I remember vividly the experience of bringing new baby twins home from the hospital to love and nurture, along with their five young brothers. The babies were received into the loving arms of family and many others who cared about them.

Much of our time was spent in feeding children. The babies were so tiny that they could only drink a few ounces of milk at a feeding and they did so very slowly. That small amount of milk would only satisfy their hunger for about two hours and then they were ready to eat again. They began to grow and develop and were surrounded by caring family members who watched with delight as they thrived on the nourishment and love. We were so grateful for the help we had when the new babies were born, and for those "receiving arms" that reached out in love.

Elder M. Russell Ballard says that we can think of the auxiliaries as the "receiving arms" of the Church. We can assist parents as we receive their teenage daughters at a critical time in their lives. In fact, the prophet Moroni describes so well how we can help strengthen young women: " And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith" (Moroni 6:4). Our prophet today, President Gordon B. Hinckley, has reiterated that same teaching and asked us to keep members close to the Church by providing a "friend, a responsibility, and nourishing with the good word of God."1

The Young Women auxiliary can assist families in nourishing their teenage daughters at a critical time in their lives. Let us consider three ways to nourish their spirits and feed their souls using President Hinckley's formula.

A Friend

First, a friend. We were so grateful for the arms of love extended to help us with our new babies and the five other little boys. Good friends are a blessing. Mutual can be a wonderful place too for teens to make good friends who have high standards and socialize under the influence of goodness. Together they can practice gospel living and internalize gospel training.

We are concerned about the young women who have been baptized but are not coming to church, and we hope that you are too. We have with us today silhouettes of young women. They have names. They belong to the family of God and He loves them. He wants to shower them with the richest blessings of the gospel. But He needs your help. As He says in the Doctrine and Covenants: "And their arm shall be my arm" (D&C 35:14). Will you help? Will you find ways to get them to church and help them grow in gospel understanding? You do so well with the girls who always come. How are you doing with ones who never come? There are a certain number of the young women in your wards who do not come. Each has a name and each has a story. Will you take the silhouettes that belong to you, give them names, learn their stories, and try to find a way to reach them?

Class presidencies can be taught to care for each class member. In fact, according to the handbook, that is their first responsibility. "Class officers care for each class member. They help her feel needed and loved. They pray for her, spend time with her, and become genuine friends. They also help class members establish close relationships with each other, learn leadership skills, and live the gospel. They plan a special welcome for each young woman as she enters the class,"2 whether she comes or not. They may have to go to her home to welcome her.

Activities can be a resource for making friends. Perhaps there is a young woman not of our faith or a less-active girl who could be invited to join in a service project or an activity planned to meet her needs or interests. I know of an example that demonstrates this very well. A Mia Maid class made invitations for a Mutual activity they were planning. The class presidency was in charge to deliver the invitations to the less-active girls of the ward. It was a very difficult thing for them to do, but as they did it, something magical happened. I was at a fireside where the class president read from her journal about the frightening experience of delivering the invitation to a less-active girl whom she hardly knew. To her surprise, the less-active girl was nice to her when she went to her house. In fact, she accepted the invitation to come to the planned activity! The class president went home and recorded the whole experience in her journal because it had been so meaningful to her. She shared her journal entry with the congregation and while she read it, standing by her side was the once less-active Mia Maid. Soon it was her turn to tell her side of the story .She held up the invitation that had been delivered to her more than a year ago by the class president. She said that she loved being invited to come back and she had even saved that special, beautiful invitation. It is a treasure to her and so is her new friend, the class president, whom she now joins every week at church. Both girls bore sweet testimony of the Savior's love for them and their love for Him and each other. Sometimes all it takes is an invitation.

Is there one young woman in each ward in your stake who could be taught the gospel and converted or just one who could be brought back into the fold in the next six months? Just one? We invite you to find ways to help your class presidencies reach out in friendship to less-active or nonmember girls.Have you asked the ward council for help with girls you are trying to reach? The Relief Society, the Primary , the Elders Quorum, the Young Men, or the Sunday School can assist you in bringing an inactive girl back to the fold. Could the visiting teachers and home teachers play a role? Could the young woman be invited to come to a Primary achievement day with a younger sibling and share a talent she has? Could ward council members learn her name and greet her with warmth and interest when they see her?

Help young women reach out to others who are not members of our church. "The process of bringing new people into the Church is not the responsibility alone of the missionaries. They succeed best when members become the source from which new investigators are found. Let each young woman be aware of her potential for bringing others to a knowledge of the truth. Let her pray earnestly about it. Let each one pray as did Alma of old: 'O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee in Christ. Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee' (Alma 31 :34)."3

There is some concern about the number of young women who are not making a successful transition into Relief Society. Every effort should be made by Relief Society and Young Women leaders working together to help in this transition. One way might be to occasionally invite young women to attend the Relief Society Meeting on a Sunday. Many of you occasionally combine a Relief Society Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment Meeting with a Mutual activity night for all young women. Invite young women to participate with Relief Society sisters, including their mothers, in providing compassionate service. Under the direction of the Young Women president, the Relief Society president could teach a class on the purposes and activities of Relief Society.

We are grateful that you are taking seriously your charge to help young women make the transition into Relief Society a happy and joyful one, for there they will meet new friends to help them. This is an effort that is ongoing and must be repeated every year with each new group of girls. We encourage you to review the instructions found in the Church Handbook of Instructions, pages 6 and 214.

Responsibilities

Next, let us look at responsibility. Even the little twins had to learn to take the responsibility to sleep all night. That made a wonderful contribution to the happiness of the family! We all want to know that we are needed. Girls who are fully active, new converts, and less-active girls all benefit by being given something to do. When we give young women something to do, we let them know how much they are needed and we open their eyes to the joy of service. Besides, many hands make light work! Mutual is a perfect place to share with youth some of the load you carry. For example, look at this sample worksheet to assist youth and adult leaders as they work together to plan Mutual. I can see at least eight or more places for youth to contribute by taking on small responsibilities to get the big one done. You will be able to find many other opportunities to give jobs to young women in presenting parts of a lesson or creating visual aids.

Suggested Weekly Mutual Planning Worksheet (See Church Handbook of

Instructions, p. 222)

I. Opening Exercises

Date that Mutual night will be held:

Presiding:

Conducting:

1. Opening Hymn

2. Opening Prayer

3. Music (musical numbers, new songs/hymns practice and so on)

4. Talk(s)

II. Class or Group Activity

III. Practice or Social Activity (Optional)

Close Mutual with prayer

Personal Progress is another way we can give the girls responsibility for strengthening their testimonies and improving their lives. It is designed to help them realize their hopes and dreams, to be the kind of woman they want to be. Through this program they can develop private religious practices that will be the source for true testimony. Personal Progress can help them lay a firm foundation of faith and gain a better understanding of their divine nature and their own precious individual worth. They will be fortified with knowledge, good works, a better understanding of the relationship between choice and accountability, and integrity. Personal Progress is a very real tool we have been given to strengthen young women against the adversary .As you present the book to each new young woman, and every opportunity you get, invite fathers and mothers to help their daughters in their Personal Progress. As leaders, you can set the example!

A friend told of being at home one Sunday morning when the Personal Progress "enforcer" called his 15 year old to urge her on. The daughter was somewhat unenthusiastic, I take it, but this wise father helped her select a Value experience to work on that Sunday morning. Hooray for him! Some parents are not aware that we invite, even encourage, their participation with their daughters in selecting and working on Personal Progress goals.

The encouragement we give to young women should always be done in a loving way.We want young women to love the Lord and love His church. It would be unfortunate to alienate a faithful young woman who chooses not to participate in Personal Progress.Are you sharing some of the responsibility for Young Women with others who could be so helpful to you and the girls and who could also grow by being involved? The handbook suggests calling "specialists" to help.4 Many wards have called Personal Progress specialists. Has a music or dance or other specialist been enlisted to assist you? The Activities Committee can be a wonderful resource to help Young Women leaders with Mutual activities.

The Good Word of God

Just as new babies in a family need proper nourishment, so do the spirits of Heavenly Father's children. Young Women leaders help girls thrive and grow by teaching doctrine and using the scriptures. There is a hunger among our Father's children, and we have been given some responsibility to assist families in giving them nourishment. The Lord has asked us more than once to "Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep" (John 21:15 and 16). And more recently President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, "There is a hunger in the land, and a genuine thirst-a great hunger for the word of the Lord and an unsatisfied thirst for things of the Spirit. ...Ours is the obligation and the opportunity to nourish the soul"(5) and feed the spirit.

Testimony meeting at camp is a spiritually nourishing experience for young women. How sad it would be if they had such an opportunity only at camp once a year. Will you provide other similar opportunities for them to feel the Spirit and express their feelings of testimony?

I was recently with a young woman who was greatly troubled and had serious difficulties in her life. Through her tears and discouraging words I asked her if she prayed. She answered that she sometimes did, but she didn't know if God was there for her. Then I asked her if she read in her scriptures every day. She said she had at one time, but now she was reading an interesting church novel instead.

Nothing can substitute for the spirit and understanding that comes from reading right from the scriptures. As you get into the scriptures, you will be helping the girls get into the scriptures. We must be an example to them. We can teach them, by example, to search and love and rely on the scriptures for strength, for understanding of how God works with His children, and for peace in their lives. A latter-day prophet, President J Reuben Clark, Jr. has said, "The youth-of the Church are hungry for things of the Spirit; they are eager to learn the gospel, and they want it straight, undiluted." "If you teach youth, you may sometimes think that they do not want to talk about doctrines and principles of the gospel. You may be tempted to simply be friendly to them, keeping them entertained and talking with them about their social activities and their experiences at school. This would be a serious mistake."6

I have personal testimony borne of experience that the girls will learn to love the scriptures as you model your love for the scriptures. Your own personal life will be greatly blessed as you read them regularly. It

is usually not enough just to look up a scripture reference cited in a lesson and quote it to the girls. In order to obtain a more complete understanding, we need to read the verse in context of the chapter. We can also help the girls liken the scripture unto themselves.

In addition to the scriptures, we are very blessed to have excellent resources to help us be interesting teachers. In Teaching, No Greater Call on pages 89 and 90, there is a discussion about teaching with variety including a fabulous list of ideas for adding variety in teaching. On pages 158 -184, there is a description of numerous teaching methods and how to use them. Page 91 discusses choosing appropriate methods and asks such questions as, "Will the method invite the Spirit?" "Does the method match the sacredness of the principles I am teaching?" "Will the method edify and strengthen those I teach?" And a very important question, "Is the material Church approved?" If every teacher actually used that chart, I am certain the quality of the teaching would improve dramatically.

Music has time-proven, soul-nourishing values. Our prophet leaders have made wise statements about music in our Church. President Brigham Young has said: "We cannot preach the gospel without music." President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. declared: "We can get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer." President Harold B. Lee said that "the most effective preaching of the gospel is when it is accompanied by beautiful and appropriate music." President Thomas S. Monson observed that we must "learn once again in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to really sing. ...If you love the Lord, if you love His doctrine, you'll love the hymns; and when you love them, then you sing them. ...We simply must do something with our congregational singing to bring out the spirit of music in the heart and soul of every boy, every girl, every man, every woman."7 The basic purpose of hymn singing is to teach the gospel and partake of the spirit it brings. Will you find happy, creative ways to help the girls sing the hymns in your meetings?

In verse 1 of Psalms chapter 66 we are counseled to "make a joyful noise unto God." So the Lord expects us to either sing or make a joyful noise. President James E. Faust suggested that "singing our beautiful, worshipful hymns is food for our souls." And President Gordon B. Hinckley has counseled, "We recognize the universal power of music to touch the hearts of men and women everywhere and in all generations-to inspire and encourage, to sustain and to lift, to comfort and bring peace"(Ibid).

I suggest that we take the opportunity to call a music director who can help youth feel the joy, the spirit, even the happy fun that can come from good, wholesome music.8 All music isn't serious, of course. Young women are young. Find someone who can give them wonderful, happy experiences with music which they can substitute for some of the popular music of the day that is so ugly and hurtful to their spirits.

Music, wonderful, richly inspiring music, is to be the centerpiece of the Worldwide Celebration to be held in November. The glorious hymn, I Know That My Redeemer Lives, will nourish testimony. Young women throughout the Church have been memorizing the words.Learning and singing this sacred hymn will invite our young sisters to make it part of their lives, now and forever. The Church commissioned a composer to write a descant to enhance the singing of this hymn and the choir sang it at the March 00 General Young Women Meeting as a model for you. You will find the descant in the January New Era and can hear the choir sing it on the video of the March 00 General Young Women Meeting.

One stake I know of has called a gifted musician to chair this special event (a music specialist)! Several months ago she began getting names of young women who could play instruments. They will be organized into an orchestra that will accompany the young women choir she has been preparing to sing for the Worldwide Celebration in their stake.

We look forward to the culminating events of the Worldwide Celebration which will be held in locations across the face of the earth. It will be glorious indeed to hear the tender voices of young women joining in sweet song in a musical tribute to the life and mission of the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the most important things parents and Young Women leaders do to nourish the spirit of young women is to help them be prepared to make and keep sacred temple covenants. Do your young women understand what they are really saying each Sunday when they stand and repeat, "We will be prepared to make and keep sacred covenants"?9 Let us help them prepare by having a clear understanding of the gospel and a testimony of its truthfulness. When girls understand the plan of our Heavenly Father and have a testimony of it, they will desire to do whatever it takes to be full partakers of the promised blessings.

When girls are well prepared, they will have a yearning to be further instructed in the temple. They will desire to have the privilege of wearing the sacred temple garment exactly the way it should be worn. They will long to be married and sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. A girl with a testimony will want to leave the cares, dress, and standards of the world behind when she enters the doors of God's holy house.

A girl who is prepared to attend the temple and make sacred covenants would not want to bend the requirements in any way. The instructions on temple dress guidelines for brides are sent to each prospective bride when she makes an appointment to be married in the temple.Young Women leaders can work with mothers and Relief Society leaders to teach young women the importance of proper preparation and appropriate dress and attitude as part of their temple preparation. Young women need to understand that attending the temple is a serious time in their lives, and yet is one of the most joyful times because it will set them on a path for eternal progression. It is our prayer that as Young Women leaders, we can be appropriate examples of keeping our temple covenants with exactness and honor. This includes our behavior, our service, our sacrifice, our attitude, and our dress.

Additional Concerns

Dear sisters, you know as well as I do that Satan is trying to get at our youth from the television screen, the fashion scene, the Internet, the rap concerts, the soap operas, the rock music, from the angle of seeking popularity, craving acceptance, and by telling them immorality is not wrong, everyone is doing it. "Whoever said that sin was not fun? Whoever claimed that Lucifer was not handsome, persuasive, easy, friendly? Sin is attractive and desirable. Transgression wears elegant gowns and sparkling apparel. It is highly perfumed, has attractive features, a soft voice. It is found in educated circles and sophisticated groups. It provides sweet and comfortable luxuries. Sin is easy and has a big company of bed fellows. It promises immunity from restrictions, temporary freedoms. It can momentarily satisfy hunger, thirst, desire, urges, passions, wants, without immediately paying the price. But it begins tiny and grows to monumental proportions. It grows drop by drop, inch by inch."10 Lucifer will tell them nine truths to sell them one lie. We are on to him! The time is here for youth to stand up for what they know is right. They must judge right from wrong. Parents and leaders can help them understand that our Heavenly Father has asked us to make those kinds of judgments.

As we read in Moroni, chapter 7, verse 15: "It is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night." It says we can know that clearly! How? The way to do it is laid out for us very simply in verse 16: "For every thing which inviteth [1] to do good, and [2] to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God."

But listen to this in verse 17: "Whatsoever thing persuadeth men [1] to do evil, and [2] to believe not in Christ, [3] . [to] deny him, [4] . [to] serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil;. ..for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one."11 We have truth and the mighty spirit of God as our strengthening power.

All of us, youth parents and leaders, all of us can stand up and change the channel on the television, turn off the pornography on the computer, walk away from the wrong kinds of magazines and books, leave a movie, and don't rent the racy video. Don't wear clothes that are too tight; get a bigger size. Don't wear tops that show a bare midriff. Isn't that what For the Strength of Youth means on page 8? Don't wear clothes that are too revealing or clothes that are too short. Leave them in the closet. Better still, leave them in the store. Shun tattoos and body piercing except perhaps for girls to wear a single earring in each ear as President Hinckley has counseled.12 I love this scripture: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Help them use gospel principles to make good judgments. Help them stand up for what is right and walk away from temptation.

There is no way we could possibly cover all the ways for one to sin. This scripture says it so well: "But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not" (Mosiah 4:30). We can teach principles with love and help young women know how to apply those principles. Help the girls love and understand the teachings of the Lord.

Conclusion

You have been called to nourish spirits and feed souls of Heavenly Father's daughters who are as precious to Him as our baby twins were to us. You can do it. You are just the one the Lord needs.Thank you for all the service you so beautifully give. This is no small assignment you have, but it is doable. Just one word of caution: we hope you are not running faster than you have strength. For example, you need not attend every volleyball practice or game for the young women if they are not held on your regularly scheduled Mutual night. They have a coach to help them and parents to cheer for them. Combine New Beginnings and Evening of Excellence if you feel so inspired. Use good judgment; be temperate.

Take time to prioritize your lives. Don't let important things be at the mercy of things not so important. How are you spending your time? How are your children spending their time? Will those activities be of benefit ten years from now? Dear sisters, give this matter some thoughtful consideration. Don' t neglect your husband. He and your children must come first. As you prepare yourself to be a great woman, and a fine leader, your own family will reap the benefits. Your capacity will increase. You will learn to prioritize and put first things first. You will be blessed, for those who do His work in His way are blessed. But you must call on the Lord for help.

You will be able to fulfill your calling in full purpose with the help of God. Your family and the young women will see in you someone who loves the Lord and is strengthened by Him. You will be easy for them to follow because they will sense your great love for life and for them. They will see in you a woman of gentleness, goodness, refinement, and strength as you reach out to nourish their spirits and feed their souls, and they will want to be like you. For this I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

**The Young Women Resource Guide for 01 (Manual 2) will be found in both conference issues of the Church Magazines. It will not be sent in a separate mailing.

REFERENCES

1. Teaching, No Great Call, B; Basic Principles of Gospel Teaching - "Love Those You Teach, Helping New Members and Less-active Members" p. 37.
2. Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2, p. 218-219.
3. President Gordon B. Hinckley, "Feed the Lambs, Feed the sheep," Ensign, May 1999, p. 106.
4. Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2, p. 218.
5. President Gordon B. Hinckley, "Feed the Spirit, Nourish the Soul, Ensign, October 1998, p. 2.
6. Teaching, No Greater Call, p. 6.
7. Hymnbook Celebration, September 3, 1985.
8. Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2, p. 218.
9. Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2, p. 211.
10. The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 152.
11. Margaret D. Nadauld, "Stand As A Witness," Ensign, May 00, p. 94.
12. 00 General Relief Society Meeting.