Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Youth Standards Night


A friend asked about this, so I thought I would post what we did for Standards Night with our Young Men and Young Women this last year. We were thrilled to have record numbers for the event! 27!!!! It was so great!!


Scott found the idea for the cruise and then I worked on tweeking it to match the current For Strength of Youth manual. We did a 30 minute "cruise" and then we "hit a storm" and had to abandon ship (the building). The youth needed survival items and went on a scavenger hunt to find them. (30 min). The we all abandoned ship and went to the "desert island' ( the land behind the church building). The Captain aka the Bishop talked to the youth about what each item represented and how their standards compared to the item and to their lives.

Overall a fabulous evening!! Huge Success!! So thankful that Heavenly Father guided all the ideas!!!


Here's our scavenger hunt clues, how they related to the items, and what item matched up to each standard and what room they were hidden in.

Standards from the For Strength of Youth pamphlet - the items the youth need to collect - Where they will be

*Why the standard matches the item

**The Scavenger hunt clue


Agency and Accountability - tools - Scout room

*Choose the right tools and be accountable for how you use them.

**Building a new life on an island takes skill. Be prepared!


Gratitude - Journal - RS room

*By recording our thoughts we are better able to see our blessings and be grateful for them.

**The Captain records all his thoughts about his voyage in a captains log You’ll find something similar in the place where women gather.


Education - scriptures- library

*Seek ye learning....even by study and prayer.

**The Lord sent Nephi and his brothers to get these. They are just as important to us today. You’ll improve your education when you find these with other tools of learning.


Family - comforters/blankets- mothers lounge

*A family can support and comfort you through life.

**Babies love to be wrapped up. You might, too.


Friends - compass - foyer (with a large compass taped on the floor)

*Good friends help us stay on course.

**North, south, east or west, you’ll need a Liahona to guide you best. The center is the place to start. Don’t forget X marks the spot.


Dress and Appearance - clothing - classroom 114

*Are you dressed to survive?

**Castaways always look ragged when they are rescued. Take extra of these from stateroom 101, 114, or 119.


Entertainment and Media - games - primary room

*Is your entertainment virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy?

**Avoid Cabin Fever, take these from the children’s room.


Music and Dancing - hymnbooks - YW room

*D&C 136:28 Praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing.

**Sailors songs are horrible. Help them change their tune in the beautiful young ladies room.


Language - whistle - classroom 109

*Blow the whistle on bad language.

**You’ll need a way to signal others on the island. You’ll find this in stateroom 102, 109, or 115.


Dating - matches - classroom 116

*choosing the right person to match up with can keep you from getting burned.

**Warmth, light and signals are all started with these. You’ll find them in stateroom 105, 113, or 116.


Sexual purity - water bottles- drinking fountains

*stay pure before you get married

**You never know what there is to drink on an island. Stock up before you go!


Repentance - soap - baptismal font

*get clean - repent!

**If your going to have to live and survive together, you’ll definitely want some of this. Find it at the ships pool.


Honesty - seeds - classroom 103

*Are you sowing the seeds of truth or lies?

**Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime. You’ll need these to help you grow on the island. Look for them in state room 118, 111, or 103.


Sabbath Day observance - tent - gym closet

*protect yourself from the storms of life by keeping the sabbath day holy.

**Protect yourself from storms. The biggest room is the place to go (Stay out of the Chapel).


Tithes and offerings - backpack - bishop’s office

*The windows of Heaven are pouring out blessings. Do you have room to receive them?

**The captains cabin has something to help ease your burden.


Physical health - granola bars - kitchen

*find treasures of health and knowledge as you keep the word of wisdom.

**You’ll need nourishment for the trip. Time to raid the fridge.


Service to others - candle - coat rack ( in a coat pocket)

*Jesus said, When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.” He is a light in the darkness. You can be, too.

**Don’t leave the ship without something to light your way. You’ll find it by the exit.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Holiday Travels



We are now back in Texas (for the holidays). And we left before the snow storm hit in Indiana. Yea!

Wait, Wait......We live in Indiana? Since when? Oh, yea....It's been a year now! A whole year and we are officially Hoosiers!! We each have a very ugly driver licenses, Indiana plates on the cars and a "permanent" address!

However, we are in Texas for 2 weeks for the holidays (yea for paid vacations!). So far we've driven 20 hours (which includes a 2 hour stop at a rest area at 4am). Oh and btw, the reasons the hotels are empty is because everyone is was asleep at the rest areas. What recession!!??

We've had Christmas with my brother Walter and his wife Lynsi (Walty & Lula), had AWESOME BBQ (THANKS Dad!!!), and a huge turkey dinner with all the sides. Plus all the deserts you can eat. We're going to be so fat when this is done with. Hurray for New Years Resolutions. :)

We'll head to San Angelo tomorrow and go to war, ie paintball with ALL the Clayson siblings. BRING IT ON!

Hopefully, I'll have some great pictures of the event. Until then, enjoy these others.

Josh - Age 7


Aaron - Age 5 1/2


Celeste - Age 10


Eli - Age 3 1/2