From: owner-lds-yw-digest@lists.xmission.com (lds-yw-digest) To: lds-yw-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: lds-yw-digest V1 #82 Reply-To: lds-yw-digest Sender: owner-lds-yw-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-lds-yw-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk lds-yw-digest Wednesday, May 27 1998 Volume 01 : Number 082 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 18:49:10 EDT From: Subject: (lds-yw) 1998 Theme 6 of 6 (sent earlier) New Beginnings from the Start Have the parents do a table for each of the girls (picture momentos etc.) Assign a parent to highlight a value they've seen in their daughter as she grew up. One talks about faith their daughter has shown or experiences, next about evidence of their daughter's DN etc. We'll give a small photo album to the girls and let them fill it through the year with picture of them doing projects. Then they can display it in YW in Excel. We're going to tie in the year's theme by saying your family starts with you then goes to your parents then their parents etc. Then explain the Theme. We are doing something similar, minus the dinner (no budget for it). Instead we are having several homemaking type workshops, we are thinking four, one for each of the "sections" that the year has been divided into (family, ancestors, future, and service) If any of you have some great ideas for these I would love to hear them. Some we are considering are the journal jar idea, tying quilts, doing a scrapbook page. Also, we gave each unit one of those disposable cameras to use throughout the year to take pictures of some of their "Turning Hearts" activities so we can use them in our presentation. We are planning a standards night with a theme of family relationships. One workshop will have a professional family counselor speaking, the other workshop is going to be a game like the old TV Newlywed Game, with all the congregation being able to fill out some kind of questionnaire on how well the kids know their parents, and visa versa...we haven't got all the details worked out yet, but we'd also like to have several parent/child groups pulled out of the audience to be on "the hot seat" in front of everyone, hopefully providing some fun. Proclamation activities: *issue a proclamation to each YW; have an activity to mat or frame it *memorize it *break it down into 12 parts and each month discuss/explain. Have each YW write a goal pertaining to each part. *have a special, formal night/lesson/presentation centered on the proclamation (maybe all adults dressed in white) Families could be invited. *encourage families to write a family mission statement Laurel projects: *organize fam photos and keepsakes in a book *enter the family pedigree on a disk at the FHC *learn a skill that is unique to a yw's family *make an old room in her house new (aside from her own). *plan a fam reunion *plan and direct the up keep of a family garden *interview fam members, including grandparents, about their personal history on video tape and make several copies for fam members. *rebuild your car with your dad (or build a bookcase with dad or some other skill that could be shared with dad) *put together a family recipe book *organize a mother-daughter quilting activity. Donate quilts to a women's shelter, local hospital, etc. (another fun thing to do would be to make seasonal pillowcases, i.e.. Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, and give them to the pediatric unit at a hospital.) *organize a Father's appreciation day with other YW *make a cross stitch of one of your grandparent's favorite sayings *help younger sibling on a regular basis with homework *organize a round robin letter to include the family's missionaries, college students, married siblings "As a stake YW presidency we have been trying to come up with ideas on how we can inspire the YW to work on their family histories ... in our area it's not a very popular topic because we have such a large number of immigrants that have limited information and sources available to them from their countries of origin. So we came up with an idea for a "kick Off" program sponsored by the stake for YW and their parent(s). We are inviting the Family History Missionaries to give a short presentation on how to start searching and let everyone know that the ultimate goal is to gather names to submit for temple work so that families can be together forever but that there are other ways to do family history. And we will have several displays around the room and materials available with people to explain different projects that can be considered a part of family history. Our main idea will be to start with the family you live with now and get all your pictures together and make those fun scrapbooks that are so popular now. And as families work on them together they will learn about the people and events behind the pictures many of which can be written down or recorded as part of your family history. We then as a stake presidency will go around to our different units in the following months and help them get started ... we have purchased templates and other needed materials for them to us . We feel that we need to come up with fun and interesting ideas and projects that the YW will like so that they will want to do family history. And if we can get the parents involved then that will turn their hearts." (Marcia Leon) My YW Pres and I were brainstorming yesterday and hit upon kind of a cute idea for New Beginnings this year so I thought I'd share. Entitle your NB program: "Recipe for Turning Hearts to the Family" or something similar. Decorate with cute kitchen stuff that has hearts on it. I have a crock and some kitchen towels. Hang heart shaped cookie cutters from the ceiling. Decorate any kitchen items you have with hearts. In the program put the recipe as something like: 1 cup Temple Marriage 1/2 cup Family Home Evening 1/3 cup Scripture Reading 1/4 cup Family Prayer 1/8 cup Courtesy/Respect 1 Tbsp. Law and Order 1/2 Tbsp. Service 1 tsp. Communication 1/2 tsp. Genealogy 1/4 tsp. Church attendance 1/8 tsp. Temple worthiness/attendance Or a list similar to the above. At NB discuss the recipe and how the theme relates to the items above. Reveal your master plan which is to have an activity and goal related to one of the ingredients each month. We thought for the trinket we could take a long narrow wooden board and put 11 small hooks on it. As they attend activities each month and fulfill goals we could give them a cup, 1/2 cup, etc. for each one. You can buy a really cheap set for each girl at a dollar store. We'd decorate each cup or spoon related to its ingredient. The board would say "Recipe for Turning Hearts to the Family" with little hearts to decorate it. These would then be displayed at Night of Excellence with examples of the goals they met. For activities throughout the year we thought of a Brides night for the temple marriage, FHE lesson ideas for the FHE, decorating stationary and doing thank you notes for their parents for the communication, Service projects for the Service and the Law and Order (i.e. rules and cleaning house), and visit to the Fam Hist. Library with culminating Baptisms for the Dead of family members for the genealogy and temple attendance. Serve heart shaped cake, cookies, muffins, or rice crispy treats with conversation hearts and red balloons to decorate the tables. Hope this helps someone out there! Looking forward to all of your great ideas :) Last year we used the theme in YW as "Have you received His Image in Your Countenance". We gave the girls an oval mirror dressed up in White lace so they could look in to the mirror to see if they could see Christ's image in their own countenances. Our table decoration was a wooden plate with an oval mirror attached, the statue of the YW from Deseret book stood on the platform looking into the mirror and a picture of Christ was looking back. We rubbed off the silver on the mirror and put a picture of Christ on the back of the mirror. The mirror was surrounded by dry flowers in the value colors. When the girls looked in to mirror, they could see the reflection of the YW statue and well as Christ. It was nice. For 1998 we have been asked to plan events on either the ward, branch, stake or district level. Its purpose is to help each young woman turn her heart to and strengthen her association with her family. So we have been asked to focus (beginning in January '98 and culminating in November '98) on family- related activities throughout the year. Each young woman is invited to: Read and study "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." Prepare a record of her family's history. Prepare at least one family name for temple ordinances and perform the baptismal work where possible. Participate in activities that focus on the family or on strengthening the family. Participate in a culminating activity in November 1998. I think we have a lot of work to do for 1998. I know the enthusiasm in our stake to do Family History work is almost zero among our youth so I would love to hear of any success stories with activities that would fit the program for '98. I had sent out a message last week asking for ideas and was given one by our neighboring stake! - they are planning a "Heroes" activity where the YW will bring an adult with them - not necessarily a parent (we have many single parent families). So that was a good thought. Just got back from our Stake Leadership training so thought I would share some of the ideas that were given! One of the Sis. is so creative in our Stake she broke it down into different themes by quarter. 1st Quarter: Jan.-Mar: Hearts to the family Possible activities a)family history presentations-videos histories, scrapbooks, make it fun. b)lip synch presentations by classes-music assigned to each class and quorum taken from each of the last 6 decades. Parents can help with the costumes and advice, dance moves, etc...maybe you can have 'Grammy' awards presented at the conclusion. c)Italian dinner-parents can act as servers. Have Italian food, Italian music, etc...Let the youth see their parents having fun as adults. 2nd Quarter: Apr-June: Hearts to Ancestors; a) visit a graveyard with old grave markers and make rubbings of the interesting ones. Serve Tombstone pizza a refreshments. b) research with the help of parents a family name to take to the temple for baptism. c) put on a production with singing, dancing , acting, costumes, about a long- ago era. Parents can help with MANY areas of this production. d)have a party, come as your favorite dead relative, dressing and acting out who they were etc.. 3rd Quarter: July-Sept: Hearts to the future a)family panel discussion; spiritual preparation for future (marriage, motherhood, missions) b)career day; family members can help with teaching youth about career possibilities c)"how-to" activity; teach youth secrets for how to take tests, study, find scholarships, apply for college, apply/interview for jobs, etc... 4th quarter: Oct.-Dec.: Hearts to service; a)pumpkin caroling; sing pumpkin carols and deliver treats to new ward members, lonely people, those who just need love! b)service road rally; teams must provide a predetermined act of service at each clue location before receiving their next clue. Culminating activity Maybe a dinner theater with food, background music, servers from the young women, and a nice theater presentation by the YW. Perhaps they can create vignettes about the things that they have done all year long. We're doing a similar activity later this month in our ward. Our Family History Center had a sheet that we're going to use that is entitled: "Suggestions and Items to Consider in Writing Your Personal History" and lists ideas to write about. You might check and see if your library has a copy of this. Also, if you saw the post awhile back about the journal jars, there are a lot of good ideas in that to use as well. In the March 1996 New Era on page 35 in the FYI section, there are some ideas about organizing your thoughts and things you collect that could be adapted for personal history use. If you look in the Dec. issues of the New Era they have all the articles indexed for the year. You'll probably find lots more you can use. Did you know there is a New Era Index for Young Women that you can order from the YW Resource Room in Salt Lake? They index the articles according to topic and also the YW values. Call the Church Office Bldg. at 1-800-453-3860 ext. 2141 and ask for the YW Resource Room and then ask them how you can order it. It costs $1.50. It won't help you much this time, but it's a nice resource to have. Time Capsule In the time capsule, instead of adding worldly items, TV programs, Magazines, etc. Have the girls prepare their testimonies. How they feel about the Savior? Who they are and how they feel about their world, what their plans are and how they are going to make a difference in the future, like serving missions, temple marriages, etc. What they like about YW's and their favorite moment. It would help the girls set goals, strengthen them and also inspire the people who find it by showing them the spiritual strength and hope that was alive in 1998. Include a group picture and a Book of Mormon. - - To unsubscribe to lds-yw, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe lds-yw" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 19:09:36 EDT From: Subject: (lds-yw) Faith Files: 1 of 5 FAITH: Thoughts & Stories "GOD'S EMBROIDERY" When I was a little boy, my mother used to embroider a great deal. I would sit at her knee and look up from the floor and ask what she was doing. She informed me that she was embroidering. I told her that it looked like a mess from where I was. As from the underside I watched her work within the boundaries of the little round hoop that she held in her hand, I complained to her that it sure looked messy from where I sat. She would smile at me, look down and gently say, "My son, you go about your playing for awhile, and when I am finished with my embroidering, I will put you on my knee and let you see it from my side." I would wonder why she was using some dark threads along with the bright ones and why they seemed so jumbled from my view. A few minutes would pass and then I would hear Mother's voice say, "Son, come and sit on my knee." This I did only to be surprised and thrilled to see a beautiful flower or a sunset. I could not believe it, because from underneath it looked so messy. Then Mother would say to me, "My son, from underneath it did look messy and jumbled, but you did not realize that there was a pre-drawn plan on the top. It was a design. I was only following it. Now look at it from my side and you will see what I was doing." Many times through the years I have looked up to my Heavenly Father and said, "Father, what are You doing?" He has answered, "I am embroidering your life." I say, "But it looks like a mess to me. It seems so jumbled. The threads seem so dark. Why can't they all be bright?" The Father seems to tell me, "'My child, you go about your business of doing My business, and one day I will bring you to Heaven and put you on My knee and you will see the plan from My side." Author Unknown A TEST OF FAITH This letter was found wired to the handle of an old pump in the Goby Desert that offered the only hope of drinking water on a lonely and seldom used trail. It read: This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer in it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white colored rock I buried a bottle of water. There is enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour out about one fourth and let'er soak to wet the leather. Then pour the rest and pump like crazy. You'll get water, the well has never run dry. "Have Faith." When you get all the water you want, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. Signed, Desert Pete, P.S. Don't go drinking up the water first. Prime the pump and you'll get all you can hold. Imagine now, if you were a lonely struggling survivor, your canteen is dry, your parched throat is crying for water, what would you do? Drink the water or prime the pump? Would you have the faith to accept the word of an old desert hermit that you had never met or even seen? If you did, you could have all the water you could use and leave some for the next person, possibly saving that person's life. Or would the thought of doubt and self concern control your decision? A thousand thoughts would go through your mind "What if the man was a joker playing a cruel trick on others?" or "Maybe the well is dry and there is no water to pump." or "What if the pump didn't work, the water in the bottle would be gone and you would be stranded and left to die." Sometimes we are asked to exercise our faith in Heavenly Father and His plan. We do not have all the answers and must take that step into the darkness and have faith that He will be there and save us. BYU Speeches, December 1, 1964, p. 6 A young man, recently released as president of the Northwestern States Mission, had a remarkable experience while attending Cornell University, which exemplifies spiritual valiancy by trusting in the Lord. As a student, he was called to serve in a district presidency at Cornell and one Sunday was assigned to conduct a branch conference 200 miles away. When he had driven home the night before, he noticed that the gas tank of the car was empty. This, coupled with the fact that he, being a student, didn't have a dime to his name, presented a formidable problem. He had no money, too much pride to borrow, an important Church assignment 200 miles away, and an empty gas tank. We remember as well as he did Nephi's testimony that the Lord will prepare a way, but I wonder if we would have had the spiritual valiancy to put complete trust and confidence in the Lord. This young man rose early that Sunday morning, knelt in prayer and asked the Lord to open a way for him to fill his assignment; and then he started out with an empty gas tank, but a heart full of faith. His heart remained full and the tank remained empty as he traveled over 400 miles that day in the service of the Lord. Story #2 BYU Speeches, December 1, 1964, p. 5 A tragic incident illustrating this quality occurred on a beautiful summer morning in 1879. Two young missionaries, Elders Joseph Standing and Rudger Clawson, were walking through a wooded area in the state of Georgia on their way to preach the gospel in a small town. Suddenly they were surrounded by an angry mob of well-armed men who held them prisoner for several hours and abused them. They tried repeatedly to get the senior companion, Elder Standing, to deny his testimony of the gospel. When he continually refused, one of the enraged mob shot him through the head with a .45 caliber pistol. As this faithful missionary fell dead at the feet of his terrified young junior companion, all guns were then leveled at Elder Clawson. By denying his testimony of the gospel he could save his life. I wonder what we would have done. The leader gave the command, "Kill him!" This courageous young missionary folded his arms across his chest and calmly said, "Shoot." Because of this kind of spiritual valiancy Elder Rudger Clawson was later called by the Lord to serve as an apostle under President Heber J. Grant. Would you, would I, die for the truth? Will we live for the truth? Which takes more valiancy? #3 I believe spiritual valiancy is living personally close to the Lord and putting all of our trust in Him all of the time. It's having the humility to know and the courage to do the right things for the right reasons, even when it's very difficult. Spiritual valiancy is going the third mile. One of the most beautiful experiences I've ever heard concerns the ultimate reward for rising above mediocrity to spiritual valiancy. Apostle Melvin J. Ballard, another of the spiritual giants of this dispensation, received a foretaste of the joys of eternal life promised to those who are valiant in their testimony of the Savior. He recalls: "I found myself one evening in the dreams of the night, in that sacred building, the temple. After a season of prayer and rejoicing, I was informed that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those sacred rooms to meet a glorious Personage, and, as I entered the door I saw seated on a raised platform, the most glorious Being my eyes have ever beheld or that I ever conceived existed in all the eternal worlds. As I approached to be introduced, He arose and stepped toward me with extended arms, and He smiled as He softly spoke my name. If I shall live to be a million years old I shall never forget that smile. He took me into His arms and kissed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt. When He had finished I fell at His feet, and as I bathed them with my tears and kisses, I saw the prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer of the world. Defeating Discouragement Discouragement is one of Satan's most effective tools. I must not let him use it on me. I believe that God created me to be happy, to enjoy the blessings of life, to be useful to my fellow beings, and an honor to my church. I believe that the trials which beset me today are but the fiery tests by which my character is strengthened, ennobled and made worthy to enjoy the higher things of life which I believe are in store for me. I believe that my soul is worth too much to be crushed by defeat; I will rise above it. I believe that I am the architect of my own fate, therefore: I will not yield to discouragement; I will trample them under foot and make them serve as stepping stones to success. I will conquer my obstacles and turn them into opportunities. My failures of today will help to guide me on to victory on the morrow. The morrow will bring new strength, new hopes, new opportunities and new beginnings. I will be ready to meet it with a brave heart, a calm mind and an undaunted spirit. In all things I will do my best, and leave the rest to the Infinite. I will not waste my mental energies by useless worry. I will learn to dominate my restless thoughts and look on the bright side of things. I will face the world bravely. I will not be a coward. I will assert my God- given birthright. For I am immortal, and nothing can overcome me Lifes Struggles A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force the body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. It just seemed to be stuck. Then the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was the way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets. The Surrounding Master Author Unknown A mother wishing to encourage her son's progress at the piano, bought tickets to a Paderewski performance. When the evening arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the majestic Steinway waiting on stage. Soon the mother found a friend to talk to, and the boy slipped away. At eight o'clock, the lights in the auditorium began to dim, the spotlights came on, and only then did they notice the boy---upon the bench, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." His mother gasped, but before she could retrieve her son, the master appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. He whispered to the boy. "Don't quit. Keep playing." Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side and improvised a delightful obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized. In our lives, unpolished though we may be, it is the Master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear time and time again, "Don't quit. Keep playing." And, as we do, He augments and supplements until work of amazing beauty is created. "Trust In The Lord" by Marion D. Hanks (April Conf. 1975) ". . . we may in our anguish feel that we could bear anything if we could only understand the divine purpose in what is happening . . . the righteous live by faith and that faith is not an easy solution to life's problems. Faith is confidence and trust in the character and purposes of God . . . . Our religion is 'not weight, it is wings.' It can carry us through the dark times, the bitter cup. It will be with us in the fiery furnace and the deep pit. It will accompany us to the hospital room and to the place of bereavement. It can guarantee us the presence of a Captain on the rough voyage. It is, in short, not the path to easy disposition of problems, but the comforting assurance of the eternal light, by which we may see, and the eternal warmth, which we may feel. 'The Lord is good; Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.' (Psalm 34:8 "Because My Father Said So" by Richard L. Evans I remember the words of a beloved stake president, and I thank him for the thought he left with me some months ago. He said, "I used to ride the range with my father, looking for lost sheep or cattle. And as we would mount a ridge we would look off into a distant hollow or a clump f trees, and my father would say, "There they are. . ." But this stake president said, "My father could see farther than I could, and often I couldn't see them. But I knew they were there because my father said so." There are many things, my beloved brethren and sisters, that I know and you know are there, because our Father said so. And I know that he lives, that he made us in his image, that he sent his divine Son, our Savior, to show us the way of life and redeem us from death. I know that he will enter into our lives as fully as we let him, and that his church and gospel and way of life are on earth and here with us, and that we will realize our highest possibilities if we accept the counsels God has given, and that we will fall somewhat, somewhere short of what we might have been or might had had if we run contrary to his commandments. God bless you and be with you always, I pray. - - To unsubscribe to lds-yw, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe lds-yw" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 19:10:10 EDT From: Subject: (lds-yw) Faith Files: 2 of 5 from "Faith Precedes The Miracle" by Spencer W. Kimball (p. 97) "Is there not wisdom in his giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrows to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and florified? If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principles of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith. If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doer of good, there could be no evil-all would do good but not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency, only satanic controls. Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our selfish desires and our limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or even death, and if these were not, there would also be no joy, success, resurrection, nor eternal life and godhood." FAITH The father a well digger, and strong was he. And as loving and kind as a father could be. And his daughter, five years old Very much dearer than silver or gold. To Mary her father was big, grand and nice... So each had a treasure beyond price. One day to the well little Mary was sent To take Daddy his dinner; how gently she went. But when she looked down not a thing could she see. The well, like a pocket was dark as could be. The father saw Mary and heard her voice, too But said not a word just to see what she'd do. She dropped to her knees, the dear little soul And called down, "Oh, Daddy! Are you down this deep hole?" "Why, yes, Mary darling. I'm here at your feet. Just drop me my lunch for I'm ready to eat. Just let it go easy, I'll catch it all right." She did so and watched it go down out of sight. "Why, Mary," he said, "There's enough here for two. Now this is the thing I would like you to do. You jump down here and we'll eat together Down here in the cool, away from the weather." "Oh Daddy! I'm afraid! I can't see you at all. Be sure and catch me and don't let me fall." 'Twas just for a moment she wavered in doubt... Then closing her dear little eyes she jumped out. In the darkness, that was the test! She trusted in faith in the father's request; And both were so happy he kissed her and smiled Because of the sweet trusting faith of his child. Oh! Sweet little Mary. You have put me to shame. How often my Father has called me the same But because it was dark I have turned back in doubt Refusing the call though His arms were stretched out. I wanted some proof. Must first see with my eyes. So I have doubted and lost me the prize. To him that will ask is given to see. And he that will seek, the Lord says he shall find Be he that's a doubter must always stay blind. Until I have faith and can bow 'neath His rod, I'll never inherit the Kingdom of God. Hope Springs Eternal · Author Unknown The next time discouragement strikes-remember the self-taught young man of limited background, who entered politics for running for a seat in the state legislature. He was soundly defeated. He retired from politics to try his hand at the storekeeper's trade. The store went bankrupt, and he spent the next seventeen years of his life paying off the debts.He fell in love with a young women...and suffered the heart-breaking experience of watching her die from typhoid fever. He again entered politics, this time a candidate for Congress. He was elected by a narrow margin, but when he ran for re-election, was defeated. He sought a position with the United States land office. He failed to get the job. He became a candidate of the United States Senate- and was defeated. He was nominated for the Vice Presidency of the Presidential convention of a major political party. He lost to a political unknown on the final ballot. Running again for the Senate, he waged a campaign which captured the attention of the nation, but which won him only defeat. But, he continued to dedicate himself to the ideals and principles in which he believed. His eventual reward is familiar to everyone. For Abraham Lincoln, although often discouraged during his lifetime, attained undying fame. The Parable of the Unwise Bee by James E. Talmage A wild bee from the neighboring hills once flew into the room; and at intervals during an hour or more I caught the pleasing hum of its flight. The little creature realized that it was a prisoner, yet all its efforts to find the exit through the partly opened casement failed. When ready to close up the room and leave, I threw the window wide, and tried at first to guide and then drive the bee to liberty and safety, knowing well that if left in the room it would die as other insects there entrapped had perished in the dry atmosphere of the enclosure. The more I tried to drive it out, the more determinedly did it oppose and resist my efforts. Its erstwhile peaceful hum developed into an angry roar, its darting flight became hostile and threatening. Then it caught me off guard and stung my hand-the hand that would have guided it to freedom. At last it alighted on a pendant attached to the ceiling, beyond my reach of help or injury. The sharp pain of its unkind sting aroused in me rather pity than anger. I knew the inevitable penalty of its mistaken opposition and defiance; and I had to leave the creature to face its fate. Three days later I returned to the room and found the dried lifeless body of the bee on the writing table. It had paid for its stubbornness with its life. To the bee's short-sightedness and selfish misunderstanding I was a foe, a persistent persecutor, a mortal enemy bent on its destruction; while in truth I was its friend, offering it ransom of the life it had put in forfeit through its own error, striving to redeem it, in spite of itself, from the prison- house of death and restore it to the outer air of liberty. ...Consider the lesson of the unwise bee! "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all tthy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3: 5-6) "Jesus Will Save Me" A man was drowning in the lake. Another man driving along side the road saw the man drowning and shouted out to him "I'll throw you a rope..." The drowning man replied, "No thank you, Jesus will save me!" The man shrugs his shoulders and drives away. Just then a man in a boat rowing by said to the drowning man, "Take hold of my oar, I will pull you to safety!' The drowning man replied, "No thank you, Jesus will save me!". The man in the boat rows away. A helicopter pilot flying overhead shouts on his bullhorn, "I'll throw you down a ladder and you can climb to safety!" The drowning man replies, "No thank you, Jesus will save me!" As the helicopter flies away the man goes under and drowns. He enters heaven, sees Jesus and says, "Jesus, so many wanted to help me but I told them that You will save me, what happened?" Jesus replied, "What more could I do? I sent you a man with a rope, on man on a boat and a man in a helicopter!!!!" ~~ Grant Oratorical Contest, BYU Speeches, December 1, 1964, p. 6 A young man, recently released as president of the Northwestern States Mission, had a remarkable experience while attending Cornell University, which exemplifies spiritual valiancy by trusting in the Lord. As a student, he was called to serve in a district presidency at Cornell and one Sunday was assigned to conduct a branch conference 200 miles away. When he had driven home the night before, he noticed that the gas tank of the car was empty. This, coupled with the fact that he, being a student, didn't have a dime to his name, presented a formidable problem. He had no money, too much pride to borrow, an important Church assignment 200 miles away, and an empty gas tank. We remember as well as he did Nephi's testimony that the Lord will prepare a way, but I wonder if we would have had the spiritual valiancy to put complete trust and confidence in the Lord. This young man rose early that Sunday morning, knelt in prayer and asked the Lord to open a way for him to fill his assignment; and then he started out with an empty gas tank, but a heart full of faith. His heart remained full and the tank remained empty as he traveled over 400 miles that day in the service of the Lord. Have we developed this kind of spiritual valiancy and trust in the Lord in our lives? From these and other examples how may we define "spiritual valiancy"? Surely it is more than just attending all of our church meetings, or taking a required religion class, or being a returned missionary, or not smoking and drinking at B.Y.U. Sometimes we get the idea, because we live on a higher spiritual plane than the rest of the world, that we are valiant and they are mediocre. But we cannot judge our spiritual valiancy by comparing ourselves with the world; we cannot judge our spiritual valiancy by comparing ourselves with other members of the Church. We can only compare what we are with what we can be as we develop faith in God and the courage to do His will. I believe spiritual valiancy is living personally close to the Lord and putting all of our trust in Him all of the time. It's having the humility to know and the courage to do the right things for the right reasons, even when it's very difficult. Spiritual valiancy is going the third mile. One of the most beautiful experiences I've ever heard concerns the ultimate reward for rising above mediocrity to spiritual valiancy. Apostle Melvin J. Ballard, another of the spiritual giants of this dispensation, received a foretaste of the joys of eternal life promised to those who are valiant in their testimony of the Savior. He recalls: "I found myself one evening in the dreams of the night, in that sacred building, the temple. After a season of prayer and rejoicing, I was informed that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those sacred rooms to meet a glorious Personage, and, as I entered the door I saw seated on a raised platform, the most glorious Being my eyes have ever beheld or that I ever conceived existed in all the eternal worlds. As I approached to be introduced, He arose and stepped toward me with extended arms, and He smiled as He softly spoke my name. If I shall live to be a million years old I shall never forget that smile. He took me into His arms and kissed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt. When He had finished I fell at His feet, and as I bathed them with my tears and kisses, I saw the prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer of the world. "The feeling that I had in the presence of Him who hath all things in His hands-to have His love, His affection and His blessing was such that if I ever can receive that of which I had but a foretaste, I would give all that I am, all that I ever hope to be, to feel what I then felt." As Apostle Ballard did, we too must develop spiritual valiancy in our lives, that we may someday stand in the presence of God the Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ. I bear my solemn witness that Jesus is the Christ. This is His Church; I know this as I live. May we have the courage to rise above spiritual mediocrity to spiritual valiancy in our testimonies of the truth, I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ~~~~ 1) I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me, and I will have faith in his eternal plan, which centers in Jesus Christ my Savior. 2) Alma 32:21, And now as I said concerning faith-faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. 3) Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it. Abraham Lincoln - - To unsubscribe to lds-yw, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe lds-yw" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. 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