From YA Weekly
3 Ways You Can Make Your Ward Your Family
If you’re looking for friendship and connection, look to your ward members.
Connection and friendship can sometimes feel out of reach.
But whether you’re looking to make lasting friendships, receive spiritual strength, or share your talents, you can build a community of support among your ward family.
Elder David L. Buckner of the Seventy said: “I see the Savior’s declaration ‘ye are my friends’ as a clarion call to build higher and holier relationships among all of God’s children ‘that we may be one’ [3 Nephi 19:23]. We do this as we come together seeking both opportunities to unite and a sense of belonging for all.’”
We have the power to create higher and holier experiences and relationships among our ward families.
With that in mind, here are three ways you can build a family-like community with members in your ward.
1. Reach Out
If you’re feeling lonely in your ward, it’s likely you aren’t the only one. Connection is the cure for loneliness, so reach out and create connections with those around you. As you attend church and ward activities, look for others who also seem lonely. Use the Tools app to learn the names of your ward members and notice who doesn’t attend activities often. Reach out to them and invite them to participate with you. Even a smile or a wave can make a difference in someone’s feelings of belonging.
President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said: “We know from experience that joy comes when we are blessed with unity. Heavenly Father cannot grant it to us as individuals. The joy of unity He wants so much to give us is not solitary. We must seek it and qualify for it with others.”
As you reach out to others, don’t forget to reach out to Heavenly Father and ask Him for help as you work to connect with your ward and find people who can be the family you need. Over time, your connections can develop into lasting friendships.
2. Serve
Service connects us to others in a special way. It helps us become more like Christ, who was always serving those around Him. Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, former Young Women General President, taught, “Heavenly Father may have placed those who need us closest to us, knowing that we are best suited to meet their needs.”
You are not in your ward by coincidence. Heavenly Father is aware of the needs and talents of all His children and has placed your ward members together for a special purpose. As you minister to your ward members, you may find that someone needs you and your specific gifts.
Sincerely serving someone in your ward opens the doorway to a relationship of love, trust, and support.
3. Find a Mentor
A mentor can come in many forms and can help you navigate the ups and downs of young adulthood. Consider someone in your ward who you look up to or admire. What experiences or attributes do they have that you would like to have in your life? What can you learn from them?
Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “A more experienced, trusted individual serves as an effective guide and adviser to a less-experienced person, helping to shape that person’s understanding and teaching principles that will make him or her more effective, stronger, wiser, and more valuable as a servant of God.”
As you consider these people in your life, pray to know who you could ask to be your mentor. Once you decide, set up a time to meet with them. Come prepared with questions or goals that you would like to work on and ask them if they would be willing to mentor you and help you meet your goals.
Being One with Christ
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “The essence of truly belonging is to be one with Christ.”
No matter the differences between you and other ward members, as covenant keepers, you can work to be one with each other and with Christ.