This week marks a very special milestone. Saturday is the 170th anniversary of Relief Society! Don’t know what Relief Society is? Well, in a nut shell it is the women’s organization in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the days of its founding, it had two main purposes: to provide relief for the poor and needy and to bring people to Christ. The organization continues today, staying true to those original guiding principles. Our motto is “Charity Never Faileth.”
The first meeting of Relief Society in Nauvoo, Illinois {USA} had 20 members. Today there are over 30,000 local Relief Society’s. We are six million women in over 170 countries!
For the celebration posts this week I decided I wanted to highlight women and their views about Relief Society rather than focus totally on just the history of Relief Society. Today is a special guest….my own Relief Society president who shares my sarcastic sense of humor, love of flowers, and more importantly a love of serving the Lord and His daughters.
Oh, the ironies of life! This little girl wanted nothing more than to grow up and be a wife and a mother. She was raised a Methodist, but was not ever active in her church. At the age of nearly 21 she went on vacation with her roommate, to a small town in a different state, and the roommate’s brother introduced her to the man of her dreams. Nine weeks later they were married! She moved from big city to small town and began life anew. This man of her dreams was an inactive member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a church with a big name that this girl had never heard anything about. In the nine weeks of dating, the young man did want her to go to church with him, even though he had not been going himself. (Hmm…must’ve been a test!) She went, wearing an immodest halter top dress, letting her daffodil tattoo show, having no idea that this was not appropriate in the church with the big name. During their first year of marriage her very active mother-in-law sent visiting teachers to their house. After the first couple of times, this girl would hide when she saw those ladies from the Church coming to visit.
Flash forward to eight long years of trying unsuccessfully to have a child and finally adopting a beautiful little girl. Even though we had never attended Church in those eight years, and I had hidden from visiting teachers, I readily agreed when my husband asked if we could have our new baby blessed at Church, but, only if we would leave right after Sacrament meeting, because I did not want to go to that meeting with a bunch of women I did not know. We had moved to another state, so it took some time to finally find the name of the Bishop and set the appointment to have her blessed. At that time, my husband was not worthy to stand in on the blessing, so the Bishop did it. I only remember one sentence of that blessing; “please help her parents be worthy of her.” Of course, as all good Latter-day Saints would do, we were quickly surrounded right after the meeting. One man, in particular, had his arm around my shoulders asking questions about us, as we walked down the hallway, where upon he quietly deposited me into the Relief Society room! Of course, our Bishop would not have been doing his job, at all, if he hadn’t sent those missionaries over, the very next week! And Heavenly Father, knowing us each individually, as He does, had in place two sweet little Elders, that I quickly fell in love with. How could anyone resist that sweet southern drawl, of that Elder from Mississippi, or the irony of the other one being from the Bay Area, where I was raised?!
One year later we were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. After that, we adopted a son through Church Social Services. Oh, how our lives had changed. And SO much for the better!! How ironic that the first position I was called to was that of a visiting teacher. How could I ever have hidden from those wonderful sisters? My very first calling in the Church was in the Relief Society. I was Cooking Instructor, in what was then called Homemaking Meeting. I so, loved those mid-week meetings that we had so much fun building friendships, doing crafts, and learning how to be the wife and mother I had always wanted to be. And how ironic that I grew to deeply love those women that I did not know that day of our daughter’s blessing!
Through thirty one years of active Church service, I have served in many positions. Cooking Instructor, Girl’s Volleyball Coach, seventeen years in Primary Presidencies within two states, I’ve taught every single age in Primary, Girl’s Camp Director, Ward Bulletin, Librarian, Relief Society Secretary, and Addiction Recovery Administrator, to name a few. During my tenure as Relief Society Secretary, I was given the task of also being Visiting Teaching Coordinator. (How ironic is that!) I now serve as the Relief Society President. Over those thirty one years, I have grown to love and depend upon Relief Society to help me in my daily life. I challenge the sisters to improve, but cannot expect them to do anything that I would not do myself, so who really has had the most growth? I am currently challenging them, daily, via e-mail to do a 40-day scripture study program to grow closer to our Savior. In my prayers of pleading with Heavenly Father to have at least one sister draw closer because of this program, I realized that I am probably that one sister!
For a girl wanting nothing more in life than to be a wife and a mother what better program is there than that of Relief Society? And how much more of life have I gleaned from Relief Society? Not only has it taught me how to be a good wife and mother, how to be a good citizen of the world, how to serve others, how to improve, daily, how to balance my ever increasingly busy life, and most importantly, how to draw closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ, and my loving Heavenly Father. How lost would I be without the Gospel, the Priesthood, and mainly Relief Society in my life? I really do not think, in the lifestyle we had been living, that we would still be a family. We would not have our son, we would not be an eternal family, we would not have the joy and peace that comes from living the Gospel, I would not have had the growth as a woman, I have experienced, I would not be happy in my role as a homemaker, wife and mother, if it were not for the eternal lessons I have learned in Relief Society. How thankful I am for my Heavenly Father not to have thrown up His hands and say “I give up”, when it came to me. He in His infinite wisdom, knew the timing of everything had to be just right for me to accept the missionaries in my home, become a visiting teacher, instead of hiding from them, and now serve as a Relief Society president to encourage others to become what He would have each of us to be. How I love Relief Society, and everything about it. How ironic!
Thank you, Leslie! I even learned something new about you.☺
This Thursday will be a linky party to link all your posts about Relief Society. Share your experiences or the history of an ancestor. Write and link to as many blog posts as you want to help celebrate the 170th anniversary of this truly inspired and divine organization of women.
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Ginger says
very nice story thanks for posting
Renee says
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful story! I loved reading it. I would LOVE to know more about the 40 scripture study program your ward is doing. Any chance I could get a copy????
Thanks so much!!
Renee
JRoberts says
Beautiful.
Isn’t it wonderful as we see the hand of the Lord in our lives guiding us to where we need to be?!
The Relief Society truly is an inspired organization and one I am so thankful we have.
Mama Rachel says
Beautiful! I’d also like to hear more about the scripture study challenge. 🙂
LeeAnn and Boys says
Thanks for sharing the difference that Christ has made in your life. It’s hard to know how different I would be because I was raised in the church, but thanks for reminding me that it is a true blessing.
WaterWorks says
I really enjoyed reading your story. I think it’s amazing that we always end up right where He intended us to be, all along.
Jennifer J says
I wish we all had these same types of opportunities. Thank you for sharing your story. I love to hear stories from people who have experienced the Church the way it is really supposed to be.
Deb Millet says
Oh Leslie, I remember you on that Sunday when you blessed your sweet little girl and all the wonderful years of friendship since. I have often used your story and your example when thinking about the blessings that can come from friendship. You have certainly blessed my life over the years. You are an inspiration to many. How fun was that when I recognized your picture and then read your article. Sweet memories of you and your cute family!