Moapa Valley Progress Newspaper

Home

News

Sports

Opinion

Upcoming Events

LDS Boys Prepare To Serve

	By Rachel Brandes & Kylea McMurray Moapa Valley Progress Submitted Mar. 19, 2008 You may have noticed large groups of young men biking through Moapa Valley wearing white shirts and ties on Saturday, March 15. No the valley has not been taken over by Mormon Missionaries. It was simply an annual young men’s conference in which approximately 40 young men and 20 Church leaders participated.		Future LDS Missionaries take a ride from the Logandale Stake Center to Warm Springs on Saturday, March 15, 2008. Young men aged 16 - 19 were able to participate in this Missionary preparation experience.
	This year’s conference was designed to help prepare the young men to serve full-time two-year missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS Church). “The camp’s purpose is to help the boys develop the mental and physical stamina they will need for their missions,” said LDS Logandale Stake Young Men’s President, Corey Dalley. Young men were sent mock Mission call letters and were dropped off by their parents at the Stake Center in Logandale on Friday evening. When they arrived the young men and their parents had a short meeting with the leaders, before the parents were dismissed. Each young man was assigned a companion, that they stayed with throughout the camp. The young men and their leaders were also divided into zones and districts, or groups. That night the young men found out what it was really like to make their own dinner, out of raw ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, eggs and milk. For many young men this novel experience was difficult, and it helped them appreciate their mothers. “It was quite an experience,” said one young man. The young men spent time playing games that helped them learn teamwork, leadership and patience. The evening also included a visit from President Wadsworth, of the LDS Nevada Las Vegas Mission. The future missionaries then spent the night at the Stake Center. The next morning the boys got up and dressed in their white shirts and ties before heading out. The group had all brought their bikes. They rode approximately twenty miles from the Stake Center to the Warm Springs Ranch. “The bike ride was tough,” said Nick DeLaFrance, “It was a good experience, and we had fun, but it was hard.” Once at Warm Springs, the youth had a chance to kick back and have some fun. They all participated in an “Ultimate Frisbee” tournament. Ultimate Frisbee is a cross between Frisbee and football, where the players have to move the Frisbee down the field without moving their feet. After the tournament, it was time to bring the camp to a close with a keynote speaker. Brent Thompson spoke at the final “Mission Conference.” He encouraged the young men to prepare for the future. He said that, “good is the enemy of great,” and that each of the young men had the potential to be great. The young men then had opportunities to share with each other some of the things they had learned in a testimony meeting, before the camp was closed by LDS Stake President Asahel Robison. Dalley was happy with the event. “We met our goals,” said Dalley. “Everyone really came together and worked together. We had some great leadership who made things happen, and we had 40 boys with good attitudes who made the camp a success. We have wonderful youth in our Valley.”