MTC Experience

Last night out Stake Youth Committee pulled off a great stake youth activity to kick off our annual Missionary Month.  We had 10 groups, identified by the Country flag tags that were handed out.  Then two sets of rotations--with 5 rotations each.  The youth of our stake played some "futbol international", ate cold cereal by the "bucket", "studied" Preach My Gospel, learned to either sew on buttons or tie ties, and packed luggage for speed.

One of the funniest parts was all the leaders we asked to direct the rotations in the hallways.  They had instructions to only speak in the language of their missions. So we had French, Spanish, German, but also Portuguese, Greek, Navajo, and Hungarian.  It sounds like the Tower of Babel in the halls.

The committee kids did a great job--even with a few miscommunications and a handful of stress.  They did it and made it look easy.  I heard several kids and leaders on the way out last night say, "This was so fun!"  That is what I thought too.

Now the ward YM & YW activities this month will focus on sharing the gospel and preparing to be missionaries.  And the whole month long event will conclude with a closing fireside November 4th where our local Mission President has been invited to speak.  And I'm guessing the kids will do a great job coordinating that too.

I love my calling.  Even when it exhausts me.

Oh, Yeah...We Should Have Told You That

I attended our Stake Youth Temple Month kick-off event last night.  Our stake committee of 10 kids is pretty fantastic, and a little too confident now in their leadership abilities. I think we may have created a monster.

This activity was the kick-off for a month's worth of weekly congregational activities that have to do with the temple.  our committee designed a "Commitment Path" with varied stops along the way to discuss--in age groups--standards of friends, honesty, dating, and personal purity with all the groups ending up together for a concluding talk by a member of our stake presidency about the temple and the value in being worthy to go there someday.

Well, we have worked with this group of kids since about March or so. They planned and pulled off our terrific Stake Youth Conference in June. We have taught them leadership skills throughout the year.  Apparently they are learning well.  The last two meetings about this activity last night, the adults weren't invited.  They called and held the meeting without the adults.

Herein lies the monster.

The activity they planned was a hike to a location that overlooks the city and from which you can see the temple in the distance.  The trouble was not everyone could make that hike due to the physical limitations each may have. For example, one young man is recovering from heart surgery for a congenital heart issue. Another young woman has avoided knee surgery after an injury but is doing very careful physical therapy and hiking is out for her.

I figured the answer would be for a rain out, then all the kids int eh stake could attend.  The message being more important than the physical activity--at least in my eyes.  And rain it did!  But the committee still held out hope they could do it as planned.  After several hours of rain, they resigned themselves to Plan B, which was to stay at the pavilion at the trail head and hold their discussions in the corners of the pavilion and then come together at the end, as planned.  The clouds covered the view, so that wasn't a reason to be outdoors doing this activity any more.  But the kids persisted.

We still had probably close to 200 people there, youth and their leaders.  It was cold and wet, but they wore coats and brought flashlights, umbrellas and even water. (Some came thinking they were still hiking!)  And you know what?  The messages were shared.  The messages were received.  The event was successful and though required a bit of last minute, thinking on your feet, the kids did a great job.

So, just because I (as an adult leader) would have done it differently, and communicated a Plan B option earlier, the task is complete and that is what is important.

Hot-Dog-A-Thon

Sadly I have no pictures to go with this post.  Wasn't thinking fast enough last night.

This was the second annual Elder's Quorum Hot-Dog-A-Thon.  It is basically like an ice cream truck experience, but with hot dogs.  Hot dogs made by our elders' quorum, on a BBQ grill, in the bed of a pick up truck, that drives up and down the streets of our ward.

The guys driving honk the horns and cub scouts run to every one's doors and knock, and invite you out for a hot dog.  So it is free dinner, and some fellow shipping as well.

I think it is a brilliant idea, and certainly makes me laugh.  But this IS the same ward that brought us the EQ's Potato Derby too, so what should I have expected but fun?

Oh What Fun...

Yesterday we had a Stake wide activity for the 16-17 year old kids at Mutual Dell, up the canyon.  We had GREAT snow, and the sledding was tons of fun.

With 25 or so teenagers ( at least to begin with) playing the in snow certainly includes a good snowball fight.  The adults get into as much as the kids.

We also took in a snow shoe hike with two of our "extras".  The girls tagged along with their mom and dad who brought all the food to feed this crazy crew.  Snowshoeing is very fun, and strenuous enough without being too taxing, if you stop to take many photos along the way.

We ended with lunch in the lodge and a Christmas story while we warmed up and dried off.

These kids are so much fun. I love hanging out with them.  Hanging out with them makes me feel like I am still their age...too bad my body disagrees.

Good Sports

Tonight we had an activity for the 16-18 year old kids in our stake. We played about four silly games modeled after games on the TV show "A Minute to Win It". We talked about the ways they spend the minutes of their day and the decisions that occur in those minutes. The emphasis, obviously I hope, was that good decisions are necessary all day long and the most important decisions can be made early in their lives and provide happier outcomes.

We started with just about 18 kids there. Four were young men.

I just want give a shout out to people who are good sports. These four young men, though vastly outnumbered, and doing things that were not terribly "manly" games, still stepped up and gave it a good try. Did they win the events? Not by a long shot, but they each participated and played along with us.

I just love that. Too bad so many people scoff or criticize after only just one look and decide that it is "stupid", "a waste of time", or "not worth my energy". I think there is something to be said for being willing to try things, and for doing it with a good attitude.

Temple Trek

Last might the majority of our stake's youth took a Temple Trek. We met at the stake center building and watched the short movie about John Moyle called "Only a Stonecutter". This man walked 22 miles to work on the SL temple back in the 1880s. Even following a farm accident which cost him his lower leg, he fitted himself with a wooden one and learned to walk in it so he could make the hike again to work on the temple.

Following that movie, we walked to the temple. It was only about 2.5 miles. We did in as a group in less than an hour.

the point was made to the kids once we were there that they know the way. They know what they need to do to go inside the temple. Their bishops (who were there) are here to help them be prepared to go. They needed to commit to going, just like Brother Moyle. Like him, they need to know the temple is for them. It is their call, as well, to be a temple going people.

Not bad for a stake activity. The weather even held out for us. The storm blew in after we are all back safely. I love it when that happens.

'Cuz I'm BAD, I'm BAD. You know it!

I do try to post something every day, so my apologies for not getting something up yesterday. Apparently my exhaustion from Friday took hold for Saturday too.

Today I would like to address a pet peeve. It has to do with attitude.

Yesterday we had a stake wide Youth Sports Day. This was two hours of fun and games for all the youth (12-18 years old) from the 6 wards in our stake. Generally everyone had a good time and played along.

Now, when hosting an event like this, you have to understand from the get go that you won't please everyone and that there will always be someone who would rather do something else. Life is like that, right? But the way I see it, like Karma, what goes around, comes around. If I play along with your game, then eventually you'll play along with my game. We both get to play and we both will play what we like.

Sadly, there are always some who are never happy with anything, and would rather pout than play along, no matter WHAT the activity is. I had a young woman like that yesterday. It wasn't as if she was left alone and not asked to participate. I point blank asked her to come play game A with me and she began walking with me only to turn and go the other way into the building. This is a chronic condition with this particular girl, so far as I can tell. But she isn't the only one I have watched with this kind of attitude.

My question always is, Then WHY do you come?

They knew what this activity was, and either chose to attend, or were forced to by a parent (who may or may not know the attitude and behavior of their little cherub at youth activities). If the parent forced them to come, it probably isn't the first time and I would like to think that as the youth here, in this scenario, you'd like to have some fun at some point. So don't you think you would eventually just play along? The fun will follow.

In case you think this bad attitude epidemic is localized only to the youth, look around at adults who live near you. Do they have a "just play along" attitude or do they want to "play" only when they get to play their game their way? Yeah. I know. A lot of people keep their childish pattern of behavior into adulthood. I think by the time you are an adult, it can safely be called selfishness.

All of this makes me crazy. Yes, I had to go to activities I didn't care for when I was a youth. Yes, I had to choose to like things sometimes. And Yes, that taught me that life is so much more fun if I am making an effort toward having a good time than sitting in the corner, pouting.

Maybe this type of bad attitude is a plea for someone to reach out to them; to draw attention to themselves in some kind of way. But I think reaching out or giving attention to someone who has chosen not to play along just reinforces the bad attitude and it will keep coming back. Kind of like teaching two year olds when they are having a melt down. If you feed that tantrum, they keep having them. If you ignore the tantrum (all things being equal in this hypothetical and the child is not going to hurt himself) they will give it up. It may take several attempts on their part to see your consistency in ignoring the tantrum, but eventually they get it.

Too bad we can't just put these bad attituders in the time out chair and ignore their tantrums while everyone else plays along and has some fun. How old IS too old for time out?! I wonder.