The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
When Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson stood to speak to the women gathered in the Kahului Hawaii West Stake Center and those watching remotely on Sunday, Sept. 24, she told them how much she loves them and how much Heavenly Father and the Savior love them.
“They are aware of your needs, both temporal and spiritual, and you will not be left comfortless,” President Johnson said.
Members of the stake and their neighbors were greatly affected by deadly and devastating wildfires on the island of Maui in August. Around 80 members of the Lahaina 1st Ward lost their homes, and five Latter-day Saints were among the nearly 100 who died.
“Because you, our friends, are mourning, we are mourning,” President Johnson told them.
She shared a message from the Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, that the women are loved, they are necessary and they are precious.
President Johnson was joined by Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman during the ministry visit to Hawaii. They conducted training meetings for leaders, visited with members, and held devotionals for youth and women in both the Kahului West and Kahului stakes.
President Freeman said she felt a strong feeling of resilience from the Latter-day Saints and from the youth in particular — “a resilience of faith that was more powerful than the grief.”
This was evident in the story of one young woman who shared with President Freeman that although she had lost everything in the fire — including her testimony journal — she had not lost her testimony, because she carries it with her always.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
