I HAVE A NEW APPRECIATION FOR THE YOUNG WOMEN PROGRAM AND HOW INSPIRED IT IS. I LOVE THE YOUNG WOMEN I GET TO RUB SHOULDERS WITH, MORE THAN I CAN EVEN TELL YOU. AND THE LEADERS I GET TO WORK WITH TOO, ESPECIALLY SONDI…I CAN NEVER REPAY HER FOR THE LOVE AND HELP SHE HAS GIVEN ME.
Good Morning Brothers and sisters…
New Beginnings is an annual event welcoming the incoming 12
year old girls into Young Women’s. During this event, which we held this past
Tuesday, we typically explain the Personal Progress program and its purposes,
and Hannah B., who organized our fabulous event as one of her value projects,
invited Bishop to offer some remarks at the end of the program. During his
remarks he held up the Personal Progress book and said this leads to TRUE
Happiness, so I felt like I should take a more serious look at the one of the
most debated/researched topics on the planet, true happiness, and how it
relates to PP.
Here are my thoughts, a few experiences of others, after a
little closer look.
I had a great conversation with Sister Thornton one time
that reminded me that being happy is a commandment! Is happiness only a smile
on the face? What is true happiness? Is everyone happy? Is happiness a divine
trait? How do we get it…happy I mean? Psychology Today says that not everyone
is born with a sunny disposition, but experts agree we can all learn how to
“get it”. They called happiness “more meaning and satisfaction.”
Is that what happiness is about, a sunny disposition? Is
true happiness a new car, home, 4-wheeler, the things I can gather? I would
imagine that when Brother Denning was inspired by this topic it may be that
this very question is the reason for the first word…true…happiness. And, what
Bishop was talking about when he said PP brings true happiness. Is happiness a
choice then? How do we find it?
C.S. Lewis said: “If I find in myself a desire which no
experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I
was made for another world.”
I thought of this quote differently than he probably intended, but
it made me think about who we really are: Spiritual beings, having a physical
experience. I’m sure you’ve heard it before…we are not physical beings having a
spiritual experience…we are spiritual beings having a physical experience. I
submit that It IS because we are
spiritual beings that true happiness really only comes through the spiritual
realm, through Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and this is why PP brings true
happiness. The lessons and values in PP lead us to Christ, back to where we
came from, and what our spirit understands.
Let me share with you a few stories of those who have used
PP to find true happiness…
Describe how each value gives us
happiness. use a story for each one if you can find it
This is Anna’s experience when working on the value of Faith – She called it
“Turning to Christ”
Faith is a principle of action and power. I have always thought of
faith as something in your heart or mind, such as believing you will be with
your family forever. But faith as an action is exercised if we are “anxiously
engaged in a good cause” (D&C 58:27) and aiming toward a
goal we have set. Whenever we work toward a worthy goal, we exercise faith.
And I’d like to add… it seems when we are working toward
something, and setting goals we are typically happier.
Anna continues:
Does this mean that doing my homework every night with the goal in
mind of getting good grades is exercising faith? I think it is, because if I am
doing my homework, then I will be able to do well on tests. I am exercising
faith because I hope for something (good test grades) that I cannot yet see.
Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying
completely on Him and trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love.
It includes believing His teachings. It means believing that even though we do
not understand all things, He does. Because He has experienced all our pains,
afflictions, and infirmities, He knows how to help us rise above our daily
difficulties (see Alma 7:11–13).
This truth gives me so much hope for the future. It also confirms the
strength I have been feeling since my father passed away. One day, I saw a
little boy and girl run up to their dad and give him a big hug. My heart
dropped. I wanted my dad so badly. At that moment I wanted to give up and cry
forever.
After I pondered this for quite some time, my heart was turned to
someone for comfort: Jesus Christ. I had to learn to have faith in Jesus, rely
on Him, know that He has suffered, and know that He helps me if I allow Him to.
I exercised faith by remembering that He knows how to help me, and I need to do
everything I can to be closer to Him so I can more fully feel of His love. The
only way to true
happiness is having faith in Him and knowing that He will never
leave you (see John 16:33).
Jalaire Musgrave learned of her potential and that she is
True Royalty while working on
Divine Nature
I had dreamed of this day. Like the other candidates for homecoming
queen, I was nominated and voted upon, and then I waited anxiously for that
unforgettable night. The final six candidates were to dress up in something
professional or in their Sunday best for the football game, where the king and
queen would be announced. The other candidates wore dresses that came up way
above their knees and revealed too much skin. I wore my puletasi (a
traditional Samoan evening gown) that dangled at my ankles and covered my
shoulders. I received many compliments from teachers, parents, and even
students on how well I was dressed.
Finally, the moment came. The announcer introduced the candidates,
including what their biggest accomplishments were. I remember listening to a
very specific part of my introduction: “Jalaire is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her biggest accomplishment was completing her
Personal Progress, which is a prestigious award similar to the Eagle Scout.”
At
that moment, I forgot all about what was going on and realized how fortunate I
was to be raised in the Church. Shocked and overwhelmed when they called my
name as the homecoming queen, I made my way to the middle of the field, where
the crown was placed on top of my head. That night I realized that it wasn’t
about the crown. I felt like a queen because I had dressed modestly. When we
faithfully live the gospel and beautify our lives and help others strive to do
the same, we feel like royalty and live up to our divine potential. (She sounds
happy to me!)
Good Works
A
Vision of Service
By Nicole Tucker
When Kim moved into our ward, the young women welcomed her with open
arms and service. Kim has been blind since early childhood, so each of us takes
a turn to lead the way to her seat during Young Women class. There is a lot of
love and service to give, but not just for Kim. We need Kim as much as Kim
needs us.
A few of us have earned our Young Womanhood Recognition medallion and
are working on earning the Honor Bee with 40 hours of service. As part of that,
we are mentoring Kim and helping her with her Personal Progress. Every month we
each sign up for a time to visit Kim. Together we look up scriptures,
conference talks, and For the Strength of Youth standards. We also
discuss gospel principles taught in Personal Progress.
We have become closer to Kim by helping her. She is such a joy to have
around, and she’s always making us laugh. Even though she is blind, we know she
is a young woman with hopes and dreams, and she is a precious daughter of God.
It
is important to serve others, because “when [we] are in the service of [our]
fellow beings [we] are only in the service of [our] God” (Mosiah 2:17). Not only does
service help others, but it brings us true happiness. Heavenly Father
has given us so much, and service is one of the ways we can show our gratitude.
Integrity
Changing
My Tune
By
Kimberly Udall
Choosing
good music has always been hard for me. I used to listen to whatever was
popular at the time. I would memorize the words and sing along to the radio,
but I wasn’t really paying attention to what I was hearing and singing. These
small things led to my not making the best decisions in other parts of my life.
Most
of the songs had a bad word in the lyrics. I would always make sure I didn’t
sing those words, but every once in awhile one would slip. It’s just once,
and I’m not doing it on purpose, I would think to myself. I should have
stopped listening to that music right away, but I didn’t.
Looking
back, I realize the more bad music I listened to, the more my attitude and the
way I was acting was changing as well. I didn’t feel the Spirit with me very
often, and I felt unhappy and angry all the time. I would yell at my friends,
and I’m sure I wasn’t fun to be around.
Then I
had this overwhelming feeling that I should look in my Personal Progress
book. I noticed Integrity value experience 2: “Pray daily for strength and for
the guidance of the Holy Ghost
to help you live with integrity. Write in your journal the things you can do to
improve your personal integrity and at least one new habit you want to develop”
([booklet, 2009], 62). I realized I hadn’t been the best I could be. I decided
that I should work on listening to better music. Now I choose not to listen to
bad music. I
feel so happy, and the Spirit is back.
Virtue
Driven
by the Spirit
By Elise Bowen
Virtue value experience 2 asks you to “write about a time
when you felt the guidance of the Holy Ghost”
The following story shares one young woman’s experience.
I turned the wheel and guided the car around the corner, resisting the
urge to glance at my driving instructor’s face to see how I was doing. If I
passed this test, I would finally get my driver’s license.
A parked truck caught my eye on the road ahead. Immediately, I felt
uncomfortable and slowed down. My instructor said, “The speed limit here is 35
miles an hour.” I didn’t know how to respond—I couldn’t tell my teacher I just
had a bad feeling. The girls in back shifted, and I felt my face getting red. I
decided to drive faster. But then I looked at the truck again and changed my
mind.
“What are you doing?” my instructor asked, confused. I had slowed the
car to 10 miles per hour, and I didn’t know how to explain why. As I got closer
to where the truck was, the feeling grew stronger. I hovered over the brake,
holding my breath. If I wasn’t watching so closely, I would never have seen a
basketball bounce from behind the truck. I slammed on the brakes, and the car
skidded to a halt. The front bumper was just inches from a four-year-old boy
who had run after the ball.
I couldn’t breathe, and it took a moment before I could relax enough
to keep driving. My instructor and the other girls didn’t say a word. I finished
the test in silence, trying not to notice the stares from the backseat.
I
passed the driving test, but it didn’t seem to matter anymore. The focus of my
whole summer had shifted the second that boy ran in front of my car. I know
that the most important test for me was listening to the Spirit and obeying His
counsel. End of story…
Elise’s whole life, and the lives of many others, could have
been permanently altered, emotionally and physically had this story had a
different ending. Most peoples experience with the Holy Ghost will not be this
“loud” or obvious, but I believe that learning to listen to the spirit, can and
will directly affect our happiness, our true happiness, and often the lives of
others as well, as it did for Elise and her passengers.
I
testify that learning about and living the values taught in PP –faith, divine
nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works,
integrity and virtue- whether you are a YW, YM or an adult will help us listen
to the Sprit, help us to become more connected to the spiritual beings we are
in this physical experience and help us to obey His counsel and lead to true
happiness…
In
the name..
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