Life is Like a CRAZY Quilt!

Last Saturday, August 18th, was our Stake Relief Society Auxiliary Training -- my first since I was called as Stake RS President in April. My presidency, Michelle Bennett (1st Counselor), Barbara Williams (2nd Counselor), and Jen Lamoreaux (Secretary) and I worked on plans pretty much steady for the past couple of months. We fed all the attendees a homemade brunch, and then shared a ton of information, including a talk given by President Bill Grayson (Stake President). It was lots of preparation, but everything went very well, and I feel like we had a very successful training.

Barbara, Jen, Me, Michelle -- The FAB Four!

Our theme was "Life is Like a Crazy Quilt," taken from President Uchtdorf's talk in the June 2012 Ensign. We centered our comments, decorations, object lessons, etc. around quilts. My presentation on Visiting Teaching used the crazy quilt theme as the way we all have so many life experiences that -- for better or for worse -- make us into the person (or quilt) that we are today. And although we enjoy some of those experiences, and some of them we don't, they all contribute to making us a complete 'quilt.' When all those parts are combined, we are each a work of beauty.



(I made this 4'x3' "Crazy Quilt" out of scrapbook paper for my object lesson...)

And so are the sisters we associate with in our wards, and visit teach. Each of them comes with their own bundle of experiences that make them their own unique CRAZY QUILT.

I did an object lesson (taken from an idea from our new General RS Presidency at Women's Conference) sharing with the sisters challenges from their lives (or lives of their families) that have made them 'who they are today.'  My presidency all made a list of things that either WE, or OUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY, or OUR EXTENDED FAMILIES have dealt with -- challenges that have 'made us who we are today.' We added those to our CRAZY QUILT to show how they all work together to create the whole.

 

And we talked about how we each have had to rely on our faith to give us strength to carry us through difficult times, and rely on the atonement to bring us healing and hope for the future. Like every sister in the room at this training, as well as every sister in our Stake, we all have difficulties -- and we all need strength and faith to overcome them and keep moving forward in raising our families and living our lives. Even though our life experiences make our quilts very unique, we are all so much alike. Our focus was on loving and ministering to each other, and helping to 'wrap each other in a quilt of love, warmth and acceptance.'

 

Michelle did a great presentation using a "patterned" quilt -- to show that some things in life need to follow a pattern. She trained on teaching with the Spirit, and how when we follow the patterns outlined for us in our inspired resource materials, we end up with another beautiful quilt.

 

 

Her thoughts were taken from "The Lesson is Inside the Learner" from the July 2012 Liahona. It had four great points, and she added each one to her patterned quilt as she talked about them.
     * conversion is the aim
     * love is the motive
     * doctrine is the key
     * the Spirit is the teacher

Barbara talked on improving reverence, and Jen gave brief instruction on reporting data and information correctly on the MLS system.

Notice the table centerpieces -- MICHELLE sewed those little mini-quilts for SIX tables!!

It was a wonderful day...we were all a little rattled and sleep-deprived going in, but grateful that the Spirit was there and the messages seemed to be well-received. Now our next function is a musical program and refreshments prior to the General Women's Broadcast on Sept. 29th. Onwards and Upwards...!