| Contributed by:
Rachael rachaelhayes@mail.deseretmail.com
[Setting: Carol is laying around on her bed in her pj's looking very lazy and rather
grumpy]
Narr: Once upon a time, not so very far away, there lived a young woman named Carol, or
Crabby Carol as we shall call her.
Carol is enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon in her pajamas when the phone rings.
Enter Carol's mom.
[Mom pokes her head --complete with curlers and mud mask -- around chalkboard w/telephone
in hand]
Mom: Carol! Telephone! It's Sister Reminds-alot!
Carol: Mom!! Tell her I'm not home! She's just going to bug me about Personal Progress!
(Carol continues her tirade touching on the use of caller ID and answer machines, modern
technology, people who call on Saturday afternoons, etc.)
Mom: (giving up and talking over Carol's tirade) I'm sorry, Sister Reminds-alot. Carol is
UNAVAILABLE right now but I will have her call you as soon as she can.
[Mom hangs up phone then speaks to Carol]
I'm not going to lie for you, honey! Please make sure you call Sister Reminds-alot when you
get out of bed.
[Mom exits and Carol throws herself back in the bed with a sigh, preparing to sleep some
more]
Carol: Whatever, Mom!
Narr: Carol is prepared to thoroughly enjoy her afternoon the way any self-respecting
teenager would: sleeping. Little does she know what other plans are in store for her.
Enter the ghost of Personal Progress Present.
[A clock chimes as the ghost of PPPresent enters]
PPPr: (waaayyy too cheerful) Wakey, wakey, little merry sunshine! I have a little
something to show you!!!
Carol: What?? Who are you? What are you doing in my bedroom? Mom! Mom!
PPPr: I am the ghost of Personal Progress Present and I have the most marvelous thing to
show you!
[PPPr grabs Carol and begins tugging on her]
Narr: Although Carol is extremely confused, the ghost of Personal Progress Present finally
manages to convince Carol to come with her.
[PPPr gives Carol one final giant tug which pulls her out of bed onto the floor. She then
pulls her over to stage left as the two chalkboards are moved far stage right to reveal
Sister Reminds-alot sitting on a chair and talking on the phone to an unseen Sister
Trys-hard. The poster board girl comes across stage following the chalkboards with a poster
reading: January 27, 2001]
Sis R: You know, Sister Trys-hard, I don't know what else to do. I have called Carol twelve
times in the past three days and she is always "unavailable". (Our Mia Maid
adviser was asked to come up with her own speech here talking about her sincere love and
concern for Carol and desire for her to understand the good that Personal Progress can do
for her in her life. She bears her testimony of and explains the values Divine Nature and
Individual Worth and what it has to do with her view of Carol and Carol's view of herself)
Carol: (interested in what just happened but by no means convinced to become a Personal
Progress fanatic) Wow! I had no idea that Sister Reminds-alot really cared so much for me.
I thought she was just doing her "job" by calling me and bugging me about
getting my Personal Progress done. Does she really mean all that stuff she said about me?
Narr: As Carol continues to ponder the meaning of what she has just seen and heard, the
ghost of Personal Progress Present brings her back to her warm bed and leaves her with her
thoughts.
[PPPr and Carol return to center stage where Carol climbs into bed, looking thoughtful and
PPPr exits]
Unfortunately, Carol has been crabby for quite a while now and it will take more than that
one view into reality to teach Carol of the importance of Personal Progress in her life.
Having been worn out by all that thinking, Carol decides it is time for a nap.
[With a shrug, Carol stops thinking and lays down to sleep]
But not for long. Enter the ghost of Personal Progress Past.
[a clock tolls as the ghost of PPPast enters]
PPPa :Carol . . . Carol! It is time to wake up and come with me! There is something
important you must see!
Carol: What? Another one? I gotta lay off those pixie sticks! What do YOU want?
PPPa: I am the ghost of Personal Progress Past and I have come to show you thoughts and
feelings you have forgotten but must relearn. Please come with me.
Narr: Carol is naturally reluctant to follow another unknown person on a strange journey
but the ghost turns out to be very persuasive and, eventually, Carol finds herself
traveling through time and space again.
[PPPa pushes Carol hard until she falls out of bed, PPPa grabs her hand and leads her to
stage right as the two chalkboards are rolled to the far left. This reveals Carol as a
young woman sitting on a chair next to her mother facing two YW leaders. The leaders are
silently welcoming Carol to YW. Carol looks really excited. The poster
board girl comes
across the stage following the chalkboards bearing a poster reading: "March 12,
1997"]
Narr: (speaking to Carol) Carol, meet Carol. (Turning to audience) It was only four years
ago that Carol was welcomed into Young Women by her new leaders, Sister
Hugs-and-kisses and
Sister Love. She was so excited to finally be twelve and couldn't wait to start on the
Personal Progress Program her leaders were telling her about. She was sure she would be
able to finish all 12 goals necessary for her Beehive one within two months!
Carol: I remember this! I used to be so excited about going to Young Women and doing my
Personal Progress! I even finished all of the goals I needed for Beehive 1 within a month!
PPPa: What happened, Carol? You are almost a Laurel but haven't been able to find your
Personal Progress book for over a year now.
Carol: What happened? Well, life!
[CarolPast and her mother lead the two YW leaders to the door then exit through the
audience. Meanwhile, PPPa leads Carol back to center stage. Carol is looking thoughtful
again as PPPa leaves and Carol climbs into bed]
Narr: What Carol means by "life" is soccer practice, play tryouts, extra
homework, dates with boys, summer vacations, that after-school job, hanging out with
friends, etc. etc. She forgot that, while the Personal Progress value of knowledge tells
us to continually seek opportunities for learning and growth it must be balanced by the
value of Choice and Accountability which teaches us to choose good over evil and accept
responsibility for our choices.
[Carol lays in bed throughout this whole speech, looking thoughtful but eventually fades
off to sleep at the end]
Now, Carol has done more thinking about important things today than in the past three
months and we might be able to stop here. Except the story is still not over. Enter the
ghost of Personal Progress future.
[A clock chimes as PPF enters. Without speaking, she taps Carol on the shoulder until she
awakens then beckons for her to follow.]
Having learned from her two previous encounters, Carol quickly gets out of bed to follow
this latest visitor.
[Carol scrambles out of bed and follows the ghost to stage left. The two chalkboards are
rolled to the far right to reveal a row of YW leaders who are seated facing the audience
while one YW is standing and silently praying. Poster board girl comes across the stage
bearing a sign which reads: January 17, 2020. Meanwhile, Carol's aged "mother"
w/added pillbox hat and shawl has crept into the back and joined the audience.]
Carol: Who are these people? What are they doing?
CarolF:[rising and speaking to audience] I am so grateful I was asked to speak at New
Beginnings tonight. I am sure my mother never thought she would see me here as a Young
Women leader teaching her grandchild.
[CarolF continues speaking silently while Carol looks to the "mother" in the
audience and bursts out]
Carol: Mom?? That's my mom - but, like, twenty years from now! Wait - does that mean - is
that me? I teach in Young Women? I can't have turned out all that bad if I was called to
be a Young Women leader. Maybe not doing my Personal Progress wasn't that big of a deal
after all.
Narr: Carol's future self begins to talk about the work she is doing right now in the
Personal Progress program. [CarolFut is mouthing the same words but in first person as the
narrator reads her talk] As a leader, she is working to earn the Young
Womanhood
Recognition she never finished the requirements to receive when she was a Laurel. She
bears her testimony of the importance of the values it teaches. She talks about the value
of Integrity taught through Personal Progress. Carol's future self wishes she had followed
it her whole life by having the moral courage to make her actions consistent with her
knowledge of right and wrong. She feels her life, although not bad, would have been so
much richer from her time as a YW to now if she had really taken the time to gain a
testimony of the importance of PP while a YW. Carol is sad she missed out on so many years
and feels she has missed out on so many opportunities for Good Works by not internalizing
the Personal Progress !
values. Carol is now so grateful for the opportunity to nurture others and build the
kingdom through righteous service as she serves in Young Women.
[Carol and PPF return to center stage and Carol sits on her bed thinking while PPF exits]
Carol's trips are completed for this night at least and she has much to think about.
[Carol jumps off her bed, reaches under it and begins to throw out miscellaneous objects -
rubber chicken, old gym sock, pet hamsters, etc. She finally pulls out her Personal
Progress book and sits back on her bed with it. She blows the dust off of the cover, picks
off a spider and begins to leaf through it.]
Carol: (reading out loud) Faith: I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father, who loves me, and I
will have faith in his eternal plan, which centers on Jesus Christ, my Savior.
[closes book]
Hmmm. . . . Maybe it's time I talk to Heavenly Father about this and gain my own testimony
of the values I can learn through Personal Progress. Then I'll call Sister
Reminds-alot.
[gets down on her knees as chalkboards come to cover her and Poster
board girl comes across
with sign reading "The End"]
If you have any further questions, please email me! Rachael in Michigan
A Personal Progress Carol
Personal Progress
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