A Special Experience

Almost a month and a half ago, I had the most amazing opportunity to receive my patriarchal blessing from my grandpa. It was a very special experience, and I could tell that the Lord was speaking to me. I felt His love and His Spirit strongly.

I encourage you to ready yourself to receive your blessing, if you haven't already. When you receive it is between you and the Lord. Don't feel pressure to get it just because everybody else is. But no matter when you decide to receive it, I promise that it is one of the best things that will ever happen to you.

You can find out more about these special blessings at lds.org, and complete an experience about them in Individual Worth!

A Journey's Ending...

Ready??

I GOT MY YW RECOGNITION AWARD!

I am so happy! 

So here is a recap of my Value Projects, if you guys need ideas (and a huge thank you to all the YW I know who suggested great projects that they did that inspired me!).

FAITH:

I memorized 'The Living Christ'! So cool! My testimony of the Savior and His life was really strengthened and solidified through this.

 

DIVINE NATURE:

I organized, coordinated, and participated in an annual Christmas Cousin Gift Exchange on both sides of my family. I was able to start it for the first time on my dad's side, and continue the tradition on my mom's side!

INDIVIDUAL WORTH:

Family History! I was able to do ten awesome hours of searching for and reserving names and performing or sharing ordinances for my ancestors! Throughout this project, I visited the Jordan River, Mt. Timpanogos, and Draper Utah temples, as well my 'home' temple, Columbia South Carolina.

KNOWLEDGE:

I read D&C 89 and committed to ten hours of exercise and preparing a healthy snacks and meals for myself. Many summer evenings, I'd grab my brother and a cousin or two and walk, run, scooter, or bike around the block for 20-30 minutes. And I ate lots of salad!!! :)

CHOICE & ACCOUNTABILITY:

I took a week-long tech vacation! This was an interesting one and harder than I expected. Even though I don't have a phone, tablet, or iPod, I was still tempted. For example, the TV show Granite Flats (which is, btw, phenomenal, and produced by BYUtv) is premiering on TV and my siblings and I were anxiously awaiting its release. However, because of my project, I had to be able to suggest not watching the new episode. That was probably the hardest moment throughout the week. (I have caught up on all the episodes now!) I stayed away from tech for the majority of the week, but I must admit to giving in for a total of probably 1 1/2 hours. But we are all human, right? Anyway, I spent the time I would have used on technology to get more sleep, read, or finish schoolwork. It was so cool! 

GOOD WORKS:

All right, I really loved this one! I put together a recipe book of my favorite recipes, as well as others I've never tried that sound great! I still have lots of room for more as I grow up, but I have enough to give me a start. This is one way to ensure that my future college student self and her roommates won't be eating Chinese takeout every night! :) I think it will also be awesome for a mission. 

INTEGRITY:

You saw this, but I'll link to the post here:

Integrity, YW in Excellence, and Things People Hang on Their Walls!!!

VIRTUE:

I also posted about my reading of the Book of Mormon here. I love this book!!!

So, there's my Young Women's journey for you, project by project! Please tell me about yours in the comments, whether completed long ago or not yet through. I'd love to hear from you! 

October Value Video of the Month: Individual Worth

I can't believe I almost forgot about the Value Video!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAAAT??????

This music video called 'Fragile' is a very stirring reminder of the individual worth of those around us and Anna Richey has quite the talent!

Fragile

Also, here is an awesome article behind the video:

Behind 'Fragile'

Please let me know your thoughts on this topic!!!!!!

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Now Serving!

This is a wonderful video produced by the Church! Please take the time to watch it.

While we are on the topic of service...Personal Progress has tons of ways to serve! Just a small listing below:

You need Faith that your service will bless you and the recipient of your service.

You have to know of your Divine Nature and the potential you both nurture and gain when you serve. 

Remembering the Individual Worth of the person you're serving can help you to serve them more personally, knowing that you are both Children of a King!

When you've made gaining varied Knowledge and experience a priority, you can serve people in more unique and personalized ways.

Choice and Accountability - you can choose to serve or not, but you will be accountable for that choice!

Good Works and service are the same. Service can only be good works. Good works is defined as service!

Integrity is required to do the service well and to do it with a pure heart, with no intent of personal gain. 

And finally, Virtue is needed because, as one 2009 MormonAd put it, "Virtue [is] the Gold Standard". And how can we achieve the 'Gold Standard' without serving others as Christ did? Christ led a virtuous life, and thus we can look to HIM as our Gold Standard.

I hope we can all remember how our Savior lived and how much He served everyone during his life and through His Atonement!

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Note: I found this video on my cousin Lily's blog. Please read her many informative and fun posts on family history and the Spirit of Elijah here. Don't forget to comment!!!

I Love To See the Temple, I Went Inside Wednesday...

Newport Beach California        Salt Lake City Utah       Washington DC

Raise your hand if you're on Spring Break! Just kidding. But I am on Spring Break this week, and on Wednesday, I decided to go to the temple. So I asked one of my friends if she wanted to go, and she said, "Yes,"--like any good friend should. Our moms came along so that they could do an endowment session, and they drove us the two hours to our nearest temple. (You'll just have to wonder which one...☺) 

Also, let me mention that we both brought family names! I brought one of mine and three of another friend's, and my accompanying comrade brought five, which we found in the many hours we spent together before we left for the temple. This goes along nicely with Individual Worth #6:

When you participate in family history, you come to understand your identity and individual worth. Visit with your living relatives to learn as much information about your family history as possible. Then complete a pedigree chart of your family and list the temple ordinances that have been completed for each person.

Even if you currently do not have access to a temple or a temple recommend, you can still do this experience (which, BTW, I learned so much by doing!), and in the process find names of your own ancestors! And then, if you have a temple recommend, get there ASAP and perform proxy baptisms for them. If you don't have a temple recommend, then, in the words of the temple president when he spoke to us in the baptistry, "Accost your bishop," and get a time set with him to interview for your own temple recommend. 

We both had a wonderful, peaceful time at the temple. I know that part of that was that we brought family file names that we were baptized for. We each did our own family names, plus ten other names the temple had on file. The temple file names were great (what part of the temple isn't?!), but I could feel the difference when I was baptized and confirmed for someone who shares my blood. It gives you a thrill to know that even though, if that ancestor were on earth now, she'd probably be older and wiser and maybe more learned than you, but she does not currently have a body and is not capable of receiving her saving ordinances and getting out of spirit prison. 

In Obadiah 1:21, it says that "Saviors will come upon Mount Zion". When we think of the word 'Savior', who do we immediately think of? Well, a savior is someone who does something for someone that that person cannot do for themselves. Jesus saved all mankind from sin, something that they could not do for themselves. 'But wait', you might be thinking. 'There was only one Jesus, and this verse says "Saviors"--plural.' Exactly. Plural. So it is not specifically Jesus this verse is talking about. Any guesses?? Any at all??

Us.

You heard right. Us. We are the Saviors on Mount Zion. That is, if we choose to go to the temple and stand in proxy to receive ordinances for those gone before us, doing something for them that they cannot do for themselves. If we don't, then we can't fulfill prophecy written before Christ was born. And seriously, who wants to miss out on fulfilling prophecy?! 

So log onto Family Search and find a name. It's as easy as looking for those little green temple icons. These links have some videos and tutorials that can explain further Link 1 Link 2 Link 3. If you need more help, go to my cousin Lily's blog. It's all about family history.

Thanks for making it all the way to this line. I appreciate it. ☺

Also, don't think that you can only go to the temple when your ward goes. That is a myth. Call your closest temple and ask if they have a time when you can come. For example, at my temple, they have an 'Open Baptistry' every Friday evening where you can come do baptisms with priesthood already there to baptize and confirm you. Every second Saturday of the month, our temple baptistry is open, with no youth groups scheduled, so that you can come and do baptisms. Youth temple trips are great, but it can be easier to feel the Spirit in smaller groups. 

Do your family history and go to the temple!!!

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As Sisters in Zion We'll Gather Together...

Did you watch the General Women's Session last night?? Wasn't it just fabulous? What was your favorite talk? Tell me in the comments. 

LDS.org now has the highlights of each talk here so that if you didn't get to watch it or you want to keep it fresh in your minds till the talks come out in print, you can review them now. 

***I'm not going to comment on every talk. You'll just have to do that yourself in the COMMENT section. ;) It's there for you!***

There was a strong emphasis on defending and building the family, especially since this year we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Family Home Evening and the 20th anniversary of The Family: A Proclamation to the World, and because that is our main role as girls and women. 

Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women General President, said, “The proclamation on the family has become our benchmark for judging the philosophies of the world and I testify that the principles set forth within this statement are as true today as they were when they were given to us by a prophet of God nearly 20 years ago.” (emphasis added) The family is being attacked from every angle! Sister Oscarson challenged each of us as sisters to commit to boldly defend the Proclamation on the Family and keep those values alive. 

President Henry B. Eyring was the concluding speaker. I really enjoyed his talk. It was sweet, and you definitely need to go back and read/watch it when you have the time. He spoke about the Holy Ghost and its role in comforting Heavenly Father's children.

He told about a little boy who died at the age of five unexpectedly on a family vacation. He visited with the boy's family and testified that the Holy Ghost was there, in that room with them. 

He also spoke about a young lady who was at the funeral. She told President Eyring that she had come to the funeral to possibly offer comfort, but she was also seeking comfort. She had recently lost her own child. The woman was holding a little girl in her arms. President Eyring leaned over to look into the child's sweet eyes. "What is her name?" he asked the young mother. 

She replied, "Her name is Joy. Joy always comes after sorrow." Joy does come after sorrow. The Holy Ghost will bring us peace, joy, and comfort beyond imagination. 

I hope every covenant sister in the Church got to enjoy this broadcast! It is always so wonderful. 

Also, don't forget to watch General Conference this coming Saturday/Sunday (info), and have a lovely Sabbath afternoon!

P.S. Can you think of some Personal Progress ideas? You can write a few of your own in Faith (faith in living prophets, faith to follow prophets, etc.), Individual Worth (along the lines of 'prophets speak to you and answer your questions in General Conference'), Knowledge (increasing your knowledge of the gospel), and so forth. But don't limit yourself to these! Be creative!

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Special Edition!!!

I know, I posted only yesterday, but I wanted to share something really neat. My cousin, Lily, who is a family history guru, has started a blog on the Spirit of Elijah and how youth can get involved, their purpose in being here on earth in the last days, etc. Anyway, I was very impressed by her thorough knowledge and explanation. You can read her blog here.

Well, I am very excited for this new resource to help youth in their quest to find their ancestors, but I also noticed that this correlates closely with some Personal Progress Experiences. And, of course, I am always looking for fun ways to get involved with Personal Progress. ;)

Individual Worth Elective Experience #6 says:

When you participate in family history, you come to understand your identity and individual worth. Visit with your living relatives to learn as much information about your family history as possible. Then complete a pedigree chart of your family and list the temple ordinances that have been completed for each person.

Well, this is pretty self-explanatory, at least to me, but if you have questions, please ask in the comments!

Knowledge Elective Experience #4 says:

Select a gospel principle you would like to understand better (for example, faith, repentance, charity, eternal families, or baptismal covenants). Read scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets that relate to the principle. Prepare a five-minute talk on the subject and give the talk in a sacrament meeting, in a Young Women meeting, to your family, or to your class. Record in your journal how you can apply this gospel principle in your life.

If you are curious about genealogy (the fancy-schmancy word for family history), you can research that using the resources they have suggested and prepare your talk on what you have learned!

Good Works Elective Experience #6 says:

Spend at least three hours giving service outside your family. Ask your ward or branch Relief Society president or a community leader for suggestions for service. For example, you might take care of children while parents attend the temple; collect, make, or recondition toys or games for a nursery; accept an assignment to clean the meetinghouse; or perform errands for or read to a homebound person or others in need. Record in your journal the reactions of the person you served and possible goals for future service opportunities.

Family history is SERVICE!!!! Finding names, taking them to the temple, and doing their ordinances may be the one of the biggest, most important services you will ever do for other people. I mean, it's their SALVATION we're talking about here, people! Who KNOWS how long people have been waiting to cross from Spirit Prison into Spirit Paradise?! 

You can also do family history and temple work for a project in many of the values. Be creative!

If you want to get more involved in the work of salvation for the dead (who are NOT actually dead!), familysearch.org is a wonderful resource! Create an account (or log in with your LDS account) and start searching! I promise that you will experience the Spirit of Elijah for yourself and feel your ancestors smiling down on you. 

Here are some great recent conference talks on family history. You don't have to read them all in their entirety, but skim over them and if something catches your eye, read it!

Elder Bednar's "The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn" from the October 2011 General Conference is probably my favorite: The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn. If you don't read the whole of this one, please read these:

I now invite the attention of the young women, young men, and children of the rising generation as I emphasize the importance of the Spirit of Elijah in your lives today. My message is intended for the entire Church in general—but for you in particular.

Many of you may think family history work is to be performed primarily by older people. But I know of no age limit described in the scriptures or guidelines announced by Church leaders restricting this important service to mature adults. You are sons and daughters of God, children of the covenant, and builders of the kingdom. You need not wait until you reach an arbitrary age to fulfill your responsibility to assist in the work of salvation for the human family.

The Lord has made available in our day remarkable resources that enable you to learn about and love this work that is sparked by the Spirit of Elijah. For example,FamilySearch is a collection of records, resources, and services easily accessible with personal computers and a variety of handheld devices, designed to help people discover and document their family history. These resources also are available in the family history centers located in many of our Church buildings throughout the world.

It is no coincidence that FamilySearch and other tools have come forth at a time when young people are so familiar with a wide range of information and communication technologies. Your fingers have been trained to text and tweet to accelerate and advance the work of the Lord—not just to communicate quickly with your friends. The skills and aptitude evident among many young people today are a preparation to contribute to the work of salvation.

I invite the young people of the Church to learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah. I encourage you to study, to search out your ancestors, and to prepare yourselves to perform proxy baptisms in the house of the Lord for your kindred dead (see D&C 124:28–36).And I urge you to help other people identify their family histories.

As you respond in faith to this invitation, your hearts shall turn to the fathers. The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be implanted in your hearts. Your patriarchal blessing, with its declaration of lineage, will link you to these fathers and be more meaningful to you. Your love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase. Your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding.And I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary. As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives. 

Elder Cook's talk, "Roots and Branches" from the April 2014 conference is a popular one: Roots and Branches.

And Elder Richard G. Scott's "The Joy of Redeeming the Dead" from the October 2012 conference--The Joy of Redeeming the Dead.

Thanks for reading my rambling!