Lead, Lift, and Love—Wherever We Are in the World
Dear sisters from around the globe, this is an unusual time for all of us. Many of you are managing to sustain a home with children—including schooling them at home—while still fulfilling your professional responsibilities. This last year has been even more difficult due to the constraints and impact of the pandemic. Some of you have lost loved ones, others have experienced greater anxiety or depression, and some are dealing with the financial effects—all issues that can tax our mental and physical health. My hat is off to you—or should I say, my head is bowed to you, for all you are accomplishing in these difficult challenges. As the Persian adage says, “This too shall pass.” Although we don’t know how long this situation will last, it is comforting to know that statement is true.
One silver lining in this last year has been having the time to step back and think about how we are spending our time and resources and rediscovering the passions that have brought us to where we are today.
In my calling, I’m blessed to represent seven and a half million women who live in 220 countries around the world and come from all walks of life. I believe that every single woman and girl on this earth is a beloved daughter of God. That belief gives me hope that the circumstances that oppress so many can be overcome as we remember our common origin. My faith in the power of goodness drives me forward with optimism.
However, there are daunting challenges before us. One of the greatest impediments to success and happiness is lack of education—specifically, the inability to read and write.
My friend Martha Lusenie Kongoley from Sierra Leone was forced to drop out of school before learning to read or write because her parents were unable to pay school fees. As a young mother, she faced the stark reality that she needed to somehow earn money to purchase food for her children.
By enrolling in the Gospel Literacy program, a program designed to help women obtain enough skills to teach their children and lead in their congregations, Martha gained the skills and confidence to start a small business. She borrowed some money from a friend, and with those funds, she bought some groundnuts. She planted those groundnuts in a garden and was eventually able to harvest and then sell the nuts to her neighbors. I’m happy to report she has plans to plant a second garden, which will further increase her income. She also accepted the invitation to serve as a mentor to teenage girls in her congregation.
Her example is motivating for those girls who have witnessed the transformation in Martha’s life. Can you imagine the influence this one determined young woman is having on her community?
When we share our knowledge, help solve problems, and love God and those around us, we spread peace. We build unity. Before the Savior’s Atonement, He pled for unity: “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:21). He also pled for love: “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34–35). It is essential to act in unity and love in finding solutions to our challenges.
In the Book of Mormon, we are instructed to “comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9). In a global Church, where it can seem like we live a world apart from each other, we as daughters of heavenly parents can help our sisters in Zion reach their full potential by serving in our communities. We can be like the righteous people gathered at the Waters of Mormon who were “willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light.”
I know that the power of good women and good men working together can create opportunities where they were once limited. I know the power in a community that resolves to protect and then empower its most vulnerable and also most valuable resource—the next generation. I am thankful for the role that the Church and many others are playing to improve the lives of and develop opportunities for women around the world.
It is my fervent hope that each of us will accept the challenge to recommit ourselves to strengthening our communities and societies. Peace is possible—hope is possible—when we lead, lift, and love wherever we are in the world!