Oh the Places You'll Go!

This is our Young Women's New Beginnings theme this year. Super fun and cute. I rewrote lines from the book to introduce our cute little new Beehives to the YW program, Personal Progress, Girls' Camp, Temple Trips, and -- of course-- the 2013 Youth Theme "Stand Ye in Holy Places." Hope you like it. Feel free to copy and paste.

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Holy Places!
You're off and away!

You have scriptures in your head.
You have feet that can stand
You can steer yourself
any direction you can.

You're on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the girl who'll decide where to go.
You'll look up and down streets.  Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of scriptures and your feet that can stand,
you're too smart to stray too far from The Plan.

You may go in search of
Some loftier spaces
But there’s no place like home
For holier spaces.
Sure, you may not find roads
where you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

And go to the church
There your leaders will be
Short ones, tall ones
And ones just like me.
Long-haired or big-bellied,
All here to help guide
And show where to go,
Walk with you side-by-side.

Go there with friends, of course,
And have plenty of fun
On Wednesdays and Sundays
In rain, sleet, snow, and sun

Come to youth night
Come to class lessons
These are holy places
And time for expression
Share your testimony
Share your inner light
Let it shine for all to see
Let it burn hot and bright

And when things start to happen,
don't worry, don't stew.
Arise and shine forth!
You'll start happening too.

OH!
OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
With Personal Progress
you'll set and make goals,
your life will be blessed,
and so will your soul.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
To work on values of Faith,
Divine Nature, Knowledge,
Choice & Accountability,
Good Works, Integrity,
And Virtue. It’s true!
You’ll do all of these values – and maybe more, too!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are values to learn.  You’ve only begun!

Except when you stop.
Because, sometimes, you must.
Stop to rest, stop to think,
Stop to pray, readjust.

Just don’t stop for too long
In one place where you’ll stay
With feet stuck in the mud
I am sorry to say.

Keep your feet moving forward
Along that straight path
That leads back to our Savior
And all that He hath.

Don’t get stuck in a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted.  But mostly they're darked.
Avoid the great and spacious building! It’s no place to play!
Nor visit, nor pop in and stay-for-a-day.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out?  Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

Hold onto the rod
Don’t ever let go!
While in the wide world,
Live the things that you know
To be good and be true.
Choose the right every day
Read your scriptures at night
And kneel down and pray!

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place...

...for girls just waiting.

Waiting for a birthday
or for a reason, or an answer to a prayer,
or a call to go out, or a call to just stay,
or {gasp!} for a BOY, or an un-sticky place to go
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Keep moving!
Get unstuck!
Stand ye in holy places!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where the Tabernacle Choir is playing.

And go to the temple.
Take a trip! That is where
you’ll learn about heaven,
take your feet up the stairs.

Dressed in white you will be
from your top to your toes,
With your sweet heart filled
and burning aglow

Back to Heavenly Father
you can return,
Just follow the steps there
the ones that you’ll learn.

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are doctrines to learn.  You’ve only begun!

Except when you stop.
Because, sometimes, you must.
Stop to rest, stop to think,
Stop to pray, readjust.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

Except at Girls’ Camp
Where you’ll sleep in a tent
Your hair will get dirty
You’ll be SO GLAD you went
With runny noses, and smelly toes-es
And lots and lots of scraped elbows-es.
You’ll have tons of fun and you’ll also see
Other girls sharing their testimonies.

But IF you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
Like thunder, and lightning, and hungry old bears
Who come into camp looking for underwears.
There are things, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go!
though the weather be foul
On you will go!
though your enemies prowl
On you will go!
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward for a week of Girls’ Camp,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may get damp.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far,
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

For you know the Great Plan
And here’s a surprise
YOU too are a temple
Believe it! No lies!

“Ye are the temple of God
the Spirit of God dwelleth in you,
for the temple of God is holy
which temple ye are.” It’s TRUE!

So wherever you go
and wherever you are,
You stand in holy places
Whether near or whether far.
Up or down, East or West,
Spinning in circles, or away on a quest.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange things as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that life's
a great balancing act.

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

GIRLS, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
You only have to stand.
Stand for truth
Stand for righteousness
We KNOW that you can!
So...

be your name Brielle or Hallie
or Bronwen or Avery
or Eliza or Monique,
you're off to Holy Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!