I am blessed to have three great women of faith that serve with me and keep me on track. The process for selecting them was truly an "Enos-like" experience and they were selected from assurance in my mind and in my heart. We have grown in unity and love already through attending the temple together, fasting and praying together, and visiting and loving the sisters in our stake together. I was called right in the middle of ward conferences and spoke in two wards and also with a high councilman in a sacrament meeting the first three weeks!
We so enjoyed going together to Salt Lake on April 1st to attend New Leader Training held in the tabernacle. I was able to hug Julie B. Beck and tell her how much I appreciate her and her leadership. We gleaned so much and it gave us great focus and sweet confirmation that what we were doing so far was what the Relief Society General Presidency taught.
We held our first Auxiliary Training on April 16th and used the wealth of information from training to teach the importance of 1-On-1 Ministering As the Savior Did. Also, we are finding out that this is an undaunting task to encourage and inspire sisters to make sure that every meeting, activity, and lessons are fulfilling the purpose of Relief Society.... to increase in faith and personal righteousness, strengthen home and family, and serve the Lord and His children.
We took over the big task of carrying on the Stake RS Enrichment Activity scheduled from the past presidency for April 25th. We had a hard time getting it put together with the focus and theme that was already planned, but through more training, counseling with the priesthood, and fasting and prayer, we changed plans and put together what we hoped the Lord wanted us to do. We had a wonderful activity, "Back to Basics With Spiritual and Temporal Self-Reliance"...how often have you heard about that subject lately? I was concerned that it wouldn't be received very well, but the Spirit bore witness to me during SL training that it was the right thing as a big discussion took place about things that the wards and stakes needed to do to promote and encourage that very topic. All the suggestions that were given were what we were trying to put into place for our enrichment activity. We also took a line from Sister Beck's talk on the recent welfare DVD that "one sister with one skill can be a blessing to many" as we encouraged our stake to work together to help teach and learn self-reliance skills. I had a very special young single adult with a marvelous skill draw me the picture of past and present self-reliant women, as we also added verses to the Primary song and sang to the sisters..."you don't have to push a handcart to be a pioneer". We had several displays and talks on spiritual and temporal self-reliance from sisters that the Lord directed us to use. Our decorating committee created an inspiring and beautiful atmosphere, the few pictures here doesn't even do it justice. The table clothes were different checkered gingham and the cherry blossoms were popcorn spray painted and glued on branches. The picture is an early stage of the decorating, there were many more springy things placed on the tables and the displays along the side of the gym were wonderful. The Lord heard and answered my prayers when I prayed that the sisters would come....we filled the chapel and the gym and everyone was spiritually and physically fed. I have felt the Lord's arms around me many times and have felt so strongly about the issues women face. It is amazing how the Lord qualifies you to complete what He asks you to do. I feel blessed with being able to serve in such a great organization of women...one that Sheri Dew has said is "...the most important gathering of women on this side of the veil..." I learned to love Relief Society through the example of my mother and her dedication to serving her family and neighbors all her life...from my grandmother who served as a mid-wife to help women during the depression...and from many, many more friends and family that have inspired me to stay strong to a cause that was divinely organized.
(Here are just a few pictures I took with my camera)
