With New Beginnings around the corner, we hope these links to some fun ideas will jump start your planning.
Leap into Personal Progress :: Cute Young Women Value Cards :: Live Like You Believe theme idea and invites :: Shine Forth Treat and Handout :: Board Pass Invitations to Enjoy the Journey :: Kick off To New Beginnings :: Another Cute Enjoy the Journey Idea (scroll down for the good stuff) :: September 2011 New Era
Please let us know when you have your New Beginnings dates and times on the calendar. Come snow, ice or wind – we want to be there.
:: Last night I had the privilege of attending and offering a few thoughts at the Portsmouth Ward Young Women Teacher Training. What a wonderful evening. Simple and yet so inspiring.
Sister Martin, Sister Lyon and Sister Hammel each taught from Teaching, No Greater Call. We learned about the importance of daily personal preparation in addition to lesson preparation, ways of inviting and maintaining the Spirit in the classroom, and one of the most important elements: teaching with love.
We watched excerpts from a World Wide Training on teaching and discussed ways we can (and will) seek to implement these principles not only in our callings, but in our families as well. I enjoyed the gentle spurs of the Holy Ghost teaching me what I can improve and how I can go about improving. I invite each of you to continue to discuss the doctrines, principles and applications of the importance of being a teacher.
Briefly, I want to share an insight that came to me as I prepared for the evening.
The other day while I was pondering a particular passage from the Book of Mormon, I was led to re-read the parable of the Good Samaritan. I have read this parable for what seems like 1000 times or more. But this time, I learned something entirely new.
Luke 10: 30-31
30 A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and awounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
It occurred to me that our sweet and remarkable Young Women are much like the traveler. I imagined them journeying through the world today, particularly along the roads of middle and high school. Can you picture them falling among metaphorical thieves of the Latter-days which may strip them of their raiment, wound their hearts and leave them half spiritually dead?
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
There are those who have the ability to help our Girls, but for whatever reasons, like the Priest and the Levite, pass them by.
Mercifully, the Samaritan – representing our Savior – stops (think of that)…and helps.
In what I consider to be the most beautiful atonement language of the New Testament, we read about wounds being tenderly bound, oil and wine cleansing the injuries, and the traveler being carried to an inn to be further cared for.
33 But a certain aSamaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had bcompassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took acare of him.
In a millisecond, while finishing out verse 34, my mind reviewed the rest of the story and I was about to end my reading there. But the thought occurred to me “What about the inn-keeper?”
As you read the following verse, think about the role each of us has as a teacher/leader in the organization for Young Women . . .
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the ahost [inn-keeper], and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. (italics mine)
Sisters, note that the innkeeper does not have permanent custody of the traveler any more than we have permanent custody of our Young Women. That is the role of their parents. Yet, our Savior places them temporarily in our care and then gives us talents, revelation, prayer, prophets, scriptures, the priesthood and so many other divinely granted “pence” to help us as we labor with Him to spiritually strengthen our Girls.
I testify that we are all keepers of the inn for His Daughters. If we serve Him by charitably serving and faith-fully teaching our families and our Young Women, He will “pay” to us all that He has when He comes again.
With Love & Gratitude,
Shannon
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