Youth Conference... absolutely amazing. 10 of us youth all went with a couple of our leaders. We left Thursday afternoon and headed up Little Cottonwood Canyon to stay in a cabin for the weekend. If you were to ask me my favorite part, I would hesitate for a minute because all of it was so great. But I will always remember the devotionals and testimony meeting that we had... Thursday night we all gathered on the deck in a circle of camp chairs for our first devotional to introduce the theme and start the weekend off right! Mama and Papa Bolli- As we liked to call them who planned the whole thing (The Bolli's) taught. Papa Bolli introduced the theme: If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear. One of the scriptures that we talked about that really stood out to me was in Doctrine and Covenants 121: 45. It says, "Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. We talked about how VIRTUE and CONFIDENCE go hand in hand. I wrote in the margins of my scriptures: If you are clean, you will have the confidence and courage to get through trials. When you have confidence and faith, fear and doubt will start to diminish. It won't always be easy, but it is possible. I also wrote: The closer you are to your Father in Heaven, the more strength you will have to resist temptations and to bear trials. It is so so true. I have seen this principle come true in my own life. The lowest points and hardest times in our lives are when we tend to grow closer to our Savior and Heavenly Father. We need to rely on them. Their hands are outstretched to us, just waiting for us to take them. They love us no matter what. That love is always there. Papa Bolli then mentioned that it is not only the worst of times, but it is also the best of times. There are a lot of crazy and horrific things in the world, but there are also great and wonderful things. With God's help especially, we can make it and we can get through it. A quote came to mind by Rosemary M. Wixom, "As individuals we are STRONG. Together, with God, we are UNSTOPPABLE." How amazing is that?! The spirit was super strong, especially in the mountains away from everything and the world. Another fav part of mine was the relaxing time. Which means yes, the hot tub. Fun times. Then Friday morning came... HIKE DAY! Hikes are the best, so of course this was one of the highlights of the weekend. We originally planned on just hiking to Lake Mary (up by Brighton Ski Resort) but we couldn't resist hiking further once we saw the stunning view. Once we reached Lake Mary, we all gathered as a group and had another little devotional. It was sunny, there was a nice breeze, and the spirit was there. What more could you ask for? Mama and Papa Bolli talked about how our physical health can effect our spiritual, mental, and emotional health as well. Getting outside, being active, and even just going for a little walk around the block can boost our mood and attitude. Me and one of the YW, got up and read out of The For Strength of Youth pamphlet to the section titled: Physical and Emotional Health. We then shared our thoughts and testimony on it... Anxiety and depression are one of my weaknesses. I have noticed that as I try to get out and enjoy all that Heavenly Father has created, my mood instantly boosts. Negative thoughts are replaced by positive and uplifting things, I start to appreciate things and feel my Heavenly Father's love so strongly. Before I end with a few more pics (Yes, there's a lot. I'm sorry ;) ) I just wanted to share my testimony on Youth Conf and the theme... I am SO grateful I was able to go. It was fantastic. And thank you to everyone who planned and made it so great! I know without a doubt that if we let faith into our lives -even just a small particle- God will grow it and fear will diminish. Good always triumphs over evil. Light penetrates darkness. If we prepare ourselves with faith and trust, we will be blessed. Thank you lovely readers for reading. Hope you enjoyed. As always, have a happy Sunday! Ness
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Ponderize Of The Week:
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:5-6 Quote Of The Week:
"Give it to God and go to sleep." - Unknown |