What the Atonement Feels Like

When I think of the Atonement, I think of a blanket that covers me.

Do you have a favorite warm blanket that you love?  Why do you love it?  Does it soothe you just having it close to you? 

 

By nature I am almost always cold. I hate to be cold more than anything else. If I am cold, I cannot sleep at night, and cannot concentrate during the day. My mind just wants comfort and warmth.

Turning to the Lord, and having the Atonement applied in my life and letting it cover my pains, heart-aches, struggles, and sins...feels like the perfect warm blanket on a cold night warming, soothing, comforting, loving, and bringing healing to a needing body.

 

How does the Atonement of Jesus Christ make you feel?

Dare to Stand Alone

Scared to Death

This picture is me at the challenge course at the Heber Valley Girls Camp in Heber, Utah... and I was as scared as I have ever been. 

I am petrified of heights and if you could see my face... you would know that.  My daughters remind me often, while laughing, that "you should have seen your face mom!"  No doubt, it was a scary thing.

I knew I was safe.  I had a harness, and I was connected to a cable. I had these loving guides all around me, including an audience of young women and leaders below encouraging me along and cheering for me to keep going and not give up. 

 I knew if I happened to slip and fall (heaven forbid), I would just swing and dangle around.  I wouldnt' really fall and get hurt.

 For me, I just had to keep talking myself through every step forward.  I could feel every step.  Each one felt like the greatest performance. 

I was reminded how completely dependent I am upon others and the Lord.  And with faith and the support of others, weak things in our lives, are possible. We can accomplish anything we set our mind to accomplish.

Check out this must read talk from  the October 2011 General Conference! 

President Thomas S. Monson

{Dare to Stand Alone} 

I encourage you to have the strength to try hard things, to be the first, or the only one if necessary to stand for what you know to be true. 

Standing as Witnesses: YW in Excellence

This one is from the archives, but a good one to remember and share. 

 Could also be used for Standing as Witnesses, the Worth of Soles, Standing for Truth and Righteousness, etc. 

Young Womens in Excellence 2010  

“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).

We designed our program around shoes and being strong and courageous.

We asked each young women to bring a pair of shoes that represented when they feel they stand their strongest.  We gave them a paper to fill out that described their shoes and why they feel courageous in them.

Examples: Track shoes, dance shoes, Sunday shoes, "sneakers" basketball shoes, etc.

We displayed these shoes as neat and organized as possible along with one thing they worked on or passed off in Personal Progress that year.

We typed up their shoe description on a nice folded card


We had a wonderful program which included a short talk about a time I felt strong and courageous as I hiked the Grand Canyon with my husband.

We also asked the parents to write about a time their daughter was strong and courageous.  We read each an everyone of those short experiences.  There were many tears as we talked about their daughters.

For our handout we handed out socks: Colorful socks with an iron-on logo "Stand Strong and Courageous"  that the young women loved wearing.  Many of them put them on right then and there.

It was a wonderful night and I wanted to share this with anyone that could use it. It is easily adaptable and had a great message.

Quality Lessons By Asking the Right Questions

Questions to ask while preparing a lesson

1. What principles do I want the young women  to know and apply?

2. Which verses should I search to help the young women discover the principle?

3. What should the young women look for as they search these verses?

4. What questions can I ask to make sure young women understand the principle?

5. Is there anything I can do to have the young women learn from each other?

6. What applications do I want the young women to make?  What can I do to help them?

Questions to ask after preparing a lesson

1. Is there variety in the lesson?

2. Have I asked the Lord to help me teach the lesson with power?

3. Is there opportunity for class participation?

4. Have I prayed about the young women? 

Preparation Questions:

1. What is the object of this lesson?

2. What are the principles or doctrines to be covered?

3. What the converting life-changing principles?

4.What would be most beneficial to the young women I teach?

Search Questions:
Search questions should avoid YES/NO responses and obvious answers.  Search questions requires students to look in the scriptures for answers.

Analyze Questions:
Analyze questions require your class to think and ponder the significance of what they are studying.
-What did you find.....what evidence...
-What does it mean...
-Why is is that...How is it that...
-What is...the difference...are the differences...
-How do you think...How does
-What are some ways...


Application Questions
Application questions require the class to look at their lives and what they might do to make their lives better.
-What have you learned...
-What difference would it make if...
-When have you felt...
-What do you feel/think God wants
-Share a time ...or experience...
What does God..expect...desire...

* adapted from a teaching guide for seminary teachers



Arise and Shine -What it Means to YOU

How are YOU arising and shining forth?

Personal Progress Tips

Finishing experiences, reading all the scriptures, conference talks, For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, and working on goals for several weeks at a time can be overwhelming. 

"There are so many distractions."

"And TIME...how do I fit in in?"

"I keep forgetting what I was working on and I keep having to start over!"

"I don't know where my book is"

Progressing through Personal Progress does not need to be hard.  You can do it!  Here are some tips!

• Try working on your Personal Progress on-line.  You won't have to keep track of your book!  Go to lds.org/menu/serving in the church/young women/personal progress

            -All you need is your membership number (ask your ward membership clerk.
              They usually hang out around the Bishop's office)
          -set up your lds account with a user name and password

• Each time you read a scripture, read an article, mark it with a highlighter or colored pencil.  The next time you open your book, you will not have to re-read the same scripture..you can go on to the next one.
• Use a dry erase marker to write a reminder message to yourself on your bedroom mirror. "Don't gossip for 2 weeks" 
• Use sticky notes to remind yourself of your goal that you are working on "Read the Book of Mormon every night "
•  Have you given a talk, been in a play, are you on a sports team, learning a musical instrument, served others, etc. You are already doing so much good..get credit for it in Personal Progress!

      

Why? Personal Progress

 Personal Progress (you) can change the world
        "When you save a girl, you save generations. She will grown in strength and righteousness. She will marry in the house of the Lord. She will teach her children the ways of truth...I see this as the one bright shining hope in a world that is marching toward self-destruction" ("Standing Strong and Immovable" Gordon B. Hinckley)


It can change You

By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.  As you set and accomplish the small goals of your Personal Progress experiences...great changes will take place in your personal life and in who you are.  You will notice those changes as you become more like our Savior.


Because You Are Really Busy

huh?  That is why I can't do Personal Progress, right?! If you are like many young women, your life is packed with a lot of good things.  You have school, homework, music lessons, sports, hanging out with friends, family time, church meetings and activities, an after school job,..etc. How could you possibly fit in Personal Progress?

Sunday is a great day to pull out your Personal Progress and work on some goals, read some scriptures, read a conference talk, etc.

Personal Progress helps you make time for things that will be important to you long after a test score or sports event have passed. 

Personal Progress allows you to "get credit" for all the good things in you life you are already doing.  Open it up and see what you have already earned.

Take time and make time for Personal Progress.


Personal Progress Leads You To the Temple

"Personal Progress is a temple preparation coarse" (Julie B. Beck)

Have you wondered why the temple is a symbol in the Personal Progress program.  It is on the medallion as well as on the front of our Personal Progress book.  The First Presidency has said:

"We want the young people of the Church to be valiant and righteous servants of God, dedicated to living each day so they can go to the temple and receive God's greatest blessings for them.  Therefore we have chosen the temple as a symbol for the youth of the Church" (Guidebook for Parents and Leaders of Youth)

"The way to prepare to make temple covenants is to remember and keep the commitments you've already made."


Personal Progress Can Help You Reach Your Dreams

Who do you want to be?  What kind of person do you wish to become? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Fulfilling your dreams can start with one Personal Progress goal.  Then another, and another.
In time, you will be on your way of becoming the person of your dreams.

What dreams will Personal Progress help you achieve?


see article Five Reasons to Love Personal Progress {CLICK HERE}