I always enjoyed photography, and it's a skill I would like to develop. According to some girls in the Ville-Marie ward, many young women apparently enjoy that same skill. That's why my friend Claudia, who is YW counselor in that ward, found a way to help them to develop that skill while completing a PP goal, Knowledge 2:
- Name in your diary some talents that you have or that you would like to develop.
- Read Matthew 25:14-30 (Parable of talents)
- If photography is part of that talents you would like to develop:
- Si la fotografia hace parte de algo que quieres desarrollar, haz lo siguiente:
- During eight days find around you things, people, situations, or anything else that inspire you one of the YW values. Take a picture of it for each value (one value per day).
- Share what you learn
- If you would like to, visit create.lds.org, where you can share your art.
Well, I did that, and here I share with you 8 pictures of 8 values:
FAITH
The Lord often sends us on unplanned paths, detours that seem to take us far from our deepest wishes and dreams, and we wonder, why?
Remember: Jesus Christ accepted to drink from the bitter cup; he knew which was his mission. Although it might seem a very had "detour", he did it, he trust in his Father, and because of that he is now our Savior and God. If we trust in God, we shall soon see that all the detours he puts on our way would lead us to blessings greater than what we could imagine... and ultimately to our celestial destination.
NATURE DIVINE
As I was once with a friend in the celestial room of the Montreal Temple, dressed with my temple clothes, my friend told me: "this is who we reallly are". That is so true! It's through the covenants that we make with the Lord that we discover who we really are: sons and daughters of God, with a great divine potential. There is not any other piece of clothing that makes me feel so special and pretty and my this dress, my temple dress. There is not any other document in my wallet more important than this, my temple recommend. Because of these objects, I can remember the divine attributes that I have inside me and that I can develop. By remembering this, I can see myself in a more celestial... and divine... way!
PERSONAL WORTH
the first time I gave blood, I received this pin of a drop of blod, on which it says bénévole, which means "volunteer" in French. Héma Québec (the organisation for which I give blood)'s motto says: "Give blood. Give life". I give blood because I desire to do something good for others, to give life to those who are in need of blood. Some years ago someone volunteered to shed drops of blood by each pore, and to have his hands and feed pierced, for me! FOR ME! Why? Because I'm of a great worth to him! He did that because he loves me. there is not greater gift to make me recognize my personal worth and value than the atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ. For me, he gave his blood - he gave me life!
KNOWLEDGE
Every morning when I get to my desk at work, this is what I see on my screen: the Celestial room of the Gilbert Temple. Because of the administrative knowledge and other skills that I have obtained, I nos have this good joob. And because of the knowledge I obtained of the gospel, and because I apply it in my life, I had the opportunity to enter the temple and I have spent many hours in this and other celestial rooms. Both knowledge are important to progress in live, in a temporal as in a spiritual way; they complemented each other. It's important to keep developing and using those two knowledges throughout our lives, in order to serve in this world, as in the next.
CHOICE AND RESPONSIBILITY
In this tunnel that I take sometimes when I walk home, there are two path: one for cars, the other for pedestrians. There are not always cars there, so it would be easy to jump and try to get to the end of the tunnel by walking or evenn running on the car's side. But we never know what could happen. It's true that we could get to the same destination by taking the huge and most exciting path, but why would I take the risk to be hit by a car, only to feel some adrenaline? There is only one straight and narrow way to eternal life, and it's a sure path! I prefer to walk on the sure path. Which way would you choose?
Joshua 14:6
GOOD WORKS
Some days ago I went to listen and sing with the Opera de Montreal at a opera workshop in the metro. Opera in Italian means "work". That day I heard and participated in a good opera, or a GOOD WORK. Opera singers need to work a lot on their voices, every day, to be able to sing as that musical art requires. Through their voices, their facial expressions, and the musical accompaniement, they make live deep emotions to all those who listen. When we hear a good opera, we feel good and happy. The voices makes our whole body tremble with awe. It's wonderful! To be able to join them to sing was wonderful because I was able not only to feel those emotions, but to be part of them. We can as well, as we serve, make others to feel great emotions. As we join others in good works, we serve, and that brings us joy. We don't need training to serve; but the more we serve, the more we develop our capacity to serve others, to do it more naturally, and by doing so we can do good to others, as those opera singers do so well.
INTEGRITY
I live in a big city where there are many tall buildings, bars, clubs, malls, metro and train stations, restaurants, and all the stress and noise from big cities. Also, the temple from our city is closed for renovation, and the closest one it's six hours away, which makes it harder to go as often as I used to. After having lived in the quiet town of Gilbert, Arizona, I miss a lot the tranquility and peace that I could easily find there, where I lived only five minutes away from the Gilbert temple. Despite all the world and noise surrounding me, I can still live my beliefs and being sincere and true in my daily deeds. As long as I live the gospel, following Jesus Christ, and remembering my covenants, I can "be in the world but not being of the world". That's what integrity means to me: to be true in our lifestyle despite our circumstances.
VIRTUD
I took this picture in front of my mirror. Every morning as I get ready for my day and look myself on the mirror to put some make up, doing my hair, etc., I can see this reflection on my mirror: images of many different temples, souvenirs of my temple experiences (as my temple worker certificate, my temple worker name tag, souvenirs from the Montreal, Gilbert and Phoenix open houses), images of Christ, as my scriptures and other gospel related books. I also put on my Young Women medallion every morning, which I received when I was 18. As I look to the reflection of all this every morning, I remember something I want to be able to reflect too: virtue! Temples, scriptures, images of Christ; All this remind of Christ, and the best way to be like him is to develp my virtue, which is represented by that medallion. It is only as I develop virtue that other will be able to see "his image on my countenance (Alma 5).
