Where I stand with my views on womens rights in the Church-(letter)

Dear Brethren,

I had an interesting experience I would like to share that happened to me this morning while coming back from story hour at the library to pick up my kindergartener from school. I was listening to a radio talk show program that happened to be hosting a couple of journalists from the New York Times. Supposedly they had gone around interviewing women in our church that felt that they wanted more recognition, didn’t necessarily want the priesthood but felt intimidated when they “had” to confess, wanted to hold their babies while being blessed, etc.  Because they were taking callers I prayed that my call would go through. When the screener answered I said, “Your program is missing the very most important truth that might be of great interest to your audience. This church is not of men, but of the Lord. This is a church of revelation. We do not “have to” confess. We choose to. Also, if we have a problem with the way something is going we can go to the Lord in prayer and be enlightened on how we might handle it. The screener told me to wait and then I waited until the duration of the show, never given a chance to share truth. The only callers they took were ones that agreed with their program.

After feeding my little ones lunch and laying my baby down for a nap I knelt down and thanked the Lord for order, revelation, and my membership in His church. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all that you, our church leaders do.  

Now, may I share another experience that just happened Sunday?   I strive to keep order in our home getting my little ones that sleep upstairs ready and praying that our teenagers downstairs are also getting ready when soon to find out… by calling all nine of our children (that live at home, we have 12) to prayer at 8:30 am. All the while, Daddy’s at meetings. Someone straggles from downstairs with a towel around them right out of the shower to prayer. At least they have time to quickly get ready, get the sacrament bread, and be there in time. Church is at 9:00, my goal is to arrive 15 minutes early.

I sit through the meeting quietly praying that calmness will be with my little ones and that all my children will listen with their spiritual ears and be strengthened in testimony.

Our baby raises his chubby little hands when people are being sustained, he shouts out “Daddy” when he sees him on the stand, and he grabs a handful of sacrament bread before I can catch him. After the meeting I feel like I’ve gone through a wrestling match. 

After the meeting, when my dear husband comes down from the stand to help clean up our bench of toddlerhood mess he laughs. He laughs!! I quickly and lovingly correct him, “Please express gratitude and don’t laugh.” He quickly knows my heart. He gets it. He knows he would never have the priceless treasure sitting and even rambunctiously moving on that sacrament bench if it wasn’t for me, his wife and the mother of his children. If I didn’t have the sweet whisperings and peace of the Spirit I could see easily, feeling the same ways some of these so called women feel that think this is a church of men’s rights.

What I believe all women really want is to know they are loved, valued, and blessed.  I have received this knowledge and continually am reminded of the Lord’s great love as I study, pray, and live the gospel. What the Lord said to Emma in what might be one of the hardest commandments for a woman is in D&C 132:56… “He will bless her, multiply her, and make her heart to rejoice”.  This is all we really want, all I really desire and the Lord knows how to perfectly fill our needs.

I know that our every desire will be addressed if not now in time to come. The Lord knows us perfectly and has given us the commandments only to bless us and exalt us. Our obedience frees us, bringing us closer to our loving Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ who desire to give us all that they have. As we come unto to them our minds and hearts are enlightened to see things through an eternal and perfect way.

Thank you and sincerely,

Sister Patti Seffker