Women at the Well

Last Saturday, we had a Stake Enrichment meeting that was very uplifting. I had been looking forward to this event for a while and I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to feel the spirit so strongly and learn so much about how to improve myself. The theme of the Enrichment was Women at the Well -Come drink of the "Living Water". We started out in the Chapel as sisters in the Stake (actually they were all from my ward) performed the "Women at the Well" program. It was very well done and I was very emotional through it. The spirit was felt very strongly through out the music and as the different women Christ encountered in his life spoke, I could feel more of the Saviors love.


We then divided into 3 classes and the first one I went to was called "Scripture Study - Drink of the Living Water". I didn't get to hear a lot of this class because I was in charge of making sure the classes started and ended on time (so I was in the hall a lot), but I came away with excitement to read the Bible all the way through. Our Church focus' so much on reading the Book of Mormon, but it is also so important to know the Bible as well. One of the sisters commented on how you can always tell when a sister knows and loves the Bible (or BofM). I know I have studied the Old and New Testament in Seminary and Institute, but I have yet to read it all the way through and there is so much to learn!

The second class I went to was called "Choosing That Good Part". It was based on the book "Mary, Martha, and Me: Seeking the One Thing That Is Needful" by Camille Fronk Olson. Here is an overview of the book:

When someone says, "She is a Martha-type," we know just what that means: a woman who is practical, competent, down-to-earth. We understand that Marthas are certainly useful and necessary, but it's usually Mary that gets the halo. Author Camille Fronk Olson brings unique insights and perspectives to the biblical story of two sisters, Mary and Martha, who serve Jesus in different ways. Exploring the mixed messages in daily life, she discusses the motives and focus that determine our choices and the problem of comparing our gifts and contributions to others. In her warm, engaging style, the author brings to light the lessons Mary and Martha learn from each other and the "one thing [that] is needful" for both.

This is definitely a book I want and need to read. The teacher in this class did a very good job. She had us all reflect on our lives and asked us if we are "choosing that good part"?. I find myself relating more to Martha most of the time, which isn't that bad, but I need to be more like Mary. I think if I read the book it will help me better understand why I need to be more like Mary. Martha was only trying to cook and clean so that the Savior could feel welcome and have something to eat. What is so wrong with that? How would they eat if no one was cooking? I related this (and so did the teacher) to my children. Am I putting them first when it is more important? Not all the time, but I need to. An experience the teacher told is one I will never forget. I will try to summarize it as simply as possible. She has 5 children; 1 boy and 4 girls. She had a nice big blown-up picture of herself with a beautiful 12 year old daughter. This daughter was an honor student, smart in all aspects of life, kind, gentle, a loving sister and friend. In 2nd grade, this daughter found out there was an advanced math class and asked to be in it. She did all she could to excel and was a daughter any mother would dream to have. Another picture the teacher had was a blown up picture of a 3 or 4 year old girl screaming. This was also one of her daughters, but totally opposite of the first already described. This daughter would always scream. She was stubborn and very hard to teach and relate to. She would hit and she would hardly ever listen to her mother. She didn't talk until she was 3 1/2 years old. The mother said that she (herself) would get angry and wonder why this child was sent to her because she couldn't handle her. The mother often had bad feelings toward this high strung child and wondered if she really loved her. Sounds very sad, I know. But when she was telling me about this daughter (she related many more examples) it's like a bell went off inside of me and I knew how she felt. I have a child that sounds so much like the second daughter she described. Then the teacher looked at us for a long time and then said, "These two daughters I have described are the same person". "Wow", I was thinking. That couldn't be right. But it was, and she told us that she finally learned how to cope with this special little daughter that was sent to her. She learned that she couldn't change who her daughter was, but that she needed to bring out every unique quality this little girl had to help her be the person Heavenly Father wanted her to be. And how did she do this? The teacher said she opened the scriptures and found her answer in D&C 58:27, "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness". So I learned that I need to be "anxiously engaged" with both my children all the time. Dishes can wait, phone calls can wait, showers can wait (some of the time), because my children are the most important thing right now. (Just as Christ should have been the most important thing to Martha). I still would love to read this book to better understand the whole Mary and Martha thing. (okay, this section could have been a talk! Sorry for being so long!).

The third class was "A Heart Like His". It was based on the book by Virginia H. Pearce, daughter of President Gordon B. Hinckley.

An overview of book:
The ability to feel God's love doesn't just make life nicer or more comfortable-it changes everything. When filled with God's love, we can do and see and understand things that we cannot do and see and understand on our own. As our own hearts are softened by these blessings, our overriding desire becomes to help others experience this joy also. But how do we do that in the normal course of our everyday lives? Presented in the form of an experiment undertaken by eight friends, this step-by-step guide helps us discover the one change we can make within ourselves that will automatically increase our ability to feel the love of God and to extend that love to others.

This class focused on how we should always have an open heart to those around us. Don't be afraid to talk to the teller at the grocery store, someone sitting next to you on an airplane, the dentist, someone walking by, etc. Take the initiative to get outside yourself and express an interest in those around you. Pray for the courage to do so, and always be grateful for what Christ has given you, even the simple things. What a wonderful class! This book will be on my wish list as well.

I am so happy I was able to attend this wonderful Relief Society Enrichment. The best part was the food at the end! (just kidding). It was so nice to come home after and see Nate and the kids. Nate had been gone for 3 days taking his STEP 3 exam, the last of the big tests. YEAH!!!!