This is a portion of a talk given 7/9/17 by Jodi Lee Nicholes
"The women who helped build me are living, breathing examples of Christ. Each of them exemplifying His attributes through their actions it wasn't just something they spoke of on Sunday. With each act of Christ like love Extended toward me, I was given bricks, boards, and concrete all tools to start a sure foundation and eventually build my own testimony and become the woman I am today" -Jodi Lee Nicholes
It’s been a tremendous blessing to serve over the young women of our ward. Not only do we have incredible girls we have extraordinary young women leaders. Women I admire and look up to. Often times we hear of youth struggles. This could include anything from mean girl behavior to addiction and even suicide. In the mid-'90s, I started a program entitled "building self-esteem through service" My goal was to help girls understand that real happiness and change come from the inside out. I didn't have much success. People didn't fully understand my concept. As a young, insecure 18-19-year-old, I'm not sure I fully understood it myself. Most of my adult life, over 23 + years I've poured my heart into researching, learning from, speaking to, mentoring and interviewing youth, specifically young women. This is what I know and feel incredibly passionate about........ We can preach all day long of topics like modesty, kindness, and love but in reality, it's an inside out job. There are countless programs out there teaching and talking about the science behind these behaviors and remedies to improve them, but in all my research I have found, unless a program involves Christ and his teachings, it will ultimately fall short, and true change is not sustained. It's only through our obedience and genuine desire to REALLY KNOW and LIVE like our Savior Jesus Christ that brings about real change. Conversion is hour by hour minute by minute. This is why we as leaders created and implemented The 12 months Closer to Christ program.
Back in November of 2016 my husband and I purchased a vacation house in my hometown. The Legacy house as we call it was once owned by my grandparents and initially built in 1889. Directly across the street from the Legacy house sits a church building. Now, this isn’t any old church building, this is the building where I was baptized and attended church growing up. Back in April my husband and I were working on the Legacy house. There was a moment where I felt like time stopped. While out in the yard I stood directly across from that old church building, the warm spring breeze and the smell of fresh cut grass washed over me and conjured up fond memories of my childhood, that old church and the people in it.
The lyrics of a favorite song began to play in my mind. “The house that built me” by Miranda Lambert. It was then I was reminded It was downstairs in the little primary room of that old church where I first learned through song that I AM A CHILD OF GOD and my desire to SEE THE TEMPLE AND GO INSIDE SOMEDAY was born. Sister brown the primary pianist would play every Sunday even after losing mobility of her right-hand due to a car accident she taught herself to play with a closed fist and continued to fulfill her calling and play faithfully for years. It was in the Young Women Room where Sister Yardley a convert from Scotland would testify in her feisty Scottish accent of our Savior Jesus Christ and his love for each of us. It was in that same room that Sister Erickson would remind us girls hat we were capable of anything telling us, "There is NOTHING two can’t do when one is God, and the other is you.”
Like us all, they are human, and as humans I'm sure they made mistakes. I chose to see the good to see the effort and love. They showed up for me! They are living, breathing examples of Christ. Each of them exemplifying His attributes through their actions it wasn't just something they spoke of on Sunday.
These are the women, the ward family who built me. With each act of Christ like love Extended toward me, I was given bricks, boards, and concrete all tools to start a sure foundation and eventually build my own testimony.
Now, to all you girls reading this, one day when you get out in this big old world and you find yourself broken, and somehow along the way you've forgotten who you are, promise me, you'll think back to the women, the ward family who helped to build you.
With love,
Jodi