It's up to YOU in the NSSA

     I have had several other experiences and realizations about the amazing power of the NSSA (no sister sits alone club) in the past few weeks.  The greatest of which is that it is up to you.  As I have tried to reach out to those around me, I have seen my limits. The most obvious is that there is only one of me Shocker, I know.  But it is a limitation.  During meetings it is very difficult for me to reach more than one or two people.  If I can, I will find two sister sitting alone, and introduce myself to each, and then introduce them to each other.  But that gets me to maybe four or five sisters. In the beginning, it amazed me, that even after making sure that at least five sisters were not sitting alone, that there were still others sitting alone.  I was not sure what to do, but now I understand.  I must get the word out.  But there's not much else I can do.  The rest is up to you. 
     I've gone into wards not knowing a single person.  When these times happen, when we are the newbie, we often want to think only of ourselves.  We feel that others should be the ones to reach out to us.  We believe that it is their responsibility to ensure that we feel welcome and are happy.  This is the wrong mind set.  This mindset relieves us of any responsibility for our own success within our social settings.  Don't let yourself get caught in this clever trap.
     Being a part of the NSSA is so much more than sitting by those sitting alone when it is convenient.  It's not about convenience, it's about confidence.  It's about knowing who you are and the worth of those you sit by.  It is about opening yourself up. It's about saying hello, and not rushing out before anyone can even say hi. You must welcome friendships, and be willing to not only bear others' but share your own burdens.  Wards were not made for the perfect.  They were made for the broken, the lonely, the sad, the old, the young, the single, the grouchy, and the imperfect.  They were also made for all the positive attributes as well.  We are a mixture, a balance.  We are placed where we are for a reason.  We are part of a recipe that the Lord has made for our lives.  We must know that not only can we bless others lives through helping and serving them and bearing their burdens, but we can also bless lives by not withhold our own burdens.  In sharing those burdens, we open doors that will help us become closer to those we share those trials.  We also give them opportunities to receive blessings from the service they give to us. 
     Being an LDS member in Utah can sometimes feel like an monotonous task.  That it is simply part of the culture.  This is a dangerous trap Satan has set up.  He wants you to feel like a number rather than a member.  Do not fall for it.  Remember that you are wanted and needed.  You must take responsibility and find out what your roles are in your ward and other communities and activities.  Find, learn, and remember that being where you are at this time, and performing the tasks that you are prompted to complete will make your life bigger and more wonderful than you could ever imagine.