Over the years my feelings on Relief Society have changed a lot. They have resembled the track of a roller coaster - up, down, upside-down, and backwards. When I was 18, I was ready to leave Young Women, and went to Relief Society, but only on Sundays. My mom wasn't a fan of Enrichment...So naturally I wasn't either. I jumped into visiting teaching and felt very grown-up. Soon I was off to college, where everyone was in Relief Society, and suddenly I felt lost. New semester, new people...They called me to teach once a month, but because of timing, I only ended up teaching one time that semester, and was so nervous I nearly died, I think. Then I got married, and Andrew and I went through 3 wards in Rexburg, some were good, some not so much, all for different reasons, but most of the time I taught in primary, and knew only primary people, primary life.
Then a semester in Utah. WORST. WARD. EVER. It was a fancy ward, up on the hillside, with one apartment complex. Apartment people were ignored, no one ever said hi, except our friends Steve and Krista from the next building over. They were absolute lifesavers while we were in Utah. But the concept of Relief Society was lost on me. I was not visit taught, nor assigned to be a visiting teacher. NO one knew my name, not even the presidency.
Back to Idaho, we lived in Ammon for 2 years, and while the ward was GREAT, I was in Primary the whole time. I never got into the habit of attending Enrichment, because I never knew anyone, except primary folk.
And then we bought our house, which brought us back to the ward I grew up in. I knew more than half of the people, and many of the new people were young couples like us, in their first house. And several of those, I had gone to high school with. I was asked to be in primary when we very first got here, but then had a baby, and it just wasn't working, so we were released, and I was put in as ..... part of the enrichment committee.
And suddenly I have a greater perspective on the purpose or Relief Society, and the good it does.
And suddenly, I love Relief Society. Okay, not suddenly, I have been here in this calling for 2 1/2 years (I am a little afraid that it is going to end, and they are going to try to stick me in primary...)
I love the lessons, and the people, and the purpose, and the "mid week meetings" (aka Enrichment).
And this week was a lesson from the presidency, and it was fantastic. A message I have been praying to hear all year. And it reminded me all over, how grateful I am for Relief Society.
Then a semester in Utah. WORST. WARD. EVER. It was a fancy ward, up on the hillside, with one apartment complex. Apartment people were ignored, no one ever said hi, except our friends Steve and Krista from the next building over. They were absolute lifesavers while we were in Utah. But the concept of Relief Society was lost on me. I was not visit taught, nor assigned to be a visiting teacher. NO one knew my name, not even the presidency.
Back to Idaho, we lived in Ammon for 2 years, and while the ward was GREAT, I was in Primary the whole time. I never got into the habit of attending Enrichment, because I never knew anyone, except primary folk.
And then we bought our house, which brought us back to the ward I grew up in. I knew more than half of the people, and many of the new people were young couples like us, in their first house. And several of those, I had gone to high school with. I was asked to be in primary when we very first got here, but then had a baby, and it just wasn't working, so we were released, and I was put in as ..... part of the enrichment committee.
And suddenly I have a greater perspective on the purpose or Relief Society, and the good it does.
And suddenly, I love Relief Society. Okay, not suddenly, I have been here in this calling for 2 1/2 years (I am a little afraid that it is going to end, and they are going to try to stick me in primary...)
I love the lessons, and the people, and the purpose, and the "mid week meetings" (aka Enrichment).
And this week was a lesson from the presidency, and it was fantastic. A message I have been praying to hear all year. And it reminded me all over, how grateful I am for Relief Society.
Comments
I know I should revisit that...
=)