Austin & Kaylynn's Crew: Moroni's Quest 2022

We had the kick-off fireside for Moroni's Quest (a youth conference focused on the Book of Mormon) in the fall of 2019. All of the training and preparations were moving along through the school year. Then the Covid pandemic came in March 2020. We were still hoping and praying it would end in time for Moroni's Quest. Then as the restrictions dragged on, they had to postpone the youth conference until the next year.

Then in January 2021, the stake presidency and Moroni's Quest coordinators just felt like it wasn't going to happen in 2021 either. So they postponed again until 2022.

Finally after 3 years of planning, we were able to have Moroni's Quest. This youth conference takes enormous amounts of preparation for the script, the costumes, the characters, the set, the actual camping, the food, etc. There are moments of wondering if is this really worth it. Then when you listen to the testimonies at the end of the youth conference, we all realize that it is all worth it.

I got to go this year as the wife of a member of the stake presidency and as the Leavitt Ward Young Women's president. The stake presidency wives are in charge of the costumes, but luckily they were mostly already prepared from past quests. We did spend three evenings in Renee Quinton's garage sorting and re-sorting the costumes. As the Young Women's president, we were in charge of our camp and snacks for the evenings (which I delegated to Eve Verdon who rocked it).

The day finally came to head to Moroni's Quest. The youth and the tribe leaders met at the stake centre and then rode buses out to the camp to begin their journey with Nephi and his family. The youth leaders all went ahead to the camp so we could be at the rod of iron/great and spacious building. Then we followed the youth through the rest of their hike and re-enactments until they got to the main camp.

I knew the Lord was watching over the camp, especially relating to the weather, when we were in a meadow right before lunch and we watched the re-enactment of Nephi breaking his bow. It was getting pretty hot and the kids were starting to get restless. Then as the truck bringing the lunches arrived, a big cloud came and covered the area where we were all having lunch. It cooled it down just enough to make it pleasant. As soon as lunch was over, the cloud moved on and so did we.

As the day continued through more re-enactments and dinner, Bishop Walters and I were each approached by several people that some youth in our ward had not been staying with their tribes, throwing orange peels during re-enactments, going into the boys tents, etc. That night in our ward camp area after snacks and games, Bishop Walters gave an amazing pep talk to our youth, not preachy, just loving and guiding. As I stood across the camp area from him (near the youth who weren't listening at first), I had the clear thought that he has been called to lead our youth as such a time as this. And the next day we didn't have a single issue with any of our youth.

The next day as we worked through the stories of the Book of Mormon, the re-enactments started to get more and more meaningful and relatable. As we watched Abinadi (or the look-alike dummy) get burned at the stake, participated in battles, watched Alma baptize at the waters of Mormon, watched the believers during Alma and Amulek's ministry get burned in the pit, it all becomes more alive and real.

The next weather miracle was when the mothers that had sons at Moroni's Quest sang to them before the sons of Helaman go off to battle, and each youth received a letter that we had collected from their moms. The breeze picked up a little bit and there were about 10 raindrops as we thought it was possible for a thunderstorm to pass through. As it turns out, a half mile away it poured rain so much that some workers had to quit working for the day. But the storm went around us.

The stake leaders had been watching the weather forecast and knew a rainstorm was on its way, and they had thought through several plans depending on how much rain came. As it got to Saturday afternoon, the forecast increased to 100% chance of rain, so that was the answer. So they decided to have the re-enactment of the Savior's visit to the Nephites on Saturday night instead of Sunday. So after dinner we gathered back at the stage and had Samuel the Lamanite and the destruction and then the Savior comes walking down the hill. The next few hours can't be adequately described with words.

*As the Savior went to each youth and hugged them, the Spirit was tangible.

*One of the first people he hugged was a boy whose sister had been killed in a tragic car accident a couple weeks earlier, and they hugged so tight that Carver's nose started to bleed and so the Savior had a red blood spot on his shoulder. He takes upon us all of our sorrows.

*The veil was thin. Many youth mentioned in their testimonies how they could feel loved ones near.

*The word that best describes the experience is love. There is a love of the Savior, the love the Savior feels for me, and the love everyone felt for each other is at a stronger level that doesn't come everyday. As one of the girls said in her testimony, I was hugging people that I despise.

*So many youth also talked about in their testimonies that the experience was most meaningful to them when they watched the Savior hug their siblings.

*When it was my turn to hug President Ferguson who was representing the Savior, he told me that I am a faithful woman, that I have such a strong faith.

*I also believe that it was significant that the youth didn't know he was coming Saturday night. They still thought He would come Sunday morning. Just like we don't know when the Savior will come again, but we always need to be ready.

*We also had a weather miracle for the Savior's visit. A cloud cover came and kept us warm. There was no wind or rain. After the Savior's visit, they had us go back to our ward camp areas to have a snack and begin our fast. Almost exactly an hour after the Savior's visit, it started to rain and didn't stop raining until Monday afternoon.

After it had rained all night, the decision was made to go home, shower and meet back the stake centre to finish Quest. It was really kind of cool to be part of the departure, as the whole camp was working together to get packed up and head out. Leavitt Ward was the first ward packed and ready to head out. Brad Sommerfeldt had brought his horse trailer up near the camp the night before, knowing we were probably heading out the next day. So the boys loaded their camping gear and then he came to get the girls stuff. We got our own bus, with Char Olsen as our bus driver, and we were the first bus to head out. We were all soaked as we loaded the bus, and the bus almost slipped in the mud as we headed up the first hill, but we made it.

The parents met us at the church parking lot, and it was pouring even harder as we unloaded and sorted our camp gear.

Then we met back at the stake centre, had the last re-enactments of Moroni burying the plates and Joseph Smith. Then they had a short Sunday school lesson taught by the young men who the Savior had called as the 12 disciples the night before. Then we had a delicious roast beef and potato dinner to break our fast. Then we had a Sacrament Meeting and testimony meeting.

Having the Sacrament was meaningful because the original plan was to have the Sacrament at the camp on the hill. But just a couple weeks ago, the area authority seventy told us that we couldn't have the Sacrament, since it was in the handbook not to have the Sacrament at youth camps unless you had special permission. If he had let us, he would have to let other stakes also, and he decided it was best not to set the precedence. President Ferguson had thought about bussing all of the youth to the Mountain View chapel just to have the Sacrament. But as one of the Bishop's wives said when we were rained out, I guess we are supposed to have the Sacrament.

So we had the Sacrament and a lot of amazing testimonies. After about an hour, the Stake Presidency had to say that we would just be able to hear the testimonies of the kids on the stand already. At that point there were 25 kids up there waiting in line.

The testimony that basically summarizes the meeting was Mikey Blackmore who said, I don't think I have ever really bore my testimony before, mostly because before yesterday, I don't think I really had one.

Lucy also bore a short and sweet testimony.

Even though we got rained out, we strongly believe that it turned out just like it was supposed to. We were still able to do all of the most important parts of Moroni's Quest. It was also something the kids will never forget, with the Savior's Saturday night visit and having to evacuate in the rain.

The only things that we really missed out on were taking a ward picture, tribe pictures (they did take ones at the church on Sunday, but not quite the same as in MQ clothes), and a ward testimony meeting. There was definitely value in having the testimony as the whole stake, but less kids were able to bear their testimony since we didn't get to in wards.

But overall it was an amazing spiritual experience, and I am thankful I could go with Austin, Lucy and Carly (but sad I didn't get a picture of the four of us together).

They have a few designated photographers, and they ask us not to bring cameras. I did have my camera because it was my job to take a picture of each person in their costume to make a book for next year's reference. I did take a few extra pictures, especially when Austin was riding the horse as Captain Moroni.