Personal Progress and Pranks

Personal Progress

September 15, 2015

The Personal Progress Book states, "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."

 

       Brother Dean stayed calm about Personal Progress as he playfully assured young women that he could earn his Young Women Recognition Medallion before them.  He challenged them to a friendly competition, inviting any young woman or leader to try and finish their Personal Progress before him.  Anyone who finished before him would be able to dump a bucket full of ice water on him.            

       Sunday, the 13th, was a very hot September day.  But the weather sided with the young woman as Mother Nature (who went from 90 degrees to 56 in just two days) poured her own bucket of ice rain on Brother Dean.  He wasn't so calm as he was drenched with buckets of ice water and then, as a grand finale, Mikayla Brownie's ice bucket appeared in the form of flour.  Poor Brother Dean!  It is no doubt that Brother Dean not only has a testimony of Personal Progress, he can also be a witness that the Young Women of the Welby 7th Ward are strong, talented, beautiful, dedicated daughters of God who are capable of accomplishing hard things. 

Here is what those who earned their medallion had to say:

Kelsey Summarell - "Personal Progress is important because it helps us learn more about the gospel and becoming a wife and a mother."

Sister Kristen Wardle - "I was able to develop skills and continue learning about those skills.  I have been blessed with knowledge from my Heavenly Father to continue using those skills.  I have been able to do home improvements that have blessed my family by saving us money.  I  know I am a daughter of God and he will continually bless me as I grow closer to Him and accept the life he has blessed me with. "

Kate Pierson - "Personal Progress is meant to be a way for us to learn that we are daughters of God.  Being a daughter of God has rights and privileges.  In Personal Progress, we learn about the faith and knowledge we need to have, the individual worth, divine nature and virtue we have been given, the choices we need to make, and how to serve.  I love personal progress and I love young women's. :)"

Brother Brian Dean - "To put it simply, Personal Progress is important because it helps teach how to be a Disciple of Christ."

Mikayla Brownie - "Personal Progress is important because it helps you build your testimony and bring you closer to God."

Tabitha Brady - "Personal Progress is important because it can help us learn more about ourseleves and the talents we have.  Also, we can learn to help and serve others."

Sister Ami Selfridge - "I love Personal Progress because it doesn't ask us to do more than what Heavenly Father already asks us to do, but it provides us a way to accomplish what He has already asked and offers us more blessings in the process as well."