Sister Gina Udy: Portsmouth Ward Young Women President.
I've been thinking about your email this week, and after meeting yesterday [for a new Young Women President training] I thought of something I could share. You kept using the phrases, "sift out the dark; pull out the light," when we spoke. I liked that enough that I wrote it down in my notes to share with my presidency. It got me thinking today about the video they showed at the broadcast with the young woman heading out into the world on her way to the temple, and seeing things on her journey that reminded her of spiritual things. I think we can all do that - as we go about our day, train our minds to see the light around us, seek the good…start using our spiritual eyes. It's something I'm going to strive for.
Sister Kris Draney: Derry Ward Young Women President.
Sitting next to me as I watched the Young Women General Meeting was my seven year old daughter, Lorelai. Having armed her with a new pack of crayons and a stack of paper, I had high hopes that she would happily entertain herself during the meeting. Part ways through the first talk I noticed Lorelai
intently watching Sis. Dibb as she spoke of holy places. When Sis. Dibb finished, my sweet and innocent daughter declared that she planned to read scriptures in her bedroom so it could be her holy place. Lorelai showed me pictures she had drawn of all the places she considered to be holy. My heart overflowed with love for this precious spirit. I was overcome not only with my love for her, but the love her Heavenly Father has for his Daughter.
My heart swelled further as I looked at her drawings and saw a picture of our family gathered in a hospital room. Sis. Dibb’s words were immediately brought to my mind:
“To you young women I offer Elder Holland’s words: ‘You can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life … , while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced.’ In other words, just like the Prophet Joseph Smith, you can create and stand in holy places even in the hardest times you have ever experienced” (March 2013 Young
Women General Meeting).
My dearest husband recently spent several days in the cardiac ICU as a result of his medical condition. In a time filled with fear and uncertainty, our family was visited with the comforting presence of the Holy Ghost. We felt a strengthening of our family and a renewed promise that our bonds were eternal. Lorelai recognized that for us, standing together as a family and seeking the Lord in our time of need, made that hospital room a holy place.
As a leader it is my sincere desire to help my young women know that they too can find a holy place where they can receive comfort and stand strong in the arms of their Heavenly Father. I want my daughter and my girls to understand President Uchtdorf’s promise that we are not alone on this journey. Our Heavenly Father knows us; he loves us perfectly and knows our needs. Because we are never alone, even in the midst of trials we can stand in holy places and be not moved.
Sister Alison Hardisty: Exeter Ward Young Women President.
After listening to General Conference I always feel a sense of renewal, the Holy Ghost has filled me up once again and I feel fully charged and ready to serve the Lord and His beloved daughters. The one part of conference I want to write about is in our beloved Sister Dalton’s talk. We are all so sad that she has been released since we feel especially close to her after her visit with us last summer. She has served the Lord well and deserves a much needed “break”. In her talk “We Are Daughters of Our Heavenly Father” she talks about the importance of knowing that we are “known by a loving Heavenly Father”. And we are not alone. The phrase “What-e’re thou art, act well thy part” struck a deep chord in my heart as I felt the spirit testify so strongly, that her message was true, for us as leaders and for our sweet young women that we have stewardship over. She says “Heavenly Father knows me and has a plan for my life”, what a comforting truth, so simply stated, yet so powerful. I applied to my life and I also thought of my Exeter Ward Young Women who are in the midst of their pre-teen and teenage years and are making some big decisions. As they choose their path in faith, knowing that a loving Heavenly Father is there for them and guiding them, what comfort that will be to their minds. Indecision and insecurity will leave their thoughts and peace will fill their bodies. I know this to be true and I say it in
the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sister Theresa Whitman: Georgetown Ward Young Women President.
I was touched by many small pieces of conference, and profoundly moved by a few specific talks, but what is most inspiring to me is the effect that my calling has had on my overall General Conference experience. Because I was engaged in Conference not only for myself and my family but also for each young woman individually, our Young Women group as a whole, and my counselors, I picked up on themes that I might otherwise have missed. I felt uplifted and reinforced each time something that I've been striving to get through to our Young Women was highlighted, and found inspiration and renewed energy when recognizing something new (or even just a new way to say something) that is important for our group to work on.
One of the themes I found is the idea that we are not behind; it is okay to make a change and begin right where we are if we find we have changes to make. President Uchtdorf's talk, "The Hope of God's Light," and Elder Holland's talk, "Lord, I Believe," especially spoke to this point, though it was present throughout the sessions. I find that it can be overwhelming to look at the changes we need to make, but if we simply start where we are and acknowledge what we already DO have going for us, especially in terms of testimony and faith, the task can be less daunting. I know in my ward, many of the Young Women truly lack confidence in their testimonies and in their faith. They don't recognize the faith they have because they are so wrapped up in what they don't have, especially when they compare themselves to others. It's important to me to turn this on it's head with our group, and quickly, because I think it's a common problem for members of all ages. Instilling confidence by getting them to acknowledge the areas they already have faith and testimony, even if the number is small, can help them see that it is worth the effort to grow their faith and testimony in other gospel principles they may not be so sure of. Letting them know that it is good to look at where they actually are and giving permission to start there with baby steps is something we try to do as a presidency, and I'm grateful for the eloquent way President Uchtdorf and Elder Holland express this.
I have a personal story to go with that. During Elder Holland's talk, he spoke of the young man who couldn't say that the church is true, but who believed that it is. This story really spoke to me because of an experience I had at Girls Camp last year. In planning the testimony evening, I asked one of our Youth Leaders if she would be willing and prepared to "go" in case of a quiet spot (my first year at Girls Camp testimony meeting--I was obviously naive!). She looked right at me and gave me her honest answer that she could not, because she was still working on a testimony. I was a little surprised but kept my response supportive and thanked her for her honesty. How I wish now that I had been prepared for her reply! What a great opportunity it would have been to open up the discussion as Elder Holland did, emphasizing the importance of belief in the face of uncertain knowledge, letting her work out through discussion what she already DOES have in faith! I am thankful for this story, and now feel prepared to open up the discussion with the very same girl this year. It's an easy conversation to start, given that she'll be in my group again this year, and I'm grateful to have that guidance as a way to make right my missed opportunity.
I'll spare you the details of all the themes I am pondering, but I will share that I was also especially inspired by Elder Bednar's talk on chastity. Oddly, it's not the subject itself (though I understand its importance), but the way he presented it, that struck me. Elder Bednar covered so many different issues that we have been discussing in our Young Women organization, particularly in our Laurel group. The importance of understanding the Plan of Salvation, which we have been really working with, is so pervasive in this talk and Elder Bednar's succinct, direct way of speaking brings the concepts to life clearly. I'm a big fan of his analogy that guilt from sin is to the spirit what a wound is to the body, and that more serious wounds require more intensive care, and--importantly--more time to heal. I can see this being an analogy we use over and over throughout the year, and I'm grateful for it. I believe Elder Bednar to be someone who is especially relatable to the youth in New England in particular, and that he took on this sometimes-tricky gospel principle in clear terms is important; that his talk tied in so many other things that the Georgetown Young Women are addressing in particular is a bonus.
