Strengthen Hearts Through Christ at Women’s Conference
Published September 22, 2026
Host Vanessa Harrington sits down with Debbie Kimball, our Stake Relief Society president, to talk about the Stake Women’s Conference on October 10, the nine classes on offer, and why this morning is for every sister, and for every friend and neighbor she brings with her. Have a listen.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”Philippians 4:13
Host: Vanessa Harrington · Guest: Debbie Kimball, Stake Relief Society President
About This Episode
Debbie Kimball grew up in a Marine Corps family, moving every eighteen months, and says all that change taught her to adapt, a skill that has served her well ever since. She and her husband have been married forty-six years, have five children and eleven grandchildren, all living within a couple of hours of their home on Camano Island. She quilts. She fishes with her husband, though she is firm that getting up at 4:00 in the morning is the miserable part of that hobby.
In this conversation she shares the heart behind the Stake Women’s Conference, “Strengthening Hearts through Jesus Christ,” coming Saturday, October 10. The talk ranges well past the schedule: the pressure women feel to hold everything together, the guilt that comes from admitting something is hard, and what it takes to slow down long enough to be strengthened by the Savior and by each other. Along the way, Debbie walks through all nine classes and who is teaching them.
The Big Takeaway
Debbie recalls a member of a stake presidency describing what he saw looking out over a congregation: a great many strong, capable saints, and, as he put it, “make no mistake, Sister Kimball, there’s a crisis in every pew.” Everyone is carrying something, and what feels manageable to one sister may be devastating to another, depending on what she brings to it. The conference is built on that recognition. The aim is not a tidy morning of classes but permission to be honest, company in the hard parts, and some practical and spiritual tools for filling your own well again.
What We Cover
Every class is anchored in Paul’s promise to the Philippians that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Debbie treats balance as a form of spiritual grounding, the wise man building his house upon the rock, which is why a class on estate planning or sourdough belongs on the same schedule as a class on scripture study.
Sisters often stay quiet about their burdens because they assume everyone else’s life is in better order, then feel guilty for struggling at all. Debbie names that pattern plainly, including her own experience after her youngest son was diagnosed with autism at three, when she felt she had no right to be sad about it.
Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate conveyor belt, stuffing candies anywhere they will fit as the belt speeds up. The point is that they are not lazy or incompetent, the belt is simply moving too fast. Some seasons of life work the same way, and naming it that way takes the blame out of feeling overwhelmed.
A friend recommended a talk on peace, and then Debbie’s daughter texted her the same talk a week later, “from one type A to another.” Debbie admits she had been too busy working her to-do list to go find it. Its counsel, that it is more important to find peace in the progress than to finish the list, pairs with the scriptural caution not to run faster than we have strength.
We tell our kids that doing their best is enough. Extending that same grace to ourselves is much harder. Debbie describes taking a couple of days alone, not being anybody’s teacher, mother, wife or sister, and finding she could finally say, “this is hard, please help me,” without feeling she was shaking her fist at God.
The roster deliberately spans legal, relational, creative, physical and spiritual ground, because the sisters of this stake are in every phase of life and every imaginable circumstance. The goal is that every woman who comes finds at least one class that is genuinely for her. Full list below.
The conference is open to everyone, members or not. Asked about a certain reality television series, Debbie’s answer is that she is a pretty average, normal woman who is a member of the Church, and this is pretty much us. The morning is a chance for friends and neighbors to see that for themselves.
Our stake runs from Burlington in the south to Stanwood and Camano Island in the north, and paths simply do not cross that often. Debbie admits she worried, when she was called, about walking right past a sister in the Burlington Costco because she would not recognize her. Her challenge for the morning: do not just sit with the people you already know.
The Nine Classes
- Wills and Trusts, Planning for the Future with Peace of Mind, taught by Cami Quinton, who worked in contract law and now works for an estate planning firm. How wills, trusts and estate planning protect your wishes and care for the people you love, including the simpler and less expensive options available for straightforward situations.
- Strengthening Relationships with Adult Children, taught by Emily Drainey, who has a master’s in family counseling and works for Family Services as well as in private practice. Communicating with empathy and respect as children build their own lives, beliefs and identities, and you are not quite the mom in the same way anymore.
- Professional Cookie Decorating, taught by Tia Davidson. A hands-on class on the poured, smooth, glossy kind of decorated cookie, and you go home with cookies. Capacity is limited, so register even if it looks full and the committee will expand it if they can.
- The Lost Art of Adventure, Rediscovering Life Outside, Pacific Northwest Edition, taught by Abby Ellsworth. Hikes, events, festivals and local discoveries, with resources to take home, and what an adventurous mindset does for families and for the soul.
- Building First Aid Kits with Natural Remedies and Essential Oils, taught by Victoria Yeates, a registered nurse, certified aromatherapist and counselor in the Stake Relief Society presidency. What to use, how to dilute, how to prepare and store, and having a backup for times when medical help is not close at hand.
- Sourdough Bread, taught by Laura Shogren, a mother of five who homeschools and cooks from her pantry. A simple daily method that does not require a kitchen full of expensive equipment, and every sister goes home with her own starter.
- The Art of Asking Good Questions, taught by Stacy Burke, a seminary teacher who has also taught for BYU and through the Pathway program. For teachers and learners both: preparing beforehand, asking questions that actually get a response, and responding in ways that keep a discussion going. Useful for anyone raising teenagers.
- Enhancing Your Scripture Study, taught by Lisa Ashcroft. Resources that open up not just the doctrine but the history, culture, geography and language behind the text, including other translations of the Bible, plus a walkthrough of a few study apps and time for questions.
- Yoga, taught by Brooke Swain, who has taught yoga for years and at previous women’s conferences. A calm, grounding class focused on slowing down and breathing, and no, you will not have to get down on the floor.
Conference Details
- When: Saturday, October 10, 2026, 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
- Who: all the sisters of the stake, and all friends and neighbors, members or not.
- Lunch: grain bowls, with a couple of different grains, smoked barbecued chicken, roasted vegetables and plenty of toppings, so everyone can build something that suits her taste and dietary needs.
- Registering: choose three classes plus an alternate. Use the QR code on the posters in the building lobbies, or the sign-up link on this site. If you are not sure how to scan a QR code, ask and someone will gladly show you.
- Still time: the committee asked for registrations by September 20 to plan food and class sizes, but registration stays open right up to the conference. Most classes still have room, so please come.
Women’s Conference Details & Sign-Up
One Last Invitation
“Don’t just sit with people you know,” Debbie says. “They might need a friend that morning.” It is a small thing to ask, and it is the whole point of the day: no sister should leave thinking she is the only one carrying what she carries.
Gather and Belong is a podcast for families and youth in the Mount Vernon Washington Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.