Dear Young Women: Your Recipe to Happiness

(Written for a small group of girls at Girls' camp about staying strong in the mist of adversity. The theme of camp this year?  BOOT camp: Building Our Own Testimonies.)

Dear Young Women,

My name is Jennie and I am a Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. When I was a Laurel and deciding where to go to college I came up with the bright idea that instead of going to BYU I wanted to go to the United States Air Force Academy.  I’m pretty sure my parents thought I was crazy.  None of my family is military so when I announced that I wanted to go to a military college instead of BYU, everyone was a little surprised.  However, it turns out, that I didn’t come up with the idea to go the Air Force Academy all on my own.  It wasn’t until I received my acceptance letter that I realized the Spirit had been prompting me. 

My first year at the Air Force Academy was tough.  I went through boot camp for six weeks before beginning my freshman year.  Up till that point in my life it was the hardest thing I had ever done.  The first few hours were terrifying, I had never been yelled at so much in my eighteen years and when physical training began I remember thinking ‘How am I ever going to get through this? If they make me do one more pushup my arms are going to fall off.’

The same summer I began boot camp was also the same summer that the prophet, President Hinckley, challenged the members of the church to read the entire Book of Mormon by the end of the year.  As soon as I heard about the challenge I began reading in 1 Nephi.  Reading the Book of Mormon did so much to help me overcome the challenges I faced during boot camp, but it also provided me with several opportunities to share the gospel with many of the friends I made.

After two years at the Air Force Academy I decided to serve a mission and received a call to serve in the Taiwan Taipei mission.  A few months before I left I remember listening to the Young Women’s session of General Conference and even though I technically wasn’t a young woman anymore, when the prophet spoke, it felt like he was speaking directly to me. 

 “Now you young women are on the threshold of life. You are old enough to have been baptized. You are young enough that the future world of which you dream still lies ahead of you. Each is a child of God. Each of you is a creature of Divinity. You are literally a daughter of the Almighty. There is no limit to your potential. If you will take control of your lives, the future is filled with opportunity and gladness. You cannot afford to waste your talents or your time. Great opportunities lie ahead of you.”

“Now I offer you a very simple recipe which, if observed, will assure your happiness. It is a simple four-point program. It is as follows: (1) pray, (2) study, (3) pay your tithing, and (4) attend your meetings.”

Since leaving home for boot camp more than nine years ago I have done my best to take control of my life and the great opportunities the Lord has given me.  I have traveled to foreign countries, jumped out of planes, and learned new languages.  I have worked hard in school, earned two degrees, and now have an amazing job.  I am so blessed that I have been able to do so much these past few years, but the most important things I have done have been to say my prayers, study my scriptures, pay my tithing, and attend my meetings.  When I do these four simple things my relationship with my Heavenly Father is strengthened.  Challenges, trials, and hardship still come, but as I follow the prophet’s counsel I can feel the Lord give me the surge of strength I need to meet and overcome these difficulties.  I can testify that what the prophet taught me at general conference that year is true.  If we will pray, study, pay our tithing, and attend our meetings the Lord will assure our happiness.  There truly is no limit to our potential, but if we wish to take advantage of the great eternal blessings the Lord has in store for us, we cannot afford to waste our talents or time on things that cannot bring us happiness.  The Lord loves you all so much and has placed His trust in you.  May we all live worthy of His trust.

I hope you all have a wonderful time at girls camp this year.

Love,

Jennie

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