Young Women Worldwide

Who has been an angel in your life?    Maybe it’s someone who served you in some way, or someone who said kind things to you, or someone who was a listening ear when you needed it the most.    Angels are all around us.    And YOU can be someone’s angel this Christmas season too.    We’d love to help each other with ideas to serve and be someone’s angel.    Share ways you’ve seen an angel in your life or how you’ve tried to be an angel to someone else. ⬇️    —Ruth Todd and Bobbie Sandberg  Young Women General Advisory Council

Have you ever seen a snowflake under a microscope? Not one is alike! Like snowflakes, we are all different from each other. You have been given talents, gifts, and abilities that make you uniquely special. God loves all of His children and wants us to recognize how being individual has great power and strength. When we start to see how God sees us, we can better serve Him and love others along the way, using the things He has blessed us with. ACTIVITY IDEA: Explore what makes you uniquely you by making snowflakes as a class and gluing them to a larger piece of paper. On the borders of the paper, take some time to reflect on the gifts, talents, and abilities God has given you by writing those things down. Maybe you are a "gifted singer" or are "a good friend." You can write anything your heart tells you to. Then, take a picture individually or as a class to help you remember! Supplies needed: -Paper for snowflakes -Larger paper to glue snowflakes (and leave borders) -Scissors -Glue -Markers -Pen —Katie Hughes Young Women General advisory council

“Christ the Babe was born for you.” That’s my favorite line from the Christmas song “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly.” It’s the message the angels declared 2,000 years ago, and it’s a message He wants you to hear right now. He was born for you and He is here … FOR YOU! Your Friend, Tamara Runia Light the World prompt #39 / Share a link to a holiday song you love What holiday song do you love and share?

Have you ever gotten a hug from God? As I read Moroni 7–9 in preparation to write this message to you, our young women of the world, I got one! I felt peace, mercy, grace, and love. It felt like a light was turned on inside my heart. The Spirit testified that what I was reading is true, and I was surrounded by a sense of safety and warmth. I needed that hug ... at that moment. It was a miracle. Even though none of the hard things I was going through changed at that moment, my miracle came as I realized I wasn’t going through it alone. My miracle reminded me that God is with me, just like He is with you, always. Because He loves you, perfectly. God loves you so much He sent His Son to earth to lift you up (Moroni 9:25). God loves you so much He sends angels to minister to you (Moroni 7:22). God loves you so much He always works all things together for your good. Can you imagine how life-changing this knowledge was for Moroni? Not only was he reading the words of his own father, Mormon, whom he was far away from due to a war, but he was also learning eternal truths that he was never alone—at a time when he probably felt so lonely. He was learning that miracles have not ceased—at a time when the world was full of violence and suffering. I imagine Moroni was changed by the knowledge that faith, hope, and charity in Christ have the power to change our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves. And I bet knowing that, for him, felt like a miracle. As we look at our world, we can have the same hope that Mormon had for his son Moroni. We can have faith that Jesus Christ will lift us up. My invitation to you this Christmas season is to remember God is a God of miracles. So let’s seek and expect miracles, and let’s help miracles happen in the lives of others! Because miracles truly have not ceased, “neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men" (Moroni 7:29). Comment "Expecting miracles" below or tell us about a miracle you've seen in your life! With love, Lia Baez Vidal Young Women general advisory council

It’s almost here!      The Worldwide Event for Youth with Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf is just around the corner, and we have some important details to share!    The broadcast will air on January 5, 2025—you can plan to watch that day or schedule it for another Sunday or midweek activity. Whatever works best for your ward or branch.    The recorded broadcast is about 25 minutes, but there will be opportunities during that time when you’ll be able to answer questions and have a discussion with the youth in your ward. Plan for about 45-60 minutes total.    We’ll also get to hear from President Emily Belle Freeman and President Lund, and we’ll get to see the new music video for the 2025 theme song from Strive to Be!    So many exciting things!    Let us know in the comments below if you have any other questions about the January 5 event.    —Rachel Larsen, Haylie Chase, and Cami Buckley  Young Women General Advisory Council

Have you ever been the new girl? Maybe a time when you felt like everyone else knew each other and you knew no one? And they knew what to say and where to go? Feeling like the new girl can be uncomfortable and lonely—you’re not sure whether you belong. What if we could help every new girl coming into Young Women this January feel like she already BELONGS?! When you came into Young Women for the first time, was there an older girl who sat next to you, asked you questions to get to know you, and included you in a conversation? How did it make you feel? If you didn’t have this, how would it have changed your first experiences in Young Women if you did? This January is your chance to make sure every new girl feels like she is welcome! Like she belongs right away! Counsel together with your class and choose a special way to welcome your new girls into Young Women this upcoming year! Be creative! There are many ways to make sure every new girl feels loved, special, and already seen. Last December, the Twins Peaks Ward in California heart attacked the bedroom door of their newest YW with personalized love notes! She felt so loved and excited for her Young Women adventure to begin! —Scharman Grimmer

Me encanta celebrar a Jesucristo con mi familia y mis amigos, especialmente en esta época del año.      Era el Salvador del mundo el que dormía en una cuna forrada de paja, envuelto tiernamente en pañales por Su madre, María, junto a Su padre adoptivo, José.    Mi corazón está lleno de gratitud a nuestro Padre Celestial por este don: tenemos un Salvador, Jesucristo, el más preciado de todos, el Rey de reyes y Señor de señores.    Ruego que aprovechemos esta Navidad para acercarnos más al Salvador, porque necesitamos más a Jesucristo para arrepentirnos a diario.    Necesitamos más a Jesucristo para poder pensar de manera celestial.    Necesitamos más a Jesucristo para escucharlo clara y continuamente.    Necesitamos más a Jesucristo para recoger a Israel.    Y necesitamos más a Jesucristo porque, en última instancia, la fortaleza que necesitamos para cambiar nuestro corazón proviene de nuestro amor a Dios y Jesucristo y de nuestra estrecha relación con Ellos.    Llenemos nuestros pensamientos de Jesucristo.    Jesucristo es la Navidad.    ¡Abrazos navideños para todos!    Andrea Muñoz Spannaus  Segunda Consejera en la Presidencia General de las Mujeres Jóvenes

PS I love you. PS I’m surprising everyone and coming home soon! PS I have a secret. You’ve got to call me! Sometimes, the best part of any letter is in the PS, or postscript—that extra information that turns out to be some of the most important. That’s how I feel about the first chapter of Moroni. After he had worked hard to combine the history and records of the Nephites and Lamanites across 1,000 years, he was finished…until he wasn’t. What happened is that he saw our day. Us—you and me—in modern times. Moroni saw how we would live in a time of conflicting messages about religion. So he decided to give us an extra, important “PS” that would help us stay close to the Savior. As you study these six chapters, Moroni’s PS will teach you important principles about the priesthood, the sacrament, baptism, the Holy Ghost, and wonderful ways we can support each other as disciples of Jesus Christ. These extra words can strengthen your testimony and help you focus on the important parts of following Jesus right now. Your friend, Ruth Todd PS If you haven’t read this glorious verse, take a look and tell us what you think! <3

Be someone’s angel. That’s the new Light the World theme for the 2024 Christmas season, and we’re so excited to share ways you can get involved. Save this link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/light-the-world This page is a great resource for all things Light the World. You’ll find a Kindness Randomizer to help you come up with service ideas, as well as more information and locations for the Giving Machines. You can also sign up for text prompts and download “50 Ways to Let Your Light Shine.” Share below what you have planned to Light the World. —Katie Hughes and Scharman Grimmer Young Women General Advisory Council

I LOVE discovering new music through my friends! How about a music sharing activity? Gather your class and start with everyone taking a turn to share a favorite uplifting song with the group. Then work together to create a mega playlist of all the favorites! Maybe start with a playlist for Sunday/Gospel music, and then make another for studying and another for when you need a pick-me-up. Make sure to include some of the newest songs from Strive to Be and the 2025 Look Unto Christ album. They’re so good! —Emily Deans Young Women General Advisory Council

It was a brand new nativity set. Glass. Fragile. I put it on a low table, so three-year-old Caleb would see it as part of our Christmas decorations. I didn’t want Christmas to only include Santa. “We don’t touch this,” I carefully explained to him. We only look with our eyes.” He nodded his head. He understood. Imagine my surprise the next morning when I looked over at that table and saw each of those glass figurines piled up on top of each other. I immediately brought Caleb to the manger scene. “Did you touch this?” I asked him. He nodded his head. “Do you remember you aren’t supposed to touch this?” I gently asked. Again, he nodded his head. “Then why did you touch it?” I wondered out loud. He looked up at me with his round blue eyes and simply replied, “Because they can’t see the baby.” I looked closer and realized he had piled everyone up carefully so they all had a perfect view of the baby in that pile of hay. It was an important lesson. So, Caleb and I sat there together and carefully placed each of the figurines in a circle instead of the way nativities are usually placed. Mary and Joseph. The shepherd and the sheep. The wise men and the angel. Each gathered round, should to shoulder, with their focus on Christ. We still own that nativity. And every year, I set it up the same way. In the circle. This is a reminder to celebrate a Christ-centered Christmas. To see Him. To focus on Him. —Emily Belle Freeman Young Women General President

I love stories of faith and miracles! Have you ever wondered why we tell so many stories about faith? Sometimes our faith in Jesus Christ begins from learning about other people’s faith. Sometimes hearing the end of other people's stories helps us to keep trusting God in the middle of our own story. I grew up hearing a faith story about my relative, John Tanner. He sold everything he owned and moved from New York to Kirtland. He left his home on Christmas Day! His donated money that helped save the Kirtland Temple. When Moroni wanted to teach about faith in Ether 12, he shared some of his favorite stories where faith in Jesus Christ led to a miracle. Before class this week, ask people to think of a faith miracle from scriptures, family history, or Church history. As you study Moroni’s teaching about faith in Ether 12, pause to let people share their stories of faith miracles. What story could you share? —Bobbie Sandberg Young Women General Advisory Council