1. Barbie Dolls and the Book of Mormon
2. A goal to gain a testimony
3. Truth or Dare!
4. Divine intervention

• (character chart)

1. Young Women's
2. Youth Conference
3. Saturday's Warrior
4. Brigham Young University
• Gratuitous Love Scene
5. Polygamist
6. Temple Wedding
7. Orem High
8. Bordeaux Mission
9. Exmo Conference

Sunday morning

Things started looking brighter as soon as I woke up on Sunday morning. It was a sunny day, and we all managed to get ready and get to church on time without fighting. I even listened to all of Sacrament Meeting without reading a book. Lynn read Charly through the whole meeting -- which I thought was pretty funny since it's a Mormon story that should be teaching her to be good -- but I didn't judge her for it.

On Sunday afternoon and for the whole week I made progress on my Book of Mormon painting. It helped inspire me to do a good job on my other goals like helping my mom and obeying her willingly and being kind to my sisters. I felt like I should apologize to Lynn for telling the other girls that she played with Barbies. After all, apologizing and making amends are steps in the repentance process. But things were going well between us, and I was worried that bringing it up at all -- even to apologize -- would just cause trouble.

Every night I prayed a long personal prayer asking for a testimony. At the end of each personal prayer I would pause to listen for the still, small voice. It seemed like I was getting some sort of warm feelings and promptings, but I couldn't really tell if these feelings meant I'd finally reached the point of receiving messages from the Lord or if it was still just my own thoughts.

After dinner on Friday Lynn came over to admire my work as I was adding some color to my drawing of the Jaredite barges.

"Wow, you sure are righteous," she said.

"No, not really," I said, laughing.

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"I try to be righteous too," said Lynn, "but I can't help but feel like I'm just not good at it."

"It's not a question of being good at it," I said. "I mean, I suppose it comes more easily to some than to others, but the Lord expects all of us to strive for perfection."

"What's this thing the little girl is holding?" asked Lynn, pointing at a little girl in the foreground of the picture.

"It's one of the illuminated rocks to light the barges with," I replied.

"You know what would be funny would be if all the kids took one of the barges and steered it off course on purpose to go exploring!" Then Lynn started speaking in a funny mock-scripture voice: "And it came to pass that I, Anita Bandita, being of badly parents, therefore I did sneaketh into the barges by night and did changeth around all of the place-cards so that all of my friends would be of one barge with no adults therein to call us to repentance. And none save it were to rejoice in naughtiness was among us."

I laughed and continued her little story. "And it came to pass that our parents did awaken on the morrow and they were sore amazed by the great confusion of the many place-cards in the barges. 'It must needs be a sign from on high,' sayeth Jared."

Then Lynn broke in, laughing. "And it came to pas that Jared sayeth unto himself 'It must needs be that I shall ask my brother if it be right, for he is a mighty man of God, and he will know if it be so.' But it came to pass that the brother of Jared was in the bathroom and could not be disturbed. Therefore Jared sayeth unto himself 'Verily I say unto myself, it must needs be that the place-cards are rearranged by angels, as a sign.'"

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