Youth Conference

This year we were asked to put on a ward youth conference rather than the stake doing one. We could do it alone or with another ward. At first our kids wanted to go with another ward at the coast, but when that fell through, they wanted to do it with another ward in the stake. When that fell through, we had to come up with something on our own. In a Bishop's Youth Committee, someone suggested we do a COPE course (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience). We looked into it and found one in Salem near the Enchanted Forest that is sponsored by a world-wide youth ministry. We contacted them and found the price to be more than we could afford. But we asked if we could send a group of volunteers down to do service work in exchange for time on the course. Surprisingly, they agreed and earlier in the year we sent 40 people down who worked 4 to 8 hours on projects they had. They were so impressed with the work they gave us a half-day free per person on the course for use for our youth conference.

This past weekend we had just about the perfect ward conference. It is probably the most successful event I've been involved in in over 30 years working with youth groups. Our BYC planned it and the kids organized all aspects of it. It was super fun, super hard, super exhausting, a super experience and super spiritual.

Let me first say that the kids that we have in the young men and young women groups are the finest collective kids we've ever had in the ward. For sure there have been some great kids go through our program (mine included) but there have been a number of stinkers from time to time in most groups. Not this one. All of our kids get along, support each other, are polite, helpful, courteous, obedient, reverent, etc (Boy Scout law traits) and have no cliques. They rally around each other and are great to be around, easy to teach, and teachable.

Thus, everyone was on time and 25 youth and 6 adult leaders left Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. for Salem. Arriving at 9:00 at the course, the broke us into three teams of teams (ours was the Funky Maroon Bats (G0 Bats!). Each team had a staff facilitator. Ours was Luba from the Ukraine, a great young lady! We did team building exercises for about an hour first.

Team-building marble roll relay

Then we hit the low course which are challenges just off the ground. These required teamwork, physical exertion, balance (my downfall), faith in your teammates, cooperation and mental challenges to figure out the best way to accomplish the task (often without talking or blindfolded, etc.). The leader for each challenge was a different young person each time (adults were to follow, not lead).

Low course

At 12:30 we had a short half-hour lunch and then hit the high course. High meant relatively hight. At least 20 feet up and often 35 to 40 feet up. Safety was first rate. We all had climbing harnesses, were locked in to safety lines above us and were belayed by teammates when climbing. I'm not fond of heights but after the first high course I had complete confidence in the equipment, training and my teammates and the facilitator. We did the high obstacle course first which really helped our team as we were fresh. The team that did it last at the end of the day struggled more because they were pooped. Our one special needs kid struggled on the papmer pole (40-foot high telephone-type pole with a 9-inch disk on top that you had to climb, then stand on, then leap off!). He stop at every step saying he couldn't go on but his team encourage him all the way to the top and then he managed to stand up and leap off. they all cheered mightliy for him! So many gospel principles in just this one action!

High obstacle course

Balancing - about 35 feet up!

After a debriefing, we left at 5:30 after a full 8 hours on the course. The kids were beat but thrilled. We went to a family's house who used to live in our ward but now live on a hill overlooking the Enchanted Forest at the same exit on the freeway. they have a tremendousn view of the valley and Cascade mountains. Up there we had a bar-b-que dinner. After dinner, Sis. Charlotte Laughlin (oldest daughter of former stake president Jim Bean) came a put a fabulous fireside. She is a returned missionary, sealed in the temple, has 8 kids, is a super multi-talented musician and just happens to be a triathlete in her spare time (she's done the Hawaiian Ironman). She spent half a day on the high course with the kids so she got to know them and understood what they had experience. She tailored her talk to that experience. She spoke on the three most important things she thinks kids in the church need: good friends who lift you up, not pull you down, daily scripture study, recognizing the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and having a personal relationship with the Savior. (Yes, that's four but she through in the good friends for good measure.) Her examples and stories were memorable, especially when she tied them all together when she had to deal with the knowledge before the birth of her last child that it wouldn't live much beyond birth (5 weeks in fact). It was a powerful fireside that had the kids riveted.

We then brought the kids back to Canby where the girls spent the night at the Iranagas and the boys at the bishops' place. We then convened at the church early for an outdoor breakfast of scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausages, and juice. we had the classic moment when everyone was seated on the lawn next to the church when - the sprinklers all came on! It was a mad dash of screaming kids trying to avoid being drenched! Classic!. We salvaged breakfast (it didn't get wet) and then had a couple hours of workshops on the theme of the conference - being one of the believers. Sis. Mikkelsen taught about purity and the atonement; Br. Crum taught about charity; Sis Gordon the former stake YW pres. taught about faith; and stake Pres. Counselor Parker taught about bridling our tongue.

Last was an hour testimony meeting that was very spiritual. Not the typical girls camp or stake youth conference testimony meeting where the kids talk about the friends and apologize for how they behaved or for offending someone, but real testimonies of what they had experienced and knew to be true based on the weekend. It was spiritually touching.

Our kids are amazing and, as the bishop said, the Church will be in good hands with our kids as leaders. I do not doubt that. It couldn't have been a better youth conference. My face is sore from smiling for two straight days (as well as a few other muscles not used much - I was the oldest guy there and kept up pretty well if I say so myself!).