Youth Conference was fabulous! I keep trying to sit down to begin writing about it, and get overwhelmed at the monstrosity of it all! I want to remember the miracles, and so I am just going to list them so I remember!
**Normal temperatures for this time of year in St. George are 94+. We have had a cool breezy 79-82 beginning Thursday and continuing through Sunday! Wow this is a miracle 4 times over! If it had been 95 out there, the trees would have been so wilted and dead before we ever got to them! They were delivered (miracle miracle!), (all 290 of them) on Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. (miracle, miracle the scouts were there with help to get them off the truck - no small feat!!). They sat out there waiting, some laying completely over because the wind was blowing just enough they wouldn't stand up, in the dirt. I was so sick about them out there, just cringing at the thought of how many phone complaints could come in for the thousands of dollars of trees out there wasting away! (miracle I didn't hear about one complaint call!!!! That is huge in this retirement town!!! :)) They weren't BECAUSE of the MIRACLE of the cloud cover ALL DAY on Friday and periodically on Saturday. Thursday afternoon I think it was sunny, but not too hot! It was sooooo miraculous! Thank you Heavenly Father!
The miracles of weather were so dramatic that a member of the Stake Presidency came to our ward and over the pulpit noted the miracles with the weather! Thanks H.F. for taking care of EVERY detail! Wow! (see Rain story coming someplace!)
Saturday night was a very significant miracle! Immediatly preceeded by several miracles regarding help from J with sprinklers, finding the heads, calling A.T. to help with a sprinkler party called a "nipple puller" finding him home, but then him having the part we needed, were each seperate specifically issued prayers for miracles! It was about this time that I had my stomach problem (mentioned elsewhwere), had all the kids at home to help me load every detail that I needed for that night after huge loads that I had been working on nonstop since.... before 5:30 that morning! Now it was about 5:30 p.m., and I was standing at the beginning of another huge event still go to with lots under our direct again! Wow! I called on help to conduct the workshops we were supposed to at 4:45 and 5:30 as we solved problems with the help of heaven on the sprinklers so the trees could be watered that night! Then we raced to the park to get setup. Miracles I was able to get everything gathered, printed, ready to go! The ugly bugger kept trying to get me - the printer ran out of blue ink half way through the cute signs I had made - I didn't have another one that color. Do without color - black and white was great! Finally we made it to the park, Brad came thanks to R.D., R.H., and A.T. who all came to help as well as the youth that came with J until 4:40 - sorry to his EFY family who was waiting for them to come back! We really needed their help!
When we got to the park, a few of us ran (literally - now sick for hours on NO food - running) around the park to put up the torches for the testimony meeting that would be at dusk (around 9 p.m. after dinner & program) while B and others worked on the stage and sound equipment! S.H. had loaded all the sound equipment for me - I knew it would need a miracle to be sure we had everything we needed, but we had to depend on him and we did, and with the help of heaven, he came through perfectly! B had all the parts he needed! Perfect! After a few shuffles the group I was working with managed to get all the blankets (2 @ each torch) spread out, and the torches ready - with fuel to light at the appropriate time. Miracles! Miracles! Many more miracles occurred before it was done - regarding the lights, I had loaded one lighter. Couldn't find it anyplace! Searching, searching, asking, finally found one lady with a pack of matches in her purse! Miracles! I lit one and B. took it running through the park to light the next, then J. took the next and ran a different direction. It was breathtaking to watch the lights run around the park, lighting the flame of testimony for each of those family groups to share their personal witnesses of the Savior Jesus Christ. I was touched! Then as the night closed, they pulled the torches up, and carried them back towards the pavillion, I cringed as I watched them snuff them out, all of us wishing that the evening would not end, hoping that in reality our lights will never be snuffed out, but rather that we will continue to burn bright in testimony! Beautiful!
**Water bottles were moved to the freezer by Costco employees Wednesday night, and frozen solid when I picked them up at Noon on Friday! I was there on Wednesday, promised they would that night, I was skeptical they would remember,BUT they did! They were ready for the Sat. morning work! Would they stay cold? Yep!!! Miracles Miracles! They did! In fact at noon on Saturday, Brad brought a bottle of water to me, and it still had ice the next morning after sitting in my truck bed all that time! Thanks H.F.!
**We have run NONstop since... can't remember when! Up and gone before.. bed by, well it's morning again! I haven't seen the bottom of our laundry bin for days, but I can't get it all in! Youth Conference details, house clean, office problems, etc. etc and then we decided to jump into our own yard since we have been working so hard on others, and made the mistake of talking to a friend who does waterfalls, and he wants the work now because he's been out of work for a few weeks, and has a job a month out, so he doesn't want to wait a month even if I don't know how I'm going to pay him. Add the details of how we want the waterfall designed to the middle stops that were supposed to be 30 second stops! EeK! We are excited to have it moving ahead! To try to chronicle the blow by blow of the past weekend, I can't do it! I can't even bear to think it! It was totally exhausting! President Eyring's quote about Beyond Fatigue is absolutely right! We were beyond the point of...! He carried us through and it turned out Beautiful (every detail!)!!!
**On top of being exhausted, we smiled and carried on. Friday J had more dirty diapers than I can count! His little stomach was Not feeling good! I hired A.D. to come nanny for me for the those two days since Sr. team would all be gone, and I didn't know how it was going to pull off! B. thought we could just switch off. I am SOOO grateful for her help! She was FABULOUS! Thank you H.F. for sending her to me! Miracle was NOT ONCE did J cry at me that I couldn't leave! Not once did I have a problem with him while she was here! A. thanks so much for your selfless service! I appreciate you sooo much!!!!
**B & I both woke up on Sat with the same bowel problem! I took my turn on the john, and then he did! Oh, I didn't have time for this! There was no way that I could make it through sick! I know that it was through the healing power of the priesthood that I was able to make it through! I did have another problem with my stomach but it was not until about five that night. I had to dismiss myself completely for a bit. What a miracle that I was able to make it completely through our project without a problem! One thing that helped this was that I didn't eat ANYTHING but water the entire day! Even into Sunday p.m..... it was fast Sunday, I had a little water in the morning to try to keep myself going, but I was passing out bad every time I moved! Miracles I was able to keep going through it! B. came down with it on Saturday afternoon. I put her in my tub, and asked A. to help her. I didn't get home until very late that night, but she was doing better by morning! Miracles!
**Saturday morning we were to meet out there at 7 with all the scouts. Several didn't show - not a great way to start! A.O. called sick, but then showed up. I hugged him, and together we prayed for a blessing of healing. He too was able to make it through the morning, but returned home immediately after! I know that healing is a gift of the spirit. I experienced it first hand!
**All 290 trees got planted! The Spectrum called right after the project began and asked for details. He said "where can I find these kids working?" I replied "It would be hard to miss them! Just get off the freeway in Bloomington, I don't think you'll have any problem locating them!" He was not a member of the church, asking about what Youth Conference was, how to spell stake and what that meant... I was pleased with his write up, which... (Drum roll....) made the front page of the Paper on SUNDAY! It was awesome! Big! His title "Scouts Revamp Bloomington" sat beside the great picture above of M.S. in his scout shirt! Loved it with the lime green shirts I pushed for! They turned out great!!! Not too hot, highly visible! Perfect!
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