Weslaco Texas Ward, Church of Jesus Christ

09/12/2024

The McAllen Texas Stake Center is all set for Conference. Are you?

08/25/2023

The McAllen Texas Temple open house starts today. Come see not only how beautiful it is but the beauty it contains inside. Beautiful ordinances/ceremonies are done within where we can make further promises and be sealed for eternity with our own families, and where we help others who have passed on from this life, do the same. All are welcome 🥰

If, you live in the Mercedes, Weslaco, and Donna area and you want to learn more of our Savior, Jesus Christ, just send a message to this page!

05/29/2023

04/10/2022

Great morning in McAllen helping clean the city.

05/31/2021

We honor today (and everyday) those who have given their lives for us, so that we can live more freely. 🇺🇸

05/01/2021

Greetings Brothers and Sisters!

🌻Here is the Weslaco I Ward Relief Society newsletter for the week ending May 2. Enjoy!

🌻Beginning this Week

The McAllen Stake has approved a return to the two-hour meeting schedule beginning this Sunday, May 2. We will have Sacrament meeting (Fast and Testimony meeting, this week) at the regular time, 9 am. It will be followed by Sunday School (Come Follow Me) on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month and Relief Society on the 2nd and 4th Sunday. We will continue to sanitize hands and high use surfaces, social distance, and wear masks in both Sacrament Meeting and the 2nd hour. We are excited to meet in-person as a Relief Society again (next week, May 9).

🌻What’s Coming Up

· Sunday, May 2, 9 am, Sacrament Meeting, 10 am, Sunday School – Come Follow Me

· Sunday, May 2, 7 pm (CST), Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults (but anyone can listen) https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/event/may-worldwide-devotional-for-young-adults
· Friday, May 7, 6:15am Seminary at church
· Tuesday, May 11, 7 pm, Relief Society Activity at church

🌻This Week’s Study & Lessons

Come Follow Me April 26–May 2. Doctrine and Covenants 45: “The Promises … Shall Be Fulfilled” (churchofjesuschrist.org)

From Come Follow Me:

“We live in perilous times, and that can be troubling. Even Jesus’s disciples, when they heard Him prophesy of the calamities that would occur in our day, “were troubled”. The early Saints in Kirtland, Ohio, were also troubled by the perilous times in which they lived. Among other things, there were “many false reports … and foolish stories” that were undermining the gospel message. But the Lord’s response, then and now, is “be not troubled”. Yes, there is wickedness, but there is also evidence that God is hastening His work. Yes, there are perils predicted to precede the Second Coming, and we should be aware of them. But these aren’t just warnings of danger; they are also signs that God’s promises are about to be fulfilled. Perhaps this is why Doctrine and Covenants 45—a revelation that describes many of these signs in detail—was received “to the joy of the Saints”.

As you read Section 45, look for ways that you can prepare and feel peace and joy in our troubled times.

🌻Next Week: May 9 – Prepare for next week’s Relief Society discussion by reading President Dallin H. Oaks April 2021 conference address “What Has Our Savior Done for Us?”. Find it in your May 2021 Liahona, on your Gospel Library App or online: What Has Our Savior Done for Us? (churchofjesuschrist.org)

🎉Happy Birthday – Sarah Cuadra (May 3) and Jae Morales (May 7)🎉

🌻Relief Society Activity – Temples and Family History

Join us for a temple-focused Relief Society activity on Tuesday, May 11 at 7 pm. Brother and Sister Brown from the McAllen Temple Visitors Center will update us on construction progress, share temple covenants and blessings, and discuss ways we can introduce friends and family to the McAllen temple. We will also do some simple family history activities. Be sure to bring your FamilySearch (or church account) username and password and, if you have a treasured picture or story of a loved one, bring that, too.

New Relief Society Lesson Schedule & Ministering Assignments

We will be distributing the new Relief Society lesson schedule for May – October 2021 at Sacrament meeting on Sunday, May 2. Be sure to pick up your copy. Ministering assignments will also be distributed.

🌻Single Adult Face to Face

Single adults ages 31 and older are invited to participate in the first-ever Face to Face event specifically for them on June 13, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. CDT. Elder Neil L. Andersen, Sister Jean B. Bingham, and Sister Sharon Eubank will be celebrating contributions of single adults in the church and answering questions on various topics. Members are invited to submit questions at: Single Adult Face to Face with Elder Andersen, Sister Bingham, and Sister Eubank (churchofjesuschrist.org)

🌻Missionary Meal Calendar

Sisters, you have been wonderful about feeding our missionaries on an assigned day each month (or more). We had hoped to be able to begin sending a calendar around again when we began meeting the second hour, but as part of reopening precautions we have been instructed not to pass sign ups/attendance rolls, etc. So, we hope that you are willing to continue with your assigned day of the month for the time being. For those not regularly feeding the missionaries, we do have these dates open on their calendar for May: Tuesday, May 11, Thursday, May 13 and Sunday, May 16, Tuesday, May 18 and Sunday, May 23, Tuesday, May 25, Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30. We will post their meal calendar in the Relief Society room and hope those who can help will fill in more dates.

🌻Let’s Get Prepared

The next several months we will focus on emergency preparation and 72-hour kits.

For 72-Hour Kits:

Prior weeks: 1) Prepare a single location to store all your family 72-hour kits and emergency supplies, 2) decide (purchase) a pack or container for your kits, 3) purchase gallon-sized and jumbo-sized (2.5 gallon) or big bags (3 gallon) ziplock bags and a couple black sharpie pens, 4) print and personalize the packing list for each family member, 5) make “personal” bags, 6) make “survival” bag, 7) make “clothing” bag, 8) make “random/fun” bags.

Week 7: Gather Loose Items: Loose items go in front and side pockets. They include water bottle(s), hand sanitizer, flashlight, tarp, comfort/snack food, and items for immediate baby needs (diapers, wipes, bottle, formula), if applicable. Here’s a link for “loose items”: Text placeholder (planforawesome.com) For more detailed information and tips about “loose items”: A Printable Schedule to Actually Finish Your Family's 72-Hour Kits (planforawesome.com) and scroll down to Week 9.

Tip: If you have some items from previous weeks to gather or purchase, this is a light week to pull more of those together. Be sure to circle items you have not yet gathered on your 72-Hour Kit list so that you can get them later.For emergency preparation: – prepare for hurricanes – Over the next few weeks we will look at CDC recommendations for preparing for hurricanes. Step 5: Get your family and pets ready. When a hurricane watch is called, get your family ready: review your emergency plan with your family (where to meet if separated, how to get out, who to contact out of area, etc.), keep checking for storm updates, contact the hospital, public health or police if you or a family member has special needs and get their advice, and put pets and farm animals in a safe place. Follow this link to read more about pet safety during an emergency.

🌻Preparing for the McAllen Temple

During the last three months we reviewed each temple recommend question and the doctrine and principles they represent. Heavenly Father gives us doctrines and principles and then we decide how we will respond to His counsel – how we will prepare to go to the temple. President Russell M Nelson stated, “Individual worthiness to enter the Lord’s house requires much individual spiritual preparation. But with the Lord’s help, nothing is impossible.”

We hope every sister in our ward looks forward to a temple in McAllen - so close to home! – and desires the individual blessings promised there. Because our Heavenly Father loves us and respects our agency, it is we who choose if we will receive those blessings in their fullness. Let us all prepare now and live worthy, and encourage each other, too, so that we, the Weslaco I Ward Relief Society, and our families will have the privilege to enter the McAllen temple when it is dedicated and then frequently visit to participate in the ordinances and blessings found there.

Be sure to mark your calendar for Tuesday, May 11 to learn more about the McAllen temple and the promises and opportunities it will bring.

🌻Have a wonderful week🌻

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Sister Lesa Stevenson will be the featured guests at a worldwide devotional for young adults on May 2, 2021.

04/25/2021

Greetings Sisters and Brothers!

Here is the Weslaco I Ward Relief Society newsletter for the week ending April 25. Enjoy!

🌼What’s Coming Up

· Sunday, April 25, 9 am, Sacrament Meeting at church

· Sunday, April 25, 11 am, Relief Society on Zoom

· Thursday, April 29 & Friday, April 30, BYU Women’s Conference, “I Am a Child of God, His Promises Are Sure”, digital conference BYU Women's Conference

· Friday, April 30 6:15am Seminary. Only 2 weeks left! Be sure your youth knows.

· Sunday, May 2, 7 pm (CST), Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults (but anyone can listen) https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/event/may-worldwide-devotional-for-young-adults

· Tuesday, May 11, 7 pm, Relief Society Activity at church

🌼This Week’s Study & Lessons

Relief Society - There Was Bread (churchofjesuschrist.org) Bishop W. Christopher Waddell and Ask, Seek, and Knock (churchofjesuschrist.org) Milton Camargo, First Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency. (Also available on Gospel Library and in the November 2020 Ensign.)

In “There was Bread”, Bishop Waddell talks about preparing now for future crisis and calamities and shares resources and principles to help us prepare. He said, “Today we are blessed to be led by prophets who understand the need for us to prepare against the calamities “which should come” and who also recognize the limitations or restrictions that we may encounter in striving to follow their counsel.” He encouraged us to apply principle of preparedness in wisdom and order and that “The Lord does not expect us to do more than we can do, but He does expect us to do what we can do, when we can do it.” The Lord loves effort.

Milton Camargo discusses the principles of asking, seeking, and knocking to receive personal revelation. He concludes, “We learn that prayer requires spiritual labor, and it does not always lead to the outcome we hope for. But when we feel discouraged or weighed down with sorrow, the Lord gives us comfort and strength in different ways. He may not answer all of our questions or solve all of our problems right away; rather, He encourages us to keep trying. If we then speedily align our plan with His plan, He will open the way for us.”

🌼Come Follow Me – April 19–25. Doctrine and Covenants 41–44: “My Law to Govern My Church” (churchofjesuschrist.org)

As the church grew, Joseph Smith and others had questions about how to move forward in unity. The Lord gave the revelations in Section 41-44 to establish His law for the church. First, He encouraged the saints to prepare themselves to receive His law by unified prayers of faith, humility, and a willingness to hear and follow His counsel. Today, we approach general conference with similar humble and unified desire to receive and follow the direction of a prophet.

The law He gave the Kirkland saints is the same law He gave the disciples in Judea and the Nephites at the temple in Bountiful, in fact, He reminded the church in this dispensation to study the Bible and Book of Mormon for His gospel. His law for us includes sharing our testimony and inviting others to covenant with God, keeping the commandments to love and live with integrity, caring for those in need, and working to be self-reliant and lift others. And, the Lord reminds us the role of prophet is to be the mouthpiece of God on earth to guide the entire church, but that each individual can seek personal revelation for their own responsibilities and families.

🌼Relief Society ZOOM Discussion – Sunday, April 25 – 11:00 am

Join Zoom by Video:

https://zoom.us/j/95638407021?pwd=YS90Qk90SXRPR2EvMGxObkRtZEhxdz09
Join ZOOM by phone only: 1-346-248-7799

Meeting ID: 956 3840 7021 Passcode: 513538

🎉Happy Birthday – Michele Richardson (May 2)🎉

🌼Relief Society Activity – Temples and Family History

Join us for a temple-focused Relief Society activity on Tuesday, May 11 at 7 pm. Brother and Sister Brown from the McAllen Temple Visitors Center will update us on construction progress, share temple covenants and blessings, and discuss ways we can introduce friends and family to the McAllen temple. We will also do simple family history activities. Be sure to bring your FamilySearch (or church account) username and password and if you have a treasured picture or story of a loved one, bring that, too.

🌼Let’s Get Prepared

The next several months we will focus on emergency preparation and 72-hour kits.

For 72-Hour Kits:

Prior weeks: 1) Prepare a single location to store all your family 72-hour kits and emergency supplies, 2) decide (purchase) a pack or container for your kits, 3) purchase gallon-sized and jumbo-sized (2.5 gallon) or big bags (3 gallon) ziplock bags and a couple black sharpie pens, 4) print and personalize the packing list for each family member, 5) make “personal” bags, 6) make “survival” bag, 7) make “clothing bag”.

Week 7: Make “Random/Fun Bags”: Using a gallon ziplock bag per person and the 72-hour kit contents list as a guide, create a “Random/Fun Bag” for each family member. “Random/Fun Bags” include items to keep you organized and entertained, and your spirits up – things like scriptures, maps, emergency numbers and cards or games. Here’s a link for what goes in a “Random/Fun Bag”: Text placeholder (planforawesome.com) For more detailed information and tips about “Random/Fun Bags”: A Printable Schedule to Actually Finish Your Family's 72-Hour Kits (planforawesome.com) and scroll down to Week 8.

For emergency preparation: – prepare for hurricanes – Over the next few weeks we will look at CDC recommendations for preparing for hurricanes. Step 3: Get your car ready. When a hurricane watch is called, keep your car at ready: Fill your gas tank, move your vehicles into your garage or under cover, be sure you have an emergency kit in your car and if you don’t have a car, make arrangements with family or friends or call local authorities to get a ride if you need to evacuate. For more information, visit Car Safety | Ready.gov

🌼Preparing for the McAllen Temple – Worthy to Enter the Temple

In this section each week we will review each of the temple recommend questions and their corresponding gospel principle as a way of becoming “temple ready” for our new McAllen Temple (and any other temple, too!).

Temple Recommend Question: “Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord’s house and participate in temple ordinances?”

What we believe: President Howard W. Hunter has said, “the temples we dedicate are dedicated to our Heavenly Father. These temples are his houses, built in his name for his glory and for his purposes.” The Lord promises that if those who enter the temple are clean, His presence will be there.

President Hunter explained, “Our hearts and hands must be clean and pure and our thoughts must be focused on things of an eternal nature when we go to the temple…entering the temple is a privilege given to worthy Church members and not a right that automatically comes with Church membership.”

The temple recommend interview gives you and your priesthood leader a chance to discuss your worthiness, but ultimately, using your agency, you decide if you are ready and worthy for the temple. President Russell M Nelson stated, “Individual worthiness to enter the Lord’s house requires much individual spiritual preparation. But with the Lord’s help, nothing is impossible.”

Consider: While it is important to be honest with the priesthood leader who is conducting your interview, it’s also very important that you are honest with yourself. Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the temple? It is your decision.

❤Have a wonderful week❤

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Sister Lesa Stevenson will be the featured guests at a worldwide devotional for young adults on May 2, 2021.