Dear Young Women,
I believe this quote by Elder Neil L. Anderson is true-
"My young friends, the world will not glide calmly toward the Second Coming of the Savior. The scriptures declare that "all things shall be in commotion." Brigham Young said, "It was revealed to me in the commencement of this Church, that the Church would spread, prosper, grow and extend and that in proportion to the spread of the Gospel among the nations of the earth, so would the power of Satan rise. More concerning than the prophesied earthquakes and wars are the spiritual whirlwinds that can uproot you from your spiritual foundations and land your spirit in places you never imagined possible, sometimes with your barely noticing that you have been moved. The worst whirlwinds are the temptations of the adversary."
A personal testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the principles therein, and a testimony of the atonement and the Savior of the world can protect you from the temptations of the adversary and keep you grounded when the whirlwinds surround you.
While preparing for today's lesson I studied a talk by Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, "Be Ye Converted." She shared the story about one of her heroes, Agnes Hoggan, her great-great-grandmother.
Agnes and her husband joined the church in Scotland and then immigrated to the United States. Then her husband passed away and she had her 8 children to care for. She worked hard to support them.
Her 12 year old daughter, Isabelle, was able to find employment with a wealthy non-LDS family. She lived with the family and helped to care for their young children. Agnes received payment in return. She was soon accepted as a member of the family and was provided with privileges such as wearing beautiful clothing, attending the theatre, and taking dance classes.
After several years the family was to move and approached Agnes for permission to adopt Isabelle. They promised she would obtain a good education, marry prosperously, as well as be an heir to their estate. Agnes Hogan said, "no" to this family's request. Agnes had testimony and conviction that burned so brightly that she would not trade her daughter's membership in the Church for worldly promises.
"Young friends, we live in perilous times, and the decisions which you are called upon to make on a daily, or even hourly, basis have eternal consequences. The decisions you make in your daily life will determine what happens to you later. If you do not have a firmly rooted testimony and conviction that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on the earth, now is the time to do what it takes to gain that conviction. To delay making that effort required to earn that kind of conviction can be dangerous to your soul. ...Being truly converted means we are acting upon what we believe and allowing it to create "a mighty change in our hearts."
...[Agnes Hogan] had a strong conviction that the gospel was more important for her children than all that the world had to offer in the way of wealth and comfort because she had sacrificed, endured, and lived the gospel. Her conversion came through living the principles of the gospel and sacrificing for them."
Bonnie L. Oscarson
What a wonderful story from Sister Oscarson's family history. Thousands have been blessed by the gospel because of Agnes Hogan's strong personal testimony.
(If you want to read the entire talk, click this link.)
I love teaching this new curriculum and learning to teach as the Savior did. As I prepare to teach, I study and ponder and pray, and each time strengthen my own testimony of the principle(s) in my lesson.
Thank you to those young women who participated in the lesson today- I appreciate your insights shared! As you speak to me I can see that you are becoming converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. You are special young women!
Love, Sister Chambers
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