Not a lot to tell except that creating the Young
Women Connection in 1999 was my idea of connecting Young Women Leaders
worldwide. My service in the
Young Women program throughout the years has been one of great joys in my
life. My testimony is continually strengthened as I serve and the
love I have for the Savior deepens everyday.
As a mother of three sons, I know the
difficulties that our youth face each day. My dedication to
my family and the youth of
the church - the youth of the world will never cease. I believe
in our youth, I see their strength, their capabilities, but I also see the
difficulties they face. If I can do one small thing to help them stay
on or return to the path then I feel I have served well. It's not
always easy!
In a Sacrament meeting, one of the speakers, Brother
Peterson, spoke about hunger in the world...not only the physical hunger, but the
spiritual hunger. He used the life of Helen Keller as an analogy - Sometimes we are
"spiritually deaf and blind". In fact, there are many in the world who have deep
spiritual needs. We need to be the Ann Sullivan's of the world....those who have the
patience and endurance to help others.
Being a convert to the church, I have an understanding of
"spiritual hunger". I will always be grateful to a group of girls in the 8th
grade who asked why I wasn't signing up for Seminary. When I told them I wasn't a member
(I grew up in Brigham City, Utah where it seemed "everyone" was a member of the
church) they said, "Sign up anyway, it'll be fun." So I did. I lasted one day,
only because I'd never given a public prayer and was terrified that the teacher would call on
me.
Those friends didn't give up. They invited me
to mutual activities and dances. I started attending a few Sacrament
Meetings. Soon I had the desire to know for myself if the church was true
and asked to be taught the missionary discussions. What started out as a
question in the 8th grade ended with my baptism as a junior in high school. . After my baptism I moved and lost contact with many good friends but they are in my
heart and I will always be grateful.
So, in a small way, this is my attempt to help others who
are seeking to feed the spiritual needs of the youth today.
Alice Gifford
The Young Women Connection