Increasing faith, strengthening families, and serving others are as important today as they were when Relief Society was organized.

Our history teaches us that strong faith is a propelling and stabilizing force in the lives of righteous women. Faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ not only heals us, but it also enables us to do difficult things and live in an exemplary way. Our history teaches us that charity, the pure love of Christ, which never fails, has helped women endure beautifully through some very difficult trials. We increase our faith and personal righteousness when we make choices to align our will with God's will. As we do, we feel peace. When we are misaligned, we feel guilt. That is the Spirit telling us we need to repent and realign ourselves with God's will. Repentance is a principle we use daily to remain spiritually strong.

We learn from our history that strong families are not an accident. Living the Lord's plan with precision, intention, and determination is a conscious faith-filled choice in today's world. It is a faith-filled, charitable service to strengthen those around us and nurture all families.

Our history is rich with role models of sisters who embraced the charge to "relieve the poor" and to "save souls."4 Amy Brown Lyman served as the eighth Relief Society general president during World War II. She counseled the sisters to strengthen their faith and hold on. She turned their focus to making their homes a safe place and a priority in their lives.5

Upon entering Relief Society, every sister becomes part of a great worldwide sisterhood, united in discipleship. This is when she begins to participate with others who also are determined to keep their covenants and to give all they have to building the Lord's kingdom.