Value Tablecloths

Most of us have tablecloths to dress up our YW tables.  It's nice to have one in each of the Values for the Value you are focusing on.  Holiday ones are especially fun!  These make a very easy YW sewing night.  Have the girls bring a yard of fabric and hem each one. A trip to the fabric store to pick out their fabric can be a great activity also. They can be stored in your closet for easy access and the girls will enjoy having "their" tablecloth on the table!

Planning an Activity Sheets

I searched high and low the other day looking for a planning sheet I thought would meet my needs.  I finally decided to make one of my own that had all the categories and info I wanted on one page and a How To sheet for the YW.  We'll be using these to plan our YW in Excellence.  Maybe you can use them too.

Speaking in Church

Source:  lds.org

Giving a talk in Sacrament meeting can be intimidating for the best of us.  For a Personal Progress Night lesson, we discussed how to give a successful talk in church.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the YW used the formula and suggestions we gave them as they took their turns to be youth speakers in Sacrament. 

We gave them each a small card that they could place in their scriptures to help them to remember the "Formula" :

Giving a talk in Church is E-A-S-Y

E - Experience (share one)

A - Apply (a Gospel Principle)

S - Scriptures (Use one or two)

Y - Your Testimony (bear it) 


We discussed a few common things we often hear over the pulpits, some dos and some don'ts:

PRAY - Ask for the guidance of the Spirit to say the things the things you are supposed to or to touch someone's heart.  Pray for help to do your best. 

The Introduction -
1.  Do not start with "My talk is on..." or "Bro. So-and-so asked me to talk on..."    - BORING!

2.  Introduce yourself, share your Experience (see above ) or a Quote.

3.  NEVER - make excuses for yourself by saying, "I forgot I was supposed to talk today," or "I didn't have a lot of time to work on my talk."  ACT like you know what you are doing, even if you don't!

The Body of the Talk - 
1.  Tell a story about yourself or someone you know...an experience you have had or a prompting you have felt.

2.  Relate an experience, scripture, or quote from a General Authority or someone you admire.  Use the "For the Strength of Youth" and the Standard Works.

The Conclusion -
1.  Give a short summary of what you have said.

2.  Bear your Testimony.

Hints:
- It can be helpful to practice at home before so you know how long your talk is.
- Mark your scriptures before so scripture references are easy to find when you speak.
- Smile - You are beautiful to look at!  :)

The Spirit will guide you if you ask because you are doing the Lord's work at that moment in time!  

This activity helps fulfill Individual Worth Value Experience #5 and Knowledge Value Experience #4.