Youth Conference

Youth Conference was quite amazing this year. We started planning last year, actually last summer. We talked about what we wanted and how we might be able to accomplish our goals. We wanted the Book of Mormon to become real to them that they might gain a testimony. It turned out well. We were going to Sid Richardson a scout camp and we were spending 2 night there. Its quite a task for 160 plus kids. We put kids in tribes and had couples to be the parents. We started with Lehi leaving Jerusalem (President Vigil Marcia, Brett, Andrew Amon and another young man (I didn't know who he was, I didn't get a good look at him) We then left and drove for about 1 hours to Sid Richardson. The kids walked down to camp (kinds steep and rough for cars) Where they meet back in their tribes and then go ready to go to bed. Girls in one camp area and guys in another. It was cold that night. I took a blanket and sheet but no sleeping bag, I didn't think I would get cold.....BUT I did. I had to go the bathroom n the middle of the night..you guessed it port-a-potties...not my favorite. Mostly I didn't want to get out from under the covers. Finally I did and then I put my sweat shirt on and it wasn't too bad. Got up the next morning and there were kids there with NO coats... Brett and Brittany were there. It was good to see them and see how the lids interacted with them. Gave my sweat shirt to someone that morning because it was COLD.. but it did warm up really fast. We had many vignettes. Each ward was given something to do. Laban and the brass plates, King Benjamin, the tree of life, Ama and Abinadi, Helaman and the stripling warriors. Samuel the Lamanite. We were gong to spend the night again, but the Lord had other plans...the weather it was to get really cold that night. So we came home that night. I am so grateful for a nice warm bed. We had planned on getting the kids up really early and showing a part of the testament, but with plans changing we meet back at the church for lunch and showed the entire movie The Testament. I feel that the reason we came back home was so that the kids could see the entire movie. It was very moving for many of us. The final battle was played out in the gym, after they made swords and shields. As I stood and watched I wondered how they must have felt, not knowing who they were fighting against. Brother against brother, sister against sister, they were just fighting. Evil had become the normal. I don't want to live in that type of condition. Though I feel we may. It then ended with Joseph Smith getting the plates.
Listening to the kids testimonies the next day I knew that the right decision had been made we needed the entire movie, we needed to feel the chaos that they must have felt. We also had snow that Saturday night. What a eventful weekend. I am thankful for the opportunity of being involved with the youth. They help me stay grounded, when I feel like life is spinning out of control I get this glimpse of how these young women testimonies are growing and how they strengthen me, they seem to know when I need it.