Last week had to be one of the craziest weeks I’ve had in a long time. It started with Young Women In Excellence. This is a night where we honor the young women in our ward, and the projects they have been working on. This year, we did something a bit different. I found a book by The Redheaded Hostess about scripture heros. The book is meant to be completed over 2 weeks, and the individual compares themselves to their hero in the scriptures. The topics each day pertain to themes from For the Strength of Youth book.

I taught the combined lesson this month which happened to be on “Service in the Community.” I had a few of the girls talk about fundraisers they’ve organized and other projects they’ve been part of. Then I introduced 8 women of the scriptures. We talked about what made them a hero, and how they did service in their communities. I bought the Young Women value card set from Real Hero Posters and had them displayed on the board. The women included: Ruth, Esther, Hannah, Mother’s of the Stripling Warriors, Women in the Wilderness, Mary, Emma, and Eve (had my own picture). At the end of the lesson, I introduced the book and explained that our Young Women In Excellence would be focused on their experience. Then, each girl got to pick a picture off the board of the hero they were going to focus on. (We wanted to stay away from the girls displaying things such as soccer balls or sheet music meaning that’s what they’ve been working on. We know they work hard on those things, but we wanted them to think outside the box this year.)

The girls had 3 weeks to work on their books. Tuesday night, we set up the room with pictures of the girls and their hero’s. We printed 11 x 14 pictures of each girl and mounted them on black mats. We also had the women of the scriptures in poster size 11 x 14 and mounted on black mats. We staggered them around the room, and they filled the walls from one side to the other.

Last minute, I had the idea to make some lanterns for the girls. We used the technique of modge podging strips of tissue paper around a vase. I found an awesome deal at the thrift store, where I got 3 large vases for 19 cents. How awesome was that!? I got 27 vases for $1.89. Anyway, then I cut vinyl lettering that read, “Be a light unto others, be a Hero.” We got the little light candles so that we could light them up around the room.

We had a great program. Part of it included the girls singing “Guardians of Virtue.” We also had a few of the girls talk about their experiences and what they learned about their heroes. We also spotlighted each girl. We had talk to the girls parents beforehand, and told of ways the girls have characteristics of a hero, and how they show it.

For dessert, I made a fruit trifle. Instead of layering in a bowl, I bought large cup cake liners, and then crumbled cake into each one. We added a spoonful of cream, and value colored fruit to the top. I believe I had mangos, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and kiwi. I also meant to add, but ran out of time, pineapple, grapes, bananas, and pears. (That’s if you want to do all the value colors.)

It turned out to be a very successful night, and I think everyone really enjoyed it. I at least know they all enjoyed the dessert! 🙂