Arise...

 "ARISE AND SHINE FORTH THAT THY LIGHT MAY  BE A STANDARD FOR THE NATIONS..."

D&C 115:5

 Tonight we had New Beginnings for Young Womans and we chose the theme "Arise". We wanted to challenge each girl that this year they all strive to arise to their potential, to work on their personal progress, to go to the temple and we challenged them to memorize "The Living Christ." So much work goes into things like this. I get to work with amazing woman and we all come together and do amazing things. We want to do things that make it memorable for the girls. We chose to feature a lot of balloons so that the girls would think of Arise each time they see a balloon. Me and kaleb had a big surprise coming, the Bishop stood up and announced that a Young Woman had completed her personal progress and had wanted to keep it a secret from her parents until tonight so that she could receive her YW medallion. Imagine my surprise when he said Celines name!!! I knew she was close to finishing but I had no clue that she had finished, talked to the bishop and was waiting for 2 months to surprise us on this night. What an amazing daughter of God me and Kaleb are raising. She stood up with the Bishop as he awarded her and put her medallion on her. My heart was so full tonight, I am so proud of this daughter of mine. She has had to go through some hard times these last few weeks, and I am so proud of her for keeping her head up and pushing on through. Despite what the world around her is saying and doing, she knows who she is, that she is a precious Daughter of God, and she is doing what she knows is right. As I have been disappointed in so many around me this last while, she has made me so proud with who she is and how she handles things. I don't know that I can take much credit for her, but I know that I am so blessed to have her.