Questions and Discussion Ideas to Teach "Beloved Daughters" by Sister Bonnie H. Cordon
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I don’t know about you but I was more than a little impatient waiting to hear "Beloved Daughters" by Sister Bonnie H. Cordon. They can be such teases at General Conference! The new Young Women’s theme and other changes will be a great blessing to our youth and always worth the wait.
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Questions to Ponder
Thanks to Katie Dial for providing these great questions. Sign up to help with questions next General Conference!
What is exhilarating to you about these changes made to the youth program? What is soul-stretching about the changes?
How can our resistance to change keep us from receiving possible blessings?
What changes to the Young Women’s theme stood out to you? What phrases do you like best? Why?
How does the new Young Women’s theme compare to the Relief Society theme? What similarities do you see? What differences are evident?
How can we "cherish the gift of repentance" in our lives? Why is that an important step to following Jesus Christ?
Why is it important that we see ourselves as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints but also see ourselves as individual followers of Jesus Christ? Why should we identify as a "we" and as an "I"?
How do you feel these changes to class structure in the Young Women’s program will improve unity and strengthen friendships?
What things are important to consider when placing our youth in groups and classes?
Why is it important that we recognize our responsibility to the success of the group(s) we belong to? (example- Young Women to their Young Women’s class, women to Relief Society, men to Elders Quorum, members to the ward)
How can you influence your ward and groups positively to increase unity and friendship?
How can our Young Women and Young Men help us in our efforts with ministering? missionary work? temple and family history work? activation?
Why is it important that we view the youth as valuable assets in the latter-days? How can we better include them in our decision making and efforts?
How do we work side-by-side with the youth? How can we keep from taking over and allow the youth to lead? How does this apply in our families and in our wards?
Use my Young Women’s theme coloring page to discuss the different parts of the new theme and what stands out to you. Color the words that are important to you.
Discussion Ideas
Study the new Young Women’s theme. What phrases stick out to you? What do these changes matter? Head to the footnotes of Sister Cordon’s talk and look up those references she gave for the theme. How does this add to our understanding and valuing of the theme? How can you as an adult benefit from this theme? You can even cut up the words of the theme and divide into groups to study specific passages.
One of changes being made to Young Women’s is how the classes are organized. Sister Cordon quoted Elder Neal A. Maxwell who said what we often need most is to be sheltered from the storms and to have a sanctuary of belonging. Discuss how you can make your class that way. What are you doing as an individual to make it that way? How can we do it as a class? How can you be a light to those around you? How can others be a light for you? Consider how the chairs are set up, the room, how’s the lighting? What can you do to make all feel welcome and safe? How can you be more gathered in unity?
Discuss how you can support the youth in their leadership positions and how they are an essential part of meeting the needs of those in your ward. How have you seen this? You may even want to invite the parent of a child in a leadership calling to share a personal story. What happens as we strengthen our youth in this way? How do they in turn strengthen us?
Place of picture of Jesus Christ in the middle of your whiteboard with the words, “Purpose: to strengthen our resolve to follow Jesus Christ and help others come unto Him” underneath. Then as you discuss each of these four changes, write it on the board with an arrow pointing back to Christ. How does this change help us follow Jesus Christ? How does it help us help others come unto Christ? You can expand this by including some of the recent changes as well.
