Kennewick Stake Relief Society Conference 2014

Class List & Descriptions

(Check back for more descriptions, as we will be adding them throughout the week!)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS  :)

Only a little over a week until the conference!

Links of Love

Accepting the invitation to prepare spiritually for the General Women's Meeting by studying and developing a Christlike attribute has been a wonderful experience.  My 13-year-old daughter and I decided to work together on this, and we chose to focus on the Christlike attribute charity.  

Soon after we began working on our goal, I was reading the First Presidency Message in the February 2014 Ensign, Serve the Lord With Love, by President Thomas S. Monson. 
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/02/serve-the-lord-with-love?lang=eng
  I was especially inspired by the section for children at the end of the article: "Links of Love," which suggests performing acts of service to show love for others, then writing them down on paper strips and connecting them together to form a chain.  I thought this idea tied in well with the Christlike attribute we were working on developing.  I shared this with my daughter, and we decided it would be a great way to apply what we were learning about charity from the scriptures and the words of living apostles and prophets.  It would also serve as a visual reminder for us to continue prayerfully working on developing charity each day.  We presented our plan to the entire family and invited them to join us.

  

During family meal times over the next several weeks, we shared and discussed our experiences sharing Christ's love, as well as ways we noticed others sharing Christ's love. We joined paper strips together to represent the experiences we were having. It was fun to watch our "Links of Love" paper chain grow as the days and weeks went by.

It is often through small and seemingly insignificant acts of charity that hearts are touched and lives are blessed.  It has been a blessing to our family to experience more fully the truth that "charity is the pure love of Christ" (Moroni 7:47).  

Rich In Values For Men and Women

Thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts regarding the book Daughters In My Kingdom. Some time ago I was invited to share some thoughts in a Sunday Relief Society meeting. At that time I felt the prompting to challenge the sisters to each read the book and I promised them that I would read as well. At first I expected to just read it as I have read many books, cover to cover as fast as I can. However, not many pages into it I discovered that this was a special book. Not only does it provide a detailed history of the organization but it contains tremendous spiritual insight in living gospel principles. I soon realized that I would need to slow down and consider more fully the principles being taught. The book is rich in experiences that teach values that are important to both men and women. I have gained a more clear understanding of my responsibilities as a Latter Day Saint as taught in James 1:27  "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." This is the true significance and legacy of Relief Society, cultivating in the hearts of the sisters the true spirit of love as taught by the Savior. Now that I have finished the initial reading I look forward to revisiting it often and recommend it as a "standard works" to all. Women who read it will understand their Divine Nature more fully and men who read it will gain a greater appreciation and respect for women and the role of Relief Society.

Bishop David Baird

Badger Mountain Ward

Putting Family First

After reading the chapter about taking care of our homes and families, I recommitted to putting my family first and having faith that the Lord would bless me to be able to fulfill all my other responsibilities.  I have had many people step in and lighten my load on my other responsibilities.  I feel closer to my husband and children and a peace in my home.

Connie Jacob
Kennewick Park

To Love Everyone

I have had wonderful experiences, one in particular is wanting to truly be a daughter in His kingdom by doing as the Savior did.  I want to serve my family and my sisters in relief society and those around me.  I love everyone and I want them to feel and know it.

Pamela Vergara
Kennewick Park 

I Now Have Direction

I have strived to make “Thy will be done” the mantra of my life. My mind knows the reasoning, my penitent soul accepts the circumstances. Many times the cross I am called to bare seemed enormous. Some days the “why me and why not” are endless.  But the prayers at the end of the day would eventually become humble and subdued.  Accepting my “cross” has been the struggle for years especially when I so badly love perfection and want to soar.  I wondered with faith where the Lord is taking me on this journey.  Many times great glimpses of hope and miracles have sustained me. Where shall I go?  What shall I do has been my companion these last few years.  I have read, pondered and prayed to know where and how to direct my life.  A strong pull has been my feeling of lately. A natural thing, that I have known and felt all of my life but was shown as the direction I should take in a recent Sacrament meeting I attended.  I was genuinely excited to have direction. 

As I was reading “Daughters in My Kingdom” the feelings of purpose began to take form and confirm the revelation I received.  The examples of those that have walked before made me feel that I too have a purpose for my life. Being an active vital part of God’s Kingdom seemed to be a theme that I found throughout my reading. Day by day I am beginning to see and understand more of the Lord’s eternal plan for me.  My role is to move forward with faith in the direction that he has provided.

A couple of favorite quotes from Daughters in My Kingdom:

“We know the Lord has laid high responsibly upon us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in our hearts in righteousness but will not be realized, and the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities.”  Eliza R. Snow Chapter 4

“Joseph Smith taught Relief Society sisters of their nobility as daughters of God, helping them understand that God loved them and had grand purposes for them to fulfill.”

. . ."they have been faithful and courageous in the face of difficult challenges. They have found purpose in their lives. . . As Esther. . . “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Now I that have direction, I will be working on courage and patience as the Lord continues to unfold this vision before me.

Name Withheld By Request