Joy in the Journey- Sunday's lesson

“In the beginning (but not really the beginning—only a moment in the span of existence that is always), I learned of a plan of my Heavenly Father for me and my spirit brothers and sisters.

Himself exalted and perfected and holy, our beloved Father wanted us to have a chance to follow his path.

His firstborn, our elder Brother, Jesus, would organize a world where we could live and grow and learn to love and truly care. It would be a difficult experience in a world of imperfect men and irrevocable law, and we must choose if we would follow him.

“And so, … I said, ‘Yes.’ And I waited for my turn.

“[Jesus] set about making a world for me and you, the Father’s children. And one day I left a place I cannot remember now to come here, to begin the union of my life with the earth.
“In the hazy brightness that is childhood, there was the first recognition of beauty—the smell of eucalyptus, the first encounters with sea and sun and sand, and fog—

wet droplets on my face, a bee, flowers, and cypress trees bent strangely by the wind.
“And as I grew, so the world became more marvelous;

and deep inside began the warm, sweet pain that is earth-love.

“[Jesus] made light that falls soft and silvery at night and makes shadow patterns in the wind—light, golden-blue, and gentle in the days of spring sun—and light that spreads its colors first faintly red to orange to golden, to dispel the blue-black that is night—sunrise.

And I have eyes to see.

“And he made wind to rustle softly through a thousand leaves, glistening silver-slippery water to sing and stumble on its way to the sea, and birds to fill the morning air with soft flute-tones.

And I have ears to hear.

“He made hands to touch in the bright warmth that is ‘How are you?’ or ‘I will help’ or

‘I begin to love you’;

and eyes to speak, to see beyond the words, to understand, to discover.
“He gave me a heart that sees and hears and feels the earth he made, and deep within me earth-love swells to overflowing.

He gave me tears of joy to shed.

“You have these things, too. They are gifts—blessings beyond our ability to receive.

“And someday when I have seen [Jesus] again and my Father has welcomed me back, I hope, with my mate, to be able to begin the direction of a world like this.

And our children will turn in the cold sweetness of morning light to heavens of their earth with eyes that glisten with tears born of earth-love to say,

‘Thank you, Father’ ”

Ann Busath, “Creation,” Improvement Era, Sept. 1967, p. 56

New Beginnings

We had a great night on Tuesday as we welcomed in Ashley, Zoiee, Jessica and Ashley to our Young Women's group. Sister D. gave a great talk on the new YW theme, "Be Ye therefore and Example..." and gave us a challenge to do the following 3 things every day:

1. PRAY
2. Read the Book of Mormon for 5 minutes
3. SMILE

This was given to us from the General YW presidency and it's a great habit to get into. You can read more about this challenge at this link:

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=3ffbb9b658f5e110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

Also, Sis. C. talked about 10 components of Virtue. I will post those later, but it was from Elder Faust's talk:
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=715974536cf0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

Thanks to the Laurels for helping to plan a great evening. We are excited to have these new YW Beehives join our group!

Personal Progress value experiences

Here are the value experiences that relate to last week's lesson on the Holy Ghost and this Sunday's lesson on finding joy in our divine potential:

Choice and Accountability
5. Learn about the Holy Ghost. With a parent, Young Women leader, or friend, read and discuss Ezekiel 36:26–27; John 14:26; 16:13; Galatians 5:22–25; 2 Nephi 32:5; Moroni 10:4–5; and D&C 11:12–14. Then record in your journal how the Holy Ghost can help you make good decisions in your daily life. Pray for and live worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

Integrity
2. Develop a pattern of personal integrity in your life as you select a personal behavior you wish to change. This could include avoiding gossip; avoiding inappropriate jokes, swearing and profanity, and being light-minded about sacred subjects; being completely truthful; being morally clean; and being honest, dependable, and trustworthy in your schoolwork and other activities. Pray daily for the Holy Ghost to help you live with integrity. After you have established this habit, record your feelings in your journal. Share your experience with a parent or Young Women leader.

Divine Nature
2. Increase your understanding of and appreciation for womanhood. Read Proverbs 31:10–31 and two talks on womanhood from a conference issue of the Church magazines. Review what “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (see page ii) says about being a wife and a mother. Then ask your mother or another mother you admire what she thinks are important attributes for being a mother. List the attributes in your journal. Then choose one of those attributes and strive to develop it. After two weeks report your success to a parent or Young Women leader.

Individual worth
2. Learn the importance of planning and preparation. Read D&C 88:119. In your journal make a list of your hopes and dreams for your future home, family, and education and some important things you would like to accomplish in your life, including becoming a wife and mother. Then record a plan that will help you achieve your goals. Share this plan with a family member, leader, or friend.

Sunday lesson

Sis. Meinzer gave a great lesson on Sunday about finding joy in being a young woman and eventually a mother. President Hinckley gave a talk a few years ago in General Conference called "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly." In it, he gave the young women a simple, 4 step recipe to be happy. Here are the 4 things we can do that guarantees our happiness:

1. PRAY
2. STUDY
3. PAY YOUR TITHING
4. ATTEND YOUR MEETINGS

How simple! How easy! I hope that you all will remember that the our prophet is here to lead us and guide us and he tells us what Heavenly Father wants us to know. Heavenly Father wants us to be happy, and if Pres. Hinckley tells us that these 4 steps will make us happy, I know they will!