Last week was our first “Come Follow Me” lesson (the first Sunday is our Presidency message).
All I can say is that it was like the Twilight Zone, but in an opposite, great way.
I was sitting there a few times thinking, “This could be just like the Church’s introductory videos–it could be one of those videos!”
A few of the girls shared experiences from the heart, and they seemed to feel comfortable even though they got a little tearful. Wow. It was like the Twilight Zone because here we were on the first Sunday, and it was already exactly how it was intended to be.
I was expecting it to be a good change, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so immediately great. What a wonderful experience.
Now, there were a couple of girls who didn’t share anything, and there was one who seemed to not want to be there, but I do believe deep down inside she was internalizing what was being said. I think she is struggling right now, so this may be just what she needs.
If your experience wasn’t so positive, don’t give up. These young women have important things to share and if we can help them feel loved and accepted (especially by their peers, I think–which is hard at times), they will blossom and relax and participate. That’s my belief. The key might be to get them to love each other. How do you do that? Serving each other? Serving others together? Building good memories together?
I don’t know the answer, but I do think the effort to get them loving each other is worth anything you have to do (without harming your own family’s time with you). Good luck and keep going!
