girl's camp 2013 - testimony devotional

as promised yesterday, here is the run down on my devotional for girl's camp.  not that any of you care what i said, but i wanted to write it down to remind myself.

i was in charge of the devotional for wednesday - the day that focused on why we need to gain a testimony.  i used information found here, scriptures and details from a lesson plan, and this awesome talk by Pres Hinkley and this talk by Pres Uchtdorf.

i may have spent too much time researching the topic beforehand.  my study journal ended up with 5 pages of notes on testimony and even then i felt like i had only scratched the surface on this topic.  at any rate, i needed to cut it down to fit into the time that i had been allotted.

before leaving for camp, i printed out a large picture of Christ which i then cut up into 17 pieces.  5 pieces came directly from his face and the rest of the pieces were outside areas of the picture, like hair, clothes, etc.  i used a not well known picture for this.  i set aside the 5 "face" pieces.  to make it easier for everyone to see, i applied magnets to the back of each piece and brought a white board that was big enough for the whole picture.

my devotional went something like this...

tell girls you are going to describe something and to raise their hand when they think they know what it is.

• it is an opportunity and responsibility of each person
• it has to be worked for and earned
• it is necessary to inherit celestial glory
• it can be the most precious of all the gifts of God
• it can't be given or inherited
• can be had by a seminary student, missionary, bishop, stake president, young woman, child or prophet
• it is a sustaining power
• it is a declaration of truth
• it is a spiritual witness

after the girl's guessed it was "a testimony", i reread the list.

then, i asked one of the girls to come up and put the picture together (i did not give her the 5 face pieces).  of course it was difficult to do without the main parts of the picture.

i compared this to trying to live life without a firm testimony built upon the foundations of the gospel. i then brought out the 5 face pieces i had set aside.  one by one i put them up and explained what they stood for.

1. a testimony that God lives and loves us.
2. a testimony that Jesus Christ lives, is the Son of God and carried out the infinite atonement.
3. a testimony that Joseph Smith was the prophet called to restore Christ's church to the earth.
4. a testimony that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's true church upon the earth today.
5. a testimony that we are led by a living prophet.

i explained that we must have a testimony of these 5 things in order to stay strong and converted to the gospel.  with these foundations in place, our testimony will grow to include all of the principles of the gospel.

talk about gospel principles or other things that the girls might have a testimony of, like young women's, church sports, or the social part of church.  talk about how these are not strong enough foundations to keep you converted and active in the church.

--at some point, relying on someone else's testimony or only having a testimony of church auxiliaries or "surface" principles will not be enough.  it won't keep you safe from temptation,  it won't keep you active in the church, it won't get you to the temple to make covenants and perform sacred ordinances.  it will not get you back to the presence of Heavenly Father.

what do we need to do to earn a testimony?  (i used the remaining 12 picture pieces for each the ways to gain a testimony.  i put up each piece in the right place as i talked about it so that when we had talked about all 12 items, the picture was complete.)

1. desire - righteous and sincere (alma 32:27)
2. study scriptures, ponder (alma 32:28)
3. ask in faith (james 1:5)
4. keep the commandments (1 nephi 15:11)
5. fasting (alma 5:46)
6. attend all church meetings (quote by Robert D Hales - " in these perilous times it is not enough for our youth to merely know.  they must do.  wholehearted participation in ordinances, quorums and auxiliaries, inspired programs, and fortifying activities helps youth to put on the whole armor of God.")
7. good works, serve others (john 7:17)
8. serve in church callings willingly, no matter the position
9. hear others bear their testimony
10. share your testimony
11. show gratitude, be grateful (mornoni 10:3)
12. continue your efforts... work!  some blessings require work and a testimony requires effort on our part.

 (by now the picture of Jesus Christ was complete and i talked about how when we have worked to build a testimony based upon the foundations of the church, it is easier to see the "big picture" and stay strong in the faith.)

how do we receive a testimony?  (i passed out some quotes for the girls to read and we discussed each after they were read.)

quote from Pres Dieter F Uchtdorf - "we receive this testimony when the Holy Spirit speaks to the spirit within us." 

quote from  True to the Faith: Testimony - "no one receives a complete testimony all at once."  after reading this quote, we referenced Alma 5:45-46.  even Alma fasted and prayed for many days to receive the testimony that he had.

why do we need our own testimony?  (again, i passed out some quotes for the girls to read and we discussed each.)

quote by Richard G Scott - "a strong testimony is the sustaining power of a successful life."

quote by Pres Dieter F Uchtdorf - "our firm testimony will motivate us to change ourselves and then bless the world.

i didn't end up doing this next part even though it was part of my plan.  instead i shared some personal experiences about my testimony being strengthened.  i also asked for the girls and leaders to share some experiences of when their testimonies had been strengthened and increased. 

i had planned to share another quote from Pres Uchtdorf's talk. 

 "A testimony provides proper perspective, motivation, and a solid foundation on which to build a life of purpose and personal growth. It is a constant source of confidence, a true and faithful companion during good times and bad. A testimony provides us with a reason for hope and gladness. It helps us cultivate a spirit of optimism and happiness and enables us to rejoice in the beauties of nature. A testimony motivates us to choose the right at all times and in all circumstances. It motivates us to draw nearer to God, allowing Him to draw nearer to us (see James 4:8).  Our personal testimony is a protective shield, and like an iron rod it is guiding us safely through darkness and confusion."

i took strips of paper and wrote out the different advantages and blessing a testimony provides as explained in this quote.  blessings such as, proper perspective, motivation, a solid foundation, constant source of confidence, true and faithful companion, reason for hope and gladness, spirit of optimism and happiness, draw nearer to God, God drawing nearer to us, a protective shield, etc...

i had planned to hand these strips out and then have each girl explain how a testimony could provide them with that blessing.  but, like i said i felt prompted to go a different direction.

i printed out a cute little handout and gave them a little gift to remind them of my devotional, i'll post that another day.