Recognition

I've been in the Young Women's presidency since we moved into our ward, about 3 1/2 years ago.  We have a pretty small ward (where everyone has 2-3 callings) so we pretty much just have a presidency -no advisers or teachers and we've had a few different personal progress leaders that have come and gone.  It's not like we have a lot of girls either... right now we have 5 or 6 that come regularly, which is the most we've had the whole time I've been with them.  

It seems like every time we've been in between personal progress leaders I've tried to take the lead, and in the process, I had completed about half of the leaders requirements to earn their medallion. (Sorry, this post is full of 'mormon lingo' so it might not make much sense to people not involved in the church.)  When our last personal progress leader had her baby a few months ago I took a look at my book and decided that I wanted to earn my Young Women's Medallion by completing all of the requirements.  

I did it a hundred years ago when I was a youth, and received not one, but 4 different necklaces because the program was set up differently back then.  The final medallion looked like this

This past Tuesday (unbeknownst to me) at our Stake's Young Women's in Excellence (yes, we do it on a stake level, most of the wards in the area are as small as ours) I was awarded this medallion for completing the new Young Women's program.  

I loved Young Women's as a youth growing up.  I loved my leaders, the lessons, the weekly activities, Girls camp and the activities we had with the Stake and Young Men.  Most of those experiences along with attending seminary, definitely laid the foundation for my testimony of the gospel and our church.  I have loved working the the girls, and the leaders.  I don't think I had ever been apart of a presidency before, and I absolutely loved the association with the women I have worked with over the years.  

We have to speak (the Young Women's presidency) in church this Sunday and I've been reading and re-reading the theme that we recite each week.  

WE ARE DAUGHTERS of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. WE WILL “STAND as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9) as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are:

Faith • Divine Nature • Individual Worth • Knowledge • Choice and Accountability • Good Works • Integrity • and Virtue

WE BELIEVE as we come to accept and act upon these values, WE WILL BE PREPARED to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

What an awesome thing for our Young Women to believe in.  I shared this on Kate's blog, but one of the first weeks I had her in class with me and we were standing together as women reciting this theme, I was overcome with emotion and the knowledge that I was holding a daughter of God.  I hope that Kate develops a love of the Young Women's program and it will also lay a strong foundation for her testimony which I hope will be strong enough to keep her close to the Lord and happy the rest of her life.