So, I just thought it would be worthwhile for me to recount the happenings of the last 3 days and 2 nights… I’m not going to go into much of the behind the scenes details (even though that’s where I was most of the time) but focus on the important stuff…. As many of you may or may not know, we had our first bi-annual 11 stake YSA conference: the Conference of the Ozarks. It all started several months ago with a dream and a vision, and culminated in a great event that all who participated enjoyed.
Friday night was the official start of the event. All the sisters went to the Springdale High School Performing Arts Center to listen to Sister Dew speak. The guys all met at the Springdale Stake Center to listen to Brother Bills give an excellent lesson. After a good spiritual start to set the tone, the party began. A huge dance was held in the cultural hall. Hundreds of participants signed in and joined the fun. The first night alone over 430 people signed in! (I hear many more showed and forgot to sign in, so the number is probably much higher…) As the night came to a close, everyone found rides and went to a host home for a well deserved and needed rest for the next day…
The next morning started with one of the most exciting events in the whole conference. We had Sheri Dew come and speak to everyone, and share her testimony of Christ. Here are some of her key points:
- We need to remember that we are sons and daughters of God.
- Christ atoned for each of us.
- We can know Him personally.
It was also really neat to hear her speak about her interactions with the leadership of the Church. Sorry for those who missed out.
Afterwards we split in to groups to go to workshops on a multitude of subjects from music, to providing for one’s future and missionary work. There where 8 in total to choose from, and the participants got to go to 2 of them. Hopefully they took good notes to share with their friends!
After all the workshops, it was time for a break, and that’s just what they got! We had a few hours of free time to go do what you wanted. They had the full facilities of the HPER, including rock climbing, swimming, racquet ball, basketball, table tennis, campus tours, ultimate Frisbee, and much much more. Good thing it was perfect weather, a nice sunny 80 degrees… Free time ended with a nice dinner with all the fix’ns. Chicken, roast beef, potatoes, veggies, killer cake and much more.
We where then blest to hear from the Tulsa Oklahoma Mission President and his wife. Again, it was a huge spiritual feast and they had a great message. One of the key points they highlighted was that of strict obedience, and how the Lord is bound to what He says and must bless us accordingly.
Immediately after they where done speaking, again, time to party some more, so another great dance started… There was plenty of fun to be had by all until they all headed once again to their host homes… BTW, it was estimated that there where about 600 people there throughout the day….
Finally Sunday came around. The whole event culminated with everyone attending church. There was an awesome spirit there, even before church began. It was a treat to have all 3 hours presented by the Springdale and Rogers stake presidencies. There where testimonies given, great principals taught (who knew a wallet was such a great metaphor for life?) and a spiritual feast to be had by all. At the end of the three hour block, it was time for everyone to grab a quick sack lunch and say goodbye to their newly formed friends. Who knows how many new facebook “friends” where made, but I’m fairly certain there was more then a few…
All in all, a good time was had by all, hearts where touched, and I think the conference was a great success. The theme was “Becoming our best selves” from Pres. Monson, and I think the tools to do so where defiantly shared. The only thing that could of made it better, would to have had more people come and partake of the blessings to be had from attending… Maybe next time…