Smudge

In the UK we dont have many YSA wards but we do have great institute programs - My nearest one was over an hour away by public transport but I made the effort to go every week - and it was totally worth it as I am still friends with the friends I made through institute. I totally understand what you mean about it being hard to be shy and in the church. I am a bookworm and house mouse by nature but at 19 I decided that I wouldn't get anywhere by giving in to those desires to stay home and read and started forcing myself to travel to institute (over an hour away) and force myself to make the effort to make friends and get to know people. It still isn't easy for me but putting the face is getting easier. As you do what you know Heavenly Father wants you to do he blesses you with the ability to continue doing it. I was also blessed by heavenly father in that although for the first 2 years I was a uni I was the only LDS living in dorms at my campus (we have about 1000 in those dorms) I was put in a corridor where 9 of the other 11 residents were either Muslim. Sikh or Hindu - meaning that while our theology was very different they lived very similar lives to me - clean of speech, modest dressing, not drinking or drugs or smoking etc - and we became friends and remained so for the whole time we were at uni. Having friends who lived the same standards made it alot easier to stay strong myself.

At the moment in my tiny branch we are seeing something like this one of the families - and as one of the less active sisters who is friends with both me and the sister in the aforementioned family pointed out. This sister married very young by UK standards - and prior to marriage went from being force to go to church to going to BYU to getting married less than a year after she returned home at barely 20yrs old (and had a child within a year of marrying and moving 500 miles from her family) - during the year between returning from BYU and getting married she worked for church members. So she didn't really have much of a chance to go out and find out who she was and what she wanted in life etc - and now that the her children are all old enough to go to school she has got a job and made friends and developed interests outside of the church.

you are probably LDS if you know where these small towns are - Sharon, Palmyra, Kirtland, Nauvoo

I might be coming at this from a different angle! I am a child of divorce - one of the main reason that my mother divorced my father was because he drank all the money - leaving her with nothing to feed and cloth my sister and I. Yes growing up was hard, as in the UK the state mandated (and therefore paid by the government because he wouldn't was stupidly low - less than £20 a week for 2 children) and my mother was disabled so unable to work. But we always had clean cloths, suitable footwear and there was always dinner on the table. After we moved to Scotland my sister was friends with a girl who grew up in the home of an alcoholic single mother and I could see even then that my mother had made the right decision. For all the statistics that go on about the negative impact of divorce on children especially with regards to education - I want to reassure that these don't have to be the case. In the UK when I was a child compulsory education finished at 16yrs old. My sister and I both did 2 years post 16 ed - I did 2 more years at high school and then went on to do 2 different college courses, an honors degree, work abroad 6 summers and take numerous night classes. My sister did 1 extra year at high school and then one year at college, Be strong, do what you know is right for you and your family and don't worry about what other might think about you - regardless of what they know of the situation it isn't their business and they have no place to judge. Remember that there are occasions when divorce does not always mess up childrens lives - in some cases it can improve their lives!

You could also find a nice pattern and a gown made

Yeah we have a lot accents - when I moved to the midlands (near Birmingham) to go to university I was standing waiting for the bus to church, about 18months after I started uni, and this local guy with a really strong Black Country accent asked me about a bus to the next town - everything he said he had to repeat at least 3 times for me actually understand what he was saying - he must have thought that I was either deaf or stupid

I don't know if this will help. But I live in a tiny branch - which surprisingly has alot of singles - but there was no rep until I was called recently, and no stake activities so I took things into my own hands and with the branch presidents blessing started organising stuff with the other singles in the branch - who now some of my closest friends and I consider it a blessing to have them in my life! There is nothing to stop you having a FHE in your own home and inviting other singles to it - from you ward and the surrounding wards if you want.

The thing with Scottish accents is that they are so different - where I live on the west coast the local accent is ok - but 20-25 miles away the accent makes you sound as thick as 2 planks! Then if you go across to the east coast especially up north they have a lovely sing-songiness to it - and then the highland and Islanders have an amazing accent because of the influence of gealic on the way they speak english

I have rarely heard americans who can do good Scottish accents - but then even as an English girl who has lived in Scotland for over 20 years I still cant do a good Scottish accent! (much to my drama teachers annoyance!)

I have worked at couple of concerts run by girlguiding for our girls and even though I would only be in the arena for a short period of time I could hear the whole concert perfectly clearly outside the arena - and it was really loud inside

From what I can remember from when I last did them about 5yrs ago - I don't think you can.

Being English living in rural, small town Scotland I have received alot if racial abuse and my mother's neighbor (my childhood bully) even tried to run her over. When I was living in Birmingham I lived in an area that had a large Asian population. Not long after I moved I phone the doctors at the end of my street to ask about registering and everything was fine so I head along to fill out the paperwork. As I walk in I notice from the info board pictures that ALL the staff are Asian as are all the patients. I go to the desk, standing because I am so VERY white and all of a sudden the piece of info I didn't have that hadn't been a problem when I called was ... I put 2 and 2 together and realized it was because I wasn't Asian. My final experience was with campers from inner city Boston and was more like reverse racism in that they were convinced that everything was cos they weren't white. When in reality were treated all the girls exactly the same.

I love salt and vinegar pringles either with chocolate buttons or dipped in nutella. I also like butter on my chips (chunky chips not fries or crisps), and I dont like rice so I have mashed or baked tatties or chips instead.

This is based on my experiences in the UK. But institute over here is offered to all 18-30 yr old single adults regardless of whether or not they are in college. I have also known of young marrieds to attend if they are in college.

There are things in place to alleviate any financial concerns you may have, so don't worry about finances. I would suggest fasting and praying, and over the next 6 months study the scriptures and preach my gospel.

Cool.

Just going my experience :)

Ayrshire - paisley stake You?

I am from England but live in Scotland

When a stake president is attending their branch or ward they sit in the congregation and are like any member ofthe congregation, it is when they are on official business that they sit on the stand with local leadership. At least that has always been the case where I live.

I have a friend who is what I call a "Mormon in waiting" she has seen more church history sites than most members (including Joseph smiths birthplace 3 times), dresses modestly, doesn't really swear or drink and is waiting for marriage! Not just that be she has told me she knows that the Book of Mormon is true and the Joseph smith is a prophet. What is really hard is that we live thousands of miles apart so it is hard for me to help her with the thing she is struggling with - going to a church where she doesn't know anyone.

Other is also where you would mark if you were say paying for a place on a stake organised temple visit with bus and accommodation etc, or if like me you dont having a checking account but need a check to pay for, as an example, our national single adult conference - I can pay the cash to the branch, write at other "sa conference" and get a check from my bishop

I have been branch chorister in my tiny branch since I 16 and have hate it when you have a pianist who plays slow especially when it is a long song. On the flip side as we dont have a pianist we sign along to the church cds and more than once I have had to fight to get the congregation to sign in time with the cd, as for signing joyfully or victoriously I have given up they seem happy to sound they are signing a funeral march!

I would build myself, my mum, my cousin and my housemate houses to meet our individual needs while being environmentally friendly. I would take an amazing holiday to Tonga and Samoa. I would donate some to my local girl guide county to pay for our new activity center and some to national girl guiding to create a fund for girls from underprivileged backgrounds to be able to take up international opportunities. I would go back to uni and pay for any of my friends who also wanted to. Finally I would make regular food bank donations

Put it in a bowl of uncooked rice. My samsung took a 20min bleach bath and the rice trick rescued my sim card and the phone itself will turn on long enough for me to get a phone number off it if I need to.