seashmore

This is the only sheep I own.

Does anyone have any examples of how receiving recognition for completing Personal Progress helped them? As a leader, I'm really struggling to see the value in checking off the boxes and handing out the ribbons. I'm totally on board with doing the experiences and the value projects, since I see the value in those. I just don't see the benefit of YW in Excelllence Nights, etc.

It started! My dad said it was more entertaining than he thought he would be. (He did attend seven years worth of high school games..) One thing that's really great is that it's being hosted in a place where curling isn't that well known, so those of us who do know help,those around us understand the game. Today, I heard it referred to as "a gentleman's sport" when one of the players moved one of his own team's rocks out of play because he touched it.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1992/08/news-of-the-church/first-presidency-statement-on-the-king-james-version-of-the-bible.p1?lang=eng If we were using a grading scale, no Bible gets a perfect score, but the KJV gets the highest.

Theres a story by Elder Orson F. Whitney that is found in the beginning pages of "A Marvelous Work and a Wonder." Also, for what it's worth, Mormons use the King James Version of the Bible and believe it to be the most correct version of the Bible available on earth today. It's kind of like trying to use your grandmother's recipe for stuffing when the measurements are in pinches and she never wrote it down. You'll get it mostly right, so there's no need to change everything.

My dad converted as an adult after being raised Catholic, and he often tells me that the LDS church answered questions he had as a boy about prophets being on the earth. We believe God speaks to men today, same as was done in the times of Moses and Noah.

Not exactly what you're looking for, but whenever I read Alma 29:1 "O that I were an angel," this symphonic metal song starts playing in my head. It takes great effort to read the rest of that chapter.

I think the level of devotion to religion is where the yoke is. I have a friend whose mother is a devoted Mormon and father a devoted Catholic. It was rocky during the teenage years, and all the kids had to wait until 18 to get baptized, but they have set a standard for healthy marriages. As a Mormon who attends all meetings every week, I would feel more equally yoked marrying a Christian of a different denomination who did the same in their church than I would a Mormon who showed up to sacrament meeting once a quarter. I expect my Catholic friends would feel the same (at least of the mid Millenial generation). It's about priorities, really. In order for a couple to be equally yoked, they must have the same goal in mind. If your goal is to live a Christ-centered life and have a Christ-centered home, you'll face a hard uphill climb with someone who has something else as their goal. I would much rather see my YW marry a good (generic) Christian than a bad Mormon just because he's from an LDS family. Personally, I would rather face mortality married to a good Christian husband than face it alone. (See 1 Cor 11:11 "Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.")

I often describe curling as shuffleboard on ice. What's great is that it's like bowling, in that it all ages can participate. I started at the neighborhood club/rink when I was about seven (they have kiddie stones that are about half the weight of the standard 46 lbs used in regulation play) and there are eighty year olds who still play, using a device that hooks onto the handle of the stone so they can shove off from a standing position rather than the typical lunge. Also, the sportsmanship between teams is something that is atypical of other sports. One team will often congratulate their opponent's good shot even if it is detrimental to their game. Local leagues almost always have a tradition of the opposing teams joining each other for drinks/comraderie afterwards.

I'll admit, it's a tough sport to watch if you've never done it before. I once had a friend tell me it was more exciting to watch me watch curling than it was to watch curling. haha....probably because I'm always yelling at the play.

@Kazmat I'm in agreement with what Zil said. Focus your thoughts on your calling. Consider serving a mission yourself. Read your patriarchal blessing (and get one if you don't have one). Keep him at arm's length while he's on a mission. Don't spend more than an hour a week reading his emails or writing to him. Study and do all that you can to prepare yourself to receive your own endowment.

I just got my tickets in the mail yesterday!!!! I am beyond excited and really hoping I can catch a Shuster game. Does anyone else even watch curling?

@JoCa summed up my response. Do you have your patriarchal blessing? That could be of immense help to you in this situation, especially if you decide to consider serving a mission. You are right in that you don't have time to do all of your callings. When you meet with your bishop, tell him which calling(s) you need to sacrifice. You sound like you are overwhelmed, and the Lord has counseled us in the D&C to not run faster than we have strength. Find that scripture and quote it to your bishop. It's ok for a ward to not have a YM Secretary. (It has been at least a year since either our YM or YW have had a Secretary.) Believe it or not, our branch has been without a Ward Mission Leader since June. (Our assigned missionaries and branch president step in when necessary there.) The Elders Quorum Presidency ought to be stepping in if there aren't enough teachers each week; it may very well motivate them to strengthen some of the less active brethren by asking them to teach one week every quarter. Try not to worry about the failings of your unit's organization. Focus on what you can do to help strengthen yourself and then those around you and in your sphere of influence. And definitely don't worry about the YSA drama. Go to activities as you can, participate when the opportunity presents itself, and let the opinions of others fall by the wayside.

I've recently realized that I stick my tongue out at my radio when I catch just the tail end of a song that I like.

Welcome! Much of my dad's side came over to the US from Ireland. I used to be an in-home caregiver for the elderly, helping them with daily tasks their bodies couldn't handle anymore. Some were more intensive than others; my tasks ranged from washing dishes to wiping bums. Not sure if that's anything like what you do, but almost my entire friend group in college were nursing majors. They dubbed me a "nursing groupie" and gave me an honorary pin after their pinning ceremony.

My best guess (sort of in-tandem with that "need to know" reason) is that it gives instructions on how to deal with sensitive issues. I do know that if you have a personal, specific question, a good bishop may show you that related portion of the handbook. Example: the first time I needed to properly dispose of some worn out garments, I was not confident that I remembered the proper way. (Yes, I had looked in Book 2.) In my next interview, I asked my bishop, and instead of just telling me, he showed me the relevant paragraphs in Book 1. As others have mentioned, it may lead to some of the same attitudes that NT Jews held towards the law of Moses.

The thread topic did not indicate this would be about Halloween decorations. Was not expecting to see these sorts of images just before bed.

Callister has a great apostolic sounding name, and Hallstrom has given some magnificent talks in the last few years. He also has kind of a Holland-esque stage (screen) presence...they would make a really cool hero-sidekick duo. "Holland and Hallstrom, at it again!" (Ok, the insomnia is making me silly.)

Thank you, internet friend. As the Young Women's President in my branch, I needed this reminder.

I'm glad to hear you aren't rushing into the wedding. Also glad to hear that his bishop is helping and that you're reading the Book of Mormon together. Let me see if I have the timeline straight... Octoberish 2016, he gets baptized. Novemberish, you start dating. January, there's a slip that gets resolved. April, there are some more serious slips (spent about a year there myself). Within the last monthish, the law of chastity is completely broken and mending has begun. Ask yourself: at what point did you two decide to get married? Ask yourself if you were in a position to hear everything that the Holy Ghost had to say to you at that time. If you feel you might not have been, I highly recommend taking some time to ponder, pray, and fast for confirmation that he is the right man for you, you are the right woman for him, and your current schedule is synced up with the Lord's. Be willing to accept either a yes or a no to that. Ask your fiancé to do the same. Meanwhile, avoid all alone time with him. If you need to have private conversations, use a phone or email. (Yes, I'm including the scripture reading as alone time; that can be done over the phone.) Keeping the law of chastity will help both of you develop self mastery, which is essential in life and marriage. God bless, and PM if you need to.

Pardon the resurrection, but I came here because I've been missing Institute. I only took about 2.5 years of seminary and didn't start Institute until after I graduated (a Catholic) college. In seven years, I graduated Institute twice and got an advanced achievement certificate or two. It really enhanced my study to have others able and willing to discuss scriptures; I haven't had that in my life for a few years, and my scripture study has suffered greatly. (I really wish online groups had the same effect on me as a classroom environment.) Anyway, our Institute Director decided it would be a good idea to format the summer course to always be The Gospel and the Productive Life to help integrate graduating seniors into the program and real life. The first summer was great, and I learned quite a bit the second summer that I had missed the first time around. By the time the third summer came around...I noticed I was a little begrudging about attending. Thankfully a coworker from my part time job had just graduated from high school and was also attending. This helped me realize that, while there may not be much left for me to learn from the materials, there may have been insight I could offer to those in attendance. I stopped asking, "What can I get out of this?" and started asking "What can I contribute?"

I get a stale cookie for being late. As a fellow 32 y/o single woman and someone who has Seasonal Affective Disorder (and who hasn't read what anyone else said), I suggest shelving this concern until you become involved with someone who seems like he'd be a good husband for you. Your mental health is important, and it sounds like this is a heavier weight than you need in your pack right now. Raising a family and running a household is a team effort, and I know it sounds hokey, but you may meet someone who makes you feel like you can mother a child. Don't rule that possibility out. Now, this may just be me, but I don't think bringing this up on the first few dates is necessary to be honest. Especially if you are willing and trying to change your desires.

While I don't hold this view, I think what the second parent was getting at was that someone who had sexual experiences (either willingly or unwillingly) may feel shamed and ostracized by their peers and/or teachers, and hopeless to abstain in the future, especially with the shortsightedness of a a 14 year old. Personally, I'm torn about sex and sexuality being taught in schools. Ideally, all parents would teach their kids respectfully about the birds and the bees. Reality is, many kids are going to learn about these things at school instead of at home, and in that case, I'd rather the discussions start in a classroom than the cafeteria.

@DoctorLemon brought up some excellent points for you to consider. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Could be there's something you have someone in that new ward needs, or there may be something you'll need in the next year that someone in your new ward will have. If you find yourself dragging your feet about switching wards, ponder who drew those boundaries and what led you to being there. Of course there are exceptions (I could list a few incidentals), but the rule is to attend your assigned ward.

This may not seem related to anyone else, but I have a hard time singing the final lines of Hymn 19 according to the mood marking. Singing, "While they who reject this glad message shall never such happiness know" brightly (or cheerfully) just feels incongruous. There have been times in my life (when someone close to me is rejecting the glad message of the gospel) when I would sing the rest of that song with gusto and then go utterly silent for those lines. That being said, I haven't made much study of Hefner's life, but I know enough to be glad that I don' t have to be the one passing judgement.