Temple Youth Celebration Fireside

Tonight we had our Daybreak Stake Kickoff Fireside for the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Youth Celebebration and it went just fabulous! We had a great turnout and everything went just perfect. We showed the Celebration DVD that the Temple Dedication Committee gave us and that was a good start so everyone got a good idea of what the youth will be doing for their Celebration.

Next Kimberly, Stake Event Coordinator, introduced the Celebration Program, the Daybreak Stake Dance assignment, Rehearsal Schedule, Important Dates, What Will I GiveProject, Duty to God and Personal Progress and the Daybreak Stake Youth Temple Celebration Blog. Here's a copy of her talk:

{By Kimberly Lester - Stake Event Coordinator}
Are we EXCITED! DO WE HAVE A CAUSE TO CELEBRATE? With so many Temples around us, and with a Temple in our very own neighborhood, I believe we do have a cause to Celebrate! And our Prophet, President Monson believes that as well - that is why he has asked that we all participate in celebration as we prepare to dedicate the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. A fantastic Temple Dedication Committee has been assembled under the direction of Elder Rasband, Elder Pingree and Elder Price, and they have been working on this celebration since last July. I would like to share with you the vision of this great youth celebration of music and dance, that you will be performing in at the Conference Center on May 30th.

The area where the organ pipes are in the conference center will be turned into a huge mountain. In the beginning, Isaiah will be on top of that mountain calling out with an Israelite ram’s horn, called a “Shofar.” And other horn players will be scattered throughout the conference center receiving that call and answering back with their horns. There will be a 3,000 voice celebration choir coming down the aisles of the conference center singing “High on the Mountain Top” and they will be carrying banners. There will be 15 dances total.
1. The first is a tribute to the Timpanoga and Uintah Indians because they were here first before the Pioneers entered the valley. The youth assigned to this dance will perform a “Hoops Dance.”
2. Next, the Pioneers come into the Valley – and LDS recording artists – Tyler Castleton and Staci Peters have written a song that the choir will perform to pay tribute to these pioneers.
3. Then they will show how the pioneers first lived in dugouts when they arrived, and they will be emerging from these dugouts.
4. Then onto Dance and Celebration Pioneer style.
5. Next, there will be a Tribute to the development of the Train which was called the “Red Heffer.”
6. Then Industry – we will see the pioneers build a town and see a town come to life.
7. Then the mayor comes out and pays a tribute to the immigrants who traveled here - the Swiss, German, Austrian, Irish, etc.. It will be very colorful and cultural.
8. Then we’ll enjoy watching a baseball game on a Saturday afternoon! Baseball was huge with the pioneers and an important part of history. Their team name was called the “Red Gales.” So it will be fun watching a game with the vendors and all.
9. Next, we’ll see a farmer working in the fields and at the end of the day his wife bringing him a basket of food and water. We see this farmer and his sweetheart share a dance.
10.Then we’re going to liven things up and enter the “1920’s” with the “Charleston” dance. There will also be pictures shown on the jumbo-tron of the leaders of the church during that time.
11. Then we’ll see a video narration of Malachi and turning the hearts of the children to their fathers. Youth will be interviewing their grandparents and reminiscing during their times in the “1940’s” and dancing the “Swing.”
12. Then we’ll hear the voice of President Roosevelt saying “ yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy...” and there will be a tribute to the 5 branches of military. Members of the audience and church leaders will be asked to stand so we can pay tribute to them. There will also be pictures of them shown on the jumbo-tron.
13. Then we’ll head into the “1950’s” with soda jerks and car hops and 50’s style dancing!
14. There will be a “Specialty Dance Number” that will consist of 100 Laurel’s and Priests.
15. And lastly, Polynesian, Samoan, Tongan heritages will be represented and the “Haka Dance”, then Asian- and girls will do an oriental fan dance and the boys will play the Tyco Drums, and then to represent the Latin Heritages, A "Mexican Hat Dance" will be performed.
The conclusion will show the prophets from Joseph Smith to Gordon B. Hinckley and the importance of Temple work. Then a special theme song will be performed by the choir that was written by Tyler Castleton and Staci Peters. And then we’ll be blessed to hear from our Prophet, President Monson.

DOESN’T ALL THAT SOUND LIKE FUN?!NOW, WHAT DANCE DO YOU THINK OUR STAKE WILL BE DOING? WE GET TO DANCE THE 50’S!!!!!!!!! Who can forget the crazy 50’s? Now you youth may have seen the dances in movies and on TV, so it’s your turn to bring it to life! The dance number begins with the energy and excitement as the youth burst out on the stage. Some ideas will be to have some of the girls on roller skates as “car-hops” and some boys as soda jerks working in a soda fountain. At one point a real vintage ’57 chevy, or the like, drives onto the stage and the kids can dance and pose around it. Won’t that be amazing to have a 50’s car on the stage in the Conference Center?! We’ll be combined with the Founder’s Park Stake. We will each provide 75 boys and 75 girls. As far as our wardrobe goes, the colors we have been given are turquoise, hot pink and black. We can use polka dots on the skirts. Each young woman will need a “poodle” skirt that decorated with a cute appliqué, a scarf for the pony tail or around the neck, a white blouse, a white camisole or t-shirt worn under the blouse, biker shorts to wear under the skirt, white bobby sock and white keds, but that color may change). Each young man will need nice jeans rolled at the ankle to expose white socks, black shoes and a bright t-shirt either turquoise or hot pink. The dancers who will be on roller skates will wear capris, pinched top hat, drive in style blouse and an apron. If a young man wants to do this role, he will wear black pants and a shirt similar to the women’s top. We actually have some youth with us this evening modeling a sample of our costumes. (Justyce and Damon Oliphant in their 50’s style wardrobe.)

We know that this seems like it’s bigger than us all with our busy lives, but as we read in 1 Nephi chapter 17, we learn that Nephi was commanded to build a ship, and the Lord told him that He would show him the manner of how to complete this great task. We are also instructed that the Lord will prepare a way for us and that he will provide means whereby we can accomplish the thing which he has commanded. The way has been prepared for us through the Temple Dedication Committee, with their dance, choir and wardrobe coordinators, and they have show unto us how we shall accomplish this great task. In our own stake we have Dance, Choir and Wardrobe Coordinators, and I would like to introduce them to you: Brother Ross and Sister Jessica Cox are our Dance Coordinators. Brother Richard and Sister Karla Parkinson are our Choir Coordinators. And Brother Eric and Sister Lisa Oliphant are our Wardrobe Coordinators. They are so excited and confident and eager to work with you all. The other part in helping us to achieve this great task is having a rehearsal schedule. We will be having rehearsals on Wednesday nights from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM. This night will become your mutual night. If you are part of the dance, you will meet at the Founder’s Park Stake Center, combined with their stake, and learn all those great 50’s moves! You will have your leaders who will be with you. It’s important that you are dedicated and committed to this schedule so that you may learn the dances. If you are part of the Choir, you will meet on the same night, Wednesday’s from 7:00 – 9:00 PM, with your leaders, and you will meet at the Dune's Building. It’s also important for you to be committed to this schedule so that you can learn the great music that will be provided. We hope that you will all say like Nephi “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”

There is also another great part to this whole Temple Celebration Experience. It should be the Primary Experience as you go through this journey. It’s called: “What Will I Give?”
The scriptures are full of examples of the Children of God making offerings to the Lord (including at temple dedications—Ezra 6:16-17) as a symbol of their commitment. The early Saints offered up their time, their talents, their money and their possessions to build temples in this last dispensation.

WHAT WILL YOU OFFER?
In addition to offering your time and your talents in preparing for the CELEBRATION EVENT, we invite all youth and their families, along with all adults involved in the Celebration to participate in the "WHAT WILL I GIVE PROJECT". The Lord doesn’t need literal china for these temples. But your “fine china” offering can be anything that will show Him your commitment to “come up to the mountain” as ready as you can be. * Spend more time in prayer or scripture study * Give up a habit that is keeping you from having the spirit with you * Fast more frequently * Participate in the temple more often * Choose to spend more time in the Duty to God or Personal Progress programs. Some other ideas are to have a What Will I Give Family Night. You could spend some time at the Temple. Sit on the Temple Benches and make the Temple a “grove of your own.” Commit to your What Will I Give offering there.
Whatever your offering, join in the project! Youth from the two temple districts will be sharing their experiences at TempleCelebration.blogspot.com beginning March 1, 2009. What will YOU offer? Join the conversation! And don’t forget to share on our own blog at DaybreakYouthTempleCelebration.blogspot.com
“Come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him…” (Omni 1:26)

We would like to also encourage you to use this Temple Celebration experience and work on your Duty to God and Personal Progress Goals. Your leaders will be given some handouts of all of the Duty to God and Personal Progress Goals that you will be able to complete during this Celebration journey. You will be able to complete so many of these goals and grow in many ways. We would like the YM/YW Presidents to come forward after the meeting tonight, so we may give each of you a folder with all the important information we have shared with you tonight.As you work on your Fine China Project, Duty to God and Personal Progress goals, and learn songs and dances, we would like you to share your thoughts and photos on our Daybreak Youth Temple Celebration Blog. The web address for this blog is printed at the bottom of your program. The purpose of this blog is to serve as a communication tool so that Stake and Ward Leaders, Parents and Youth can stay informed about the events, rehearsals and activities leading up to the Celebration. We also want to create a historical record of the experiences we will all share as we prepare our hearts and minds for the dedication of the House of the Lord, right in our very own neighborhood. So we invite you all to share your experiences through pictures and comments.

Lastly, I wish for you to know of our excitement, and our commitment to work with you during this great journey. It is truly a gift to us. We are so appreciative of your support. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will touch our lives. We will never forget this. Doctrine & Covenants 68:6 teaches, “Be of Good Cheer.” We are going to have so much fun and so much growth during this experience and we wish for all of us to “Be of Good Cheer” and to help to encourage and excite all those involved. Nobody should be left out. Everyone will have part in this celebration. In the end, it’s the lives of all of you that’s really important, moreso than the actual celebration show. But it’s through this celebration process that we will all grow. We are a gathering people, and we will be gathering in stake centers and ward buildings, and at the Conference Center to Celebrate the Dedication of The House of The Lord. We wish for the youth to have a connection to the Savior and the Temple during this Celebration process. It is our goal, and the goal of our Prophet and church leaders, and our Father in Heaven, that we may gather at the Temple, that we may Come Up To The Mountain of the Lord, so that we may come back to our Father in Heaven and gather with Him again forever. ~ In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Next, we enjoyed a special musical number from three Young Women in the 7th Ward - Kahla Keyser, Collette Mills, and Staci Richardson. They sang "Come Thou Fount" and Amy Lightfoot was their pianist. It was beautiful.

Brady Lester, a member of the Stake Youth Council spoke. Here's a copy of his talk:

{By Brady Lester - Member of the Stake Youth Council}
As Young Men and Women in the Church, we are so fortunate to have been invited to participate in this Youth Temple Celebration. Organizing, motivating and teaching 10,000 teenagers, to sing and dance, is a huge task and some might even say that it can’t be done. What those doubters may have forgotten is that it was a teenager, a fourteen year old teenager to be exact, who is responsible for our being here to celebrate this temple dedication in the first place. As a young man, Joseph Smith demonstrated faith, commitment and determination which led to the restoration of the Gospel. He also sacrificed so much throughout his life for his testimony of the truth. As Young Men and Women in the Church, we can demonstrate the same qualities to help this celebration be a life changing experience.
FAITH - In faith, we can approach our Heavenly Father in prayer and seek our own testimony of this great work and the role of temples in it. As we fulfill assignments, attend rehearsals, encourage our friends and support our leaders, our faith will increase and our lives will become temple centered.

COMMITMENT – Most of us don’t sing and dance in front of large audiences on a regular basis. In fact the very idea probably scares most of us to death. Making the commitment now to give 100% of our effort will ensure that we feel 100% satisfied with the experience when we are finished. Commit to making this a journey not just an event. Commit to embracing positive changes in your life. Commit to living, serving and participating as our Prophet has encouraged us to do.

DETERMINATION – If we are to succeed, 10,000 teenagers must be determined to succeed. It must be us that talks about this event to our friends and neighbors to enlist their help and support. We must be the examples at school who talk about the Youth Temple Celebration in the halls and through devotionals in seminary. It must be us who makes sure that the every kid in our ward is where they need to be when they need to be. It must be us who enlists and army of text messengers to spread the enthusiasm of this great celebration. When Malachi prophesied that the hearts of the children would turn to their fathers, could he have caught a glimpse of our day? Could he see then that perhaps the hearts of the children would turn to their fathers by first turning the thumbs of the children to their fathers?

SACRIFICE - Members of the Church in Kirtland donated their fine china to be ground up and mixed into the plaster. Their sacrifice would be noticed through the sparkling exterior of the Temple walls. We have also been invited to participate in a fine china project of our own. Now we haven’t been asked to clean out our mom’s dish cabinet. Instead, we are being asked to open our hearts and offer a different kind of sacrifice. Our sacrifice might be the giving of our time and our talents. We might include in our sacrifice; acts of service, participating in baptisms for the dead, completing our reading of the Book of Mormon, working on family history, or a variety of other things that demonstrate to our Father in Heaven that we love Him and wish to honor His House in our neighborhood. May each of us find life changing experiences throughout the journey as we participate in this historic celebration.

M'Kenna Smith, a member of the Stake Youth Council from the 2nd Ward spoke. She talked about how Preparing to enter the Temple Strengthens her Testimony and Faith in Christ. This young woman truly has a strong testimony of the Temple and how she was been preparing to enter the House of Lord since the time she was little but has really made it a focus in her life recently.

We showed a Slide Show of the different construction phases of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple and put it to song, "True Believers" from the "Be Thou an Example" CD for the Youth Theme this year. It was great.

President Ford from the Stake Presidency was the concluding speaker. He talked about so many important things like the blessing of this Temple being right in our own backyard. The commitment from the Youth and the adult leaders, and how the Temple Dedication Committee is counting on 110% participation - 100% from the youth and 10% from their non-member friends. I know he shared so many other things I just can't remember all of it now.

It was so great to hear from the youth. We had two other members of the Stake Youth Council participate. Chelsey Reilley of the 1st Ward, said the Opening Prayer and Connor Erickson of the 12th Ward, said the Closing Prayer.

The spirit was felt and their was fun and excitement as well. This fireside was fantastic and couldn't of gone any better. We are so excited to see the youth go through this Temple Celebration Journey!