Life Prep

Will Relief Society Be Boring?

By Charlotte Larcabal

Church Magazines

I was super nervous to join Relief Society, but because of how they welcomed me, I learned to love it.

When I turned 18, I was definitely happy about it. What teenager isn’t? Sure, I was still in high school, still had acne, and still had to do chores around our family’s house in California, USA, but I was an adult. I was entering a whole new stage of life, and I was excited about it. What I wasn’t exactly excited about was the idea of being with all the “old ladies” in Relief Society. They had kids and careers and Crock-Pots and probably liked to bake pies in house slippers. I had homework and swim meets and blue nail polish and liked to avoid cleaning my room for as long as possible. How could I possibly relate to anyone there? I was sure it was going to be awkward, lonely, and boring. And then I went.

First of all, Relief Society wasn’t at all boring. There was a ton of smiling and laughter. They shared interesting and heartfelt comments, but they weren’t afraid to laugh either. Second of all, they weren’t that different from me. Sure, they were older than me, but they were joking around with each other the same way my friends and I did. More than once, someone asked the exact question I had been wondering. And when they announced the enrichment meeting that week, I was shocked. They were learning self-defense! I wanted to do that!

I was super nervous when Sister Larsen, the Relief Society president, asked me to stand and introduce myself, but that wasn’t bad either. Everyone was beaming at me. Sister Edwards, my sophomore seminary teacher, gave me a thumbs-up, and Sister Richards, who remembered me from Primary, said she couldn’t believe I was already “all grown up.” And they really treated me like I was “all grown up.” I felt like a little kid playing dress-up, but to most of the women that day, I was a new sister.

Since then, I’ve loved Relief Society, no matter what ward I’m in. As soon as I walk into a Relief Society room, I can feel it: that sisterly bond and sense of belonging. I love doing my best to uplift my Relief Society sisters and learning all I can from them.

And as it turns out, I’m pretty good at baking pies.

What exactly is Relief Society?

The Relief Society was founded by the Prophet Joseph Smith on March 17, 1842, in Nauvoo, Illinois. The organization has two main purposes: to provide relief for the poor and needy and to bring people to Christ. Relief Society continues today, as one of the largest women’s organizations in the world. Sisters meet together on Sunday and in other settings as needed.

What to expect in Relief Society

• A group of women who will love you and support you.

• The opportunity to love and serve other women as a ministering sister.

• Sunday lessons and other gatherings that will help you in your personal life and provide opportunities to serve and develop your roles as a woman, daughter, sister, aunt, and/or mother.

“Cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction, that we may all sit down in heaven together.”

—Lucy Mack Smith, mother of the Prophet Joseph Smith (in Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society [2011], 25).