2016 In Review

We have reached another end and another beginning.  As we reflect back over 2016 as a Stake Relief Society, there is much to be grateful for.  We have wonderful sisters in our Stake that serve with faith and dedication in their homes, in their wards/branches and in their communities.  We are grateful for the love and example our sisters share with us and all those around them.  We look forward to many wonderful things this coming year as we mingle, learn from and serve together.  I hope you enjoy this brief review of this year gone by.

-Lorie Pierce

General Womens Meeting held March 26, 2016
We gathered as sisters for a light meal prior to viewing the broadcast from Salt Lake.  We had about 190 sisters, young women and Primary girls attend.



Spring Stake Relief Society Activity held on April 23, 2016
"We are the Lord's Hands" was our theme as we gathered to participate in a humanitarian project for Haitian orphans.  About 90 sisters gathered with us.  We made 200 drawstring bags and 75 hacky sacks for the orphans.  We also had a collection area for toiletry and school supplies that were donated locally to help refugees in the Baltimore area.



New Stake Relief Society Presidency called in June 2016
President - Cindy Erekson
1st Counselor - Lisa Larson
2nd Counselor - Jill Goodrich
(Secretary still serving - Lorie Pierce)



General Womens Meeting held on September 24, 2016
We gathered as sisters, young women and Primary girls to "Celebrate the Joys of Womanhood" with a large variety of tasty finger snacks.  It was an evening of mingling with friends old and new for the 193 who joined us.



Other noteworthy things from 2016 include our visits to Sunday Relief Society meetings and activities throughout the Stake.  It has been such a pleasure to visit the various units in our stake - to get to know our sisters better and to feel the love they have for the Gospel and for the work of Relief Society.

2016 ended with our annual assignment to provide food for the missionaries serving at the Washington DC Temple Visitor's Center during the Festival of Lights.  We were assigned 6 days this year and are very grateful to the women who generously filled that assignment at such a busy time of the year.  We so appreciate the willingness of our sisters to step up and serve.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all our sisters a Very Merry Christmas! 

Columbia Maryland Stake Relief Society Presidency
Lisa Larson - Cindy Erekson - Jill Goodrich

2017 Relief Society Curriculum

The Relief Society lessons for the 2nd and 3rd Sunday's each month will be from the newly published Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley.  You can download the manual to your mobile device via the Gospel Library app, you can access it on lds.org and most wards will still probably order a few hard copies (or you can purchase your own hard copy at store.lds.org).

The 1st Sunday of the month is taught by a presidency member on topics that they have felt inspired to share. The 4th Sunday of the month is a lesson taught based on a General Conference talk (determined by the Bishop or Branch President).

Having served in callings over the years that gave me chances to teach these various lessons - I know the value of the sisters coming prepared to learn and participate.  A large part of that preparation comes through reading the lesson in advance and doing our part to invite the Spirit into our Relief Society meetings.

I am looking forward to this year and studying the words of President Hinckley. With the exception of more recent converts, most of us will have a personal connection to him and his teachings. What a blessing it will be to recall those times we heard him speak and felt the Spirit bear witness of his words.

-Lorie Pierce

Our Missionaries - Not Forgotten

In early November, I left for Oregon and the birth of my 2nd grand-daughter.  Before I departed, I bought cards and stamps to be able to send Christmas wishes to all our missionaries serving from the Columbia Maryland Stake.  A couple days before leaving, I thought "I should do these cards before I go" BUT I immediately answered myself "I will be home right after Thanksgiving - there will be plenty of time".  Well, plans changed and I'm still in Oregon and the cards are sitting in Maryland waiting my return in a few more days.  I feel bad because I know that now many of the missionaries will not receive our card until after Christmas.

This morning I was talking with a missionary mom friend and she mentioned that her missionary had only received one card this season.  He was feeling a bit forgotten.  How very sad!  I've had two sons serve missions and have a daughter out now.  I recognize how much hearing from people back home makes a difference to these young men and women.

I know that many sisters and their families have sent and will still send Christmas wishes out to our missionaries and I along with the other missionary moms are grateful!  I also understand that some might feel awkward sending to a missionary they don't know. But I assure you that they will welcome every card.  Last year, we signed our missionary cards, "The Pierce Family of Eldersburg Ward/Columbia Stake", so they knew we were from the stake.  

Below is the link to my November blogpost with all their pictures....so fun to look at!  There is a link to the address list in that original blogpost.

http://columbiastakers.blogspot.com/2016/11/sending-christmas-wishes-to-our.html

My 3 year old grand-daughter loves to look at pictures on my iPad.  She loves it when I bring up that November blogpost.  She thinks Elder Mitchell washing his clothes in a bucket is "funny" and Elder Lindsey with the stop sign is too.  She loves to see the ones with children and in front of temples and Elder Peterson standing by the statue of Jesus.  She says "who's that?" to each and every picture.  She calls them all "Jessica's friends" - except the McGinns she says they are "Grandma's friends". Of course she gets very excited when she sees her Aunt Jessica's picture with all those other missionaries.

I know many of our sisters are participating in the Light the World campaign.  Today's theme is "Jesus Ministered To The Children...."  These missionaries are children away from their families at a time of year when most gather together as families. Let's put our arms around them with our Christmas wishes as hugs from home.

-Lorie Pierce

"Rise Up in Strength, Sisters in Zion"

Rise Up in Strength, Sisters in Zion

In her General Women's Session address, Young Women General President, Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson stated: Sisters, we live in “perilous times.” The conditions of our day should not be a surprise to us. They have been foretold for millennia as a warning and admonition so that we can be prepared...” Joseph Smith—Matthew indicates that in the last days even the “very elect … according to the covenant” will be deceived.

She quotes President Russell M. Nelson when a year ago he told the women: “Attacks against the Church, its doctrine, and our way of life are going to increase. Because of this, we need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ and who will use that understanding to teach and help raise a sin-resistant generation. We need women who can detect deception in all of its forms. We need women who know how to access the power that God makes available to covenant keepers and who express their beliefs with confidence and charity. We need women who have the courage and vision of our Mother Eve.”

Sister Oscarson continues that “It will take concerted effort to be converted and to keep our covenants. To do so, we need to be girls and women who study the essential doctrines of the gospel and have an unshakable testimony of their truthfulness. There are three areas I believe are foundational to strong testimonies and that I consider to be essential to our understanding.

First, we need to acknowledge the centrality of God our Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, to our faith and salvation. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.

Second, we need to understand the need for the restoration of the doctrine, organization, and keys of authority in these latter days.

And third, we need to study and understand temple ordinances and covenants. The temple holds a place at the very center of our most sacred beliefs, and the Lord asks that we attend, ponder, study, and find personal meaning and application individually.”

Sister Oscarson closes by stating that: “I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I am eternally grateful for the direction, power, and daily help I receive as a covenant daughter of God. I testify that the Lord has blessed us, as women who live in these perilous times, with all of the power, gifts, and strength that are needed in order to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that we may all see our true potential and rise up to become the women of faith and courage our Father in Heaven needs us to be.'

I echo her sentiments. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that we, as daughters of God, have all the strength we need to overcome these perilous times. All we need to do is to tap into that strength through study and faith. By doing so, we can unlock the powers of Heaven.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

- Jill Goodrich, Stake Relief Society 2nd Counselor

Joy & Spiritual Survival and Am I Good Enough?

In 1996, President Hinckley said, “...in all of living have much of fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.” That quickly became my life’s mantra. That was 20 years ago - before a mortgage and kids and before life got too serious! It was so much easier to have fun and to laugh and to enjoy life. But as the years have progressed, my fun level and laughter have definitely decreased.

I like to listen to general conference talks with the intent of finding ways to help me get back to enjoying my life and not just enduring it. I find that I’m barely able to keep my head above the water and I know there’s more to this life than laundry and grocery shopping and teaching my children (I’m a homeschool mom so I do this last one a lot!). There were two conference talks that really stood out to me from October’s general conference. The first one was “Joy and Spiritual Survival” by President Russell M. Nelson and the other was “Am I Good Enough? Will I Make It” by Elder J. Devn Cornish.

President Nelson talks of Lehi and his circumstances. Lehi was persecuted for preaching of Christ, commanded to leave his possessions and travel in the wilderness not knowing where they were going and then watched two of his sons rebel and attack their brothers. And then Lehi tells us, “Men are, that they might have joy (2 Nephi 2:25).” In order to spiritually survive these last days, we need to have joy. According to Lehi, we were created to have joy.

So, how do I go about doing that? I’ve learned over the years that the times I truly feel joy are when I’m doing those simple things that the Savior has asked me to do - read my scriptures, pray, attend the temple, etc. Sometimes when I’m struggling the most, it’s usually because I’ve stopped doing these simple things. But one idea that I hadn’t really thought of that President Nelson suggested was to pray for joy. If I was created to have joy, then who better to ask for help finding joy then the Creator Himself.  

Another thing that hinders my enjoying life are my feelings of doubt. This is why Elder Cornish’s talk stood out to me. I question whether I am good enough and often feel discouraged as I go through my mental list of what I should be doing and realizing that I’m not doing as much as I think I should. Elder Cornish reminds me that,  Yes! I am good enough! He reminds us that the Lord is not a “heartless referee looking for any excuse to throw us out of the game” but is “our perfectly loving Father, who yearns more than anything else to have all his children come back home and live with him”. And that’s what I yearn for too, to someday go back home.

Elder Hinckley said in the October 1989 conference, “Please don’t nag yourself with thoughts of failure. Do not set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. Simply do what you can do, in the best way you know, and the Lord will accept of your effort.”

I am good enough - we all are! And the Lord will accept our efforts. I know that as I come to stop comparing myself with those around me and stop beating myself up for not doing everything on my list and really focus on my Savior and walking with Him on this journey of life, I will be able to do more than just endure this life but learn to actually enjoy it too!

- Lisa Larson
Stake Relief Society 1st Counselor

No Greater Joy Than To Know That They Know

Dear Sisters,

Wasn’t General Conference wonderful!   Unfortunately,  I got to see very little of this conference ‘live’, so instead of waiting for my Ensign to arrive, I have spent the past few weeks watching the sessions I missed and reading the talks on-line. What a blessing it is to have ready access to the words of our beloved leaders! I truly felt their love and the love of our Savior wash over me as I listened to their words.

            Since I have been asked to share my thoughts on one of the talks that especially touched me, I would like to remind us of the words of Elder K. Brett Nattress of the Seventy, in his talk entitled No Greater JoyThan to Know That They Know. This talk refers to our own children, but I also feel it refers to all those whom we have stewardship over and those we teach or visit teach.

First, our children:  Elder Nattress begins by asking “if all that your children knew of the gospel came from you – as their only source – how much would they know?” … “Is there any greater gift that we can impart to our children than a memory burned deep into their hearts that we know that our Redeemer lives? Do they know that we know? And more important, have they come to know for themselves that He lives?” 

I am sure the story of his mother reading the Book of Mormon to him each day, though he insisted he wasn’t listening, struck a chord with most of you as it did me.  How many days did we rush through scripture reading just to ‘get it done’? How many times did my kids curl up in a blanket on the floor during Family Home Evening, sleeping while they ‘pretended’ to be listening? How many times have I wondered if anything was getting in at all! Her response to him was priceless and brought tears to my eyes. “I will not lose you!”

He goes on to say: “Her words pierced my heart. Notwithstanding my imperfections, I was worth saving! She taught me the eternal truth that I am a son of a loving Heavenly Father. I learned that no matter what the circumstance, I was worth it. This was a perfect moment for an imperfect little boy.”

 Isn’t that why we do what we do? Isn’t that why we drag our kids off to church each week and struggle with them all through Sacrament meeting? Isn’t that why we strive to follow the counsel of our leaders, even when it is difficult? Isn’t that why we don’t give up when they start to stray? We DO NOT want to lose our children.  We want them with us through all eternity because we love them, and we know what joy that will bring to all of us.            

Let me now go back to his first question,-and I hope Elder Nattress won’t mind if I change the wording a little…”If all your Sisters knew of the gospel came from you – as their only source- how much would they know?  Is there any greater gift that we can impart to those whom we serve than a memory burned deep into their hearts that we know that our Redeemer lives? Do they know that we know? Can we help them come to know for themselves that He lives?”  Do our Sisters know that they are worth saving – no matter what their circumstances?

 Elder Nattress quoted President Packer: “Save for the exception of the very few who defect to perdition, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ.”²

He then goes on to say: “I don’t know if anything in this world could bring more happiness and joy than to know that our children know the Savior, to know that they know “to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” That is why, as members of the Church, “we preach of Christ” and we testify of Christ”

 Preparing and teaching lessons, visiting teaching, and serving others in any capacity can be challenging, tiring and unrewarding, if we allow ourselves to forget that our service is helping to bring others to Christ. If we can take this one step further and let those whom we serve and teach know that we do this because of our love for our Savior, if we can testify truly of Him, then our efforts will not be in vain.  Our time will be well spent, and the Spirit of the Lord will shine through us as we preach and testify of Him.

Of this I testify in the name of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.  

       

Cindy Erekson

Stake Relief Society President