I can think of no better finale to my week of car talk, than telling of my latest Journey.

The journey to offer aid and support with a massive area undertaking by the area Relief Society that is.

In March of 1842, the fledgling Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Aka the Mormons) began a philanthropic and educational organization known now as Relief Society. With the motto, “Charity Never Faileth”, it should come as no surprise that this year my area would choose to celebrate the 169th birthday with an act of service.

For several months the fourteen area congregations, called Wards, prepared items for Saturday’s gathering of everyone in the annual Women’s Conference. We heard inspiring messages from representatives from the various organizations we pledged to help, and it was a true eye-opener to the needs of those locally as well as abroad.

One ward began a quilting project and the area leadership requested each congregation provide a full-sized quilt to aid in the effort. The woman starting the project spoke about the children in need that these quilts went to and how working with the Commonwealth of Virginia brought blessings to her life.

Each congregation gathered snack foods such as raisins and crocheted finger puppets for Safe Harbor, which provides a controlled environment filled with safety for abused children.  The two speakers from this organization discussed the studies proving that the constant retelling of abuses can sometimes be just as traumatic as the abuse itself. One of the things Safe Harbor attempts to provide is only one person for the child to talk with, fostering a rapport of trust. The other people needing to hear the story can remain in another room, feeding questions to the facilitator as needed.

To hear the stories of abused children is one to pull the heartstrings.

One of the projects, the one I was most involved in, aids Landstul Regional Medical Center. This military hospital services those stationed overseas and in the war zone, including amputee patients. Our area pledged to provide over 70 pillowcase shams for amputee pillows from each congregation, totaling over 1,000 pillowcases.

I will save the tirade about the so-called “100% healthcare coverage” in the military for some other time. Needless to say, there are plenty of things the servicemen need and do not get the money to afford.

Read more on Page 2.