In Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1842, the women of the Relief Society prepared for the blessings of the house of the Lord. They assisted in the building of the Nauvoo Temple and also prepared spiritually.
They created a covenant community, and today, women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world do the same.
“We have received prophetic direction that as sisters, we can and should change the world,” Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson said during the Relief Society Worldwide Devotional on Sunday, March 16.
“We need to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. And how will we do that? We will do that by creating a covenant community,” she said.
President Johnson and her counselors — Sister J. Anette Dennis, first counselor, and Sister Kristin M. Yee, second counselor — spoke from the upper floor of the Red Brick Store in Nauvoo.
After having listened to the Relief Society general presidency’s remarks together with a group of women in a meetinghouse in Honolulu, Hawaii, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles acknowledged women meeting in their own local congregations all over the world to celebrate the anniversary of the Relief Society.
“Sisters, you are doing something extraordinary. And you can experience something extraordinary,” Elder Renlund said. “Thank you for your faith, for your strength, for your capacity to lead, for your wisdom, for your willingness and ability to make and keep covenants with God. … He is counting on you. His Church is counting on you.”
A global covenant sisterhood in the Relief Society
The Relief Society was organized on March 17, 1842, in the upper room of the Red Brick Store by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Sister Dennis said it was a beautiful experience to think of that first group of women and now all the women around the world who share that legacy. Sister Yee remarked on how women took care of one another in Nauvoo and trusted in the Lord.
President Johnson testified of the purpose of Relief Society and the strength and power that come from covenant making and covenant keeping.
“Those promises that He makes, He made those dear Saints here in Nauvoo. He makes those same promises to us when we participate in the ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ that are available to us through priesthood keys,” she said.
The strength and power they received from covenant making and covenant keeping blessed the women with strength and power as they had to leave Nauvoo and move into the unknown.
Said Sister Dennis, “Our covenants are what help us to be connected more deeply to our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ and give us that strength that we need to move forward, just like those Saints did, wherever we are in the world.”
President Johnson and Sister Yee had ancestors in Nauvoo at that time — but all women share that legacy of what happened in Nauvoo, Sister Yee said, and all are needed in the Relief Society today, regardless of their circumstances.
“We need you today, the Lord needs you today to be a part of this. You have gifts and talents which are so needed now in the world,” she said.
Sister Dennis said all women are members of the Relief Society, no matter where they are serving for a season. As they help others feel God’s love, they feel it themselves.
“I think we have to remember, all of you sisters, that there are some that are having trouble feeling His love for whatever reason it might be,” Sister Dennis said. “But as we go out and we show our love, as we go out and genuinely put our arms around others and show them our love and have them feel our love, then they start to feel the Savior’s love as well.”
Sister Yee testified that whenever women sit in a Relief Society meeting and feel like they are all alone, they can realize that others sitting around them also have challenges and desires to be loved — and are loved and valued.
“I know and I can testify that we are never alone, that our Heavenly Father and Savior know you. They are aware of your needs, that They are concerned about what you are concerned about and desire to bless you,” Sister Yee said.
Sister Dennis said thinking of all the groups of women around the world meeting for the devotional and then bearing testimonies gave her a special feeling, knowing that all are a global covenant sisterhood.
President Johnson said it is a blessing to be covenant women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Sisters, it is a glorious time,” she said. “And we collectively bear testimony that we are engaged in the work of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We know He lives. We know He loves us. We know that He desires for us to have a covenant relationship with Him.”
She bore testimony that the Church is led by a living Prophet today, President Russell M. Nelson. As she began to bear testimony of Joseph Smith, she paused for a moment to acknowledge what she was feeling. Then she testified that Joseph Smith restored the ancient and divine order of women.
“Our objective since 1842 is meant to bring all of our Heavenly Father’s children back home,” President Johnson said. “We know that that’s possible through our Savior, Jesus Christ, because of His Atonement. We can be made clean and whole and sanctified and return home.”
God’s power
As Elder Renlund began his concluding remarks, he testified to women that God loves them and knows them and that they are precious to Him.
Elder Renlund expounded upon what the Relief Society general presidency taught about the purpose of the Relief Society organization. Its purpose was and still is divine — to help God’s children return to His presence.
“I know that Jesus Christ is aware of your circumstances and desires to bless you,” Elder Renlund said. “He also needs your influence in His Church. Your efforts to serve God’s children through Relief Society are vital.”
President Nelson taught, “The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them, women who can speak with the power and authority of God” (“A Plea to My Sisters,” October 2015 general conference).
Covenant-keeping women recognize the need for God’s power in their lives and have special access to that power through their covenants with Him, Elder Renlund said. This godly power helps when dealing with burdens, obstacles and temptations.
However, God’s power is not an independent, “amorphous cosmic force,” a wish-granting magic lamp nor a saintly relic that purports to be a source of power. God’s power is connected with Him and His purposes.
Jesus Christ provides the ultimate example. He allowed His will to be “swallowed up in the will of the Father,” and thus the Father gave Him all power in heaven and on earth.
In the Book of Mormon, Nephi, the son of Helaman, was given the sealing power because Nephi had been called as a prophet and because he sought and did God’s will, not his own.
“To cultivate God’s power in our lives, then, we are obligated to try to be righteous to try to do what is right and try to act according to His will,” Elder Renlund said.
Making and keeping covenants with God is transformational, granting greater access to His power. It allows one to draw closer to Him and gain greater happiness, peace and rest. This power brings greater knowledge, the ability to resist temptation and to repent, and the strength to better withstand trials and heartaches.
“Covenant-keeping women are scattered upon all the face of the earth and are armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. Wherever you are, this power is for you,” Elder Renlund said.
“I testify that Jesus Christ can provide the power that you need for your lives, and that when you draw His power into your lives, both the Savior and you will rejoice.”
