This talk was given at the 2019 stake women's conference.
By Kara Lunsford, a Laurel
Hello beautiful sisters! I am so grateful for this opportunity to speak to you wonderful women.
About three weeks ago Sister Adams and Sister Wensel came and asked me if I would be willing to talk at this women's conference. Surprisingly, I was super excited! They asked me to accept this 21-day challenge given by Wendy Watson Nelson. This challenge is to “make a sacrifice of time to the Lord by increasing time in family history and in temple work.” I was very excited about this and to learn and become closer to my Savior.
At the beginning, I did all right with the challenge. I was more focused on what happened and what I could share with you women than how it affected me personally in my life. I didn’t notice a huge difference in how I felt or how happy I was. After that, I didn’t do anything for about a week and a half, partly because I was sick and partly because I wasn't sure what to do and it just didn’t really cross my mind.
However, this past Sunday, my cute mom came and asked me how it was going, and I was completely honest with her. I told her I wasn’t sure what to do or why I was chosen to do this. She told me not to worry about what already happened, (or didn’t happen, haha), but to just focus on what I can do this week.
Showing posts with label young women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label young women. Show all posts
Witnessing the Love of the Lord for Me and My Ancestors
This talk was given at the 2019 stake women's conference.
By Brynn Meredith, a Laurel
What a blessing it has been for me to take part in the preparation for this conference. I was challenged to take part in the 21-day challenge at the beginning of January, and it has been amazing for me to witness the love that our Father in Heaven has for us and our ancestors that came before us.
Sister Wensel and Sister Adams came and visited me and asked me to take part and be ready to share my findings. They also gave me a talk to read from a BYU women’s conference about this 21-day challenge. The challenge is about a sacrifice of time to the Lord. The action that I choose to take for this challenge was indexing and going to the temple once a week with my sister.
When I first received the challenge, I was admittedly really worried that I would not only be unable to find something I could consistently do, but that I would not be able to share the importance of it with you. I will also admit that before this challenge, I had never really learned how to use the FamilySearch software. But I felt very strongly that indexing was something that I would be able to do every day and that it was an important part in this work.
By Brynn Meredith, a Laurel
What a blessing it has been for me to take part in the preparation for this conference. I was challenged to take part in the 21-day challenge at the beginning of January, and it has been amazing for me to witness the love that our Father in Heaven has for us and our ancestors that came before us.
Sister Wensel and Sister Adams came and visited me and asked me to take part and be ready to share my findings. They also gave me a talk to read from a BYU women’s conference about this 21-day challenge. The challenge is about a sacrifice of time to the Lord. The action that I choose to take for this challenge was indexing and going to the temple once a week with my sister.
When I first received the challenge, I was admittedly really worried that I would not only be unable to find something I could consistently do, but that I would not be able to share the importance of it with you. I will also admit that before this challenge, I had never really learned how to use the FamilySearch software. But I felt very strongly that indexing was something that I would be able to do every day and that it was an important part in this work.
As We Submit Our Time to the Lord, He Showers Us with Blessings
This talk was given at the 2019 stake women's conference.
by Bethany Bown, a Laurel
Hello. My name is Bethany Bown. I’m a senior class officer at Davis High, a ballerina at Clytie Adams school of ballet, and a shopaholic. This may give you the impression that I am a busy girl, which I am, but I know it doesn’t even compare to being close to busy as all of you women, mothers, and friends.
The past 21 days I’ve taken part in an amazing opportunity that has brought blessings and great peace into my busy days. This is an opportunity I’d like to extend to each of you today. It’s called the 21-day sacrifice. You focus on keeping your covenants for 21 days and sacrifice something in order to do so. It’s as simple as that.
Wendy Watson Nelson was the one to initiate it in her address at the BYU Women’s Conference in 2015. She promised this along with her challenge: “When covenant women keep their covenants, they have greater access to the power of God. The power of God flows into them, and that power, His power, generates a decrease in stress, an increase in energy, more and clearer revelation for their lives, renewed focus, courage to make needed changes, an increase in patience, and more time for what matters.”
I can testify that she meant what she promised. The past couple weeks as I’ve taken part in this challenge, I’ve been more relaxed and focused on what really matters. One Saturday afternoon, my mom and I decided to go to the temple. It was about an hour wait. Instead of leaving because we had other things to do that day, we decided to stay. This was so worth it.
by Bethany Bown, a Laurel
Hello. My name is Bethany Bown. I’m a senior class officer at Davis High, a ballerina at Clytie Adams school of ballet, and a shopaholic. This may give you the impression that I am a busy girl, which I am, but I know it doesn’t even compare to being close to busy as all of you women, mothers, and friends.
The past 21 days I’ve taken part in an amazing opportunity that has brought blessings and great peace into my busy days. This is an opportunity I’d like to extend to each of you today. It’s called the 21-day sacrifice. You focus on keeping your covenants for 21 days and sacrifice something in order to do so. It’s as simple as that.
Wendy Watson Nelson was the one to initiate it in her address at the BYU Women’s Conference in 2015. She promised this along with her challenge: “When covenant women keep their covenants, they have greater access to the power of God. The power of God flows into them, and that power, His power, generates a decrease in stress, an increase in energy, more and clearer revelation for their lives, renewed focus, courage to make needed changes, an increase in patience, and more time for what matters.”
I can testify that she meant what she promised. The past couple weeks as I’ve taken part in this challenge, I’ve been more relaxed and focused on what really matters. One Saturday afternoon, my mom and I decided to go to the temple. It was about an hour wait. Instead of leaving because we had other things to do that day, we decided to stay. This was so worth it.
As We Keep Our Covenants, Christ Builds Us Up
This talk was given at the 2019 stake women's conference.
By Emma Nelson, a Laurel
I love the theme of "Rejoicing on the Covenant Path" because it is so important and applicable throughout our lives. Heavenly Father has asked us to do our best to keep our covenants, and through them comes joy. It is not always easy to find joy, especially during trials or hard times, but we need to trust our Heavenly Father and do what he has asked of us.
President Nelson said, “The highest compliment is to be called a covenant keeper.” This should be something we strive for, not because it is a compliment of the highest, but by keeping our covenants we show God how important our relationship with Him is to us.
Not too long ago I wasn’t sure if the Church was true. Every Sunday I would grudgingly go to church to renew my baptismal covenants and try to learn of Christ, not even knowing if He was there for me. After months of struggling, I was writing my frustration and feeling in my journal but got an overwhelming feeling of peace and love. I knew my Savior because I was renewing my baptismal covenants as I was trying to learn of Him. He has such a deep love for all of us that He will NEVER leave us on our own.
I’ve come to learn through trials that Christ lets us doubt to build us up stronger than we were before. Think about building muscles. As you work out your muscles, they are torn before they rebuild stronger. I feel we are like this as well. Sometimes we doubt, are torn, or broken, but by us always keeping our covenants, Christ helps to rebuild us stronger than ever.
By Emma Nelson, a Laurel
I love the theme of "Rejoicing on the Covenant Path" because it is so important and applicable throughout our lives. Heavenly Father has asked us to do our best to keep our covenants, and through them comes joy. It is not always easy to find joy, especially during trials or hard times, but we need to trust our Heavenly Father and do what he has asked of us.
President Nelson said, “The highest compliment is to be called a covenant keeper.” This should be something we strive for, not because it is a compliment of the highest, but by keeping our covenants we show God how important our relationship with Him is to us.
Not too long ago I wasn’t sure if the Church was true. Every Sunday I would grudgingly go to church to renew my baptismal covenants and try to learn of Christ, not even knowing if He was there for me. After months of struggling, I was writing my frustration and feeling in my journal but got an overwhelming feeling of peace and love. I knew my Savior because I was renewing my baptismal covenants as I was trying to learn of Him. He has such a deep love for all of us that He will NEVER leave us on our own.
I’ve come to learn through trials that Christ lets us doubt to build us up stronger than we were before. Think about building muscles. As you work out your muscles, they are torn before they rebuild stronger. I feel we are like this as well. Sometimes we doubt, are torn, or broken, but by us always keeping our covenants, Christ helps to rebuild us stronger than ever.
21-Day Sacrifice Challenge
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| Photo from BYUtv |
She was inspired to respond, “As counterintuitive as this may seem, I felt compelled, in a way I could not deny, to encourage [this sister] to offer a 21-day experiment to her Relief Society sisters. So I emailed back, 'Invite the sisters to make a sacrifice of time to the Lord by increasing their time in family history and in temple work for the next 21 days.'”
The experiment worked! She reports, “[Although] they were in distress, they focused on their covenant of sacrifice, they let that covenant be 'paramount,' and they were exactly obedient. And what happened? Their distress fell away!”
God’s love for us is real. He desires us to turn to Him so we may have joy. Through her entire BYU Women's Conference address, Sister Nelson bears a strong and insightful testimony of covenants. The privilege, the perspective offered, and the power of these beautiful exchanges of love between God and us are thrilling.
We are extending the same 21-Day Sacrifice Challenge to you, the Relief Society sisters and Laurels of our stake. We desire each of you to continue to be lifted and to feel joy! If you were to start TODAY, your 21 days would be complete on February 16th.
Please read or listen to the address by Sister Nelson. She will inspire you.
Click here to read the talk transcript.Your distress can and will fall away! Let’s go forward and rejoice on the covenant path.
Click here to see a video of the talk.
The Covenant Path Is the Way
Labels:
covenants,
stake news,
Women's Conference 2019,
young women
We truly rejoiced in our covenants yesterday during our stake women’s conference. The entire experience was a testament of our Savior’s love for each sister in our stake; our very souls were lifted. Our covenants truly are an expression of God’s love for us. It was a beautiful and good day!
The final testimony in each breakout was shared by a Laurel inviting the Relief Society sisters and Laurels of the Layton South Stake to participate in a 21-Day Sacrifice Challenge. The Laurels speaking each participated in the challenge leading up to and completing it on women's conference day.
Oh, these incredible Laurels! They are busy and bright, and they did it! Their testimonies were amazing!
President Nelson recently extended an invitation to our youth to join the Youth Battalion. Just as the army of Helaman had an army of women behind them, so must our youth. They need us women to offer our best to them to help build the kingdom of God on this earth.
As we are living in the last days, we each need an increase of God’s power in our lives to fulfill our earthly missions. The Lord will do His work and will help us do our part. The covenant path is the way.
The final testimony in each breakout was shared by a Laurel inviting the Relief Society sisters and Laurels of the Layton South Stake to participate in a 21-Day Sacrifice Challenge. The Laurels speaking each participated in the challenge leading up to and completing it on women's conference day.
Oh, these incredible Laurels! They are busy and bright, and they did it! Their testimonies were amazing!
President Nelson recently extended an invitation to our youth to join the Youth Battalion. Just as the army of Helaman had an army of women behind them, so must our youth. They need us women to offer our best to them to help build the kingdom of God on this earth.
As we are living in the last days, we each need an increase of God’s power in our lives to fulfill our earthly missions. The Lord will do His work and will help us do our part. The covenant path is the way.
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