km)to Council Bluffs following a route that is close to current U.S.Route 6. After crossing the Missouri River, they paused for a few daysat a Mormon outpost in Florence, Nebraska (modern-day Omaha) forrepairs, before beginning the remaining 1,030-mile (1,658 km) journeyalong the Mormon Trail to Salt Lake City."So they walked 1305 miles total.That's a lot of miles!


GOALS
I figure we can choose from 2 goals...
1) 'walk from Iowa' = 1305 miles'
2) 'walk from Florence Nebraska' = 1,030 miles

We are blessed, we can walk it at our leisure in better weatherconditions, we can go home after each walk, we can walk with goodclothing, sturdy shoes, water, food, A/C if we have a treadmill...We also have no time constraints like the pioneers did-- they had tomake it to SLC before the winter cold weathers set in. And yes, weare starting out even later than the Martin and Willie Handcartcompanies. They were the worst off of all the handcart companies. Many died along the way, from all the companies. We are not going todie... we are going to take better care of these wonderful bodies wehave been given.

Book Club ideas

Here is a list of books that have been read by other Relief Society groups:

A Woman of Independent Means,, Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
All Over But the Shoutin’, Rick Bragg
American Girl series
As I Have Loved You, Kitty de Ruyter
At Home in Mitford, Jan Karon
Awakening, The, Kate Chopin
Bean Trees, The, Barbara Kingsolver
Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The, Barbara Robinson
Chosen, The, Chaim Potok
Christ Commission, The, Og Mandino
Christmas Box, The, Richard Paul Evans
Christy, Catherine Marshall
Civil Action, A., Jonathan Harr
Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
Cold Sassy Tree, Olive Ann Burns
Count of Monte Cristo, The, Alexandre Dumas
Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury
Death of Ivan Llyich, Leo Tolstoy
Education of Little Tree, The, Forest Carter
Egg and I, The, Betty McDonald
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
Enemy Women, Paulette Jiles
Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
Follow the River, James Alexander Thom
Gap Creek, Robert Morgon
Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Susan Vreeland
Giver, The, Lois Lowry
Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
Hiding Place, The, Corrie Ten Boom
Holes, Louis Sachar
How Green Was My Valley, Richard Llewellyn
I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
Importance of Being Ernest, The, Oscar Wilde
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
Joy Luck Club, The, Amy Tan
Julie, Catherine Marshall
Lantern in Her Hand, A, Bess Streeter Aldrich
Life of Our Lord, The, Charles Dickens
Life and Death in Shanghai, Nien Cheng
Life of Pi, Yann Martel
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The, C. S. Lewis
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Lost Horizon, James Hilton
Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl
Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare
Mutant Message from Down Under, Marlo Morgan
My Antonia, Willa Cather
Night, Elie Wiesel
O Pioneers!, Willa Cather
Optimist’s Daughter, The, Eudora Welty
Other Side of Heaven, The, John H. Groberg
Our Town, Thornton Wilder
Pearl, The, John Steinbeck
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Prophecy Checklist: From the Apostasy to the Final Judgment, Norma Pyper Mitchell
Room with a View, A, E. M. Forrster
Running Out of Time, Margaret Peterson Haddix
Saint Maybe, Anne Tyler
Screwtape Letters, The, C. S. Lewis
Secret Life of Bees, The, Sue Monk Kidd
Shepherds Abiding, Jan Karon
Silas Marner, George Eliot
Story of the Other Wise Man, The, Henry Van Dyke
Tess of the d’Ubervilles, Thomas Hardy
Thousand Pieces of Gold, A, Ruthanne Lum McCunn
Timepiece, Richard Paul Evans
Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, The, Malcom Gladwell
Tisha, Robert Specht
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Town Like Alice, A, Nevell Shute
Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A, Betty Smith
Trees, The, Conrad Richter
Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom
Turn of the Screw, The, Henry James
Two From Galilee, Marjorie Holmes
Watership Down, Richard Adams
Winter Wheat, Mildred Walker
Woman in White, Wilkie Collins
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
"Yellow Wallpaper" a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
"Neighbor Rosicky," a short story by Willa Cather

Mother's Day

This could be for a Sunday lesson, Enrichment Night or mid-week activity:
Our Relief Society went around and took pictures of every sister in the ward, serving in some way in their ordinary lives such as being a teacher, or in the nursery or being a mom, in their jobs etc. Then someone did a power point on a computer and put it to music. It was really neat and showed how we all serve in one way or another. They didn't tell us before hand what the pictures were for.


This year we're planning to have all the sisters from every auxiliary attend Relief Society on Mother's Day. We have a special lesson given by a member of our presidency and serve a light breakfast which the sister's absolutely love! The Bishopric and Elder's Quorum will help with the Primary and Young Women.
Last year about one month in advance we passed out a survey (See below if you are interested) and read the stunning and funny results as the sisters ate. It was light-hearted but pertinent to the sisters. The survey reflected all that they have done throughout their collective lifetimes---so fun for them.
This year we aren't quite sure what we should do for the first 10-15 minutes as they eat. Something casual and fun yet not to detract from the Spirit that we come to expect from Relief Society. Guessing game, mystery box, old photos etc. Just anything like that. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated and could be used by several sisters.

Survey:
Just for Fun
How many nieces and nephews do you have?
How many children do you have?
How many diapers have you changed? (Give yourself an extra pat on the back for changing cloth diapers)!!!
How many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have you made?
How many children in your family have been baptized?
How many family members have served a mission?
List one or more reason(s) you are thankful to be a "daughter" of Heavenly Father.

Activity Group ideas

Here are some ideas for Activity Groups that might meet weekly or monthly:

Pamper night: nails, feet, massage
Burn baby burn: computers and cd's
Angels among us: working closely with DI on projects
Sweet as Pie: making pies, pastries, etc
Celestial sisters: attend temple once a month
Eat your Wheaties: Food storage, recipes, organization, etc
It's Dirty work but someone's gotta do it: Housecleaning, tips, organization
Articles of Faith: memorize, tips to help children memorize, learn songs that go with them
Beach party/Spring Break: volleyball and light foods
Hooked on Reading: Book club- read and discussion
Share n' tear: Scrapbooking Blooming bulbs: gardening and yard work
Munch and Mingle: get together for lunch either at church, someone's home, or progressive dinner
Unfinished projects corner: self explanatory!
Blanket Brigade: making quilts...bring your own or come help others
One Dish Wonders: crock pot cooking
Ensign to the Nation: read and discuss current Ensign
Knead to Know Basics: bread making, rolls, specialty breads, etc
Tatt-a-tatt-tatt: crochet handkerchief
Cultural Night: productions at local theaters like symphony, plays, etc
Girls night out: go to a movie, dinner, sports, whatever with just the girls
American Idol: work on a talent or learn a new one
Tic Toc: Time management
Beyond the Pedigree Chart: writing your life history
Beauty shop Quartet: learn to sing or play an instrument
"me" time: What are my needs and how to make time for them
Quilting Bee
Park Pals - meet at parks with little ones to play while moms visit
Stroller stride - walk together while pushing the stroller

New Enrichment changes

Hi girls!
With all of the new changes in the Enrichment guidelines, sisters are now more confused than ever. Be sure to check out the book "Easy Enrichment Ideas: Thinking Outside the Green Gelatin Box" for ideas and guidelines. You can also take a peek at www.boicebox.com

Survey the Sisters

The Church has a great survey that is available through the Distribution Center. The catalog number is 33812000 and the cost is great - FREE.

Enrichment Stickers on calendar

Provide stickers of the Relief Society logo for the sisters to put on their calendars. Include this poem to remind sisters Enrichment Night is only 4 times a year (starting 2006).

ENRICHMENT STICKERS
Dear sisters of Relief Society a message comes out to you
Make the most of Enrichment now there are so very few,
They will be full of laughter, learning and maybe a song,
To be too busy to miss them would be so very wrong,
So here are four stickers to remind you well ahead in time
To attend these meetings they will help you to ever climb
Heavenward as love and learning you may surely gain,
So place the stickers in view to remind you again and again.

(Millicent) Ann Margetson 8 November 2005