"The Lord needs you. Your family needs you. Your people need you."

During the past three years, that message of love has been delivered to Lamanite women living on reservations in the United States and Canada. It's a message that all women need to hear, according to Joy F. Evans, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency and the one who made the visits to the various reservations.First begun in 1986, traveling was conducted with approval from and under the direction of the different area presidencies. Various visits included stops at Indian reservations in southern Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and parts of Canada.

The visits were scheduled "primarily to look, visit, and learn," explained Sister Evans.

"We wanted to learn what the situation was on the reservations and how Relief Society could be more helpful," she continued.

On the trips, Sister Evans was accompanied by members of the Relief Society general board, as well as members from the Young Women general board.

After completing the first summer of traveling, Sister Evans began meeting with general priesthood, Relief Society and Young Women leaders to determine how to meet the needs of the Lamanite sisters she had met.

The needs were varied. There were some areas where Relief Society hadn't even been officially organized, other areas where local Church leaders were uncertain how to involve the Lamanite sisters in activities and leadership opportunities, and still other areas where members lived in such remote places that traveling to and from meetings was very difficult.

A possible answer to those needs was outlined and the Lamanite Women Conference program was born. Plans were made to visit the reservations a second time and present this program.

"We decided that if they couldn't come to leadership meetings, we'd take the leadership meetings to them," Sister Evans observed.

Although the actual format of the meetings varied, the message was the same. The sisters were urged to study and learn, teach their children, pray always, and come unto Christ.

"Sisters, help each other as you strive to build happy homes and families," Sister Evans counseled. "Help each other keep the commandments. There are wonderful rewards for you and for your loved ones. Life will be better, here and hereafter. Be valiant in your testimony of Christ."

In addition, the sisters were informed of different resources available to them through Relief Society and other Church programs.

"We talked about job opportunities, education, and the responsibility of being self-reliant," Sister Evans explained. "We also emphasized that we are all children of God and need to work together."

A third year of visits was made this past summer to continue holding training meetings and observe the effect of the previous year's training, explained Sister Evans. The meetings continued to be well attended.

"There was one area where stake leaders had said there may only be 15 or 20 sisters in attendance," Sister Evans recalled. "But when we got to the meetinghouse, there were more than 150 women there, happy and eager to meet with us."

Some areas organized special choirs to sing for the meetings. "Many sisters really sacrificed to attend rehearsals and prepare the music for us," Sister Evans pointed out. "There were some wonderful feelings at these meetings."

Visits to homes and schools were also on the agenda this year. "It was wonderful to meet these women and see the difference that the gospel can make in their homes and their families," Sister Evans explained.

She recalled meeting Amy Kakaway, one of the first members baptized in the Carry the Kettle Branch in the Canada Winnipeg Mission. "She is now elderly and lives alone," she remembered. "When we got there she said, `I have waited all day.' She cried a bit and didn't want us to leave."

Another one of Sister Evan's favorite stories is about a 90-year-old member who sacrifices a great deal to travel from Cameron, Ariz., to attend the temple in Mesa.

There are many women with similar stories of dedication and commitment to the gospel, Sister Evans pointed out. "They are a great people, great examples. Those visits are times that I treasure.

"These sisters have unique needs," Sister Evans noted. "Maybe on one trip we'll touch just one life. And then another life on the next trip. But those lives are touching other lives. It is all worthwhile because we are each children of our Heavenly Father. We're in this together."