Girl Power

http://www.mormonmissionprep.com/mission-life/what-is-a-mormon-mission/

I really can't get this missionary announcement out of my head.  I have been overflowing with excitement about it for two whole weeks.  My children are literally begging me to stop talking about this already.  So, I thought I'd write it instead.  :)

This weekend during Stake Conference, we had a General Authority, Elder Paul B. Pieper, speak to us.  He talked about the missionary announcement in the Priesthood Leadership meeting on Saturday afternoon (I peeked at the Scout Master's notes.)  He said, "This is a different day than it was 10 days ago.  Figure it out now or you will be looking for oil in your lamp."  

He also said, "The Lord has turned the key and we need to be prepared for a church of 40-50 million, not 15 million."

What an amazing impact that will have on the Church, and therefore on families.  More missionaries will be serving.  More missions will be opened.  More branches, wards, and stakes will be formed.  More leadership opportunities will be created for more first generation members of the Church.  Did you feel the urgency after Conference?  I did.  (And not just after Elder Holland's talk, although those do always get my attention.)  

What an exciting time to be a youth in the Church.  And what an even more exciting time to be a girl!  I can tell you that this announcement has already impacted my family.  We've gone from two children thinking and talking about missions to FOUR!  (Flowering Buttercup and June have never in their lives expressed a desire to serve a mission...until last week!)  They'll have awhile to think about that.  Things change and you never know what life will bring, but just the fact that they're talking and thinking about it makes me want to ramp up my efforts to prepare them, especially the girls.  

What an exciting time to be the mother of three young women.  In the coming years, my daughters will have the opportunity to serve a mission, go to college, and become wives and mothers to future leaders of the Church.  That's a big deal.  It's not just about making cookies and being able to play the piano anymore.  It's about knowing how to "stand in holy places" no matter where you are.  It's about knowing how to receive personal revelation and act on it.  It's about knowing how to adequately prepare future generations for the overwhelming, exciting, and unimaginable changes that are coming.  

This announcement will change the lives of girls throughout the Church, and therefore throughout the world.

"When you change a girl's life you affect her vision of herself and her immediate world and the world that she will have an impact on." - Oprah