Latter-day Saint Life

The Powerful Moment Elaine S. Dalton Learned There's No Such Thing As an Ordinary Woman

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What a powerful reminder from Sister Elaine S. Dalton, former general Young Women president, that all women are children of Heavenly Parents with a divine potential.

As I entered a small, humble home in Freetown, Sierra Leone, I learned a lesson I will never forget. A young woman and her mother invited us inside. Though they were warm and welcoming to us, I sensed a feeling of despair in their home. We talked, we shared our love, and I invited her and her mother to come and join other women and young women at church the next day. I knew the hope that would be available to this girl and her mother through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

That day as I looked in this young woman’s eyes, tried to comfort her, and felt firsthand the difficult circumstances in which she and her mother lived daily, a strong feeling came over me: “These are no ordinary women.” By every evidence, most would disagree with me. They appeared very ordinary on the outside, but that is not what I saw. That day, I saw two precious daughters of God who were known and loved by Him. Two of His daughters who had a divine mission to perform on the earth. Two of His noble and great ones. Indeed, generations depended on their knowing that too.

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I looked for them the next day at church but did not see them, and it made me very sad and concerned. Then, just as the meeting began, two women walked into the back of this humble chapel looking regal—like queens. It was the young woman and her mother! And again the spirit whispered, “These are no ordinary women.”

Images from Time Out for Women.

Learn more about the divine role of women with Elaine S. Dalton's new book, No Ordinary Women.

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