.::still blinking::.

I teach the young women in my ward. Two weeks ago I was asked to teach a lesson called, “Reach Out to Others.”

It was so bad. I could not on good conscience give that lesson. To begin with there was a story about two dogs, who came across a cat and did not play with it, next a turtle and did not play with it, and finally a rabbit and they played with it. It just did not make sense to me. How do I relate a story about animals to girls between the ages of 12 and 18. It was stupid and childish and I did not think they would even listen to it.

Next, I was supposed to read the following scriptures to the girls.

Luke 15:8-10

Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one apiece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

What? Everyone who is LDS is not a sinner, and everyone who is not Mormon is a sinner? I could not teach that. I did not think this was the appropriate use of this scripture. I thought that this was about people who had the gospel and fell away and then came back.

Next, it wanted me to read the following situations to the girls.

Ask the young women to discuss what might be done to help a class member become a participating member of the Church. Emphasize that feeling and showing real concern is important. Present the following situations to the young women and have them solve the problems:

1. You meet a less-active classmate in a store. You want to show her that you are interested in her. What do you do?

2. You invite a less-active friend to class. She hesitates before giving an answer. Then she says that maybe she’ll come sometime. What could you do?

3. You invite a less-active friend to your Young Women class. She says she does not want to go and have people stare at her because she is attending church. What should you do and say?

4. You encourage a less-active member to attend class, and she replies that she does not like the meetings. What would you do?

5. You ask a less-active member to class and she says no. What could you do?

I could not do this. I did not like labeling people who are not LDS as less-active. I did not want them to think they were better than anyone. I don’t think that they are. I think that we all have divine light in us whether we are LDS or not.

Luckily, I found a Young Women’s Manual Resource guide on the web. It links toconferencee talks and other things that are to be used to help enhance the lesson. In this case, I taught this instead of the lesson. For real, read this. It is called the, “The Doctrine of Inclusion.” This was so much better and to the good point of what this lesson was trying to teach.

I called several of the girls and leaders and had them in class tell about a time someone had been kind to them and the influence that it had had on their lives.

I shared the following experience about my college roommates.

When I went to college, there were six girls in my apartment. There were four girls who had gone to elementary, junior high, and high school together. The other two were me and a girl from New Jersey. The four that had grown up together could have easily just stayed their own little group of friends. They did not need more friends, but they included us in everything anyway.

When they had friends from home come and visit them, they took us along on their adventures. When they went home for the weekend they would take us with them. They just included us and took care of us like they had known us their entire lives.

They did not need me, but I needed them,desperately. I was going through my life at home falling apart. I needed their stability and friendship badly.

I lived with these girls the next year also, and then they all started getting married and such. When I got married I moved in next door to Lori, one of these original roommates. I have looked up to her for so long now, like eight years. She was my friend and loved me no matter what.

Our apartments faced each other and we would stand in the doorways and talk forever about everything. Eventually, I started noticing what a good person she was and I started to see how having the gospel in her life was helping her to be a good person. She taught me so much about faith and prayer. But I don’t think that I would have been open to her teaching me, if she had not been my good friend first.

That is what I wanted to teach these girls. That we need to be friends with everyone. And when we are friends with people and they see that things are ok in our lives then they will want to find out why.

I had them read the story of the Good Samaritan, which teaches us to love ALL men and take care of those around us.

I had them read Article of Faith 11
“We claim the privilege of worshipping All Mighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all me the same privilege, let them worship how, where or what they may.”

Meaning that as LDS women we worship God, but also because we are LDS women we allow everyone to worship as they may.

I have a friend, Luke, who I have know for about eight years. He has always let everyone know that he is going to be a Catholic priest. He has gone to Washington D.C. to study at Catholic University of America. He then went to Rome to study at the Vatican. He has been in Africa for a year helping kids who were born with AIDS. Now he is trying to start a school for kids who need help.

He is not the same as me and yet we are both serving God and trying to be good people in our own way.

I quoted from the talk I linked to above. “For the most part, the people in your neighborhood who are not LDS are good, honorable people-every bit as good and honorable as we strive to be. They care about their friends and families, just like we do. They want to make the world a better place, just like we do. They are kind loving and generous, just like we seek to be.”

To finish I had them read, John 13:34-35
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Isn’t that really the point that I should be teaching. Don’t be heavy handed about your faith. If people see something in you and want to know about it, let them know. But don’t slap people with something they don’t believe in. Let them know that you love them no matter what.

I am going to hell for not teaching what was in the manual and for writing about it here I am going to be ex-ed.