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171 years ago, a woman named Sarah
Granger Kimball wanted to do all she could to help build the Nauvoo
Temple. She started by persuading her affluent and not-yet-Mormon
husband to make a much-needed financial donation towards building the
Nauvoo temple. As they gazed starry-eyed at their newborn son, she asked her husband if the baby was worth a thousand dollars. He agreed. She replied that it was great news, because the boy was half hers, and she wanted to pay tithing on him. Resourceful girl, right? He went for it, and after bantering with Joseph Smith about if that meant the boy would be church property, he made a hefty donation.
Sarah could have put up her feet and said she'd done her part to build the temple, but she didn't stop there. Sarah and a
friend decided that they should sew shirts for the temple workers.
She realized other women would want to help, so she had a meeting
about organizing a Ladies' Society in Nauvoo. She asked the eloquent
Eliza R Snow to write a constitution, and they presented it to Joseph
Smith. Joseph told them that they were the best he had ever seen,
their offering was accepted of the Lord, but “he has something
better for them than a written Constitution.” He invited them to a
meeting the next week. At that meeting, he organized the Relief
Society, an organization about which he proclaimed “the Church was
never perfectly organized until the women were thus organized.”
I want to draw attention to a few
elements of this story.
First, Sarah Granger Kimball was
proactive. She didn't sit around waiting for people higher in the
hierarchy to give her something to do. She felt inspired to do good,
and she brought her ideas to the priesthood so they could work
together. Think about that: a crucial step to the church being “perfectly organized”
and progressing came because she acted on personal revelation that came from a desire to do good, and then worked in
connection with the priesthood.
Second, she invited others to join her,
recognized their talents, and allowed them to serve in meaningful
ways. She could have tried to hoard the glory for her service
brainchild, but she didn't. She recognized Eliza R Snow's literary
gifts and considerable clout in Nauvoo culture, and brought her on
board. When Joseph called Emma Smith as president, and she was not
called as a counselor, Sarah didn't huff off. She remained thoroughly
involved in the Relief Society throughout her life, serving as a
Relief Society President in Salt Lake City for over forty years,
where she would continue to create innovative ways to serve that
would spread throughout the church. She kept giving.
Third, she started by recognizing needs
in her community. She didn't set out to feed starving populations in
Asia (although the Relief Society has certainly done that in notable
ways throughout its history). She saw a need, saw something tangible
she could do to fill that need, and she did it.
More than a sewing society came from
her efforts. Little by little, woman by woman, new forms of service
came about: providing food for the temple workers; boarding temple
workers; caring for the sick. As time progressed, something
monumental and far-reaching came out of this pattern of seeing a need
and filling a need.
Throughout the history of the Relief
Society, countless forms of service have been given. The Relief
Society has cared for the hungry and sick. It instituted a grain
storage program so successful that it not only met local needs, but
fed thousands of victims of earthquakes, famines, and wars. It built
hospitals, and educated women to be doctors, nurses, and midwives. It
partnered with prominent organizations like the Red Cross, the
National American Woman Suffrage Association, and the International
Council of Women in bringing about positive change in the world. It
has educated women in everything from self-reliance to Shakespeare. It has done remarkable good
And it all started with a woman who felt a desire to do good, took the initiative to propose a solution, and surrounded herself with the best people possible.
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