Today's lesson was taught by Sis. Murdock.
She created the bulk of her lesson from the conference talk - The visions of prophets regarding Relief Society by Sis. Beck
Latter day saint women must be strong and immovable in Relief. Why did they name it Relief Society?
It's our calling to lift up, lighten and raise someone up out of trouble.
Sis. Beck focused on 3 things - Faith, Family and Relief.
Sis. Murdock shared a couple of her favorite quotes. One said, "Mans greatest happiness comes from losing himself in the service of others."
She shared a "poem" on charity and it listed out all things that "Charity is...." So many simple things to do besides what we might think Charity is.
She shared the versus of the song, "Have I done any good in the world today."
Relief Society is not a program - it's an official part of the Lord's church.
President Spencer W. Kimball said: “There are many sisters who are living in rags—spiritual rags. They are entitled to gorgeous robes, spiritual robes. … It is your privilege to go into homes and exchange robes for rags.”President Harold B. Lee shared this vision. He said: “Cannot you see why the Lord has put it upon the … Relief Society to visit these homes? Because, next to the Master himself, there are none in [the] Church who have a more lovely touch, a more complete understanding of the hearts and the lives of these individuals.
Sis. Murdock touched on not judging others. If we judge others we have not time to love them. She shared a story that Pres. Monson once told, "
A young couple, Lisa and John, moved into a new neighborhood. One morning while they were eating breakfast, Lisa looked out the window and watched her next-door neighbor hanging out her wash.
“That laundry’s not clean!” Lisa exclaimed. “Our neighbor doesn’t know how to get clothes clean!”
John looked on but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, Lisa would make the same comments.
A few weeks later Lisa was surprised to glance out her window and see a nice, clean wash hanging in her neighbor’s yard. She said to her husband, “Look, John—she’s finally learned how to wash correctly! I wonder how she did it.”
John replied, “Well, dear, I have the answer for you. You’ll be interested to know that I got up early this morning and washed our windows!”
Let us love and serve each other as the Savior did.
Pres. Utchdorf said we all need to come together to help and serve each other. No humanitarian effort was ever completed without the blessing of the sisterhood by our side.
Pres. Hinckley said, "I am convinced there is no other organization anywhere to match the Relief Society of this church!
Thank you Sis. Murdock for reminding us to stretch a little farther and do a little better. VT'ing blesses the lives of each participant and the homes of those that you go into and visit. You ARE making a difference in many ways even if you can't see it.
- Sis. Pyrah