4th Ward YWIE

Last Wednesday, the 4th Ward YW celebrated a wonderful night of excellence. Roxanne Shumway, one of our Laurels, helped plan and carryout the entire night as one of her 10 hour personal progress projects.

The theme for this year was 2 Nephi 4:15 “ For my soul delighteth in …Personal Progress…”. We did a play on the word ‘souls’, and took pictures of each young woman wearing the shoes that she wore while working on her personal progress project. Each young woman also made a 12x12 scrapbook page highlighting her individual achievements in personal progress this year. The scrapbook pages and the “soul” pictures were displayed during the evening.

Our key speaker was Carrie Sybrowsky, our Laurel advisor. She gave an incredible talk on the reason for personal progress. She began by showing her large key ring and talking about all the different doors that each key opens. Then she stated that she had one very special key, worth more than the rest, which can open the door to more than 100 buildings world-wide. This very special key, she stated, was her temple recommend. She then stressed the point that the whole purpose of the young women program is to prepare each of us to make and keep sacred covenants with the Lord in the Temple. She quoted Sister Julie Beck in saying, “The way to prepare to make temple covenants is to remember and keep the commitments you’ve already made. Personal Progress is a temple preparation course.” What a beautiful object lesson and talk! Sister Sybrowsky inspiring talk brought the Spirit into the meeting.

After this, our Laurel President, Jessica Reed, spoke about ways personal progress has blessed her life. She shared that personal progress has helped her become who she is today and ultimately, who she wants to be in the future. She shared this quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley, “When you save a girl, you save generations. She will grow in strength and righteousness. She will marry in the house of the Lord. She will teach her children the ways of truth. … I see this as the one bright shining hope in a world that is marching toward self-destruction”.

Following her talk, each young woman was given the opportunity to share a little about her project and how it helped strengthen her relationship with Heavenly Father. The projects ranged from sports to dance to cooking to scripture reading.
After this, Roxanne Shumway presented a slideshow that she had prepared, highlighting pictures of each young woman and her accomplishments throughout the year. It was well-done and inspiring.

At the conclusion of the slideshow, Bishop McCauley shared his thoughts on the evening. He began by thanking the parents for all that they do for their daughters and for the ward. Then he stated that when he looked around the room, he saw hope - hope for the future of the church and hope for the future of the world. He encouraged each woman to continue setting goals as they worked towards becoming the women they wanted to be.

Following Bishop McCauley’s remarks refreshments were served: bread slices and pizza dip and of course, shoe sugar cookies. Overall, it was a wonderful evening!

2nd Ward Coat Drive

The 2nd Ward Young Women is having a coat drive. Please contact Liz Smart (535-5311) or Stephanie Corbett (796-1413) if you would like to participate and make donations. We will be collecting thru the end of November.

Revised Young Women Personal Progress Materials

With the addition of the value of Virtue to the Young Women theme, a revision of the Young Women Personal Progress booklet and the Young Women theme poster were announced.

The revised booklet and poster will be available for purchase in English through Distribution Services on January 15, 2010 (United States and Canada).

Initial replacement books will be mailed to wards and branches at no charge beginning December 28, 2009 (English), with implementation instructions and ordering information for all associated Personal Progress items.

Secretarys and Presidents, please take note. We encourage you to get these new books for your girls AND for the girls' mothers. We would love to see our girls' mothers involved in this special personal progress program. We would love to gather some ideas on how you have been incorporating the mothers in this program so we can all benefit. Email your ideas to Cami.

1st Ward YW in Excellence

Click on the images to read Tara's beautiful write-up and to see the pictures more clearly.

Halloween Activity Idea

The Plainview Branch Young Women bought dresses from the Goodwill (except Ali's) and used candy to make themselves "Candy Princesses". The young women were in charge of the meal for their Halloween Social and sucessfully made and served 125 hot dogs, chips, and cookies to lots of happy trunk-or-treaters. Brittney was Pep-O-Mint princess, Ali was a NERDS princess, and Emilie Williams (Branch YW President) was a Peppermint princess. The activity was really fun for the girls and gave them an opportunity to serve and learn about food preparation and how to feed a crowd.

Introducing!!!

Marti Wallace

your Young Women Stake President

The Wallace family has been in Lubbock for a little over 7 years. Russ grew up in upstate NY (Ithaca) and I grew up in Southern California (Alta Loma). We found out after we were married that we were 5th cousins. So immediately, we decided to move south. Russ works “hard” for Texas A&M in vegetables and weed science. And I “hardly” work at home. All of you homemakers know that isn’t true.

We have 5 great kids. Our oldest son Tyson is married to Jennifer Sanchez and they live in Utah. They have the privilege of raising our remarkable first grandchild Ethan Russell Wallace. Karli is serving her second mission at the Family and Church History Mission in Salt Lake City. Cody is working in Las Vegas and is planning to take the SAT, sell his truck and move to NYC to attend college and get his degree in literature. Kyle is graduating in December (after Coronado HS football season) and will be heading onward to serve a mission in Milan, Italy. Katie is 13, loves volleyball, friends and taking baths. As stated in her own words, she will be the only and lonely come January.

I enjoy creating. I like to do many things although; I’m not great at any one thing. Learning is fun for me, but I usually can’t remember what I’ve learned.

My mind works constantly, yet in small and simple ways. Two favorite mottos: “Keep Calm and Carry On”, “Happy Families Eat Out” and “Pray, Read and Smile”, all work well for me. My favorite scripture right now is: 2 Nephi 31:20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

Written by Marti herself

FREE Books at Deseret Book

Emilie Williams of the Plainview Branch wanted to let us all in on Deseret Book's free book downloads. Yes, I said free!! They are only available for a short time, so take a took. Emilie has been reading, "Pass the Scriptures" and recommends it as a great resource for our youth. Here is the list of books available right now.

1. Please Pass the Scripture (John Hilton III ).
2. What I Wish I Would Have Known When I Was Single (by John Bytheway).
3. Women at the Well (by Richard and Jeni Holzapfel).
4. Digging Deeper (by Robert Eaton).
5. 10 Secrets Wise Parents Know (by Brent Top and Bruce Chadwick).
6. Growing Up: Gospel Answers About Maturation and Sex (by Brad Wilcox).
7. Saving Kristen (by Jack Weyland). (fiction)
8. The Hidden Path (by C.B. Andersen). (fiction)

http://deseretbook.com/free

Thanks Emilie!!

November Presidency Message

Hello you wonderful & faithful YW Leaders!!
I sit to write this after our amazing Stake Conference Feast!! I felt so inspired and challenged by the speakers to apply what I learned, or was reminded of, in my life.

I loved all of the speakers’ calls to action!
to have a Temple recommend and use it now;
to change our lives through ordinances;
to infuse Gospel happiness into our lives through the power of missionary work;
to pray for those we love, receiving an answer of whom to approach with the Gospel;
to feel love for others more deeply through Temple service;
to bring & fill large vessels from the Temple’s Living Waters;
to develop more faith in Priesthood blessings;
to dream of standing before God with the Savior’s image in our faces, & live so that it is;
to express the things we know to be true;
to be busy in service;
to live by the teachings of the Gospel so as to truly be free;
to fulfill our responsibility in God’s work;
to support and lift each other;
to start by redeeming self, then redeeming neighbors, and with them redeem the dead;
to hear the Savior comfort us-“It’s ok, try again”, and to keep trying again;
to remember that God cares about all of the big things in our lives as well as the small;
to read the Book of Mormon under the influence of the Holy Ghost, taking ‘time’ out of
the equation, so that we feel what the writers felt;
to determine necessary goals and commit to improve ourselves;
to become like Joseph Smith-powerful beyond measure-through two words ‘I obeyed’-
developing a stronger covenant relationship with Heavenly Father.

The talks reminded me of my favorite J Reuben Clark statement. “Thus God made clear that the gaining of knowledge is not to be like the commonplace work of earning a livelihood. He who invades the domain of knowledge must approach it as Moses came to the burning bush; he stands on holy ground; he would acquire things sacred; he seeks to make his own the attributes of Deity, the truth which Christ declared He was which shall make us free, free of the shackles of time and space, which shall be no more. We must come to this quest of truth-in all regions of human knowledge whatsoever, not only in reverence, but with a spirit of worship.” (Improvement Era, January 1946).

The Savior told Hyrum Smith “first seek to obtain my word, then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit & my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of [young women] J (D&C 11:21). I know that as I strive to apply the messages of Stake Conference, and obtain the word of the Lord for my life, that the Spirit will guide me in every endeavor. I loved President Shumway’s statement, “I am not perfect, but I am worthy!” Each of us can have the confidence to know that because of our willingness & worthiness, we can call on the powers of Heaven in behalf of our precious young women!!

We believe in you and pray for you in your crusade for the salvation of souls!!
~Delisa