Prayer ROCKS!

May's lessons include meaningful prayer, personal revelation and, following the prophets.  I admit I had a difficult time narrowing down what I wanted to discuss about prayer .  There are so many wonderful principles taught in these lessons.  A sister in our ward mentioned how Heavenly Father was a "parent" in the true sense of the word, a perfect parent.  This touched my heart and I felt the prompting to talk about conversing with your Father in Heaven as your Heavenly Parent.  Remembering back many years, I contemplated the first time I was away from home and how I missed my mother.  I missed the talking, the counseling, as well as the small daily physical and emotional contacts with her and her love and wisdom.  I believe that our spirit often misses contact with our Heavenly Father in the same way.  How wonderful it is to have that kind of a connection to our Father in Heaven!  How wonderful to know that he cares and WANTS to know about us!  He wants to have real conversations with us, to teach us, guide us, and show us his love!

In the end, I turned to an old faithful handout....prayer rocks.  I hand painted a few using paint pens (Sharpies did not work well) that I found at the craft store and attached the little prayer rock poem that goes with it.  As I bore my testimony, I told the girls how wonderful prayer is that it literally ROCKS!  Although I started with struggles in this lesson, I felt I gained a great deal from the lesson myself.  Is it not wonderful that the Gospel is so diverse and giving in this way?  The Gospel of Jesus Christ really ROCKS!

Prayer Rock Poem:


MY PRAYER ROCK
I'm your little PRAYER ROCK and this is what I'll do:
Just put me on your pillow till the day is through,
Then turn back the covers and climb into bed,
And WHACK!-your little prayer rock will hit you on the head.
Then you will remember as the day is through,
to kneel and say your prayers as you wanted to.
Then when you are finished, just dump me on the floor,
I'll stay there through the night to give you help once more.
When you get up the next morning, CLUNK!  I'll stub your toe,
So you will remember your morning prayers before you go.
Put me back upon your pillow when your bed is made,
your little PRAYER ROCK will continue in your aid.
Because your Heavenly Father cares and loves you so
He wants you to remember to talk to Him, you know.

Charles M. Schultz

 

 

Pillow Talk

We had a really rewarding service project for the YW combined with the Relief Society.  We got the ladies together to make "Comfort pillows."  Many female patients experience discomfort after surgery for cancer, mastectomy, or even pacemaker placement.  We got the ladies together to sew and stuff pillows and then make small, washable pillow cases for them.  We had a group cutting and ironing as well as one group sewing, YW stuffing, and ladies closing the pillows.  The YW then placed a tag of love and encouragement on each pillow.  The pillow was then bagged and placed in a box for shipment to a local charity.  I have seen these done both as small rectangular pillows as well as heart-shaped pillows that fit under the arm.  The sisters brought their fabric scraps for donation and we purchased all the batting that was necessary.  We called our activity a "Pillow Talk" night.  We made pillows, visited, and had munchies.  This is a great activity to get your Relief Society Sisters and YW together and a great YW Value Project.  It is a terrific way to involve the Laurels that are transitioning into Relief Society.  It can also be an easy sewing night and camp craft.  You can get in touch with your local cancer society, charity, or hospital to find out what the need is in your area.  They are very cute and such a useful item!

Pillow Instructions:

1.  Cut 2 pieces of washable material, 8" x 12".  (Use something strong and soft like cotton.)

2.  With right sides facing, sew 3 sides with a 1/4" seam leaving open one of the smaller ends.

3.  Turn the pillow right side out.

4.  Stuff the pillow to the point of being firm without over-stuffing.  The pillow should be squeezably soft.

5.  Turn the remaining open end and top stitch it closed.

Pillow Case Instructions:

1.  Cut two pieces of washable material, 9" x 13", or fold a piece of material to form a 9" x 13" pattern.

2.  With right sides facing, sew 3 sides with a 1/4" seam, leaving one of the shorter sides open.

3.  To hem the open end, turn fabric under 1/4", then turn it again 1/4" to form a hem and sew across the open end of the pillow case.

4.  Turn right side out and place over the pillow with the pillow edge that was stitched closed at the bottom of the pillow case to hide the seam.  

The Card:

ESPECIALLY FOR YOU!

This "Comfort Pillow" was made for you 

The Women of the XXX Ward of the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are 

sending you this special pillow to comfort you and let you

know that we care

We pray you are healthy again very soon!

XXXX Ward Young Woman and Relief Society

The Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter-day Saints

c/o XXXXXXXX

Life-Sized Game of Life - Complete Instructions

We played the Game of Life for our combined YM/YW activity last week.  It was a great success and the kids had a lot of fun.  It was, however, quite complicated to put together.  After viewing different versions on line, I put together our game and thought I would share with you how we did it.  We had a total of about 20 kids and needed all of our adult leaders to help keep track of the various aspects of Life. 

I had never played the Game of Life so I sat with my daughter one afternoon and played with her.  We then discussed how to simplify the game to make it conducive to playing on a large board in the cultural hall.  We eliminated some aspects of the game such as "Spin to Win" or divergent paths.  It took us about 40 minutes to play.  Here's how we did it:

Supplies-

1.  A game board made by 8 1/2" x 11" sheets of card stock.

2.  Dice - used in place of a spinner.  (I bought inflatable dice from Amazon.)

3.  A chalkboard to be the bank.

4.  A small tablet and pencil for each player or couple.

5.  An item to represent debt.  (I used red Mardi Gras bead necklaces.)

6.  An item to represent marriage.  (I used a flower lei.)

7.  An item to represent children.  (I used clothes pins.)

8.  Houses to buy printed on card stock.

9.  A clipboard with careers listed.

10.  A tablet for Life experiences.

11.  Badges identifying different leaders' positions in the game.  (I used sticky labels.)

12.  Ring Pops.

Leaders-

1.  Game supervisor (Me)

2.  Two Bankers

3.  Two people to roll the dice

4.  One person to give out houses - the Real Estate Agent

5.  One person to give out debt - the Loan Officer

6.  Two "Sealers" - one for children and one for marriages

7.  One person to give out jobs - the Career Counselor

8.  One person to tally Life points - the Life Counselor

The Rules-

1.  Enter at Mission

2.  On your turn, roll the dice and move the number of spaces indicated.

3.  If you land on an occupied space, go forward one space.

4.  Decide whether you want to start on CAREER or GO TO COLLEGE.

5.  If you decide on career, choose a career by selecting a number between 1 and 25.  The leader will give you your career choice and salary.  You may not choose a college career.

6.  If you choose college, borrow $100,000 from the bank for your tuition.

7.  Collect pay every time you pass a PAYDAY space.

8.  Spaces labeled LIFE are for community service, family activities, and good deeds.  A tally mark is given for each of these.

9.  Stop at all STOP signs regardless of the roll of the dice.

10.  If you land on a "Lose your job" space, choose another number between 1 and 25.  A leader will give you another career and salary. 

11.  As you move through the board, follow the directions.

12.  You will be given a spouse when you land on the "GET MARRIED" space.

13  Whenever you land on BABY or TWINS, you will be given a clothespin representing your "Family."

14.  Choose a starter home.  If you are short on cash, you must borrow from the bank.

15.  All loans to the bank must be paid back through the ATM.

16.  If you decide to buy a new house, sell your house back to the bank and buy a new one.  If you are short on cash, you must borrow from the bank.  You must sell the first house to buy a new one.

17.  When you reach RETIREMENT, you must STOP, even if you have moves left.   Pay off all loans.  Sell you house for the amount listed.  Collect $10,000 for each of your children as a retirement gift, and wait until all players have retired. 

18.  Add up all income and receive $10,000 for each LIFE experience.  The player with the most $ at the end of the game is the winner.  

The Game-

The "Board" papers were snaked across the cultural hall floor and taped down with painters' tape.  I paired up the youth into couples.  They were told they were "engaged" so each girl got a ring pop.  We had one or two that did not have a partner.  Each couple had a small tablet (purchased in a bulk package at a party store) that was their bank reconciliation sheet and a pencil.  Each pair started with $10,000 and one career was given per couple.  They kept track of all their paydays, raises, debits, and credits.  Two leaders kept track of their debt only and one of the pair had the job of "running to the bank" to pay off their debts.  When then went into debt, they were given red beads to wear and when the debt was paid, they returned them.  One leader kept track of their LIFE experiences on a tally sheet making a mark for each space they landed on.  One leader rolled the dice for the CAREER players and one leader rolled the dice for the COLLEGE players.  The Real Estate Agent kept track of the house cards and when a couple landed on "Buy a House," they picked one card from a stack of Starter Homes.  We made the Upgraded Homes and optional choice.  They had to STOP and pay tithing and STOP to be married at which time they were given the floral necklaces.  When the couple landed on "BABY" they were given a clothes pin to hang on their necklaces.  A "Sealer" gave the girls the flowers and the clothes pins. The winner received a small bag of candy coins a couple of Million Dollar candy bars I found at the Dollar Store. 

I went through the Game of Life game board and used most of the experiences such as babies, twins, buying homes, buying TVs, etc.  Because we played in a Church setting, in place of lawsuits and the like, I added LDS experiences such as "Called as Bishop or RS President" or "Missionary Reunion."  All the kids entered the game at the spot called MISSION as if they had just returned from their mission and all the kids got married in the Temple (hence the use of Sealers).  Extra careers and houses were added to accommodate the larger number of players. 

I had somehow assumed that we would play as we did the board game, one player taking turns at a time but I found out that in the beginning there was just a mass of kids lined up to play and it was just easier to keep going all at once.  The difficulty was making sure that each kid moved up.  They patiently awaited their turn at the dice and I had a couple of wonderful brethren who really stepped up and moved from place to place accommodating each couple.  They also had a great attitude and made it much more fun for the kids.  We were pleasantly surprised at how quickly the youth paid off their college and house debts. The girls told me they had "tons of fun" so I have saved all these items for another time in the future.  All-in-all, it was a success.  If you are planning on this type of an activity, I hope this will be of help to you and successful for you as well. 

Download the game board here.  

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.

RAK - the Sequal

We gathered our YM/YW for Random Acts of Kindness this Wednesday.  As they gathered at the building for opening exercises, each youth had a number written in washable marker on their hand.  Boys were numbered separately from the girls so each group would have at least one young man or young woman in it.  We live in a small town, a bit isolated from larger shopping areas, so we loaded up our vans and headed for the nearest mall.  The group was divided into groups numbered 1-4 and given a bag with the following items in it:

        A Tootsie Roll Pop

        A pack of gum

        A $1 bill

        2 Quarters

        A diaper (wrapped in plastic and sized)

        Baby wipes 

        A flower

        A helium balloon

        A pass along card

        An individually wrapped bag of popcorn

        Pen/pencil/index cards/Post-It Notes/painters' tape

        Random Acts of Kindness Cards

        A list of kind acts to do

        A copy of the safety precautions and rules

Once they were in the mall they were off!

 

Each item was given a point value that was chosen at "random."  I did this by rolling a die and giving each item a point from 1-5.  (The point value was only once no matter how many people they smiled at!  :)  The youth were instructed to tell people they were a church group and explain their activity.  They met with some skepticism if they forgot to do this.  At the end of the activity, points were tallied and the winning team was given a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to share.  We gathered for smoothies afterwards to hear about their experiences and the reactions of those they encountered.

RULES FOR RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

**Please enjoy this experience!  Watch for reactions and listen to comments.  The point is to make someone's day a little brighter.  Be bright!  Smile!**

1. All points awarded are randomly selected.  Not one thing is given a higher point value because it is "harder to do."
2. Stay with your group or in pairs at all times.
3. ASK PERMISSION!  "May I help you?" "Can I push your wheelchair?" 
4. DO NOT give anything to a lone child.  Find one with a parent and ask the parent if you can given the child the balloon/candy, etc.
5. DO NOT LEAVE THE BUILDING OR GO OUTSIDE.
6. If an act has already been done, do not do it again.  Do not give a woman with a flower, another flower.  If a diaper and wipes have been placed at the changing station, do not leave 4 diapers and 4 packages of wipes.
7. Giving a package of gum is the same as giving a stick of gum.  There is no point value difference.
8. No points are given for preprinted notes.  You will receive a point for notes that you write yourselves.
9. Please do not place anything sticky on something it may damage.  If you have a sticky note to leave, please apply it where it will come off freely.
10. Set your cell phone alarms to meet at the mall entrance at 8:00 p.m.for a return to the building.  Please all meet at the same time so we can return for smoothies and to give out awards.

This activity took a little bit of planning but I think that most worthwhile activities do.  We enjoyed watching them and they enjoyed the experience.  It was a good missionary prep activity taking them a little out of their comfort zone to meet strangers with a smile.  I think it is a good idea to have groups of mixed classes to have the older ones help the younger ones as many of the Laurels and Priests have had leadership experiences that they can draw on.

       

Random Acts of Kindness

It's Random Acts of Kindness Week.  Here is a list of things you can do in your community, mall, or shopping center with your youth that are free or almost free.

1.  Write a thank you note

2.  Chalk someone's driveway with a positive message

3.  Open a door for someone--be dramatic and smile!

4.  Deliver candy or cookies to the local fire department

5.  Leave flowers for the nurses in the emergency room

6.  Re-shelve misplaced items in the store or library

7.  Leave notes with a happy thoughts in the store

8.  Help bag items in the local store

9.  Thank a soldier for his service

10.  Volunteer to sweep the floor in a store or fast food place.

11.  Give out carnations to ladies you see

12.  Give a balloon to a child

13.  Leave coupons for items in the store

14.  Pick up trash

15.  Return shopping carts

16.  Smile at someone

17.  Ask if you can help--then help

18.  Say hello to someone

19.  Place paper hearts on several cars in the parking lot. 

20.  If someone drops something, pick it up for them

21.  Text a compliment to someone other than your friends

22.  Compliment a man or woman on his/her child

23.  Play the piano at the local assisted living facility

24.  Leave a joke on someone's car.

25.  Tape a microwave popcorn to a Red Box

26.  Leave a diaper at the changing station in the restroom

27.  Feed the birds in the local park or parking lot

28.  Sing a song, recite a poem, or leave a poem to/for someone

29.  Compliment a worker or cashier

30.  Hide a positive note in a book at the library.

Have your youth gather for root beer floats and talk about their evening experiences doing kind things for others.  Sometimes even the smallest kindness can make a difference.

Here is a link for some very cute Random Acts of Kindness cards to leave behind of you need them.

http://www.sowonderfulsomarvelous.com/2010/04/random-acts-of-kindness-cards-free.html

Reservation Quilts Service Project

If you are looking for a service project for your YW, the Lakota Pine Wood Indian Reservation in South Dakota is the home of the Oglala Sioux Indians.  The residents of this reservation are living dire poverty and in extreme weather conditions.  The Friends of the Pine Ridge Reservation has many drives and service projects available for YW.  The reservation needs school supplies, blankets, coupons, books, arts and craft supplies.  Raising needed items or sewing/knitting/crocheting some of their requested items would make for great Value and service projects. http://friendsofpineridgereservation.org/

Our small group of Laurels made quilts last week to send to their Baby Shower.  They learned how to put the quilts together and tie them.  They were excited to know that they were helping these babies with a worthwhile project and enjoyed each others' company, talking and laughing.  (My pictures of the girls working on the quilts were lost but I have the finish product to show.)