Cathi gave a wonderful talk. Here's mine:
Defenders of the Family Proclamation
By Bonnie L. Oscarson
Young Women General President
Marie M. Cardon
Northern Italy near the Alps
Austin: Trento Italy
WE ARE DAUGHTERS of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. WE WILL “STAND as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9) as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are:
Faith • Divine Nature • Individual Worth • Knowledge • Choice and Accountability • Good Works • Integrity • and Virtue
WE BELIEVE as we come to accept and act upon these values, WE WILL BE PREPARED to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.
We are daughters of our HF who loves us and we love him.
I love that! It isn’t “who loves us if…” It’s unconditional. When we ponder on our relationship with the Savior we should always remember that his love and concern for us isn’t dependent on anything.
However perhaps our feelings towards the Savior need a greater examination. We reciprocate our feelings about the saviour by our actions:
John 14:15 - If ye love me, keep my commandments.
We will STAND.
Yesterday, I asked Lucy to recite the YW theme for me. After stumbling once she stopped, stood up and started over.
What does the word and action of “STAND” signify? Testify and Defend. You can really defend yourself sitting down. What are we testifying of?
“STAND as witnesses of God at all times, in all things and in all places.”
So we’re witnessing not just part of the time, and in some things, nor just only at church or YWs. ALL THE TIME. IN ALL AREAS, and EVERYWHERE.
That’s the goal.
But that’s not all. In order to do that successfully, there are certain values that need to be followed:
FAITH:
The first principle of the gospel as found in the First Article of Faith. We cannot obtain any further light until we have built up sufficient faith.
- Women who touches the hem of Jesus’ clothes. (Matthew 9:20-22)
20 ¶And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with anissue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
DIVINE NATURE:
Moses 1:39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
INDIVIDUAL WORTH
Leaves the 99 for the 1. As children of God, every one is precious. He doesn’t give up on anyone that hasn’t given up himself.
KNOWLEDGE:
D&C 131:6 It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.
So that means we need to learn and gain knowledge. Not the knowledge given from the world, but that given of the spirit.
Moroni 10:5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
- Spirit world - teaching them, ordinances in temples. Wouldn’t it just be easier to write them a free pass like he has done for little children who died before accountability? No. and that leads into the next section....
CHOICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
Without a choice, we can’t be held accountable. And after we’ve made a choice, we won’t be able to avoid the consequence. For a good choice, the blessing cannot be withheld.
GOOD WORKS:
Of all the Christlike attributes, if you could wish for one to be part of your nature without effort, which would it be?
Immediately the natural man takes over in my mind: Ability to walk on water or even more awesome, ability to breathe underwater. How pathetic. When I think of a Christ-like attribute that has a much greater effect I think of one such as: Having Charity or Good Works.
Why does it seem so much more natural for women to have this character trait? I’ll catch Cathi quit often writing a thank you note, or making a “sweet” card of encouragement, or making dinner or a treat for a neighbor. I absolutely love this trait about her. It’s endears me to her when she does things so naturally that I wouldn’t really consider.
It’s this Christ-like attribute of doing good things that makes women have such a huge effect!
INTEGRITY:
Doing the same thing whether someone is watching or not. Defining your values and living them all of the time. How are we doing in this area? Are we living our lives with integrity? That’s something we should be asking ourselves every single day.
It’s not our job to ask someone else that, or judge someone who is not living with integrity. It’s meant to be a personal thing.
VIRTUE:
The “Catch all” at the end. Anything that is “good”.
President Faust April 2003 Conference, General Women’s Session: Many people do not fully understand the meaning of virtue. One commonly understood meaning is to be chaste or morally clean, but virtue in its fuller sense encompasses all traits of righteousness that help us form our character. An old sampler found in a museum in Newfoundland, stitched in 1813, reads: “Virtue is the chiefest beauty of the mind, the noblest ornament of humankind. Virtue is our safeguard and our guiding star that stirs up reason when our senses err.”
Testimony
