MA
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
2018 Women's Conference
FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2018
7:30 PM // Fireside by Sharon Eubank, First Counselor, General Relief Society Presidency, and Mimsi Harrison, Relief Society Administrative Manager
SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2018
10 AM - 2 PM // Keynote Address by Hayley Smith, Founder and Director, Lifting Hands International, Workshops, and Lunch
Cambridge Stake Center
65 Binney Street, Cambridge, MA 02142
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
FRIDAY FIRESIDE
Sharon L. Eubank
First Counselor, General Relief Society Presidency
Mimsi Harrison
Relief Society Administrative Manager
SATURDAY KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Hayley Smith
Founder & Director, Lifting Hands International
WORKSHOPS
In Between the Couch Cushions: Finding God in All the Wrong Places
Kimberly Burnett ● Arlington Ward
How do we find God in our lives? Kimberly has asked this question dozens of times and found the most common response is: Good question. If we’re lucky, we have had the experience of feeling truly connected with God maybe a handful of times in our lives. How can we find God more often? Maybe even every day? Is it possible to find God even when everything is coming unraveled, and it feels like all those blessings you used to count are being stripped away? Kimberly has been contemplating this question since the day she found herself with a dying husband, a child with symptoms of epilepsy, a mentally ill neighbor, and a broken dishwasher, all at the same time. Since then, she has often found God in the least likely places. In this workshop, we will share strategies for finding God when the Sunday School answers aren’t working.
Kimberly Burnett is a widowed mother of two living in Arlington, where she shuttles kids, cooks countless meals for hungry teenage boys, and fixes her constantly broken appliances. Housekeeping rarely makes it to the top of her to-do list. In her professional life she is a social scientist and policy researcher, where she works to make housing more affordable for poor people. She spends all of her free time rowing on the Charles River and taking Zen walks with her BFF.
Dance, Drum, and Improvise the Hymns
Sagit Zilberman ● Charles River Ward
Have a hands-on, creative, mindfulness experience with music and the hymns. This workshop offers musical sounds and instruments to intensify spirit, energy, and well-being. Come experience a didgeridoo, the hang drum, percussion instruments, the recorder, and a Swiss hand pan, a steel drum that produces magically spiritual harmonies to improvise hymn-making along with traditional music from other cultures. Led by a facilitator of great musical talent and spiritual energy, you will be lifted by the mixture of Israeli folk tunes with Mormon hymns and other favorite songs. You will sing, dance, and play your way to a revived spiritual energy.
Sagit Zilberman, a graduate of the Berklee School of Music, is a talented saxophonist who began developing mindfulness/yoga classes for stressed musicians, which she then extended for non-musicians. A recent convert of the Church, she masterfully mixes her musical training with her traditional Israeli roots to provide a musically spiritual experience celebrating her new LDS beliefs.
The Orange Peel Approach: Finding Joy, Purpose, and Direction in Motherhood
Portia Thompson ● Belmont 2nd Ward
Watching her mother raise nine children (eight of whom were born in nine years) — and smile through it all — has been Portia's inspiration! Portia's mother taught her "The Orange Peel Approach." This involves learning how to laugh through the unexpected moments we try so hard to avoid — like orange peels in the sofa when a special guest pays a visit or a lollipop stuck to the back of your child's shirt during a doctor's visit. This workshop will focus on being able to find joy in the moment, purpose in the day to day, and direction for a brighter future.
Portia Thompson is from Salt Lake City, Utah. She served a mission in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, then graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in science, in health promotion and education. She and her husband, Ryan, moved to Boston about 12 years ago intending to stay three years to finish school, but they ended up loving it so much they decided to stay a lot longer. They have six children ranging from ages 14 to 3. Their lives are full of sports games, recitals, laundry, homework, church service, PTA, and endless hours of watching kids jump on the trampoline.
Laugh It Off, Shake It Off, Then Carry It Off: Strategies for Dealing with Our Human Moments
Amber Taylor ● Arlington Ward
Amber has a great deal of experience with the less graceful moments in life. Despite, or probably because of, a propensity to fall very publicly down the stairs, or look helplessly at a familiar face whose name she is certain she knows but cannot recall, she has learned some important lessons about not getting bogged down in our own crippling weakness and self-doubt. Amber hopes to offer some comedic relief to life as she shares some of her best stories along with some of her hard-earned wisdom about not taking things too seriously. She will share how we can push through feelings of embarrassment and discouragement as we confront our own humanness and ultimately learn to work together with Christ to turn our weakness into strength.
Amber Taylor is a native of Tremonton, Utah, but now claims Boston as home. She is a PhD candidate in Near Eastern and Judaic studies at Brandeis University, where she is finishing her dissertation on the controversy in Israeli society over the construction of the BYU Jerusalem Center. She is the very proud sister of three younger brothers.
The Essential and Underestimated Women Who Shaped Our Gospel
Kamian Coppins and Paige Thompson ● Longfellow Park 2nd Ward
Starting with Eve, faithful women from all dispensations have been essential to the Lord’s work of salvation on this earth. Because the stories of women represented in the scriptures are so few and far between, we tend to underestimate their importance. In this workshop, we will take a global approach and discuss one important figure from each of the standard works, analyzing how our sisters throughout history have stood strong and immovable in their faith — and helped shape ours.
Kamian Coppins is an English teacher at an alternative high school in Jamaica Plain. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree from UMass Boston in urban education. She has called Boston home since the age of 3 and doesn’t intend to change that.
Paige Thompson is a content marketer who works with military service members and families searching for careers in the civilian workforce. She holds a master’s degree from Brigham Young University, where she taught undergraduate students about the most applicable thing in the professional marketplace — British romantic literature — before moving to Boston in 2015.
Kamian and Paige co-taught a three-part series of Sunday School classes about the women of the scriptures in the Longfellow Park 2nd Ward from September 2016 through December 2017.
How to Respond When Our Loved Ones Make Choices We Don't Love
Robin Zenger Baker ● Belmont 1st Ward
One of the realities about caring for people — either as a parent, a family member, a friend, or a fellow member of the church — is that our loved ones don't always make decisions we would choose for them. How do we stay close to our loved ones even when their choices worry us, drive us crazy, or seem just plain wrong to us? This workshop will look at how our loved ones' choices affect us and how we can think about these choices in new ways in order to foster closer relationships with the people who matter most to us.
Robin Zenger Baker, a member of the Belmont 1 ward, has degrees in organizational behavior, psychology, and marriage and family therapy; she works with families in crisis at The Home for Little Wanderers. She is the author of the book Finding Peace When Your Child Chooses Another Path.
The World Is Your Oyster: Pearls of Wisdom From an Experienced Traveler
Krissy Ellsworth ● Charles River Ward
Do you love to travel? Or maybe you've never left the country? This workshop offers travel tips from the beginning stages of destination inspiration and research through planning, packing, flying, traveling, and what to do with the hundreds of photos you took once you get home. Join us as we dream up an imaginary trip to a foreign country. For each stage, Krissy will share her favorite websites, smartphone apps, and advice — and she'll bring in some of her favorite travel gear. Come with your travel questions, ready to take notes or to share your own experiences.
Krissy Ellsworth is a citizen of the world, having lived in seven states and four countries and traveled to over 50 countries. She studied linguistics at Boston University and is currently learning her fifth language. Her passion for world travel has led her to start her own travel blog, where she posts pictures from her travels and shares travel tips and inspiration to encourage others to explore the world.
A Divided Heart: An LDS Mother's Journey With Her LGBT Daughters and the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Anne Wunderli ● Formerly of the Belmont 2nd Ward
In this session, the mother of two non-heterosexual daughters will share her experience as an active Church member working through the joy, complexity, and cognitive dissonance of faith and family.
Anne Wunderli, a long-time member of the Belmont 2 ward, is a member of Mama Dragons, a support group that actively promotes healthy, loving, and supportive environments for mothers of LGBT children. Anne is featured in the book, Mama Dragons Story Project: Essays from Mothers Who Love Their LGBT Children. Her article, Like Dragons Did they Fight, appeared in the fall 2015 issue of Exponent II. She is a retired non-profit executive and serves as gospel doctrine teacher in her Rockland, Maine, branch.
Panel // First Observe, Then Serve
Moderator: Jenna Alatriste ● Cambridge 2nd Ward
Panelist: Emily Raymond ● Cambridge 1st Ward
Panelist: Hayley Smith ● Formerly of the Longfellow Park 2nd Ward and the Cambridge 2nd Ward
Panelist: Rebecca Zimmer ● Arlington Ward
Most of us consider service to be at the heart of our covenants and discipleship. But how do we put this into practice when our families, our careers, and our education demand so much of our time? In this panel, three service-minded women will share their advice and experiences in integrating service into their every day — from volunteering in local schools to forming relationships with community nonprofits to creating a movement to help refugees at home and abroad.
Jenna Alatriste will be graduating (in a few short weeks!) with a master of divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School, where she focused on interfaith chaplaincy, spiritual care and counseling, and compassionate care of the dying. Jenna combines chaplaincy skills with therapeutic yoga in order to address the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of people suffering from trauma, disease, chronic pain, PTSD, addiction, depression, and anxiety. She grew up in small towns in Kentucky and Idaho, received her BA in English from BYU, and likes to travel with her husband, Waldir.
Emily Raymond is the humanitarian service coordinator for the Cambridge 1st ward. She volunteers weekly at a food pantry in her neighborhood and organizes five blood drives each year at the stake center. She has three kids, runs for a running club, supports a medical fellow husband, writes magazine articles on a freelance basis, grows veggies in her garden plot, enjoys perfecting her chocolate chip cookie recipe, and enjoys getting to know her neighbors.
Hayley Smith founded Lifting Hands International in 2016 after an eye-opening stint as an Arabic translator at Moria refugee camp in Lesvos, Greece. In 2009 Hayley earned a master's degree in Middle Eastern studies from the University of London. Hayley has spent extensive time in Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan. Hayley was an Arabic teacher in Boston Public Schools and is so proud of her former students. She is an #ISpeakArabic campaign ambassador and encourages young people to pursue Arabic. Hayley is interested in literature, film, World War I history, and Stranger Things.
Rebecca Zimmer moved to Arlington in 2017, where she currently serves as a seminary teacher. She and her husband, Mike, have three children. For the past several years she has worked and volunteered in her children's school libraries. She has also taught and tutored French and ESL. She graduated from BYU with a double major in French and English and completed a master's degree in education at Stanford.
Panel // Finding Balance and Fulfillment While Juggling Life’s Many Demands: Encouragement for the Working Mom
Moderator: Carri Hulet ● Arlington Ward
Panelist: Jennifer Simpson ● Cambridge 2nd Ward
Panelist: Tammy Hafen ● Charles River Ward
Panelist: Tina De La Cruz ● Cambridge 1st Ward
In this moderated panel, working moms with various years of experience and unique circumstances will share how they manage life’s many demands. They will talk about their commitments to home, work, church, and their communities, as well as their own personal and spiritual lives. The purpose of this panel is to provide encouragement, validation, perspective, and strength for working mothers.
Carri Hulet works at The Consensus Building Institute as a conflict mediator on policy matters related to climate change, transportation, and land use. She also teaches negotiation at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. Carri has two daughters (Cora, 3, and Daphne, 8 months). Carri grew up in Salt Lake City and moved to Boston in 1997. She served a mission in Guatemala.
Jennifer Simpson is from Rexburg, Idaho, and has been married to Darrin Simpson for 24 years. They have five children and three new sons-in-law. Jennifer has an AAS from Ricks College, a BA and MA in communication and rhetorical studies from Idaho State University, and a JD from Indiana University. She currently works for the City of Cambridge Law Department as the public records access officer. Jennifer's passion as a mom is teaching kindness. She believes the primary reason we cultivate daily habits of prayer and scripture study is to give us the peace it takes to be kind, look outward, serve, and love family, friends, and neighbors. Her most repeated mom phrase is "kindness begins with me."
Tammy Hafen was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. As a young mom Tammy studied at Brigham Young University before moving to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with her young family. New England has been her home for 37 years and is where she and her husband have raised their family. Tammy is the proud (and tired) mother of seven children (six girls and one boy) and 17 grandchildren. She has spent over 20 years working in the information technology field and is currently the chief information officer for an architectural design firm in the Boston area. Tammy is passionate about needlework of all types and is currently pursuing a certificate in needlepoint from the Royal School of Needlework in London, England. Tammy’s greatest calling and joy is being – Granny! She loves spending time with her grandkids and learning from them! Most recently the grandchildren have been teaching her how to “scoot” with them on razor scooters as they terrorize the neighborhood.
Tina De La Cruz lives in Somerville with her two daughters. She works at Lesley University as the project director in the Graduate School of Education and has been with the university for the past 18 years. She is originally from St. George, Barbados, but has lived in the Boston area since childhood. Her passions as a mom include reading to her daughters and traveling with them to exciting places. Tina has a master's in intercultural relations from Lesley University. She loves volleyball, strength training, and spending time with her extended family.
Panel // The Mother of All Jobs: Navigating Life as a Stay-at-Home Mom
Moderator: Kiersten Nielsen ● Cambridge 1st Ward
Panelist: Shaunna Baird ● Arlington Ward
Panelist: Susan Welling ● Belmont 2nd Ward
Panelist: Cara Quinn ● Belmont 1st Ward
Panelist: Laura Eyi ● Cambridge 2nd Ward
This moderated panel discussion will address topics related to today’s stay-at-home mom. Our panelists will share how they have faced challenges related to balancing family life and schedules, modern-day social demands such as technology, personal relationships, personal growth, community involvement, Church callings, daily fulfillment, and Spiritual growth. This panel aims to encourage, validate, uplift, and strengthen stay-at-home moms.
Kiersten Nielsen grew up in Kaysville, Utah. She and her husband, Jared, have been blessed to call the Boston area home for the last four years. After graduating with a degree in American studies, Kiersten worked full time at BYU for several years. She now stays home full time with her three boys (with the occasional trip out to the park, library, museum, or beach). Her passion as a mother is introducing her sons to all the wonderful things about this world.
Shaunna Baird grew up in the Boston area and has lived here her whole life, except for a year in London. She lives in Arlington with her husband of 14 years and her five children, ages 1–11. Shaunna majored in art history at Boston University and then got a master's degree in child development and early education from Wheelock while working as a pre-K teacher. Some of her passions as a mom are to never underestimate the importance of playing with your kids as well as the importance of making deliberate and well-thought-out parenting decisions. She believes the actions and the decisions we make as parents impact our children and who they become — we can influence our children's behavior if we teach them with care and purpose.
Susan Welling was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has always loved “mothering." As a young girl she would rush home to tend her younger brother, feed him, and help fix the family meals. She was also in high demand as a babysitter. Now, as the mother of seven children — including twins — Susan still loves mothering… and grandmothering her 17 grandchildren. She is a temple worker, teaches an institute class, and is the second counselor in her ward's Young Women presidency. Susan is as passionate about being a mother now as she was when she was growing up. She knows and appreciates the importance of mothers in the shaping the eternities.
Cara Quinn is a mother of six children — three boys and three girls — ranging from a senior in high school to a kindergartener. She earned a BFA in piano performance from BYU then came to Boston in 1995 to pursue a master's in degree in piano performance. She met her husband, Ted, in the University/Longfellow Park Ward, and they have lived in both Boston and Belmont during the last 23 years. Cara taught in the piano department at Boston University for several years and now maintains a private piano studio. She is also an active chamber musician and accompanist. Her passion as a mom is playing with her kids, listening to their ideas, and helping them develop their talents (it is especially fun when those talents include music). One of the biggest challenges she faces as a mother is finding ways for her children to all be engaged together, given their diverse interests and large age gap. She is originally from Colorado, which seeded her love for the outdoors, running, and doing triathlons.
Laura Eyi was born and raised in the Eugene, Oregon, area. She met her husband, Wil, while getting her MPA at BYU. After graduating and getting married, they lived in New York City for five years where Laura worked in public policy and Wil worked in finance. When their first son was born, Laura decided to stay at home full time. They moved to Boston last year so Wil could attend business school. Laura and Wil have three sons, ages 4, 3, and 9 months. Laura's favorite thing to do with her children is travel the world — she has visited nine different countries with them so far. She loves seeing this beautiful and interesting world through her children's eyes and connecting with people of different backgrounds through them.
Wait, Wait, DO Tell Me! The Art of Storytelling
Taunalee Bradshaw ● Charles River Ward
Afraid of public speaking? Never fear, Taunalee is here to help you master the art of storytelling! Come learn the origins of this craft, which has recently gained a cult following through popular podcasts such as Snap Judgment and The Moth. This will be an interactive session where you will learn tips on what makes a good story and how to keep your audience listening. Entertaining stories guaranteed!
Taunalee Bradshaw is a small-town girl who loves the big-city life! She fell in love with the beauty of stories and their tellers while pursuing an advanced degree in educational linguistics.You can win her over by sharing your craziest story, challenging her to a dance-off, or ordering her extra ginger while out to sushi!
Teens and Healthy Social Media Use
Elizabeth Grant ● Belmont 2nd Ward
Are you concerned about your teen’s social media use? Want to learn more about how it affects schoolwork, relationships, concentration, and choices? Let’s talk about what adults can do to help.
Elizabeth Grant is the mother of four delightful children, ages 15–24, who are all savvy tech users. She studied special education at BYU and has over 10 years of experience working with teens in California and Colorado. She is currently a master's of education candidate in prevention science practice at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, with a particular interest on how to reduce anxiety, improve well-being, and optimize systems of support for young people.
Cultivating Self-Compassion as Women: How Being Kinder to Ourselves Can Improve Mental Health and Foster Spiritual Growth
Sara McPhee Lafkas ● Formerly of the Belmont 2nd Ward
This workshop utilizes the work of Dr. Kristin Neff, as well as other prominent clinicians and researchers, to explore the concept of self-compassion, especially as it relates to the diverse experiences of women. In modern American culture, there is a push to constantly work toward higher levels of achievement and success. It is difficult for many women to feel that they “measure up” in this context. These tendencies can contribute to difficulties with mental health, managing feelings of perfectionism, and with developing a positive self-concept. In this workshop, we will review Dr. Neff’s key components of self-compassion, which include cultivating self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and mindfulness. We will do exercises designed to help with reframing our perceptions of achievement and to change the way we talk to and observe ourselves. We will also explore how the ways we relate to cultural contexts may impact our ability to become self-compassionate. The workshop will further include discussion of how self-compassion can engender spiritual growth.
Sara McPhee Lafkas is an independently licensed clinical social worker who also earned a doctoral degree in human development and psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She obtained her undergraduate degree in psychology from UCLA and a master's degree in social work from the University of Washington. She also completed a certificate program in the treatment of traumatic stress at the Trauma Center in Brookline. She is a psychotherapist in private practice in both Brookline and Newton. In her practice, she works with adult and adolescent clients who have varied concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma, family relationships, self-esteem, spirituality, and professional transitions. Dr. Lafkas is originally from California, where she started her career by working as an elementary school teacher and later as a child welfare specialist. She has also had experience working as a clinician in a community mental health center and a college professor. She has taught multiple courses in the fields of social work and counseling. In her personal life, she is married and the mother of two active girls, ages 9 and 2. She enjoys her family, traveling, having dinners out, theater, museums, movies, and continuing to learn.
Q&A With Sharon Eubank, 1st Counselor, General Relief Society Presidency
This Workshop Is for Ward and Branch Relief Society Presidencies From the Cambridge Stake
Are you a member of your ward or branch Relief Society presidency? If so, you are invited to join Sharon Eubank for a special Q&A. Be prepared to ask questions and discuss all things Relief Society — ministering, the new curriculum, callings, welfare, history, weekday meetings, and more. The time is yours!
Sister Sharon Eubank is the first counselor in the general presidency of the Relief Society. At the time of her call in April 2017, she was employed as the director of LDS Charities, the humanitarian organization of the LDS Church, and she continues in this role while serving in the Relief Society. Sister Eubank was born in Redding, California, and is the oldest of seven children. She served a full-time mission in Finland and received a bachelor's degree in English from BYU. After graduation, she taught English as a second language in Japan, worked as a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate, and owned a retail education store in Provo, Utah. Since 1998 she has been employed by the Church’s Welfare Department, helping establish LDS employment offices in Africa and Europe before directing the LDS Charities wheelchair initiative. In 2008, she was also asked to oversee humanitarian work in the Middle East as the regional director of LDS Charities. In 2011 she was named the director of LDS Charities worldwide. She believes serving others is “the very DNA of being a member of Christ’s Church” and the heart and soul of Relief Society. Sister Eubank loves history, homemade pie, and crossword puzzles. She has a strong testimony of the happiness that comes from following Christ.
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY 5/11
7:30PM
Fireside with Sharon Eubank and
Mimsi Harrison
SATURDAY 5/12
10:00AM
10:50AM
11:40AM
12:30PM
1:15PM
Keynote Address: Hayley Smith
Workshop I
Workshop II
Workshop III
Lunch