Riches to Rags—My Testimony of Relief Society

My husband and I raised our family in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada for several years. During part of that time I served as our ward Relief Society president. Even though I had six young children, I loved my calling! I thrived on the wonderful associations I had with the good sisters in our ward. I loved serving with my counselors and secretary and planning uplifting activities. I enjoyed dressing up every Sunday and conducting Relief Society, attending meetings with the bishopric and other leaders, and serving families in our ward.  I felt very fulfilled and needed outside of my young motherhood responsibilities.

Since we lived downtown, there were quite a few needy families in our area. A significant amount of my time was spent going into homes, visiting with mothers, and filling out food orders.

I often took my children with me as we ministered to mothers who were exhausted, sick, or simply overwhelmed by the cares of life—sisters who needed comfort, both spiritual and physical. Despite my heartfelt good works on their behalf, I always felt grateful that I wasn’t in their situation. I was glad I had a clean house, well-dressed children, and that my own hair was washed and styled!

Then, suddenly, my life changed. My husband accepted a job promotion in a different state. Within a month we had packed up and left our home in sunny Las Vegas for a small rental house in Casper, Wyoming. The weather was 60 degrees when we left Las Vegas, and it felt like only 6 degrees when we pulled into Casper that December evening. The same week that we moved I realized that I was pregnant with our 7^th child. Little did I know that I was actually expecting twins—babies number seven and eight!

The night that we arrived at our rental home I became violently ill. I remember lying in bed hardly able to move while I watched my husband manage our children and unload our moving van. That was just the beginning of the worst physical challenge of my life. I couldn’t keep a meal down for the next four months. I had barely enough energy to provide minimal service to my family, care for our children and (sometimes) make meals.

Those first few weeks were the most difficult. My husband was adjusting to a new job and he was busy and stressed. I was adjusting to a new town and trying to get four of our children enrolled in school. Our tiny rental home was cramped and we lived out of boxes. I would send my school children out the door every morning and then spend the day lying on the couch while my two toddlers played nearby.

One morning after the children left for school our doorbell rang. My little daughter opened the door and there stood a sister from our new Relief Society presidency. She was holding a basket of welcome items and had her own cute daughter with her. She was coming to welcome me to the ward. I was mortified.

In my mind’s eye I could imagine what she observed as she stood in our doorway. There I was, still in my pajamas, lying on the couch with a bucket beside me. My two undressed toddlers were playing on the cluttered floor amidst the boxes that still needed to be unpacked. The nearby kitchen table was covered in leftover breakfast dishes that were also piled up in the kitchen sink.

This wonderful sister gingerly stepped over the mess and set her basket down on a corner of the dirty table. Then she sat for a minute in our cluttered living room and visited with me, asking my name, where we were from, and all about our family.

As we talked, I felt humbled to the depths of my soul. Just a month earlier I had been in her position—dressed, clean, beautiful—visiting people and offering aid. Now the tables had completely turned. I was flat on my back in a dirty house in desperate need of relief and caring. I was lonely, overwhelmed, and in despair and was dealing with a situation larger than my abilities. I was one of those sisters who needed help and could not solve my problems on my own. The Lord had quickly and successfully reminded me that I needed Him.

After she left, the sight of her welcome basket on my dirty table top gave me relief and light. It was hopeful to know that someone in this new place knew me. During the next few weeks I savored the contents of the basket and was grateful for our budding friendship as she visited again and invited us over to her house as well.  I gained a new appreciation for the hope and relief that one sister can bring to another.

The good news is that my difficult situation passed. A few months later we bought a home big enough to house our growing family. My husband grew to love his new job and my children found friends and felt happy in our new location.

My difficult pregnancy ended with two beautiful children who were certainly worth the physical challenges of bearing twins. And the kind Relief Society sister—whose visit started out as an embarrassment to me—became my close friend and continues to strengthen and uplift me today with her testimony and example. I often reflect on that difficult morning and feel so grateful that she fulfilled her calling.

I testify that we are “all beggars” before God. In fact, no matter our current situation in life, we “depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind” (Mosiah 4:19).  Our circumstances may change at any moment, bringing us to a new realization of how we depend upon our Father. I also know now more than ever that the Relief Society is exactly that—a place where sisters of all situations can and should find relief as we care for, serve and love one another.