Cinco de Mayo - 4th Ward May RS Meeting

The new 4th Ward Presidency launched their second mid-week RS meeting on May 5th - the actual day of Cinco de Mayo.  Their new RS Meeting Committee went to work advertising with this bright poster.  Since Stake Conference fell the Sunday before, they wanted to make sure it was well advertised - and flyers were handed out in all auxiliaries the week before that.  The day before, a ward-wide email went out reminding the sisters.

Each table was set with simple Mexican decor, and there was a small cup of mexican soda similar to carbonated apple juice (the name escapes me!) for everyone to taste.

A 'Cafe-Rio-like' buffet was set up, and the sisters served themselves in tin pans similar to the restaurant. 

After dinner, Jane McClement introduced her son Brian - who served his mission in Mexico.  He spoke about the Cinco de Mayo holiday - which is only celebrated in a very limited region in Mexico, and more so in the United States.  (Here is a little synopsis below)  We found that it is NOT to be confused with Mexican Independence Day - which is celebrated on September 16th.

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a holiday held on May 5 that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.^[2][3] It is celebrated primarily in the state of Pueblaand in the United States.^[4][5][6][7] While Cinco de Mayo sees limited significance and celebration nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed nationwide in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.^[8] Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day,^[9] the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.^[10]

Claire Chance - the RS Meeting Coordinator (official title, notice?) gave a little quiz to see how much we remembered.

Following Brian, Cami Clark (Sharie's daughter) spoke of her experience teaching English in Mexico.  She  set up a slide show and gave us background on food, culture, etc...  She spoke of the hard-working, humble people she worked with.

This was a fun atmosphere to mingle and visit - which all sister really miss because of limited time during the Sunday meeting times.  It was also a way to get to know Cami better - one of the talented, younger sisters in Relief Society.

*Many thanks to Karen Palmer - she is a fantastic photographer/historian for the 4th Ward Relief Society.  She always makes a point to bring her camera to every activity - just in case.

Each RS should think about having a historian - just think how fortunate we were to have the photos in the Women's Conference slide show...

*We would love to spotlight your recent RS Meetings so we can share ideas.  Photos are great, but not absolutely necessary - so don't let that deter you!  Please send them to me by email, or I can swing by and pick them up from you if needed.  My email is located to the right...