Recipes for Women's Conference

Grilled Chicken Cabbage Salad

1/2 head of Green Cabbage - chopped
1/2 head of Red Cabbage - chopped
4 carrots grated
1 chopped red pepper
1 chopped green pepper
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped peanuts - (rough chop)
 2 TBS sesame seeds toasted
4-6 Chicken breasts grilled 1 chopped mango
handful per person of Tortilla Strips.

This serves 4-6 

Mix red and green cabbage, carrots, red and green peppers, and cilantro and dress it with the dressing below. I put that salad mix on the tortilla strips, then top that with mangoes, peanuts, chicken, a drizzle of the dressing watered down with milk and sesame seeds.

Dressing
1 Cup mayonnaise
3-6 TBS sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 Cup soy sauce
3 TBS balsamic vinegar.
Mix the dressing with a whisk and it is ready to go. 

Zucchini Bars

4 eggs

1 C. oil

2 C. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 C. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

3 C. zucchini, shredded

1 1/2 C. flaked/shredded coconut

Beat eggs until light.  Add oil and sugar, blend well.  Add dry ingredients and vanilla.  Add zucchini and coconut.  Grease and flour jelly roll pan (rectangular with sides -- a half-sheet will work, but a true jelly roll, 10x15, works best).  Pour into pan, bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Frosting:  8 oz. cream cheese (softened), 1 box powdered sugar, 1 cube butter, softened, 1 tsp. vanilla.  Mix together and beat until fluffy. Spread on bars after they have cooled. Cut into squares for serving.

WOMEN'S CONFERENCE - January 21st 9:00 a.m. Foothill Building

 

Christine Christensen - KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Christine grew up on a cattle ranch in Oakley, Idaho. She graduated from BYU with a BS degree in Home
Economics Education and taught high school in Lehi, Utah. She married the “practically perfect” Roger Christensen in the Provo temple and has spent the past 47 years trying to catch up to him. Together they raised a family of 11 wonderful children (7 girls, 4 boys). Of her children she says, “Our children have been great teachers. From ballet to baseball, clogging to lacrosse, and oil painting to orchestra, they have enriched my life with their various interests. From them, and in some cases because of them, I continue to learn what it means to develop faith, hope, and charity.” While thick in the care of raising children, she volunteered in a local school teaching parenting classes. “I knew if I taught the class, I´d be reminded of parenting principles I so needed to keep me grounded.” She also taught adult community ed classes, was active in PTA, and volunteered in her children´s classrooms. One of the incredible blessings of being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the opportunity to serve in various callings. Each calling usually comes very unexpectedly and seem totally overwhelming but reinforces how the Savior is in the details of our lives and wants to bless all people. Through years of service, she has gained this important insight, “I have learned that though I try to give my all, I always receive more than I contribute.” Roger and Christine presided over the Ecuador Quito mission from 2014 – 2017. They also answered a call to preside over the Bogotá Colombia MTC starting in January 2020 but had to evacuate and close the MTC in March of that year due to COVID. During the “inter-mission”, they served in the Salt Lake City West mission presidency, returning to Colombia when the MTC reopened in October 2021. They witnessed the inspired preparation which allowed missionary work to continue through the pandemic and proceed in marvelous ways in the gathering of Israel. Completing their service in January 2023, they are happy to return to the U.S. and see their 29 (and counting!) grandchildren in 3D! Besides spending time with family, Christine loves studying the gospel, reading historical fiction, spending time in nature, and enjoying good food.

 Opening remarks in Chinese.

“IF YE ARE PREPARED, YE SHALL NOT FEAR” (D&C 38:30)
Christine Christensen
Arcadia, California Stake Women´s Conference
21 January 2023

Dear sisters.  It is a blessing in my life to be with you this morning.  I am impressed with the planning of your stake leaders and to each of you for choosing to be here when there are many other voices demanding your time and attention.   

Jingying Yu - “She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her Proverbs 3:18"

Jingying Yu was born in China.  She loves her parents and grandparents who taught her good values and

to be a good person.  She is a mom of a 3.5 year old, super energetic son, smart and kind son, Nelson.  Nelson is named after President Nelson and Nelson Mark Day who baptized her while he and his wife Pat Day were serving the Lord on a mission in San Diego.  Pat Day gave her tremendous love only a mother can give.  The Days became her family and they are deeply connected by the Love of the Lord.

Jingying is a high school teacher in Glendora High School.  She loves working with the youth although it is quite challenging.  The Lord is using the teaching profession as an important tool to increase her capacity to love and to give. 

Melody Simmons - "God is Preparing you for what He has promised you."

I am a wife to John Simmons and mother to 5 children. I’ve been married 30 years and have lived my

whole married life in Monrovia. I grew up in Tucson, Arizona and Visalia, California and moved to Pasadena after graduating high school on a whim. I have my Associates in Fine and Performing Arts and hope to go back to school and get an English Degree.

I have served in every auxiliary in the Church and I’m currently serving as a Stake Seminary Teacher. I love my calling and I love being with the Youth as we learn the Gospel together. I’m definitely feeling my age waking up that early, but I look forward to it every time.

I have dabbled in art in one form or another and my current way of expressing myself is through quilting and baking. I enjoy exercising outdoors and love the mountains, rain, and rivers. The beauty created for us is astounding. I continue to find joy as my relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ grows and I learn to rely on them more and more.

Amy Gray - A Powerful Pattern for Parenting

 Hi! I’m Amy Gray from the Monrovia Ward. I was born and raised in the Arcadia Stake, the middle child

of five children. I had the best childhood and was raised by fabulous parents that taught me the value of hard work and service to others. My husband Frank grew up in the Long Beach Stake and we met at a Young Single Adults Dance in Hacienda Heights. We have been married for 29 years and have 4 children: Wyatt (25), Eliza (22), Charlotte (20) and Zane (18). We also have a wonderful daughter-in-law Ruta who served as a missionary here in the California Arcadia Mission. I am now looking forward to learning how to be an empty nester and parent to adult children. I work full time in Program Management for Webasto Charging Systems, an electric vehicle charging company in Monrovia. I have recently been called as Ward Activities Coordinator.  I am looking forward to planning fun and inviting ward activities in 2023.  Feel free to share any of your creative ideas! For fun I love to quilt and hope to be an amazing quilter when I grow up.  My favorite hymn is “Count Your Many Blessings.” Through the many challenges of life, there are always blessings to be counted and named one by one.

English presentation here.

For Chinese translation click here. 

Paty Haro - God Is Preparing you for what He has promised you"

 Dios te esta’ Preparando para lo Que Él Te Ha PrometidoMi nombre es Patricia Haro, nací en La Ciudad  de México. Soy la mayor de cuatro hermanos, estoy muy agradecida con mis padres por estar ahí para mi en mis tiempos difíciles y por ensenarme a ser una mujer autosuficiente. Trabaje en un Hospital por quince años como asistente médica y estudie para
Técnico Radiólogo, por ahora trabajo cuidando personas enfermas y amo mi trabajo porque me permite servir a otras personas. Soy divorciada y tengo dos hijos maravillosos Juan y Diana, estoy muy orgullosa de ellos, están casados con esposos muy buenos. También tengo tres hermosos nietos dos niños y una
niña quienes me hacen la abuela más feliz. Mi mama y yo vivimos juntas, ella es la Mejor madre. He
sido miembro de la Iglesia por 27 años. Es imposible para mi expresar cuanto amo la Iglesia porque el
Evangelio de Jesucristo y Su ejemplo me ayudaron a ser quien ahora soy. 

My name is Patricia Haro, I was born in Mexico City. I am the oldest of four children, I am very thankful to my parents for being there for me in my tough times and teaching me how to be self-sufficient. I worked in a hospital for 15 years as a medical assistant and studied X Ray Technician.
I am working as a caregiver, and I love my Job because it allows me to serve others. I am divorced and
have two wonderful children, Juan, and Diana, I am immensely proud of them. They are married to
wonderful Spouses. Also, I have three beautiful grandchildren, two boys and a girl who make me the
happiest Grandma. My Mom and I live together, she is the best mother ever.
I have been a member of the Church for 27 years; it is impossible to me to express how much I love this
Church because the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Example helped me to be who I am today.

Marcie Hoopes “Keep and Preserve for a Wise Purpose - Alma 37:14" How to Pickle, Can, Dry, Freeze and Preserve at Home

 

Stories are important. They shape our perception of right and wrong, help us to navigate our own lives,and foster the cultural landscape we inhabit. As a teacher of literature I spend a lot of time exploring the worlds created via the written word. Here is one of the things I have noticed in my study. Most heroes have problems, and they aren't without faults, but they do have the capacity to change. Instead of thinking about what they might want or need all the time, instead of doing whatever it takes to get what they want or need all the time regardless of the impact it has on others, they are adaptable. Sometimes these heroes get what they want, sometimes they don't, but most often they can adapt their expectations and reshape themselves to take whatever it is they do to get and make themselves better by it. We see this in the scriptures, don't we? A reluctant and tongue-tied Moses doesn't ask to lead a gaggle of hard-headed, uneducated, down-trodden slaves into the wilderness, but he adapts. And not only does he become a mighty leader, but he forges brotherly love and an unbreakable alliance among people who had spent their whole lives doing anything it took just to insure their own survival. Nephi is another example. Nephi didn't expect to be uprooted in his teen-aged years. He left behind what would certainly have been a comfortable existence, for the uncertainty of a life shaped by the hand of God. In my life I can't say I have been called upon to make such dramatic changes, but I think I can say that I try to make the most of whatever it is life deals me. Sometimes I get what I want, but most of the time I don't. When I don't, I try to adjust rather than grumble. I have faith the Lord is giving me the opportunity to be the hero of my own story.

Nic and Paige Chamberlain - Laying a temporal foundation in our homes to prepare for what may lay ahead with our documents and principles of Providing Living

Nic & Paige Chamberlain met at Southern Utah University. They went on their first date just before

Thanksgiving, were engaged before Christmas, and married before Spring Break. And they’ve never looked back!Paige graduated from SUU’s School of Business in 2005 with a degree in Finance. She has mostly used her business skills as the chief operations officer of their home. 

Nic received a Bachelors degree from SUU in Political Science and a Law degree from SUNY Buffalo. They loved their years in Buffalo and still miss the apples in the fall.  Nic runs his own Law Practice in Southern Utah. He’s also a professional musician. Nic & Paige have had the opportunity to live in four states & nine cities in their 21 years of marriage. They’ve loved meeting new people and exploring different areas, but they’ve never fallen in love with anywhere like they have with Monrovia. They moved here in 2018 and it immediately felt like home.The Chamberlain‘s have five children. Their oldest is currently serving a mission in Santiago, Chile.

 

 

Martha Miramontes - She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her - Proverbs 3:18 Spanish and English

Martha Miramontes was born in Sylmar, CA and grew up in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico with  her

parents and oldest sister. She was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints at 8 years old. Some special events in her life were the baptism of her father when she was seventeen, the sealing with her family at the San Diego Temple, and serving in the California Los Angeles Mission with a special assignment at the Visitor’s Center. She is a former teacher of 8 years of English and Spanish. After her mission, she moved to Los Angeles, and she currently works as an Administrative Assistant/CSL at Deseret Industries Los Angeles. She has a bachelor’s degree in teaching linguistics, and she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in accounting. She loves God, her family, singing and she currently enjoys swimming and learning new things.

Eva Hsu - "God is Preparing you for what He has promised You"

I am from Tainan, Taiwan and was baptized and joined the church over Easter weekend in 1972. I served a mission for a year and a half in 1974-1975. In 1979, my husband decided to come to the United States to study at Brigham Young University. Alice (my daughter) and I came to the United States to join him in April 1980. We lived in Provo Utah for 10 years and moved to California in 1990. Currently attend Hacienda Heights Stake Dawn Haven Ward. We have three children and three grandchildren. In January 2020, my husband and I were called to serve as couple missionaries in North Carolina, because the pandemic the mission had to end early. Currently I work as a service missionary in the Family Search department.  I am grateful for God’s love and the blessings that the gospel brings. I am grateful for the Savior’s redeeming love and sacrifice. I cherish my identity as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and am grateful for the restored gospel and living prophets. I am grateful for temple and family history work and have the privilege of being a part of gathering ancestors from the other side of the veil.

Jessica Barney - The Precious Fruit (and vegetables) brought forth from the Sun - Deut 33:14

I’m Jessica Barney and I’m from the Valley View Ward. I was born in Provo, Utah but I did most of my growing up in St Louis, MO. In 2005, I moved to Orem, Utah and met (my now husband) Jared. He was cute and fun and always willing to stop what he was doing to help someone in need. In 2006 we were married in the San Diego Temple.  Jared grew up in El Monte and it is where we settled down. We feel fortunate to live next door to his childhood home. We were excited to start a family but struggled with infertility and learned I have severe internal damage due to an accident I was involved in at the age of 4. We were good candidates for IVF though and at the end of 2011 became pregnant with twin boys. We lost one of those boys, Michael, at 18 weeks gestation and at 27 weeks, Wyatt was born. He was born with a rare skin condition called Ichthyosis and spent 15.5 weeks at CHLA. In 2014 we welcomed Duke into our family and I was simultaneously informed I could not have anymore children. Though we had always wanted a big family, we are so very grateful for our little family. My passions in life are family, true friends, nature and emergency preparedness. I also love to garden, cook, read and play the piano.  My current calling is Relief Society President. I am new to this calling but am quickly finding my footing as I learn how to serve the women in our ward. I have a testimony in our savior Jesus Christ and in the power and blessings that can come from listening to promptings from the Holy Ghost.

Marissa Carlson - “Navigating Mists of Darkness to Partake of the Glorious Light”

Marissa Carlson was born and raised in Southern California. A true California girl at heart. She is a

convert to the church. She was introduced to the church from her husband Anthony Carlson in the summer of 2009 when they met. She was embraced by the Carlson family and began to take lessons with the missionaries and decided to be baptized a few months later. When she was baptized, she felt the love of and for God and had a desire to have a more personal relationship with God. Over the course of the last 13 years, she has cultivated that relationship and has seen the blessings because of it. Having the gospel in her life has shaped the trajectory of her life for the better. After joining the church, Marissa had a desire to further her education and decided to apply to the church schools. She was accepted at BYU-Idaho and graduated with a Bachelor of Science of Communications with minors in Art History and Photography. During her time there she also served as 1 st counselor of her Relief Society in her singles student ward and as Relief Society President in her married student ward. In 2012, Marissa was sealed for time and all eternity to her best friend and love Anthony Carlson in the Los Angeles temple. In 2013 they moved into the Arcadia ward where they still currently attend. Being in that ward has been a source of joy and happiness and she has been blessed from all her associations in her ward family. In the 9 years she has been in that ward, she has served as Relief Society teacher, Young Women’s Counselor, Primary Chorister, and most recently was released from serving in the Arcadia Stake Relief Society. In 2015 they welcomed their first child Gwendolyn Eve Carlson and in 2017 their second child Rowan Gabriel Carlson. She says that her greatest blessings call her “mom.” Marissa was a stay-at-home mom for 5 years. It was a time of much love, growing, and learning in the ways of motherhood. When her son Rowan started pre-school, she had a desire to return to the work
force. She had previously worked at a dental office the year before having her daughter. By a
miracle and divine timing, she was hired at her children’s pediatric dental office in 2020. It was
there that she fell in love with the dental field and felt inspired to pursue further education in
becoming a dental hygienist. For the past 2 years, she was working at the dental office while completing pre-requisite courses for dental hygiene program one class at a time but recently decided to go to school full-time. She is currently attending Pasadena City College and will be applying to several schools for their dental hygiene program in the Spring of 2023. Though there have been trying times in balancing a rigorous school schedule and being a mother and wife, she has felt the sustaining strength from the Lord and from her family, especially her husband. She has come to understand that “with God, all things are possible.” -Mark 10:27 When she’s not studying, Marissa enjoys cooking (and eating) delicious food, reading, making memories with the family, being a social butterfly, playing board games, attempting to be crafty from time to time, and snuggling up with her kids and a book.