Elder Adison Van Houten will Return with Honor on Friday, January 15, 2016 from serving a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Van Houten was called to serve in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission beginning January 2014. Some changes occurred a little after a year and the mission home was moved to Arkansas to be more central to mission boundaries and was renamed the Arkansas Bentonville Mission. Elder Van Houten served in Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. He will speak on Sunday, January 17 at 9am in the Mesquite 4th Ward at the LDS Stake Center, located at 100 N Arrowhead Ln. Mike and Robyn Van Houten are the parents of Adison.

The Merit Badge Pow Wow for the Virgin River Valley Boy Scouts of America was held on Sat. January 9 and 16, 2016 for scouts from 12 units in Mesquite, Littlefield, and Bunkerville. There are 11 scout units sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and 1 sponsored by the Elks Lodge and the Mesquite Resort Association. About 120 scouts ranging in age 11 to 17 years attended classes and worked on earning merit badges in Citizenship in the Nation, Community and World. Some merit badges are required and some are elective. Scouts worked on Cooking, Emergency Preparedness, First Aid and Family Life and Communications which are required. They could also choose to work on elective merit badges in Energy, Genealogy, American Business, Traffic Safety, Chess, Geocaching, Fishing, Medicine, Music, Auto Mechanics, Reading and Art. Scouts were able to sign up for 4 merit badges. Some merit badges have requirements that take a full 3 months such as Family life which involves keeping track of their duties at home and doing a project around their home to improve it. Personal Management also takes 3 months to complete and it involves keeping track of their spending and saving for 3 months. There were 27 counselors who taught classes and will also do the follow-up when the scouts finish their requirements on each merit badge. Mike Van Houten set up a driving course for scouts to practice their driving skills for the traffic safety merit badge. Counselor Wes Carter helped the scouts mix and bake cookies as part of the requirements for Cooking merit badge. They will also have to prepare meals at home for their family and cook outdoors on a burner as part of the additional requirements to earn the badge. Firemen, Kenyon Leavitt and Spencer Lewis, taught First Aid to the scouts. Stephanie Vogel helped them make a family tree showing their ancestors and their dates and places. Steve Hoff and Chris Vogel taught them how to play Chess and look ahead to make strategies to win. The scouts were served breakfast, attended classes and then were served lunch before going to afternoon classes. Much appreciation goes to all the merit badge counselors who spent their time teaching the youth in our valley. The scouts will now have to finish the requirements and apply for the various merit badges they worked on.

Alejandro Mejia received his Eagle Scout Award at a court of honor on Friday, January 15, 2016 at the Veteran’s Center. His Eagle Project was setting up baseball foul poles on both Old Mill Baseball fields for the City of Mesquite. Alex earned 30 merit badges; only 21 are required to receive the Eagle Award. He said his favorite merit badge was Wilderness Survival when he had to build a shelter and sleep in it. He is a freshman at Virgin Valley High School where he is a member of the football and basketball teams. He is a member of Troop 2060 sponsored by the Elks Lodge and is the son of Shelia and Miguel Mejia. Petra Jones, his scoutmaster, gave him the Eagle Charge. “I challenge you to be a responsible citizen and to be an example to the younger scouts. Scouting has given you great opportunities and now you have a responsibility to serve your fellow scouts and help them on the trail.” The Eagle award was given to his mother to pin on his uniform. Alex gave his dad a pin also to thank him for his help in reaching his rank of Eagle Scout. Mr. Mejia said, “I have worked with the troop since Alex started in cub scouts and I was his Webelos Leader and it is a great occasion to see him receive his Eagle Award!” Father Blaise of the Catholic Church spoke about the scout law and said, “Reverence is the last article of the scout law but it is not in last place or in first place, it holds up every other word; it is the whole. Without reverence the rest of it will collapse. A scout being reverent is so vital to everything he does.” Alex gave his mentor pin to Ms. Jones. She has taught me everything I know about scouting,” he said. Ms. Jones has been the scoutmaster for 6 years and served 6 years’ prior as assistant scoutmaster in Troop 60. Alex spoke to the scouts in his troop and told them, “Keep on working at it although it is hard you learn so many new skills. I thank God for helping me and Roger Gessell. I want to thank you fellow scouts for helping me with my project.” Alex was presented with a pocketknife engraved with “Eagle Scout” by Duane Thurston of the Virgin River Valley BSA.

Pine Wood Derby will be even better on the new aluminum race track with the lift kit.

The Mesquite 3rd Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had a change in leadership on January 10, 2016. Tim Barnard is the new Bishop with Charles Lee , 1st Counselor and Steven Tobler, 2nd Counselor. Mesquite 3rd Ward meets at 9 am in the Whipple Chapel, located 121 Whipple Way.

Sister Amy Robison has returned from serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in the Birmingham, Alabama Mission for 18 months. Tori and John Robison are the parents of Amy. Sister Robison will speak on January 10th at 9am in the Mesquite 2nd Ward in the Littlefield Chapel.

A group of youth from the Mesquite 6th Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continued a tradition of singing Christmas Carols from a hay wagon. This year as they caroled in the neighborhood they stopped and paid a visit to the elderly residents of the Beehive Home in Mesquite. The young people gathered in the entrance to sing to all who would listen and then went to the rooms of those who are bedridden to sing to them individually. It would be difficult to determine who enjoyed themselves the most, the young or the not so young. Back row L-R Abby Barnum, Becky Teschner, Sarah Walters, Stacy Brown, Cameron Cox, Mark Larsen, Spencer Cox, Jarron Hafen Front row L-R Skyler Adamson, Mira Larsen, Eris, Lewis, Sarah Barnum, Alyssa Kruse , Drew Davis, Kelci Cardinal, Kyler Worthen, Adam Teschner and Nathan Reber

The Mesquite 6th Ward activity girls enjoyed caroling. Their leader is Jennifer Reber.

Eight scouts from Pack 8 sponsored by the Mesquite Resort Association earned their Arrow of Light and will now be a part of Troop 40 sponsored by the Elks Lodge. The scouts are Aidan Oliver, Andrew Benda, Andrew Leavitt, Drew romero, Juan-Carlos Silva, Kyan Monsen, T.J. Buerrero, and Tristing Murguia. Kelton Chamerlain represented Akela and gave each boy an arrow. Dave West is one of their leaders. The Arrow of Light Award is the only patch that boys can earn in cub scouts and wear on their Boy Scout shirt. To earn the Arrow of Light the Webelos scout must be active in his pack, complete 5 activity badges including Fitness, Citizenship, Ready-man,and Outdoors-man and understand the Honesty Character Connection. The scout also goes on an overnight camp or a day hike with his pack to earn the Arrow of Light Badge. Photo info, l to r... Aidan Oliver, Andrew Benda, Andrew Leavitt, Drew Romero, Juan-Carlos Silva, Kyan Monsen, TJ Guerrero Kelton Chamberlain and Dave West in the back (Tristin Murgula was not able to attend that night)

December 13, 2015, a leadership change happened in the Mesquite 5th Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Travis Wakefield was called as the new Bishop with Kai Davis, 1st Counselor and Art Shaner, 2nd Counselor.

A crowd that filled the chapel and beyond were delighted with the presentation " The Spirit of Christmas" Sunday evening, December 13, 2015. The Mesquite Nevada Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were represented with musical groups and speakers from Littlefield, Mesquite and Bunkerville. Each ward or congregation provided a Christmas musical number interspersed with interpreters representing figures from the nativity. The variety and wide age range of the performers added a special spirit of joy and wonder. On a large screen at the front of the chapel specially produced videos showed the wondrous events of that sacred night long ago. David Anderson, President of the Mesquite Stake concluded the program with a moving testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He encouraged everyone present to take the spirit that we felt there and carry it through all our activities this season. Videos may be viewed at mormon.org

Ted & Nancy Mickelson will serve a 23 month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They will leave on December 28, 2015 to the Canada, Winnipeg Mission and will be member and leadership support missionaries for 23 months. Brother and Sister Mickelson will speak in the Mesquite 2nd Ward meeting on December 13, 2015 at 10 am in the Littlefield Chapel.