Optional Individual Worth Value Experience

You can prepare to face the trials of mortality by learning about your own divine mission. Read Doctrine and Covenants 93:24, Isaiah 55:8–9 and Jacob 4:13. Choose two General Conference talks to read from this list:

Thomas S. Monson, “May You Have Courage,” Mar. 2009 general Young Women meeting.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “We Are Doing a Great Work and Cannot Come Down,” Apr. 2009 general conference.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Your Happily Ever After,” Mar. 2010 general Young Women meeting.
Paul V. Johnson, “More Than Conquerors through Him That Loved Us,” Apr. 2011 general conference.

Discuss how keeping an eternal perspective will help you face the trials of life with more faith and optimism with a family member, leader, or friend. In your journal list things you can do now to have a better perspective on life and the trials you face.

An Uplifting Enviornment

Today I taught the lesson on "An Uplifiting Enviornment" in Young Women's. I think my favorite quote was in the additional resources. James E. Faust said,  "Spiritual nutrients, which keep us spiritually healthy, can lose their potency and strength if we do not live worthy of the divine guidance we need. … We need to keep our minds and bodies clean from all forms of addiction and pollution. We would never choose to eat spoiled or contaminated food. In the same selective way, we should be careful not to read or view anything that is not in good taste. Much of the spiritual pollution that comes into our lives comes through the Internet, computer games, television shows and movies that are highly suggestive of or graphically portray humanity’s baser attributes. Because we live in such an environment, we need to increase our spiritual strength” (James E. Faust, “Spiritual Nutrients,”  Ensign and Liahona, Nov. 2006, 53–55.).
If you are interested in the simple handout I put together, you can download it here.

I've also worked on updating the Value Experience packets. You can now download a packet for each of the Value Experiences in Faith, Divine Nature, and  Individual Worth.

Optional Divine Nature Value Experience

While I was preparing a lesson for Church about optimism, I started thinking how great it would be to turn the lesson into a Value Experience. This is what I came up with:

Read Doctrine and Covenants 90:24, 2 Nephi 31:20; Ether 12:4–9, 23, 27. Read two General Conference talks about optimism. Write a list of things that will help you be optimistic. Have a positive attitude for two weeks, no matter what happens. Write in your journal about your experiences when you were optimistic. How has this changed your perspective on life and your divine purpose?

(For any girls who are thinking of using this as a Value experience, remember to have one of your parents or leaders okay it before you get started. I will hopefully have it up as a packet in the next couple of days.)

Quotes From My Virtue Experience Readings

As I completed my Virtue value experiences, I highlighted some quotes that really stood out to me and were what I needed to hear in my life. I've listed them below.

From "Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple" by Russell M. Nelson:

Each temple is symbolic of our faith in God and an evidence of our faith in life after death.

From "Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple" by Russell M. Nelson:

The second concept to stress in our mental preparation is Atonement. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the central act of all human history. It is the core of the plan of salvation. Without the infinite Atonement, all mankind would be irretrievably lost. Temple ordinances and covenants teach of the redeeming power of the Atonement.

From "Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple" by Russell M. Nelson:

Ordinances of the temple provide for reconciliation with the Lord and seal families together forever. Obedience to the sacred covenants made in temples qualifies us for eternal life—the greatest gift of God to man.

From "Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple" by Russell M. Nelson:

There are two concepts we especially need to keep in mind as we prepare for the temple. The first is covenant. We need to remember that a covenant is a promise. A covenant made with God should be regarded not as restrictive but as protective. Covenants with Him protect us from danger.

From "Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple" by Russell M. Nelson:

It is necessary, therefore, that we ponder the symbols presented in the temple and see the mighty realities for which each symbol stands. “The temple ordinances are so imbued with symbolic meaning as to provide a lifetime of productive contemplation and learning.” The teachings of the temple are beautifully simple and simply beautiful. They are understood by those who have had little opportunity for education, yet they can excite the intellect of the highly educated.

From "Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple" by Russell M. Nelson:

One day we will surely meet our Maker and stand before Him at the bar of judgment. Scripture teaches us that “the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.” The Lord Himself will determine whether we have been true to the covenants we made with Him in the temple and thus merit the glorious blessings He has promised those who keep their covenants.

From "Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple" by Russell M. Nelson:

In the temple we receive an endowment, which is, literally speaking, a gift. We need to understand the spiritual significance of it and the importance of keeping the sacred covenants and obligations we make in receiving this gift. Each “temple ordinance is not just a ritual to go through, it is an act of solemn promising.”

The temple endowment was given by revelation. Thus, it is best understood by revelation, vigorously sought with a pure heart. President Brigham Young explained that “your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, … and gain your eternal exaltation.”

From "Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple" by Russell M. Nelson:

[D]ivine covenants shield us from harm. When we choose to deny ourselves of all ungodliness, we lose nothing of value and gain glory known only to those who obtain eternal life. Keeping a temple covenant is not constraining but enabling. It elevates us beyond limits of our own perspective and power. 

My Testimony of the Book of Mormon

“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4).

I know that the Book of Mormon was written by prophets of old under the guidance of our Heavenly Father. I know that it is a true book. I know that as I read and study the Book of Mormon, Heavenly Father inspires me through the Holy Ghost to do the things that he would have me do. I know that by reading the Book of Mormon, my life is blessed and I am better able to know the things the Lord would have me do for myself and for my family.