Oil in our Lamps
by Angie Lambert
 

Also see: Ten Virgins

For our New Beginnings, the theme was Oil in Our Lamps. We borrowed a large, framed picture of the Ten Virgins from the Seminary. We met in the chapel. We started our meeting with a hymn, Shall the Youth of Zion Falter, and the Laurel Class President conducted - she announced everything and after the prayer, a priesthood leader, one of the dads, read the parable. Then a Laurel with a beautiful reading voice read the narration that goes with the picture. Ten of the young women were outside the chapel doors, in a simple costume of a cloth headpiece, and a prop that went with her virgin. As her description began to be read, she came up the chapel stairs, stood while it was being read, and then went out the other side. She then discarded her costume and went and sat with her parents. It was very nice. Then we had ten young women present a 2 minute talk on each aspect of Young Women - Mutual, Sunday Lessons, Personal Progress, For the Strength of Youth, Laurel, Mia Maid, Beehive, Camp, Theme and Stand for Truth and Righteousness, and how each one helped her to prepare or grow spiritually. Then I spoke on motivation for accomplishing our goals, and also how parents can help their daughter use Young Women to grow spiritually. The bishop said a few words and we sang "Teach Me to Walk in the Light", with the girls singing first, parents and leaders second verse and all for the last verse. Oh, also, as each young woman gave her talk, then afterwards she took a large white ceramic pitcher (I happen to collect pitchers) that had water in it, and she took a small white pitcher she had in her hand - they each had one (I have a penchant for small white pitchers) and poured water in her own pitcher as though she were filling her own lamp with oil. Then she set her pitcher on the ledge and went and sat down with her parents. It was a very nice New Beginnings. We had a board meeting with all of the class presidencies, I told the girls I wanted to use the parable of the Ten Virgins, and the girls just ran with it. For refreshments we had devil's food and angel food cake. (Again the girls idea - they are so creative.) Also, here is a poem for tomorrow's lesson (Lesson 9) Also, an idea I'm going to do, is cut out hearts from that craft foam that comes in bright fun colors, and they are to use that heart in their family, by doing something nice for someone, and leaving the heart behind, then the person who was the recipient of the heart and the good deed, will pass on a service and leave the heart, and so on...

HANDOUT IDEA by Lisa: Our handout was actually a small lamp (like the ones the 10 virgins would have used). They were made out of terra cotta and very cool!  They had 10 different girls each dressed to represent one of the virgins. At the end of the program the girls who represented the virgins went around and lit the lamps of each of the girls. It had quite an impact on the girls. I don't think they realized how small the lamps were and they finally understood why it was critical they had additional oil with them in addition to what the lamp held. I think many of them think of the oil lamps they see around today which hold several days worth of oil. The lamps only held enough oil for a very short period of time (I think it was an hour or so).