"You are a beloved daughter of Heavenly Father, prepared to come to the earth at this particular time for a sacred and glorious purpose. You have a noble responsibility to use your strength and influence for good. Your loving Heavenly Father has blessed you with talents and abilities that will help you fulfill your divine mission. As you learn to accept and act upon the Young Women values in your life, you will form personal habits of prayer, scripture study, obedience to the commandments, and service to others. These daily personal habits will strengthen your faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ. They will also allow you to recognize and develop your unique gifts.
Always use your influence to lift and bless your family, other young women, and the young men with whom you associate. Honor womanhood, support the priesthood, and cherish faithful motherhood and fatherhood.
As you participate in Personal Progress, you join with thousands of other young women who are striving to come unto Christ and “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9). Counsel with your parents, and prayerfully choose goals that will help you cultivate feminine attributes, strengthen your testimony, and reach your divine potential. Take advantage of your time in Young Women by preparing to receive the sacred ordinances of the temple, to become a faithful wife and mother, and to strengthen your home and family."
This is on the first page of the YW personal progress book. Since not everyone knows about the Personal Progress Program, I will give a brief outline. It is our church's equivalent to the Eagle Scout, but for the young women of the church. In order to earn the Young Women's Recognition Medallion, the girl must complete 6 experiences and 1 project (minimum of 10 hours each) in each of 8 values. These values are: Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice & Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and Virtue.
All three of my girls are diligently working on completing their goals. Each year the girls that have completed their YW recognition in the previous year are recognized at a banquet. In February, Addyson had all but 1 value project complete. She determined that she would complete the last project in time to be recognized at the banquet.
The project she chose was a cross stitch of Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest." Addyson had never cross stitched before. This was a new skill for her and a rusty skill for her mom. She got into it and realized it was going to take her much longer than the 10 hours she had planned. She diligently worked, and worked, and worked, until she finished her last stitch. She stopped counting the hours after 25. I am so proud of her perseverance. She now has a new skill that she really loves doing.
She was indeed recognized at the banquet this past Saturday night. She has not yet received her medallion at church. She is waiting for the ward to get in the new medallions. They were recently redesigned. Here is the old design:
"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies" Proverbs 31:10
I am so pleased to have a daughter that has lived her life in a manner that is exemplary and follows the example given to us by our Savior Jesus Christ.
