A Tribute to an Amazing Teacher

When I was young, we had a Young Woman's President called in our ward.  For anyone who might not know what that is, she is a woman who is in charge of all the teenage girls.  It is her job to help us, mold us, uplift us and teach us to be better than we imagined.  It is a pretty big responsibility and I am ashamed to say that I had to get much, much older before I could come to fully appreciate her dedication to us.
I met Sister Adams before she was given the opportunity to work with all the Young Women.  She lived in a house next door to my friends that I babysat for.  They had six children, and Sister Adam's was their grandmother.  She was very nice and would help me if I needed it.  I was surprised when she was called because, usually they called young, just married women, or women with kids that were our age.  She was the first "elderly" teacher that I ever had. 
Sister Adam's went into the calling with enthusiasm for each of us.  She would listen to our ideas for activities and try and encourage us to do things that were not too difficult for her.  Nevertheless, she approached every activity with energy and enthusiasm.  She took us shopping, taught us lessons, helped decorate for weddings, took us hiking and even went camping in the snow, in a tent, with a bunch of complaining and freezing 17 year old girls.  I think she should have earned some kind of medal for all that we put her through.
In spite of everything she did, there is one thing that really stands out to me when I look back and remember her.  There is one thing that has influenced every other part of my life.  That most simple and precious thing is simply that I knew she loved me.  My life as a teenager was very hard.  Along with my personal difficulties came the ones that most girls seem to be challenged by.  I only had one or two friends in school.  I felt alone and lonely.  I did not know how to make friends.  And most of all, I did not think that I was worth anything to anyone. 
Sister Adam's never cared what other people thought of me.  She gave me opportunities to grow and learn.  She helped my testimony to strengthen, and she kept loving me through all the heartache.
Today, I am amazed when I look back and remember her.  So, my thought for you today is not to think that you are too old or too weak or too frail to serve.  Our Heavenly Father knows exactly where we need to be.  We may not realize until many years later why He put us there.  My prayer is that we can each be a "Sister Adam's" to someone else.  That we can be willing and able to do the task that is asked of us.  Believe me when I say, You can make a difference!

I love the quote that says,

"To the world, you may only be one person, but to one person, you may just be the world!" 

You are amazing!