Primary General President Susan H. Porter and Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency in the Dominican Republic
Primary General President Susan H. Porter and Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency receive welcome gifts of traditional dresses from the Dominican Republic© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Ministering to Latter-day Saints in the Dominican Republic, the General President of the Primary, Susan H. Porter, and Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, were for the first time in the country attending a series of meetings, training, and devotionals with local leaders and members in general.
Activities that took place on February 17 and 18 of this year included a training meeting for the presidencies of the Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the latter via YouTube, in which about 2,000 sisters were connected.
In this training, Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor of the Relief Society General Presidency, focused her remarks on the importance of holding presidency meetings, how to counsel in the Relief Society, and the relevance of ministerial interviews. The purpose of the training was to help the sisters minister in the Lord's way.
By interacting with the audience, she invited them to reflect on why they do what they do. "You do it because you love the Lord; you have a testimony of Him and He knows you”, she said. She took the opportunity to thank the sisters for their kindness, their desire to keep God's commandments and for being the hands of the Savior.
Based on sections 9.1 and 9.2 of the General Handbook, Sister Yee taught the Relief Society leaders the purpose of the organization to which they belong and left in their hearts that "Relief Society is much more than a Sunday class."
Primary General President Susan H. Porter encouraged the Primary presidencies to help the children to have experiences of the Savior. "We advise you not to have the children sit while you witness. Help them have an experience where they can see, hear, feel, and know that Jesus is the Christ," she said.
She encouraged the sisters to involve the children in class activities and let them teach. She also taught that one of the most important things in the Primary is to support the children in making their first covenant. As Primary leaders, they must help the parents prepare their children for baptism.
President Porter encouraged the sisters to use all the resources available in the Gospel Library to teach the children. In addition, she suggested that Fifth Sunday classes could be opportunities for parents and teachers to share with the children lessons relating to baptism, confirmation, the temple, patriarchal blessings, endowment, missionary work, and the temple sealing.
The world leader concluded, "Let the gospel of Jesus Christ and the love for the Savior be so ingrained in the hearts of the children, that it will enable them to remain steadfast throughout their lives”.
The sisters who participated in the training were grateful for the messages shared and expressed how these would help them in their assignments. Relief Society President of La Yuca Ward, Duarte Stake, Sister Montero, said: "From this session, I learned that we must minister as the Savior did”.
The meeting was presided over by Elder Eduardo Gavarret, of the Seventy General Authority, accompanied by local leaders from the Caribbean Area.
Primary-General-President-Susan-H.-Porter-and-Sister-Kristin-M.-Yee,-Second-Counselor-in-the-Relief-Society-General-Presidency-in-the-Dominican-Republic
Sisters from the Primary, Young Women and Relief Society of the Dominican Republic attend training with Sisters Porter and Yee.© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.A Message of Love and Hope for Women of the Church
Beginning with the hymn, “There is Sunshine in My Soul Today”, sisters from the San Geronimo, Duarte, Central, Los Alcarrizos, Las Caobas, Independencia, Santo Domingo, and Villa Mella Stakes, met with Sisters Susan H. Porter and Kristin Yee for a special meeting for women eight years and older. Through YouTube @iglesiadejesucristo.caribe, the coordinating councils of Santo Domingo Este Oeste, Santiago, and Puerto Rico were also able to participate in this historic meeting.
During the devotional, President Susan H. Porter of the General Presidency invited the sisters to "Come to Christ," and taught them that, "When we come to the Savior, there are angels who will come and help us."
Addressing the girls who attended on behalf of the Primary, the president reflected with them on baptism, confirmation, the reception of the Holy Spirit, the Sacrament, and the importance of covenants. She invited all the sisters in the meeting to open their hearts to the Lord and go to him with confidence.
Second Counselor of the Relief Society General Presidency, Kristin M. Yee, began her remarks by saying, "When sisters come together, something wonderful happens; we need each other and we are united in Jesus Christ, and every time we gather in His name, blessings come”. She reminded those presents that everything they do in their callings is to bless families.
She encouraged the sisters to be vigilant. "Take care of yourselves, take care of your families, and the Lord will bless you in your callings." Referencing Isaiah 49: 14-26, Sister Yee taught that the Lord is aware of each of His children and that, "If you are ever lonely, know that there is a God who knows about you and knows you."
Sister Yee invited those present to "Honor the covenants you have made with God for protection, power, peace, guidance, solace and strength".
Elder Eduardo Gavarret, of the Seventy General Authority, invited the sisters to apply what they had heard. He also thanked them for the time, sacrifices, and work they did. He urged them to study The Family: A Proclamation to the World and The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles.
The congregation concluded by singing the hymn 138, Lord, I Would Follow Thee.
Primary General President Susan H. Porter and Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency in the Dominican Republic.
Sister Kristin M. Yee shares a moment with children before the Devotional for children, parents, and Primary leaders in the Dominican Republic.© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Devotional for Children, Parents, and Primary Leaders
Luis Almanzar, a ten-year-old from the Ozama Stake, conducted a devotional for children ages 8 to 11 years old, their parents, and leaders of the Primary in the Dominican Republic. Using an agenda provided by Sisters Susan H. Porter and Kristin M. Yee, Primary aged children also offered the prayers, directed the music, and gave a talk, making the meeting an unforgettable experience for all attendees. Latter-day Saints from the Ozama, Oriental, El Almirante, Las Américas, and Los Restauradores stakes attended this meeting.
Ana was the first speaker of the evening and focused her talk on the power of prayer, sharing the teachings described in the scripture of Alma 37:37.
Using music, images, audiovisuals, and messages from the Church's prophet, President Porter, shared teaching moments with the children on how to listen carefully to the Holy Spirit and its impressions in order to have guidance in their lives.
In addition, she invited all present to stand and sing a verse of the hymn “I am a Child of God”. The children then shared their feelings of what they felt when they sang the song. The children said they felt peace, happiness, and love. Sister Porter explained these feelings come from the Holy Spirit.
She also emphasized the importance of the first covenant we make (baptism) and the promises we make when performing this sacred ordinance. A significant moment of the devotional was when President Porter gave each child in attendance a poster of a girl pointing to Jesus Christ and asked them to help other people find Jesus, including their own families and friends. She left them with the assignment of writing on the back of the poster how they will help lead others to Jesus.
Sister Yee began her remarks by saying, "When we help others through our talents, God takes care of us and blesses us," urging the children to be able to give their best to others.
Both sisters showed pictures of their childhood and shared some anecdotes of their childhood so that the children could identify with them and realize that they were also children at one time.
Sister Martinez, Oriental Stake Primary President, felt this devotional was a memorable experience, saying, "It taught me that we must always be genuine and authentic in sharing our sense of the gospel with others; in other words, we must never stop being children.”
The meeting was presided over by Elder Moises Villanueva, of the Seventy General Authority, who, in his closing remarks of the devotional, encouraged those present to coordinate with their Priesthood leaders so that the children could participate more in the sacrament meeting.
Other Meetings
On Sunday, Primary General President Susan H. Porter and Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor of the General Presidency of the Relief Society, had the opportunity to visit the chapels of the Mirador and Gazcue sectors, respectively, to share and meet the members.
While visiting the members of the Mirador Chapel, President Porter related an experience of her family, who 80 years ago, had to migrate to the Dominican Republic from Germany because of the persecution against the Jews. She expressed her love for the country since it was the one that sheltered and saved her family. She also expressed her feelings about prayer, the Holy Spirit, and sharing God's love with those in need. In the same way, Sister Yee, referred to the members of Gazcue, about God's love for his children and the importance of remaining in the path of the covenants.