Personal Progress Talk- New Beginnings

Our YW did New Beginnings during Sacrament today.  I was asked to speak on Personal Progress & how it relates to the theme & how it brings the girls closer to Christ.

I was given 4-5 minutes to speak on a topic that i could easily speak 45 minutes on.

I told the Bishop if I went over my time to kick me.
I'm going to talk super fast to squeeze a lot of info into an itty bitty amount of time.

My topic is on what I feel is the heart & soul of the YW program.  The personal progress program.

In YW we really try to stress to the girls their DN & IW.  We want them to each understand that they are here for a reason, they each have a purpose.  They are not just here to take up space on the planet.

I believe Sis F will be going into more detail about the 2016 theme later, but basically it is to "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ".
But what does Forward mean?
I want to try something that Steven Covey often uses.  Everyone close their eyes & point to true north.  Now open your eyes.  Isn't it interesting that everyone is pointing in a different direction.  Why?  Who decideds where North is?  The richest guy in the room?  The strongest?  The most popular?  NO.  North is north no matter what we think about it.  It is not subject to popular opinion.
To know what forward is, you must have a destination.
IN this church we are lucky & it is ok to stop & ask for directions.
Thankfully Nephi gives us our directions & destination when he tells us to "Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ".
What does steadfastness mean?
It means fixed in direction.
And in our case, our direction is heading towards Christ.

One of the many ways we have been given to help keep us focused on & moving forward towards Christ is the personal progress program.
The personal progress program is not a program that is separate & different from dialy life.  It teaches how to take spiritual goals & use them in our dialy lives.
When you actively work on your personal progress you learn to develop righteous daily routines (personal prayer, scripture study, gratitude & so forth).  When you do small things consistently, they become part of who you are & they change you, just as we learn in Alma 37:6.

In life we are either holding tight to the iron rod & pressing forward or we are wondering.
If we are wondering we dont' know where we are going & where we will end up.
But when we are holding the rod & pressing forward moving towards christ you know where you are going.

In Lehis dream, there is 1 destination.  It is the best destination.
The temple is the reason for all that we do in the YW program.
(Show cover of the YW book)
The cover of teh personal progress book has a temple on it
This is to remind you that by working on personal progress you are preparing to make & keep covenants in the temple someday.
I am a very visual person & I always loved the inside of the book.  It always reminded me why the temple was so important.
(Open book & show picture of just christ)
Our ultimate goal is to get to Christ.  Without the temple, this is not possible.
(Show picture of temple over Christ)
We get to Christ through the temple.
And we get to the temple by living the values found in this book.

(Show value ribbons)
When you complete each of the value experiences & the project you receive a value ribbon for your scriptures.
Each value has an assigned color.  When you finish all 8 values you will have a rainbow of ribbons for your scriptures.
(Show medallion)
After you have completed all 8 values, you will have completed the program & then will receive you Young Womanhood recognition which is a medallion.
The design has changed over the years.  But right now it comes in silver or gold (girls choice) with the SL temple on it & a ruby with symbolizes the value virtue.

You may know Noelle Pikus Pace.  She is the 2014 silver medal olympian in Skeleton.  She is a member of the church & a Stake YW president.
In her olympic photos you see her wearing her silver medal.  But if you look close you will see she is also wearing her YW torch & medallion.  The medallion is a symbol of years worth of personal goal setting & faith bulding efforts of the personal progress program.
In a Deseret News interview she said "I hope that the YW & YM can see that it is really important, more than ever today, to stand for something.  To stand up for your values & beliefs.  Even if you are the only one standing.  There are always others who can help support you.  Heavenly Father is always right there by your side.

(Show honor bee)
When you are done with personal progress, like everything in the church, there is always more to be done.  You have 2 choices.  You can repeat the personal progress program or (what is strongly encouraged) you can work on your honor bee.
The honor bee requires an additional 40 hours of service & to re-read the book of mormon.

So why are we presenting this in sacrament meeting?  Why not just go over this in YW?  Because this is actually a program that ANYONE can participate in, even non-members.
If you didn't have the opportunity to earn your YW recognition when you were a youth... you can do it now.
If you did earn it as a youth, you can re-earn it.
If you have a daughter in the YW program, now is a great time to work on it.
If you have your medallion, you can also work on your honor bee.
I earned my first medallion as a Laurel.  Then I re-earned it when I was put back in the YW program as a leader.  I just earned my first honor bee New Years Eve 2015.  It is never too late to start.

If you have a daughter in YW, this is not something she needs to do alone.  Parents should be heavily involved in helping their daughter with her personal progress.  It is a great opportunity to help strengthen your relationship as daughter & parents & if you get the whole family involved... the family bonds also.

Sis Ardith G Kapp who was the General YW President when i was in YW said:  I think that one of the greatest probems facing youth in the world today is not understanding who they are."

And that is exactly what the personal progress program is designed to do.

Why do we have Adversity? Plan of Salvation- February- YW

Why do we have adversity? Plan of Salvation (Feb)

Object lesson:

(Idea taken from here)

Does anyone know how chocolate is made? 

*We are going to start from when the coco beans arrive at the factory 

*There the coco beans are cleaned, sorted & weighed.

*The beans are then roasted- This helps bring out the flavor & aroma.

*Shell is removed leaving crushed & broken pieces of beans, called “nibs”.

*The nib is then ground down into powder

Pass around cocoa powder to taste

*Cocoa powder is then mixed w sugar & other’s individual formula ingredients

*There is continued refinement through heat, agitation, tempering & blending depending on the type of chocolate.

*The process can last from a few hours to a few days

*Once this is done it can then be sent to others to use in dairies, or bakeries or sold directly to public as chocolate bars.

Pass around chocolate bar to taste

What is the difference between the cocoa & the chocolate?

Cocoa powder is bitter

Chocolate is sweet

Even though cocoa powder is bitter & less desirable, the chocolate cannot be made without it.

Just like life requires adversity (which is the bitter cocoa powder) to grow spiritually & progress (which is the sweet chocolate).  

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(not sure where I found this)

As part of Heavenly Father’s plan of redemption, all people experience adversity during their lifetime. Trials, disappointments, sadness, sickness, and heartache are a difficult part of life, but with the help of the Lord they CAN lead to spiritual growth, refinement, and progress.  (Adversity CAN help us grow. It did not say Adversity WILL help us grow. Just because we have trials does not mean that we will learn from those experiences.)

Each person’s success and happiness, both now and in the eternities, depend largely on his or her responses to the difficulties of life.

Adversity comes from different sources. Trials may come as a consequence of a person’s own pride and disobedience. These trials can be avoided through righteous living. Other trials are simply a natural part of life and may come at times when people are living righteously. For example, people may experience trials in times of sickness or uncertainty or at the deaths of loved ones. Adversity may sometimes come because of others’ poor choices and hurtful words and actions. Suffering may also come through a loving Heavenly Father as a tutoring experience.

When some people face adversity, they complain and become bitter. They ask questions like “Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this now? What have I done to deserve this?” But these questions have the power to dominate their thoughts. Such questions can overtake their vision, absorb their energy, and deprive them of the experiences the Lord wants them to receive. Rather than responding in this way, people should consider asking questions such as, “What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial?”

Different kinds of adversity require different responses. For example, people who are stricken with illness may simply need to be patient and faithful. People who suffer because of others’ words or actions should work toward forgiving those who have offended them. Victims of abuse should seek help immediately. If a person’s trials come because of disobedience, he or she should correct the behavior and humbly seek forgiveness.

Although some of the responses to adversity will vary, one response should be constant—trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The prophet Alma taught, “Whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 36:3).

When you trust in the Father and the Son, you are confident that They love you perfectly—that They want you to be happy and that They will help you grow spiritually. You keep the commandments. You seek to know Their will, and you do what They require even when you desire something else. Your prayers for relief are accompanied by the understanding that Heavenly Father will not resolve all matters immediately—that He may allow you to wait so you can continue to learn and grow. Through it all, you find comfort in the assurance that the Savior understands your trials perfectly. As part of His infinite Atonement, He took upon Himself “the pains and the sicknesses of his people.” He took upon Himself “their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11–12). Because He has experienced your pain, He knows how to help you. If you look to Him in faith, He will strengthen you to withstand any trial you experience.

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What does this analogy teach about adversity? Search the talk, look for counsel that will help you withstand spiritual whirlwinds.

Excerpts from Spiritual Whirlwinds By Elder Neil L. Andersen

My young friends, the world will not glide calmly toward the Second Coming of the Savior. The scriptures declare that “all things shall be in commotion.”¹ Brigham Young said, “It was revealed to me in the commencement of this Church, that the Church would spread, prosper, grow and extend, and that in proportion to the spread of the Gospel among the nations of the earth, so would the power of Satan rise.”²

More concerning than the prophesied earthquakes and wars³ are the spiritual whirlwinds that can uproot you from your spiritual foundations and land your spirit in places you never imagined possible, sometimes with your barely noticing that you have been moved.

The worst whirlwinds are the temptations of the adversary. Sin has always been part of the world, but it has never been so accessible, insatiable, and acceptable. There is, of course, a powerful force that will subdue the whirlwinds of sin. It is called repentance.

Not all the whirlwinds in life are of your own making. Some come because of the wrong choices of others, and some come just because this is mortality.  As a young boy, President Boyd K. Packer suffered from the crippling disease of polio. When Elder Dallin H. Oaks was seven years old, his father died suddenly. When Sister Carol F. McConkie of the Young Women general presidency was a teenager, her parents divorced. Challenges will come to you, but as you trust in God, they will strengthen your faith

In nature, trees that grow up in a windy environment become stronger. As winds whip around a young sapling, forces inside the tree do two things. First, they stimulate the roots to grow faster and spread farther. Second, the forces in the tree start creating cell structures that actually make the trunk and branches thicker and more flexible to the pressure of the wind. These stronger roots and branches protect the tree from winds that are sure to return.⁴

You are infinitely more precious to God than a tree. You are His son or His daughter. He made your spirit strong and capable of being resilient to the whirlwinds of life. The whirlwinds in your youth, like the wind against a young tree, can increase your spiritual strength, preparing you for the years ahead.

How do you prepare for your whirlwinds? “Remember … it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, … his shafts in the whirlwind, … when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power … to drag you down … because of the rock upon which ye are built.”⁵ This is your safety in the whirlwind.

President Harold B. Lee said: “The only safety we have as members of this church is to … learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through His prophet. … There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes. … It may contradict your political views … your social views … interfere with … your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord Himself, … ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against you … and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you …’ (D&C 21:6).”¹⁶

Another powerful protection from the whirlwinds of life is the Book of Mormon.

“[It] is the most powerful written testimony we have that Jesus is the Christ.”¹⁹

The Lord has given you another way to stand firm, a spiritual gift more powerful than the whirlwinds of the adversary! He said, “Stand … in holy places, and be not moved.”²⁰

When I was a teenager, there were only 13 temples in the Church. Now there are 142. Eighty-five percent of Church members live within 200 miles (320 km) of a temple. The Lord has given your generation greater access to His holy temples than any other generation in the history of the world.

Have you ever stood in the temple, dressed in white, waiting to do baptisms? How did you feel? There is a tangible feeling of holiness in the temple. The peace of the Savior subdues the swirling whirlwinds of the world.

The way you feel in the temple is a pattern for how you want to feel in your life.²¹

Later in the temple you will learn more about the Creation of the world, about the patterns in the lives of Adam and Eve, and most importantly, about our Savior, Jesus Christ.

My young brothers and sisters, how we love you, admire you, and pray for you. Don’t let the whirlwinds drag you down. These are your days—to stand strong as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.²⁴

Build more firmly your foundation upon the rock of your Redeemer.

Treasure more completely His incomparable life and teachings.

Follow more diligently His example and His commandments.

Embrace more deeply His love, His mercy and grace, and the powerful gifts of His Atonement.

As you do, I promise you that you will see the whirlwinds for what they are—tests, temptations, distractions, or challenges to help you grow. And as you live righteously year after year, I assure you that your experiences will confirm to you again and again that Jesus is the Christ. The spiritual rock under your feet will be solid and secure. You will rejoice that God has placed you here to be a part of the final preparations for Christ’s glorious return.

The Savior said, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”²⁵ This is His promise to you. I know this promise is real. I know that He lives, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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Go through the hymnbook & find hymns that could help you when you are going through trials.

*Count your Blessings 241

*Did you think to Pray? 140

*How firm a foundation 85

*Let us all press on 243

*Secret Prayer 144

*Sweet Hour of Prayer 142

*The Iron Rod 274

*Where can I Turn for Peace? 129

*As Zion’s Youth in Latter Days 256

*Be Still, My Soul 124

*Cast thy Burden upon the Lord 110

*Come, come Ye Saints 30

*For all the Saints 82

*Nearer, My God, to Thee 100

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How to tackle adversity like an oyster

(found here)

Have you ever been on a hike or run & gotten a very small rock or piece of debris in your shoe?

How did it feel?  An irritant.

Did you know that that is how a pearl starts? 

A very valuable pear starts as nothing more than a foreign substance that finds it’s way between an oyster’s mantle & shell.

The mantle secretes layers upon layers of nacre to cover the irritant particle.

As the layers of nacre cover each other, a pearl is eventually formed.

From the Oyster & the Pearl we can learn 3 lessons about adversity.

#1 Even with a “shell”, no one is invulnerable. 

Oysters have shells which shield them from the threats in the external environment, but foreign objects can still seep through the gaps between the shells.

EVERYONE has adversity.  It is part of Heavenly Fathers plan.

Even if you could be perfect & avoid adversity brought on by yourself, you still have adversity caused by others & the natural adversity caused by mortality.

#2When adversity hits, it’s your response that matters.

When a foreign particle intrudes into the internal regions of the oyster, the oyster responds by secreting nacre onto it to prevent its sharp edges from damaging it’s soft tissue.

When adversity hits you, you also have a choice.  You can be ignorant & let it damage & bother you continuously, or you can embrace it & deal with it in a positive & constructive way.  Learn & grow from adversity.  Don’t let it make you angry, bitter & stop your progression.

  #3 Learn to generate value out of adversity

After the accumulation of consecutive layers of nacre, what was once a piece of intruding particle is now a valuable & sought after pearl.

It is important to recognize & to seize the treasure within the adversity.  Each hardship, failure, setback or resistance has the capacity to toughen & sharpen our character each time we encounter & embrace them.  We have a choice.  We can allow adversity to pass us by without learning much from it, or we can deliberately choose to make the best use of adverse situations- embracing them, learning from them & sharing those lessons with others.

What is your choice?

What is your pearl?

Life is hard. 

There have been or will be days where all you want to do is cry because it is so hard. 

Sometimes you'll amaze yourself that you can get out of bed. 

BUT life is supposed to be hard. 

That is how we grow. 

There is no other way! 

There is a purpose and reason for each and every challenge you encounter in your life. 

Remember that. 

I know it's hard when these challenges come through no fault of our own especially. 

Remember though, God has a great purpose for you and this is all part of his plan.

President Hunter said “Our detours & disappointments are the straight & narrow path to Him.” 

Even more important: 

remember that you don't have to face these challenges alone.

We are here to help each other out. 

We have families to help us, Bishops, and most important of all, the Savior. Rely on the Savior when it seems you can't take another step. 

Let Him help carry your load. 

Turn to the Savior and let Him be apart of your life. 

You can handle it all with the Savior.

Back to the chocolate analogy:

There are different types of chocolate (milk, semi-sweet, dark)

There are different types of adversity (natural causes, our own choices, choices of others)

Chocolate has its own taste, texture & use.

Adversity has its uses for refinement, growth, & spiritual progress.

Chocolate bars need cocoa powder to be chocolaty.

Life needs adversity as part of Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation, redemption & atonement.

James E Faust:  “We must partake of the bitter with the sweet.  There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day.  They prepare, they purge, they purify, and this they bless.”

Gossiping- FIG

I got most of my ideas for this lesson from the following websites:

Coloring page

Bambi video

Mormonad

Object lessons & lipgloss recipe

Bambi idea & handout idea (I edited the handout to be just 1 stanza)

I started by having the girls color this super cute coloring page.  It fits our theme of gossiping perfectly.  

I have them color when they first arrive to keep them occupied while I get set up & wait for everyone to arrive.  They love to color.

After opening prayer & our talent share we all sat in a big circle & we played a few rounds of the telephone game:  

• The first person whisper something in the persons ear next to them.  
• Then that person whispers what they just heard into the next persons ear.  
• Then so on around the circle.  
• By the time it gets to the end, what was originally whispered has changed and isn’t like it started.  
• This happens with gossip.  
• What is said starts as one thing and once it is passed from person to person it is completely changed into something else.
• Something that is usually not true & not nice.

What is gossip?

• How many people does gossip involve? 

Most people think just 2, but it is actually 3

The person telling the gossip

The person listening to the gossip

The person being gossiped about.

Who has ever been gossiped about?

How did it make you feel?

Does it make you want to try & be better about not gossiping?

These girls are still a little bit young for texting & social media, but will be using it before we know it.

Gossiping, bullying & social media abuse has becoming a big problem in todays world.  

I think they need to start learning these things now!

Gossiping & speaking unkindly to others is so easy on social media.

• When I say social media, do you know what I am talking about?
• Texting, FB, Instagram…

People get very brave about things they say about others on social media. 

They sometimes say things that they would never say to someone out loud.

Who has seen the Disney movie “Bambi”?

There is 1 scene where Thumper the rabbit is saying something not very nice to Bambi & his mother reminds him of something his father told him just that morning.

Lets watch it.

What advice did he give?

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”.

(Place an empty chair in the middle of the room )

A good way to avoid gossiping is to imagine the person who you are talking about is sitting in that chair. 

• Ask yourself the following questions:
• Are you telling the truth? 
• Is it kind? 
• Is it necessary to tell? 
• Do you have that person’s permission to tell this story or news? 
• Would you really say these things if the person were sitting in the chair? 
• If you can’t answer yes to all of these questions, then you are probably gossiping and should talk about something else.

1 more part of the lesson we need to do outside before we go work on our craft.

Go outside.

Pour glitter into a girls hand.

Pass all of the glitter into the next girls hand, but need to pass it all… not to lose a single piece.

Keep passing it down the line.

This can’t be done because the glitter sticks to hands & falls to the floor.

It is impossible to retrieve it all.

Gossip is like the glitter.

• We think we can control it, but once it leaves us, we no longer choose how the information is handled.

• Like the glitter, once gossip is passed on, it spreads and is impossible to get it all back.

• You always need to stop, listen to the words in your head, ask yourselves if they will help or hurt, and “does this really need to be said?” then make the right decision.  

Now for the craft.  We are going to make chapstick.

This recipe worked amazingly well & was super simple

I got little containers at Hobby Lobby in the art section.  Little containers for mixing & holding paints.  They each held about 2t each.  I think they were 12 for $4.  I’m sure I could of gotten them for less, but I didn’t have time to order anything online & didn’t have time to do much shopping around.

In a microwavable bowl put:

-1 tsp of coconut oil

-1 tsp of vaseline 

(Amt depends on size of containers you’re filling.)

Microwave approx 60 sec or until melted together

Mix powdered drink mix into melted oil (½-1t to get desired color)

Stir until mostly dissolved (will continue to dissolve as it sits)

Pour into containers

Let gloss coolour it into your container.

They will get to make 2 pots of lip gloss.  They can keep 1, then give 1 away.  I will give them 2 of the little cards.  When they give away the 2nd pot & card, they are to teach about gossiping.  I edited the file I got from online.  It was a bookmark & I didn't want it that big.  I thought the first stanza of the poem was perfect for our lesson.

I also made a handout for the girls binders.  It had the recipe, the "how to avoid gossiping" & a small picture of the Gossiping Mormonad on it.