“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17).
Worldwide, people have suffered great losses during the pandemic. Faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are no exception. Companionship is one of these great losses. Social distancing conflicts with the ability to see friends, family and neighbours as often as before. This issue is harmful to members both young and old. Seeking a solution, the Generation Link Project began.
Candice MacAllister is the Relief Society [women’s organisation] president in the London Britannia Young Adult congregation in the United Kingdom. In the midst of the pandemic, she and the women’s group set out to find a solution to their isolated situation. She says, “London is notoriously a lonely city…it can be really hard to find connection.” Candice spoke to her local bishop about how challenging it can be to connect with different generations as a young adult. Older women in the area were also struggling with loneliness due to the pandemic. She recognised that the best way to help these women was to bring them together virtually through the Generation Link Project.
As part of the outreach, the Britannia women’s organisation set up communication and interaction with older women in their area. Each Young Adult woman who wished to participate was invited to correspond with an older or widowed woman. Through remote phone calls, each pair discovered details of each other’s lives and found companionship during an unprecedented situation.
Participant Martsie Webb had the opportunity to meet two women, Mary Woods and Margaret Canham, who grew up and joined the church together. They became lifelong friends and have been housemates during the pandemic with Mary’s mum. Martsie befriended them during the Generation Link Project, and she and her husband, the congregation leader, were able to meet them in person, following the easing of lockdown restrictions. She said, “Our service was pure joy, as we thought about what these two [women] had given to us. I’m hesitant to say this was ‘service’ because we were the beneficiaries of their Christlike love.”
Candice-MacAllister
Mary Woods, Margaret Canham, and Daphne Ellender2021 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.This project brought women of very different life experiences together to learn more about each other. Candice MacAllister said, “anything you can give will just be multiplied. You never know what it means to people.” By serving each other, each woman gained an unexpected and caring virtual friend.