The Primary Disconnect

I've wanted to write this post so many times! I've started and didn't like it or it didn't feel right but someone needs to speak to the sisters outside of Primary and that includes Nursery. Nursery is part of Primary so for the rest of the post when I reference Primary I mean Nursery too.

I love my primary calling, really! I would pick a Primary calling any day and for most people that doesn't include Nursery but I do. I love Nursery. My first summer back from school I was a Nursery Leader and it was the best calling I've had to this day! I love being with those cute little kids and talking about Jesus's love for them! A fringe benefit for me having a Primary calling is getting out of Relief Society! I have never liked Relief Society in the 5 years I've been out of Young Womens. I've tried student ward Relief Society, singles ward Relief Society and family ward Relief Society and all of them leave me feeling like I'm not part of the group for one reason or another. In Primary I belong, I get kids and kids think I'm awesome!

But Primary is often off in a corner, nowhere near Relief Society and we're forgotten about. When there are super cute handouts from Relief Society, we don't get them. When there's an activity that Relief Society is planned, we're the last to hear about it. Often just a couple days before the event. When they have treats in Relief Society they somehow happen to never make it down to the Primary sisters. (Which we would appreciate, especially when we have Primary Presidents who don't want teachers giving out any food to the kids-even if passed by the parents) We feel like we're not really part of the ward, we're the last to hear about almost EVERYTHING!

Now before you say "Well you don't know what it's like to have a calling and make sure things get announced in another auxillary..." or something similar. I do! When I was in a singles ward I didn't have a male co-chair and we had people leave after sunday school and not get things announced in Relief Society or Priesthood so I announced in both of our Sunday School classes and Relief Society and Priesthood. And for the Fall Festival that I just helped coordinate I laid everything out for each auxiliary (including Young Womens, Young Mens, Elders Quorum, High Priests and Relief Society) with one of the leaders. I gave them an announcement sheet and a signup sheet. And checked back with them after church and managed to plan and teach a primary class and fulfill my Ward Missionary calling. I'm not saying it's easy, it's not, but it's possible. And don't our sisters deserve support? Especially when they're not always dealing with the easiest kids? I know I wasn't an easy kid, and neither were my brothers and I'd like to hope that Relief Society supported them.

So sisters in Relief Society, I'm giving you a challenge. Will you invite your Relief Society Presidency to include sisters serving in Primary? AND will you make sure to pass along things announced and given out to the sisters you visiting teach that serve in Primary?

October 2013 | Saturday Afternoon Session

Who loved Saturday afternoon's session? Cause I did! I'll be making more edits for this session later this weekend!

Be Not Moved: Youth Conference 2013

I know that I am an exception to the rule. I always loved the idea of youth conference but I never went for the youth. I wasn't the kid who was popular, I wasn't the one who made tons of friends. I went because I wanted to feel the spirit, and listen to some awesome speakers. But the point to this is that I loved going as an adult. No pressure to make friends, you just get feel the spirit!

I loved going to Macon for Youth Conference. It's a nicer drive than the one we have to make to the one we've been to in the past. And the rooms were better, AIR CONDITIONING! And being a chaperone I only had to share my bathroom with one other person, the other chaperone. It was fun having my dad there as a chaperone as well. I totally recommend having Wesleyan College host your conference.

He're the group just before we left the church! Well, the group without the female chaperones.

I wish I had take some pictures of the inside of the buildings, they were beautiful. Like the ceiling in the dining hall! Zac brought a friend with him, and this is them and some friends eating dinner the first night.

As you can see in the post below, I got to help my dad with his class. It was really good! His topic was friends, the section from The Strength of Youth. He showed some really great videos.

He shared one about a blind young man who can play the piano by ear and the impact he makes.

Then he shared one about staying within the lines of good decisions and how friends can help you.

When he showed me this video the night before. The first thing I said is that no one's home is that clean. And then during his class, after the video would stop he would say "That's a great video but there's just one thing that I don't agree with. What is it?" And it would get tense, like he was gonna disagree with some doctrine in it. And then he said "I don't know if you live with boys or have ever been over to their house. But I have two boys and I have seen their room. No boy's home is that clean!" And they would all laugh.

The third video he showed was this one and when he showed this one I cried. It touched my heart. I love this experience and I wish that people living out in the mission field could have these types of experiences.

My dad made some jokes about the video, like the girl being on "top of her walking game" or how "stick it out" means "endure to the end" in utahn. But I love that video!

Then he showed this short film, we had to skip parts because this video is over 10 minutes long and his class was less than 40 minutes long. But it's really good. I really liked it.

Beacause time was so short we didn't get to show this video to all the classes but I really liked this because even I have passed people by because I looked at their outward appearance. I hated myself when I first saw the video. But I'm changing because I don't want to be that person. You really only need to watch the last couple minutes of the video.

The bunch of girls I had were great! I loved them. We got these awesome t-shirts with the theme, and they were the nice soft kind.

Later that night there was a sunday dress dance, and the youth looked so great that we took a picture of as many as we could get. They all looked so great!

One of the best parts of the weekends was getting to see an old friend from my time at LDS Business College, or the BC. Kimberly was one of the group leaders. They divided the youth into groups called families and a couple would become their parents for the weekends. This was Kimberly, her husband and their family.

I took a picture of each of the families but this one was my favorite picture. Our ward with their priesthood leadership. We had a couple of the kids bring some friends it was a really cool experience. 

My Dad, curver, and my brothers, the ones on each side and surrogate brothers on either side of them. Khan is on the far left, and Sonny, Zac's friend that he brought with him, on the far right.

These three practically saved my life on the way home. While all the kids in the other cars fell asleep on the way home they kept me awake with all their antics! I've known Elizabeth since she was just a little girl. Emily is seriously the smartest, coolest, most talented girl I know. And Khan shares my love for Chick-fil-A. But no worries, I'm still in the lead!

For The Strength of Youth: Friends

Tomorrow at 9:30 6 people from my house are rolling out for Youth Conference. My dad is the speaker for one of the workshops and he'll be talking on friends. I've heard a little of it, and it's going to be great! I got to make the handouts for the workshop!

As kids walk in he'll be handing out this on a card, to each person.

"G" stands for guilty, of judging others looks and not becoming friends. It comes from this awesome video from a Dustin Hoffman interview. It's an amazing interview! I wish everyone could see this, and really listen to what he says.

So after the rest of his super cool workshop. The kids can choose to keep the "G" they already have or they can trade it in for the one below. Because it won't stand for "guilty" anymore, it'll stand for "go." Go and open your eyes.

We're pretty excited here! I'd like to thank everyone who gave me input on facebook and instagram! Once we get back from youth conference I'll post all the juicy details!