
Hi Mia Maids,
We will "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places" (Mosiah 18:9) as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are: Faith Divine Nature Individual Worth Knowledge Choice and Accountability Good Works Integrity and Virtue. We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values, we 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. |

Mark Albright is the president of the Washington DC South mission and shares this letter from Eleanor Johnson about a missionary experience she had. If you want to share a missionary story, send it to President Albright by clicking on the “email author button” by the title of the article.
Dear President Albright,
We have enjoyed your Missionary Moments so much. I wanted to share my story with you for others to enjoy. One Fast Sunday I was impressed that I needed to talk with my Heavenly Father about the Brethren’s invitation to prayerfully select a date on which to have someone ready to be taught the gospel. I specifically recalled Elder Russell M. Ballard’s famous quote:
"May I suggest a simple way in which each one of us can exercise our faith and start our personal missionary service. Write down a date in the near future on which you will have someone ready to be taught the gospel. Do not worry that you do not have someone already in mind. Let the Lord help you as you pray diligently for guidance. Fast and pray, seeking guidance and direction from our Heavenly Father." Ensign, Nov. 1984.
I knew that I truly needed Heavenly Father's help to select the right person who was being prepared. I went to a quiet place in our home and got down on my knees. I expressed my love to my
After the prayer, while I sat quietly pondering, the name of a woman came distinctly into my mind. She had previously visited our church with her grandson and was a wonderful lady. So with a prayer in my heart I called her on the phone. We spoke for a few minutes and then Heavenly Father helped me to ask her the important question: "Norma, I was wondering if you would be interested in hearing the gospel discussions taught in my home?"
She quickly replied, "It is interesting that you should ask that question! I have been thinking all week long that I should learn more about the Mormon Church!" Over the following weeks, Norma was taught the missionary lessons in our home and was baptized before my birthday! She quickly became a faithful and dedicated member of the Church. This tender experience reminds me of God's remarkable powers and that with God all things are possible. If we ask and obey spiritual promptings, we are blessed.
Eleanor Johnson

Coconut Cake by Suzie Romans
Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
1 cup sour cream
2 cups white sugar
1 (14 ounce) package flaked coconut
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Directions
Prepare cake mix as per package directions for a two layer cake.
Once cake is cool split layers with a thread to create four layers.
Mix together sour cream, sugar and all but a portion of the coconut
(some should be reserved for top). Set aside one cup of this mixture.
Spread remainder between layers of cake.
Combine whipped topping and the reserved sour cream mixture.
Use this to ice the cake. Toast remaining coconut and sprinkle
on iced cake. Store in the refrigerator for three days before cutting.
The longer it is refrigerated, the better it is!
We didn't refrigerate because we ate it too soon. It was delicious but
only gets better in the fridge.

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This is suppose to bring you good luck for the year if you eat it on New Year's day. But it is good all year round, in the scorching sun or in a stormy blizzard.
You can make this bean soup in a good crockpot or if you desire or you can cook them on the stove-top.
Now, If you want you can add thing's to this soup like carrots or potatoes to make your own mixed bean soup.
1. Put the beans in a large pot and add 4 cups of water.
Simmer on medium high heat for 45 minutes. Stir Occasionally. Skim the top with a spoon to remove the foam once in awhile.
If at anytime the water gets too low add another cup of water. A pressure cooker can drastically reduce the cooking time of the beans. Make sure you get a good one though and not a piece of junk.
I like the Cuisinart 6-qt. Pressure Cooker for quite a few different reasons. One being that its more affordable and another would be the 3 year warranty.
The reason we cook the beans in the water first is because salt and acids can cause the beans to take MUCH longer to cook.
2. Put 1 cup of water and 4 cups of broth in another large pot or stock pot, add 2 cups chopped ham or a 1 lb ham hock that has the bone ( if you don't have any ham you can use a pound of bacon for your soup ) and simmer on medium high heat for 30 minutes.
3. In a large frying pan add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat it up on medium heat.
4. While the oil is heating up put 2 celery stalks, 1 red onion, 1/4 cup fresh parsley and 3 garlic cloves in a food processor and chop them up.Don't Puree it!
5. Then add the mix to the frying pan and add 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dill, and 1 teaspoon dried thyme and fry it up for 4 minutes. Stirring Occasionally.
6. Now add the contents of the frying pan and the can of tomatoes to the pot with the ham and broth in it, stir it well and continue simmering.
7. After simmering the ham and broth for 30 minutes pour it into the pot with the beans. If your using a ham hock remove the ham hock and pick the pieces of ham off that you want to add to the soup discarding the fatty pieces , add what you want to keep into the beans and then add the broth to the beans and simmer for 30 minutes.

If you want to help your mom, ask her if you can mix this up on Christmas Eve Day , put in fridge and bake on Christmas morning. Or you can bake right away. Yummy and so easy.
Spice up your breakfast menus by serving an egg casserole featuring spicy sausage, green chiles and salsa.
Prep Time 20 Minutes Total Time 9:25 Hrs:Mins Makes 10 servings
12 oz bulk spicy pork sausage
5 cups frozen southern-style hash brown potatoes (from 32-oz bag)
1 can (4.5 ounces) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles, undrained
3 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese (12 oz)
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
1. Spray 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 10-inch skillet, cook sausage over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink. Drain on paper towel.
2. Spread frozen potatoes in baking dish. Sprinkle with sausage, green chiles and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. In medium bowl, beat eggs, milk and salt with fork or wire whisk until well blended. Pour over potato mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 12 hours.
3. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake uncovered 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut into squares. Serve with salsa.
Substitution:If you can’t find a 12-ounce package of pork sausage, you can use a 16-ounce package.
Time-Saver: No need to wait! You can bake this dish right away if you like.
Serve-With :Warm corn bread with honey butter and a fruit salad of orange, grapefruit and mango pieces give your brunch a southwestern flair.
Did You Know? Cubed hash brown potatoes are called “southern-style,” and shredded potatoes are called “country-style.” Either one can be used in casseroles like this.
Nutrition Information: 1 Serving (1 Serving)Calories 350(Calories from Fat 180),Total Fat 20g(Saturated Fat 10g,Trans Fat 0g),Cholesterol 175mg;Sodium 1120mg;Total Carbohydrate 25g(Dietary Fiber 3g,Sugars 5g),Protein 19g;Percent Daily Value*:Calcium ;Exchanges:1 1/2 Starch;0 Fruit;0 Other Carbohydrate;0 Skim Milk;0 Low-Fat Milk;0 Milk;0 Vegetable;0 Very Lean Meat;0 Lean Meat;2 High-Fat Meat;1 Fat;Carbohydrate Choices:1 1/2;*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.