Personal Progress Virtue Project Complete

Well, almost.  I just need to finish the last part of it.

The Virtue project is this:

The Savior chose to live a virtuous life. Follow His admonition to “learn of me” (D&C 19:23) by reading the entire Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Liken the scriptures to your life and circumstances. As you read, record your thoughts regularly in your journal. Note the example of the Savior. What did He and those who followed Him do to live virtuous lives? At the completion of your reading, record your testimony.

I started this project back at the beginning of this year.  I blogged about my progress back here, where I stated I wanted to finish reading by the time I went to girl's camp.  I'm only a couple of months late....

This is what I read last night.  The last chapter and verse of the Book of Mormon.

As I read, I recorded thoughts and feelings in the margins of the book.  As a result, I've decided that the church needs to publish a Book of Mormon with at least 2-inch blank margins around the edges for writing thoughts.  My hubby heard me say this and made me the sweetest thing for Mother's Day this past May.  But that's another story for a different day.

Now comes the last part, writing my testimony of the Book of Mormon in the lovely space provided for me in my Personal Progress book.  

I took this picture before I wrote in my book because I was thinking that these feelings might be too personal for my blog.  Then I had to stop and think for a minute.  My feelings and beliefs about the Book of Mormon shouldn't be private.  I shouldn't be afraid or intimidated to share these feelings with others.  But, I'm not ready to do that yet.

Personal Progress Integrity Value Experience #3

I've slowed down a little on completing my Personal Progress. (what is personal progress?  find out here.) For the past couple of weeks, I have been working on Integrity Value Experience #3.

The Savior is the perfect example of integrity; He did what He promised the Father He would do. Read 3 Nephi 11:10–11. Study the lives of other individuals in the scriptures who lived with integrity. Read Genesis 39; the book of Esther;Job 2:3; 27:3–6; Daniel 3 and 6; Acts 26; Doctrine and Covenants 124:15; and Joseph Smith—History 1:21–25. In your journal identify the ways these people demonstrated integrity. Think of a time when you had the courage to show integrity, especially when it was not easy or popular. Share your experience and your feelings about it in a testimony meeting or lesson or with a parent or leader.

This experience requires quite a bit of reading, so I have been working on reading the chapters here and there and then writing down my thoughts.  I wanted to put something together that I could glue in my study journal and this is what I came up with.

If you are not going to be pasting this into a study journal, you can print it on sheet by setting your printer setting to "print on both sides" or by printing page 1 and then flipping the page over and printing page 2 on the other side.

Integrity Value Experience 3 Worksheet by Wendy H

The cute little flower graphic came from mormonshare.com, which you can find here.

Why is family important? Come Follow Me - August Lesson

"Without the family, there is no plan; there is no reason for mortal life."  Julie B. Beck

This Sunday I will be leading the discussion for our combined young women lesson.  My topic question is why is family important?

Way back in February, I taught the combined YW lesson on the Plan of Salvation.  I posted a little bit about it here.  Since Sister Beck says that without the family there is no plan, I decided to go back and review my notes for that lesson.  

The main point of my lesson back in February was that a discussion of the Plan of Salvation was not complete without a discussion of:

1. The Creation
2. The Fall
3. The Atonement

These 3 events make our progression back to our Heavenly Father possible.  Without these three events, we cannot progress from Pre-Earth life to Mortality and eventually back to God.

So what does this have to do with the family?  Well, Sister Beck says it best.  

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a theology of the family that is based on the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. The Creation of the earth provided a place where families could live. God created a man and a woman who were the two essential halves of a family. It was part of Heavenly Father’s plan that Adam and Eve be sealed and form an eternal family.

The Fall provided a way for the family to grow. Adam and Eve were family leaders who chose to have a mortal experience. The Fall made it possible for them to have sons and daughters.

The Atonement allows for the family to be sealed together eternally. It allows for families to have eternal growth and perfection. The plan of happiness, also called the plan of salvation, was a plan created for families. 

In The Family: A Proclamation to the World we read these truths about the family unit:

• "The family is ordained of God..."
• "...the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children."
• "...the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets."
• the family is the fundamental unit of society.

In today's world, the family is under attack. Also from Sister Beck,

...Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Public policies are being made every day that are anti-family, and the definition of family is changing legally around the world. Pornography is rampant. For those who create pornography, their new target audience is young women. Parents are being portrayed as inept and out of touch. Antifamily media messages are everywhere. Youth are being desensitized about the need to form eternal families.

We see how this can happen when we read the words of Korihor, an anti-Christ: “Thus he did preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness, yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit whoredoms” (Alma 30:18). Satan knows that he will never have a body; he will never have a family. So he targets young women, who will create the bodies for the future generations.

Korihor was an anti-Christ. Anti-Christ is anti-family. Any doctrine or principle our youth hear from the world that is anti-family is also anti-Christ. It’s that clear.

So what is to be done and what direction do I take with my lesson this Sunday?  As you can probably tell thus far, I was really impressed with Sister Beck's address to seminary and institute of religion teachers entitled, Teaching the Doctrine of the Family.  In her address, she says that "Our role in this is to teach [the youth] so they don’t misunderstand. We must be very clear on key points of doctrine, which we find in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”  This generation will be called upon to defend the doctrine of the family as never before. If they don’t know it, they can’t defend it. "

There was my answer as to what to teach this Sunday.  I need to find out what they are hearing from the world about the family and teach them the correct doctrine from the scriptures, the words of modern-day prophets and last but certainly not least, The Family Proclamation.

To prepare, I came up with some "world teachings" about the family that I have heard.  I made a "T" chart in my study journal and on one side I listed what "The World Says" and on the other, I listed what "We Say" (meaning The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).  I think it is also important to point out to my young women that "the world" can be friends, relatives, or people they might look up to.  It can be anyone who is teaching you something that is contrary to God's laws and commandments.

For my lesson, I will start by discussing how the family fits in with The Creation, The Fall, and The Atonement.  Then I will explain that Satan knows the importance of families and is currently working hard to distort not only the world's view of the family but more importantly, their (meaning my young women's) view of the family.

Then I will ask the girls to list things that they hear the world say about the family.  What does the world teach them about the family?  What changes they have noticed in family dynamics?  What do the TV shows, song lyrics, and movies they watch say about the way families should be?  What do they hear from their peers about what makes a family?

I will list their answers on individual sheets of paper and place them on the floor in a big "T" graph under "The World Says:" (I plan to make my "T" graph with blue painter's tape).  If some of the answers are similar in nature, I will add it to the same sheet of paper.

Once we've listed a bunch of these "worldly" teachings, I will split the girls and leaders into groups.  I will pass out copies of The Family: A Proclamation to the World (having each group focus on a separate paragraph), scripture references that are covered in the lesson outline - as well as some others I found appropriate, and quotes from modern day prophets regarding these topics.  

Before I give them some time to read through their reference material, I will explain that I would like them to look for what "We Say" in response to each idea the world is teaching them about the family.  I will ask them to write down the reference or paragraph number on a sheet of paper and what is being taught.  Then I will turn them loose to read and discuss in their groups.

When it looks like the discussion is winding down, I will go around the room, group by group, and ask them to come up and place their papers on the "We Say" side of the "T" graph - across from the worldly teaching they are clarifying with church doctrine. I will also ask them to explain how their reference discounts the world's teachings.  

So hopefully when we are all done, it will sort of look like my scripture journal above, just in a larger format.

I'm sure that my Young Women will come up with more awesome insights than I could because they are just that incredible.  And I'm not worried about not having a scripture reference to cover whatever it is that they come up with for worldly teachings because The Family: A Proclamation to the World will cover anything they can throw out there.

Also, before I end my lesson, I will point out that much of what we covered in the lesson can be counted toward Personal Progress Integrity Value Experience #7. 

List the issues, trends, and problems that weaken the family. Read the First Presidency message, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”, and the section on family in For the Strength of Youth. Then research in the Church magazines the counsel of those whom we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. Write in your journal your plan to strengthen your present family and the values and traditions you want to establish with your future family.

I also made a sheet that my girls can glue into their study notebooks to take notes if they chose to do that.

Any ideas or suggestion for me before my lesson on Sunday?

Update: Many have asked for pictures of my journal or a filled out T chart.  I've had them on the blog before, but found myself under scrutiny from readers (not nice comments) for it not being all-inclusive, so I pulled them down. I'm putting them back up so that people can use them, but please don't comment and tell me what they are missing.  Please understand that I never intended for these pages to contain everything, nor do I hope that they do.  My intention posting this was to give other YW leaders ideas, not give them a lesson they didn't have to prepare themselves.  My notes are not all-inclusive and are missing topics such as gay marriage, fornication, cohabitation, and I'm sure a myriad of other worldly teachings. 

Ask your girls for the issues they see in the world.  Don't give them the answers.  I know that if you wait for your girls to answer, and don't give them too much help, they will come up with the issues that they see and are faced with. It will give you great insight into their worlds. 

personal progress - virtue value experience #2

the other day i completed value experience #2 for virtue.

Virtuous living “at all times and in all things, and in all places” qualifies you for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. When you are baptized and confirmed, you are given the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide all aspects of your life. Since the Holy Ghost does not dwell in unclean tabernacles, living a virtuous life is a prerequisite to having the companionship of the Holy Ghost and receiving the blessings of temple ordinances. Read the following scripture references and identify the promised blessings: John 14:26–27; 15:26; 2 Nephi 32:1–5; and Doctrine and Covenants 45:57–59; 88:3–4; 121:45–46. In your journal record what you have learned, and write about a time when you felt the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

i got out my study journal and got to work reading the scripture references and looking for the promised blessings of having the Holy Ghost as a constant companion.

lots of good stuff.

anyone else out there in blogland working on personal progress?  i'd love to hear what you do to keep it interesting and your tips on getting the most out of what you are studying.

personal progress virtue value experience #1

i recently completed the first value experience for virtue.

Virtue is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards. It includes chastity and purity. The power to create mortal life is an exalted power God has given His children. He has commanded that this power be used only between a man and a woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife. Study the meaning and importance of chastity and virtue by reading Moroni 9:9; Jacob 2:28; “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”; and the section on sexual purity in For the Strength of Youth. Also read Article of Faith number thirteen and Proverbs 31:10–31. In your journal write the promised blessings of being sexually clean and pure and your commitment to be chaste.

 so, i pulled out my study journal and got to work.

the cute little "virtue" sticker that you can barely see in the top of the picture is from here.

all of the scriptures and references that i read for this value experience reminded me of a talk from our last general conference.  it's elder david a. bednar's talk, we believe in being chaste. 

some of the passages i read really struck a chord with me.  first, in for the strenfth of youth: sexual purity, it says, "physical intimacy between husband and wife is beautiful and sacred."  so often i hear people say that sex is dirty and bad and that the church teaches us it is dirty and bad.  right here, we find the exact opposite.  while it can be used as a dirty and secular thing, the LDS church does not view it that way when it is used as the Lord has commanded.  elder bednar explains how the world views sexual intimacy when he says,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a single, undeviating standard of sexual morality: intimate relations are proper only between a man and a woman in the marriage relationship prescribed in God’s plan. Such relations are not merely a curiosity to be explored, an appetite to be satisfied, or a type of recreation or entertainment to be pursued selfishly. They are not a conquest to be achieved or simply an act to be performed. Rather, they are in mortality one of the ultimate expressions of our divine nature and potential and a way of strengthening emotional and spiritual bonds between husband and wife.

another thing that stuck out to me is from the reference i was asked to read in proverbs 31, verse 11.

"The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her..."

i was curious about this particular verse and so i did a search using this reference and found a talk given in general conference by barbara b. smith entitled, a safe place for marriages and families.   of this passage of scripture, sister smith says,

"This memorable line discloses, first, that the husband has entrusted his heart to his wife, and second, that she safeguards it. They seem to understand an important truth, that every man and woman who covenant to establish a family must create a safe place for their love."

i of course believe that this goes both ways.  meaning the husband and the wife both have the responsibility to entrust their hearts to the other and each in turn has a sacred responsibility to safeguard their partner's heart.  to me this means that we fully give ourselves to our spouse and to no one, or to nothing else in any way.

virtue experience #3 worksheet

for our mia maid activity this evening, we decided to work on personal progress - virtue experience #3.  to help guide the girls in our discussion, i made up this sheet for them to fill out.  we will still read the whole chapter, but this form will help guide our discussion.

it's two pages, so just print front and back on one sheet.

Virtue Value Experience 3 by Wendy Harwood

i know it doesn't include all of the verses that have questions, but some of the questions didn't really apply, in my opinion, so i didn't include them on this sheet.

i got the basic idea for this worksheet from here, but wanted to include more verses, so i tweaked it and made my own.

personal progress - faith value project complete!

an update on my memorizing of "The Living Christ" for my faith value project

i am super excited to report that i am done!  i finished it!  i did it!  i memorized the entire thing!

personal progress good works value experience #3

i've been working on this experience for a week or so, good works #3.

Read Mosiah 18:7–10, and in your journal list three ways you can comfort others or help them bear their burdens. Do the things on your list, and tell a family member or leader about the experience and how your attitude and understanding have changed.

i started by printing out the verses that are referenced in the instructions.  i glued them in my study journal and then read through and highlighted the areas that we are asked to help others when we are baptized into Christ's church.

the second part of the experience is to list three ways you can comfort others or help them bear their burdens.  this was the hard part for me.  i really struggled to come up with things to do.  the things that i thought about were either too hard, too simple, too much effort, not enough time, too much time, etc...  

i finally got over it and decided to do the following:

1. go on the 3rd year hike for sis p, so she could stay home with her kids.  
2. write a heartfelt note to someone.
3. ?

i'm still waiting for inspiration to strike for #3.  any suggestions?

my first "service" item may seem weird.  when would i ever not want to spend time with some of the yw?  well, it just so happens that the hike was scheduled for the same saturday as the fathers and sons camp out.  so it would be necessary for me to make arrangements for someone to watch my girls while i went = time away from my family.  also, because i work full-time, saturdays are a hot commodity around my house = time away from cleaning and catching up on things.  but it was worth it for sis p to be able to stay home with her kids and i, of course, had a good time - even while learning to use a compass in a downpour!

personal progress integrity value experience #2

completed value experience #2 for integrity.

Conduct a self-assessment of your personal integrity. Ask yourself the following questions: Do I avoid gossip, inappropriate jokes, swearing and profanity, and being light-minded about sacred subjects? Am I completely truthful, morally clean, honest, dependable, and trustworthy in my schoolwork and other activities? 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.

to answer all of the self -assessment questions contained in this value experience, i decided to type them up and paste the paper into my study journal and then answer the question.

i then went through and answered the questions as honestly as i could.  it would have been really easy for me to lie to myself while answering these questions, but the whole point of this value is to be honest, and that includes being honest with yourself.

some of these questions were really easy for me to answer.  some of these things are not struggles for me.  some of them are.  while there are areas that i need to make improvements, there are also areas that i am really happy with where i am.

after i answered the questions, i also thought about how i can make improvements on the areas where i struggle.

sometimes i can get down on myself when i complete activities like this, because i am not perfect!  i know shocker!!  but i'm not.  i came across this graphic the other day and it really struck me.  success is not perfection.  success is when i keep trying and keep moving forward.

credit

so, when you do value experiences that help you see your weaknesses, don't get discouraged or down on yourself.  focus on your progress and what you can do to make your weaknesses less of a weakness.

more personal progress here.

personal progress - choice & accountability value experience #1

i recently completed my personal progress value experience #1 for choice and accountability

A daughter of God can make wise decisions and solve problems. Read 1 Nephi 15:8; 2 Nephi 32:3; Alma 34:19–27; Ether 2–3; and Doctrine and Covenants 9:7–9. Follow a pattern of regular scripture study and prayer to receive help in making personal decisions such as choosing good friends, being kind to others, getting up on time, or other decisions. Discuss with a parent or leader how regular scripture study and prayer helped you make correct decisions.

first i started by reading the outlined scriptures and writing my notes in my scripture journal.

for each scripture reference, i wrote how i felt that the scripture could be applied to "how regular scripture study and prayer" help us make correct decisions.

since i am already trying to read my scriptures daily and pray daily, that part of this experience was pretty much already taken care of.

then i discussed with nathan how he thought reading scriptures and praying help us to make good decision and wrote that in my journal.

other personal progress posts, here.

personal progress faith project check-in

this is where i am currently.  i have this whole page basically memorized, but it is still a little rusty.

the middle part of this paragraph was easy because it is a scripture reference that i hear quite frequently, so I knew basically what it said.  but it was still a little bit of a challenge to get all of the words just right and in the right order.

sometimes i want to add extra an extra "the" or "and" or an "s" on the end of a word.

so i will polish it up this weekend and then start on next week's poster:

personal progress - integrity value experience #1

i recently began working on value experience #1 for integrity.

Integrity is the willingness and desire to live by our beliefs and standards. Read Moroni 10:30–33 and think about what it means to “deny yourselves of all ungodliness.” Read the pamphlet For the Strength of Youth. Reflect on how the Lord’s standards differ from the world’s standards. Record in your journal appropriate standards for behavior, dress, and conversation, as well as literature, movies, television, Internet, music, cell phones, and other media. Also write your plan to stay morally clean and worthy to attend the temple. After keeping your standards for at least one month, record your feelings in your journal and continue to keep your commitment.

i started by printing out  the scripture in Moroni to paste into my journal. sorry it's a little blurry.

i also referred heavily to the For the Strength of Youth notes that i wrote down for the choice & accountability value experience #2.

then i wrote what i felt were the appropriate standards for behavior, dress, conversation, etc...  if i had to do it over again, i would only write the standards and not break them up by each individual scenario as many of them are the same standard.

finally, you need to write your plan to stay morally clean and be worthy to enter the temple.  then you need to live these standards for a month.

since i have already been to the temple, my plan was different than it would be for someone who is working towards the temple.  

so, now to live my standards for a month.  i don't watch very much tv anymore and the only books i read are either the Book of Mormon or church magazines to prepare for my lessons, so avoiding anything inappropriate should be pretty easy there.  there are a few shows that are temptations for me though.  they are funny but not always appropriate, so this will be good for me.

the hard one for me is going to be my conversation and behavior.  especially working on not speaking in anger....  

definitely going to need some divine help there.  anyone out there in blogland also working on personal progress?  how's it coming along for you?

personal progress - faith value experience #3

the faith value experience #3 requirement are:

Living gospel principles requires faith. Read about faith in the Bible Dictionaryor True to the Faith. Faith in the Savior Jesus Christ leads to action. Choose a principle such as prayer, tithing, fasting, repentance, or keeping the Sabbath day holy. In your own home or another setting, plan and present a family home evening lesson about how faith helps you live that gospel principle. If possible, ask a family member to share an experience that has strengthened his or her faith. Share your own experiences as well. In your journal write down one of those experiences and describe your feelings about faith.

since fasting is always a struggle at our house, i decided to do my fhe lesson on fasting.

i utilized a great lesson plan put together by thegoldenseven.blogspot.com.  my kids especially loved the game of building their spiritual fasting muscles.

i asked nathan to share an experience of when fasting has helped increase his faith.  he shared stories from his mission when he and his companions would fast for investigators, to find investigators, or when they needed help with certain things during their mission.

i also asked my mom, a few days later, to share an experience that strengthened her faith.  she shared an experience about a time she finished reading the Book of Mormon.  she had prayed about Moroni's promise prior to starting to read that day, knowing that she would finish the book.  as soon as she finished, she received her witness that the Book or Mormon is the word of God.  i don't want to go into too much detail about it because it was a personal experience, but her sharing this experience with me strengthened my faith as well.

another personal progress - faith value project update

just another check-in on my progress.

i am now working on the poster for week 7 and have memorized the first sentence.  this is a long one and it kind of scares me a little.

i'm trying to come up with more ways to keep me going.  progress is a little slower than i had hoped.  but i think i need to give myself a little more credit.

• i am caring for four children and a husband - cooking, cleaning, homework, quality time, etc...
• i am working outside my home full-time.
• i have a calling that requires my attention every sunday and one evening every week, not to mention time spent during the week preparing lessons.
• i am trying to finish the book of mormon before i head to girl's camp the first week in june. (trying to pass of my value project for virtue.)
• i am helping to plan and carryout our ward's youth trek the week after girl's camp.
• working on my character flaws (gasp... i know it is shocking to learn that i am not perfect)
• taking care of myself... sometimes :)

that's a lot of stuff to do all at once.  sometimes i need to step back and realize that i'm not super woman.  i am a super - woman.  but i am not super woman.  i don't have magical powers beyond the limitations of my human body and mind.  

plus i need to realize and be grateful that i am able to do all of the things.  i love my family.  i love that i am happier in my mother role these days than have ever been and it is because i have taken the opportunity to do more and be more at home.  i still have room for improvement there, but my progress thus far is pretty good.

i love my calling!  the young woman in my ward are amazing.  the new curriculum we are teaching from this year is challenging me in so many ways, but the rewards are equally great.  i am learning and growing in ways i thought only happened to other people.  i'm sure over time, my lessons will get better but i'm still making progress.

the book of mormon is becoming "delicious" to me.  don't know how else to explain it.

i am making progress in what i see as my character flaws.  i am FAR from perfect, mind you.  but i do see improvements.  this past week (nathan would say 2 weeks) was rough.  with the outside commitments i have going on and the progress i am trying to make inside my home, throw in a double shot of hormones (tmi???) and you've set yourself up for the perfect storm.  i'm glad to say that i weathered this storm far better than i would have a year ago.

i'm not sure what my point was here and i believe i've just started rambling.  at any rate... even though memorizing "The Living Christ" is taking longer than i had desired, i am making progress.  and i am making progress in other areas of my life and that is what personal progress is about after all.

an update for personal progress - faith value project

i blogged last week that i was memorizing "The Living Christ".  well, i am making progress.  it's slower progress than i would like, but it is still progress.  i am currently on my 5th poster and have memorized to the word, "mankind".

this week's poster is easier than last week's poster.  don't know what it was about last week's poster, but i struggled to remember the order and wording.

i'll check in again in about a week.  gotta keep myself accountable to keep going.

personal progress - knowledge value experience #1

completed another personal progress experience.  this time it was knowlege value experience #1.  the requirements are:

Learn about the importance of gaining knowledge by reading Proverbs 1:5; 4:7; 2 Nephi 28:30; and Doctrine and Covenants 88:78–80, 118; 90:15; 130:18–19; 131:6. Think about why you need to gain knowledge and understanding about how to apply gospel principles to your present and future home and family life. Write in your journal what you have learned about knowledge, and discuss it with a family member or Young Women leader.

in keeping with tradition, i pulled out my study journal and went to work.  i looked up each scripture and thought about why we should try to gain knowledge and how we can apply what we learn to our family life.

i wrote the references for each scripture passage you are supposed to read and then wrote what stuck out to me in the verse(s). 

that cute little "knowledge" sticker? i got it here

once i finished reading all of the scripture references and writing how i can apply what i learn to my family life, i discussed it with nathan.  the poor guy can't do anything anymore without me spouting something about personal progress or what i recently read or thought about.

personal progress - individual worth value experience #1

recently, i completed individual worth value experience #1 for personal progress.

the requirements for this experience are:

You are a daughter of Heavenly Father, who knows you and loves you. Read Psalm 8:4–6; Jeremiah 1:5; John 13:34; Doctrine and Covenants 18:10; Abraham 3:22–23; and Joseph Smith—History 1:1–20. Write in your journal how these scriptures teach you that Heavenly Father knows you, loves you, and is mindful of you.

this was a pretty basic personal progress experience.  read a handful of scriptures, ponder about how they tell you that Heavenly Father knows you and loves you and then write it down.

(note: that cute little value sticker at the top of the page, i got it here)

so i got out my study journal and wrote down what i was looking for, "how do i know Heavenly Father loves me?"

then i wrote the scripture passage and what the scripture taught me about my Heavenly Father's love.  again, this is a personal thing, so my answers might not be the same answers you get. you may write more or less than i did.

personal progress - divine nature value experience #2

several weeks ago, our mia maid class decided to work together on divine nature value experience #2 for our class activity.

here are the requirements for divine nature #2:

As a young woman you are blessed with divine feminine qualities. Increase your understanding of and appreciation for womanhood. Read Proverbs 31:10–31 and two talks on womanhood from a conference issue of the Church magazines. Review what “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” says about being a wife and a mother. Then ask your mother or another mother you admire what she thinks are important attributes for being a mother. List the attributes in your journal. Then choose one of those attributes and strive to develop it. After two weeks report your success to a parent or leader.

to prepare for our night, our class presidency reminded each girl to bring her scriptures, personal progress book, and if possible, her mother to young women's with her.  they were also encouraged to bring a copy of a recent conference talk on womanhood.

also in preparation for our activity, i made copies of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" that were small enough to fit in each girl's study journal.  i also, printed copies of a few conference talks for each girl booklet style so that they could be glued into the binding of their study journals. 

i brought copies of these talks:

find talk here

find talk here

find talk here

at our activity we had big plans to discuss with the mothers what attributes they felt were important for motherhood, read the proclamation, and separate into groups to read the conference talks.  the girls would then decide which attributes they would like to work on for the next two weeks and we'd review with them in a couple of weeks.

we started with talking to the moms who came about the attributes they felt were important.  many of the girls took notes while they spoke.  then we started reading the family proclamation.  we each took turns reading a paragraph.  i asked the girls to stop whoever was reading when they felt like we had read an attribute of motherhood.  it was a little slow going at first - i felt like i was the only one stopping their reading to point out an attribute, but after a little bit the girls seemed more comfortable and started pointing them out on their own.  the girls brought up some great questions and we were lucky enough to have a member of the bishopric pop-in and join our discussion.  we were having such a great discussion that before we knew it our time was up!

i quickly distributed the copies of the conference talks that i had brought and went over the remainder of the value experience requirements with them to work on at home.

i finished the rest of the requirements on my own as well.

i read proverbs 31:10-31 and wrote the attributes of a wife an mother that i felt like they were talking about and wrote them in my study journal.

i read through the conference talks and marked what i felt was important relating to my role as a wife and mother.

one of my favorite quotes from Elder Holland's talk:

then i picked an attribute that i wanted to strive to develop for the next two weeks.  i chose to try and focus on, as Elder Holland put it, to "show others, including your children, the same caring, compassionate, forgiving heart you want heaven to show you..."  i also wrote a few ways that would help me in trying to develop this attribute.

i wish that i could say that i did stellar with my goal and that i accomplished it with no problems.  not so!  i've said it before, and i'll say it again. whenever i try harder to better myself, satan ALWAYS ups the ante.  that is not a reason to give up and i haven't, it just going to take a little longer than two weeks to get it right.  but i have had moments of clarity and times when i was able to listen to the spirit speaking inside me, instead of reacting with my "natural man" instincts.  it's all about PROGRESS!  it is after all called personal progress.