A Modern Day Prophetess

I simply adore Sister Beck, the president of the Relief Society, and love to hear her talk. She just radiates light and power from her when she bears testimony, and every time I hear her speak I walk away so proud and excited to be a woman in this dispensation. Today I heard her talk at the General Relief Society Training Meeting held in SLC. It was an amazing afternoon. Sister Beck and her counselors bore such powerful testimony about the mission and purpose of the Relief Society. It made me so proud and excited to be a part of this amazing organization for women. As I heard Sister Beck speak I was struck by the thought that she is a prophetess, in the same sense that Anna, Deborah or Miriam were prophetesses, and the same way that all women can be prophetesses. She prophesied of Jesus Christ, she bore testimony of Him, she exhorted those around her to repent and come unto Him, and she inspired other women with a sense of their divine purpose. What she said today impressed me deeply and I wanted to share a few of the things that she said (if it is in italics then it is a direct quote if not then it is just me paraphrasing it).

• “The Relief Society is not based on any earthly model. There is no other women’s organization like it in the world…. It is not just another women’s club… because we have been called to the Lord’s work… We are in the business of salvation, not entertainment.”

• She talked about the great potential women have to influence the world when they are united in Christ. She gave the mothers of the stripling warriors as an example saying… “Why don’t we have the names of the mothers? Was there just not enough room to put them in? Why don’t we know their individual names?…. It is because they were united. It wasn’t just one individual mother teaching her son to follow Christ, but it was 2060 of them, doing it 100%.”

• She also talked a lot about visiting teaching and about how her visiting teacher calls her every Monday and asks “How can I help you this week?” Sometimes all Sister Beck needs in to be loved or prayed for, but at other times this visiting teacher has ironed her husband’s shirts, brought her food or picked up her mail. Sister Beck said “She never checks me off her list– she is never finished with me.” She explained that visiting teaching isn’t just about friendship but about ministering– physically and spiritually. She said that Christ expects us to bring others to Christ to be healed, not just to visit them.

• “If you aren’t learning something new, then pray and the spirit will teach you something new.”

Mainly what I gained today was an amazing glimpse into the purpose and potential of Relief Society. Truly there has been no great women organization in the history of the world, nor one with such potential to change the world. Imagine what we, the women of the Relief Society worldwide, could do if we were truly united in our testimonies of Jesus Christ– if we didn’t let other things distract us from our divine mission and if we weren’t afraid of opening our mouths and stretching forth our hands. When I think about the Relief Society and what great work God has entrusted to women, I am thrilled to my very core to be a woman. Not only to be a woman, but to be a woman in this dispensation when women have more opportunities than at any other time in history! And what are we going to do with those opportunities? How are we going to change the world? Our communities? Our families? What are you going to do?