I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m a Mormon girl.
My faith and religion are deeply important to me. They are at the very foundation of who I am and what I value most in my life. This here blog of mine is about genealogy and so I don’t talk about my personal life – much – which includes my religious beliefs.
But something happened recently that will effect my blogging habits. I’m going to be unpredictable. I’ll have time to write and read and then I won’t and then I will again. It’s going to be spotty. And I wanted you, my blog friends to understand why.
We Mormons are organized folks. We meet in local units called wards that are based on geographical boundaries. Each ward meets at a certain time on Sundays. We have three meetings and spend three hours at church. The first meeting is called Sacrament Meeting and is for everyone in the ward. We sing a hymn, have an opening prayer, sing another hymn, take the sacrament, listen to speakers who are members of our ward, sing and pray again. The last two hours are different. Children have their own meetings called Primary. Teenagers go to Sunday School for one hour and then to classes divided by age and gender for another hour. Adults also have Sunday School and then the men go to Priesthood Meetings and the women go to Relief Society.
Relief Society is the largest women’s organization in the world. It began in 1842. Over the years this organization has been a powerful force for good in the world, caring for the poor and needy, providing relief for suffering, offering love, support, and instruction for it’s members. The motto of Relief Society is “Charity never faileth”. Charity in this statement refers to the pure love of Christ. What a beautiful sentiment.
Relief Society sisters throughout the world meet every Sunday for an hour. They sing, pray, participate in a gospel lesson, sing and pray again. These women also have occasional activities during the week. They learn skills that will help them care for their families, they provide service, and learn from one another. I learned to tie quilts and make homemade bread at Relief Society activities. I’ve helped with service projects and listened to women share their experiences.
Relief Society is a wonderful organization for women throughout the entire world.
I have recently been asked to be the Relief Society President in my ward. I am now responsible to oversee our Sunday meetings, our weekday activities, and all other aspects of Relief Society. I find my days suddenly filled with phone calls, visits, planning, and meetings. I will busy for a while. And my blogging will suffer. But my soul will be joyful as I am blessed to get to know the women in my Relief Society. To really see them and love them.
In fact, it’s already happening. I spent my Saturday morning in the home of an elderly woman who was born and raised in Germany. She is a widow who is lonely and feels like she doesn’t fit into her world. She poured out her heart to me. I listened, offered encouragement and most of all, I saw into her heart. I now have a much deeper understanding and love for her. That is what I am looking forward to with my new responsibility, moments like that. Moments that will help me develop greater compassion and empathy for others.
So, please be patient with my unpredictability. I still love genealogy with my whole heart. I still want to share and learn with you. And I will, when I can.
If you want to learn more about my faith, read here. If you want to learn more about Relief Society, read here or watch this short video.
It’s always good to give back to our communities, wherever and whatever they are. Good for you!
Thank you Amy, I couldn’t agree more!
I have a feeling you’ll be an awesome RS president! Congrats!
Thank you Lenore! That is very kind of you to say. I’ll certainly give it all that I can.
You go, girl! We’ll be here when you get back.
Thank you Leslie!
Give what you can, where you can, when you can. I’m sure there will be no problem with any irregular blogs posts. I make no effort to be regular at posting, it just isn’t possible for me. I hope your new experiences will enrich your whole life.
Thank you for that. I’m sure they will. It’s always an enriching experience to be asked to do something hard. Lots of stretching and growing. 😉
It is wonderful that you are giving so much of yourself. We will all still be here and glad to hear from you whenever you have time. And a warning from one who embarked on a similar journey and is now feeling stretched to breaking point — remember to look after yourself. I’m grateful that my time donated to the sculpture exhibition will finish soon. I’m so tired and so busy I’m barely enjoying it and in danger of becoming resentful. I’m sure you won’t let that happen to you. 🙂
Thank you Su for your kind words of wisdom. It is easy to forget yourself. I’m trying not to!
You’re welcome. All the best with your new challenge. 🙂
Good luck! You’ll be fine! Extremely busy but just fine! Closest I ever got was YW Pres years ago! Now, I’m teaching in RS and love it! You’ll be great! 😀
Thank you Linda! Teaching RS was a favorite of mine. I haven’t done that as my own calling in years. I bet you are great at that.
Congratulations on your new calling! You already sound like you’re an awesome Relief Society President.
Thank you Jana!
Best of luck – you’ll be brilliant!
Thank you Alex!
Bright blessings to you in this new endeavor. It’s not the quantity of anything you output but the quality. When you do get around to blogging it’s going to flow. What you’re doing now with the meetings is a very big responsibility so stay focused on what unfolds, one thing at a time. That way it’ll turn out right and you won’t feel scattered or wanting to go in different directions.
Thank you EmilyAnn!
Ah, I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from you lately! Enjoy your new responsibilities. 🙂
Hi Deborah, thank you!
Merry Christmas and Happy new Year to you.
Thank you, you too!