As each generation of Relief Society follows in the footsteps of the generations before them, our circle of influence has increased. We are now a worldwide circle of sisters.
In 1980, President Boyd K. Packer and his wife, Donna, visited a Relief Society in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia). At the time, it was difficult to obtain visas. The faithful members there had lived under “conditions of unspeakable oppression” for many years. As they met together, those attending had to come at different times and from different directions “so as not to call attention to themselves”. President Packer and his wife met with a group of 12 Relief Society sisters.
“We sang the hymns of Zion from songbooks—words without music—printed more than 50 years before. [A lesson] was reverently given from the pages of a handmade manual… The Spirit was there. The lovely sister who had conducted with gentility and reverence wept openly. I told them that upon our return I was assigned to speak at a Relief Society conference; could I deliver a message from them? Several of them made notes; each expression, every one, was in the spirit of giving—not of asking for anything. I shall never forget what one sister wrote:
” ‘A small circle of sisters send their own hearts and thoughts to all the sisters and begs the Lord to help us go forward.’ “
“Those words, ‘circle of sisters’, inspired me. I could see them standing in a circle that reached beyond that room and circled the world.” (Daughters in My Kingdom, pgs. 84-85)
“This great circle of sisters will be a protection for each of you and for your families. The Relief Society might be likened to a refuge—the place of safety and protection—the sanctuary of ancient times. You will be safe within it. It encircles each sister like a protecting wall.” ( pg. 86)
Like President Packer, I too was inspired by the phrase “circle of sisters”. I could imagine groups of righteous women throughout the world linking hands to surround and protect all those within their sphere of influence. Regardless of race, family situation, marital status, or any other difference, women have power TOGETHER. With God at our center we CAN shelter, provide for, and fill the needs of all those within our midst.