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03/15/15 Exciting!!! March 2015 Ensign - Quilt Story Published

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/03/small-and-simple-acts-of-service?lang=eng



Quilt Story printed in March 2015 Ensign...this was the final proof.  It was shorted for printing.

Small and Simple Acts of Service
Relief Society sisters can become instruments in the hands of God by


finding small and simple ways to serve.
President Thomas S. Monson has reminded Relief Society sisters: “You


are . . . surrounded by opportunities for service. . . . Often small acts of service


are all that is required to lift and bless another.”1 Lani Axman of Arizona, USA,


has found this to be true (see her story below). “Making a difference in the


world can happen in the day-to-day moments all around us,” she writes. “We


don’t have to look far to find opportunities to lift others. Our service needs only


love to make it powerful.”
Here four Latter-day Saints share experiences from their lives when sisters’


acts of service, both big and small, have comforted and helped them and others


in their time of need.
More Than Quilts
Mom’s cancer had returned and she knew her time was short, but she set a


goal to make a unique quilt for each of her 11 grandchildren. This goal kept her


focused and gave her hope. She spent hours designing each quilt, purchasing


the fabric, and cutting out the pieces. Mom was always so sure she would


complete this project that she had everyone convinced she wouldn’t die until it


was done. And with so many quilts to do, we felt sure she had plenty of time


left.
The first time I heard her admit she might not be able to finish the quilts was


just two weeks before she died. Seeing her weakened condition, the sisters in


her Relief Society came to help her finish what she could not. They gathered up


the quilts and told Mom they would finish them.
I remember Mom calling me to say how pleased she was that each


Ensign/Jan. 2015/Small and Simple/copyedited/page 2
grandchild would have a quilt and how much she appreciated the love of the


sisters in her ward. She was so relieved. Speaking now took a lot of effort, but


she never stopped praising the women who had come to her aid.
When Mom passed away, the quilts were far from done. That evening about


50 sisters set up quilt frames all over the church cultural hall and lovingly tied


and bound each of the quilts. By the day of the funeral, each quilt was finished


and had the name of one of Mom’s grandchildren lovingly embroidered on it. In


the end, our family was left with more than quilts to remember Mom by; we


were left with the Christlike example of love, service, and compassion that these


Relief Society sisters displayed.
Shelly Griffin, Utah, USA
Note
1. Thomas S. Monson, “Three Goals to Guide You,” Ensign, Nov. 2007, 120.

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