For the Strength of YOUth!

This year's mutual theme is "I believe..." and is based on the 13th article of faith.  We've tried to incorporate the theme into our activities with limited success.  Our Wednesday evening combined activity was awesome.  It's always exciting when you can help the youth recognizing that the goodness thay are experiencing is the spirit.

Our activity began a few weeks ago when we took pictures of the youth on Sunday and then the following week  we had the youth right a statement of belief on an index card.  I had the privellege of creating cards with their photos and testimonies. My life was blessed as I read their words of wisdom and looked at there glowing faces.  (I must admit that Br.  Keith's camera is pretty awesome and does make everyone look mighty fine.) I was amazed at how much some of their testimonies have grown this year. The spirit warmed my soul.

Wednesday we watched a few segments of the media DVD for this year's theme and then Br. Keith shared inspiring testimonies of  some of our mighty Book of Mormon prophets as they left there testimonies for us, for they saw us and our day.  The spirit in that room was so strong.

2 Nephi 3:5 Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.

2 Nephi 33:13 And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come.

Jacob 7:27 And I, Jacob, saw that I must soon go down to my grave; wherefore, I said unto my son Enos: Take these bplates. And I told him the things which my brother Nephi had ccommanded me, and he promised obedience unto the commands. And I make an end of my writing upon these plates, which writing has been dsmall; and to the reader I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my words. Brethren, adieu.

Moroni 10: 3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

We wanted to leave our testimonies in hopes that someone would find them and feel the power of our testimonies and desire to have the joy and peace the gospel brings us.  We created a Geo Cache under a tree behind the church. We named our site For the Strength of Youth.