“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.”

Last night I spent the evening training a newly called Relief Society presidency for the Spanish Ward in my Stake.  I walked away from that experience learning far more than I am sure that I taught.

The president has only been a member for a little over five years.  Her councilors and secretary combine almost exceed six years membership.  Two of them speak no English and the other two speak a little.  Thankfully we had a translator there last night or nothing would have been accomplished because combine I think our whole presidency could maybe, just maybe complete an entire paragraph in Spanish if we were lucky.  **I do know how to say “sign and date here” in Spanish thanks to my daily grind but I’m fairly positive that phrase was of no use last night.

Having served as a Relief Society president (and I had been a member all of my 26 years), I know how overwhelming it is accepting that calling.  Being raised in Utah in the gospel, I was comfortable with and knowledgeable of the program and how things were to run and still felt inadequate.  As I watched these sweet sisters last night grasping to gain some understanding of all the different aspects of their calling and what the Lord requires of them in these positions, my heart went out to them.  I finally realized that these sisters only needed the two most important things of Relief Society blazing in their hearts and the rest would come with time and more training.  The two things are: that everyone needs to know they are loved individually and that the pure truth of the gospel is taught at all times with the Spirit.

I know that I failed accomplishing those two things while I served more than I succeeded, but through that opportunity I learned the eternal, spiritual importance of them.  Last night I awoke to the fact that they are ALWAYS important to life as a general rule and that I was still tripping and failing.

When I was first called I was in the process of healing some very deep wounds of my own and I wore a band aid on my hand to remind myself that the Savior was helping me to heal and that I needed to also help others.  I think it might be time to put on another band aid to remind myself to stop being so selfish.