I’m happy to share several links to recent addresses from our new Relief Society leaders!

In my opinion, one of the most under-celebrated events of the Relief Society — the worldwide Mormon women’s organization — was just held for two days this past week. BYU Women’s Conference is hosted by Brigham Young University, but is c0-sponsored by the Relief Society. Every year thousands of LDS women swarm the beautiful campus for two full days of general sessions, breakout classes, and significant service opportunities. I’ve attended this conference multiple times in the past, and there is a power at the conference that is amazing. I wish there was a way for more people to physically attend, but there is a way to virtually connect with some of what has happened.

Members of our new Relief Society General Presidency spoke on a couple of occasions during the BYU Women’s Conference. Sister Jean B. Bingham gave inspiring opening remarks to kick off the conference, before Sister Sharon Eubank’s powerful keynote address, and each presidency member spoke in a joint session.

In the coming weeks, other talks by faithful LDS women and men will be made available via the transcripts link at the BYU Women’s Conference site, but I’m thrilled to report that the talks given by our General Relief Society leaders are available for viewing now!

I’ll provide links to the various websites/pages below, but for ease, I’m also including direct links and embedding videos.

• “How Vast Is Our Purpose,” Sister Jean B. Bingham, BYU Women’s Conference, May 5, 2017 (Highlights found in this Deseret News article.) If you have ever felt “just average” Sister Bingham’s talk is for you! She is a perfect example of the power of humility and trust in the Lord in the face of overwhelming situations.
• “Eyes to See, Discipline to Create, Glue to Bind—Converted unto the Lord,” Sister Sharon Eubank BYU Women’s Conference keynote address, May 4, 2017 (again, this video also includes opening remarks by Sister Bingham). Sister Eubank shares personal experiences with the challenge (and faith that can be found) as a single sister in the Church, and has important insights into the power of Mormon women.
• “Relief Society—Divinely Ordained of God,” Sister Sharon Eubank, BYU Women’s Conference, May 5, 2017. Hear more of Sister Eubank’s experiences and insights as she is processing this new calling and what Relief Society means to her.
• “What Has Relief Society Been for Me?”, Sister Reyna I. Aburto, BYU Women’s Conference, May 5, 2017. Sister Aburto talks poignantly of the pain of being married to a drug and alcohol addict and the difficulty of facing divorce, finding the gospel, and discovering what it means to be a Mormon woman in the Relief Society.

Here is information to help you find talks by our Relief Society leaders in the future.

• At LDS.org, on the Relief Society page, under the sidebar section entitled “General Presidency Messages.”
• At LDS.org under the Broadcasts section, within the sidebar tab/section entitled “BYU Women’s Conference.” Right now, Sister Eubank’s keynote address is the only talk available. I’m sure that will change in short order.
• On Mormon Channel’s YouTube channel. I’ve embedded the videos below. Sister Sharon Eubank (new first counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency) was the opening keynote speaker of the BYU Women’s Conference, and Sister Jean B. Bingham (Relief Society General President) gave some opening remarks before the keynote. For whatever reason, the YouTube version right now has a loooong segment of Mormon Tabernacle Choir music (lovely music, but makes the video very looooong). You can find the beginning of the remarks (starting with Sister Bingham) at about the 1:15 mark (that is one hour and 15 minutes).

The Relief Society General Presidency also each spoke at another session of the conference. Again, scrub to about 1:04 (that’s one hour and 4 minutes) to get to the beginning of their talks.

In time, talks from BYU Women’s Conference will also be available at BYUtv.

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Sharon Eubank (bio here), director of LDS Charities, spoke at the FAIR Conference and received a standing ovation. Eubank is quick to note that she speaks from personal experience and perspective, but we think many of our readers will resonate with so much of her talk.

“This is a Woman’s Church” (be sure to listen to / read the reason she titled her talk in this way).

Editor’s note: I’ve got so many thoughts after this talk. I hope to write about some of them. I think she addressed the tensions surrounding women’s issues in a happy, articulate way. I think President Kimball would be proud. (“Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world.”)

Did you know Eubank has also given a TEDx talk? I didn’t.

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About LDS Charities, from the LDS Charities website:

Sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS Charities is an application of the admonition of Jesus Christ to help others in need. Jesus Christ taught His followers to give meat to the hungry and drink to those who thirst. His is a gospel that includes taking in the stranger, loving neighbors as self, and visiting those who are sick or imprisoned. He taught that we are to love and care for each other, visit the fatherless and widows in their afflictions, and lift up those whose hands hang down and whose knees are feeble.

Services include

food production and processing, donated used clothing, employment and social services, and the ability to purchase goods locally in many parts of the world. We sponsor relief and development projects in 179 countries. Assistance is rendered without regard to race, religious affiliation, or nationality and is based on the core principles of personal responsibility, community support, self-reliance, and sustainability. Largely run with volunteer labor, we operate both independently and in cooperation with other charitable organizations and governments. More than one million man-days of labor are contributed yearly by volunteers in support of welfare initiatives.

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