I Love The Relief Society!

March 17^th is the 174^th anniversary of the founding of the Relief Society. In celebration of that I want to share what the Relief Society means to me, and how I went from feeling neutral about it to loving everything about it.

I turned 18 at the beginning of my Senior year in High School, but I didn’t go to Relief Society until after I had graduated. I wasn’t dreading it, but I also wasn’t super excited to go. There were some ladies in my home ward that I didn’t see eye to eye with, and they commented A LOT. Also, my mom had a stake calling at the time, and she had to go to other wards at least once a month, which left me alone in Relief Society.

When I transferred to a singles ward, the Relief Society president was someone I had known in high school and she was very welcoming. In fact, about half of the RS sisters in my singles ward I had known in high school. It was a really good experience. I loved my Singles Ward and definitely felt like I belonged there.

Shortly after Gerson and I got married and moved into our first family ward, we were called to the nursery and stayed there for two years. During that time my only connection to Relief Society was going visiting teaching each month. I didn’t even know when the activities were – granted I could have asked, but I felt bad when one time I scheduled Visiting Teaching for the same night and time as an activity. Instead of telling me that the activity was that night, my companion had me pick her up from it and then take her back when we were done visiting teaching! I was too immature at the time to shrug it off, and I allowed that experience to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

We moved into a new apartment and a new ward when I was pregnant with Benjamin. For the first few months we only went to Sacrament Meeting because my morning sickness wouldn’t let me last longer than that. When I got better and we started attending all three hours we got called to be librarians, which mean no more Relief Society for me. (I have this theory that we got called to the nursery in our first ward and the library in our second in order to keep us from leaving after Sacrament Meeting.)

When we moved into our current ward, things changed, I changed. The Relief Society presidency visited me within a week of us moving in. I felt inspired to be more involved in this ward; and as I have done so, I have felt like we are meant to be here. Our past wards felt temporary because they were. Yes, this ward is temporary as well; one day we’ll get a house and move, but for the time being we are in the right place.

About a year after moving into our current ward I got called to the Relief Society Activities Committee. I had inconsistently attended the activities before then, now I had to go to every one! Giving me this calling was truly inspired (of course I believe that all callings are inspired, but sometimes they feel like they were just trying to find something for you to do) and I quickly made friends with the other women in the committee. I really enjoyed preparing for the activities. This calling opened me up to enjoying Relief Society and helped me get to know the other sisters in my ward

At the end of December 2015 I was released from my calling of being the RS Activities Committee, and got called to be a Visiting Teaching District Supervisor, so I’m still in the Relief Society! I already knew some of the sisters I am over, but some I don’t, so I have been given another opportunity to expand my friends in the ward.

As a SAHM, attending the activities, going visiting teaching, and being visit taught are really good social opportunities for me that I need and enjoy. I love visiting with my companion and the sisters that I am assigned to teach. I enjoy talking with them about all kinds of topics. One set of visiting teachers I had also had kids Benjamin’s age, and we were all pregnant at the same time with our second! They would bring their kids with them, and we would visit while our kids played. That was so fun for me.

The social aspect of Relief Society came before the spiritual aspect, and recently the spiritual aspect has become very strong and important in my life. On Sundays, the hour spent in Relief Society is the best part of Church for me, it is the time where I feel the Spirit the strongest. Both Benjamin and Luna take my attention during Sacrament Meeting, and I am usually feeding Luna during Sunday School, so Relief Society is my time to fully give my attention to the lesson, engage in discussion, and feel the Spirit.

Whether it’s third hour on Sundays, the monthly activities, or visiting teaching, the Relief Society has a way of bringing a special spirit into my heart and making me feel happy. Trying to get out the door to any of those things is always super dramatic for some reason, and I’m usually frustrated on my way to whatever I’m going to (activity, V.T., etc.); but once I’m there those negative feelings go away and I always come home happier than I left. I also now know that I belong to the Relief Society. Knowing this will help me when I get a calling that pulls me out of Relief Society on Sundays. I will feel welcome enough to continue to attend monthly activities and participate in visiting teaching. I love the Relief Society and I feel so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful organization.