Fast

Just a reminder about our special Young Women's fast this coming Sunday, March 3rd.

There are many young women who should be with us and are not. There are also young women who will be joining us this year as they turn twelve. As you fast, please keep these young women in mind.

Consider how we as a group or you as an individual can reach out to these young women. Through you they can feel their Heavenly Father and Savior's love for them.

 Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, has encouraged us to "reach out and rescue those who need our help and lift them to the higher road and the better way. ... It is the Lord's work, and when we are on the Lord's errand, ... we are entitled to the Lord's help."

I know that, as the scriptures teach, if we will bring at least one soul into the gospel, great will be our joy.

Love, Sister Chambers

Our Bodies Are Temples

I enjoyed so much teachings today's lesson. 

I know that our bodies are gifts from our Heavenly Father. They house our spirits and were made in his image. Showing respect for our bodies shows our Heavenly Father how much we are grateful for his gift to us. As we treat our body like a temple we show him that we know we are his daughter and that we do desire to gain all that he has.

 I know Satan wants to tempt us to hate, harm, defile and abuse our bodies. We doesn't want us to love ourselves. He would be happy if we destroyed our great gift because he will never have one. Two ways Satan tries to deceive us about our bodies is to tempt us to be unchaste and immodest. 

Here is a link to the two videos we watched in class today:  

 http://www.mormonchannel.org/february-youth-videos?v=1101415421001

 195 Dresses

You girls understand why it is important to be modest. I can tell from our discussion today that you want to dress your body to reflect the Savior. Remember what I read from Sister Tanner,

"Happiness comes from accepting the bodies we have been given as divine gifts and enhancing our natural attributes, not from remaking our bodies after the image of the world. The Lord wants us to be made over—but in His image, not in the image of the world, by receiving His image in our countenance."

My challenge to you after watching and discussing this video was to decide: How can I encourage others to be more modest?

 You girls are already an influence for good. As you focus your attention on encouraging others to be more modest you will find Heavenly Father guiding you to know how you can do this.

 Chastity: What Are the Limits

I loved the pilot analogy in this movie. What a great example of why it is important to set limits. I hope that you girls will take the challenge by Elder Scott and set personal standards for yourself. Setting personal standards for yourself will keep you focused on being chaste and help you to avoid finding yourself in a compromising situation. Set limits that keep you far away from danger... not near a waterfall's edge or rickety bridge with a hungry alligator below...

 My patriarchal blessing counseled me to always stay worthy to enter the temple so that when that time did  arrive nothing would be amiss in my life that might keep me from attaining the greatest blessing Heavenly Father bestows upon his children in this life.

I testify that being sealed to a worthy young man in the House of the Lord for time and all eternity is worth remaining modest and sexually pure.

Love, Sister Chambers

What Do The Choices I Make Matter?

This life is all about choices. What a great gift from our Heavenly Father!

We have decisions to make that vary from the insignificant (what to wear, what to eat, what sports to play...) to those of serious consequence (who to marry, whether we keep our covenants or not...). Heavenly Father could have chosen Lucifer's plan, but he did not. He chose to give us our free agency, the right to choose. Heavenly Father was aware that we would not always make the best choices, so he sent his son to atone for our sins. Because of the atonement, we have the opportunity to make mistakes (which we will as a result of the natural man) and repent, learn from our poor choices and improve who we are, continually becoming more like our Heavenly Father and Savior. Our Father in Heaven gives us the opportunity to choose because as we make righteous decisions we become more like him and Jesus Christ.

 We have the choice of what kind of life we want to live. We "are free to choose liberty and eternal life...or to choose captivity and death." (2 Nephi 2:27) To choose liberty and eternal life we must follow our Heavenly Father commandments. The reason our choices matter is because the right choices lead to eternal life. He will guide us to make the right decision and encourage us when it seems difficult to make the correct choice. Captivity and death comes by making poor choices.

Often we can lose focus of our end goal, eternal life, because it seems so far into the future and in the present are so many difficult things we are faced with. To keep yourself on the straight and narrow path:

Study your scriptures daily.

 They were written for us, to help teach us which choices will lead us to happiness in this life and eventually, eternal life, and they give us strength to do what we know is right.

Earnestly pray to your Heavenly Father.

 He hears and answers your prayers. Learn to recognize how our Father answers your prayers. Seek his guidance always.

Strictly obey the commandments. 

Do not justify even a little sin because it begins a pattern of poor decision making. If you will keep the "little" commandments you will never find that you have broken a serious one.

Attend the temple.

 Find every opportunity to attend the temple. It is the Lord's house. Whether for temple baptisms or walking on the grounds. Always be worthy to enter the Lord's house and continually be preparing for the day you will enter there to receive your own endowment.

At mutual we read the scriptures associated with and then discussed the Choice and Accountability required experience #1. The challenge was to establish regular prayer and scripture study that would help you to make a wise decision about something you are struggling with. If you did not then take the challenge, I hope that you now will after again discussing on Sunday why making good decisions is important. If you are already saying your prayers and reading your scriptures, do so more dilligently and see if it will increase your desire to make wise decisions. 

At the time of Tuesday's mutual I had not yet chosen something to work on. But Wednesday I found myself losing my temper with Creighton after numerous potty accidents. I have decided to immerse myself in my scriptures and pray fervently for the Lord's help that I may make better decisions as a mother throughout the day. I want to be more patient, understanding and loving. I know with the Lord's help it will be easier to make the decision to be the kind of mother I want to be when confronted with a less than ideal situation. As a mother, the choices I make strongly affect my children.

If you feel comfortable sharing, I would love to hear what decisions you have asked the Lord to help you with.

 I am so grateful for my calling in Young Women's and the opportunity I have to teach. I learn so much by preparing to teach you young women. I am also blessed by my associations with you girls. Thank you for your strong testimonies. I know you are trying to make good choices!

Love, Sister Chambers

There were several recipes left at my home so here is a copy in case yours was left behind!