Youth Conference 2008

This past weekend was our stake's youth conference. The committee chairs were the Stewarts in our ward and we were one of the couples called to serve on the committee with them. We had such a great time planning and working with everyone on the committee, but we are so glad it's over. Oh, to be a teenager again with all their energy.

Our theme was STAND and be COUNTED

The festivities started Friday night with breaking up into groups of 15-20 kids for a "Youth Tube" activity. They were given topics from the Strength of Youth pamphlet that they would need to stand up for and had to come up with a skit about it. Everyone participated and seemed to enjoy it. One of the bishop's emcee'd in between each of the performances and was just so funny.

Then they all moved outside for dinner which was Cafe Rio!! After dinner all the kids got on the end of 3 ropes and tried to pull a semi truck across the parking lot, proving that if they all stand together great things can be accomplished. That was part of our part since Dave can drive the trucks and got one from APCO. He then had to speak after that, to tie it all in together. And yes, they were able to pull the truck.

After the semi truck pull, they moved over to the dirt lot behind the church for a flag retirement ceremony. It was a beautiful ceremony put on by some of the eagle scouts from the stake. Very moving with it being so close to September 11.

On Saturday morning our part of being on the committee was to put together the service project. We went out to Floyd Lamb Park and did a bunch of clean up out there. They had three different areas they could go to and it was a huge success with so many people coming out. This is usually the least attended activities of youth conference so I was a little worried, but we had even more in attendance than we did on Friday night!! We had lunch out at the park and then President Waite spoke to everyone.

Everyone together before leaving the service project. Wow, what a huge group of kids!! Then there was a dance Saturday night where they had a photo booth for all the kids to get pictures taken and just such a fun time. They ended the weekend with a testimony meeting last night with President Bingham speaking at the end. We were so excited to be a part of something so great but can't wait to get some sleep. Being up till midnight each night and back up again at 6 to get things going Saturday morning is a little much. But what a great weekend!!

Also a huge THANK YOU to my parents for coming up to watch the girls so that we were able to be gone the whole weekend, really only coming home to sleep. The girls had such a great time with grandma and grandpa and really didn't want us to come back home. I think we were missed in the beginning but by the end, Kelsey definitely didn't want them to go home. So thank you so much for a successful weekend with everything!!