One Blogging Crafter...And life as she see's it: Personal Progress and YWIE

Hey Ladies!
It's Laura again with a personal progress update. So recently we had Young Women in Excellence! Super Exciting!!!!! And it turned out beautifully. Normally the yw plan it and participate in the making of it. Well this year our really awesome leaders planned the whole thing. And I managed to finish 3 values!

Individual worth,

Choice & accountability,

and Good works.

I am really happy now that I have three more values that can accompany my what once was lonely Faith value ribbon.

For Individual Worth I trained to run a 5k with my mom, and I did it! Although I certainly didn't get the best time, nor did I manage to run all of it, I still finished. Our entire Young women's (and part of young mens, relief society, and missionaries .) trained for either the 5k of Half Marathon. I trained with my mom to walk/ run the 5k at the Frederick Running Festival,

We had a lot of support from the ward, and it was great the missionaries ran the 5k too! Our bishop owns a shoe store called if the shoe fits, and he encouraged us to do the race, which I'm so glad I did.

My awesome bishop:

Transplant Recipient John Kippen Running Marathon: MyFoxDC.com

WE BELIEVE!

We were the "We Believe group" we choose that because not only is it our Young men and Young Women's theme, but We Believed we could complete the race.This is us at the starting line, i am 11006, my mom is 11007.


Left to right front row: Sister Melby, Sister Foland, Hannah, Sister Daniels, Me, My mom Stacey

This is Elder Astle running the 5k in his suit, and tie..

And here is Elder Jenks with a smile upon his face running the 5k.

Group Photo time :)

I couldn't believe that I did it. I hated running. But I learned that I can do hard things, it was hard waking up before 7 and training on Saturdays, it was hard to stay motivated, but I did it.

And it became a missionary experience. We trained with a nice lady who paints (my mom and she got along ) and her two daughters. They are not members but I think they enjoyed the experience.

Secondly I received my Good Works ribbon,

for volunteering in many things, like babysitting for a single mother. I babysat a little girl named Gracie, she is just the cutest.

This value is one of my favorites because I got to do everything from help out at the food bank, to being a YCL, to visiting the Elderly. My favorite part was being a YCL! I loved all of the sweet young women and hearing their testimonies.

I learned that when you serve some one else you are in the service of your God, and you WILL be blessed for it. The 1st years that I YCL'd for, on the last day of camp they tackled me while I was walking to the bathroom, it turned into a group hug and they expressed their gratitude to me. They all wanted me to be their YCL for second year, I felt touched. I feel like all the hard work and stress that goes into a camp was well worth the feeling of being appreciated. I gained a love towards others, and I've become more caring and understanding.

For Choice and accountability I {with the help of my mom} sewed a dress that I can wear to the temple. Pictures to come.
I wore the dress to young women's in excellence, and I nearly didn't finish on time.

(Key Legend: Lighting bolt + equals DONE! bullet equals not done)

+Faith – Painted Christ walking on water. Done!

Divine Nature- Either Read to Child at Lewistown or Decorate & Organize my room

+Individual Worth- Ran/ Walked 5K as well as trained for the “race. Done!

Knowledge- Learn how to use the churches ancestry website take names to temple and be baptized for they who themselves can’t ~ or ~ learn how to create a scripture journal, learn and research gospel topics

Since during General Conference they talked about the youth doing Family History, I decided that is what I wanted to do. I am going to learn how to get names and be baptized by-proxy for those who are dead in the temporal sense.

+ Choice and Accountability- Sew a dress to wear to the temple

I am sewing a dress that conforms to the Strength of Youth booklet, by using a patterned knit fabric and cutting, pinning and sewing a dress.

+Good Works- Babysat for free on a regular basis for a single mother. Done!

Integrity – Paper Piece / quilt a temple

I found a cute quilt pattern of the Washington D.C. Temple, (My favorite) from Quilt a temple .com

http://www.quiltatemple.com/temples/washingtondc.htm

Virtue-– read the whole Book of Mormon and write my testimony of it.

Along with reading the whole Book of Mormon cover to cover, we have to write our testimony of it, and share the Book of Mormon with a friend.
I have been using this book, as well as this website, for help understanding and applying the scriptures to my life.