Being a part of Relief Society has allowed Beatriz Sousa of the Cheltenham Ward, Cheltenham England Stake, to learn from faithful women from all over the world and to deepen her discipleship by keeping her covenants and striving to become like the Savior Jesus Christ.
When Sousa was serving a full-time mission in the England Leeds Mission, she served with and met many women in various wards, which allowed her to “witness the influence, power and beauty of Relief Society,” she said.
When she returned from her mission, the Cheltenham Ward Relief Society sisters embraced her with their love and support, Sousa wrote in an essay on the Church’s United Kingdom site.
“The sisters are incredible,” she wrote. “They are in tune with the Spirit and truly ‘mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and … stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places’” (Mosiah 18:9).
She loves being with each of the members of the Relief Society in her ward — getting to know them, their families, their stories and their lives.
“These sisters — these daughters of God — are faithful to their covenants and strive to follow the example of the Savior each and every day,” Sousa wrote.
These feelings are echoed around the world by others of the about 8 million members of the Relief Society, many of whom came together in meetinghouses, homes, chapels, Relief Society rooms and other places on March 17 to commemorate the 183rd anniversary of the founding of the Relief Society — growing from a group in an upper room of a store in Nauvoo, Illinois, to now one of the largest women’s organizations in the world.
Marina Guzmán of the Palmira Ward, Tegucigalpa Honduras Stake, who watched the worldwide devotional, commented to the Church’s Honduras Newsroom on how important the Relief Society has been to her.
“I have such a great testimony of the Relief Society and its ministry; I know that Joseph Smith, just as he was the restorer of our Church, was the restorer of our organization, along with his wife,” she said.
Jaqueline de Pérez, in the Roosevelt Ward, Usulután El Salvador Stake, spoke about the invitation in the devotional to make and keep covenants with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
“I can testify that it has been the only way I have been able to stay safe from danger, and I can also testify that obedience to these covenants gives us access to the power of Heavenly Father — the power that will bring us peace and tranquility to draw closer to Him and do His will,” she said in the Church’s El Salvador Newsroom.
The Savior’s relief
From the beginning, members of the Relief Society have sought to provide the Savior’s relief — both temporally and spiritually — to everyone, Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson has taught.
In one of the first meetings of the Relief Society in Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith told the women that remarkable things would come from their faithful service (see President Henry B. Eyring, “The Enduring Legacy of Relief Society,” October 2009 general conference).
Sousa said, “I have witnessed this, I have been a recipient of this faithful service from astonishing and strong faith-filled daughters of God and disciples of Jesus Christ.”
A precious memory from her mission was when the Relief Society came together for a service project to produce shoeboxes for orphans following a devastating earthquake in Turkey: “We came together to bring Christ’s relief and love.”
In a post from the Church’s Canada Newsroom, Ruth Yates talked about the influence Relief Society had on her as a young girl in Timmins, Ontario. Before the members there had a Church building to meet in, her mother regularly gathered a small group of Relief Society women together for quilting bees. Yates hid under the quilts and listened as the women talked and laughed.
“I know those women were nourished not only by the lunch that was always joyfully served but by the comfort and encouragement that they shared with one another. That has become a hallmark of Relief Society for me,” Yates said.
Ministering to each other
Marissabell Cañas of the Mejicanos Ward, San Salvador El Salvador Cuzcatlan Stake, is grateful to be part of a worldwide community.
“I still remember as a child how much I loved being with the Relief Society sisters, seeing all the love and sisterhood they showed each other as they embroidered, knitted and cooked,” she told the Church’s El Salvador Newsroom. “Here we learn to love and bless one another and those most in need by following the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That is our motto: Charity — which is the pure love of Christ — never faileth.”
Sara Aguilar, a counselor in the Cuzcatlan Stake Relief Society presidency, said that when she had to travel out of the country for work, the first thing she did was look for the nearest meetinghouse of the Church.
“I felt a great joy to find the same organization of women who, even though they knew the short time I would be attending their ward, constantly received calls, messages, quotes and scriptures that expressed their interest in my needs,” she said.
In this way, she was the recipient of ministering.
“I no longer felt alone or far from home or my family, because these sisters showed me the love of the Savior reflected through them. I felt blessed to be part of this worldwide organization of sisters who follow the model of Christ,” Aguilar said.
In the early days of the Nauvoo Relief Society, Lucy Mack Smith said: “We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction, that we may all sit down in heaven together” (Female Relief Society of Nauvoo Minute Book, March 24, 1842).
Sousa said she has seen this happen.
“I have witnessed the profound impact the sisters have in their communities, families and wards,” she said. “Their love, counsel and service are timeless and embedded in my heart. They are of one heart, one mind and are determined to help the Lord build His kingdom.
“I am very grateful that I am a part of Relief Society.”
