This week, the new Personal Progress materials become available. I got hold of one of the new books at our Value activity this Wednesday, which was a New Year's party. The girls were delighted with them, their compact heft, the spiral binding, the fresh new pages, the inclusion of the virtue material. I thought I'd give you a sneak preview of the cover in case your books are still in the mail, and compare the introduction to the program from the 1977 Personal Progress book with the one from the 2010 new edition.
The new introduction:
"Welcome to Personal Progress
You are a beloved daughter of Heavenly Father, prepared to come to the earth at this particular time for a sacred and glorious purpose. You have a noble responsibility to use your strength and influence for good. Your loving Heavenly Father has blessed you with talents and abilities that will help you fulfill your divine mission. As you learn to accept and act upon the Young Women values in your life, you will form personal habits of prayer, scripture study, obedience to the commandments, and service to others. These daily personal habits will strengthen your faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ. They will also allow you to recognize and develop your unique gifts.
Always use your influence to lift and bless your family, other young women, and the young men with whom you associate. Honor womanhood, support the priesthood, and cherish faithful motherhood and fatherhood.
As you participate in Personal Progress, you join with thousands of other young women who are striving to come unto Christ and "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places" (Mosiah 18:9). Counsel with your parents, and prayerfully choose goals that will help you cultivate feminine attributes, strengthen your testimony, and reach your divine potential. Take advantage of your time in Young Women by preparing to receive the sacred ordinances of the temple, to become a faithful wife and mother, and to strengthen your home and family."
The First Presidency."
In 1977, here's how the book introduced the program to young women:"Daughter of God
You are a child of God. You have a vital role to fill in God's eternal plan. You have been chosen by the Lord to come to earth at this time to fulfill your special mission and assist the Savior with his work here on earth. Your purpose here is to prove yourself worthy of the eternal blessings that have been promised to the daughters of God.
Your mission may include many things such as touching someone's life through service and making those around you happy. It may include that wonderful blessing reserved for women--to become co-creators with God and provide the way for spirit children to come to earth. For those who do not receive this blessing in life, your mission may include loving, teaching and training the children of others.
Your Father in Heaven knows you. He knows your mission and wants to help you accomplish it. He knows the blessings that have been prepared for you. If you will trust him, follow his word, and prepare yourself, he has promised that "the kingdom is yours, and the blessings thereof are yours." (D&C 78:18)
The greatest blessing he has for you is eternal life, which means to live forever in his presence. To help you receive eternal life is the mission of the Savior. He said, "For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)
Now is the time to prepare yourself to fulfill your mission and to receive and to help others receive this wonderful blessing.
Your Time to Prepare
These are your preparing years, your learning years, your years of discovery.
This is the time to--
Have new experiences.
Search.
Learn.
Grow.
Establish good habits.
Strive toward perfection.
The time to--
Be tried.
Be tested.
Overcome.
The time to--
Discover yourself and develop your talents.
Build self-esteem and a strong testimony of the gospel
Discover the joy that comes with obedience, sacrifice, and unselfish service.
Enjoy being alive and part of this beautiful world.
This is the time to learn to fulfill your special mission and become worthy to live in the presence of the Lord.
As you prepare and progress you will be in the service of the Lord. The blessings of this life and the life hereafter will be yours, for the Lord has promised that "on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out... my spirit." (Acts 2:18). Others will see in you the growing qualities and virtues expected of a young woman in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--one who is devoted to God and dedicated to his service. These qualities will grow as you pursue a program of personal progress based on the overall goals of the Young Women program. These goals are to--
Become personally converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Fulfill your divine potential as a daughter of God.
Gain an understanding of the priesthood and live worthy of its blessings.
Enjoy in wholesome ways your youthful vitality."
#1 Any ideas for new beginnings incorporating the theme [be strong and courageous] for this year? I just found your site today and have enjoyed browsing around--
ReplyDelete#2 I'm doing my first PP activity this week--Faith #2. The girls will all participate in reading scriptures and part of The Family: A Proclamation to the World. I have three guest speakers coming to talk about their role in teaching children to have faith and how gospel truths can help you prepare to be a mother. I wanted to have a simple handout/favor/treat? Any ideas?
(Just catching up on posts today; sorry to belatedly comment on this one...) What's up with "choose goals that will help you cultivate feminine attributes..." in the new introduction? What does that even mean, and why does it come before strengthening their testimonies?! I'm trying to be positive about the PP changes, but things like this (and the pink thing) really annoy me.
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