Church Youth Activites

Savannah, Candise and Haley

Savannah and Candise

Taylor and Makenzye



THE PIONEER TREK
Savannah and Addison went on the Youth Trip with our church and lived like the pioneers did for 3 days and 2 nights! They both did not want to go! It was hard work but they enjoyed it. One, more then the other of course!

I took most of these next words from a friend(her blog)who went on the trek as a Ma with her husband as a Pa! Just changed the words a bit to suit Savannah and Addison and the main idea of the trek and what they did. Thanks Jamie G! Lots of people posted pictures and that is where I got them all since I was not there and my kids didn't take any! Thanks all for the pictures! Their ma and pa's really took care of my kids and I thank them so much!

The night before the trek, everyone gathered at the church building and meet their families. They were put into family groups for each cart. Family banners were made and a family yell was decided!

The next morning they set out for the hills! When they got there, they set up handcarts and had a re-enactment of Joseph Smith being tarred and feathered. Then Brother Brigham Young announced the journey and they took off!
They hiked about 4 miles and then stopped for lunch. After eating, they hiked another 3 to 4 miles and stopped for the day. They camped at a farm on the ground. Then they had their family devotional. They sang lots of hymns together. Then Porter Rockwell came and talked to them for a while and told them all of his wonderful stories.

The next day we took off with the handcarts and went uphill for a long time. It was hardest part of it all. We were stopped by the wagon master and told that they had to cross a creek. They had to unpack the cart and carry it across the gorge. They all had to help each other. They all worked together and helped each other even though it wasn't their cart. Then we had a play about the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies. They travelled on and stopped in a valley for lunch and pioneer activities. They shot guns, arrows, made axes, chopped wood, and sawed logs. They were taught how to drive the two Belgium horses too! After that, they hiked on until they came to the top of a hill that overlooked the gorgeous valley. The girls got to sleep in rope bunks and the boys slept in wagons, pig pens, or out under the stars.
They ate a dinner of BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn cake. Then they played pioneer games. Then the kids had a square dance!

The next morning they packed their handcarts for the last time and had a meeting. The men were called to war. While the men left, we women had a couple of activities to do. We made dolls, embroidered, wrote letters, and made butter.
Right after the women and girls pulled up the hill, the men came down the mountainside to help us. The next leg of our journey was called Testimony Hill. It used to be called The Widowmaker! All of the families were mixed at this point because it was so difficult to maneuver. It was very steep. Some of the boys were up and down that hill over and over. But, some of the kids overdid it and we had 5 kids end up in the hospital after that hill. I am surprised there were only 5.
After they all made it to the top, they enjoyed some watermelon. President Young came and welcomed us to the valley. We hiked down the hill and enjoyed a BBQ! The kids got letters from their parents and they unpacked the carts to head home!

It is sometimes a hard decision to know whether to send your kids on something they don't feel the need to go to and I'm glad that I did sent them. Even though they don't prefer what they might be doing...they can still feel the spirit and be uplifted by others there!

Jamie's shared her testimony on her blog and I would like to share it here! With her permission of course!
I was dreading this time. The men were called to war. I started to cry. I wasn't crying because of the emotional moment, I was crying because of how scared I was to do the Women's Pull. The day before I could not keep pace with the boys and I had never pulled the cart yet. I didn't know how I was going to do this, but I also knew that I couldn't abandon my girls. One of my “girls” saw me crying under my bonnet and came and put her arm around me. She told me that we'd all help each other pull. Her beautiful offering struck my heart.
While the men left, we women had a couple of activities to do. We made dolls, embroidered, wrote letters, and made butter. I was still on the verge of tears at this point. As I was walking to the activities, a thought came to my mind: "Fear is the opposite of Faith." I stopped right there and prayed to my Heavenly Father for the strength I needed for the women's pull. I felt a calmness come over me. When the time came, I put on my gloves, climbed into the yoke of the handcart and pulled with my girls! It was amazing! We did the whole thing and all of us did it together! When we came to the huge hill that we had to do without the men, I was right there and did it. The Lord gave me the strength to do more than I could do on my own. It was such a testimony to me of faith.(Jamie G.,Aug 2010)

Our youth and leaders before trek, then they separated into their new families for the trek! ( Sav behind Add at end of leftside.)

Addison hanging with friends between carts for a meal.(in plaid shirt kneeling)

Savannah taking care of her families' baby.

Playing games(Addison in the navy blue and black...scratching his ankle.)

Candise, Savannah and Ema (was in Savannah's family)

Clappping to the music at the square dance!

Candise and Savannah stilling finding time to hang even though they were put in different families.