YLC

Such an amazing week!!! Where do I even begin? I knew from visiting YLC that it was life changing for the youth who attend, but I had no idea that it would effect me as much as it did. It was unexpected. I was focused on our assignment to throw a formal dance for the youth on the last night and my responsibilities as a general leader, all of which I had never done before. But I was blessed with so much more. It was honestly hone of the richest spiritual experiences of my life. Being there with my husband and my baby brother was so great. Sister Oscarson, Madelyn Paige and Brad Wilcox were fantastic speakers and the time with the youth was my most favourite. Time to talk and laugh and learn more about them was the best. So grateful for my calling as Stake Young Women's President, I could never have know how much these last 3 months would teach me. I think it is so interesting how hours before I left, my house was falling apart. Claire had the biggest meltdown of her life, I was crying, she was crying, the house was destroyed. My mother in law called and I told her I just couldn't leave for 4 days. We had just been to California the week before, a trip we had planned long before I got my new calling. We would never plan to spend 8 days out of 14 away from the kids. I was feeling so much mommy guilt and so overwhelmed. But I pulled myself together and managed to make it out the door. I honestly think that Satan knew that I was about to have the greatest spiritual experience of my life. Those 4 days were so necessary for me to reconnect with Darryl and strengthen my testimony. I came home a better mom and the kids had a blast with my parents and Moe and Bon, and of course, Adrianna Farmer, baby-sitter extrodinaire.  I loved being there with my baby brother Tay and seeing his testimony grow as well.

I have pages and pages of notes from workshops and talks, but there were the things that really stood out to me that I wanted to record here:

Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, General YW President:
On a jewish prayer shawl there are 613 tassels representing:
365 "shalt nots" commandments, also 365 days a year
248 "thou shalt" commandments, also 248 organs in the body
Reasons to keep the commandments: Knowledge, happiness, relationship with God, invites the Holy Ghost to be a companion to us
John14:23-24
We need to be righteous in the dark-Brigham Young
"Dare to be a Mormon, dare to stand alone.
Dare to have a purpose firm, dare to make it known"-Primary Song
"However late you think you are, you have not travelled beyond God's love. There is nothing you have done that can't be undone. There is no dream that cannot be reached"-Jeffery R. Holland
(The spirit spoke to my heart and reminded me I need to use the scriptures more in my life)
The fact that God has given us commandments is evidence that he loves us.

Brad Wilcox
My favourite word of wisdom that he shared was this tidbit:
"The Spirit of God like a furnace is working"
It's not always a burning fire! It's really important to remember that everyday doesn't have to be some huge spiritual experience. But we know that it's there. It's like when you walk into your house and the furnace is working, you don't say, Wow! The furnace is working! But you sure notice when it's gone. When the furnace is broken (aka our testimony) we feel it and we notice. Almost like a fish doesn't notice he is comfortable swimming in the water until someone pulls him out of it.
Chocolate Analogy:
A testimony of the gospel is like chocolate.
Your leaders can tell you how amazing it is and how good it tastes, but unless you taste the sweetness for yourself, you can't know how truly wonderful it is.

"The gospel might be likened to the keyboard of a piano—a full keyboard with a selection of keys on which one who is trained can play a variety without limits; a ballad to express love, a march to rally, a melody to soothe, and a hymn to inspire; an endless variety to suit every mood and satisfy every need How shortsighted it is, then, to choose a single key and endlessly tap out the monotony of a single note, or even two or three notes, when the full keyboard of limitless harmony can be played.How disappointing when the fullness of the gospel, the whole keyboard, is here upon the earth, that many churches tap on a single key. The note they stress may be essential to a complete harmony of religious experience, but it is, nonetheless, not all there is. It isn’t the fullness.

For instance, one taps on the key of faith healing, to the neglect of many principles that would bring greater strength than faith healing itself. Another taps on an obscure key relating to the observance of the Sabbath—a key that would sound different indeed, played in harmony with the essential notes on the keyboard. A key used like that can get completely out of tune. Another repeats endlessly the key that relates to the mode of baptism and taps one or two other keys as though there were not a full keyboard. And again, the very key he uses, essential as it is, just doesn’t sound complete when played alone to the neglect of the others." - Boyd K. Packer

The Good News of the Gospel: G-Godhead, O-Only true church S-Spirit P-Preisthood E-Everyone L-Living Prophets