This Is Ministering

This is Ministering. Yes, I know those are three Hot Chocolates with all the trimmings, but trust me. Those Hot Chocolates are Ministering in action.

During one of the General Conference sessions in April 2018, President Russell M. Nelson made an announcement that changed the way that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints looked after each other.

At the time of the announcement Top Ender was super excited, as she had not long asked why she couldn't officially have a list of people to visit and care for and as the announcement was made that Young Women aged 14 and over were now going to be called as ministering sisters, we realised that she was preparing herself, me and a few friends we had shared the story with for the changes that were coming. Tops had truly been in tune with the Spirit.

Further announcements were made about how we would carry out this new Ministering, no longer were the cultural expectations to be a once a month visit with a message from the Ensign (a Church magazine), instead, we were being asked to be better at looking after one another. By getting to know each other, by visiting with each other more than just once a month.

I never got the once a month contact memo. Well, there wasn't actually one. It was just, that the message in the Ensign came out once a month and so people assumed the two went together. Hey, people aren't perfect, but we never professed to be either!

Yes, I would visit with those on my list once a month (if we could coordinate our schedules!) and share a message, but I would also keep in contact each week, checking if there were any issues that I could help with, checking if the people on my list needed a lift to an event, or if they needed a meal because they were sick and couldn't cook, or a pick me up because they were feeling down, to find out how their children did on a recent test or just sending a random text or email of articles that I may have found in newspapers or online or even just to say Hi.

I didn't do it because I was asked, or because I felt I had to.

I did it because they were are my friends.

And that's why those Hot Chocolates up above, show Ministering.

Those three Hot Chocolates, were when Tops and I had Brunch with one of the lovely ladies on our Ministering list, the first Saturday of December.

They were the start of a friendship, that we hope will last forever. Long past the names on our list being changed to other female members in the ward, way past the marriages we hope will come, of births of children, of new jobs, of moves to new homes, new countries.

Ministering is Friendship and luckily for me, it's also Hot Chocolates.