Wednesday, March 19, 2014

What I Believe - The Extraordinary Relief Society


The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just celebrated its birthday March 17, 2014, so I thought it appropriate to write a little something about what the Relief Society means to me and how it has impacted my life:

What the Relief Society means to me is that I have a place where I can both interact and learn from women of all ages. It's one of the things that I love about the women in the Relief Society is that whether you're young or old -- you are valued as a sister and a friend. I have friendships with women who are half my age and women who are half over my age. Age is just a number. Outside of the Church and the Relief Society that simply isn't always the case, not in my experience. So the organization has given me a great sense of belonging and appreciation.

Many times in the Relief Society it has been my very great privilege to serve those who do so much, such as Church Missionaries, or to help attend to the needs of a sister or brother who is unable to meet their own needs. I've cooked, cleaned, provided rides to doctor appointments and church activities. I've visited the sick in the hospital. I've watched over young children while their mothers took a much needed break. I've joined with other members to help non-members in various capacities and I've taught children of various age groups about the Lord.

All in all, my experiences with the Relief Society have been positive, uplifting and edifying.

The following video comes from a talk by Sheri Dew, a former member of the Relief Society General Presidency and current CEO of Deseret Book Company:

What Do LDS Women Get?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QYlDLChzig

As Emma Smith, the first Relief Society president, declared, “We are going to do something extraordinary.” As a woman in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and as a member of the Relief Society extraordinary is what it's all about.

This is what I believe.

No comments: