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| from http://valleyforgewoman.blogspot.com |
I have always been amazed with the work that women were able to do before washing machines and telephones, but to read about the service and never-ending work that was done by these faithful early Relief Society sisters was outstanding.
I was touched especially by the stories of visiting teaching, what visiting teaching has done for other women, and what are the best ways to do visiting teaching. There was a quote by Sister Mary Ellen Smoot that said, “My desire is to plead with our sisters to stop worrying about a phone call or a quarterly or monthly visit, and whether that will do, and concentrate instead on nurturing tender souls.” This summed it up well for me that it really is not about “getting it done” but about the women themselves.
I know that our Heavenly Father set up this wonderful institution for women so that we can all be improved and that we can learn from each other how to better ourselves and those around us as we all try to become like Him. In this book, President Monson pointed out that “Each one is doing her best to deal with the challenges which comes her way, and may we strive to do our best to help out.”
This book has been a kind of guideline in showing me how to have charity, how to improve my life and others through visiting teaching, how to be a better wife and mother, and how to be a more faithful servant. It was a strength to me to see others’ testimonies and others’ trials and how they were able to overcome them. It was also so prevalent throughout the whole book how important faithful women are to our community, our church, and the world.
I now understand why it was so important to read and study this book, because it has been a strength to me in many ways. One of those was being able to see so many strong and faithful women who have endured so much, and the way that they have handled life through faith and endurance was an inspiration in how I can and must become.
