Youth Conference 2008

We had our annual Youth Conference a couple of weekends ago and it was terrific. Our theme was "Mission Possible" and we had arranged for the kids to go to downtown Salt Lake City and help people they might not normally come in contact with. Our goal was to get the kids out of their comfort zones and think outside of the box. Before the conference began we had not told the youth what they would be doing and where they would be going. When we all met on early Friday morning, we told them their assignments and I could tell from their looks that they were a little uneasy.

We had three groups with three different assignments. The first group went to a refugee daycare center. Josh was part of this group and afterwards told me what a great time he had. They basically ran the daycare for a little over two hours and spent time with kids from Africa. Very few of these kids spoke any English. I was later told that Josh found a little boy there that kind of latched onto him.

Tara was in a group that went to the Catholic Community Services and had a tour of a facility that helps to shelter people who may need help. They also went to St Vincent de Paul and had the opportunity to serve lunch to hundreds of homeless individuals. She later told me that although she was a bit nervous at first, it was a really good experience. She was amazed to see all of the people waiting for a meal.

I was a leader in the last group and we started at the Outreach Center in downtown Salt Lake City. Here we organized hygeine kits to be distributed to homeless youth on the streets. We also helped sort books to be given to at risk youth through their Red Rock Reader program. In the afternoon we went to an Adult Detox Center. This was probably the most powerful part of our day. There we had a tour of the facility. It housed approximately 60 adults, both male and female. This facility is for individuals who voluntarily need help in the detoxificaiton process. We interacted with some of these individuals and came to realize that they are just people who were trying to better themselves. We were also able to provide much needed service there as well by sorting donations, cleaning out bins, and cleaning and weeding an outside garden area. It really touched my heart to see these children of God who just needed a helping hand.

Later in the afternoon we all met up the Provo Canyon and camped along the Provo River. As you can see from the picture, Tara was a bit concerned at the prospect of rain. You can certainly tell that she is NOT a northwest girl :) I have to keep telling her that even if she does happen to get wet, she will not melt. After all, it is only water.
That evening we had testimony meeting and you could clearly hear from the testimonies that everyone there had somehow been touched by the experiences of the day. Every youth that I talked to wanted to return to the facility that they had been to and help more. They also expressed how it made them realize that they take a lot for granted. They appreciated what they have so much more and many of them want to find a way to help. I really enjoy my calling and being able to interact with this great generation. They always seem to make me have hope for the future. All in all it was probably one of my better experiences since being in the Young Women organization.