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| Mothers pass words of wisdom to daughters regarding callings |
by Kelly Smurthwaite
SMU01001@BYUI.EDU
Religion Editor |
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Aimee Christensen was called to be the president of her ward’s Relief Society at the beginning of last semester — as a freshman.
As soon as she got the call, Christensen, from Boise, knew she had a lot of unanswered questions about her new calling.
So Christensen did what many students do when in a similar situation.
She called her mother.
“My mother and I talk on a regular basis,” she said.
Though not all of their conversations are intended to be about church, in many instances her calling will naturally come up.
Christensen’s mother has given good advice about how to fulfill the calling of a Relief Society president, she said.
“My mom has told me to work hard and to always do my best,” she said.
Her mom has also given her advice from her own experiences in Relief Society.
Once Christensen asked her mom what qualities she enjoyed about her previous Relief Society presidents, to help give her ideas for her own calling.
“[What she liked about her previous relief society presidents] was that she could tell they really cared for her,” she said.
Christensen has tried to implement this idea of genuine love as she has served the sisters in her ward this year.
Susan Bevans, a sophomore from Germantown, Md., and a visiting teaching leader in her ward, observes her mother as well as her home ward sisters for ideas on how she can better herself in her calling.
“I don’t really call her and ask her specific questions, but when I go home [to church] I look at what they are doing [for visiting teaching],” she said.
Bevans said that she observes and discusses aspects of her calling with her mother as well as her sister, more than she asks specific questions.
She learns from observing, she said.
Jennifer Harris, a freshman from Othello, Wash., says that her mother helped her through a situation she had with one of the members in her ward, when serving in a previous calling.
At the time, Harris was having a hard time getting along with someone in her ward, while serving in a leadership position. She said her mother gave her words of wisdom about how she should handle the situation.
“My mom told me just to serve those who I don’t get along with. She said I would learn to love those who I served,” she said.
Harris heeded her mother’s advice to show love to those she served.
In the end it had a more positive end result, she said.
“We didn’t become best friends, but I learned a lot from it and we got along better,” she said.
Kelly Allen said that though she and her mother haven't had the same church callings, she has learned many things from her mother on how to serve in the Church.
Allen,, from Oakdale, Calif., has served as Relief Society president twice.
She said that the first time she was called to the position, she would often ask her mom specific questions about her calling.
She, too, received advice from her mother that she continues to use today.
“She told me to do my best and not to get discouraged,” Allen said.
Allen says that today she doesn't usually ask specific questions from her mother, but that she will often share her experiences with her about serving in her ward.
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