Relief Society sisters provide comfort for strangers far away
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

CHARITY A STITCH AT A TIME- - Laura Roberts of Thousand Oaks sews a blanket. Members of the Relief Society of the Thousand Oaks Stake, who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, put their motto of "Charity Never Faileth" into action. They sewed quilts to be sent to church headquarters in Salt Lake City. From there the items will be shipped worldwide for people in need of warmth. Mittens and scarves were also sewn and knitted by about 250 women and teenage girls who came out on a rainy and chilly evening.

Little fleece mittens and quilts were among the items Relief Society members from Thousand Oaks Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints created to donate to less fortunate people around the world.

With 18 sewing machines threaded and ready to go, 250 women and girls, ages 12 and up, came together for several hours on Jan. 30 at the Stake Center, 1600 Erbes Road. There was lots of smiling and chatting as busy hands worked to provide items sorely needed in faraway lands.

"We heard there was a grave need for mittens," said Susan Lassen, Relief Society stake leader.

There were also four frames loaded with quilts waiting to be sewn together by nimble fingers with needles. When one quilt was finished it was removed and another one put on. Women sat side-by-side around the large sheets of fabric and worked diligently to sew them together. They looked like women from another era, except for the occasional cellphone conversation and the modern-day issues they discussed.

At some tables, fabric bags were sewn and filled with school supplies such as rulers, colored pencils and spiral notebooks. At others, ABC books were being assembled to teach young children the alphabet.

Julie Bryan and her adult daughters, Kelly, Katie and Tracie Bryan, attended the event together.

"It's fun to be doing anything with your daughters, and doing service is a great thing to be able to do together," said Bryan, Relief Society president for the Thousand Oaks Third Ward. A ward is the church's way of distinguishing a congregation that is organized geographically.

They talked, giggled and enjoyed each other's company while they made items to provide comfort to strangers.

The Relief Society, founded in 1842 with the motto "Charity Never Faileth," today includes more than 12 million members, 53 percent female, in more than 170 countries. In Thousand Oaks there are about 3,000 members of the church.

The Relief Society women call each other "sister" and actively help sisters near and far. Their acts of service include cleaning each other's homes, taking care of children and bringing meals to those in need, Bryan said.

"We provide loving, caring support for each other. There are times when we all need help- happy times like the birth of a baby and hard times," Bryan said. "It's not always temporal, physical support. Sometimes we provide emotional, spiritual support to each other."

When communities are stricken by major disasters and face challenges beyond what they can meet, the church helps the needy, without regard to religious affiliation, ethnicity or nationality, or any other consideration.

"We want to serve and to help other people," Lassen said.

According to church records in Salt Lake City, Utah, its humanitarian assistance has reached 154 countries and is valued at tens of millions of dollars annually. Since 1985, supplies that have been distributed include 45,247 tons of food, 5,943 tons of medical equipment, 57,227 tons of surplus clothing and 5,011 tons of educational supplies.

At the head of the church, members believe, there is a prophet named Gordon B. Hickley who teaches and guides them.

"All about us there are many who are in need of help and who are deserving of rescue. Our mission in life, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, must be a mission of saving. There are the homeless, the hungry, the destitute," said Hinckley during a church conference.

"There have been prophets of old, and all the way down through time, who speak to people, and having a prophet continues today," Bryan said.

Because of the church's worldwide humanitarian efforts, Thousand Oaks women had a good time getting together- working and visiting- and somewhere cold little hands will now be warm.