Arcadia Stake Women's Conference - January 22nd 9:00 a.m. Foothill Building

 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER - KENNA GRAHAM

Our Keynote Speaker for our Conference this year is Sister Kenna Graham.  She is a former member ofthe Monrovia Ward and is currently in the Laguna Niguel Stake.  We are so appreciative and excited for Kenna to join us this Saturday, January 22nd at 9:00 a.m. at the Foothill Building. 

Kenna grew up in Tustin, CA as the oldest of four children.  She attended BYU, graduating as valedictorian in Exercise Science.  She then attended University of Utah to obtain a second bachelor’s in nursing.  She is married to David Graham, a former Arcadia Stake member. They have lived in several different states throughout their marriage, but currently reside in Aliso Viejo, CA.  Together, they have five children.  

Kenna has worked as a nurse for the past thirteen years. She has worked in Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, and Newborn Nursery, but discovered that working in the Operating Room was her passion. She currently works at Hoag Orthopedic Institute where she circulates for joint replacement and spine procedures.  As the daughter to a physician, Kenna has always been interested in medicine.  Nursing has given her a way to not only help her own family, but to help many others.  

Kenna enjoys reading, running, traveling, and spending time with her family.  As the mom of a young family, she spends many hours in the car driving from one practice and lesson to the next.  She loves watching her children grow, succeed, and learn from their mistakes. 

About two years ago, Kenna’s oldest daughter was involved in a freak accident and unexpectedly passed away.  Their world was understandably shattered. As they navigate their overwhelming grief, they have learned to rely on hope--hope that this life is not the end, and they will be with her again. They are grateful for the knowledge of the gospel, which has filled them with hope in this tragedy.  How Christ Can Serve as an Anchor to Our Soul in Difficult and Challenging Times

Good morning sisters. I am so grateful to be among so many amazing, faithful women that set aside their Saturday to be here today. Thank you for coming, so we can all fill our spiritual canteens together. My name is Kenna Graham. I am not currently a member of your stake, but my husband grew up in this Stake and we lived with my MIL in Monrovia for a couple years before we moved down to Orange County. We loved our time in the Monrovia ward, and I love visiting and seeing so many familiar faces.

 

Alexis Ricks - A Perfect Brightness of Hope

It is pretty challenging to move into a ward during Covid, have a husband in school and have a brand new baby along with a young toddler, but Alexis managed to do it beautifully.  She has a sweet meek Spirit and you will love getting to know her in her presentation.   Her topic is "A Perfect Brightness of Hope."     Alexis Ricks moved to Monrovia about a year and a half ago. She and her family moved to California for her husband, Nate, to complete his master's degree in real estate development at USC. She and Nate have a 2 1/2 year old named Lincoln, and an almost 1 year old named William. Alexis loves being a mother and is grateful that she is able to spend her time caring for her boys. It is her most favorite thing to do! She has recently started working in account development for a logistics company. She grew up near Salt Lake City, Utah and has always loved spending time outdoors in the mountains. Since moving to California, she and her family love going to the beach and have recently become passholders at Disneyland. She has fallen in love with the Los Angeles area and has felt so blessed to have ended up in this stake, specifically the Monrovia Ward. She has been blessed with opportunities to strengthen her testimony and share the gospel with others, including serving a mission for the church in Managua, Nicaragua. She is excited about the opportunity to be involved in this women's conference and has a testimony that Jesus Christ lives and Heavenly Father loves each of us.

Hope | Breaking Down the Word and Meaning

 

Before we get into developing a perfect brightness of hope and utilizing it on our mortal journey, I think it is helpful to break down the definition of the word “hope”. It is especially helpful to talk through the word as a noun and a verb.

 

Adelaide Linford - We Believe all Things, Hope all Things and have Endured Many Things

Adelaide Linford has a heart to serve and love. She has done it professionally, with her community, her ward family and her large extended family. How has she done it??? You can find out as she shares pointers with us when she teaches with our fantastic panel at Women's Conference. They will discuss what they have done to believe all things, hope all things and endure many things. Get to know her here - Hi, I am Adelaide Linford from the Temple City Ward.  I am the youngest of 3 girls.  I was born and raised in the church in Alhambra, California.  My senior year in High School we moved to Temple City.  I have been married 58 years to my husband Russell.  We have 5 children, 22 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren who are the treasures of my life. 

I graduated from BYU Provo in Elementary Education. I taught 3rd grade just after we were married in the Los Angeles Temple and then stopped as we started our family.  I substitute taught off and on helping put my husband through school and raising our 5 children.  I went back to teaching full time when my youngest child was in high school.  I taught 1st grade for 12 years, retired and then was asked to return part time to teach reading intervention for kindergarten through 6th grade for another 6 years.  I just retired again in June and now just do an occasional subbing job in intervention when needed.

I have served in all organizations in the church.  I have served as a Primary President, Relief Society President and as Stake Primary President.  I am now back in Relief Society as the 1st Counselor.  I served a 3-year service mission with my husband as coordinators for the Dry Pack Cannery in Los Angeles.  My years of service in the church have been a great source of happiness in my life.  I have been blessed with a wonderful supportive husband, children and grandchildren.  In my spare time I enjoy reading, cooking and spending time with my family.

Tips On How To Thrive In 4 Areas As We Age
Good morning sisters. This class is a panel discussion on how to endure and
develop in four areas as we age. This is Rosemary Stone from Valley View Ward;
Carol Cramer from Arcadia Ward and I am Adelaide Linford from Temple City
Ward. We are blessed to live when we are living longer, and that presents many
new challenges and the COVID pandemic has added to all of this. We firmly
believe in the 13 th article of Faith that states “We believe all things, we hope all
things, we have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things” So
we all are trying to learn to endure and thrive in the 4 areas of physically,
spiritually, emotionally and intellectually as we age. We will present ways we are
working in these areas and ask you sisters for your suggestions also at the end,
We feel that all 4 areas are connected. Each one helps in other areas.

Physically-
- Exercise, walk, move in any way possible, Treadmill
- Eat healthy foods and take vitamins
- Proper rest
- Keep up to date on Dr. and Dentist appointments
- Vitamins
Spiritually
- Read, study and ponder the scriptures. Apply them to your life
- Complete the Come Follow Me each week
- Follow the Prophet, put the Savior 1 st in your life
- Read other church books, Liahona, Church News
- Attend church classes, seminars, Resiliency, Money Management, etc.
- Pray morning and evening
- Attend the Temple when possible
- Keep the commandments, obedient to the covenants we have made
- Do genealogy, life stories, pictures
- Attend church meetings
- Conference talks, Gospel Library

Emotionally
- Positive attitude, be happy
- Prayer
- Keep in touch with people, phone, email, text messages, Facetime, cards
- Stay busy, knit, sew, hobby
- Give service, think of others
- Share your talents
- Family search
- Set goals
- Invite others over to visit. Play games
- Stay connected to family, zoom, facetime, letters, text, email.
Intellectually
- Keep minds active
- Study the scriptures
- Read good books
- Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, Word searches
- Join a book club
- Learn a new skill, computer, take a class etc.
- Genealogy
- Listen to Podcasts, BYU TV
- Watch TV game shows like Jeopardy
- Creative writing and poetry

Lupe Castaneda - Women of the Old Testament

If you haven't received a smile, a hug or help from Lupe Castaneda then you are missing out - she is a portrait of love and service.  She is from the Buena Vista Branch and she will be teaching our class about Women in the Old Testament in Spanish.  Get to know her - "My name is Guadalupe Castaneda and I am extremely pleased to share with you a little bit about myself.  I was born in the beautiful city Tabasco, Zacatecas, Mexico, and was raised in Jalpa, Zacatecas throughout my whole childhood.  Ever since I was a little girl I've always had strong aspirations to explore the world and expand my knowledge of all things around me that make this life beautiful. At the age of 20, I was blessed to receive an opportunity to move into the United States to begin a new life for myself.  At first, it was quite a challenge to accommodate speaking English and meeting new people wherever I went.  But with time, patience, and Heavenly Father's blessing, I managed to create a substantial living for myself and my family of six beautiful children.  Now that all of my children have brown to be wonderful adults, I spend the majority of my free time serving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The Church has brought me so many wonderful opportunities for my  family and me to grow and prosper into the people we are today.  Without The Church, my family and I would not be in the comfortable position that we are in now.  Thank you all for reading and may God bless you!
 

Recipes

 Ciabatta Bread Sandwich

2 tsp Brianna Poppy Seed Dressing

1 Slice Havarti Cheese

1 Strawberry Sliced

1 Slice Turkey

Picked onions

Arugula

Rosemary Stone - "We Believe all Things, Hope all things, and have Endured many things"

The greatest compliment I have heard from someone about Rosemary Stone is that they want to be just

like her when they grow up.  She is going to share some of the wisdom of how to do that when she serves on our panel that will give us tips on how to endure physically, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually as we age.  Read about Rosemary now and then go to her class to learn even more!!!  "Having spent the first 19 years of my life in a small town 60 miles south of Atlanta, Georgia, I was the youngest of 4 children who were 7, 9.and 11 years older than I. There were no Latter Day Saints in my little town. However, I always went to church at the First Baptist Church where we too learned Bible verses and sang hymns as we worshiped. After High School, I came to California and was married. We had a son and 3 daughters. During most of the next 20 years, we attended Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena. They had a strong emphasis on Bible study and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and we were very active there. In 1979 I became single and in 1981 my son married a LDS woman which led to my joining the church in 1979. I was and still am amazed at how "complete" I feel as a member of this church. I wanted to take part in EVERYTHING the church has to offer. In the beginning, my beloved friend, Laura Cole, helped show me the way. We went on Temple trips throughout Utah where we attended 2 or 3 Temple sessions a day for days! There were baptisms for the dead, initiatories, sealings, serving in the Temple, having various positions in Relief Society, teaching Gospel Essentials, and now I'm in Primary .When I was a teacher for 36 years, I was happy not to have a calling in Primary. After 15 plus years retired, I missed the little tykes and thoroughly enjoy being with them. Now I spend my time studying scriptures, preparing for Primary or the Daughters of Utah Pioneers lesson, reading and play dates with friends, to name a few things.  I wish I could spend more time with grand kids or great grand kids but they mostly live far away. Each day I'm grateful to have another opportunity to enjoy my many blessings and to see what I can do to be of service to someone. My hopes are that I'll be someone who others may look at and think, "I want to be like her. I wonder what's her secret?"

 

Effy Briseno - Having a Perfect Brightness of Hope

We are so happy to have Sister Effy Briseno from the East Los Angeles Stake come to our Conference and present a class in Spanish.  The title of her class is Having a Perfect Brightness of Hope - What is the perfect brightness of hope that Nephi describes in 2 Nephi 31:20.  How do we develop it and utilize it in our mortal journey?  Thank you Effy for being willing to join us - we are excited!!!Mi nombre is Effy O. Briseno, nací en Merida, Yucatán, México, la mayoría de mis antepasados son

Mayas y Españoles. Viví en Merida hasta los 12 años y de allí mis padres se mudaron a Los Angeles, fui a la escuela secundaria sin hablar Inglés. Estoy agradecida con ellos por haberme traído a este gran país.Tengo una Licenciatura en Servicios Humanos, trabajé para el Banco de America por 23 años y para la Iglesia por 21 años.Soy casada, tengo dos hijos, un varón y una mujer, y cada uno de ellos tienen una niña, la mayor de 15 años y la más pequeña de 11 años. He tenido muchos logros en mi vida, pero solamente mencionaré algunos: 1. Cree un programa de ventas de manualidades para mujeres solas, que aprendieran a ser auto-suficientes. 2. Aprendí el idioma de los sordos. 3. Entrené a Autoridades Generales a la Iniciativa de Autosuficiencia. 4. Y recientemente abrí mi tienda virtual de cerámicas en Etsy.Estoy agradecida con mis padres que me enseñaron el Evangelio, es la mejor herencia que me han podido dejar.

My name is Effy O. Briseno, I was born in Merida, Yucatán, Mexico, the majority of my ancestors come from Mayan and Spaniards.  I've lived in Merida until I finished elementary school. My parents moved to Los Angeles when I was 12, I went to Middle school not knowing one word of English, but I was grateful to be blessed by being in this country. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Human Services. I worked 23 years for Bank of America as a Mutual Fund Trader, then I worked for The Corporation of the President (the Church) for 21 years as an Employment Manager, and one year before retirement, the Church moved me to Utah to implement the Self Reliance Initiative to Area Seventies, Stake Presidents, Bishops and other leaders.  I’m married and had two children, a boy and a girl, they both have one girl. I love being a grandma to those beautiful girls, one is 15, and the youngest is 11.  I've had a lot of achievements in my life, but I will only share a few: 1. Created a saleable craft program for single moms. 2. Learned ASL 3. Trained General Authorities 4. Recently I opened my ceramics virtual store on Etsy. I’m grateful for my parents that taught me the Gospel, it has been the best inheritance they left me with.

Becky Carter - "Home is Where you Drop Your Anchor"

Becky Carter is from the Arcadia Ward and we are so lucky to have her teach the class entitled "Home is Where you Drop Your Anchor"  She will be sharing principles for parents and those who love the HOPE OF ISRAEL (the rising generation) to help them prosper in a world world.  Get to know her and you'll know why she is perfectly suited to teach this class.

"Becky Carter was born in Utah and raised in Ohio. She attended college in Utah for a couple years and then returned to Ohio to earn a certificate in Graphic Design and Illustration. After working for an Industrial Ad Agency for a while, she then returned to Utah to continue her education. She met her husband, Michael, in Provo while they were working together at Kinko’s. They have now been married for 20 years and have 3 children - Trevor (18), Jared (17), and Zachary (14).

Becky is currently working two jobs. Her first job is as an Instructional Aide at a nearby elementary school. She loves the job and the opportunity to work with children every day. Her second job is working as the Director of Operations for Soccer Shots LA Northeast. In this job, she gets to learn and continue to develop her love of organization and simplifying processes. She has been serving in Primary for the last six years (some as counselor, some as President). Her current calling is serving as the Primary President in the Arcadia Ward. She is excited (and a little nervous) for her opportunity to lead a discussion with other Relief Society Sisters about ways we can help the rising generation navigate the challenges of our world."

 

 

Susana Munoz

We are so thrilled to have Sister Susana Munoz be one of our presenters.  She was a presenter at last year's

BYU Women's Conference.  She will teach a class entitled "Emotional Resilience can Increase Hope."  She will teach the class both in English and Spanish.  Here is a little bit about her.I was born in Peru and grew up in Argentina. I served as a missionary in the Colombia-Barranquilla Mission. In my free time I like to spend time with my family in the beach, hiking in the mountains and traveling. I am married for 11 years and we have two miracle daughters. I am a LMFT  (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) and work full-time for the church. I have a bachelor in Marriage, Family and Human Development from BYU and a MS from Loma Linda University in Marriage and Family Therapy . 

 

Emotional Resilience can Increase Hope

 

1. What happen in our lives affect us physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Factors that can affect us are : Biological, Psychological, Socially and Spiritual.

2. Understanding Mental Health: What is Anxiety, Depression and Addiction.

3. Church Resources for Mental Health:

4. Emotional Resilience can Increase Hope.

 

Pauline Wu - Having a Perfect Brightness of Hope

Pauline Wu will be teaching the Chinese-language class.  What a blessing she is.  She attends the

Mountain View Ward and is currently serving as the Young Women's President.  Her class is "Having a Perfect Brightness of Hope" - How do we achieve this Perfect Brightness of HOPE in our lives that Nephi describes in 2 Nephi 31:20 and how will that help us in our efforts to obtain eternal life?  Learn more about her  "Hi ! I’m Pauline Wu. I was born and raised in Taiwan. I got married in Taiwan and have 3 kids. I'm a convert. I met the missionaries and got baptized when I was 32 years old. My three kids all grew up in the church and got baptized when they were 8 years old. My family and I moved to the United States  in 2012. We have been attending Mountain View Ward since then. I have been a member of the church for 20 years, I'm happy to see my children living a righteous life, knowing the gospel and God. I now also have two cute grandchildren. Throughout the years, I have had the opportunities to serve in many callings, it allows me to learn and grow with my dear brothers and sisters. I love the gospel. I love the commandments. The plan of Salvation is God's perfect plan for us. He loves us and wants us to grow, succeed and be happy."

Carole Cramer "We Believe all Things, we Hope all Things, We have endured Many THings and HOpe to be able to endure all things."

Do you know Carole Cramer?  Your life would be blessed if you did.  Carole will be participating on a panel with Adelaide Linford and Rosemary Stone.  Their topic will be "We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. " They will be giving tips on how to thrive physically, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually as we gracefully grow older.  Read about Carole below.  "I was raised in Ogden, Utah the second daughter of eventually four girls and three boys.  I graduated from Ogden High School then Weber College earning an Associate of Arts degree.  When starting Central J. High School, I began working at the family bakery across the street from the school.  Everyone in the family got to work at the bakery.  Hard at the time but many good lessons learned by doing it.  I met my future  husband at a Stake dance when I had just graduated from Junior High School and was fourteen years old.  John had just graduated from Weber High School.  Back in those days it was okay to date at fourteen.  I waited for John while he was on his mission in Texas.  We were married in the Salt Lake Temple by then Apostle LeGrand Richards who had baptized my Dad's parents when he was on his first mission to Holland.  Apostle Richards remained a family friend.  Other than working in the Purchasing Department at Weber College and at KSL TV when we lived in Salt Lake City just after marriage, I felt very blessed to be a "stay-at-home" mom until our three daughters Debra, Melanie and Angie married  Then I worked in Dr. William Pettit's ophthalmology office.  John and I served as Service Missionaries in the California Arcadia Mission after he retired.  It was a marvelous experience and I would highly recommend a mission for every couple, at home or abroad.  Travels to Hawaii, Europe, Church History Sites and various places in the United States have been much enjoyed.  I do enjoy sewing, baking, reading, travel and especially being with family and friends.
 

Just Serve Project 2022 - Lifting Hands International

 

Kira Feik - "I Pray He'll Use Us"

We are so lucky to have Sister Kira Feik from the Monrovia Ward presenting this year at our Women's Conference.  She is very modest in her bio which follows, but we know that you will enjoy her presentation.   Her class is entitled "I Pray He'll Use Us" How can we provide Hope for a brighter future for those in need through service.  Where can we serve and how can we serve? Becoming individual humanitarian centers.  Get to know Kira.  "I grew up in South Weber, UT with my parents and sister.  Once I turned 18, I set out to explore what this country had to offer.  I played Division I volleyball at Stetson University in DeLand, FL, and majored in Marine and Aquatic Biology.  Upon graduating, I made my way back to Utah and helped open up what is now known as The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, UT.  I met my husband Dylan on a blind date and since then we have been on some wild adventures. We have lived in 5 states and 9 cities due to schooling and Dylan’s work.  We have met many people along the way who we consider family!  We bought our first ever home here in Monrovia, where we want to try and settle down and raise our three children (9,6, and 3).  I am a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.  I have been known to help neighbors and church sisters with their plumbing, cars, painting, electrical, yard work, furniture restoration…etc.  I was a daddy’s girl who followed my master plumber dad around whenever I could!  I come from a long line of church members and I love to learn about my ancestors. I have a strong testimony of the church and am so thankful for its role in my life!  I have spent several years teaching in the Young Women’s program, but find myself currently teaching in Relief Society and it feels like coming home being with my sisters in the gospel. "

I Pray He’ll Use Us- Kira Feik
As Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we have covenanted with the
Lord to care for the poor. The poor in heart, the poor in spirit, the physically poor and the
mentally poor. We will start off with a scripture from the days of Alma.
Alma 1:30
“And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or
that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and
they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young,
both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no
respect to persons as to those who stood in need.” When thinking about how I could bring a unique perspective to Women’s Conference, I look back on the unique experiences and situations my family has been in because of my husband's job in local government. I want to start with a touchy subject that is hard to address when we are in the middle of a crisis.
So I hope the Spirit will touch and move you as I share some insight of a disaster response I
have experienced first hand. When a disaster strikes, many well-meaning people across our
country start to donate. What they donate turns out to be “the second disaster”.

Laura LaBerteaux - What the Women of the Old testament can teach us about Hope"

Jane and Scott Colton - Come unto Christ, but Don't Come Alone

We are so excited to have Scott and Jane Colton presenting at our Women's Conference in

January.  You may have noticed that we usually do not have any Brethren share at this event, but that can only confirm how amazing Brother Colton is - WE LOVE HIM, and we ADORE JANE!!!.  They will be teaching a class entitled “Come unto Christ, but Don’t Come Alone” -  How can we share the Hope of the gospel with others utilizing love, share, and invite.    We think you will get a kick out of their bio - they are fun.Before they knew it, Scott and Jane Colton realized that they had been married for 30 years and had spent the last 23 years living in the Arcadia Ward. Before they knew it, Scott and Jane had raised their 6 children.  Before they showed up in Arcadia, they lived in Utah, Washington, and Virginia in connection with Scott’s work. Before Scott started working and Jane became the mother of 6 kids, they were students at BYU. Before Scott and Jane became parents, they were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Before they got married, Scott served a mission in Brazil and Jane competed in gymnastics for BYU. Before BYU, Jane was raised in Salt Lake City and Scott was raised in Pasadena. Currently, Scott and Jane are empty nesters. Currently, Scott is a golf fanatic and Jane is a pickleball addict. Currently, Scott and Jane have one grandchild. Currently, Scott runs his own business and Jane is finishing her degree at BYU through their online program. In the future, Scott and Jane have great plans for travel and adventure. In the future, Scott and Jane hope to serve a mission for the church. In the future, Scott and Jane hope to be better writers of autobiographies. 

Come Unto Christ and Don’t Come Alone

Arcadia Stake Women’s Conference 

January 22, 2022 

 

• Introduction

 

• Video Presentation & Discussion

 

• Discussion: The New/Old Way to share the gospel

• The Promise

• Definitions

• Where to begin? 

• Why does Elder Cook call practicing the principles of Love, Share and Invite “A fresh perspective”, “a better way” and “A way of sharing the gospel that requires a change in our culture”?

 

• Personal Experiences

 

• The ‘What would Gary do?’ challenge