Sister Eubank serves as first counselor in the General Presidency of the Relief Society, the women’s organization (about 6 million women worldwide for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and she is also director of Latter-day Saints Charities. She knows first-hand how people are being impacted worldwide by environmental degradation. Below are my notes from her talk (posted before we had the complete text). WE NOW HAVE THE COMPLETE TEXT OF THE TALK AND IT IS POSTED UNDER ‘INSPIRATION’ on this website. Please read the full talk.
Sister Eubank spoke without notes, saying she wanted to have a conversation among colleagues. She included an extended time for Q/A and has offered to return for a discussion of questions she asked us to ponder. She spoke of the intersection of humanitarian efforts and earth stewardship.
For scriptural context Sister Eubank read from Moses 7 including the following verses (but also more): And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I crest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face? And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth?
She shared a portion of a recent presentation she had given to the Church Presidency and Apostles on global migration and displacement. The figures are grim, with 70.8 million people forcibly displaced in 2018 alone. She spoke at length about causes for migration and the challenges facing people forced to leave their homes — and that they are not migrating simply seeking a dream of a better life but from extreme and desperate situations. As one example, 80% of the women and children fleeing South and Central America are raped in their journey to the U.S. border. They would not subject themselves to these hardships except worse conditions exist for them if they remain. War, loss of farmland, decreased production due to extreme drought or other extreme weather events, salt incursions, sea level rise and more are often the result of climate change. There is often a connection between environmental degradation and forced migrations. Sister Eubanks’s heartfelt and detailed description of the earth’s current condition included the phrase “this is what keeps me from sleeping at night”.
She made our connection clear from a simple example of not wanting to waste even a basket of raspberries. She described her anguish when she finds she’s left berries in the fridge to spoil and “they can't fulfill the measure of their creation.” This brought a chuckle from the audience but was followed by this serious warning:
“We are culpable as we waste.”
We seek Zion, to be of one heart, one mind, and to live so there are no poor. Then the earth shall rest.
As she spoke of Zion, the spiritual concept, she shared quotes and photos of Zion’s National Park — how it came to be named and artistic and literary depictions of Zion, the gorgeous Creation in Southern Utah.
Sister Eubank invited us to sing together a capella the hymn, “Guide Us O, Thou Great Jehovah”.
She asked us to consider three questions:
When we waste what others desperately need what physically happens to unity and our hearts ?
Why do we feel God in His Creations? What do others feel in our own creations?
What would move our hearts to “swell as wide as eternity”?
During the extended Q/A period Sister Eubank made it clear that her speaking to us had been approved by the Twelve and was something she enthusiastically wanted to do. She has offered to return for an informal discussion of the questions she posed — something we will certainly be doing.
A few of her comments during the Q/A:
“No question we are stewards of the earth.”
“Be creative and don’t take the morally superior ground” when trying to encourage others to earth stewardship — find ways to laugh together.
“We ARE the Church” referring to our need to take initiative to do good — and praising the efforts of LDS Earth Stewardship as an example of that.
