A Dog's Life

This is a "candid" shot of Molly, enjoying a rest this morning on "her chair." She was fast asleep. I find her in this kind of position more often than I would expect. Is this what they mean when they talk about "a dog's life"??

June stake camps part 3 - YW camp

I have loved Young Women camp for a long time. I was privileged to attend camp as the stake high councilor for three years before being called to the stake presidency, and those were marvelous experiences for me. It was such a privilege to be at the camp all week, to be devoted to serving and helping, and to be blessed by the wonderful programs and activities planned for the young women.

Since being called to the presidency, I have tried to continue to participate at an appropriate level. We have the chance to go to camp as a presidency on Tuesday evening to share a fireside with the girls, and we love doing that. But I also really love to just "lurk" on the sidelines or the backs of the classes and watch and listen. There is nothing quite like it.

This week, I stayed over Tuesday night after our devotional until lunch on Wednesday, and then came back up Thursday morning to watch until lunchtime. That was about all the time I could spare, but every moment was enjoyable. Bonnie was at camp all week (as she has been for years) with the stake camp committee, and so it was nice to spend some time with her as well. Here are a few photos from the week's events:



Of course, I have a special fondness for the Heber Valley Camp, a wonderful facility built in the mountains east of Heber City, about 45 minutes from our home in Orem. We've been involved with the camp since it opened in 2003. I created the initial website for the camp (which Bonnie took over and continues to develop), and we also created many of the initial hiking trails in the area. Matt's eagle scout project, along with several others from our stake, involved preparing and clearing hiking trails. I spent many hours on those mountains, and "our" sections of the trail have a special feel to me still. This year, after a very moist spring, the undergrowth was lush and full, and the wildflowers were everywhere. I took an early-morning hike and enjoyed "communing with nature" along "our" trail.

Happy father's day!

Today was a very nice day, and I enjoyed having few extra Sunday meetings (hurrah for "Family Sabbath" in our stake!) and some very enjoyable time at home with most of the family. Bonnie fixed me a very wonderful breakfast, including very delicious gingerbread waffles with cinnamon syrup. Yum!

The mornings are pretty quiet now without children around; but I know they are much more quiet for Bonnie when I'm gone to Church meetings. I'm really grateful to have these occasional Sundays to be at home. I very much enjoy serving in my calling, but the time it takes me away from home and family is sometimes a burden. So it's especially nice to have days like today to make up for it.

I really missed Matt today. I wish I had heard from him; it's not the same on Father's Day to have a child "missing" like this. I don't think it's quite fair that missionaries get to call home on Mother's Day but not on Father's Day! But I can't complain much; I am so happy to have him learning and growing the way he is in the mission field.

Sarah and Brian, and Adam, Alessandra, and Andrew came to join us for dinner. We feasted on delicious barbecued pork cutlets, rice, wonderful tomato salad, etc. It was a delightful, enjoyable day! I feel very loved!

June stake camps part 2 - YSA in Logan

We appreciated the wonderful stake Young Men camp the first weekend in June. It was followed this weekend by a 3-day stake Young Single Adult event held in Cache Valley, near Logan. Bonnie was already in Logan on Wednesday and Thursday for a training seminar, so I joined her late Wednesday and we had a mini-vacation together. The youth came up on Thursday — about 60 of them. There was lots of good food, nice firesides and discussions, a visit to the Martin Harris gravesite, and other good events.

The weather was less than ideal, but it cleared wonderfully on Friday for a day of boating and everyone had a great time. After a service project on Saturday morning, everyone was glad to head for home.

June stake camps part 1 - Canyon View Stake MTC (Missionary Training Camp)

Our stake has held occasional stake camps for young men, often with a Scouting or Duty to God emphasis. We scheduled one for this year (June 4-6), and as I worked with the stake Young Men leaders, we felt impressed to focus on missionary preparation. So the idea of the MTC (Missionary Training Camp) was born.

We chose a location we've used before, at Millsite State Park near Ferron in central Utah, about 2 1/2 hours from home. It's a little far for a short event like this, but the setting is wonderful and gave us privacy. Click the image below for a larger composite panorama view of this wonderful location:


There was some tremendous planning that went into this event, with about 140 young men (from 12 to 18) eventually participating. It was an interesting feeling, to see them all in a remote campground like this, dressed in a white shirt and tie! These first photos were taken by my friend Glen Mella, the wonderful bishop of the young single adult ward in our stake:



So why does that guy who is speaking keep waving his right hand???

At the opening fireside late Thursday afternoon, each boy was given a letter "calling" him to one of 8 missions (led by 8 of the bishops in our stake). They were assigned a companion who was generally not their age and not in their ward. They spent most of the next 24 hours (except for sleeping time) with their companion and mission, not with their wards. For some, it was a push out of their "comfort zone" but with very few exceptions, turned out to be a great part of the learning experience. All this was intended to give them a glimpse of what the mission experience will be — we talked about companion relationships and supporting each other as you serve and learn.

We kept them pretty busy for that day. We had a variety of fun, competitive activities intermixed with study, learning, practicing, and actually teaching a missionary discussion to some "investigators." Even the activities simulated mission experiences and taught principles: how to sew on a button, wash and iron clothes, do laundry, ride bikes, etc. Here are some sample photos I took of the events:



After dinner on Friday, we had a concluding fireside where they were "released" from their assignments. Then they returned to their ward encampments for an evening campfire and testimony meeting. There were wonderful reports of the lessons learned, spirit that was felt, and resolve to prepare better.

Beautiful June

It's already June 1. As usual, the year is moving quickly by.

"Then let us, one and all, be contented with our lot;
The June is here this morning, and the sun is shining hot;
Oh! let us fill our hearts up with the glory of the day,
And banish ev'ry doubt and care and sorrow far away."

James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916), American writer and poet

Utah in early June can be spectacular. The hills are radiant green and the mountains behind then are still covered in glowing snow. I love this time of year. (But then, I love Utah all year long!) Here are three examples of the beautiful views: