General Women's Conference - Spring 2014 - Part 1

Here I am, only a week later than planned, blogging about the March 2014 General Women's Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In my defense, I take lousy notes and the transcripts of the talks were not available until Friday. And every Mormon knows that there are 2 weekends of the year when absolutely nothing gets done. But that is another posting for later this week.

I was extremely glad to watch the Conference at the Meeting House with other women in our Ward. We had a potluck beforehand and then went into the Chapel to watch the conference streamed live. I was extremely uplifting.

Besides the yummy food and the warm fellowship, the best part of the conference was ....

Over at Daughters in His Kingdom we learn that this song was written in an effort to remind all of us that all women are Daughters of God no matter their age and to provide a greater understanding of our role as faithful women. 

As boys become men they have all kinds of rites of passage that they grow thru and celebrate but the rites of passage for girls and women tend to be more private and less celebrated. Celebrating a son joining the priesthood is a lot easier than celebrating a daughter getting her first period. Plus it easier to plan for a specific date with the boys. Anyway, this lack of preparation and ceremony  has left many girls feeling adrift and undervalued. When you add in all the time spent talking about Priesthood responsibilities but not Relief Society responsibilities, it leaves the girls even more confused. Our role as adult women is to remind our girls that they are valued in their own right for their own contributions and not just for the children they will bear. This song is one way to do that. 

Now, on to the meat of the meeting ...

First up, Primary General President, Rosemary M Wixom with Keeping Covenants Protects Us, Prepares Us, and Empowers Us

Summary: Pres. Wixom told several stories of covenant keeping women she has met thru the years. As women members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we make many covenants with Our Heavenly Father. The first we make at baptism and when we participate in sacrament each week we renew those covenants. Additional covenants are made in the Temple and we must strive to remember and keep these covenants and in return, God will bless us. Nephi taught us that we must stick to our promises even when it gets hard and all seems lost for it is only in enduring to the end that we will receive our full blessings.

Take Away/Plan of Action: Well, I got that message loud and clear. Especially since I have been asking myself if I was in fact keeping my covenants to the best of my ability. I need to find a way to get to the Temple so I can remember my promises and improve my follow thru. I also need to make more of an effort to get to sacrament each week even if I am unable to stay thru 2nd and 3rd hr. During sacrament, I need to reflect not just on my baptism covenants but also my temple ordinances. 

Next up, Young Women General President, Bonnie L Oscarson with Sisterhood: Oh, How We Need Each Other

Summary: We are all Daughters of God which makes us sisters. As sisters we need to forget our differences and stand together. Women of all ages have much to learn from each other and to teach to each other. No matter our individual circumstances, we are all blessed with the power of the priesthood as long as we hold fast to our covenants. As Mormen women, we are all members of the oldest and largest, women's service societies in the world. I like how Pres Oscarson puts it, "This combined assembly is, without a doubt, the most glorious sisterhood upon the face of the earth!^1"

Take Away/Plan of Action: I have been singing this song for several years. It is what attracted me to Wiccan/Pagan ideology even though other aspects did not strike me as right with a few things actually screaming out how wrong they were. I am so glad that I have found God's true church on earth and that He feels women and sisterhood are as important as men and brotherhood. When the end comes, it will be the women who hold families and society together. We need to learn to love and support each other now so we can rely on each other in our moments of greatest need. I need to overcome my natural shyness and insecurities to reach out to all women around me. I also need to encourage and nurture those connections across age and culture barriers where ever I can. That means that as the Relief Society Other Meeting Coordinator for our ward, I need to find ways to include the Young Women and even Primary girls in some of our extra meetings. This also needs to be taken a step further to include women of other faiths. We are all daughters of God and sisters together no matter what our individual deep held convictions might be.

To Be Continued ... after the granddaughter goes home ...