Gathering in the Grove (GIG)

Early-Morning Devotional in the Sacred Grove

This past weekend was Gathering in the Grove, a regional YSA conference bringing in close to 300 young single adults from all over the northeast.  It was held in one of our favorite places to be - Palmyra, NY.

One of the YSA at Zions Camp where many camped out in tents.
They nearly froze the first night.

YSA's gathered around the campfire

One of our Albany YSA reps, expressing to me how tired she was.

Three of our five workshop presenters waiting for the YSA to arrive.

The conference provided workshops, service opportunities, a keynote speaker, an early-morning devotional in the Sacred Grove, temple sessions, a dance, campfires, games, and site seeing. Camping was provided at Zions Camp located at the foot of the Hill Cumorah.

Elder Ellsworth and I were invited to present one of the workshops.  The other presenters included our CES supervisor and a member of our temple presidency with whom we served 3 years ago.  We also served with several other CES missionary couples doing behind-the-scenes kinds of service involving registration, serving the food, set-up, clean-up and social media. Elder Ellsworth was invited to serve in the baptistry during the Friday evening session because of his past experiences there. This has happened once before with a youth group who attended the temple, and it will be the case again in August for the Albany Stake Youth Conference.

The final activity was a sacrament and testimony meeting at the stake center in Palmyra.  It was so inspiring to see the chapel and overflow filled with young single adults, realizing that many were growing in light and testimony as they listened and felt the spirit in that meeting.  The closing speaker was Elder Marc Clay who lives in the area and served as a stake president before being called to the Quorum of the Seventy.

On Saturday, the keynote speaker for the conference was a leading LDS tour guide in Israel.  I had heard him present a fireside in Mesa nearly 25 years ago and admired then his tremendous knowledge of the Holy Land and the significance it plays with the promised land here.  Hearing him again caused me to reflect on personal growth and experiences that have happened in my life since then.  

While in Palmyra we were blessed to spend a little bit of time with friends from our first mission.  We spent our nights at the temple president's home where we use to hold family home evenings every week.  We feel so blessed to be in a mission now that overlaps with our previous experiences.  It not only helps us serve the members in Albany better, it keeps us connected with those we have come to know and love from before. We had lunch with one couple that we lived with, and had pizza late one evening with a couple who were and still are temple coordinators. They are from Buffalo.  They were recently called to serve in the new temple presidency when the change takes place in November. And, as mentioned, we taught with another good friend.  He and his wife and I shared a similar speaking opportunity at the Jamestown Womens Conference - our final assignment as we left our last mission. We have been so blessed as we sacrifice to serve.