Young Single Adults

A few weeks ago in my Singles Ward our sacrament meeting theme was about missionary work. I was blessed to hear from three amazing return missionaries who are now serving as ward missionaries (they assist the local missionaries in their work, they act as a liaison between the full-time missionaries and the ward members to further the work, and they teach the gospel principles class during Sunday School.). In one of the talks given, a story was related about that return missionary. He said that before he left on his mis... Read More

This last Sunday I attended a meeting with my fellow Family Home Evening Committee members. It is our calling to plan and prepare the singles ward family home evenings for those singles that are living away from home. In such cases, the ward becomes the family, and so the need and blessings of having this weekly gathering still apply. Sometimes it is tricky to plan for an ever-changing group of individuals. What do they need? What will they be interested in attending? These questions are always asked at such planning meetings. Usually we plan the activity, and then make assignments for the lesson, treat, and other last minute details. I was at first surprised at ho... Read More

The other night I received a visit from my Bishop, from the local Singles ward that I attend, and one of his counselors. They were concerned about my injury and wanted to see how I was holding up. After a nice visit we started discussing the ward, and I asked my Bishop what concerns they as a Bishopric had for the singles in our ward. He said that he had many, for we are often on his mind and heart. However, one of his main concerns was church attendance. More specifically speaking he has become very concerned that many of the singles are not staying for the full three-hour Sunday block of church. Many are choosing to leave righ... Read More

Right now my mother is reading Pollyanna to my youngest sister. They are both enjoying it immensely, just as I did when I first discovered this written story. There are many great lessons that can be gleaned from this children's classic. For me the most powerful of the lessons taught is how to play "The Glad Game,” and why it is so important that we do so. It is possible to see things as they are and yet at the same time focus on the good side of them. To do so takes a conscious choice on our part, which may not always be easy to do, but it is always possible. I am reminded of a quote my father has on the wall of his office which says, "In this life trials and tribulations are mandatory, but misery is optional."-unknown I kn... Read More

It is common knowledge among my acquaintances that I have served a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka the Mormons). What is not commonly known is why. Many assume that I was one of those girls who had planned on serving for as long as they could remember. That is not the case. The truth is, that where I honored and respected missionaries and the sacrifice they each make to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with our brothers and s... Read More

This morning when I woke up a scene from a favorite new movie came to mind. I have pondered this scene more then once since having seen it over a month ago, for it was quite the wake up call to me. Let me describe it to you: Here you have a dashing prince. He has everything he could desire. Except his one true love, the other half of his soul, his one coquet, the one who was meant to finish his song. Yet what does he do about it? (Other then dream and talk about her to all his friends?) He finds ways to pass the time till she will fall into his lap so to speak. This way he doesn't feel so empty, or lonely in the mean time. What the prince is unaware of is, the sad fact, that though he only intended his troll hunting to pass his time till the girl of his dreams fell into ... Read More

This last weekend was my little sister's wedding reception. My sister and her husband were actually married, in the Mount Timpanogos Temple, back in February, but since the engagement was so short (a matter of days not months) we set the reception for this last weekend to have some breathing room in our planning. This also allowed certain family members the opportunity to make it across country to attend the reception where they weren't able to attend the Sealing. (In the temple worthy couples are not just married “till death do you part,” but rather they are sealed together and to God for time and all eternity.) The reception was beaut... Read More

I have this bad habit. I don't think I had it as a child. I seem to have developed it in my youth, and it has only gotten worse as I have grown into single adulthood. What is this habit I am talking about? I am always trying to do too much. I put so much on my plate that I either can't do it all and then end up beating myself up over it. Or, I do manage to do it all, and get so burned out that I crash and am worthless for a period of time afterwards. I am told that this is a problem that most women suffer from. As women, we naturally have a lot that we have to juggle in our lives. Even more so once we are married and have children and a household for which we are responsible. Maybe that is why God blessed us with the wonderful ability to multi-task. And yet the more I develop th... Read More

It was so much fun playing that trivia game in preparation of General Conference last Monday night in the Single Ward's Family Home Evening (FHE). Even more, I found that just knowing more about these men, caused me to listen more intently to their words at Conference time. For though I know that what I heard was merely God's word spoken by the mouth of His chosen servants, I know that everything these men said, they not only believe, but they also live. In my last post I shared facts about the First Presidency of the Church. Now in the spirit of getting to know these great men who have been called of God to lead this Church I would like to continue by sharing a f... Read More

Right now my calling in my Singles Ward is to be a member of the Family Home Evening committee. This means that I help plan our weekly F.H.E., for the singles adults, who would not have the opportunity to attend in with their family or roommates. Normally, our Family Home Evenings consist of a lesson, an activity, socializing, and a treat. Our numbers fluctuate every week, (we could have anywhere from five to 45 singles) so our actives have to be flexible. Prior to General Conference coming this last weekend, last week's Family Home Evening activity and lesson was combined. We (the Family Home... Read More

I have heard many of my single adult friends complain about their parents seeming interfere with their life. Indeed I have heard the comments, "Why can't my parents just leave me alone?", or "Why can't they acknowledge that I am an adult?", or "If only they would stay out of my life." I must admit that a time or three I used to feel that way, as well. As an adult I felt the need to spread my wings and independently fly. Part of becoming an adult was to be independent isn't it? It was my right and responsibility to think and act of myself (and live with the consequences.) Besides my parent's responsibility toward me was over, wasn't it? I finally came to realize how unjust and immature I was being. It was pride and misunderstanding that stood in my way of accepting their ... Read More

This last weekend my sister was visiting with her new husband. They were planning their wedding reception which is coming up on the 12th of April. Saturday night, my new brother invited two of his good friends to come over. When they arrived, they demanded details on his whirlwind courtship with my sister. After three hours (because of so many interruptions)they had only gotten to the point in their story where they were holding hands (which occurred before the first and only date they had before getting married). We had to set up another game night to finish the story. However, at one point in the narration of their courtship, one of his friends made the comment that listening to them it sounded like their courtship was as slow as molasses, which we all knew was anything but th... Read More

Late one night while, sitting around the campfire, at our last Singles Ward Relief Society campout, (we have one at least once a year) the question arose of what our greatest pet peeves were. Some of the sisters claimed that they had no pet peeves for nothing bothered them. I must not be as perfected as they are yet, for I most definitely have some. I found myself nodding my head when some of my sisters answered, -When someone chews with their mouth open -Couples making out in public -When someone is always putting them self down -When couples are always putting down their other half -Gossip, crudeness, or general meanness When it ... Read More

A number of years ago when I first joined my stake singles ward, I had a Relief Society Lesson that changed my life. I no longer recall all the details of the lesson, but there is one part that I will never forget. The sister who was teaching Relief Society that Sunday, was a nurse. She works with babies, specifically premature ones. She told us that part of her responsibility was to visit the babies in their home after they were released from the hospital to give them checkups etc… Normally she enjoyed these checkups, but there was one home she always dreaded to go. It was a small home, and the only surface she could lay the baby upon to do the check up was a small coffee table in the front living room. Normally this ... Read More

One cannot be strong all the time. Or at least I have not figured out yet how to be, though I am generally a happy person, and I try to look at the bright side of things. Every now and then the realities of my life come crashing down upon me. In those moments when I look at my life as it has been and compare it to the life I planned, I have my small moments of struggle. Now it isn't as if I haven't lead a good life, or that I haven't been greatly blessed in my life. It's just that as Anne Shirley (in the book Anne of Green Gables) couldn't imagine her red hair away, I cannot imagine away that I am twenty-five, a return missionary, and an oh so, single adult. It's not just that I am not married. Oh, no it goes far beyond t... Read More

I must admit, that I am an avid reader. So much so that I have on more than one occasion been called a bookworm. When I was a child (when I first started really reading,) one of my favorite book series, was Choose Your Own Adventure. In these books, there were many moments of decision. The reader would have to make a choice of action, which would send him/her to a designated page to continue the story. Each choice made had a drastic effect to the outcome of the adventure story. Like these children's adventure books, we all have moments of decision in our lives. In these moments the choices we make have a drastic effect on the outcome to our own life story. Some of our important choices we can make while we are young, so that when the moment of decision comes in ... Read More

When I was a little girl I used to have the most terrifying nightmares, every night. It got to the point where I would do anything to be able to avoid sleep. My parents, not knowing about the nightmares, thought that I was just trying to stay up late. So they made the rule that if any of the children were going to stay up in our household after bedtime they would be put to work. When this tactic didn't work to get me to go to bed, like it did my older siblings, my parents knew that something was wrong. When I told my mother that I was avoiding sleep because of my nightmares, she asked me if when I prayed at night, I asked the Lord to watch over me while I slept and asked for him to send me good dreams. Where prayer h... Read More

There is a topic that has weighed heavily upon my mind and heart for the past few weeks. I have some dear friends whom I fear are playing with fire. The worst part is that they either don't realize or won't accept that they are. What am I talking about? I am talking about moral cleanliness which is threatened by the fire of unbridled passion. I am, apparently, not the only one concerned about this. There are countless talks given by our Prophet and Apostles to the young adults of the church on this topic. In the October 1990 ... Read More

I have been blessed in knowing how to be wise in my financial stewardships. I learned how to be from my parents when I was still a small child. My parents taught me to be both imaginative and industrious in finding honest ways to earn money while growing up. Once I earned money, I was taught that the FIRST thing I needed to do (first as in before anything else) was to set aside 10% to the Lord in tithing. After all, everything I have, I received from the Lord, and all He asks for in return is 10% to be used in the building of His kingdom. Next, I was taught to set aside money into short-term and long-term savings. The short-term savings allowed me to think ahead so th... Read More

This Easter Season, I have spent much time contemplating the record in the New Testament about the interactions, and teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ. This morning I have spent time pondering the story of Mary and Martha, and how it applies to us Single Adults today. Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus lived together in the small town of Bethany. They were all beloved friends and followers of Jesus Christ. The fact that Jesus felt safe, and welcome in their home as testified by His often visiting them whenever He was in the area, speaks much of what sort of people they were. There is one particular visit to Mary and Ma... Read More

Over the years I have had many single adult friends say that the reason they don't like singles wards is because there are so many people in them, which makes it impossible not to fall through the cracks. However, I have also heard this said about school and even work where the numbers of people differ. So, if it is not necessarily the number of people involved that brings this unwanted phenomenon about, then what is it that causes more and more people to feel this way? Even more important, how do we stop this from happening? As I have pondered these two questions, I have come to the conclusion that it is not the environment, but rather the attitude and choices of the person involved which decided whether or not they "fall t... Read More

I will always be grateful for the missionaries who taught my Father's family the gospel just before he was born, and for the missionaries who taught my mother and aunt the gospel when they were in their teens. I cannot help but think that, if my parents had not been taught the gospel then: - Mom and Dad would never have attended BYU, and subsequently they probably would have never met, and gotten married. - I would have never been born nor my six other siblings. (And if I was born) My life would have been much different, and probably not for the better. - Mom and Dad would have led drastically different lives, which would have affected what kind of parent they would have become. Like I said, I w... Read More

A couple of weeks ago my younger sister (younger by six ½ years) got married in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. Since that day, I cannot count the number of times that I have been asked, "So, how does it feel to have your younger sister married before you?" (This was always asked with the implied and sometimes said: After all, you are a 25-year-old return missionary, who doesn't even have a boyfriend…) Instead of pointing out how rude and inappropriate that question is, and that they should mind their own business as I would like to say, I graciously put a smile on my face and honestly reply that I am very happy for my little sister.... Read More

Instead of attending a regular institute class at the nearby college, I usually opt to attend the once a week class put on by our stake. However, not to long ago I went with a visiting friend to two institute classes at the college. Where both classes were wonderful, I felt to write about the second class. I had never attended a dating and courtship class before (it's a matter of principle) but my friend insisted. I must say I was wonderfully surprised for it was nothing as I expected. The lesson that day was on a topic I found most intriguing. It was on The Traditions of Our Fathers. The class started with the question, "What traditions are you going to continue or start with your future family?" Normally when I think of... Read More

The temple has always been very important to me in my life. When I was a child, I looked forward to my twelfth birthday. For, on that day, I would be old enough to go into the Temples of God and begin to do a most holy work. For the next ten years I sought to go to the temple often to do, baptisms and confirmations, for those beyond the grave who had not the opportunity to do so for themselves while living. Ten years later, in preparation for serving a mission, on my twenty-second birthday I was able to go through the Temple to receive higher saving ordinances for myself and make sacred covenants with the Lord. On that day I promised myself... Read More

A short while ago, I was watching a movie which I had not seen in a long time. In this movie, there is a certain young woman (she was actually just a side character in the film) who has always tugged at my heart strings. Due to the fact that her mother died, when she was a small child, she was raised solely by her father. Not knowing how to raise a daughter, he did the best he could and raised her as a boy. She was strong of body and character, but lacking in beauty and every feminine grace. More then once in the film this fact was remarked upon by those she came in contact with. Anyway, as I was watching this movie my baby sister (nine years of age) walked in. She took one look at this awkward young lady on the screen and with an expression of awe said, "Oh my, isn't she just ... Read More