GO and DO

".....I will GO AND DO the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

 Youth Conference 2014 theme

During the 3rd week of June, the boys attended Youth Conference

with about 250 other youth, ages 14-18, and about 150 adult leaders/support teams

from our Stake (geographical area consisting of 9 local church congregations).

Every four years our Stake does "Moroni's Quest" for youth conference.

This includes about 38 reenactments from The Book of Mormon,

dividing into "tribes" with tribal leaders for discussions, games, 

spiritual activities, "solo" time to search, ponder, & pray, testimony meeting,

& lots of food.

It is one of those DEFINING MOMENTS in these youth lives!!!

NOT to be missed!  I feel sad for some of my young women who did.  :(

In the past, they have gone to an "undisclosed" remote location

to hold MQ and they camp there the whole 3 days, but this year, 

we had heavy rains the few days before, and it washed out dirt roads and made the fields all muddy.

So, they had to come up with PLAN B the night before.  

They used Woodland Park & the mountain side in our own Farmington,

and returned home each evening to sleep instead.
While disappointing at first to hear they couldn't go to their "regular" place,
WHAT A BLESSING that they will always be able to remember this precious
experience every time they pass by these close-to-home locations!

Everyone dressed up in Book of Mormon era "tribal wear" that we sewed ahead of time.

 

{Katelyn wanted to go up with me to take photos, so she wore Ryan's

old costume from 4 years ago - so she could blend in!}

I couldn't resist photographing *MY* Young Women (past & present).

They LOVED me sticking my camera in their faces every 5 minutes!  HA!

 Alana & Savana

 Ashlyn & Breanne

 Marissa & Elizabeth
(I don't know the girl on the left)

 Taya (& her brother, Grayson)

Jordan (& her admirer - heehee!)

Back in March, they held auditions for parts to play in the reenactments.
Ryan pretty much told Kyle HE WAS TRYING OUT (so he did)
and he got the part of Lehi (the son of Helaman, brother of Nephi from the book of Helaman)
His scenes were on the 3rd day, so I was not there to see him.
Ryan played the part of Moroni.
He was in the opening scenes that were done inside, on the church stage, that 1st day,
so I got to stay to watch him.

Both my boys came back on a "spiritual high."
It's hard to maintain that as they slipped back into regular life, petty worries, & the distractions
of electronics, World Cup, screaming little kids, etc. but they were both CHANGED in some way.
I could see it in their faces the moment I greeted them back.

We tried to extract as much info as possible out of them when they returned.  (Luckily we had some longer-ish drives to do)
I just wanted to soak in their enthusiasm of their experience, their strengthened testimony
of The Book of Mormon, & their overall joy.

I heard about how Kyle had born his testimony in front of and to those in attendance from our ward (our church congregation)
(Something he's not comfortable doing at all.)
He related how, in one reenactment, he was suppose to "act" like one of the angry and hateful Lamanites
who came up to fight against the Anti-Nephi-Lehies who, because they had repented of their past sins,
had made a covenant with God that they would literally bury their swords in the ground and never kill again.
As the Lamanites came against them, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies actually bowed down to the earth and began to pray
and would not fight back - 1,005 were killed, we know from the account in the BofM.
(See Alma 24 for full account)
  Kyle, at first, thought it would be *fun* to reenact this scene as one of the "bad guys" who
would just have "free reign" [with his FOAM sword] to attack, receiving NO resistance from others.
This would be satisfying that "destruction" urge that is an innate part of little boys, I swear!  ;)
BUT, when Kyle was in the moment acting it out, and he saw the others just drop to the earth because they
 WOULD RATHER GIVE UP THEIR OWN LIFE THAN BREAK A COVENANT,
it really affected him - and he started to feel really terrible about being a "bad guy" even though he was just portraying one.
And then, just like what really happened all those years ago in BofM times with some of the Lamanites,
Kyle's heart began to swell with sorrow for what they (the characters) were doing.
It was so impressionable to him that Kyle bore testimony that he knows & understands
that covenants made with God are SO IMPORTANT that they
are worth keeping - no matter the price!

It does my heart good to hear & witness his conviction like that.

Ryan gave me a note/letter he had written during youth conference

 - it was written after they
had reenacted the story of The 2,000 Stripling Warriors.  (See Alma 57)
He quoted Alma 56:47-48 in it "....yea, they had been taught by their mothers, 
that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.  
And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."
He wrote me a personal message of how that applies to him & I, and his feelings about me.
{Needless to say, I CRIED when I read it!} 
That was very BIG and HUMBLE of him to write me such things.

Before they went, they were challenged by our Stake presidency to really be in tune
to what personal message Heavenly Father wanted them to learn/feel/know.

And that happened.

I'm so grateful for the some 150 adults who were involved to pull this event off.
Chairmen, performance directors, script writers, photographers, lighting & sound crew, 
medical crew, costumers, set/scenery crew,  food committee, tribal leaders, letter
delivery people, drivers, recording experts, grounds crew, facilities crew, Stake presidency/wives, Bishops/wives, etc. etc.
It takes so many people!  But, they do it because they know the experience for the youth is SO. worth. it!
It can be vital to their spiritual well-being.
I'm so grateful they had this experience and that they came to know even more that 
The Book of Mormon is true.  
And that they felt the reality of our living Savior.
And through that, they believe they can make it through this life armed with the love, example, & guidance 
of their "friends" they came to know in The Book of Mormon, including Jesus Christ.