Kidnapped!

It was a quiet Tuesday evening. All our children were out. I was talking to my husband when the phone rang.

The caller was a neighbor of mine, a very sweet and lovely woman. She asked me if I was busy, and when I said I wasn't she asked if she could come by and pick me up. "I have something I want to show you," she said. "At my house."

I said that would be fine and she came right over. I got in her car and was surprised when she did a U-turn. "This isn't the way to your house," I said. "Where are you taking me?"

She wouldn't answer. I pretended to be afraid, pounding on the car window and calling for help. I wasn't really scared, but I was confused. What could she be up to?

She drove me to the church, and we went inside. The Young Women of our ward (girls between the ages of 12 and 18) were in the cultural hall, decorating cookies. I saw my daughter, Elisabeth, and she offered me a cookie she had just frosted. That was nice -- but why was I there?

I found out soon enough.

A few weeks earlier, I had been released from my calling as the Laurel adviser in my ward, where I had served for three years. During that time I had grown to love the young women I had worked with, taught. and learned from.

The new Young Women's president announced that they were grateful for the service that I, and two other women who had been released along with me, had given to the young women. They were going to show their appreciation by making us each a modest dress, to show they understood the principle of dressing modestly.

Someone brought several big black bags in to the room, and I saw that the bags were filled with newspaper. The girls went right to work, cutting, tearing, and taping the newspaper to make me a dress. It was very silly -- and tremendously fun.

I'm being fitted for my dress

The finishing touch -- a crown

What a dress! It even has a train!

Me with two other "hostages"
Lynnie Foster and Del Raye Searle

Newspaper dress queen on parade!