Preparing Young Women

Tomorrow is my turn to teach Relief Society. I have been given the topic of "Helping Young Women transition into Relief Society". Yikes, I felt like I had no idea what I was going to say a few weeks ago... but I have enjoyed studying this topic and found a lot of wonderful quotes, talks, and other information.

I found some great quotes that I am using in my lesson. Here are a few:

“There's a domino effect that happens when we lose one young adult woman—we're potentially losing her entire future family. You see, if she leaves Relief Society before she ever enters, her children are far less likely to be a part of the Church and may become a broken link in an eternal family. Do you see what is riding on the successful transition of young adult women into Relief Society?” – Bonnie Parkin

"If young women know of God's love for them, it will influence and shape all of their thoughts, feelings, and actions. They will understand they have a mission to perform in this life. They will have confidence in their ability to make responsible, righteous decisions. They will be able to resist temptation, to flee from worldly things, to dress modestly as is becoming of a divine daughter of God." -Susan W. Tanner, Young Women general president

*I REALLY REALLY believe in this one. I think getting kids through the teenage years is ALL ABOUT loving them and helping them to know how special and wonderful they are. Once they doubt themselves and forget their worth, they begin to make the wrong decisions (trying to fit in, feel love from other sources, be accepted, just be like everyone else, etc) I realize I have NO experience with teenagers yet, but the older I get the more I feel that this is the key.

The following quote is directed at leaders and/or parents:

“Lucifer (Satan) is unleashing vulgar, revolting, violent, and sleazy filth with the design to destroy the spiritual sensitivity of our Father’s children. We truly are at war with those who mock God and shun the truth, so let us keep our covenants and heed our call to service. Let us marshal all of the Lord’s resources, including the power of our own testimonies. Our Heavenly Father lives and He loves each of His children. The Lord Jesus Christ lives. The most important work we can do is to help God’s children come to a full understanding of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.” – Elder Ballard Oct 2000

There are 5 suggestions for helping to transition the young women into Relief Society/womanhood from Susan W. Tanner, Young Women General President:
(1) We must teach them how to strengthen their current homes and families.
(2) We must prepare them with skills, both temporal and spiritual, that will bless their future homes.
(3) We must inspire them to want to be wonderful wives, mothers, and homemakers.
(4) We must help them have the courage to face a world which is desecrating families and family values.
(5) We must emphasize the eternal responsibility and privilege of motherhood and help them understand that each of them will make a home and influence children whether or not they have the opportunity to marry in this life.

We must make sure that they know that their righteous womanly role in the home is, as President Hinckley said, “the one bright shining hope in a world that is marching toward self-destruction.” “When you save a girl, you save generations” (“Standing Strong and Immovable,” Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Jan. 10, 2004, 20).

I wish my time was longer. Being a Fast Sunday, I only get a short amount of time. I wanted to play the song "How will they know?" from the Primary CDs and I wanted to go over the YW purpose of prepare, spirit, covenant, identity.

"As young women prepare to become faithful wives, mothers, homemakers, and leaders, they come to understand their identity, feel the Spirit confirming the course of their lives, and are better able to keep their covenants"

I will just end sharing ONE more quote/story from Sheri Dew. I think it's something we all should ask ourselves.

Sheri Dew, Oct 1997 (2nd counselor General RS)

Not long ago I visited a ward on the exquisite Oregon coast. At the conclusion of sacrament meeting I was a little surprised when a woman approached me and asked, “Are you the woman I think you are?” Her question referred to my identity, but it is one that has haunted me. Am I the woman I think I am, the woman I want to be? More importantly, am I the woman the Savior needs me to be?

This is a day when the adversary has launched an all-out attack against womanhood, because he knows—he absolutely knows—that the influence of a righteous woman is enormous and that it spans generations. He would have us be disinterested in marriage and motherhood, confused by the world’s view of men and women, too harried by the pace of life to really live the gospel and to let it penetrate our souls. At all costs, he wants to keep us at arm’s length from Jesus Christ. For if we don’t come unto Christ, meaning that we never turn our lives over to Him, we will go through our probation here on our own rather than experiencing what the Savior promised when He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

Each day we stand at the end of our own Parley Street. The Lord needed the strength of the women of this Church as the seeds of the Restoration were planted and nourished. And He needs us today. He needs us to speak up for what is right, even when doing so is unpopular. He needs us to develop the spiritual maturity to hear the voice of the Lord and detect the deceptions of the adversary. He delights in women who keep their covenants with precision, women who reverence the power of the priesthood, women who are willing to “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10). He needs us to be everything we can be, to “arise and shine forth, that [our] light may be a standard for the nations” (D&C 115:5).

Are we the women the Lord needs us to be? Have we received a testimony of Jesus Christ such that our lives can simply never be the same again?