I Dare You To Eat It

In preparation for the September 25th, 2010 General Relief Society Broadcast, ALL the women in my stake have been invited to participate in an effort focused on nourishing, sharing, and preparing. During the next four weeks, we’ve been asked to organize ourselves, and our time, to accomplish a goal with the potential to bless families, and even communities. Knowing how to bake bread truly is a life sustaining skill, and we’re ALL about that!

Sign up posters have been given to every Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary in the stake. There are lines for women to sign up and note their contact if they are willing to teach OR willing to learn. Then it’s up to us to take the INITIATIVE. We’ve also been invited to contribute brief “nourishing moments” from our bread baking adventures during the Sunday opening exercises within Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society.

Last week, I was able to take the initiative during a little birthday celebration lunch for two of my visiting teaching sisters. Right before we left the restaurant, I quickly explained the details of the Big Bad Bread Initiative and offered to come to their homes, during the next month, to teach them, their daughters, and/or DIL how to bake bread. Turns out this crew wants to learn how to make the simple hubcaps using the NO-KNEAD BREAD recipe.

Also last week, I received a phone call from our new Primary President. Chris totally understands the principal of leading by example and wanted to…get herself LEARNED…ASAP. I decided to invite another sister from our ward to share in the fun and we had a speed lesson in the art of baking six loaves of whole wheat bread using my Seven Minute recipe. Too bad we had to start after 8:00 at night. Hey, we’re all busy and we do what we can. I sent them home with loaves ready to rise and bake so it didn’t feel like a hostage situation. Chris said that the hot bread tasted great at 10:00 p.m.

Today, Sunday, I was able to offer to help a couple more sisters plus  pressure my daughter, Lizzie, into experimenting with the no knead recipe. She’s a Relief Society sister in training and it really is true that even a child can successful make bread using this simple method.

Already, I love this activity! With the potential to accomplish what sister Julie Beck called, “…a valuable contribution to the Lord’s storehouse of time and talents,” our Stake is focused on building unity and sharing skills. I love that there are 30 days to accomplish the goal. The limitless flexibility means that both the teaching and learning can be tailored to suit individual schedules, or lack there of.

Lizzie just pulled herself out of a three hour Sunday nap to say with total exasperation, “Ahhh! Let’s get it done. I hate this stupid thing.”   

Quick. Someone call the New Era.