Women need women. It’s a fact of life. So, when Priesthood meeting addresses talk about their brotherhood and having a place to belong, I immediately look at our Relief Society. Do we feel that sisterhood? That feeling of belonging?

Elder Stevenson talked about creating a playbook that keeps you on the strait and narrow path. He asked some important questions:

Do you strengthen your teammates?

As sisters in the gospel, we have to get in the game. Ministering should come naturally to us. We should eagerly fill our sisters with the right ammunition to face their responsibilities and their trials.

How well have you studied your playbook?

Are we taking the time to understand the gospel and study it regularly? If we struggle to understand doctrine, do we seek after greater knowledge from those who know more?

Do you fully understand your assignment?

We each have spiritual work to do on this earth. Are we setting aside the world enough to answer our call?

According to Elder Cook, the way to build a strong [Relief Society] is to use priesthood power. When the new home-centered focus began, I saw many sisters panic because they couldn’t see how to make it work in their families. They needed help. Was Relief Society there to calm their fears and offer a little training and encouragement?

When it comes to areas of our lives that need some help to get better, does Relief Society spend adequate time mentoring and guiding sisters toward success?

Years ago, when mini-classes were introduced as an idea for options in gathering small groups of sisters, I was surprised to discover that no Relief Societies were experimenting with this. Today, it’s almost impossible to bring sisters together for monthly activities. Times have changed and we need to learn to adapt. This idea didn’t seem to kick off because it is no longer in the Handbook. Too bad, but it doesn’t mean we can’t continue looking for creative ways to meet the needs of our sisters.

Mini-classes allow even just a few sisters to plan something together that directly fulfills their particular needs. Sometimes, it’s just easier to work in smaller groups. Sometimes, one on one mentoring with one another gets the job done where a large class wouldn’t.

These two talks helped me see where our sisterhood could improve. And sisters, we need to improve. We need to live the gospel better. We need to stop procrastinating. We need to root the world out of our souls and put Jesus Christ first. And we need each other to help us do that. Together, we can set up our game plan for the win.