I was able to attend our Stake Relief Society Activity that had been postponed just a few days before we headed to Utah. It was such a last minute thing to go (I decided around 1pm to go and we left at 3pm) but I am so happy that I did! And I am VERY grateful for my wonderful husband that supports me when I make random last minute decisions like this.
There was a lady in our ward, Christine, who had planned on going to the activity with a friend. Her friend ended up leaving town at the last minute to go to a funeral so she had no ride. This was the last of many things that happened that made me finally decide to go. I picked her up at 3 and we headed to Bismarck. Can I just say that I LOVE getting to know new people? Christine's husband is our Young Men's President so Ivan gets to work with him at church. Christine teaches primary though so I don't get the chance to see her much. She is so fun! We talked and talked the entire 4 hours! When we got to the Stake Center they were playing some fun getting to know you games. Our Stake Relief Society Presidency is amazing and had thought of everything! The focus was mostly on how no matter what our age or different factors, each of us can relate to eachother in some way or another. One game we played was called have you ever? They had the chairs around the outside edge of the gym and had us run to the center of the floor and high five the other people in the group if they mentioned something that applied to you such as have you ever been bungy jumping? I got to run to the center for that one! Other's included things like attended college, graduated college, lived in a different country, have a birthday in January and so on. It was so fun to get to know so many different people so quickly and get to know more about the friends I have already made. I even met a girl there from Pleasant Grove! She looked so familiar and it wasn't until the next day that we figured out that she was friends in High School with my best friend Brandy! Small world.
That night they also had a wonderful video presentation focusing on humanitarian work and hygiene kits. They had requested that each ward collect items to assemble hygiene kits that night. The lady in the video is from Africa. She told her story of growing up with practically nothing, being run out of her home, losing her family, being kidnapped and being threatened to have her legs cut off. Through all of this she relied on God, prayed and by some miracle was saved. Sometime during all of her struggles she was given a hygiene kit. She CHERISHED this hygiene kit. She met members of the LDS church and was taught the gospel. She joined the church and had a desire to serve a mission. She was called to serve at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Just before she was to leave for her mission she got word that her little neice and nephew had been found. She was their only relative and felt that she needed to stay home and take care of them. The wonderful LDS family that she had become so close to said that she needed to serve her mission and that they would take care of the children while she was away.
She took her hygiene kit with her and headed to Utah. She was told that she did not need to take it with her because she was going to the land of everything. This was her only posession and she treasured it. She spoke of each item in the kit with gratitude and told of how she shared each item except for one toothbrush that she was selfish with. :)
While serving her mission she met a couple that were looking to adopt a baby from Africa and asked her if she knew of anyone. She showed them the picture that she carried with her of her neice and baby nephew. The family ended up adopting both children. When her mission ended, this family requested that she stay in Utah and not return home to Africa. They showed a picture of her neice who is now grown and was recently married in the temple. The nephew is around 8 years old and was in the picture also. She now travels and speaks at Time Out for Women.
She had such an amazing story and I couldn't help but think that she is just one woman. One woman who had been blessed to receive a hygiene kit. One woman who shared that hygiene kit to bless the lives of many others. One woman who has learned and knows the truths of the gospel and loves to share it with anyone who will listen. What a great example she is.
We were able to put together MANY boxes of hygiene kits that went to bless the lives of people in need in our community. This was such a great lesson and one that I hope I will not soon forget.
That night Christine and I were able to share a room with our Bishop's wife, Karen, who also happens to be our Stake Relief Society President. She also had staying with her my good friend Shawna and another lady from our ward named Rozanne. We had such a fun time together! When Christine and I got to the hotel they were doing facials. Karen had this amazing dead sea scrub that you take off with a magnet. I need to find me some of that! My face felt amazing afterward. We stayed up late sharing stories with eachother and just being silly. I learned lots about our Bishop. :) When we (I) finally settled down and it got quiet, Karen decided to sneak across the room to my bed and tickle my feet. These ladies are CRAZY!...just the way I like them. And here are a couple really scary picture of us with scrub on our faces...sometimes I think it's time for a funny face when it's not.) lol
The next day we had a very nice lunch at the church and watched a funny and well done play on visiting teaching. These ladies just amaze me. The lead girl who also sang a lot in the play was not able to be there because the activity was rescheduled, so they had another girl fill in and she did so good. I actually really love visiting teaching but of course understand how it can be a real struggle to get it done. We also attended 3 different workshops on visiting teaching. I loved all the stories the sisters shared about ways that visiting teaching has blessed their lives and the unexpected friendships they had made. I am so grateful to be a member of the church. I have so many friends in the gospel and know that I am never alone. I am so glad that I followed the MANY small whispers of the spirit that told me I needed to go to this activity.
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