September 2020 YW Newsletter – Riverview Program

Hey Young Women,

A few weeks ago my family and I took a trip to Arches National Park and I couldn’t help but feel so little and insignificant standing next to huge formations of rock. It’s hard for my human mind to comprehend how big our world really is, not to mention our universe.

Coming home I wanted to address the feeling of insignificance I had and I found Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s talk titled You Matter to Him from the October 2011 General Conference. He said:

“My dear brothers and sisters, it may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe. At times we may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten. But always remember—you matter to Him! If you ever doubt that, consider these four divine principles:

First, God loves the humble and meek, for they are ‘greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’

Second, the Lord entrusts ‘the fulness of [His] gospel [to] be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world.’ He has chosen ‘the weak things of the world [to] come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones’ and to put to shame ‘the things which are mighty.’

Third, no matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together, they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith.

Fourth and finally, please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him. Have hope and faith in that promise. Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed.

I found comfort in these principles and I wanted to share them with you. I want you to know that you are not invisible to our Heavenly Parents. Your hardships matter to Them. If losing your cellphone is a big deal to you then it’s a big deal to Them. If finding out that the boy you like likes someone else matters to you, it matters to Them. They care about you, all of you.

I also found comfort in Elder Uchtdorf’s last principle that the feelings and trials we are going through now won’t be around forever. We as your adult leaders can attest to that and we would love the opportunity to help you navigate your way through adolescence. In some ways our experience as a teenage girl was different, but in other ways it was very similar.
I want you to know that we love you and want to support you in whatever way that we can.

Love,

Sister Law

**September Birthdays**
22 Ellie Sorenson
24 Sara Chandler

Sarah Bennett

Sarah is 13 and is the third of four children. She has two older sisters and one younger brother. She shares this birth order scenario with her mom (third with two older sisters and then a brother) and her grandmother (also the third with two older sisters and then a brother). Her favorite school subjects are drama and English. Sarah’s favorite quarantine hobby was walking the Spanish Fork River Trail with friends.

When she was younger, she used to get car sick. On a family trip to Disneyland, she made it the whole way without being sick. Then, when we were down to our last mile or so, she started to feel queazy. We handed her an empty Burger King cup and her mom began to share strategies with her to keep her from being sick. After a few minutes of “you can make it the last mile to the hotel” encouragement — and a silent vomit into the cup that her parents didn’t notice — Sarah finally said, “Okay mom. That sounds good, but what would you like me to do with the puke?”

*Thanks Bishop Bennet for sharing about Sarah!*

Kamryn Galbraith

Kamryn is 14 and is the middle child between her older sister, Nila (17) and younger brother Chantz (11). Her favorite school subjects include art and drama. During quarantine she enjoyed art, gaming, and sleeping.
Kamryn loves to go hunting and fishing. Last year she shot an antelope and a ram. She was so excited about it! She also will surprise me sometimes with special art projects she knows I will love.

*Thank you Sister Galbraith for telling us about Kamryn!*

Taylor Sorenson

Taylor is the oldest of 8 kids, she is 16. Her favorite subject in school is seminary. She has a million talents which include sewing, playing the guitar, violin and piano. She can sing beautifully. She is great at track and field, running and probably any other sport that she tries. She is an amazing big sister and friend. She loves horror movies and Halloween and just started her first job at Spirit Halloween. I can honestly say Taylor is one of my best friends and anyone who knows her is a lucky person!
I forgot that she is amazing at doing hair and makeup and would love to do it for movies when she grows up.

*Thank you Sister Sorenson for telling us more about Taylor!*

September 7th: Labor Day
September 8th: YW 12-13 class activity, S’mores and origami at the Wahlquists at 7pm
September 13th: Combined YW fireside at 2pm, “My 150” challenge updates
September 22nd: YW 12-13 class activity, Jackbox Game Night, 7pm on Zoom