President Uchtdorf gave a talk to the Young Women titled "Your Happily Ever After" where he uses fairy tale characters to connect with gospel principles and how to achieve a happily ever after (also known as eternal life). I have really been impressed with some of the recent Disney princesses and their stories in the sense that they aren't the typical damsels in distress or lovestruck women who end up with the man of their dreams by the end of the movie. Their stories are more about finding themselves and strengthening their relationships with family and friends. So I merged the talk along with some of these Disney women to create what turned out to be a wonderful RS activity.
I'm the 2nd counselor in the Relief Society president for my Young Single Adult ward. There are three main sections of President Uchtdorf's talk. I found recent Disney princesses that fit the description above but that also was a great example of the principles Pres. Uchtdorf spoke of in that particular section.
1. Trial is Part of the Journey--Tiana from "Princess and the Frog"
2. Stay True to What You Know is Right--Mulan from "Mulan"
3. The Gospel is the Way to Happily Ever After--Merida from "Brave"
**Daughters of My Kingdom sections--Elsa and Anna from "Frozen"
I really wanted to use Elsa and Anna from Frozen but since none of the
sections in the talk really fit with their story I took a few sections
from Daughters of My Kingdom. I found 4 speakers to focus on each
section, and teach us. I gave them a printout of their section from the talk that they were supposed to teach, and also included scriptures, quotes from the corresponding Disney movie, and potential discussion questions that they could use. I also encouraged them to use any other means of teaching they wanted to (i.e. power point, music, visual aids, etc.) Then I let them basically do whatever they wanted. They were told they had about 5-8 min with no more than 10 min to talk. The only specific direction I gave them was to connect their Disney movie to the principle of the talk they were assigned. Following are the talk outlines that I gave to them to use.
Princess and the Frog
Trial is Part of the Journey
Excerpts from the talk “Your Happily Ever After” by President Dieter F.
Uchtdorf
In each of
these stories, [the characters] have to experience sadness and trial before
they can reach their “happily ever after.” Think about it. Has there ever been
a person who did not have to go through his or her own dark valley of
temptation, trial, and sorrow? Sandwiched between their “once upon a time” and
“happily ever after,” they all had to experience great adversity. Why must all
experience sadness and tragedy? Why could we not simply live in bliss and
peace, each day filled with wonder, joy, and love? The scriptures tell us there
must be opposition in all things, for without it we could not discern the sweet
from the bitter. Would the marathon runner feel the
triumph of finishing the race had she not felt the pain of the hours of pushing
against her limits? Would the pianist feel the joy of mastering an intricate
sonata without the painstaking hours of practice? In stories, as in life,
adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps to
develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. Our loving Heavenly
Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials so that we,
through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger, and experience joy.
Let me share
with you a personal experience I had as a teenager while our family was
attending church in Frankfurt, Germany. One Sunday the missionaries brought a
new family to our meetings whom I hadn’t seen before. It was a mother with two
beautiful daughters. I thought that these missionaries were doing a very, very
good job. I particularly took notice of the one daughter with gorgeous dark
hair and large brown eyes. Her name was Harriet, and I think I fell in love
with her from the first moment I saw her. Unfortunately, this beautiful young
woman didn’t seem to feel the same about me. She had many young men who wanted
to make her acquaintance, and I began to wonder if she would ever see me as
anything but a friend. But I didn’t let that deter me. I figured out ways to be
where she was. When I passed the sacrament, I made sure I was in the right
position so that I would be the one to pass the sacrament to her.
When we had
special activities at church, I rode my bike to Harriet’s house and rang the
doorbell. Harriet’s mother usually answered. In fact, she opened the kitchen
window of their apartment on the fourth floor and asked what I wanted. I would
ask if Harriet would like a ride to church on my bicycle. Harriet’s mother
would say, “No, she will be coming later, but I will be happy to ride with you
to church.” This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but how could I decline?
And so we rode to church. I must admit I had a very impressive road bike.
Harriet’s mother sat on the top tube bar just in front of me, and I tried to be
the most elegant bicycle driver over roads of rough cobblestone.
Time passed.
While beautiful Harriet was seeing many other young men, it seemed that I could
not make any headway with her. Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I defeated?
Absolutely not! Actually, looking back I recognize that it doesn’t hurt at all
to be on good terms with the mother of the girl of your dreams. Years later,
after I had finished my training as a fighter pilot in the air force, I
experienced a modern miracle in Harriet’s response to my continued courting.
One day she said, “Dieter, you have matured much over these past years.” I
moved quickly after that, and within a few months I was married to the woman I
had loved ever since I first saw her. The process hadn’t been easy—there were
moments of suffering and despair—but finally my happiness was full, and it
still is, even more so.
My dear young
sisters, you need to know that you will experience your own adversity. None is
exempt. You will suffer, be tempted, and make mistakes. You will learn for
yourself what every heroine has learned: through overcoming challenges come
growth and strength. It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself
that determines how your life’s story will develop. There are those among you
who, although young, have already suffered a full measure of grief and sorrow.
My heart is filled with compassion and love for you. How dear you are to the Church.
How beloved you are of your Heavenly Father. Though it may seem that you are
alone, angels attend you. Though you may feel that no one can understand the
depth of your despair, our Savior, Jesus Christ, understands. He suffered more
than we can possibly imagine, and He did it for us; He did it for you. You are
not alone. If you ever feel your burden is too great to bear, lift your heart
to your Heavenly Father, and He will uphold and bless you. He says to you, as
He said to Joseph Smith, “[Your] adversity and [your] afflictions shall be but
a small moment; and then, if [you] endure it well, God shall exalt [you] on
high.” Enduring adversity is not the only thing you must do to experience a happy
life. Let me repeat: how you react to adversity and temptation is a critical
factor in whether or not you arrive at your own “happily ever after.”
*See also 2
Nephi 2:11, 15 and D&C 121:7-8*
Princess
and the Frog Quotes
Please feel
free to use these or any others you might find.
- Yes, you wish and you dream with all your little
heart. But you remember, Tiana, that old star can only take you part of the
way. You got to help him with some hard work of your own. And then... Yeah, you
can do anything you set you mind to. Just promise your Daddy one thing? That
you'll never, ever lose sight of what is really important. Okay?
- If you do your best each and every day good
things are sure to come your way.
- You gotta dig a little deeper to find out who
you are.
- Just because you wish for something doesn’t make
it true.
- Fairytales can come true but you gotta make ‘em
happen. It all depends on you.
Mulan
Stay True to What You Know is Right
Excerpts from the talk “Your Happily Ever After” by President Dieter F.
Uchtdorf
Sisters, young
sisters, beloved young sisters, stay true to what you know is right. Everywhere
you look today, you will find promises of happiness. Ads in magazines promise
total bliss if you will only buy a certain outfit, shampoo, or makeup. Certain
media productions glamorize those who embrace evil or who give in to base
instincts. Often these same people are portrayed as models of success and
accomplishment. In a world where evil is portrayed as good and good as evil,
sometimes it is difficult to know the truth.
I spent many
years in the cockpit of an airplane. My task was to get a big jet safely from
any part of the world to our desired destination. I knew with certainty that if
I wanted to travel from New York to Rome, I needed to fly east. If some were to
tell me that I should fly south, I knew there was no truth in their words. I
would not trust them because I knew for myself. No amount of persuasion, no
amount of flattery, bribery, or threats could convince me that flying south
would get me to my destination because I knew. We all search for happiness, and
we all try to find our own “happily ever after.”
The truth is,
God knows how to get there! And He has created a map for you; He knows the way.
He is your beloved Heavenly Father, who seeks your good, your happiness. He
desires with all the love of a perfect and pure Father that you reach your
supernal destination. The map is available to all. It gives explicit directions
of what to do and where to go to everyone who is striving to come unto Christ
and “stand as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things, and in all
places.”4
All
you have to do is trust your Heavenly Father. Trust Him enough to follow His
plan.
Nevertheless,
not all will follow the map. They may look at it. They may think it is
reasonable, perhaps even true. But they do not follow the divine directions.
Many believe that any road will take them to a “happily ever after.” Some may
even become angry when others who know the way try to help and tell them. They
suppose that such advice is outdated, irrelevant, out of touch with modern
life. Sisters, they suppose wrong.
*See also
Mosiah 18:9*
Mulan Quotes
Please feel
free to use these or any others you might find.
- The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare
and beautiful of all.
- We must be swift as a coursing river, with all the
force of a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire, mysterious as
the dark side of the moon.
- Maybe what I really wanted was to prove I could do
things right.
- I cannot hide who I am, though I’ve tried. When will
my reflection show who I am inside?
- No matter how the wind howls, the mountain will not
bow down to it.
- A single grain of rice can tip the scale. One person
may be the difference between victory and defeat.
Brave
The Gospel is the Way to Happily Ever After
Excerpts from the talk “Your Happily Ever After” by President Dieter F.
Uchtdorf
I understand that, at times,
some may wonder why they attend Church meetings or why it is so important to
read the scriptures regularly or pray to our Heavenly Father daily. Here is my
answer: You do these things because they are part of God’s path for you. And
that path will take you to your “happily ever after” destination. “Happily ever
after” is not something found only in fairy tales. You can have it! It is
available for you! But you must follow your Heavenly Father’s map. Sisters,
please embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ! Learn to love your Heavenly Father
with all your heart, might, and mind. Fill your souls with virtue, and love
goodness. Always strive to bring out the best in yourself and others. Learn to
accept and act upon the Young Women values. Live the standards in For the Strength of Youth. These standards guide and
direct you to your “happily ever after.” Living these standards will prepare
you to make sacred covenants in the temple and establish your own legacy of
goodness in your individual circumstances. “Stand . . . in holy places, and be
not moved,” regardless of temptations or difficulties. I promise you that
future generations will be grateful for you and praise your name for your
courage and faithfulness during this crucial time of your life.
My dear young sisters—you who
stand for truth and righteousness, you
who seek goodness, you who have entered the waters of baptism and walk in the
ways of the Lord—our Father in Heaven has promised that you will “mount up with
wings as eagles; [you] shall run, and not be weary; and [you] shall walk, and
not faint.” You “shall not be deceived.” God will bless and prosper you. “The
gates of hell shall not prevail against you; . . . and the Lord God will
disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake
for your good, and his name’s glory.”
Sisters, we love you. We pray
for you. Be strong and of good courage. You are truly royal spirit daughters of
Almighty God. You are princesses, destined to become queens. Your own wondrous
story has already begun.
Your “once upon a time” is now. As an Apostle of the Lord
Jesus Christ, I leave you my blessing and give you a promise that as you accept
and live the values and principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ,
“[you] will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred
covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of
exaltation.” And the day will come when you turn the final pages of your own
glorious story; there you will read and experience the fulfillment of those
blessed and wonderful words: “And they lived happily ever after.” Of this I
testify in the holy name of Jesus Christ, amen.
*See also
Isaiah 40:31, Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:37, and Mosiah 2:22-24
Brave
Quotes
Please feel
free to use these or any others you might find.
- There are those who say fate is something beyond our
command. That destiny is not our own, but I know better. Our fate lives within
us, you only have to be brave enough to see it.
- Some say our destiny is tied to the land, as much a
part of us as we are of it. Others say fate is woven together like a cloth, so
that one's destiny intertwines with many others. It's the one thing we search
for, or fight to change. Some never find it. But there are some who are led.
- If you had a chance to change your fate, would you?
- Are you willing to pay the price your freedom will
cost?
- I’ll be shooting for my own hand!
- Brave. The ancients spoke of it. It is the heart of
this fierce land. It is carried in the wind. Born of our legends and when we
are put to the test, it is the one thing that we must always be.
Frozen
Remember Him through a Loving Sisterhood
Ensign August 1990 Visiting Teaching Message
D&C
42:45 “Thou shalt live together in love”
Marie Holley, a
single sister in Grand Forks, Minnesota, fought cancer for three years before
she became too weak to care for herself. After that, a friend helped her for
several months, but the demands of working all day and caring for Marie all
night were too much for her friend; she became ill as well. It was then that
the ward Relief Society became involved. The organization had never been called
on to care for someone who was terminally ill, so the Relief Society presidency
prayed for guidance. Through inspiration, they called women to help; then, with
the help of hospice volunteers, they taught the sisters how to care for Marie. For
fourteen months, Relief Society sisters stayed with Marie twenty-four hours a
day, seven days a week. Marie got the help she needed, and the Relief Society
sisters were blessed from their association with her. But another benefit of
the service soon became apparent—increased sisterhood in the ward. Often the
women didn’t know the person they were relieving or the one who would take
their place. But the unknown faces soon became dear friends as the women
stopped to chat. Looking back to that time, ward member Karen Anderson says, “I
thought about how all [those] strangers had become friends and about how much
we had all learned from Marie—about love, caring, and learning to give of
ourselves. We had learned to recognize the good in each person and to realize
the blessings that come from service.” (Ensign, Apr. 1986, p. 62.)
Sisterhood Is a Blessing Like
Marie and the women in her ward, we, too, can participate in the sisterhood of
the gospel. The key to developing this sisterhood is learning to follow the
Savior in loving one another. Explaining how his people could become children
of God, Alma commanded them that they should have “their hearts knit together
in unity and in love one towards another.” (Mosiah 18:21.)
To be “knit together” implies an interweaving of lives that creates a beautiful
and unified whole. One sister says, “I take comfort in knowing that there are
many, many good women ready, able, and willing to help me wrest my way through
the problems of this life. Countless times, Relief Society members have smiled
my frowns into history. … [They] have been my constant support.” (Ensign, Mar.
1987, p. 11.)
Sisterhood Can Be Developed “There are those in our church today who feel lonely and
isolated,” said Barbara W. Winder, former general president of the Relief
Society. “I have anguished over the cry of those sisters who want to
contribute, who want to belong, who long for companionship and yet do not feel
love and acceptance. I search, too, for the faces of the dear sisters we wish
were here, who may be kept away with struggles of their own, whose presence
would make us all stronger. We need you, each and every one.” (Ensign, Nov.
1984, p. 99.) It is easy to be friendly and helpful to someone with whom we
have much in common, but do we reach out to those who speak different languages
or have different life-styles? The gospel tells us that all women are our
eternal sisters. Our challenge is to accept someone who is different, look past
a person’s weaknesses, forgive a sister who has wronged us, love someone who is
angry with us, or repent and change our attitudes and actions. Such demands
purify us and bring us closer to living a Christlike life. The Lord understood
that we would need help to meet life’s trials. That is why he gave us the
gospel—and each other.
Frozen
Daughters of My Kingdom, Chapter 6
A Worldwide Circle of
Sisterhood
A Worldwide Circle of
Sisterhood
“This great circle of sisters will be a protection for each of you and
for your families. The Relief Society might be likened to a refuge—the place of
safety and protection—the sanctuary of ancient times. You will be safe within
it. It encircles each sister like a protecting wall.” ---Boyd K. Packer
When the Prophet Joseph Smith met with Relief Society sisters in Nauvoo,
he taught that in addition to giving temporal service, they were to strengthen
people spiritually (see chapter 2). With this counsel as a foundation, Relief
Society sisters have found love and safety from the storms of life as they have
served together. They have shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with each other
and with those around them. Relief Society has become a shelter from the
world—a place of refuge—and a center of light to the world—a place of
influence.
In a Relief Society meeting in Ogden, Utah, Sister Eliza R. Snow,
the second Relief Society general president, gratefully acknowledged sisters’
efforts to strengthen one another temporally and spiritually. She told them
that although the Church did not keep a record of every donation they made to
help those in need, the Lord kept a perfect record of their saving work:
“I am well aware that a great deal is donated that never reaches the
[record] books. President Joseph Smith said this society was organized to save
souls. What have the sisters done to win back those who have gone astray?—to
warm up the hearts of those who have grown cold in the gospel?—another book is
kept of your faith, your kindness, your good works, and words. Another record
is kept. Nothing is lost.” A heavenly record is kept of the work of Relief
Society sisters as they reach out to those whose hearts have grown cold and who
need faith, kindness, good works, and good words.
Worldwide Sisterhood
“You are chosen to be faithful women of God in our day, to stand above
pettiness, gossip, selfishness, lewdness, and all other forms of ungodliness.
Recognize your divine birthright as daughters of our Heavenly Father.” ---Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, Nov. 1992, 97 In
the mid-1900s, as the world suffered the effects of wars and natural disasters,
the Relief Society’s work continued to expand. True to the purposes of the organization—increasing
faith and personal righteousness, strengthening families and homes, and seeking
out and helping those in need—the Relief Society provided a refuge for
Latter-day Saint sisters and was an influence for good. In 1947 the general
Relief Society presidency (Sisters Belle S. Spafford, Marianne Sharp, and
Gertrude Garff) taught, “Ours is a healing mission requiring the larger heart,
the kindlier touch, the steadier will.” At that time, some governments
established political restrictions and even built some physical barriers. These
restrictions and barriers, known by names such as the Iron Curtain and the
Berlin Wall, were designed to restrict some people and exclude others. In
contrast, Relief Society sisters built spiritual walls of refuge designed to
protect and include. They came together in a worldwide circle of sisterhood and
invited others to join them. Even in countries with political boundaries and
laws that prevented open participation in religion, members of Relief Societies
felt a connection to their sisters throughout the world. They quietly remained
true to their testimonies of the restored gospel and to the purposes of Relief
Society.
Such faith and courage and love combine
to form the heritage of Relief Society sisters everywhere. President
Henry B. Eyring, a counselor in the First Presidency, encouraged Relief
Society sisters to share this heritage. “You pass the heritage along as you
help others receive the gift of charity in their hearts,” he said. “They will
then be able to pass it to others. The history of Relief Society is recorded in
words and numbers, but the heritage is passed heart to heart.” This happens in
Relief Society’s circle of sisterhood.
Elaine L.
Jack: Twelfth Relief Society General President:
We are part of a grand whole. We
need each other to make our sisterhood complete. When we reach out to clasp the
hands of our sisters, we reach to every continent, for we are of every nation.
We are bonded as we try to understand what the Lord has to say to us, what He will
make of us. We speak in different tongues, yet we are a family who can still be
of one heart.
Frozen Quotes
Please feel free to use
these or any others you might find.
·
Some people are worth melting for.
·
True love brings out your best.
·
An act of love will melt a frozen heart.
·
Love is an open door.
·
The past is in the past. Let it go.
·
Are you going to let fear control your life?
·
The cold never bothered me anyway.
Here are our wonderful speakers!!! They all did an awesome job, and I was incredibly impressed with what they presented.
This was the main part of the activity. We did it on a Saturday morning and the whole activity including the eating and socializing was about 1 1/2 hrs.
Other little fun things I planned were the decorations. Our ward meets for church and activities at the institute building so we don't have a stereotypical church building to meet in. I bought some cute but cheap decorations off WalMart.com for free to ship to store and pickup. Then I printed off some pictures I found on Pinterest or Google that had to do with movie. I had a crate full of empty picture frames that I spray painted white (which will be useful for future activities as well), and framed those pictures.
I had some scrap wood that I made into cute signs by twisting twine or cording as the string to hold up the signs. It was super easy and quick to make!
One thing that really helped make this successful was promote promote promote! We set the date about a month in advance and started handing out flyers the next week.
If you want a copy to use for your activity, email me (themusegirl@gmail.com), and I can send you the template. I printed them out postcard size so we could send them in the mail to the sisters we visit teach or that missed any of the Sundays we announced the activity.
Social media is the major way that our ward advertises for activities so we use Facebook a lot. One thing I did was find or make a bunch of what I call "promos" that I would post on Facebook once or more a week in the group we created for our ward's Relief Society. Then there was a link to the activity included in the post so they could click on the link to direct them to the activity with the details. Here are some of the promos I made or found:
Another way that I promoted the event was email all the ward Relief Society presidencies within the stake, and the stake RS presidency about the event, and attached a copy of the invite. We told them that if they had any YSA sisters in their ward to let them know about the event, and to accompany them if needed to the activity.
We assigned out the food to 4 different women to be in charge of one dish that would fit the theme of each Disney movie. I found these cute water bottle labels on Oriental Trading for a very good price. You put the label right over the label on the bottle, and the labels are like a vinyl material so they will hold up well if you need to put them in ice.
The last thing we did was give away a free copy of the talk that has been printed into a beautiful book. I wanted to make them work for it. The girls that wanted to were going to have to lip synch (r sing along aloud) to random Disney songs. They could lip synch or act out the songs. The audience would have voted on a winner, and we would have given the winner the copy of the book but we just drew a name out of a bowl since we ran out of time and everyone was ready to go home. I bought a new copy off of eBay for a lot cheaper than Deseret book wanted to sell it for.
In the end, everyone had a great time! We had some sisters from the Stake Relief Society presidency show up, and they just could not quit talking about how much fun they had! Our numbers were small but that didn't matter to us. We had fun, and everyone was spiritually uplifted, and that's really the most important part :)
