The Puppy And The Watchman

Hello darling Young Women....

It's been a while since I've written, but I want you to know that you have been on my mind very much.
We loved seeing the Mia Maids at the Mia Maid Conference - thank you for coming! We hope you enjoyed yourself and find yourself look forward to next year.
I am excited about Stake Girl's Camp coming up June 21-25! There are going to be many great activities including crazy sock day, crazy hair day and pink princess day. And the best part of all - we get to all hang out together!
I wanted to share something with you that happened when I was coming home from working out one morning. I was walking up a steep hill and in the middle of the road was an adorable little puppy.

The puppy was in a place where it couldn't see that there were cars coming over the top of the hill and there wouldn't be any time for the puppy to run to safety - it would be too late. The puppy was playing and rolling around; when I realized the danger, I tried to get the puppy's attention and get it to run to me.
In the scriptures there is the term "watchman"; anciently, a watchman was responsible to keep the surrounding country under surveillance from a spot on the watchtower, to identify any hostile force that invaded the land, and to warn citizens of the invasion.
The day I found the puppy, I was the watchman - I could see from a spot that the puppy couldn't that there was danger ahead and I needed to move the puppy to safety.
Each one of you are blessed with watchman; sometimes it's your parents, sometimes it's your leaders - but you need to take notice of them and realize that they can see what you can't.
I love you, dear young women. It is my hope and prayer that each one of you will take notice of the watchmen in your life and know that they can see things that you don't see yet. They love you and want the very best for you.
I love you and hope you have a great week. TTYL~

The Windows To The Temple

Dear Young Women,
It was wonderful to see so many of you on Saturday at our Young Women Recognition Dinner and Broadcast. I wanted to share some of the remarks I gave that night with you, because I want you to remember to always look out your spiritual windows toward the temple.I am humbled and privileged to share some thoughts with you. I want you to know how much I love you and hope you recognize that each of you are part of a noble generation and as righteous young women, your actions can and will change the world.
When I was a little girl, my parents used to pack up my sisters and I every summer and take us to Manti, Utah where we visited our great-aunt and watched The Mormon Miracle Pageant. The Manti temple sits high on a hill known as “Temple Hill” and the pageant is held on the lower part of the hill – right below the temple. This was something we loved and looked forward to every year with great anticipation.
Our great-aunt’s large, old house was just blocks from the temple and we loved spending our afternoons there waiting for the pageant to begin and playing games in her home and yard. One of our favorite games was hide and seek – her yard seemed to go on forever and the house had a large number of rooms which were perfect for hiding in. One afternoon as I was hiding in one of the rooms of the house waiting to be found, I noticed that I had a very clear view of the Manti Temple out the window. After I was discovered, I went to hide in another room and noticed that that room also had a window with a beautiful view of the temple. As I made my way from room to room I realized that from every window in that house, I could see the temple.
Although none of us live in homes with windows that look out onto the temple, each one of us can picture the temple through spiritual windows. Spiritual windows are things that we do that help us to keep the temple in clear view. Some of these spiritual windows include reading our scriptures every day, saying our prayers and working on our personal progress and achieving the Young Womanhood Recognition Award. The righteous things you are doing now will help you to clearly see the temple through your spiritual windows.
In 1888, the Manti Temple was dedicated by President Lorenzo Snow. The dedicatory prayer of the Manti Temple says this: “We pray for Thy blessing upon the Young Ladies' and Young Men's Associations …that our youth may find Thee early…” My heart echoes that prayer – I pray that you will be strong and courageous as you walk toward the temple, that you will live the highest of standards like those found in the “For The Strength Of Youth” pamphlet so that you will always be worthy to enter the temple.
Last year, Young Women General President, Elaine Dalton, shared a story of how as she was leaving the office of President Monson, he presented her with single white rose. Sister Dalton said, “The moment he handed me that beautiful white rose, I knew why. I went back to the time when, as a young woman, I chose the white rose as my symbol of purity—my personal banner. How did President Monson know? I took that precious rose home, put it in a beautiful crystal vase, and placed it on a table where I could see it every day. Every day that rose reminded me of the importance of my own personal purity and virtue, and it reminded me of you. As you grow and blossom, your personal purity will enable you to become a force for good and an influence for righteousness in the world. I truly believe that one virtuous young woman, led by the Spirit, can change the world.”
Tonight we honor the 2010 Young Womanhood Award recipients. We will be presenting them with several items that we hope will always help them remember to look to the temple. Sister Spackman along with Sister Patsy Needham have made a beautiful envelope for each young woman that she will take with her the first time she goes to the temple; beautifully stitched on this envelope is the San Diego Temple. We hope that you will remember this evening and how the things you worked on were an important step toward achieving your goal of going to the temple. We are also honoring those young women who had previously completed their Young Womanhood Recognition award, but with the addition of the value “Virtue”, have gone back to complete those requirements. We commend them for their desire to go the extra mile and we have a heart charm for you to attach to your necklace. Our dear Stake President, President Hatch, has asked that each young woman being honored receive a white rose as a reminder to her of her personal purity and her influence for righteousness in the world.
I know that the temple is a place where we can find peace and feel the guidance of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that you will never regret making righteous decisions that lead you toward the temple. I testify that Jesus Christ lives and loves each one of us. May we each look out our spiritual windows toward the temple and go forward in the strength of the Lord is my prayer.

I love each one of you and hope you have a wonderful weekend watching General Conference.

TTYL~

Vista 10th Ward

Returning To The Rocky Path....

Dear Young Women,

Last year I wrote to you about going hiking on a rock path and how difficult it was because I wasn't properly prepared.

Several weeks ago, I returned to the same area - but this time I came equipped with the proper hiking boots. As the trail turned from dirt to rocks, I thought to myself how much easier it was this time because I knew what was coming - and I was ready!

As you go through life you're going to come in contact with many "rocky paths". You might wonder how you can be ready for those hard times; taking the time to read your scriptures every day and developing a real relationship with our Heavenly Father through prayer will help you when things get tough. Doing those things won't remove the rocky paths from our lives, but they will help us to be properly prepared for them - and give us courage and strength as we encounter them.

Also, never forget that you aren't on the rocky path alone - you've got parents, good friends and leaders who will walk with you. I love you all!

PS....this is a picture of the REAL rocky path - it's hard to even see the path, isnt it!

Don't Forget The Priest-Laurel Conference This Weekend

See your Young Women Leaders for Details. It's going to be so much fun! Friday - 8:00-11:00 PM at the Felicita Building; Saturday 11:00 AM-7:30 PM at the Del Mar Stake Center. Attire: nice-casual (no shorts or t-shirts). Hope to see you there!

The Hard Thing Is Usually The Right Thing....

Dear Young Women,
Happy New Year! I know I'm saying this a little later than I should be, but I hope that each of you is excited about this year and all that it has to offer. New and exciting things are happening in the Young Women program! If you haven't already, you'll be receiving a new Personal Progress booklet and journal - they are beautiful. We also have a new 2010 Mutual Theme which is found in Joshua 1:9: "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord Thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." I hope that as you read this, you feel the great hope and comfort that I do.
I have been thinking about the things that test our strength and courage; they come in many forms but one thing that I've learned is something that is hard and requires us to be strong and courageous is usually the right thing. There are so many things you do that test your strength and courage - you do them everyday and they are so much a part of your life that you probably don't even realize how strong and courageous you really are. It takes strength to get up for seminary, it takes courage to turn away when friends are telling an off-color joke, it takes strength to turn off the tv and read your scriptures before you get too tired, it takes courage to forgive a friend who has hurt your feelings and it takes strength and courage to ask for forgiveness....these are just a few examples but there are many, many others.
Last week there was one day that I had a difficult day - nothing really bad happened, but there were just a lot of things that tested my patience. I ran into the bank for what should have been an easy transaction, but the teller told me that she couldn't do what I asked her to do without some additional paper work. I wasn't exactly rude, but I certainly wasn't as kind as I should have been. After I left, I was haunted by my reaction - it bothered me for several days. Later in the week, I found myself back in the bank. The same teller was sitting behind the counter and I prayed to myself that she wouldn't help me - but that didn't happen. She called me forward and very politely assisted me. In my head, I heard the words of our theme about being "strong and courageous" and I knew I had to fix my mistake and apologize. I really didn't want to - in fact, several times during the short time she was helping me I almost talked myself out of it saying "I really wasn't that rude", but I knew I wouldn't feel good about it until I took care of it. Finally, just as I finished my business, I leaned over to her and said, "I was in here several days ago and you helped me." She nodded and smiled. I continued, "I'm afraid I wasn't very kind to you and I've felt terrible about it. I hope you'll forgive me." She looked stunned and shook her head saying, "Oh no, no - I don't even remember that." I think she was being kind; I think she did remember, but I appreciated her graciousness. As I was leaving the bank, I felt so much better. I knew that I had the strength and courage to do something hard. And you know what? You do too!! Whether it be big or small, you can find the courage and strength to do hard things.

The YW theme states, "We will stand as witnesses of God at all times, in all things, and in all places...." Most of the time, standing as a witness requires courage and strength; an important part of having courage and strength is found in the rest of the theme for this year - "...for the Lord Thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." I know each one of you will feel the strength of the Savior as you choose to be strong and of a good courage.

I hope you have a great week. I love you all.
TTYL~

5 Minutes A Day....

Dear Young Women,

I hope each one of you had a great Thanksgiving. For the first time in many years, I was together with my mom and 4 sisters (yes, there are 5 girls in my family and I'm the oldest). We had a great time together; believe it or not, you'll love and appreciate your family even more as you get older.

This year, I have tried hard to follow the counsel of the General YW Presidency and P-R-S (pray, read, smile) everyday. I haven't been perfect in it, but I have definitely made an effort to do it most days; I especially noticed a difference when I read my scriptures 5 minutes every day. I have found that my love and appreciation of the scriptures has grown in a big way.

In fact, I want to share a little experience with you about reading my scriptures: one night I woke up in the night worried about one of my children (I have 4 and it's not uncommon for me to wake up thinking about one of them - I can almost guarantee that your mom does it too!). The longer I lay there awake, the more I worried - and the less I slept. Finally, I grabbed my Book of Mormon that was next to my bed and thought I'd just read a little. As I began to read, the story began to talk about the principle of free agency and I realized that the message was exactly what I needed to hear. The more I read, the more my worries went away and the more I felt peace. I know that by turning to the scriptures, I received the message our Heavenly Father had intended for me.

Heavenly Father has messages for each one of us. If you will read everyday for 5 minutes, I know that you'll come to understand messages that will be meaningful in your life and your love of the scriptures will grow just as mine has.

I love you all and I'm so grateful for that I get to associate with such amazing young women. Have a wonderful week - and good luck next week on your finals!

TTYL~

Stay On The Path

Dear Young Women,

A couple of weeks ago, I went camping with my family. We had a wonderful time being together. My husband - a true fisherman - took our girls and headed for the lake. I took the dog and headed for the trails which surrounded a national forest. I had been told that the path went all the way around the lake and that it was well paved...so I didn't bother to change out of my flip flops (I know how silly that sounds - I can hardly believe it myself!).

The trails were beautiful and went right along the edge of the lake. The dog and I walked for quite a while and then without warning the path turned from dirt to nothing but rocks. I had to slow down and walk very, very slowly (and the rocks were killing my feet) but I was sure that it would turn back to dirt fairly quickly so I kept walking. We walked a long way and finally I decided that the path was going to stay rock and I had better turn back and hope that my feet could survive until I got to the dirt path again.

Just as I was ready to give up, I came around a bend and there was the path again...only this time it wasn't just dirt it was actually paved! If I thought the scenery was beautiful before, it couldn't compare to what was on this side of the lake; I had the feeling not many people came this distance and missed how beautiful this part of the forest was.

If I had turned around, I would have missed out on the incredible experience of seeing part of forest that I didn't know existed. I also would have given up right before the rocky path changed and I would have had to walk all the way back through the rocks. As it turned out, the path led me right back to where I had started.

My experience is very similar to everyday life: we go along and the path has bumps and curves, but nothing that we can't handle. Then out of nowhere, we hit a rocky path and we have to make a decision: do we continue forward - even at a slower pace - or do we go back and never see what the Lord has in store for us around the bend. Regarding trials (or rocky paths) H. Burke Peterson said, "Trials come to the strong and to the weak - to the sick and to the healthy.Yes, the trials will still be there; but with the companionship of the Spirit our approach to trials will change frustrations and heartaches to blessings."

I hope that each of you will remember that we all have periods when the path is rocky, but there are many people who love you and are willing to walk with you. You are not alone. Just stay on the path. There is something beautiful in store for you around the bend.

I hope you have a great week and that I'll see you soon.

Lots of love,

"Bee A Believer" Beehive Conference

Dear Young Women,

We had such a great time with our Beehives at the Stake Beehive Conference. I hope you'll remember the many ways you can "Bee A Believer" (have you made your soup for your family yet?). Thank you for attending and we hope you had as much fun as we did. We sure love you all! TTYL~

You Can End The Conflict....

Dear Young Women,

Several days ago, I woke up with the words of a Primary songs going through my head: "Help me dear Father to freely forgive; All who may seem unkind to me; Help me each day, Father I pray; Help me live nearer, nearer to thee."

Each one of you is getting ready to begin a new school year; you will meet new people and reacquaint with old friends. Perhaps there are some old friends with whom you have had misunderstandings. The beginning of this new school year is the perfect opportunity to start over, forgive the mistakes of the past and move forward.

In Alma 44 of the Book of Mormon, Captain Moroni commands the Lamanites to make a covenant of peace or they will be destroyed. Zerahemnah, the leader of the Lamanites, rejects Captain Moroni's offer. One of my favorite parts of this chapter is found in verse 10, where "....Moroni returned the sword and the weapons of war, which he had received, unto Zerahemnah saying, 'Behold, we will end the conflict'." The Lamanites had been given the opportunity to end the battle, but when they refused, Moroni and his men take a stand and let the Lamanites know they will take no part in continuing the conflict.

Now, this story has an unhappy ending for Zerahemnah because he refused to resolve the differences he had, but the same does not need to be true for you. Each one of you has the power to forgive and thereby to end any conflict that you have with others. This is another

way that you can show that you are an example of the believers.

I hope each of you have a wonderful, exciting year in school and I wish you all the best.

TTYL~

Rough Waters Ahead - Keep Paddling

Dear Young Women,

Earlier this week, I went river rafting with my extended family. It was a great time and something that my mom has always wanted us all to do together. Some of my family rode in a large raft together, but I was in a large tube by myself. In order to stay in the middle of the river, I had to paddle very hard in order not to drift to one side or the other where there were large rocks and hanging branches. I was very proud of myself because most of the way down the river, I stayed right on course. As I got to the end of the river, I found myself getting a little lazy - my arms were tired from paddling and it looked like I was so close that I could relax a little. Just as I began to relax, I went over some rapids that propelled me over towards one side. I quickly began paddling, but it was too late - I was headed for a large branch and a huge rock that was protruding out of the water. I put my foot out so that I could slow myself down, but it had exactly the opposite effect and it flipped me out of the tube and into the rushing water. I came up quickly and was able to grab my tube, but I couldn't pull myself back in because the water was moving too fast. I hit rocks and branches the rest of the way down until I was able to steer myself into an alcove and pull myself out of the river.

My river experience is similar to our lives - when we are doing the things that we should, we are in the middle of the river. Things like reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, listening to our parents, attending our meetings all help us to stay on course. When we neglect those things, we start to drift off and we start to get banged around...and it takes a lot of paddling to get ourselves back on course.

Even in the middle of the river it can be dangerous, but when we remain obedient we are prepared for the rough waters that we all encounter in everyday life. I hope each one of us will take the time to evaluate what we can do better to stay on course.

Have a great week and I'll hope to see each one of you at The Best of EFY this coming Saturday.

TTYL~

When He Sees You, Will He Smile?

Dear Young Women,

A few years ago, I went to Girl's Camp and I have never forgotten one of the great visions lessons that I heard while I was there. The wonderful teacher was talking about living our lives so that we make our Heavenly Father proud of us by the kind of life we live and at the end she said something like, "When that day comes and He sees us, will He smile?"
I've thought about that many, many times since then. I know our Heavenly Father loves each one of us and that He will be so happy to see each one of us again, but I hope that we are living our lives so that our actions would make Him smile as well.
Yesterday was Father's Day and although my father passed away many years ago, that visions lesson has often made me think about him too. Am I living my life so that I represent my family well? When I see my earthly father again, will he smile? In other words, do my actions TTYL?
I hope each one of us will remember that our actions not only reflect something about ourselves, but about our families as well. I want all our fathers to smile when they see us and know that we lived our life representing them well and that we are an example of what they have taught us.
I know many of you are getting ready for Girl's Camp - take a lot of pictures and don't forget to send them to us so we can put them on the blog! We hope you have a wonderful time and look forward to hearing all about it! TTYL~

P-R-S

Dear Young Women,

I have been thinking so much about the YW General Presidency's challenge to P-R-S: pray, read, smile. I hope each one of you is doing this every day. I know that I see a big difference in my day when I make these things a priority.

Yesterday, we had a testimony given in our Fast and Testimony meeting by a young man; it was a testimony that I hope I never forget. This young man came to church every week with his mother and sisters, but about five years ago, his mother died and he and his sisters went to live with their faither who was not a member of the church. At first, the children continued coming to church, but as they grew older they came less and less. This young man shared how his life had not been easy and how the light of the gospel became more and more dim because he wasn't involved in church any longer. Then recently, one night just as he was going to bed he saw his scriptures sitting on his nightstand. For some reason, he felt that he should pick them up and open them. As he began to read the first chapter of Nephi, he said he started to remember those wonderful feelings he had when he attended church. He felt prompted to continue reading and as he read he felt strongly that he must return to church.

I am so grateful for this young man's testimony. It was beautiful and heartfelt and I know that although his mother isn't on this earth any longer, she would be so proud of him. I know that the feelings he felt as he read the scriptures was the Holy Ghost testifying of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. It is my hope and prayer that each one of you will read your scriptures daily; this is one important way to stay close to our Heavenly Father.

I love you all! By the way - good luck in your finals!!

TTYL~

The Extra Special Dress

Dear Young Women,

I love this picture! It's from my son Sean's mission to Nicaragua. Do you notice the young girl in the picture? Her name is Rebecca. When I saw this photo, it immediately melted my heart; Rebecca showed up to be baptized in her Snow White dress because that was the very best dress she had and she wanted to look extra special. She realized her baptism day was a day of reverence and I think she took great care in choosing something that would show just how special this day was to her.

Rebecca's choice should make each one of us think: whatever our circumstances are, do we come to our church meetings in our very best attire? Do we dress like we're going to church to worship and renew our covenants or like we're going to the beach?

Dressing your best is not about going out and buying expensive new clothing, it's about dressing in whatever "best" you have that shows reverence to the Lord.

As summer comes, I hope that each one of us will remember that we should show added respect and reverence to our meetings by dressing appropriately.

Have a great week and remember that I think you're wonderful! TTYL~

What Are You Going To Do When You Get Home?

Dear Young Women,

Many of you probably heard on the news about the American sea captain and his crew who

were captured by Somali pirates. Last week, they were finally released and as I watched one of the crew members interviewed on a news program, the interviewer asked him, "When you were being held captive, what did you think about doing when you got home?" Without hesitating, the man replied, "I just wanted to hug my mom."

Mother's Day is just a few weeks away and before you know it, you'll be trying to think of something great to buy your mom to show her how much you love and appreciate her. I have a challenge for you: as you're getting ready to leave school or your activities today, think about that American crewman who couldn't wait to simply give his mom a hug. When you get home today, how about going in to where your mom is and just giving her a hug. You don't need to explain why or say anything fancy - just give her a hug. I promise you that it will make her day..and why not treat her like Mother's Day comes more often than once a year!

I love you all. TTYL~

Oh, The Places You Can Go!

Dear Young Women,
When I first moved to the area and was trying to find my way around, I was driving over near Buena Creek. Certain that I was going in the right direction, I turned and found myself on the 15 Freeway going South - completely the wrong way to get home! Now, turning around on the freeway was fairly easy, but I did have to go miles out of my way to get myself back on track. I have thought about that day often and realized that one turn can significantly alter your destination.
There is a Dr. Seuss book that I love called "Oh, The Places You Can Go" and one of my favorite passages says:

"You have brains in your head,

You have feet in your shoes,

Only you can decide the direction you choose."

Everyday you make decisions about what direction you are going to choose: you make it when you attend seminary, you make it when you eat lunch with somebody who is sitting alone, you make when you obey your parents (even when it's something you don't agree with!), you make it when you work on your personal progress or when you say something kind about somebody instead of gossiping....the list can go on and on. Everything you choose takes you in one direction or another.

What will you choose today that will take you in a good direction? Think about it and then let me know. I can hardly wait to hear about your day! In the meantime, have a great week and remember that I love each one of you! TTYL~

Dear Young Women,

I am looking forward to seeing each one of you on March 28th for our Young Women Recognition Dinner and Broadcast; please come and if our presidency has not had the pleasure of meeting you yet, please introduce yourself to us. We can hardly wait to meet each one of you!
Young Women General President Elaine S. Dalton is one of my heros; I just love her! Although I don't know her personally, I love her and everything she stands for. She and her presidency will be speaking to us on the 28th and I can tell you without a doubt that she has a message especially for you!
A number of years ago, Sister Dalton spoke in another meeting and to the young women of the church, she said, "As you search the scriptures diligently and pray always, you will be guided by the Lord. Everything in the scriptures is applicable to our lives. The scriptures answer our questions, they provide role models and heroes, and they help us understand how to handle challenges and trials. Many times the scriptures you read will be the answer to your prayers."
Although that message was given to us a few years ago, it is more important that ever. In fact, remember that at the beginning of this year Sister Dalton and her counselors encouraged each of us to read our scriptures for at least 5 minutes a day (are you remembering to "prs" - pray, read, smile?).
I want to bear you my testimony of reading the scriptures. I know as you do, your own testimony will grow and you will receive the guidance that each of you need in your daily lives.
I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. TTYL~

TTYL??

Dear Young Women,

I am excited to share some thoughts with you! Did you notice the title of our blog? It is "Testify Through Your Light". If you take the first letter of each word and put them next to each other, you will have four letters that you use often when you text your friends and family - "TTYL".
Now every time you text those letters, I hope it will remind you that you are an example of the Savior in everything that you do and say - in other words, your life testifies of Him. Look at this picture of Christ and the men standing next to him; Christ's eyes are fixed firmly ahead, unlike the two men who are looking away and are not focused on anything. If we want to be an example of light and goodness, where should our focus be? It should be straight ahead on the Savior.

I want to challenge you to "Testify Through Your Light" this week by asking yourself if your actions reflect the Savior's example. If you answer yes - awesome! Keep it up. If not - what can you change so that your example mimics the Savior's.

I hope each one of you have a great week. TTYL~