2012: Highlights

Honestly, 2012 has largely been a blur for me. Let's recap it, shall we, before I lose track of 2013, too.

January:

I wrote story after story and enjoyed a visit from two sets of friends! I got my first real taste of Oklahoma weather, and was deeply touched by a group of local students and their teacher.

February:

We headed to Lubbock to celebrate my only nephew's first birthday, watched my brother jam out with his band, and laughed at the weird books I get in the mail at work. I got a double-dose of Disney, both at work and in Orlando.

The Amazing (Preparedness) Race: LDS youth mutual night

For a multi-ward LDS mutual (youth night) activity a few months back we had the kids participate in "The Amazing (Preparedness) Race." The youth were split off into different teams and had to complete an obstacle course around the church building. Every event was meant to highlight the importance of preparedness or being self-sufficient and included different categories like health, home-keeping, finances and spiritual well-being.

Let the races begin! 

1. The groups began the race outside by running a lap around the church building. Upon finishing the lap, everyone had to drink a bottle of water. 

2. The teams then had to tie and untie one tie on each team member.

Iron Chef LDS youth mutual night

For our combined activity mutual a few weeks ago, the young women presidency planned an Iron Chef night. We split the kids into four teams, and created four cooking stations in the primary room. We brought in our pancake griddles, stir fries and spices — but all other supplies were from the church. We also pre-cooked noodles and rice, to save cooking time.

The goods!

And, of course, Iron Chef wouldn't be Iron Chef without a secret ingredient. And ours...was turkey bacon. Or, fake bacon, as the kids called it.

Journal

I was packing our little apartment up a while back to move up the street. When I was packing up the book shelf, I couldn't help to stop and read my college journal. It definitely tugged on my heartstrings as I read my own experiences with friends, the boy that broke my heart, the one that tried and then the one that stole it forever! 

Girls Camp 2012

Where do I begin with camp besides saying it was an absolutely amazing experience? I went to camp this year as the ward camp director, hike leader and lifeguard. I was also a "cabin mom" and got to chill with the 4th year girls. I was busy, it was exhausting, but totally worth it!

Where we had our nightly firesides.

Crayon art: LDS Young Women mutual activity

We had an arts and crafts night a few weeks ago at mutual. The girls hot-glued pieces of broken crayons to canvases, then used a hairdryer to melt the crayons. The girls then hot-glued on felt flowers — to make the melted crayon look like flower stems.

 crayons!

One of the girls working on her project.

 Using a hairdryer to melt the crayons.

Picking their flowers

My project.

Always,

Cupcake decorating: LDS Young Women mutual activity

For a mutual activity a few weeks ago, the girls learned some cake decorating basics from one of their aunt's. The girls had a good time decorating...and eating their cake, too, of course.

 Getting some lessons

 One of our girls trying her hand at frosting petals

An almost finished product

Always,

LDS Young Women Birthday Card

One of the young women in our ward had a birthday. This is the card I came up with — the Young Women logo.

Colored ink on watercolor paper.

"The Young Women logo is a torch surrounded by the Young Women motto. The torch represents the light of Christ, inviting all to “come unto Christ” (Moroni 10:32). It invites all young women to hold up the light of Christ by keeping His commandments."

Always,

LDS Young Women Easter Lesson

I was responsible for teaching the Easter lesson to the Young Women in our ward on Easter Sunday. I wanted the girls to really understand the story, and doing it through scripture was important to me. I spent some time reading all the gospels, trying my best to understand all the overlapping details of the story. I then sorted the story out in to three parts, and found scriptures that best illustrated the flow of the story.

I can't say for sure if the girls got anything out of it — I sure hope they did — but I did. I learned a lot about the Savior, and am grateful for the experience.

Hopefully, someone else can get something out of it, too.

This is what I came up with:

Betrayal

·      Passover — Mat. 26:1-5

·      Christ warns of betrayals — Luke 22:21

·      Sacrament — Mark 14:22-25

·      Garden of Gethsemane — Luke 22:39-46

·      Judas’ betrayal — Mat. 26:14-16

·      Betrayal — Luke 22:47-48

·      Interrogation — Luke 22:66-71

Girls Camp and Callings

A while back I was called as my ward's camp director. I wasn't too thrown because I did it last year. But then I was called as the ward's young women second counselor. I'm young enough to have been in young women at the same time as some of my girls...and that just seems scary!

I headed to a leader's retreat this weekend, and on my way there I was totally miserable. I felt overwhelmed and out of place. I don't feel like I have enough experience to be guiding youth — beyond camp, anyway!

At the retreat. This is where we'll have camp in the summer.

But by the time I left, I felt uplifted and ready to conquer my new calling. During the drive home I pondered all the thing I learned (or remembered) — about teaching, listening and loving — and I felt like I could really do this.

So here's to faith and hoping I'm actually a positive influence!

Always,

P.S.
All clergy members in the LDS church are volunteers and are specifically asked (or called) to volunteer for certain positions. A ward is a congregation, and a stake is a group of congregations in one area.