"When I was recently assigned to a conference in the Mission Viejo California Stake, I was touched by an account of their four-stake New Year’s Eve youth dance. Following the dance a purse was found with no outside identification. I share with you part of what Sister Monica Sedgwick, the Young Women president in the Laguna Niguel Stake, recorded:
“We didn’t want to pry; this was someone’s personal stuff! So we gingerly opened it and grabbed the first thing that was on top—hopefully, it would identify her. It did . . . but in another way—it was a For the Strength of Youthpamphlet. . . . Wow! This told us something about her. Then, we reached in for the next item, a little notebook. . . . Surely this would give us answers. But not the kind we were expecting. The first page . . . was a list of favorite scriptures. . . . There were five more pages of carefully written scriptures and personal notes.”
The sisters immediately wanted to meet this stalwart young woman. They returned to that purse to identify its owner. They pulled out some breath mints, soap, lotion, and a brush. I loved their comments: “Oh, good things come out of her mouth; she has clean and soft hands; and she takes care of herself.”
They eagerly awaited the next treasure. Out came a clever little homemade coin purse made from a cardboard juice carton, and there was some money in a zippered pocket. They exclaimed, “Ahh, she’s creative and prepared!” They felt like little children on Christmas morning. What they pulled out next surprised them even more—a recipe for Black Forest chocolate cake, and a note to make the cake for a friend’s birthday. They almost screamed, “She’s a homemaker! Thoughtful and service-minded.” Then, yes, finally, some identification. The youth leaders said they felt greatly blessed “to observe the quiet example of a young lady living the gospel.”
This account illustrates the commitment of our young women to Church standards. It is also an example of caring, interested, dedicated Young Women leaders all over the world." April 2011 General Conference
2:41The Lost Purse1. We started the evening watching the video made of The Purse Parable and the had a short spiritual thought on letting our light shine so others can see our love for the Savior.
2. We gave everyone 30 minutes to participate, at their leisure, in 4 different stations that went with the parable. The idea was for time to talk and do the activity/activities that they wanted.
Station 1- "She's stalwart" this table had a patriarchal blessing worksheet. Most took this to do at home.
Station 2- "good things come out of her mouth; she has clean and soft hands; and she takes care of herself" was a mini spa. We had lip scrub, hand scrub and lotions, nail remover and polish and file. (The women who did this made a trip to the bathroom together. I could hear them talking and laughing through the door)
Station 3- "She creative and Prepared" was 2 crafts to choose from. We provided pebble art supplies and a Mothers Day nugget sleeve. I had a jar on the table that said $1 per craft and the sisters stuck in a dollar if they wanted to do the craft.
Station 4- "She's thoughtful and service minded" was a service project.
3. We gathered back together and played a few purse themed games and had prizes (purse themed). There are lots of ideas on Pinterest.
4. For refreshment, we had Blackforest Cake like Elder Cook mentions in the talk.
Flyers: We made purses from a template on Pinterest and put the information about the activity inside.
Decor: Lots of fun purses.
I forgot to take photos that night.
I printed the station themes 8x11 and placed them on frames on the tables with the activity.
Flyer and purse template.
Pebble art. I provided a foam back and a mat ($1) and went beachcombing for pebbles and sticks.
I brought a pebble art I had done and also printed examples from the internet for more ideas.
I bought the wrappers on Etsy and printed them off at home. I bought the pretzel bags and Hersery nuggets ($1). This was the more popular craft.
It was an enjoyable activity. I did it for Relief Society but it could totally be adapted for Young Women or Activity Day.
