My sisters. Oh, how I love you.
What a glorious opportunity itis to be assembled worldwide on this historic occasion, the 182nd anniversary of theorganization of the Relief Society.
Wherever you live, whateverlanguage you speak, wherever you have been called to serve, you belong to a society of womendivinely instituted to bring the love and relief of Jesus Christ to others.
And to all of you in your 18th year whowill soon join us in the Relief Society, welcome! We need you. We love you.
I am with my counselors, SisterDennis and Sister Yi, and the General Primary and GeneralYoung Women Presidencies. We are here in the Relief Societybuilding where we work together, pray together, and counsel together.
We share a common purpose to help buildlifelong disciples of Jesus Christ who keep their covenants anddesire and qualify for the greatest of all blessings: eternallife with God and the people they love.
Some of you have been calledfor a season to serve the children in Primary, orto serve our young women. Wherever you serve, you still belongto the Relief Society.
Being a member of the Relief Societyhas allowed me to learn from consecrated women all over the worldwhat it means to love and serve as the Savior. For this season, I am called to help the childrenof the Church come unto Christ.
I am grateful I will always be amember of the Relief Society.
Years ago, a ministering sister said to me,“I love the Relief Society. I built my home around it. Ibuilt my life around it.” She instilled in me a belief inthe relief that comes from a society that follows Jesus Christ. She taught me that no matter whereI serve in the Church, the Relief Society will be my home.
What beautiful expressionsof the work of the Relief Society to bring His reliefto the rising generation by helping to establish and strengthena personal connection and commitment to Jesus Christin our children and youth.
As His covenant daughters,
we are a conduit through which JesusChrist provides His relief.
Sisters, you are fulfilling yourdivine mandate as a member of the Relief Society whenever you doanything to bring relief to others, temporal or spiritual, because you arebringing them the love of Jesus Christ.
I testify that as you do, you will beblessed to find your own relief in Him.
Jesus Christ is relief, and youbelong to the Relief Society.
From that small group of 20women assembled in Nauvoo in 1842, a global organization of nearly8 million women has blossomed.
The Relief Society is leading out in the Church’s Global HumanitarianInitiative to address the needs of women and children.As covenant daughters of God, we strive to care for those in need byengaging in humanitarian efforts which have the greatest possible impact.
Global progress starts withwomen and children, and so we have prioritized their needsthrough maternal and newborn care, child nutrition efforts, immunizations,and education worldwide.
My dear sisters, you are a part of thisglobal effort when you tenderly care for your own child, teacha friend to read, patiently address the needsof an elderly neighbor,
cry with a sister who is grieving,
prepare food for the sick and ministeras the Savior would.
Often the best humanitarian outreach isto those closest to us in everyday acts of kindness. When you serve yourfamilies and your neighbors, you are part of our global cause.
Thank you for expressing your testimonyof Jesus Christ by being His gentle hands, His nimble feet, His listeningears, His kind speaking lips.
We evaluate needs globally, and then we seek to satisfy those needsone by one, just as the Savior did.
The Savior ministered to theone woman at the well. He healed the one daughter of Jarius. He blessed the Nephite children oneby one. He loves us one by one.
He will bring His reliefto others one by one.
The Relief Society was organizedduring the construction of the Nauvoo Temple, and in anticipationof the ordinances and covenants to be offered there.
The sisters were engaged in physicalpreparations for the temple, and were prepared spiritually to receivethe blessings of the temple by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Now, in this season of unprecedentedtemple building, the objective of the Relief Societyremains the same: to prepare a people temporally and spirituallyfor the blessings of the house of the Lord. We want our Relief Societysisters to have access to all the blessings of a covenantrelationship with God, including His priesthood power availableto those who make covenants in the house of the Lord.
No worldly organization canarticulate a comparable, divinely appointed platform tothat of the Relief Society.
Dear sisters, each of us has theopportunity to partner with the Lord in a powerful waythrough our covenants.
As President Russell M.Nelson has taught, the covenant path is all aboutour relationship with God—
a relationship with everlastingties and essential blessings.
One of those blessingsis the comforting and abiding partnership of our Savior,Jesus Christ, in all our doings.
We are never alone. You do not needto navigate the challenges, the uncertainties and the weaknesses oflife alone. He will be beside us.
This is our covenant promiseand blessing.
He loves you and desires to be a partof your life and your concerns, your happiness, your decisions. JesusChrist desires to give you His relief.
As a sister who has not yet married, this covenant relationship with God hasa profound place in my life and is the source of my peace, security, joy,and direction.
Our Father in Heaven and Savior desirethese blessings for each of us, no matter our circ*mstance. They seeyou, and your path is known to them.
Sometimes, at the end of the day, I want to talk to someone abouta tender mercy from the Lord that I've witnessed or a difficult situationI'm struggling with.
Sometimes the Lord mercifully sendsfriends, family, and others my way,
and sometimes He impressesme to reach out to them.
But many times I've had the privilege and blessing of speaking to my Fatherin Heaven about my day and the feelings of my heart.
Because of this, I become betteracquainted with God and better at counseling with Him.
I feel a closeness and aconstant love from Him.
And in this relationship, I feel secure in His love and wisdom andin His perfect understanding of me and my needs. I have developed adeep love and gratitude for Him and His divine presence in my life.
This partnership throughour covenants is real.
Jesus Christ lives, and He desires tosuccor you and to offer His healing love and relief. We are never alone.In 3 Nephi, the Savior prayed to the Fatheron behalf of the faithful, including you and me: “Father,I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hastgiven me out of the world,
because of their faith, that they may bepurified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me,that we may be one.”
We are meant to become one withGod through our covenants.
When we choose to enter a covenantrelationship with Him, we choose to change, torepent and try again, to become pure even as He is pure.
This change is made possible throughJesus Christ and His Atonement.
Living our covenants changes ournatures to become as He is, bringing us closer and closer tobecoming one through His Spirit.
What a comfort and a gift this is.
As we develop our covenantrelationship with God, all our other relationships inour lives will be elevated.
We invite you to invest in this lovingrelationship by living your covenants; embracing time with our Savior, Jesus Christ, in His holy house; inprayer and study; and in ministering as He would. And we invite you to learnall you can about accessing His covenant blessing of priesthood power.
While on an assignment, adear single sister asked a beautiful question abouthow to make a home a sacred place when you are single.
We often talk about creating a home,but what does that look like?
I would like to share some of the truths that came to mindthat apply to all of us, no matter our circ*mstance. As daughters of God, we each belongto His loving, eternal family.
Though I'm not currently married,
I don’t necessarily see myself assingle. As daughters of God, there’s much more to you and me than amarital status or a demographic label. We have all come from anearthly home as well, and hence have a work to do tosupport and help our family, both immediate and extended,and those beyond the veil.
We each have an essential, nourishing role to play in an eternalchain of family ties.
As covenant women of the Relief Society, we have the role of bringing theSavior's relief to our families and to all of God's children. We helpthem bring them to Jesus Christ.
We can create a home wherethe Spirit dwells and bring others into that sacredplace to be loved and nourished.
Your home, your apartment, your room carries the spirityou bring into your life.
We can create places of securityand safety from the world, where the things of eternity prevailand where rest is possible.
Each of us has the blessing andprivilege of this stewardship—
the stewardship of creating a homewhere Jesus Christ’s love and relief reside. We arealways progressing.
There is no waiting queuein this regard.
No matter our marital statusor background, if we are willing to follow the Savior, He will provide ample opportunitiesfor us to learn and grow, to communicate and build relationships,to repent and forgive,
to love and nurture, and to comeinto Christ and be changed.
Dear sisters, your influence is greatand your gifts are needed.
Look at the lives of thosearound you and those whom the Lord is placed withinyour influence.
For me, I feel to be a part ofmy nieces and nephews lives and to love them and help themto know who they really are
as children of God. I also feel toencourage and love the youth and the families in my neighborhood, and Ifeel drawn to help and heal my family, past and present, through familyhistory and temple work.
We are nurturers to allwithin our sphere.
What does your stewardshipinfluence look like?
Who has Jesus Christ placed in yourlife that you can love and lift, and to whom you can bring His relief?
I know that Jesus Christ livesand that He loves you.
He will come again. He is the long-awaited bridegroom, and we are the 10 virgins, the covenantwomen of His Church.
We have the blessing of filling ourlamps with the beautiful oil of a covenant relationship with Christ.
We don’t need to wait till Hecomes again to know Him.
We can choose to know Him today andreceive His healing, love, power, and relief into our lives nowthrough our covenants.
And when He comes again,we shall be like Him,
for we shall see him as He is,for we will be one with Him.
Dear sisters, our prophet, PresidentRussell M. Nelson, has spoken repeatedly concerning thepriesthood power available to men and women through a covenantrelationship with God.
He said, “Every man and every woman whoparticipates in priesthood ordinances and makes and keeps covenants with Godhas direct access to the power of God.”
“Those who are endowed in thehouse of the Lord receive a gift of God's priesthood powerby virtue of their covenants, along with a gift of knowledge to knowhow to draw upon that power. ...
The heavens are just as open to womenwho are endowed with God’s power flowing from their priesthood covenantsas they are to men who bear the priesthood.” As daughters of God, wecan be endowed with priesthood power, the power of God that comesto us as we make and keep priesthood covenants.
This has such important implications.As endowed women, we have the right to draw liberally onthe Savior's power to help ourselves, our families, and others.
I received my own endowmentwhen I was 20 years old, but for decades I did not understandthe heavenly power I had access to through the covenantsI had made with my Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. However,now as I look back, I recognize the added strength andcapacity I was given to weather the many different challenges and thevaried circ*mstances of my life. What a blessing that we live in a timewhen there is more understanding of the increased power, peace, and strengththat can be ours through a covenant relationship with God.
Our Father in Heaven lovesall His children, and He wants to be involvedin our lives, but He will not violate our agency. Hewill not force Himself into our lives. When we use our agency to choose toenter a covenant relationship with Him,
we are witnessing to Him that we wantHim to be more deeply involved in our lives, and that we are willingto pay the price to receive the increased power and privileges thatcome with that covenant relationship. As our prophet is taught,
“When we enter a covenantrelationship with God, our relationship with Him becomes muchcloser than before our covenant, and he will never abandonthat relationship. He will never tire in Hisefforts to help us, and we will never exhaustHis patience with us.”
We are joyfully bound together through an everlasting covenant that we havechosen to enter into with Him.
This knowledge should give us greatpeace and assurance as we go through the difficulties and heartachesof this life.
God's priesthood power will amplifyour spiritual gifts and talents.
It will give us strength beyond our ownto carry the heavy burdens of mortality,
and it will give us the peaceand power we need as we face the physical, emotional, and spiritualearthquakes of our lives.
This power that flows from our covenantscan bless our lives in so many different ways becauseit is God's power.
Mothers can draw on His powerfor added capacity and energy to meet theirdaily challenges and more clearly hear theLord's direction to help and guide their children. Those who have lost a loved one throughdeath or divorce can call on His power to feel comfortedand carried.
God's power can also give hope to thosewho have trouble seeing any light in their lives because of the verydifficult life circ*mstances they face.
In addition to the power we can beblessed with through keeping our priesthood covenants, when weare called and set apart or assigned to help with God's work, weare also given priesthood authority, God’s authority to represent Him as wefulfill our callings and assignments.
In 2014, when my husband and I wereserving as mission leaders in Ecuador,
President Dallin H. Oak said thisin general conference”
“We are not accustomed to speakingof women having the authority of the priesthood and theirChurch callings, but what other authority can it be?”
I was so grateful to have thisadded understanding, and I've tried to teach thistruth ever since to the women in my circles of influence,President Nelson said,
“As a righteous, endowed Latter-day Saint woman, you speak and teach with powerand authority from God.”
There is no other religious organizationin the world that I know of that has so broadly givenpower and authority to women.
There are religions that ordain somewomen to positions such as priests and pastors, but very few relative to the number of women intheir congregations received that authority thattheir church gives them. By contrast, all women 18 years and older in The Church of JesusChrist of Latter-day Saints who choose a covenant relationship withGod in the house of the Lord, are endowed with priesthoodpower directly from God. And as we serve in whatevercalling or assignment, including ministering assignments, we are given priesthood authority tocarry out those responsibilities.
My dear sisters, you belong to a church which offers all its womenpriesthood power and authority from God. Nevertheless, just as he tried to dowith Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Life, the adversarywants to focus our attention on what we haven't been given and blind us to all thatwe have been given.
Generations coming after uswill be influenced by the choices we are making now.
Let us choose a deeply connected, covenant relationship with our HeavenlyFather and Jesus Christ so that we can invite Their power, Their strength, and Their relief more fullyinto our lives.
I know that the divine privilegesand blessings that can be ours as we choose that covenant relationship will bless our childrenand grandchildren for generations to come.
Sisters, we enter the covenantpath at baptism. We enter it more completelyin the house of the Lord.
We invite each of you toprepare for and receive the blessings of endowmentin the house of the Lord.
Worthy sisters who desire to receivetheir own endowment may do so if they are at least 18 years old;have completed or are no longer attending high school,secondary school, or the equivalent’ one full year has passed sincetheir confirmation; and they feel a desire to receive and honor temple covenantsthroughout their lives.
President Nelson has said,
“If I could speak to each man or womanwho longs for marriage but has not yet found his or her eternal companion,
I would urge you not to wait untilmarriage to be endowed in the house of the Lord. Begin now to learn and experience what it means to bearmed with priesthood power.”
I offer my testimony that PresidentRussell M. Nelson is the Lord's mouthpieceon the earth today.
He has articulated repeatedly and clearly that when we bind ourselvesto Jesus Christ through sacred priesthood covenants in the house of theLord, we may draw upon God's power, and we need never feel alone. Sisters, if you are endowed, stay recommended to the Lord by keeping your recommendcurrent and by attending the house of the Lord regularly. The Lord is makingHis temples more accessible to His covenant children. Our belovedprophet has invited us to do the spiritually invigoratingwork of laboring with the Spirit to understand how we may drawupon God’s power, priesthood power, to help our families and those we love.
I humbly reiterate that invitation and add my testimony toPresident Nelson's, that your power will increase asyou serve others. Your prayers, fasting, time in the scriptures,service in the temple, and family history work willopen the heavens to you.
Several months ago, I had thesweet opportunity to address a women's conference in South Korea.
Nearly 1400 Relief Society sistersgathered for the event, which culminated in a devotionalin which I shared a message from President Nelsonthat you, dear sisters, are loved by Heavenly Father, JesusChrist, and the prophet; that you are necessary to preparingthe world for the Second Coming of the Savior; and that you areprecious daughters of God.
At the conclusion of my remarks, I left the speaking platform to sitwith the sisters while we enjoyed a closing video renditionof “I Am a Child of God.”
As soon as the meeting ended, the sister sitting directly behind measked if we could take a picture,
and then she whisperedto me, “He loves you.”
It was a tender moment where I wasreminded of that vital truth.
And then I had to depart quicklyto catch a flight.
About a week later, I received a message from my new friend whoexplained that she had come to the women's conference struggling withsome negative thoughts and memories.
When I was speaking, she hada thought come to her that I needed to feel God’s lovefor me. She explained, “I kept thinking that the Lord wantedyou to hear that He loves you.”
She wrote, “For me, it’s often mucheasier to feel the Lord’s love for someone else than it is for myself.
Maybe that is why thiswhole thing happened, because He knew it’s howI could feel His love.
Maybe I needed it more than you. Butregardless, I felt a strong desire, like the Lord wanted me totell you He loves you.
While I don't shy from promptings, it seemed like a silly daydream to tellyou. I was one woman in a large crowd. But then I suddenly found you sittingright in front of me.
So I asked for a picture whenthe meeting was over, and though you had to run to theairport, you were so gracious and let me take a photo of us andI got a moment to give you a hug and whisper some version of hoping thatyou can feel the Lord's love for you as strongly as you help allof us to feel His love.
And then I felt his awareness and love for me despite my struggling withnegativity. He knows me so well. He was willing to let me serve you inorder to feel His love so clearly again.
I pray the tender mercy was twofold,
and you felt His love asstrongly as I did.”
My new friend, my Relief Societysister living in South Korea, delivered spiritual reliefto me by communicating the love of Jesus Christ and was blessedto find her own relief in Him,
a confirmation of the Savior'senduring love for her.
You see, when we bring the Savior'srelief to others, we find it for ourselves.
And as we act as His eyes and ears,as His lips and hands, when we seek to emulate Him, our desire for a covenant relationshipwith Him will increase. Our understanding of how to draw uponHis priesthood power will be enlarged as we bring His relief to others.
President Nelson has taught, “Entering into a covenant relationshipwith God binds us to Him in a way that makes everythingabout life easier.”
He did not say that making covenantsmakes life easy,
but yoking yourself with the Saviormeans you have access to His strength and redeeming power. Sisters,I offer testimony, my complete conviction that PresidentRussell M. Nelson is a prophet of God and speaks for the Saviorwhose Church he leads.
Please listen to his words,accept his invitations, and draw hope and strengthfrom his promises.
We testify that we are beloveddaughters of God, that as women and members of the Relief Society, we have a vital role to playin preparing the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
That we have access to God's power,priesthood power, in accomplishing that divinelyappointed work.
That the work goes forward one by one, and that Jesus Christ is relief. Inthe sacred name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
My dear Sisters of Relief Society, I amgrateful to speak with you today.
You're often on my mind. I amdeeply grateful for you and feel indebted to you. So much of thegood this Church accomplishes,
and so much of the good that happens inthe world, take place because of you.
Thank you for your devotion to theLord as well as your efforts
to ennoble others. I know how much theLord loves you and depends upon you.
I marvel at your faith and sensitivityto things of the spirit.
I’m inspired by your diligence,dynamic leadership,
and your ability to seea need and meet it.
Whether it be illiteracy, malnutrition,
mental health concerns, or theday-to-day needs of others,
you tackle real life issues with a rarecombination of skill, compassion,
insight, and love. Theentire mission of the Lord's Church is strengthenedby you.
Sisters, you have a divine endowmentthat allows you literally to change lives. This is particularly trueas we are anxiously engaged in the divine mandate to gather Israel.
Any time we help anyone find thecovenant path and stay on it,
we are helping to gather Israel. Noone does this better than you.
As mothers, leaders, teachers,sisters, and friends,
you are preparing future generationsof the Lord’s Church and the world.
Recently we learned of alittle three-year-old girl
who awakened from her nap.To entertain her,
her brother brought her one stuffedanimal after another.
But what finally broughther comfort and joy?
Her very own copy of the Book of Mormon.
This little girl watches her mother readfrom the Book of Mormon every day.
She wanted to be like her mother.
It is simply not possible to quantify
the life-refining influenceof covenant women of God.
I love my brethren, and I cherish theprivilege of working with them;
however, the two people on earthwho have influenced me most
are my wife Dantzel, motherof our 10 children, who passed away suddenly at age 78,
and for the past 18 years,my wonderful wife, Wendy.
During my recent strenuousrecovery from a fall,
Wendy has cared for me tirelessly,both physically and spiritually.
She's done it in ways no one else could.
The enormous influence thatDantzel and Wendy have had
on me cannot be overstated.They have changed my life.
They have made my life more complete.
Women have been at the center ofour Heavenly Father's plan from the beginning. God's plan of salvationwas dependent upon the heroic actions of two valiant women:
Eve, the mother of all living, and Mary,
the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sisters, please never underestimate the extraordinary power within youto influence others for good.
It's a gift with which our HeavenlyFather has endowed every covenant woman.
As a covenant daughter of God, youhave receptivity to the Spirit
and an enhanced moral compass.
that give you the capacity toreceive personal revelation
and to discern truth from error.
In saying this, I do not absolve menfrom distinguishing right from wrong,
or from doing the spiritual work toreceive revelation; however, if
the world should ever lose themoral rectitude of its women,
the world would never recover. Sisters,we need your voice
teaching the doctrine of Christ.
We need your ability as women to detectdeception and to articulate truth.
We need your inspired wisdom. Yourfamily, ward, and stake councils,
as well as in other places of influencethroughout the world.
Your family, the Church, and theworld need you. Sisters, no one can do everything.Nor should you try.
However, I know how crucial your part isin building up the kingdom of God.
So today I invite you to make thescriptures your personal liahona;
the temple, your place of refugeand recalibration;
and your personal prayers,
the way you learn where the Lordneeds you to be that day.
Over time, you’ll be astonished by howHe will guide you to be exactly where you can lead, guide, and walk besidesomeone who needs you.
To that end, I bless you with increasedspiritual discernment
and the ability to find joy inoffering relief to others.
I bless you with the wisdom todiscern what is needful
and not to run fasterthan you were able.
I bless you with the courage to liveup to your divine privileges as a covenant daughter of God.
I bless you to feel deeply thatHeavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, know you and love you.They sent you to Earth now
because you are vital to thekingdom of God now.
I bless you to realize that your divinegifts as the daughter of God give you the power not only to change lives,but to change the world.
I love you, my dear sisters.These things are true.
We are all engaged in thework of the Lord.
I testify that Jesus Christ lives. Hestands at the head of this Church.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
