Scripture Cookies

The YW made these cookies last night.  They were yummy, fun, and quick to make.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Psalm 55:21
1/3 cup 2 Nephi 26:25
1 1/2 cup Jeremiah 6:20
2  Isaiah 10:14
2 cups 1 Kings 4:22
1 tsp Exodus 30:23
1/2 tsp Matthew 5:13
3 cups D&C 89:17
1 cup Proverbs 17:1

Directions:
1. Mix the first 4 ingredients together; mix in the rest.
2. Make tablespoon-sized drops onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
3.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.




The translation: 
Psalm 55:21 (butter)
2 Nephi 25:25 (milk)
Jeremiah 6:20 (sugar)
Isaiah 10:14 (eggs)
1 Kings 4:22 (flour)
Exodus 30:23 (cinnamon)
Matthew 13:33 (baking soda)
Matthew 5:13 (salt)
D&C 89:17 (oatmeal)
Proverbs 17:1 (chocolate chips or M&Ms)

We combined this activity with a planning meeting.  We enjoyed sitting around the table in the setting sun outside, eating cookies, making plans, and setting goals.

Leadership for the Youth

lds.org

Our time with the youth is full of lessons, Personal Progress, activities, camp, and meetings.  It is our responsibility, and indeed a blessing, to teach these young people leadership skills.  The Church has provided a wonderful resource for us at:  https://www.lds.org/callings/young-women/leader-resources/teaching-leadership-skills?lang=eng .  Each one of these lessons is designed for the YW to give to EACH OTHER in their presidency meetings.  

We often train our class secretaries to take roll and our class presidents to conduct.  This is the beginning of the training they receive for going out into the world as LDS leaders when they leave the Young Women organization.  When they are called as a presidency, these lessons should be assigned in turn, one to each member of the presidency, to be given in their presidency meetings.  I use them in lieu of a spiritual thought or scripture reading.  They are very short and do not require an enormous amount of effort to present.  This oftentimes gives them their first opportunity to teach.  It builds confidence and teaches important principles that they should incorporate in their presidencies.  

As in all things, this will require a little advanced preparation and some encouragement on your part. There are 18 lessons in this section, 6 for Counseling Together, 4 under Spiritually Preparing, 3 for Service, and 5 regarding Teaching.  If you are new to the YW organization, this can be a great support to you as well. (We oldsters benefit as well!)  Teaching these lessons inspires self-assurance in each member of your class presidencys.  They can bring the Spirit into their meetings and help them to plan activities that will build your organization in a wonderful way.  

It is an amazing opportunity to see a Laurel President lead the YW in your ward and to realize that she will be doing the same thing in her Young Adult ward in the near future.  This training will also be invaluable to them as they prepare to serve missions.  My daughters have expressed to me how much these leadership skills have helped them in their college careers, as single women, and in their married lives.  They have felt that the Church has given them skills in speaking, leadership, and organization often not found in the secular world.  The leaders of this Church are truly inspired in the ways they help our young people prepare for their adult lives!

YW Files

lds.org

I like to find out a little bit about my girls when the enter YW.  I have what I call a YW File that is just a half sheet of paper that I keep  in my notebook with my "YW Stuff."   I have each girl fill one out and return to me.  It contains the following:

Name:

Address:

Phone/Cell Phone:

E-Mail:

Favorite Food:

Favorite Color:

Favorite Candy:

Favorite Music:

Favorite Movie(s):

Favorite Things to Do:

Class(es) I Love!!:

Class(es) I Hate!!:

Sports/Music/Drama?:

Anything Else?:

This gives me a ready reference for giving them their favorite candy bar on their birthdays or as a quick "I'm thinking of you" gift.  I can make sure I have things (such as beads) for activities in their favorite color.  I also know about their school activities and struggles with classes.   It only takes a minute to fill out and becomes a valuable resource for me to use throughout their time with me.

The New Curriculum: Teaching in the Saviour's Way

lds.org

Our Stake has been in the pilot program of the new youth curriculum for six months.  It has been a wonderful experience teaching these lessons.  We have been pleasantly surprised at the excitement the girls have exhibited and the questions they have raised.  The Spirit has been with us and testified of many of the principles we have taught.  It has been an uplifting experience for us as leaders and teachers.

Here are ten things we have done that we have found work for us:  

1.  We counseled as a YW board and discussed the teaching material in our meetings prior to introducing the subject for the month ahead.  Is there a need that can be met by teaching a specific lesson?

2.  We met as a counsel of Youth Leaders and teachers to discuss the manuals and the needs of the youth in our ward.  

3.  At the end of each month, we present the YW with a list of the topics for the lessons outlined in the upcoming month.  If there are more than four, we ask them to choose which topic they feel would help them or which about which subject they would like to learn, numbered 1-4 by interest.  We also ask them to choose a topic they feel they would like to help teach and allow them to participate in teaching a part of the lesson.

4.  After the topics are chosen by the YW, we inform the Sunday School teachers about which doctrinal subjects the girls have chosen so the lessons can be coordinated and built upon. (The YM are teaching the same monthly lessons but they are teaching subjects their YM have chosen or what they feel meets their needs.)

5.  We have made use of the videos at Youth.lds.org. 

6.  The YW are encouraged to freely discuss the topics or ask questions.  Each is given a notebook that is kept in our closet and brought out for Sundays to record their thoughts, impressions, or questions as well as any notes they wish to take.  

7.  At the end of each lesson, we generally ask the girls if there are any questions they still may have and try to determine if we need to continue on this topic for the next Sunday to continue to teach the principle.  

8.  At the beginning of each new Sunday, we ask about the challenge or lesson from the week before.  Did they follow up?  What was their experience?  The use of their notebooks or a handout given will help them remember the challenge for the week.  

9. During the week, we are using Facebook messaging to remind them of the challenge early in the week and tell them of the upcoming topic so they will be prepared to share their thoughts, questions, or individual challenges. 

10.  If it is indicated, we inform them of the Personal Progress Value this lesson applies to and whether or not the challenge will help them fulfill a goal.  

This new curriculum has been a blessing to me and I have seen it as a blessing in the lives of our girls!  It is exciting to have them learn and develop testimonies of the fundamental principles of the Gospel. 

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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.