Casey and I were the tribal adults for a youth conference.
We were over a group of kids much like a Ma & Pa on a pioneer trek.
To be honest, we both were dragging our feet when we
were asked to help with this activity.
Each ward in the stake needed 2 couples to serve as tribal leaders.
When the YW president asked me if we could volunteer I was really hesitant.
Yes, I am serving as first counselor and don't
get me wrong, we LOVE to serve,
but it would be on a Friday night from 5-10:30.
Then all day Saturday from 7am-9pm
Casey works on Saturdays so he would need to take off.
Saturdays are super busy and we would have to find and pay babysitters.
I told her yes we could, but as a last resort.
She said she was waiting to hear back from a few other people and could ask a few others as well
so I kind of thought we were off the hook!
Not so much.
The YW president was unable to find couples to go.
They all either had work, or young kids at home.
What the heck, so do we!
I didn't say that but that is what I was thinking.
Even when someone from the Stake called to give me info and at
the end of our conversation he said,
thank you for volunteering.
Not so much volunteered, more like got asked, but whatever!
Once again, didn't say that, just thought it.
I had a really great attitude about it, right?:/
Anyway, so the big event finally came!
The whole conference was at the tri stake center down by the temple.
That whole area has lots of great memories for me.
That is where I grew up until I was 12.
Just walking into that building and the particular smell it has sent me down memory lane.
So that part of it was fun and special!
I don't have any pictures of Friday but when we got there
everybody was separated into their tribes.
Each tribe was given a colored plastic bracelet and we started on picking our tribal name.
We were the color pink, the pink panthers!
We had a few get to know you games within our tribes then we had dinner.
Hamburgers/ hot dogs and sides.
The downside, I just had gotten braces put on the day before!
I was super sore and since I was talking more than usual the inside of my mouth
and lips were rubbed raw!! I felt like a teenager with wads of wax stuck all over!
After dinner we went into the stage room where we had a fireside.
The stake presidency spoke about how each one of them met their wives
and what their dating experiences were like. It was really cute.
Then time to boogie! Gotta love youth dances.
That was Casey's favorite part:)
We handed out shirts for everybody to wear the next day then went home to bed!
We woke up bright and early to be back at the inter stake center for breakfast.
Pancakes, bacon, eggs, and orange slices.
Then I made Casey take a picture with me.
Ha, he was really happy about that!
And excuse my weird smile.
Still trying to figure out this whole brace face thing.
2 cute girls that are in our ward who were in a tribe. Madi and Karli.
I somehow need to get the group picture of our whole tribe from the Stake!
Then we played more tribal games. Stick pull. Casey against the champion.
Our tribe rocked. Really we did. We took FIRST in tug of war!
It was kind of crazy having kids in our tribe that we taught in primary as newlyweds
that are now seniors in high school!
After games were the workshops.
There were 4 different classes that rotated every 30 minutes.
Bro Hughso and his wife taught a dating class. I guess he is a popular seminary teacher.
There was a social media class.
How to have enthusiasm in the gospel,
taught by Bro. Bingham, another popular seminary teacher.
And a missionary class taught by Bro and Sis Ashby
who just served as mission president in I think Paraguay.
Then lunch.
Sub sandwiches, chips, veggie's and dip.
And then the best part.
While standing in line for food, Brad Wilcox was standing shaking everybody's hand.
He came down from Utah as our special guest speaker.
I had heard of him and knew he was popular as a key note speaker but wow,
he is now my favorite person! The NICEST man I have ever met.
I wish oh how I wish I had gotten a picture with him!
He was just chatting away with all of us like we were his best friends.
He was walking around with a big bag of M&M's and sharing with everybody.
We were able to hear from him after lunch.
I envy people that are good public speakers.
He can be so funny at one point but then somehow switch gears while
keeping everything on the same topic and turn it into the most spiritual moment.
He has like a Mormon Brian Regan/ Will Ferrell flare to him.
He gave me goose bumps the whole time he was speaking.
His message lead perfectly into the next activity, service project.
They split the 12 tribes in half.
The first half walked down to the temple.
The temple had been closed while they were re-landscaping.
We helped wheelbarrow dirt, pick up trash or big pieces of cement,
planted plants, and dug up old wiring.
There were kids COVERED in mud! But I never heard one complaint.
The man who was telling us what to do said that they had just dug up old piping that was the original pipes from 1927 when they built the temple. I wanted to take some home with me!
It was a really great service project. I could have stayed there all day doing just that.
Somehow it made me feel more, I don't know how to describe it.
I guess more intimate with the temple? I couldn't help but think about how
the pioneers felt while actually helping build the temple.
Such a simple thing but a testimony building experience for sure!
Half way through we switched with the other tribes who were at the retirement center
down the street. We planted flowers, washed window, played bingo and sang songs.
After the service project was free time! I was feeling brave and went down the zip line.
It was pretty gutsy of me. I don't know if the scaffolding they set up would have passed inspection!
Check out the wimpy, sketchy ladder you had to shimmy up to get to the top! Ya, that girls job at the bottom was to hold it steady!! All while balancing your canvas seat on your shoulder so you have something to sit on while you go down.
Made it to the top.
The littlest of wind made me want to jump on that seat and
high tail it down before it all came crumbling to the floor.
but it was pretty fun:)
After free time was dinner time!
Nacho bar...with the good nacho cheese sauce.
And the best green chili, cheese quesadilla's I have ever had.
We did not starve one bit that weekend.
After dinner we all congregated back into the stage room for the closing fireside.
I was pumped because we got to hear from Bro. Wilcox one last time!!
He taught us how to act instead of react to situations we encounter in our lives
and a bunch of other great stuff.
Which led perfectly into the closing portion of the youth conference.
They had a group of boys and girls along with a group of kids playing instruments perform the
song for the 2014 theme. It is based off of the scripture Moroni 10:32. Come Unto Christ.
Instantly the tears starting rolling!
If you hadn't felt the spirit, you surely did then!
And then came my shameful, guilty feelings about my attitude towards
being apart of this youth activity.
I knew at that moment Heavenly Father needed me at that youth conference.
Not so much for the kids sake, but for my own.
Just like in the song I was reminded to come unto Christ,
He's calling our name, waiting for us with
His arms wide open and with Him we will find eternal life.
It was a time for me and Casey to spend 2 days together,
without the worries of our children and day to day events.
A time to serve the Lord. It was a moment where I realized how
important it is to magnify your callings and to support your spouse in theirs.
My testimony was strengthened many times throughout the whole conference.
There is a lot of crap going on out in the world right now but there is also a lot
of good going on, too. Those kids that weekend helped me see that and also to see
light and hope for those who are struggling.
There was definitely a fire that started burning under me.
To better myself.
To better my family.
To reach out to those who I care about who are searching
for the light of Christ in their lives.
So basically, lesson learned for me!!!
Of course my mom gave me the biggest chuckle of all that weekend.
My kids were well taken care of while we were out:)
