Celebrating the Relief Society Birthday

Happy 173rd Birthday to the Relief Society!

WHAT IS THE RELIEF SOCIETY??
Relief Society is the largest women's organization in the WORLD.  All women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are members of the Relief Society.  It is an auxiliary to the priesthood in the church. A young woman normally advances into Relief Society on her 18th birthday or after school graduation. The Prophet Joseph Smith organized the Relief Society on March 17, 1842, and once said, "The Church was never perfectly organized until the women were thus organized." 

 Relief Society Motto:

"Charity Never Faileth" 

(1 Corinthians 13:8)

Relief Society Purposes:  

Increase faith and personal righteousness

Strengthen families and homes

Seek out and help those in need

I am grateful to be a member of this great organization. I have been blessed throughout my life as I have learned from other women, younger and older.  I have been strengthened as I have been taught about charity, faith, and repentance. My home has been strengthened as I have learned how to be a better mother and wife. My home has been enriched as I have learned new homemaking skills, crafts (even if I never finished them!), and tools that helped me grow and increase my desire for education. I have been strengthened to know that no matter where I go in this world I can find members of the Relief Society.  This organization is a strength to me as a mother, daughter, and sister in the gospel.

Some of the sisters on the program

TIME TO PARTY!
We celebrated the Relief Society's 173rd Birthday party on March 17th, 2015 on Ebeye at our church building.  We had a lovely program with hymns, testimonies, and speakers from several sisters in the Kwajalein District. We closed out the program with talks from myself and President Seremai, the President of the Kwajalein District. Thanks, Mela Ninjine, for being my translator! 

showing my journal to the sisters

I shared the story of my great-great grandmother, Roxena Mecham Carter, who was 11 years old when the Relief Society organization was formed in 1842. She was baptized into the church when she was 10 years old, along with her mother.  She was privileged to hear the prophet Joseph Smith speak when she was a young girl.  One night she sat in a wheat field with her father guarding their home from the mobs who were killing people.  Some of their neighbors were killed that night.  When she was about 14 years old, she was struck by lightening, popping her eyes out of the sockets and by all appearances was dead.  Her father refused to let her die, so he pressed her eyes back in place, put his hands on her head, and called on the Lord to bring her back to life.  After four blessings and her Father's faith, she started to breathe. And after four weeks she regained her eyesight.  She went on to live a full life, having 10 children (the 8th of which was my great grandmother) and she lived to be 89 years old.  I talked to the sisters about the importance of keeping a journal.  If these stories had not been recorded about my great-great grandmother, I would not have known anything about her great faith and the legacy she left behind.


 After the program it was time to eat and party!   We were served dinner, followed by skits, dances, birthday cake, and plenty of group photos! Many of us wore blue and yellow/gold as those colors represent the Relief Society.

Sister Abon pulled me onto the floor, so I just faked it!

Visiting Teachers visiting with a sister

having a fun time!

Visiting Teachers taking care of a sister in need

beautiful singing by the sisters

Sister Schaffer and I, and the oldest sister had honors to cut the cakes

Sister Juda being herself!

All that cake!

I get to cut the chocolate one!

1st Birthday Party/Kemmem for Viliame

THE big celebration and major milestone in a child's life in the islands is when they reach their first birthday.  When a child is born here, and in most of the Pacific Islands, there is very little fanfare.  They are born and then they are blessed.  But once they live through that first year of life, then that is the time of real celebration! Big time!  I have to think this celebration was created generations ago stemming from the low mortality birth rate, especially in the islands.  Years ago the odds of a baby surviving were not very good, so once they made it through their first twelve months, then life was a little more certain on this earth and it was now time to celebrate.  The proud parents, William and Mela Ninjine , good friends of ours (and the cutest couple ever), invited us to their son's first Birthday Party, or Kemmem.  And what a celebration it was!  The only thing I can think of equivalent to this celebration in the United States is a wedding reception.  Invitations go out to all family and friends, a room is reserved, food is prepared, cakes baked, musicians lined up, and prizes and decorations purchased for all the party goers. There were also t-shirts, from Hawaii, for the party goers. This party was held in the restaurant attached to the Ebeye Hotel (the only Hotel on the island).  And most importantly a huge poster is created memorializing the birthday boy - Viliame (like William with a V) Anthony Ninjine.

Viliame's poster and decorated cakes

The honored family, Mela, William, and Viliame Ninjine, with our friend Samson Thomas.  The Ninjine family had matching clothing made for this special occasion

Mike with Mela and Viliame

Lisa with Mela and cute little Viliame

Party goers waiting for the party to begin.  Candy and prizes decorate each table and helium balloons float all about the restaurant.

President Thomas at the mic and getting ready for the music.

Room filled mostly with women and children at the tables and on the floor

And more people.....

Our sweet sister missionaries, Sister Butler (left) and Sister Tafili (right), with Sister Thomas (center) enjoying the meal served to all.  Dinner consisted mainly of rice, noodles, steak, chicken, potato salad, rolls, bread fruit, soda and bottled water.

We were in the small back room (that was air conditioned!) with a few of our dear friends, Pres. Thomas, Branch Pres, Anjain, District Pres. Seremai, and more prizes and candy on the table.

Our beautiful servers, Sister Loeak (left) and another sister.

Mike with the birthday boy

Enjoying a "grandma moment" with Viliame

Mike and Akino Smith (he baked and decorated the cakes where he works on Kwaj army base!)

Mike goofing off with Samson Thomas - comparing their skin tones! Which one is darker??