Kuala Lumpur District Young Women Camp 16-18 September 2022

This year the KL District Young Women Camp was organized from 16 – 18 September 2022 at Janda Baik Radiant Site B. The theme of this year is “Hear Him”.

“A fountain of pure water” and “ thicket of small trees” (Mosiah 18:5) – the prophet Mormon used these words to describe the place where Alma hid after fleeing from King Noah.

Those trees and what water became “beautiful… to the eyes” of the people who joined Alma there. Why? Because in that place, Alma and his people “came to the knowledge of their Redeemer” (Mosiah 18:30).

The location of Young Women Camp – whether it is in a forest, in a park, on a beach, or in a meetinghouse – can become beautiful to the eyes of all who gather there. Like Alma and his people, young women need a place where they can gather together, separate from worldly influences, feel the Spirit of the Lord, grow in unity and love, and strengthen their faith and testimonies of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Before departing to the camp, all the young women were assigned a sister in their secret sister mission. All they need to do is do kind deeds for them, write them notes or letters, and prepare RM3.00 maximum, or not more than RM3.00 gift or handmade gift for the sister assigning to them.

On the first day, all the young women from Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, and Puchong branches are to be gathered at Kuala Lumpur District Centre at 9.30 am, as there will be a bus to fetch them to their destination. They had their lunch once they reached the campsite.

Then, their huge project was to set up their sleeping tents in designated groups. They were able to unwind and spend time together, which made it extra enjoyable.

The young women played made bracelets, and braided each other's hair. They enjoyed playing enjoyable games at night and engaging in a variety of enjoyable activities during the day, all while experiencing the Spirit's presence. Annabelle said it was undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable experiences of her life.

They prepared their BBQ dinner which all the young women split into a few goups to share the preparation of their BBQ dinner: skewer group, rice cooker group, potato group, carrot group, and dishwasher group.

Rice Cooker Group

Skewer Group

Dishwasher Group

Carrot Group

Potatoes Group

BBQ Team

They were having a campfire during the night and having “Mallowtime” which is their young women campfire night’s tradition.

The leaders had something quite profound planned for the 3 days 2 nights program which made it quite simple to sense the atmosphere.

The second day was the highlight of the camp, where the young women had the river trekking.

They went into the nearby river and were guided by the professional camp master at the campsite.

They were having fun fishing with clothes, bug catching, relate some gospel principles while trekking.

The trainer gives the survival skill lesson and how to build a shelter using the basic materials that they can find in nature. In the afternoon they were having Zumba before devotional.

President Brown and his family traveled so far and shared with the young women an inspiring message during a devotional on “Hear Him”.

There was a skit competition between the groups, an arts and crafts session, and the “Sister of the Camp” during the night.

On the final day, all the young women need to take down their tents, dry, and pack the tents, and leave the campsite.

Annabelle had much too much fun at her first young women's camp after the COVID-19 pandemic, which was above and beyond what she had anticipated. She had a great time hanging out with these young women during her first-ever young women's camp.

She shared that she initially did not want to join as she had too many things on her mind that distracted her from school, friendships, and exams, but she was grateful she came to the camp where she could feel the Spirit and friendship with other young women.

I am grateful that she gained her testimony through attending the Young Women Camp.

Looking Outside: Share Our Testimonies

• Share our testimonies (see Mosiah 28:1–3).

Mosiah 28:1-3

1 Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites—

2 That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them.

3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.

Having been converted, the sons of King Mosiah felt a strong desire to preach the gospel to the Lamanites. The desires of the sons of Mosiah changed because they had exercised faith in Jesus Christ, repented of all their sins, and become converted and how the Spirit of the Lord influenced them.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared a statement like this, "The intensity of our desire to share the gospel is a great indicator of the extent of our personal conversion" (Dallin H. Oaks, "Sharing the Gospel," Ensign, Nov. 2001, 7).

This quote by President Oaks indeed gives me time to ponder my conversion. It seems like the intensity of my desire to share the gospel or testimony is not as deep as I have the desire to share.

I still remember when I had just been called Relief Society president. I was always encouraged the sisters to pray and read the scriptures. I shared my conversion story to them to testify that God hears prayers and answers our prayers. I shared my experiences studying the scriptures that enlightened my mind and understanding of things around me.

That was quite a joyful thing to do. I am no longer to share like this as I was. It is quite a sad thing to think about, and as President Oaks said, it has to do with my conversion. I am just browsing through the "Come, Follow Me - For Individuals and Families" for the following year's manual, which Alvin took back from church last Sunday. We will be studying about Old Testament. I was drawn to the first page: Conversion Is Our Goal.

It wrote, all gospel learning and teaching aim to deepen our conversion to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and help us become more like Them. For this reason, we are not just looking for new information but to become a "new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17). This means relying on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help us change our hearts, views, actions, and very natures.

Our conversion does not happen all at once, but it extends beyond our typical Sunday School. It requires consistent, daily efforts to understand and live the gospel. Gospel learning that leads to true conversion involves the influence of the Holy Ghost.

"The Holy Ghost guides us to the truth and bears witness of that truth (see John 16:13). He enlightens our minds, quickens our understandings, and touches our hearts with revelation from God, the source of all truth. The Holy Ghost purifies our hearts. He inspires in us a desire to live by truth, and He whispers to us ways to do this. Truly, "the Holy Ghost … shall teach [us] all things" (John 14:26)."

"... For we know that if we can be worthy of the presence of the Holy Ghost, we can also be worthy to live in the presence of Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ."

These sentences struck me! So, what does it mean?

It means that I need to be humble to rely on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help me to change. It means with that humility, and I would be able to invite the Holy Ghost to be my constant companion.

With the companionship and the influence of the Spirit, the Spirit would help guide me in my every thought and action and the choices I will n my life. Sharing what I believe is one of the ways I can humbly serve others.

And, it was so co-incident that we learned about the parables of the Ten Virgins last week in the Institute class. Both the wise and the foolish virgins, who were invited to the feast. The oil in the parable represent spiritual preparation, testimony, faith, conversion, and experience.

We cannot borrow spiritual preparation from others. We prepare for the Second Coming by increasing our testimony and conversion through daily righteousness. To be ready for the Lord’s coming and be worthy to remain in His presence, we must come to know Him.

The Gospel Media credit to https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

Looking Outside: Accept Church Calling Willingly… A Release

Our family went to church last Sunday. The Puchong chapel has opened to the members after being closed since last April due to Covid-19. I met with President Augustine regards to my calling before the sacrament meeting started.

Ever since that 'huge happening' in my job or work last month, I was so helpless with so many things around me. I texted President Augustine and asked if I could request a release of my calling as Relief Society President. I texted him that I had been through some challenges in my job, which knocked me down. I feel I could not serve the sisters in the branch. I feel that my burden is heavy. I know I should not think like that, but I feel overwhelmed with my work, study, family, and calling. I am like losing focus.

I frankly told him that I would have big trouble with my job because of my mistakes in calculating materials for the project that needed to be handed over soon. I let him know that I am currently studying PathwayConnect. And, I am still trying my best to juggle all those things and my relationship with Alvin. I feel I can not cope. I know that I have been blessing a lot by the Lord. I know that I need to do the calling, but I cannot do it and move forward. And I know that the sisters in the branch need ministering, and they deserved a better and more dedicated sister to serve them. I feel so sorry that I was disappointed with the calling that was given to me.

I talked to the President about my concerns and updated him about my job matters, my study, and things during MCO for the past few months. Finally, he told me that he had been inspired to call another sister in the branch for this calling. He thanked me for the service that I had rendered during my calling. It is about two years and nine months. I felt relieved for that instance.

I still feel a little guilty that I gave up serving in my calling, and my faith is not strong enough. And, I think I did not act in a manner consistent with the specific Christlike attribute that I chose, which is humility or humble. A question that follows that asked us to ponder: What might you have done differently?

This question brings my memory back to a few months back, during the first semester of PathwayConnect. There was a lesson about thinking errors. "Thinking errors are failures in judgment caused by stress, and they are incorrect ways of looking at the world. Because of your distorted view, you tend to act in ways that don't resolve the stress but instead make it worse or add new stress."

It was a struggling lesson for me when I realized that I have a weakness like this, and it occurred whenever I thought about my calling. I feel powerlessness in the academic definition. "Powerlessness" means you can't do this, and you can't do that. And you can't even try.

I know I should not have this thinking, but I can't help it. My mind would automatically shut off and blank whenever I thought of my calling as Relief Society President, and I felt overwhelmed. I am so afraid that I can't do it because there are so many sisters in the Relief Society, and so many of them are membership longer than me, and I couldn't take care of so many sisters in the branch. I realized that this had been 'haunting' me for almost two years nine months now. I could still handle it initially, but I felt I had gotten worse for the past few months.

Briefly, I was surprised and upset that this powerless thinking error of how it interrupted me so much. I did find out the when and how I addressed this weakness for that instance, and I guess I have found out and written down how I could overcome it. The problem is that I do not do it or act on it, and that is my negligence and idleness. I did not reach out to Heavenly Father. I know that I need to pray to Heavenly Father to seek His help for changing my heart.

I know I need to plan to guide myself towards little potential accomplishments that I know I have the best chances of favorable results in and have the courage to act on it. It can be started by just a call to one sister a week, talking to the sister for five minutes. Not like the earlier planned 30 minutes for every day. So by doing that, I can reduce the powerlessness thinking whenever I think of my calling and the burden I felt.

Living the gospel and service to the Lord is a joyful experience, but I think the opposite way if I continue to have such thinking errors. And those are the things that I did not do. I am not being humble enough to ask or plead for His help in doing my calling. Instead of being supposed to serve, I just let go and neglected the calling extended to me because of my weaknesses. I do not do much about it.

I felt glad after hearing the name of the sister that will be called after me. She is such a spiritual and dedicated sister, and I know the Lord indeed calls her.

Even though I still feel a bit of emptiness inside me, but I know that this release is for the betterment of the sisters in the branch, give me more time to strive to be a better spouse, parent, daughter, friend, or neighbor, and a more devoted ministering sister.

I hope I do learn something out of this that – Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are always there for me to call upon Them… if I just learn how to be humble enough to ask…

The Gospel Media credit to https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org.