Last weekend, we had the opportunity to be a part of our Stake Youth Conference. Thursday night, Candice was preparing to go to Texas with her family for our nephew's blessing. She was scheduled to fly out on Friday morning. Andrew felt impressed that she needed to stay home and attend youth conference. Candice was terrified to tell her family, yet she stayed.
We were unaware of the miracles that Heavenly Father was working that night as we prayed for direction on what to do.
The Sunday before Youth Conference, our previous Young Women's president was released as she was called into the Stake Young Women's. In her place was called a bright 23-year-old named Jordan Paige. Her husband, Bubba (Brandt is his real name, but he goes by Bubba) has been serving as our ward Young Men's president for a couple of weeks. And this couple is fantastic, so bright, energetic, and full of love.
Previously we had all of four active young women in our ward (two old enough for Youth Conference), and not many more young men. Adding proverbial insult to injury, one of the young women old enough for Youth Conference was gone for the week.
Jordan got right to work. Jordan and Bubba set out and found out the addresses of the less active youth and, armed with treats, went out and knocked on doors.
By Friday evening, when Andrew arrived, there were ten youth representing our ward laughing around a table preparing for dinner at This is the Place State Park. That may not seem like a lot, but when you are expecting two, I felt like Pharaoh must have felt when he saw the concourses of the Children of Israel in Egypt. And they were laughing and having a good time with each other! That was awesome! Jordan and Bubba had even found an entire family of less actives with four youth (two young men and two young women) that jumped at the invitation for Youth Conference. For the past several months, Andrew has been teaching the 12-13 year-olds in Sunday School. There was one name that he consistently asked the class members, "Who is he? Go and invite him." This young man was in that family, and that one had become four.
Andrew is serving as secretary in the Stake Young Men's presidency. He was asked to do two major activities for Saturday. One was a talk about being a pioneer today and the other was orchestrating the Salt Lake Cemetery visit. After hours of prayer on how to approach this, the answers came Friday morning in the shower. That left all of 24 hours to finalize everything (with eight hours of work and sleep somewhere in the middle of that), which meant a 15 minute talk and a two hour activity.
We purchased a karaoke version of the song I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) and put it onto our IPods. Candice spent several hours rewriting the lyrics. All Andrew told her was the chorus. He also told her that instead of the words "Da-da-da-da," the words would be substituted with:
Obey the Prophet
To the Temple
That's what it takes to be a modern pioneer
Testimony
Testimony
That's what it takes to be a modern pioneer
At 9:30 on Friday night, Andrew asked Bubba if he could come over and hammer out another song that he was working on to go with the talk. Andrew was combining the songs "I Love to See the Temple" and "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus." Jordan was with Bubba and me and I eventually turned to Jordan and asked her if she would sing with Bubba instead of me. She did not want to steal my thunder, but quite frankly, my inability to sing duets would have done that for me. So I left them at 11:00 pm with a very vague idea of what I wanted (a whole new arrangement with a whole new set of lyrics), but I knew they were going to nail it!
Andrew was up at 5:00 getting everything ready for the cemetery. He needed to complete poems and capturing GoogleMaps images of each of the prophet's burial spots. By 9:30 we were feasting with the youth of pancakes, eggs and bacon.
We then hiked up to Ensign Peak and had a blast. I think Andrew died, but as long as you die during Youth Conference, you get a "Get out of death" free card.
We then headed to the park next to the Salt Lake Cemetery. We had a little microphone and Brother Tinney addressed us about pioneer heritage.
Candice and Drew got up and we started off by dividing everyone into three and having each group scream one of three things: Testimony, To the Temple, or Obey the Prophet. We had a little cheering contest and it was a blast.
Then Candice sang.
So here is what Candice produced:
When I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna pray
I'm gonna pray like I do each and every day
Before I go out yeah I know I'm gonna read
I'm gonna read the scriptures what the prophets say
If I have fun (Yes)
I know it is because It is because the spirit dwells within me too
And if I serve you (Yeah)
I know I'm gonna serve I'm gonna serve cause I am steadfast and-immovable (this is the theme for Mutual 2008)
CHORUS
You don't have to walk 500 miles Nor handcart a 500 more
You don't have to walk 500 miles Nor handcart a 500 more
Just to be a pioneer I am a modern day one faith the ful
When I'm dressin yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the one in "For the Strength of Youth"
And when the money comes in for the work I'll do
I'll pay ten percent tithing cause it's true
When I come home (Yeah)
I know I'm gonna be I'm gonna be the choicest sibling in the land
And when I grow old
Well I know I'm gonna fight I'm gonna fight the good fight 'til the very end.
You don't have to walk 500 miles Nor handcart a 500 more
Just to be a pioneer I am a modern day one faith the ful
- Obey the prophet (Obey the prophet)
- To the Temple (To the temple)
- That’s what it takes to be a modern pioneer
- Testimony (Testimony)
- Testimony (Testimony)
- That's what it takes to be a modern pioneer
If I'm humble yes I know it is because
It is because I almost always keep my word
When I get married, well I know where it will be
Yes it will be within the mountain of the Lord
When I go out, well I know I'm gonna read,
I'm gonna read the words of prophets we have one
And when I go home Yes, that heavenly home,
I hope he says Well done my faithful child, well done
I hope he says Well done my faithful child, well done (this was the theme of our Bishop's talk to the youth the day before)
You don't have to walk 500 miles Nor handcart a 500 more
Just to be a pioneer I am a modern day one faith the ful
- Obey the prophet (Obey the prophet)
- To the Temple (To the temple)
- That’s what it takes to be a modern pioneer
- To the Temple (To the temple)
- That’s what it takes to be a modern pioneer
- Testimony (Testimony)
- Testimony (Testimony)
- That's what it takes to be a modern pioneer
- Testimony (Testimony)
- That's what it takes to be a modern pioneer
You don't have to walk 500 miles
Nor handcart a 500 more Just to be a pioneer
I am a modern day one faith the fulllllllll
We then spoke about the three items. Candice talked about obeying the prophet, focusing on the Haun's Mill Massacre and the miracle of the conference when Brigham Young and Sydney Rigdon spoke on who the Church should follow.
To introduce the temple, we had Bubba and Jordan come up to sing. They nailed it. But they nailed it in a suprising way. They did not sing what was originally planned. They stood next to each other and had the youth join in singing the original songs with them.
The Spirit was on fire and the Youth felt it. Candice asked the youth to look at them and see the joy of a temple marriage.
We spoke about how the pioneers of old were seeking a place to build the temple. That came from a powerful address we had heard a couple months earlier from a BYU devotional.
Concerning testimony, we talked about Elder D. Todd Christopherson's experience of praying in the Sacred Grove and not getting an answer, but the answer came later in his bedroom.
Needless to say Heavenly Father blessed us so much. I love speaking with Andrew. We used to teach Institute together in Washington D.C. and it was FIRE. This was no less Fire-ful. We loved it.
The cemetery walk went great and the hundreds of hours Andrew put into it was well worth it. It was memorable to me when the youth sang "A Poor Wayfering man of Grief" at John Taylor's memorial. Andrew had even gone so far as to write poems with clues for each of the prophets buried in the cemetery. Maybe he will post them later.
Youth's lives were changed and so were ours. We are still swimming in leftover blessings from being a part of this Youth Conference.
All I have to say is that the Church is True. I love it.
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