Approximately 225 youth and leaders attended the 3 day event held on the Snow College campus in Ephraim, Utah. All arrived at 4:30 am on the morning of June 19 to prepare to board 4 buses to travel the 4+ hours to Ephraim. Upon arrival at Snow College and after unloading luggage at our apartments activities were immediately underway. First was orientation and kickoff. Each youth and leader received a wristband to participate in a variety of activities. Badger Blast games was a 3 hour series of outdoor games and activities such as rock wall climbing, riding tandem bikes, playing dodge ball and human foosball and eating snow cones. That evening we attended the Mormon Miracle Pageant at the Manti Utah Temple Grounds. The kids spent hours saving seats and wandering the streets of Manti. They also encountered protesters. This caused some curiosity and many testimonies were strengthened as they were able to bear their testimonies on what they believe. The morning of our second day was spent in workshop rotations. Topics for the rotations were “Friends”, “Honesty and Integrity”, “Choice and Accountability”, and “The Armor of God: Staying Strong in a Changing World”. Many lessons were learned during each half hour class. In the afternoon the youth attended water games. They played outside running water relays, slipping and sliding, launching water balloons and ending with a giant water fight. Later in the evening the youth attended a fireside where our youth council leaders each spent five minutes sharing their thoughts and testimonies on topics important to them. Topics included building faith, being happy, doing the simple things and choosing the Lord’s side. They also heard from President Jensen. He talked to them about things that are truly important. He also challenged the youth to tithe their time and give at least 2 hours of every day to the Lord. Following the fireside the youth attended a multi-stake dance. Youth from the Sunset Stake in St. George joined with our youth for 2 hours of dancing and fun. There was a lot of involvement and dancing and fun. The morning of our final day in Ephraim was spent in a testimony meeting. Youth took turns sharing what they learned over the 3 day period and how they were strengthened. Many touching testimonies were borne. After testimony meeting we had lunch at the park behind the church before departing for home. It was a fun filled, spirit filled, lots of learning and activities packed into 3 days that will never be forgotten.

The Young Singles Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received a new Presidency on June 15, 2014. The new President is James DeLaMare with his 1st Counselor, Alan Hepworth and his 2nd Counselor, Danny Decker. Welcome from the Mesquite Nevada Stake! Alan Hepworth, President James DeLaMare, Danny Decker

The Spanish Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received a new Presidency on June 15, 2014. The new President is David Leavitt, 1st Counselor, Mere Calderon and the 2nd Counselor is Kyle Hughes. Welcome from the Mesquite Nevada Stake!

Seminary Graduation The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints would like to invite the public to join with parents, students and friends for the 2013-2014 Seminary Graduation. 30 students will be receiving their diplomas or other certificates of recognition. The objective of seminary, to help youth understand and rely on the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple, and prepare themselves, their families, and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven. The Seminary Graduation will be held Sunday, June 1st in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Stake Center, located at 100 North Arrowhead.

Elder Tyson Teerlink returned from an honorable mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was involved in a car accident in December while serving in the Johannesburg South Africa Mission. Elder Teerlink came home early to seek medical attention. Elder Teerlink will be speaking in the Mesquite 6th Ward in the Whipple Chapel at 1 p.m. He is the son of Cheryl and Shem Teerlink of Bunkerville. Welcome home Elder!

The Genealogy Jamboree was held last Saturday at the Mesquite Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Kena Toone, the coordinator of the event was pleased with the response and impressed with the quality of the teachers and presenters. “I think that was our real strong point. The classes were packed with information to help those who want to research their families.” She even brought in her brother-in-law, Trent Toone, a reporter for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City to teach a class on interviewing people and then writing interesting stories about their lives and memories to add to family histories. Kena added “And teachers learned things too! Krista Garner who taught a class on finding and organizing primary source material such as birth and death certificates made at least 10 new discoveries on her family line just while demonstrating the methods.” Committee members who helped make the day a big success were Kaye Woolley who organized the Youth Camp and nursery for kids while their parents were attending classes, Cammy Meierhoff arranged a wonderful display of historic quilts, Dena Hoff took care of publicity, Ammon Arave was the internet and tech expert, and Jennifer Tichenor was in charge of getting sponsorships. About 200 people participated in the event, ate the lunch provided and came away inspired to start or keep doing family history research. On going classes, assistance and computers are available at the Family Search Center at the Mesquite Nevada Stake building located at 100 North Arrowhead Street in Mesquite. These services are freely offered and sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Family Search Center telephone number is 346-2342. The hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9am to 9pm and Friday 9am to 1pm.

Young Women Are Recognized A special dinner and program were held May 7, 2014 to honor young women who have earned their Young Women Recognition Award. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a program for girls from the ages of 12 years to 18 years that consists of goal-setting and achievement in personal and spiritual aspects of their lives. At this year’s event 22 young women of the valley were recognized for their accomplishments and successful completion of the requirements. Each completed a series of value experiences and prepared and delivered a value project that required 10 or more hours of preparation and execution. These endeavors were overseen and approved by leaders and parents. The program was organized by Ashley Bunker and consisted of a wonderful dinner for the honored young women and their parents followed by a program attended by all the young men and women of the Mesquite Nevada Stake. Special musical numbers and inspiring talks were presented to the young people and their leaders, stake presidency, and bishops.

An amazing recreation of Harry Potter’s world greeted 149 local Cub Scouts as they began their 4 day Cub Scout Day Camp April 2nd thru the 5th. This valley wide gathering of boys from 8 to 10 years was held at the Mesquite, Nevada Stake building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for a lot of fun and learning. They met for three afternoons and Saturday morning to play games, complete goals in their Cub Scout advancement, and eat yummy meals like the Friday turkey feast. The boys were able to earn Cub Scout badges in 9 different achievement groups and do such fun things as shoot BB guns, see magic tricks, and make magic wands. The Cub Scouts worked on projects like a wood holder for their Arrow of Light award that they completed and took home. Those adults responsible for preparing these projects are Tiffany and Richard Heath, John and Jessica Meierhoff, and Gary Hillius. “The boys all had a wonderful time and I could not have done it without my awesome helpers” said the chairperson of the event Krissy Thornton. She was quick to credit the hard work of her committee Leora Potter, Nikki Thornton, Melinda Abbott, and Kenda and Whitnee Heath. The amazing decorations of the world of Harry Potter was done by Ryan Thornton, Daniel Felix, and Val, Carol, John, and Aaron Woods. Isela Zarate took hundreds of photos to record the event. To the boys’ delight there were characters from Harry’s world that interacted with them making the atmosphere all the more magical. The cast consisted of Josh Abbott, Kaci Mickelson, Ray Toombs, Chance Thornton, Wyatt Hillius, and Val and Riley Woods. It seemed they had as much fun as the boys. Krissy herself was dressed in costume and went about giving “gold” coins when she observed acts of service. “It was important to me that the three goals of the event were that the boys were always respectful and kind and that they loved one another. I am gratified to say I saw a lot of that behavior. We have a lot of really good kids.” Two important helpers were 13 year old Boy Scouts, Carson Johnson and David Vogel. Saturday morning the older boys called Webelos went on a 3 mile hike that wound through the community and for some amounted to nearly 4 miles. Teachers and leaders of these boys such as Jill Empey and Jennifer Tichenor are continually working to give these Cub Scouts wholesome, fun, learning experiences. The Cub Scout program is helping boys grow and develop into fine young men.

An amazing recreation of Harry Potter’s world greeted 149 local Cub Scouts as they began their 4 day Cub Scout Day Camp April 2nd thru the 5th. This valley wide gathering of boys from 8 to 10 years was held at the Mesquite, Nevada Stake building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for a lot of fun and learning. They met for three afternoons and Saturday morning to play games, complete goals in their Cub Scout advancement, and eat yummy meals like the Friday turkey feast. The boys were able to earn Cub Scout badges in 9 different achievement groups and do such fun things as shoot BB guns, see magic tricks, and make magic wands. The Cub Scouts worked on projects like a wood holder for their Arrow of Light award that they completed and took home. Those adults responsible for preparing these projects are Tiffany and Richard Heath, John and Jessica Meierhoff, and Gary Hillius. “The boys all had a wonderful time and I could not have done it without my awesome helpers” said the chairperson of the event Krissy Thornton. She was quick to credit the hard work of her committee Leora Potter, Nikki Thornton, Melinda Abbott, and Kenda and Whitnee Heath. The amazing decorations of the world of Harry Potter was done by Ryan Thornton, Daniel Felix, and Val, Carol, John, and Aaron Woods. Isela Zarate took hundreds of photos to record the event. To the boys’ delight there were characters from Harry’s world that interacted with them making the atmosphere all the more magical. The cast consisted of Josh Abbott, Kaci Mickelson, Ray Toombs, Chance Thornton, Wyatt Hillius, and Val and Riley Woods. It seemed they had as much fun as the boys. Krissy herself was dressed in costume and went about giving “gold” coins when she observed acts of service. “It was important to me that the three goals of the event were that the boys were always respectful and kind and that they loved one another. I am gratified to say I saw a lot of that behavior. We have a lot of really good kids.” Two important helpers were 13 year old Boy Scouts, Carson Johnson and David Vogel. Saturday morning the older boys called Webelos went on a 3 mile hike that wound through the community and for some amounted to nearly 4 miles. Teachers and leaders of these boys such as Jill Empey and Jennifer Tichenor are continually working to give these Cub Scouts wholesome, fun, learning experiences. The Cub Scout program is helping boys grow and develop into fine young men.

The Genealogy Jamboree was held last Saturday at the Mesquite Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Kena Toone, the coordinator of the event was pleased with the response and impressed with the quality of the teachers and presenters. “I think that was our real strong point. The classes were packed with information to help those who want to research their families.” She even brought in her brother-in-law, Trent Toone, a reporter for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City to teach a class on interviewing people and then writing interesting stories about their lives and memories to add to family histories. Kena added “And teachers learned things too! Krista Garner who taught a class on finding and organizing primary source material such as birth and death certificates made at least 10 new discoveries on her family line just while demonstrating the methods.” Committee members who helped make the day a big success were Kaye Woolley who organized the Youth Camp and nursery for kids while their parents were attending classes, Cammy Meierhoff arranged a wonderful display of historic quilts, Dena Hoff took care of publicity, Ammon Arave was the internet and tech expert, and Jennifer Tichenor was in charge of getting sponsorships. About 200 people participated in the event, ate the lunch provided and came away inspired to start or keep doing family history research. On going classes, assistance and computers are available at the Family Search Center at the Mesquite Nevada Stake building located at 100 North Arrowhead Street in Mesquite. These services are freely offered and sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Family Search Center telephone number is 346-2342. The hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9am to 9pm and Friday 9am to 1pm.

"Come unto Christ" is the 2014 theme for the youth (ages 12-18) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Approximately 300 youth from the church gathered on the evening of February 12, 2014 to talk Standards. The youth were divided into three groups and met in three different buildings located in Bunkerville and Mesquite. The evening began with a devotional at each building. All groups heard from local members of the church on a variety of topics. The oldest group (ages 16-18) received wonderful counsel on the topic of "Remaining Valiant and Going Forward With Faith". Those aged 14-15, were counseled on the importance of "Feasting on the Words of Christ". The youngest group (ages 12-13) learned how to be a good friend and how to better socialize with others. At the end of the devotional all the youth watched a video entitled "Come Unto Christ". It portrays youth struggling to make it through some of life's challenges and how their lives are changed as they determine to make Jesus Christ a part of their lives through prayer, scripture study, repentance and service. Many of the youth commented on how much they enjoyed the video. Following the devotional all the youth enjoyed a dinner and time to socialize with one another. It was a fun, inspiring evening for all who participated. The events for the evening were planned and carried out by local youth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We wish to express appreciation to those men and women who took time to help that evening by speaking, setting up technical equipment and preparing and serving food.

Elder Colby Clem has been called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Oregon Salem Mission. He will enter the Missionary Training Center (MTC) on Feb. 5, 2014. Colby’s parents (Charles and Gayla Clem) grew up here and just recently moved back after his dad retired from the Air Force. “I am very glad to be leaving for my mission from Mesquite, because Mesquite is home… always has been, always will be” said Elder Clem. Although serving a mission has always been something Elder Clem figured he would do, he didn’t make the final decision until his senior year. While preparing to leave on his mission, Colby had been working at McDonald. “I am very excited to go and teach the gospel, so they can be as happy as I am.”