Personal Progress

If any of my young women read this, they will probably just roll their eyes, but...

I love personal progress! It is a gift from Heavenly Father to His daughters, and it leads them to receive the great blessing of the temple. I recently completed the process as a leader, and got my Young Womanhood Recognition Medallion! Yeah! I actually finished my personal progress in August, but never got the medallion...I think partly because I didn't want to be a "show off," and partly because I didn't like the projects I had done. But I realized, that neither was a good reason. I felt like I wanted to complete it so that I could have the experience to share with Savannah in the future, and be able to teach her what I have learned. It is not an easy program. The girls work so hard to get it done, and it takes many years, and a lot of diligence, effort, and work. As leaders, the requirements are less than the youth. We just have to do two projects in addition to the Virtue project, which is to read the Book of Mormon again.

When I felt like I needed to follow through and get my medallion, I thought that I would do two new projects. Classic overachiever. I completed the first project (which I am actually really happy about) and then was halfway through the second project (which got way overcomplicated), when I realized that I needed to simplify, a lot! Halfway through that other project, I learned a bigger lesson, prepared just for me.

So, I had to make a conscious decision to actually be satisfied with what I had done, and for once in my life, move forward. I kept the original two projects, and got my medallion, and I am very pleased!

I am very grateful for this inspired program. Truly, it leads the Young Women to have a better relationship with their Heavenly Father, and prepares them for the temple, which is the objective of the Young Women organization.

So, if you are wondering what I did for my projects...

The first one was for the value of Faith. We planted a garden, which was a complete failure. But I stuck with it, nonetheless. I do have a picture of a pepper, and the picture probably makes it look bigger than it was. Most everything that did grow was either tiny or just died. Oh well...there is always this year! I think we are going to do an above ground garden in a box and in pots, that way we can control what kind of soil it is in, and how much sunlight it is exposed to.


The other project was that I researched sewing machines and bought one (thanks Weston & Missy!), and then made some throw pillows for our home. Although I got pretty frustrated with such a simple thing as a pillow, it gave me motivation to try some other things later.

Here is what President Ezra Taft Benson said about the award, "Give me a young woman who loves home and family, who reads and ponders the scriptures daily, who has a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon. Give me a young woman who faithfully attends her Church meetings, who is a seminary graduate, who has earned her Young Womanhood Recognition award and wears it with pride! Give me a young woman who is virtuous and who has maintained her personal purity, who will not settle for less than a temple marriage, and I will give you a young woman who will perform miracles for the Lord now and throughout eternity."

I am very grateful for the chance I have had to get this award because of my calling in Young Women's. I am grateful that it can accompany the medallion I received when I was a youth. And I look forward to the opportunity I will have to get another one as a mother when Savannah is working through her personal progress when she gets into Young Women's!


To learn more about personal progress, go to personalprogress.lds.org

Go to the board!