Elder Ethan Leavitt will serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Argentina Cordoba Mission, speaking Spanish. He is schedule to enter the Mexico City Missionary Training Center but will be starting the online home training January 19, 2021. Elder Ethan Leavitt is the son of Michael and Angela Leavitt of Bunkerville 1st Ward.

Elder McClain Easton has accepted a call to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He will serve in the North Dakota Bismarck Mission. Elder Easton will report to the online Missionary Training Center on January 27, 2021 and report to North Dakota on February 16th. McClain parents are Brad and Neelie Easton of the Bunkerville 1st Ward. Elder Easton: I would like to bear my testimony. I am grateful to be a member of church of Jesus Christ of latter days saints. I bear testimony of the truthfulness of it. I know that God has a plan for each of us. I know that it is because of his Eternal Plan that I stand here today. I have a testimony of sincere prayer and the power, guidance, and comfort it provides. I am Grateful for my loving Savior, who died for each of us, that all man might be saved. I know through repentance I can gain Eternal life. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to renew my covenants and repent each Sunday through partaking the sacrament. I know that the power of the Priesthood is real and I am honored to hold the Melchizedek Priesthood and be a voice of the Lord. I am grateful that I have been called to serve a Mission in North Dakota. I promise to dedicate all my time and talents in serving my Savior. Amen

Our Virtual Stake Conference will be 17 Jan. 2021, this Sunday. If you serve in a leadership position please log in at 8:00 am. Everyone is invited to our General Session at 10:00 am. Elder Eric J. Schmutz will be our visiting authority and will preside at the conference. The link(below) for the conference is found at the same site that you have been using to view your Sunday worship service. http://mywebcast.churchofjesuschrist.org/Events/mesquitenevadastake In 1994 Elder Neal A. Maxwell made a statement that could have been made yesterday. “For some years, brothers and sisters, there has been an increasing and profound sense of existential despair in the world. This mortal hopelessness both reflects and affects much of mankind. Whether tribal or national, wars constitute “the continued experience of twentieth-century man”. A grumpy cynicism pervades politics in so many places on this planet. Holocausts, famine, pestilence, and tides of refugees have taken a terrible toll on human hope, with much of that toll coming from man-made, avoidable disasters.” Faith, Hope and Charity is what I would like to visit with you about in this short message. Once it was explained to me that a pile of firewood and a match teach the principle of Faith, Hope and Charity. · Hope is the wood and its potential · Faith is the match, the action of confidence that with action hope can be engaged or ignited. · Charity is the warmth of the glowing fire. These principles make up a three-legged stool. As Elder Uchtdorf said: “These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time.” Now – I confess that I could be accused of a degree of “grumpy cynicism” over the past months. Waiting semi-patiently for the medical community, or the political community to solve the problem so I could get back to a “normal” life. You have heard me say that someday we are going to have to understand and live the two great commandments. Love God and Love our neighbor. I believe that these commandments are essential to exaltation. As we seek to become more, I believe that faith, hope and charity can help in our quest. These divine attributes should become fixed in our hearts and minds to guide us in all of our actions. The HOPE, power and potential of the Atonement of the Savior should give us the FAITH to act in in a Christlike manner and the warmth of that fire can provide CHARITY and shelter from the storms of life, for those around us. Back to Elder Maxwell: Just as doubt, despair, and desensitization go together, so do faith, hope, charity, and patience. The latter qualities must be carefully and constantly nurtured, however, whereas doubt and despair, like dandelions, need little encouragement in order to sprout and spread. Alas, despair comes so naturally to the natural man! Mosiah 3:19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. Of this I bear my witness President David J. Anderson

Institute class will start on January 12th, 6:00-7:30pm. The Class will be on the Foundations of the Restorations. All members, ages 18-30, single or married are invited to attend. The classes will be held on most Tuesdays in the seminary building. For more questions or details, please reach out to Brother Porter.

Bunkerville 1st- 9am Bunkerville 2nd- 11am Mesquite 1st- 12pm Mesquite 2nd- 11am Mesquite 3rd- 12pm Mesquite 4th- 8am Mesquite 5th- 10am Mesquite 6th- 10am Mesquite 7th- 2pm Mesquite 8th- 1pm Littlefield- 9am Spanish Branch- 2pm Young Single Adults- 8am

Elder Marcus Matthews has been called to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Matthews will serve in the Brazil São Paulo South Mission. Marcus will report to the online Missionary Training Center on December 30th until about the 9th of February, and will learning Portuguese. Joe and Renee Matthews of the Mesquite 3rd Ward are his parents.. Elder Matthews Testimony: I know the church is true, I know that Joseph Smith restored the true church though Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know that Russell M. Nelson is a true prophet on this earth today, who receives divine inspiration for our day through Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know my family loves me. In the name of Jesus Christ amen. My favorite scripture is Mosiah 2:17.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters, Because of COVID-19 restrictions our Annual Christmas devotion will be a video presentation from some of the wonderful talent found within The Mesquite Nevada Stake. The link will be activated Sunday, 13 December 2020, at 6 pm. Links: There will be a direct link from the Stake Website https://www.mesquitenvstake.org/ Stake YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBsoDPtP-BpDJz53J37yyEw/featured?view_as=subscriber At this season of remembering the Savior, we find ourselves in a very interesting and opportune time in my memory of the Christmas season. For many years Christmas has, for many, been a time of hustle and bustle—running from store to store, and being so busy as President Thomas S. Monson said: “We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, however, and take a good look at what we’re doing, we may find that we have immersed ourselves in the “thick of thin things.” In other words, too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes”. (October 2009, What Have I Done For Someone Today) Several decades ago, business, governmental, and scientific leaders were forecasting that, with the increase of technology, the time demands on American workers would decrease, leaving them with more time to pursue personal and family interests. However, just the opposite has been happening. Instead of spending less time earning “our daily bread”, the length of the work week and the hours of labor expected is increasing, pushing into evening hours and weekends to a greater and greater extent. And then along came COVID-19. Businesses were shut down, families were quarantined and we finally had the time to spend pursuing personal and family interests. We have had time to worship as a family. We have had time to consider what is of greatest value in our lives. We have had the opportunity to hearken to the Savior’s request to “come follow me“. How have we done? When Moses and Aaron first went into the presence of Pharaoh, they did not demand the full freedom of the children of Israel. They delivered the words of the Lord to the Egyptian king, which were initially a request for some time off to “serve” the Lord and to “hold a feast unto [him] in the wilderness.” (Exodus 4:23; 5:1.) Pharaoh replied, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2.) Like the children of Israel, many of us have got so wound up in building pyramids and providing for pharaoh that we forget that the Lord just wants us to serve each other, love each other and worship Him. A second time the request was made for time to worship: “Let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God.” (Exodus 5:3.) Pharaoh's solution to this request for freedom to worship and sacrifice to God was an effective one: “Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. ...the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. ...Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.” (Exodus 5:4–5, 9.) Pharaoh knew that if the people left their burdens, they may find time to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He wanted to keep them so busy that they didn’t have time to regard the “vain words“. I invite you to immerse yourself in what the pharaohs of this world refer to as “vain words”. Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. (2 Nephi 32:3) I join with Moroni and The Wise Men and extend this invitation: And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen. (Ether 12:41) Please have a Merry Christmas - invite the spirit of the Savior and His love into your life. President David Jay Anderson, Stake President.

Here is the link to the Stake YouTube Page for the Virtual Christmas Devotional on Sunday at 6 pm. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBsoDPtP-BpDJz53J37yyEw/featured?view_as=subscriber

Mesquite 3rd Ward New Bishopric Brian LeCheminant, Bishop Maurice Perkins, Ryan Thornton (2nd)

The Eagle Scout Book with the list of 381 Eagle Scouts was donated to the Virgin Valley Heritage Museum. There are pictures and stories of camping and outings that they participated in and the Eagle Projects that were completed in our valley. Some of the projects completed were for the four public schools, several at the Mesquite City Cemetery to honor the Veterans, a map of the cemetery, trees were planted at Littlefield Cemetery; there were projects at the Rec center and parks and four projects at the museum. An Eagle project is usually about 100 hours. This equals approximately 40,000 hours of community service completed by the Eagle Scouts and their fellow scouts. We are requesting that those Eagle Scouts who have not submitted a picture, information about their project and their camping memories help complete the book of scouting memories. Please turn in a picture and information to the museum or to Cheryl Jensen.

David Jay Anderson Dearest Brothers and Sisters, With a desire to be responsive to the current concerns in Nevada, we have been asked by the Area presidency to make the following temporary modifications until, at least the end of November: 1. As you know, the number of in-person participants in our Sunday worship services has been reduced from 150 to 99 OR LESS.  2. We are allowed small youth gatherings to be held in-person on days other than Sunday with the stipulation that they be limited to individual quorums and classes. To comply with the spirit of the Governor’s request we ask that these gatherings be limited to activities that have a religious purpose. 3.We have noted some challenges in how personal safety standards are maintained in gatherings when feelings and emotions are tender.  To be cautious, we are now asked that in-person attendance at baptismal services, funerals, weddings and receptions be limited to immediate family members and those who officiate.  All others should be invited to participate virtually.  Local priesthood leaders are asked to work with individuals and families to determine how best to address safety measures and to limit attendance at these important events.   4. We also ask that stake and ward council meetings, coordination meetings, and other large leadership meetings be conducted using technology. 5. FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS - We will continue to have Sunday worship services (webcast streamed – see link below), followed by the blessing and passing of the Sacrament (not streamed). http://mywebcast.churchofjesuschrist.org/Events/mesquitenevadastake **** WE ASK THAT THOSE WHO HAVE THE ABILITY TO PARTAKE OF THE SACRAMENT AT HOME, DO SO. WE HOPE THAT WORSHIP SERVICES AT OUR CHAPELS WILL BE SMALL IN NUMBER, TO HELP ENSURE SOCIAL DISTANCING AND ASSIST THOSE WHO ARE WITHOUT A PRIESTHOOD HOLDER IN THE HOME TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE SACRAMENT.**** Most importantly, we ask that you be vigilant in maintaining well-known safety measures and in avoiding informal congregating before and after meetings and activities.  We are grateful for your support and your desire to protect others, especially those who have medical conditions or are of an age which puts them most at risk. I pray that you might find peace, joy and happiness. Please love one another and find ways to help your neighbor. As you look to the needs of others you will find answers to your own needs.