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2013 Women of Faith - “Ordinary Women Accomplishing Extraordinary Things”

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What does this mean to you?

What have you thought of

personally as you have

contemplated what you would

be hearing today? I pray you

will find great comfort and

strength for having attended

our 2013 Layton South Stake

Women’s Conference. I pray

you will put your worries aside

and bask in the joy of being

rejuvenated and the joy of

being together.

Women of Faith “Ordinary Women

Accomplishing

Extraordinary Things.”

2013 Women’s Conference

Talk by Renée Packer

Stake Relief Society President

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In the preface of DMK,

Emma Hales Smith states,

“We are going to do

something extraordinary.”

She was right. The history of

Relief society is filled with

examples of ordinary women

who have accomplished

extraordinary things as they

have exercised faith in

Heavenly Father and Jesus

Christ.

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“Extraordinary” means beyond the

ordinary, exceptional in character, noteworthy,

remarkable, etc. “Extraordinary” also means

that by our being faithful—and expressing

whatever level of our faith—we are seeking,

striving, overcoming, loving, and caring for

those around us. We are accomplishing those

things the Lord desires and having the faith to

endure through the struggles or distractions

or temptations that may come our way in the

process.

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The bible dictionary shares some beautiful

characteristics of faith that women have displayed in

distinct and quiet ways. I’d like to just share a few of

them.

“Faith is to hope for things which are not seen,

but which are true and must be centered in Jesus

Christ in order to produce salvation. Faith is having

confidence, attributes of love, knowledge, justice,

mercy, unchangeableness, power, and every other

needful thing. Testimonies are strengthened by

other’s faith, obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ

and righteousness.

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Faith is a principle of

action, power, healing,

influence, remission of sins,

and eventually one can stand

in the presence of God.— Bible Dictionary

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And Christ hath said: If ye

will have faith in me ye shall

have power to do whatsoever

thing is expedient in me. — Moroni 7:33

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After having read the

book Daughters in My

Kingdom, and especially

this particular section

many times, I suddenly felt

a surge inside me,

powerfully testifying to me

that not only have women

of faith been around for

centuries, we also have the

same faithful women right

within our own stake. It

was only the day after our

last Women’s Conference

that the inspiration of our

theme for this year’s

Women’s Conference

came.

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The Layton South

Stake is full of

examples of ordinary

women—YOU—who

have accomplished

extraordinary things as

– YOU - have

exercised your faith in

Heavenly Father and

Jesus Christ. Today we

would like to honor

you and your faith.

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And it shall come to pass, that

inasmuch as they are faithful,

and exercise faith in me, I will

pour out my Spirit upon them

in the day that they assemble

themselves together.— D&C 44:2

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However, it is still of great importance to

recognize the influence and examples of

faithful women throughout the history of

time. I would like to honor a few women in

our past and present to help us understand

how ordinary women are able to do

extraordinary things as they exercise their

faith in our Savior, and testify through their

words and deeds of their belief in God and

His Son, Jesus Christ.

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We learn from the past

to inspire our present

and propel our future in

becoming more faithful

women.

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We are stronger, more

resilient women of faith

because of those from the

past as well as those in

our midst.

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Mary

A

Woman

of Faith

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I have always admired the profound and yet

simple faith of Mary, the mother of our Savior, Jesus

Christ. How daunting it must have felt to have had

an angel pronounce such extraordinary news, to be

highly favored of the Lord, chosen to be the mother

of the Savior, who she knew some day would come.

This news must have been more than she could have

ever imagined. The angel also shared with her the

glorious news that her cousin Elizabeth, who was

aged and barren, was six months with child, after

which he said,

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“For with God nothing

shall be impossible.” Her

reply touches me the

most. “And Mary said,

Behold the handmaid of

the Lord; be it unto me

according to thy word.”

Luke 1:37-38. She was

ready, she was humble,

and she was willing.

Sisters, if Mary was

“enough” to be the

mother of our Savior, we

are “enough” to do what

the Lord personally

desires for us.

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In an article in the New Era, January 2010, from

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, he states.

“I would like you to go back nearly 600 years

to the New Year of 1412. That week in the small

village of Domrémy, France, a baby girl was born

who, a little later, at roughly the age of [Young

Women], changed the political and religious

landscape of her world. Through military

developments and a variety of personal religious

experiences, Joan of Arc, sometimes called the

Maid of Orléans, was made a captain in the French

army at the tender age of 16.

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Joan of

Arc

A

Woman of

Faith

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In a rather remarkable series of battles and victories, she

brought acclaim to herself and her cause, inspiring not only the men

under her command but also the entire French nation. Later she was

captured, tried, and put to death—burned at the stake—her life

complete at 19 years of age.

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“As the fires were being ignited around the

stake to which she was tied, Joan was given a

last chance to save her life and regain her

liberty if she would deny her religious—and

thus some of her personally motivated

political—beliefs. She refused to deny

anything she believed or anything she had

said about her faith, and thus chose fire above

freedom, and principle above politics.”

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“There is a flame of faith

within each of us that ignite

when in humility we seek

Him.” — Joan of Arc

In the book, “Joan of Arc, Daughter of

the Restoration,” written by Robert D.

Hatch…Joan states,

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Sisters & Laurels, you are of

infinite worth with your own

mission to fulfill. Your divine

mission is just as great of

importance as Joan of Arc’s

was. It’s your personal divine

mission that matters to fulfill,

not someone else’s.

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Sarah

Rich

A

Woman of

Faith

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“Like many Relief Society sisters, Sarah

Rich was buoyed by temple blessings as

she faced the challenges of the exodus.

Prior to leaving Nauvoo, she received a

calling from Brigham Young to work in

the temple. She later said:

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“Many were the blessings we had received

in the house of the Lord, which has caused us

joy and comfort in the midst of all our sorrows

and enabled us to have faith in God, knowing

He would guide us and sustain us in the

unknown journey that lay before us. For if it

had not been for the faith and knowledge that

was bestowed upon us in that temple by the

influence and help of the Spirit of the Lord,

our journey would have been like one taking a

leap in the dark. To start out …

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…in the winter as it were and in our state of

poverty, it would seem like walking into the jaws

of death. But we had faith in our Heavenly

Father, and we put our trust in Him feeling that

we were His chosen people and had embraced

His gospel, and instead of sorrow, we felt to

rejoice that the day of our deliverance had

come.” Sisters, the blessings of the temple will

bless us no differently than it did for Sarah Rich

and however else we are in need. Have faith in

your temple covenants. — Daughters In My Kingdom

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Kathy Huso

A

Woman of

Faith

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Last, and certainly not least, is a sister in our

midst today, an ordinary woman in her mind,

but very extraordinary to those who know her.

She has such a love for others and the gospel. I

was privileged to be her visiting teaching partner

for 8 years. This dear sister, Kathy Huso, taught

me so much about faith. In her own way, she

quietly taught me endurance through trial,

optimism in her present circumstances, and

faith for what lies ahead. She has a belief that

all have great worth.

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She taught me that through much patience and love and

keeping quiet, that eventually her husband would become

active again, which he did after many long years. I watched as

she lovingly took her grandchildren in her home and taught

them the principles of the gospel and to live good lives. She

gave them something to hold onto. I watched her sorrow

through death of her oldest grandchild with dignity and

strength. I watched her do extraordinary things, even though

her body would not allow her to, her mind would not let her

stop. She is an avid reader, and has a great love for gardening.

We have a very special bond that only she and I can really

explain, but I was the greatest benefactor of such an

extraordinary woman of faith. Thank you my dear, dear

friend.

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1. They each are ordinary women.

2. They each possess faith in Jesus Christ.

3. Their faith in Christ has allowed them to

accomplish the extraordinary things in their

lives the Lord desired.

These four women have at least

three things in common.

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I will forever be grateful for

these and all faithful women

who have shown their devotion

to the Lord as wonderful

examples to me.

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As I began a deeper study to

better understand faith with the

topic of “Women of Faith,” in

mind, I became more aware of

the faith that was found within

each sister I met in the

boundaries of our Stake. As I

visited the wards within our stake

throughout the year, conversing

with the women I met, I was

touched, and blessed by each of

you. You radiate faith in your

countenance, even if you have

many days or months, or even

years that are discouraging.

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Women in general desire

happiness – joy in the

journey, and optimism for

the future! They use faith

to achieve their desires. I

also was acutely aware of

how much women love to

be loved. That is

something we can all give

to one another.

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I often think about young mothers who have their

hands full of dirty diapers, loads of laundry, hair to be

combed, dinners to be fixed, errands to run, carpooling,

maintaining their home and family, keeping their husbands

happy, and somehow still have a smile on their face when

the day is complete. I have been there, done that, and have

more empathy than you can imagine. Some days the smile

wasn’t always bright, or the clothes always folded, but it

seemed the thing that helped me the most, and I hate to say,

wasn’t eating chocolate, or buying a new outfit, or even

incessant praises from my family or husband, though that

always helps.

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What really made the

difference overall on a

consistent basis, was

drawing upon the Lord in

prayer, scripture study,

keeping my covenants, and

serving.

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The consequences of putting

the Lord first far outweigh

anything else we can do with our

time. It fills our home with a

sense of love, peace, and

indifference to those things that

didn’t get done or aren’t as

important.

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Sisters, I only see faithful women

in front of me. I believe women rise

up each morning with a hope and a

desire for a better day. When I see you

faced with oppositions or trials that

seem so daunting, I also admire your

tenacity to keep strong and move

forward. Your example helps those

who need that extra lift.

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Sisters, the walls of our stake boundary are

bursting with women and their inspired stories

of faith, of tribulation, of triumph, of

opportunity to serve and be served. You love

the Savior, and we love to hear you testify of

Him. Within these walls are your stories of faith

that need to be realized, that need to be shared

and appreciated. Your experiences are just what

we need to hear, acting also as a great reminder

to yourselves of how the Lord has blessed you.

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Let’s not forget

though, to

always be

inspired by the

lives of faithful

women from

our past.

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As we are helped and buoyed up by the

inspired stories of women found

throughout the history of the world and

the church …may we also begin to

recognize more than ever, the faith found

within ourselves, and also the seemingly

ordinary, yet extraordinary women all

around us.

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You are each such a strength to me as

individuals, but when I look out to the vast

group of women in front of me, I also see

strength in numbers, strength in your love,

and strength from the compassion and

faith you each possess. Compound

together these unique qualities of faith,

you are a beautiful, prevailing force for

enormous good.

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Sisters, I keep imagining each of us on a journey

together. We are not in a race with each other, but

instead, walking side by side, lifting one another when

the path seems too difficult. We should not have to

walk this journey alone. I imagine the path on each

our journeys may seem quite different, but when we

can, we will walk your difficult path alongside you,

with the Savior as our guide. I have seen this displayed

many times in our stake by you.

In the long run we will have been

made stronger.

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But behold, I, Nephi, will show

unto you that the tender mercies of

the Lord are over all those whom

he hath chosen, because of their

faith, to make them mighty even

unto the power of deliverance.

— 1 Nephi 1:20

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Evaluation with the Lord is so important as to not

lose focus of your devotion to Him. I have found that

it is of great importance to do an assessment of sorts

on a continual basis, a sense of evaluating with our

…“Faith” Barometer. It will help us know if we are

progressing on our journey.

For some of us the Sabbath day is one of the

greatest days of the week for such an evaluation. I

would like to offer six questions that you might ask

yourself as you evaluate with your “Faith” barometer

as you strive to increase your faith in Christ.

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1. Am I learning of the Savior

and applying the blessings of

the Atonement?

2. Am I following the teachings

of our living prophets and church

leaders?

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3. Am I paying my full tithes

and offerings to the Lord?

4. Am I striving for personal

revelation through prayer?

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5. Am I honoring all of my

covenants?

6. Am I engaging myself and

family in meaningful service?

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One of the sweetest faithful acts I

saw from one of my 5 sons, at the age

of you Laurels, was this image he

created and kept visible to review, to

help him remember who he was and

what he was working on to help keep

him on a continued course, even though

at times it wasn’t always easy.

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The 11th chapter of Hebrews

found in the New Testament is

entirely on faith. We read how the

lives of prophets of old and other

faithful saints were anchored and

driven by their faith.

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But we also read in this chapter

that an absence of faith is

impossible to please God. .

We must always diligently

seek Him to be in favor with

Him.

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Sisters, I want you to know of the love that

I and my Presidency have for you, the love that

our Stake Presidency and your Bishoprics have

for you. Do you know how much your Father in

Heaven and Jesus Christ loves you? It is in their

gospel of which our faith is anchored. I bear

testimony that our lives are rich and empowered

for good when we follow the teachings of our

Savior. Sisters, as you move forward on your

journey of faith, please remember, to….

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Rejoice in and recognize

every faithful prayer you

plead, each step of faith you

take, and all faithful acts

you perform.

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You are Women

of Faith!