May 2020 YW Newsletter – Riverview Program

This Newsletter is coming to you on the 1st Sunday in May, and I just want to say, WE DID IT! We survived the longest month in history! Please know that as we continue to deal with the Covid-19 Pandemic this month and have to face a whole different kind of life–including missing out on all of the end of school year festivities, dances, parties, field trips, graduation, etc.–that your leaders truly do love you, pray for you, and sincerely hope to help you turn to our Savior and feel the peace that He has for you.

I’ve been reflecting on last month’s General Conference a lot, especially when I am feeling particularly anxious or stressed. I have started a habit of playing a conference talk daily and it has been awesome to feel the added strength from the spirit so that I can face the rest of the day.

One especially powerful moment for me was when President Nelson blessed us all with an Apostolic Blessing at the end of his Sunday Afternoon talk. The church website says, “It is a very sacred responsibility for a Melchizedek priesthood holder to speak for The Lord in giving a priesthood blessing,” and since it came from our sweet prophet who holds all of the keys of the priesthood, it felt extra sacred and special. These are the blessings that he pronounced on us:

I bless you with peace and increasing faith in The Lord
I bless you with a desire to repent and become a little more like him each day.
I bless you to know that the prophet Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness.
Should there be illness among you or your loved ones, I leave a blessing of healing, consistent with the will of the lord.
I so bless you, adding once more my expression of love for each of you in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

He started that talk by saying “The many inspiring components of this April 2020 General Conference… can be summarized by two divinely decreed words: ‘Hear Him.’ …We pray that you will begin anew truly to hear, hearken to, and heed the words of the Savior. I promise that decreased fear and increased faith will follow.”

I echo the words of our dear prophet, I promise that as we focus on Christ and our Father in Heaven, we will feel peace. This month may be different, but let’s make it great!

Lots of Love,

Sister Lish

This month we wanted to focus on our graduating seniors. Graduation is just around the corner and we celebrate seniors’ hard work in school, their good attitudes during the pandemic, and their examples of faith.
Congratulations Seniors, you are almost done!

Kendyll Swarnes

Kendyll is 18 and the oldest of four children. She has a sister Victoria who is 16 and twin brothers, Noah and Tad, who are 13. Kendyll is an incredible big sister and adores her siblings. She is constantly doing nice things for them, is very generous, and loves spending time with her family.

Kendyll just came home from her aunt and uncle’s house at Hill Air Force Base. She was helping with her cousins, Landon and Tyson who are 14 and severely disabled. She is an aid for them and normally goes up to help Thursday through Saturday every week. Because of the quarantine, she stayed up there for 44 days helping her cousins. Kendyll wants to go into the medical field and is getting a lot of practice by changing their dressings, tube feeding them, administering medication, helping them with their daily needs, and playing with them.

Kendyll is an amazing student and works very hard. She tutors several other students and often helps her brothers with their homework as well. She has always been an independent soul while also remaining very close to her family. Kendyll is also an incredible artist and sculptor. She also has a very funny sense of humor and has always loved jokes and sarcasm.

Kendyll will be going to college and getting her general education done before getting a bachelors in nursing and is thinking about becoming a physicians assistant.

Kendyll is extremely loved by her family and brings a lot of smiles and laughs to our home. We wish her the brightest future and are so proud of her! We love you so much Kendyll!
*Thank you Sister Swarnes for sharing about Kendyll with us!*

Alex Webb

Alex is 17 and the oldest of 2 (just her and Ash). In school, her favorite subjects have been drama and English. During the quarantine she has enjoyed reading and binge watching TV. She is also still afraid of the dark. She will run up from the basement like someone is chasing her. *Thanks Sister Webb for sharing more about Alex with us!*

Kate Bennet

Kate turned 18 on March 22, during the “Covid-19 Quarantine!” She’s the oldest of four kids. She has younger sisters Amy (a5) and Sarah (12), and a younger brother, Blake (9). In school, her favorite subjects are Drama (she’s the drama club president at Spanish Fork High School), Spanish, and English. During the quarantine, she has been working through her statistics class, watching a lot of TV shows (mainly *Parks & REC*) and enjoying family karaoke time. She’s genuinely one of the most witty and entertaining people I’ve ever known. She hits her humorous stride on stage (her role as Lavender in “Matilda” had crowds rolling in the aisles) and when trying to fit large quantities of food into her mouth all at once on a dare (she stuffed 12 full-sized York peppermint patties in her mouth once, but is also impressive with other foods). *Thanks Bishop Bennett for telling us more about Kate!*

Aubrie Morgan

Aubrie is 17 years old. She is the middle child with an older brother and sister, Makade and Alyssa, and two younger brothers, Micah and Lucas. She is easy going and chill except for when she’s tired or missing her cats. Her favorite school subjects are math and P.E. During her high school years, she has participated on the softball team, (freshman year), track and field, (3 years) and swim team, (4 years). She has also played the violin in orchestra the past 6 years. Her hobbies during quarantine include fishing, taking naps with her cat, and starring in Tik Tok music videos. We have many funny memories with Aubrie which usually include her crying from laughing so hard or missing her cats. She has always had a lot of spunk and loves adventure and the water. She was jumping off the diving board at the city pool at age 3 as well as riding a two wheeler bicycle. Aubrie wants to attend Dixie State University in the fall and eventually marry a cowboy with awesome ‘waffles’, live in the boonies, and own baby cows (and many cats). *Thank you Sister Morgan for sharing about Aubrie with us!*

In case you missed it, our plans to go to Reid’s Ranch for girls camp has been cancelled and moved to 2022. We will keep you posted on any girls camp developments.

Trek has also been cancelled.