are we ready to receive him?: a young womens christmas lesson

today i gave a special christmas lesson to our young women. we have been focusing on personal revelation this year, how to receive it, how to recognise it and what to do with it. i felt like this would really resonate with the girls and let them know that it's something for everyone! as we spoke about each person, i set up my nativity on the table in our classroom. i also told the girls that i am sure to always place jesus and his parents at the centre of the nativity, as they are truly the centre of christmas. it was a great lesson and i could see them thinking a lot about each thing we spoke about.

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Opening Hymn – Silent Night (LDS Hymns 204)

Our lesson today is about how each person mentioned in the nativity story prepared themselves to meet Christ. Each person received a witness, personal revelation if you will, to prepare them for His arrival.

We are going to start with two videos and then we will talk about each person.

NATIVITY VIDEO

WISE MEN SEEK THE CHRIST CHILD VIDEO

Read Luke 2:1-20 (Nativity story)

Mary – How was Mary prepared?

She had lived a pure and virtuous life, she was visited by an angel to tell her, she had great faith, which is why she accepted what the angel said without a question

Joseph – How was Joseph prepared?

He had chosen a virtuous woman to be married, an angel spoke to him as he slept to tell him of Jesus’s arrival, he accepted what the angel said and took Mary as his wife even though she was pregnant prior to their marriage

The Shepherds – How were the shepherds prepared?

They lived a simple and righteous life. They were dedicated to caring for their sheep, meaning they had great love for them and I would assume for others. The angel spoke to them and although they were visibly afraid, they followed his instructions and went to see the baby.

Read Matthew 2:1-12 (Wise men arrive)

The wise men – How were the wise men prepared?

The wise men were well respected and educated men. They had wealth and servants and knew of prophecies that had been made concerning a Saviour who would come. They had studied the skies and watched and waited for many years knowing the signs that would be given. They were perhaps the most well prepared for him.

Were any of these people frightened? Yes! Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. Why? Mary was pregnant and unmarried, Joseph had a pregnant fiancée, the shepherds thought someone would attack their sheep. But everyone watched and listened to prepare themselves for Jesus. Personal revelation is not always something we want to hear or something we can prepare ourselves for, but once we have it, we can change ourselves and prepare to do what we have been instructed to do. It doesn’t mean it won’t ever be scary though.

What can we do to prepare ourselves and allow Christ to enter our homes and hearts?

Study the words of the prophets as the wise men did, pray for guidance and understanding, love others as he did and keep Christ at the center of our lives. Where there is light, darkness cannot be. Allow the light of Christ to fill our lives each day throughout December by drawing slips from our jars and always, by continuing to read the scriptures each day once the month is over.

Share experiences from the advent calendars.

Bear testimony and witness of the Saviour.

Close with O HOLY NIGHT VIDEO

spiritual capacity: a young womens lesson

it was my turn to teach young womens this past sunday and i had been spending a lot of time thinking about what i would like to teach the lesson on. i had heard this talk from general conference once already as mum liked it and asked me to listen to it - and then again when it came up in the 40 days of general conference (i like to do this after each conference to ensure i have managed to listen to them all!). it was this second time that i realised we had discussed a lot recently that not many of our girls were good at knowing when the lord was trying to tell them something, or in fact just what personal revelation even is! bingo. this was a perfect topic to use for our girls. although they don't talk much, i know this lesson made them think and it was a great way for them to recognise when and how they might receive their own revelation.

to tailor this to your individual classes:

sister craigs original talk can be found here

discussion ideas and questions here

printable (and many others!) can be found here

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Spiritual Capacity

By Michelle Craig

As Jesus Christ’s faithful disciple, you can receive personal inspiration and revelation, consistent with His commandments, that is tailored to you.

“How can I tell when God is trying to tell me something?” I love this question. Our souls long for a connection with our heavenly home. We want to feel needed and useful. But at times we struggle to distinguish between our own thoughts and the gentle impressions of the Spirit. Prophets, ancient and modern, have taught that if something “invites and entices to do good, it comes from Christ.”

President Russell M. Nelson has extended a simple, powerful invitation: “My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. … Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.”

We are going to talk about four ways to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation.

1. Be Intentional about Creating Time and Space to Hear God’s Voice

As you use your agency to carve out time every day to draw close to God’s voice, especially in the Book of Mormon, over time His voice will become clearer and more familiar to you.

In contrast, the distractions and noise that fill the world and our homes and our lives can make it more difficult to hear His voice. These distractions can so occupy our minds and hearts that we leave no room for the gentle promptings of the Holy Ghost.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that most often God reveals Himself “to individuals in private, in their chamber; in the wilderness or fields, and that generally without noise or tumult.”

Satan wants to separate us from God’s voice by keeping us out of those quiet places. If God speaks in a still, small voice, you and I need to draw close to hear Him. Just imagine what would happen if we were as intent on staying connected with heaven as we are on staying connected to Wi-Fi! Pick a time and place, and listen for God’s voice every day. And keep this sacred appointment with exactness, for so very much depends on it!

Many years ago when I was in the ward young womens presidency I was intent on my girls having a witness for themselves that they were in the right place and doing the right thing. I wanted them to ask their Heavenly Father to let them know that the church was indeed true. So while on our ward young womens camp out on my parents property we went out for a walk. Their property backs onto 4000 hectares of bushland so it is secluded, quiet and peaceful, allowing the noise of the world to not be a part of our day. We hiked up a hill and at the top spoke of Joseph Smith's desire to know of the truth. We then sent each girl in different directions to kneel, pray and speak to Heavenly Father. We didn't make a big deal about it afterwards so as to allow them to feel something within themselves, but I know it made a difference to many of them at that critical teenage time in their lives.

So girls… how can we know that God is trying to tell us something?

How do we know the difference between the promptings of the Holy Ghost and our own thoughts?

How can we remove distractions to better hear the Holy Ghost?

(Spend some time each day technology free, spend time each day in the quiet, pray and then pause after you pray!)

What are some things we might need to eliminate or rearrange in order to create time to ponder and pray for inspiration?

(social media, tv, tiktok, memes, wasting time…)

President Nelson has encouraged us to seek revelation. He said in his talk Hope of Israel at the worldwide youth devotional in June 2018, “You can learn for yourself—right now at your age—how to receive personal revelation. And nothing will make a bigger difference in your life than that!”

2. Act without Delay

When you receive promptings and then act with intention, the Lord can use you. The more you act, the more familiar the voice of the Spirit becomes. You will increasingly recognize God’s guidance and that He is “willing … to reveal His mind and will.” If you delay, you might forget the prompting or miss the chance to help someone for God.

What could cause us to delay in acting upon the promptings we receive?

(Inconvenience, effort required, might be something more difficult than we actually want to do, time of day, where we are, embarrassment)

I had recently been called as the ward relief society president not long after moving into Ellenbrook ward when I saw someone familiar to me in the local supermarket. Years earlier a girl about my age had been taught and baptised in our ward. She married a boy who was also a member, but not long after their marriage they had become less active and I'd seen or heard nothing of them since. We knew each other quite well, I had been called to serve as her visiting teacher and we'd had many conversations and spent quite a bit of time together. I decided I wouldn't say hello as it had been years and just continued to do my shopping and wheeled my trolley into the next aisle. That's when I knew very clearly that I had to go back and talk to her. To be honest, I wasn't thrilled about it and I still don't know to this day if it was guilt or a prompting that made me turn around, but I did. I don't know if it made a difference whatsoever either! But I like to think it did. Maybe one day she will come back to church, and she'll have a friend here, that's for sure.

What might be some consequences for ourselves or others if we delay our actions?

(Someone may have needed us then and there. We may miss an opportunity to serve or uplift.)

Were you all listening to Bella's talk in church just a few weeks ago? 

(Back story... one of our amazing YSA spoke in church recently about the importance of personal revelations and promptings. A friend of her mothers came over just a week before she would have been born and whilst visiting with her mother had a strong prompting and told her she needed to go to the hospital right away as something was wrong with the baby. She went to have things checked out and was told that her baby's heart rate had dropped to a dangerous level and that she could have died within a few more hours. In short, she would never have been born!) 

What would have happened if her mother’s visiting teacher had have waited?

Have you ever judged a prompting you’ve received? 

Dismissed them because they seemed too easy or weird? 

Have you been worried about how you will look carrying them out? 

How can we stop judging our promptings and start acting on them?

If we should stop judging each other, we should stop judging our promptings and simply act on them. It’s okay that they are different. The story of Moses, the Brother of Jared, Noah and Nephi are great examples. Can you imagine if we were to receive them today? “I can’t build a boat. I’ll look ridiculous. I’ll mess it up. It’s going to take up too much space.” I can’t collect up every animal there is! Where will I put them all? How will I feed them? What will I do with the poop? (Just by the way… when I read this to Madeline, she said, well throw it in the water. hahahaha I love kids!) When in this context, it’s easier to see the ridiculousness of ourselves second guessing our promptings. 

How do we stop doing so with our promptings today?

3. Get Your Errand from the Lord

The prayer Heavenly Father seems eager to answer is our plea to be led to someone who needs our help. President Henry B. Eyring has taught us to seek revelation by asking God who we can help for Him. “If you ask questions like that, the Holy Ghost will come and you’ll feel nudges about things you can do for other people. When you go and do those things, you’re on the Lord’s errand, and when you’re on the Lord’s errand, you qualify for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

You can pray and ask the Lord for an errand. As you do, He can use your ordinary skills to accomplish His extraordinary work.

Sister Craigs grandfather, Fritz Hjalmar Lundgren, emigrated from Sweden when he was 19 years old. He arrived in America alone, with a suitcase and six years of formal schooling. Unable to speak any English, he made his way to Oregon and worked there as a lumberjack and then later, with her grandmother and my mother, joined the Church. He never presided over a ward, but as a faithful home teacher, he brought more than 50 different families into Church activity. How did he do that?

After her Grandpa’s death, Sister Craig was going through a box of his papers and came across a letter written by a man who had come back to church because of Grandpa’s love. The letter read, “Brother Fritz’s secret, I believe, is that he is always on an errand for Heavenly Father.”

That letter was from Brother Wayne Simonis. Grandpa visited him and got to know each member of the family. In time, Grandpa told them that they were needed and invited them to attend church. But that Sunday, Brother Simonis awoke with a dilemma—he had not finished reroofing his house, and rain was expected that week. He decided that he’d go to church, shake hands with Grandpa, and then leave and go home to finish the roof. His family could attend sacrament meeting without him.

His plan was working just fine until, on the roof, he heard someone climbing the ladder. In his words: “When I looked up, standing at the top of the ladder was Brother Fritz. He just gave me that big smile. At first, I was embarrassed and felt like a little kid getting caught for skipping school. Then … I felt anger. But Brother Fritz just took off his suit coat and hung it on the ladder. As he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, he turned to me and said, ‘Brother Simonis, do you have another hammer? This work must be very important or you wouldn’t have left your family, and if it’s that important, I want to help you.’ As I looked into his eyes, I saw only kindness and Christlike love. My anger left. … I laid my tools down that Sunday and followed my good friend down the ladder and back to the chapel.”

Brother Fritz had obtained his errand from the Lord, and he knew he was to seek out lost sheep. Just as when the four men who carried their friend with palsy onto a roof and then let him down to be healed by Jesus Christ, so too did Brother Fritz’s errand take him to a rooftop. The Lord sends revelation to those seeking to help others.

What are some examples of being on the Lord's errand?

What lessons can be learned from the story about Brother Fritz helping his neighbour fix the roof?

How can we seek out the "lost sheep"?

4. Believe and Trust

Another great missionary who obtained his errand from the Lord was the Book of Mormon prophet Aaron. Aaron was teaching the king of the Lamanites, who wondered why Aaron’s brother Ammon had not also come to teach him. “And Aaron said unto the king: Behold, the Spirit of the Lord has called him another way.”

The Spirit spoke to my heart: each of us has a different mission to perform, and at times the Spirit may call us in “another way.” There are many ways to build the kingdom of God as covenant-making, covenant-keeping disciples of Jesus Christ. As His faithful disciple, you can receive personal inspiration and revelation, consistent with His commandments, that is tailored to you. You have unique missions and roles to perform in life and will be given unique guidance to fulfill them.

Nephi, the brother of Jared, and even Moses all had a large body of water to cross—and each did it differently. Nephi worked “timbers of curious workmanship.” The brother of Jared built barges that were “tight like unto a dish.” And Moses “walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea.”

They each received personalized direction, tailored to them, and each trusted and acted. The Lord is mindful of those who obey and, in the words of Nephi, will “prepare a way for [us to] accomplish the thing which he commandeth.” Note that Nephi says, “a way”—not “the way.”

Do we miss or dismiss personal errands from the Lord because He has prepared “a way” different from the one we expect?

Sister Craigs grandfather was led to an unusual place—in a suit, on a rooftop, on a Sunday. Trust God to lead you, even if that way looks different than you expected or is different from others.

What’s an example of a way the Lord has personalized inspiration just for you?

Latter-day Saints come in many shapes and sizes, but “all are alike unto God”—“black and white, bond and free, male and female,” single and married, rich and poor, young and old, lifelong member and recent convert. No matter who you are or what you’re dealing with, you are invited to the Lord’s table.

The Church’s new program for children and youth is built on the foundation of learning to seek revelation, discovering what the Lord would have us do, and then acting on that direction. Each one of us, regardless of age or circumstance, can strive to seek, receive, and act. As you follow this eternal pattern ordained for our day, you will draw nearer to Jesus Christ—His love, His light, His direction, His peace, and His healing and enabling power. And you will increase your spiritual capacity to become an everyday instrument of His hands in accomplishing His great work.

In summary:

In seeking to know the voice and the will of the Lord, we need to eliminate distractions and act on promptings without delaying.

The Lord wants to help all His children. He often uses individuals to help one another and will send revelation to those seeking to do so.

Personal revelation from the Lord is tailored for each individual and will help each person to accomplish great things in the Lord’s way. 

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journals: a young womens lesson

(photo via mollyandrex.com)

today i taught the young women about the importance of keeping a record which for me was the best, because i have been obsessed with keeping a journal since a young age. there is box full of old journals of mine taped up in the loft in the shed at my parents house (mostly because i have absolutely zero desire to look at any of them ever again haha) because i know one day i, or another member of my family will want them.

we started off by having each of the girls take some paper and write down everything they could remember about their baptism day, which to be honest wasn't a whole lot. the point of the excercise though is to make them realise that by writing it down, they would be able to go back and read it at a later time and remember all their thoughts and feelings about it.

"throughout our lives we have feelings and experiences that can keep our testimonies strong and give us courage in difficult times. but in order to remember them, we need to record them. otherwise, these feelings will fade in our memories, and we may eventually forget them completely. a journal is a place to record experiences, thoughts, feelings, and events as they occur in our lives."

ancient and modern prophets have counseled us to keep journals. i mean scriptures are literally the journals of ancient prophets! enoch explained the importance of recording important events in moses 6:45-46: and death hath come upon our fathers; nevertheless we know them... "for a book of remembrance we have written among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God; and it is given in our own language." alma also counseled his son in alma 37:8 that "records enlarge the memory."

in 3 nephi 23:6-13 the saviour was very concerned that the nephites had not recorded some of the prophecies they had received. he expected the people to keep accurate and complete records.

spencer w kimball said: "every person should keep a journal and every person can keep a journal. it should be an enlightening one and should bring great blessings and happiness to the families. if there is anyone here who isn’t doing so, will you repent today and change—change your life? those who keep a personal journal are more likely to keep the lord in remembrance in their daily lives."

what kinds of things should we include in our journals?

-important events, impressions and personal feelings

-personal counsel, promised, and blessings received and the circumstances surrounding them

-deaths, births, marriages, baptisms and endowments

-personal triumphs, failures, and struggles and how they are met

-current local, national, and world events that impress you or influence your life

-simple occurrences in daily life

journals are a very personal thing so it's up to us exactly how we would like to keep it (for example this is mine right here - all online!) but suggestions from others who are experienced are always helpful.

how to ensure our journals are well kept:

-date every entry. the day of the week and even the time can be helpful

-number the pages

-set aside time to write (maybe a sunday afternoon after church?)

-keep your journal easily accessible, take extra pages on trips or to special church meetings

-always use first and last names when writing about individuals

being creative ensures our journal is special to us. a young woman explained her method of making her journal interesting: “i named my journal Lucy. it’s like my best friend. it’s kind of hard to talk to a page, but now i talk to my best friend lucy and tell her my feelings.” (this is from great article about journals in the new era you can find here)

*thirteen year old anne frank , with her parents, sister and four other people, went into hiding in the sealed off back rooms of an amsterdam office building in 1942, when the nazi invaders intensified their persecution of the jews. for two years they remained safe. in august 1944 they were betrayed. anne died in the ghastly concentration camp at belsen. all the others perished too, with the exception of her father. anne's astonishingly intimate diary was found by accident. wit a touch of genius it records the strains of her unusual life, the problems of her unfolding womanhood, her falling in love and her unswerving faith in her religion. and it reveals the shining nobility of her spirit.

*anne frank's diary became a worldwide bestseller, published after her death when it was found in the rooms that had hidden her family. she wrote to her friend "kitty" in her diary sharing her thoughts, feelings and fears. she wrote, "i hope i shall be able to confide in you completely, as i have never been able to do in anyone before, and i hope that you will be a great support and a comfort to me."

"i want to go on living after my death. and therefore i am grateful to god for giving me this gift... of expressing all that is in me."

our journals can be interesting and lasting

clarissa young, one of brigham youngs daughters, kept a very detailed journal during the years she lived in the beehive house in salt lake city utah. the beehive house was the name given to brigham youngs home. clarissa not only wrote a detailed description of each room in the house, but included things such as the colours of the walls, the furnishings used and what things were set on the mantle from year to year. she even included an actual piece of the drapery fabric used in the "long hall", the room where all the formal entertaining was done. in 1954, when the church began restoration of the one hundred year old beehive house, clarissa's journal was invaluable. even the drapery sample she had kept was sent to a drapery company and new drapes were woven to look exactly like the original ones.

the journals we keep can be made more interesting by adding such things as drawings, quotations or poetry that will help tell our stories. in addition to a journal, many people also keep a scrapbook in which they preserve newspaper clippings, church bulletins, comic strips, dance programs, clothing samples and other items that have meaning to them. 

so many things can be a journal, for example, you're reading my journal right now!! this blog is the way i keep a record of my life and everything in it!! the australian singer/songwriter missy higgins was known to say, "i feel quite embarrassed sometimes when people are listening to my music, it's as though they are reading my diary."

to be valuable a journal should also be lasting. an organ teacher gave a student some wise counsel the day she bought a new music book to her lesson. after commenting on its cost he explained, "music is not only expensive, but it's worth to you will grow as you study it and it becomes a part of you. if you will provide a protective cover or folder for your music, it will last a lifetime. but if you bring it every week to your lesson without one, your music will soon become ragged, worn and worthless." can you imagine how that relates to our journals? we need to ensure they are kept safe and protected. there is a reason the scriptures were written on metal plates!

careful planning now can make a journal a treasure for many generations. regular thoughtful attention can make it a book of tremendous worth. and when we keep a record of our lives, we can have a peaceful feeling that comes from obeying the lord's commandments.

*taken from the diary of anne frank.

struggles with depression and anxiety: a young womens lesson

there have been so many struggles within and around lately, stemming from depression and anxiety. it is such a huge thing, with so many people feeling it's effects. in fact, did you know that the average second grader suffers from the same amount of anxiety as a committed patient did in the 1950's? Isn't that incredible? and so frightening! i thought it was time we talked about it with the young women and gave them some coping mechanisms(or distractions!) and made sure that they know it's very real and very normal.

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I want to speak to you all of you girls today about something that’s very real and very hard in our lives. Most of you at some stage in your life will encounter some form of anxiety and/ or depression. If you are lucky enough for it to never affect you, then undoubtedly it will affect someone you know.

Jeffrey R Holland spoke about it at general conference a few years ago, in a talk called: Like a brokenvessel. I have a small video of him talking about it here (we watched 3:15-3:59, but if you have time watch the whole thing - it's so good) 

In life and the universe, there is opposition in all things. Health and sickness, happiness and sadness, pleasure and pain, sweet and sour, light and darkness. Darkness is something most often associated with depression, because it can feel as though you are being swallowed by darkness. If any of you have read Harry Potter, JK Rowling used the dementors to describe the crippling depression she had encountered, something cold and dark, that sucked the life out of you and made it feel as though you’d never be happy again.

Have any of you ever felt anxious, or depressed? There is no shame in it. I want you to all close your eyes for a moment. Okay, now raise your hands if you’ve ever felt either one. (Every single girl in our class raised their hand.)

So. Often we can feel as though we are stuck in the darkness. Can you girls think about it for a moment and tell me what the very best thing is to get rid of darkness. Thinkinnnnnng. There is literally only one thing. LIGHT.

Martin Luther King once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that.” So what can we do, to reduce the effects of darkness? Fill our lives with light. Most importantly, the light of the gospel. The atonement covers so many things. Did you know, that we can call upon the power of the atonement to cover more than just our sins? That we can ask our Saviour to help us with the pains of sadness? Loneliness? Depression? Anxiety? Well we can. It’s not just there for sins. Having depression and anxiety, is certainly not a sin, but it is there for that too!

We need to be kind because everyone we meet is fighting some kind of battle. I’m sure you’ve all heard of people speaking to plants? That talking to them helps them grow etc? Well. If talking nicely to plants helps them grow, imagine what speaking nicely to humans can do. There was once an experiment done when someone showed the effects of kind and negative words on things and I would love to show you. I am sure you’ve all heard the hymn “Let us oft speak kind words” so here is a real life demo. 

Rice video.

So. Wow right? See what kind of effect words can have? The rice is cooked in water, human bodies are made up of 50-60% water.

When I was the ward relief society president, there was a certain sister whose struggles were made known to me. She was incredibly private, didn’t wish to discuss them, nor have any one else discuss them. She didn’t want help. She wanted to be left alone with them. I was rightly worried for her and didn’t want to see her struggle. But over the weeks that followed, something amazing happened. She found someone else who was struggling more than her. Who needed her. Who she was able to serve… and through serving, forgot about her own struggles and managed to lift herself out of the darkness. Serving others is an amazing blessing. Sometimes I think it’s almost selfish to do so, as it’s so wonderful for us to reap the benefits.

What are some things we can do to distract ourselves from problems we might be facing? What can we do to fill our lives with light?

Here’s a list I prepared earlier and you get to keep them for days that you may need a distraction.

I also have 8 things for you to remember during your hardest days: 

8.    There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

I love that last one so much. When you focus on what you are thankful for, it is much harder to think of the things that stress and upset you. I would highly recommend thinking of things you are grateful for when the darkness is coming in.

I want to read you a wonderful quote, in fact it’s from my favourite talk ever. Written before even I was born! (You can read the entire thing here)

"A few years ago, we knew our Elder Brother and our Father in heaven well. We rejoiced at the upcoming opportunity for earth life that could make it possible for us to have a fullness of joy like they had. We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one.

And now we’re here—our memories are veiled—and we’re showing God and ourselves what we can do. And nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us. And then, as President Brigham Young said, we’re going to wonder why we were so stupid in the flesh.

God loves us. He’s watching us, he wants us to succeed, and we’ll know someday that he has not left one thing undone for the eternal welfare of each of us. If we only knew it, there are heavenly hosts pulling for us—friends in heaven that we can’t remember now, who yearn for our victory. This is our day to show what we can do—what life and sacrifice we can daily, hourly, instantly bring to God. If we give our all, we will get his all from the greatest of all."

Did you hear that girls? We literally have people on the other side of the veil cheering us on. Hoping we make it through our trials. Yearning for our victory. We are never, ever alone. Our Father in Heaven is watching us, beside us, holding us, every step of the way. He is waiting for us to call on him and ask for his help.

In closing, I want to leave you with one last video. I want you to think first. If you had to think of who the most righteous women in the whole world are, who would you say? In MY opinion it would be the general relief society presidency and board. You would think that they have it all. Not problems, just perfect wholesome lives. But recently they made a video showing that they are just like us. They all have their struggles.

"Just Like You"

Girls. I pray you never have to deal with huge emotional and mental struggles, but I am realistic and understand it’s a possibility. I truly hope you can find ways to cope, distract yourself or help another during hard times. I have a little handout for you and I feel this quote is perfect for this lesson. A very wise man called Albus Dumbledore once said: Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. (Can we found at the top of this post, I handed it to the girls in a little cellophane bag with a tealight candle each - to create their own light.)

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i feel like the lesson went really well, they were all certainly very attentive for once, so hopefully it will have the desired effect. i had popcorn for the treat, explaining that popcorn starts as something hard that we cannot enjoy, until it suffers through heat and comes out completely different, ready to be enjoyed. hopefully suffering through trials can make us something great too. 

the restoration: a young womens lesson

the lord still speaks to us in these latter days. we are still receiving revelation and that is the main difference between us and other christian religions. when people have asked me what makes our church different, i always respond that we receive modern day revelation through the leaders of our church and that you will never find a cross in our church as we focus on the living christ, not his crucifixion like so many churches do.

it was my turn to teach young womens this sunday and i had chosen to speak about the restoration of the gospel.

we started by watching this mormon message: a piano's purpose, about the restoration of a seond hand piano. then we spoke about what it means to restore something. restoration is to lovingly repair something to its former glory.

when joseph smith was a boy, he said he was “overly concerned with the welfare of his soul” and after a time, and reading a scripture in james, he took it upon himself to pray.

"if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of god, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." james 1:5

we then watched a recount of the first vision, one of the best ones i have seen, called "ask of god" which is apparently played in the visitors centre at temple square.

joseph smith was chosen to lovingly restore the gospel in these days to its former glory.

we spoke about the apostasy and restoration as covered in preach my gospel, including an emphasis on the fact that as the book of mormon was translated joseph discovered things he didn't know and has he took his questions to the lord, the church was restored bit by bit. line upon line, precept on precept.

we can know for ourselves by taking the time to go and pray and ask. if we truly want to know, heavenly father will reveal the truth to us as he promised in the scriptures. we read moroni's promise together in moroni 10:4-5

i ended the lesson by briefly speaking about emma smith. it is my hope that our girls will all will do amazing and wonderful things. i hope they head companies and invent new technology and lead groups with love. but as women in the gospel, sometimes the greatest thing we can do is to support our husband and assist him in his tasks, within the gospel and otherwise. emma smith stood by her husbands side and held him up through the most awful of trials and darkest moments in his life. when you choose to love and marry, please be ready to be all your husband needs you to be. think of emma and her grace in times of hardship especially throughout the restoration of the gospel and determine to be a woman of faith, for the world needs much more of them.

why do the choices i make matter: a young womens lesson

i gave my first young womens lesson today, since receiving my call to serve as a counsellor in the presidency at the end of december - coincidentally the same day a new president was called, and i was called straight back into the same position. there was a long list of options, but i felt strongly to talk about choices and the effects they can have on our lives... then felt even more strongly to get some women from our ward in to speak with them. some women with a little life experience, who had at some stage had a difficult choice to make. it worked a treat and i was pleased to see the girls paying close attention as these women spoke to them. ♥

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The choices we make will determine our destiny. Many years ago, President Thomas S. Monson gave a talk about choices:

When we left our premortal existence and entered mortality, we brought with us the gift of agency. Agency is the chance to choose, instead of being told what to do or how to act. Our goal is to obtain celestial glory, and the choices we make will, in large part, determine whether or not we reach our goal.

Most of you are familiar with Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You will remember that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. As she contemplates which way to turn, she is confronted by the Cheshire Cat, of whom Alice asks, “Which path shall I follow?”

The cat answers, “That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.”

Unlike Alice, we know where we want to go, and it does matter which way we go, for the path we follow in this life leads to our destination in the next life.

May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals.

Although it is imperative that we choose wisely, there are times when we will make foolish choices. The gift of repentance, provided by our Savior, enables us to correct our course settings, that we might return to the path which will lead us to that celestial glory we seek.

Elder Joseph B Wirthlin said: “The Lord has given you the gift of agency and instructed you sufficiently to know good from evil. You are free to choose and are permitted to act, but are not free to choose the consequences. With absolute certainty, choices of good and right lead to happiness and peace, while choices of sin and evil eventually lead to unhappiness, sorrow and misery.”

Some choices are easy:

Should I wear deodorant?

Should I stick my hand on the iron?

Should I tell my brother he’s a moron?

Should I steal my sisters clothes and makeup?

Some will be harder in years to come:

Should I smoke that cigarette?

Should I drink that coffee?

Should I wear that dress?

Should I tell my parents what happened at school?

Should I study or go out with my mates?

Some will be a struggle:

Should I serve a mission?

Should I date that boy knowing he’s not a member of the church?

How many children should I have?

Should I repost that meme even though I’ve posted 14 others today?

As we contemplate the decisions we make in our lives each day—whether to make this choice or that choice—if we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice. Remaining active in the gospel and being worthy to hold a recommend to enter the house of the Lord are both things that will bring about wonderful blessings in this life and pay off with an amazing eternal reward.

We have a few visitors today and they are each going to in turn tell you about a choice they have made that has, in effect, helped them to choose Christ.

Guest speaker – “choice to return to church”

(I chose a younger girl, not too much older than the young women themselves to talk about why she returned to church after spending much of her teenage years inactive)

Guest speaker –  “choice to join the church”

(A new member of around 6 months, speaking on how she found and joined the church)

Guest Speaker – “choice to serve a mission”

(Our current sister missionaries and how they made their choice to serve a mission)

Guest Speaker – “choice to marry in the temple”

(A girl around my age, who had to make the difficult decision of choosing a temple marriage first up when not one family member could attend her sealing, followed by the the same situation when their adopted son was sealed to her and her husband a few years ago)

Video presentation: a young man choosing a better path to lead him closer to the Lord - from the lds media library 

May we maintain the courage to defy the world. May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.

For as William Law said: “If you have not chosen the kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.”

anzac day...

both sides of my family - mums and dads -
were part of the armed forces...
so anzac day is pretty important to me-


grandad joe went to war in the south pacific during world war two
grandma phyl was a cook in the army
and
grandad roy was part of the peace keeping corps in
germany after world war two

so i couldn't go past a lesson on anzac day for the girls yesterday

"they shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old
age shall no weary them, nor the years condemn
at the going down of the sun - and in the morning
we will remember them"

lest we forget

csi: jerusalem

i am well aware of the fact that easter is not about chocolate (although it is always appreciated!) and it was nice to have to plan a lesson for the youth (12-18 year old girls and boys) at church that was centered around the death of christ and his ressurection on the third day. it's a fabulous time of the year and it was a blessing to see the youth go about their "crime scene investigation" on the empty tomb.

how blessed we are to know what we know!
no questions are unanswered - no stones are unturned
- and nothing is left undone for us

i know that my redeemer lives!
not that he lived, that he lives!

happy easter!
... all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed,
all the parliaments that ever sat,
all the kings that ever reigned, put together -
have not affected the life of man on this earth
as much as that one solitary life...

jesus christ