Serving in Stake Primary 2020-2024

I was called as the Stake Primary President of the Lehi Thanksgiving Stake in March 2020. If you remember your world history, that is the month that everything shut down for the Covid-19 Pandemic. I was the very last in-person meeting that President Cody Tower had before everything moved to virtual meetings. (I don't think I wore a mask, I don't think those were things yet.) I was released on November 17, 2024. 

This calling has been such a beautiful experience for me and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity that I have had to learn, to serve, to teach, and to stand as a witness of the Savior Jesus Christ in such a tangible way. I am grateful for the people I have served with, the people I have met, the people I have learned from. I simultaneously felt like this was the perfect calling to use my specific talents and skills (administration, inspiration, public speaking, connection, leadership) and also felt like I was constantly stretching beyond my capacity. 

(Pictured from left to right: Samantha Shulca, Shantel Peaden, Lisa Freeman, Carolyn Morris.) 

When President Tower called me and told me I needed to call a presidency, I asked him if he had a list of people to consider for counselors. He responded "The stake directory." I think that response shocked me more than the call to serve in the Stake Primary did. I prayed and prayed to find the people that the Lord knew would be able to fill in for my weak areas and that would support me with kindness and friendship. Over the past (almost) five years I had four 1st counselors: Melissa Arnell, Ana Septon, Gabriela Palacios, and Samantha Shulca. I had three secretaries: Carrie Clark, Michelle Bradshaw, and Lisa Freeman.

But I only had one 2nd Counselor: Carolyn Morris. 

Each of these sisters brought goodness, perspective and love and each were a direct answer to my prayers for what the stake primary needed at that time. I could share stories about each sister and each situation and bear testimony for how I felt the hand of the Lord in bringing us together. From Melissa Arnell as the very first counselor I knew I should call and whose organizational skills were invaluable in setting our presidency up for success from the very beginning, to Samantha Shulca whose name I submitted after receiving a prompting that even though in the past I felt strongly about having a Spanish speaking sister to help communicate with the Lehi 51st Spanish ward, I should call this sister from France only to find out in the setting apart meeting that she is tri-lingual and also speaks Spanish fluently, I KNOW that the Lord led and guided me to find those I needed to be serving in this presidency with me. Of all of the amazing women that I served with, however, I can not think of Carolyn Morris without being filled with so much gratitude that tears come to my eyes. We were in it together since the beginning and every step of the way she was my support, my comedic relief, my voice of reason, and my dear friend. I could never have known, when I submitted her name as my counselor, just how much I would come to depend on her and to love her. Nothing happened in Stake Primary that didn't have her magic touch turning it to gold. Ugh, I am just so grateful for her, I don't even have words. 

Stake Primary has been filled with monthly president councils, monthly stake baptisms, primary training, leadership training dinners, ward conference Sundays, new presidency meetings and stake primary day camps. Additionally, as President I had the opportunity to attend Stake Council (2xmonth), speak as female leadership in each ward in the stake alongside a High Councilor (1xmonth), and a myriad of other neat opportunities like leadership trainings, working with the other women auxiliaries at the stake level, and meeting people from all over the stake. 

Our Day Camps were our biggest events of the year:  

2022: Step Right Up

2023: Saratoga Springs Temple Celebration

2024: Power of the Book of Mormon

Even though Stake Primary Day Camps were the biggest events, Stake Baptisms were easily where most of our efforts went. We hosted stake baptisms every second Saturday throughout our entire calling. It was amazing to see how things changed from the rigid guidelines of the 2020/2021 pandemic (Only a certain number of people could attend, then only immediate family) to gradually reduced restrictions to back to "the new normal". Some incredible benefits of these changes: families can now video chat their baptisms to family members who live far away, we were able to change the way the Stake does baptisms to be a much more intimate and child/ordinance-focused meeting.  We were able to serve with two different sets of Baptism Specialists, Dwight and Karen Miller and Robert and Katreena Merrill. 

Each ward was assigned a slot and we did our best to make sure that they felt that they were the only ones getting baptized that day. That they felt loved by Heavenly Parents and that they felt connected to the Savior as they made this very special covenant. Sometimes we had 12 children being baptized in a day. Other times we had only 1. Each day was special and important and such a blessing for us to be able to facilitate that. Sometimes I would leave our orientation area and just go sit through a baptism to feel the spirit testify of the good things that were happening through these ordinances. This took the most time away from our families, and I would be remiss if I didn't express gratitude for David who without complaint took 100% of the home responsibilities each of those Saturdays (many of which were our cousin weekends and had 4-6 extra kids at home). This was also one of the most tender parts of this calling.  

I loved it all. I loved teaching in primary for Ward Conferences, I loved leading training meetings, I loved attending Stake Council, I loved being able to share my testimony as female leadership in the church. I loved serving the Lord and helping bring people closer to Jesus Christ. 

I had a really interesting and faith-building experience before I was called as the Stake Primary President and I feel prompted to record it here. (I haven't shared this with many people because I think it can be taken poorly, or out of context - this isn't a lesson for everyone, but it was a very personal very tender lesson for me.) 

 I had just been released after serving in the ward primary presidency for 5 years and I was feeling a little adrift.  I was having some personal wrestles with my faith and testimony and wasn't in the strongest spiritual condition. (Not a faith crisis, but navigating some questions and feeling a little conflicted.) I knew that the then-current stake primary president was being released and I received a prompting SO strongly that I was going to be called as the next primary president. I remember very clearly the words impressed upon me "You are going to be the next Stake Primary president." After I felt this, I remember thinking "They are only going to pick me because I was just released as a ward primary president." I didn't have a lot of faith in the revelatory process that would lead to that calling at that time and I was feeling upset about receiving the call considering all that was going on in my personal life. I felt that it would be a convenient, but not inspired, call. But I knew. I knew, knew, knew that I was going to be the next Stake Primary President and was trying to gear myself up for it. 

And then I did NOT get called as the Stake Primary President. It was someone else that was called, not me. I was so surprised when this other sister was called over the pulpit, and later that day when I was thinking about it these words came to me (and sometimes I say this, and it sounds weird, but it's really the only way I have to describe it, it's not necessarily audible words, but I felt the words impressed upon my heart so strongly that it was as if I was hearing them spoken) "I have a work for you to do, but you are not ready yet." The impression was "you are not good enough yet, you are not at the right place that I need you to be to do the work that I have for you to do. I need you to get to place." It was very, very humbling because I had just been the ward primary president, and even with my questions and other wrestles I still felt that I was obedient, and righteous, and had faith, and loved the Lord - like LOVED the Lord. I loved the Lord then and I love the Lord now, but it was very humbling for me and I felt like I had a lot of work that I needed to do and I did it. I dug in and came out on the other side of the things that were unsettling me. I consecrated myself and my time and my efforts and I found myself with a stronger faith and also a testimony that no one is above falling away and that you have to put in the work through scripture study, prayer, faith, and action to keep the fire of your flame burning bright. 

That Stake Primary President moved about 4 months later and I was called immediately after as the Stake Primary President. I learned so much through that experience and it's really tender for me. It testified to me that the Lord had a work for me to do and responsibilities that he needed me to fill and that has been such a blessing in my life to then be called and serve as the Stake Primary President. 

(I think this is where that story can get a little tricky because this is a lesson just for me. The lesson is not "you have to be more righteous than you are to be used by the Lord", because I don't think that is true. The lesson is not "If you hold a stake calling you are more righteous than other people that don't hold stake callings" because that also is not true. I am not more righteous and was not more righteous  than other people, but it was a lesson that I needed to learn. It was a lesson that the Lord needed me to learn, that He had a responsibility for me to fill and that He needed me to put in more personal effort in order to do the things that He wanted me to do. That is my lesson that I needed to learn.)

This experience has come to my mind several times over the last few weeks and it ties really beautifully with another experience that I had right before I was released. We had our last Primary Leadership Training in September, where we invited all of the Ward Primary Presidencies to a leadership dinner for encouragement, training, and connection. As I was planning my opening remarks I felt inspired to share how amazing it has been to watch each of them accept the call to serve as the Primary President and step into that calling with faith, grace, and humility. I had been the stake primary president long enough to see new presidencies in every ward, and in many wards multiple presidencies. I felt vulnerable as I shared that when serving in a calling that you put your heart and energy into, it can start to feel like it defines you. "I am Shantel - I am a Stake Primary President". I don't think that I shared this with them, but I have sometimes found myself feeling so connected to the calling that I felt a not-insignificant worry that once I was released I wouldn't even know who I was anymore. But in this moment, I was able to testify that is was not the calling "Stake Primary President" that defined me, rather the thing that defined me is that "I am a disciple who will serve the Lord wherever he needs me". Immediately after my message, the entire group sang "I will Choose to Serve the Lord." 

It was tender for me, because it came as an answer to my worries about being released and feeling lost. I was so grateful for each of those women who choose to serve the Lord in their callings and also confident in my own determination to continue to serve the Lord wherever I was needed. Less that 2 weeks later I was meeting with President Gardner and he was informing me that the time had come and I would be released soon. 

These pictures are from my last week as Stake Primary President. I felt so inspired to celebrate the 200 temple milestone with the primaries in our stake. It felt like such a gift from heaven that even though I knew I was going to be released in September, the process took long enough to allow me to organize this celebration and go to all 9 wards on November 10th and 17th to teach them about the "majesty of this moment". It was the perfect way to end the last five years of Stake Primary. 

David and I have received a new calling to serve together as Stake Temple and Family History leaders, and we are so thrilled. We aren't exactly sure what it all entails, but we will get to serve together and we will be serving in the stake and continuing a lot of the things I loved so much about that. David was ordained as High Priest and is now the High Councilor over Temple and Family History Work. I am so excited to be able to serve alongside him, sharing the things that we love about temples and learning more about family history work. 

I wanted to share the lyrics to the primary song "Choose to Serve the Lord" by Angie Killian and Blake Gillette as I go forward choosing to serve the Lord with every step I take. 

Queen Esther's story shows me that I can stand for right

Elisha taught that angels protect me by my side

Like David, I can slay Goliaths in my way

Like Deborah, I can lead my friends to Christ

I will choose to serve the Lord

Like my scripture heroes of old

As I learn and grow in faith

God will be my strength

With every step I take

I will choose to serve the Lord

Like Moses, I find courage, for God provides a way

Like Noah, I will listen to heaven and obey

I'll trust the Lord, like Job, and live with love and hope

Like Hannah, God will hear me when I pray

I will choose to serve the Lord

Like my scripture heroes of old

As I learn and grow in faith

God will be my strength

With every step I take

I will choose to serve the Lord

Caleb was brave

Joseph forgave

Ruth stayed

Daniel prayed

Jonah changed

I will choose to serve the Lord

Like my scripture heroes of old

As I learn and grow in faith

God will be my strength

With every step I take

I will choose to serve the Lord

God will be my strength (God will be my strength)

With every step I take (with every step I take)

I will choose to serve the Lord

200 Temples!

Jenna told us that she was going to drive all the way out to Tooele for the Deseret Peak Open House and invited us to come. I had wanted to go, but hadn't made reservations so we jumped on board.  (This was October 11). We drove out in the morning and got to walk through the beautiful temple. I loved the welcome center in the church right next to to the temple and the chance to listen to a video and hear the missionaries bear testimony of the temple. We've been to a LOT of temple open houses in the past 2 years, and I just think it's such a neat opportunity for our children to be so familiar with the temple at such a young age.  



When we were walking through, there was a tent near the exit that had some posters and information with a big sign saying that this temple was the 200th temple! What!?! We had no idea. We were so excited about this. I kept pondering this miraculous event and ended up doing some research and including this experience in a Stake Speaking Assignment that I had (except here - full talk below). 


 

When I was born there were 41 temples (the most recent temple was the Frankfurt Germany Temple). 18 of those were dedicated by then Elder Gordon B Hinkley who would become the prophet when I was 8 years old and go on to dedicate another 67 temples by 2008. I remember when the 100th temple was dedicated, the Boston Massachusets Temple in October of 2000. I was 13 years old and my family and my ward celebrated this incredible milestone. We felt like we were witnessing something amazing- like we were a part of something magnificent. In my first 13 years of life there had been 59 temples dedicated, and now there were more than 100 temples in the world! It was impactful and exciting. 

This past week my family and I were able to attend the open house for the Deseret Peaks Temple in Tooele. We were excited to learn that this temple will be the 200th temple dedicated in these latter days. 200 temples! Only 24 years after that 100 temple milestone there have been 100 additional temples constructed and another 167 announced. 

President Nelson said, “My dear brothers and sisters, do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work.” 

I felt so inspired after making this connection and pondering President Nelsons counsel to "not miss the majesty of this moment". I had already met with President Gardner about the upcoming changes to my calling, but I felt inspired to take this message to all the Primaries in our Stake and felt like it was a blessing that it was taking so long to make the change to the presidency because it allowed for me to organized and celebrate this incredible opportunity with our stake. My presidency and I put together a beautiful presentation about "Temples Dotting the Earth" and visited each primary in the stake to celebrate. The temple was dedicated on November 10, but we did half of the primaries on November 10 and half on November 17 - which was the day that we were officially released and the new Primary Presidency was called. There were so many tender mercies and I felt guided that this was an important celebration for our stake, and the fact that I was able to stay in my calling as Stake Primary President until we finished this celebration was so tender for me. 

I love the temple and think that it is absolutely miraculous to live in the time that is literally fulfilling prophecy that "Temples will dot the earth." 

200 Temple Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1257LyrgK0y3YbDfoF-rHotqPIrxrvZk-DFcMSkd1Szw/edit?usp=sharing

October 20, 2024 – PL 3 Ward + TM2 Ward

Purpose: Purpose:

● Tell the stake how your studies from Come Follow Me and the words of

President Nelson have changed you, and brought you closer to Christ.

● Invite YSAs from the wards to participate in the YSA choir for the adult session

of Stake Conference.

Good morning Brothers and Sisters, 

I am so glad to be here with you today. It is such a special opportunity for me to be here in this ward, and to be able to share my testimony with you as the Stake Primary President. 

Previous to the last session of this October General Conference, my family started discussing what we thought President Nelson would speak about. Each of us made guesses about how many temples would be announced and the topics we thought he would cover. Gathering of Israel, Temples, Peace. My daughter Lydia was so excited when her guesses were both correct: 17 temples and a talk that focused on the second coming! 

It was so powerful to hear our prophet teach us about the importance of preparing for the second coming during the same week that we were reading in Come, Follow Me about the coming of Christ to the people of the Book of Mormon. 

The Come Follow Me Manual expressed this beautiful thought:

With these words, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world” (3 Nephi 11:10), the resurrected Savior introduced Himself, fulfilling over 600 years of Book of Mormon prophecies. “That appearance and that declaration,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland wrote, “constituted the focal point, the supreme moment, in the entire history of the Book of Mormon. It was the manifestation and the decree that had informed and inspired every Nephite prophet. … Everyone had talked of him, sung of him, dreamed of him, and prayed for his appearance—but here he actually was. The day of days! The God who turns every dark night into morning light had arrived” (Christ and the New Covenant [1997], 250–51).

Those words mirrors these that our prophet shared at the close of his message to us: 

My dear brothers and sisters, in a coming day, Jesus Christ will return to the earth as the millennial Messiah. So today I call upon you to rededicate your lives to Jesus Christ. I call upon you to help gather scattered Israel and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. I call upon you to talk of Christ, testify of Christ, have faith in Christ, and rejoice in Christ!

As I have considered the experiences that the people of the Book of Mormon had in preparing for the coming of the Savior in their day and the way he appeared to them and ministered to them, I have been strengthened in my own efforts to be faithful to him and do what He needs me to do to prepare for His coming. 

This has led me to reflect on what things I can do now and also to look at the patterns I have seen in my life. 

When I was born there were 41 temples (the most recent temple was the Frankfurt Germany Temple). 18 of those were dedicated by then Elder Gordon B Hinkley who would become the prophet when I was 8 years old and go on to dedicate another 67 temples by 2008. I remember when the 100th temple was dedicated, the Boston Massachusets Temple in October of 2000. I was 13 years old and my family and my ward celebrated this incredible milestone. We felt like we were witnessing something amazing- like we were a part of something magnificent. In my first 13 years of life there had been 59 temples dedicated, and now there were more than 100 temples in the world! It was impactful and exciting. 

This past week my family and I were able to attend the open house for the Deseret Peaks Temple in Tooele. We were excited to learn that this temple will be the 200th temple dedicated in these latter days. 200 temples! Only 24 years after that 100 temple milestone there have been 100 additional temples constructed and another 167 announced. 

President Nelson said, “My dear brothers and sisters, do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work.” 

It is easy to take for granted the temples that are being built at this unprecedented rate. I grew up in small town Ephrain, Utah and frequently drove by the Manti Temple. Each time my family would pass the temple, my mom would start singing “I love to see the Temple”. My love for the temple started early and went deep. As a 12 year old, the only thing I wanted for my birthday was for my parents to take me to do baptisms for the dead that very day.

 Later, I was able to participate in the Manti Pageant and had many faith-building experiences, but one of the most profound was the year that we had been suffering a dry and hot summer and our whole valley had been praying for rain. There is a scene in the Manti Pageant where there is mass chaos and confusion, people running and yelling, with fire shooting from the scenery and lights flashing. At the cue “Thunderings and quaking of the earth” we all ran to hide in the shadows of the rocks, or hunkered down on the grass in groups. There was darkness and stillness for many moments, until the music began to play and light gradually shone upon a man, standing near the wall of the temple, dressed in white. As he began to beckon the people to come to him, rain started to fall in answer to many, many prayers. In that moment, what I saw and felt was not an actor dressed up to play a sacred part - but it was the Savior of the World, bringing with him the answer to sincere prayer. I felt such love and power from God, and the act of standing up from my place of fear and shadow and walking toward him and the light and peace that surrounded him was etched into my heart forever. 

President Nelson said, “Brothers and sisters, now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Now is the time for us to make our discipleship our highest priority.”

Each of us gets to decide what this looks like in our life but as I reflect on my experiences - I can see the blessings that have come from following the Prophet and his counsel. 

In 2018 President Nelson concluded his talk by saying “My dear brothers and sisters, construction of these temples may not change your life, but your time in the temple surely will.” 

He followed with several specific blessings:

“In that spirit, I bless you to identify those things you can set aside so you can spend more time in the temple. I bless you with greater harmony and love in your homes and a deeper desire to care for your eternal family relationships. I bless you with increased faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and a greater ability to follow Him as His true disciples.” That promise and blessing was so impactful to me that I printed it out and it hangs by my bathroom mirror.

 

As a mom of young children, serving in the temple regularly is a little tricky. However, this promise from President Nelson sank deep into my heart. I have found that making time for myself to be able to attend the temple, feed my spirit, and connect with my true purpose has been more impactful to my happiness in motherhood than anything else and has been my greatest form of self-care, spiritual or otherwise. 

In 2019 President Nelson urged members of the Church to study the Spiritual Treasures that are found in the temple and also to better understand God’s Power that flows from priesthood covenants.  He said that if we truly understood that truth in our hearts, it would change our lives. Following his counsel led me to seek and to study this topic and it did change me. I better understand my role, my access to the Saviors power, and how much the Lord loves his children. 

In 2020, amid the upsetting and life-altering COVID-19 Pandemic President Nelson encouraged: “Despite the world’s commotion,2 the Lord would have us look forward to the future “with joyful anticipation.”3” Following his counsel given during that conference enabled me and my family to testify that “there is hope and joy to be found now and in the future because of our Savior Jesus, Christ.” 

Year after year, following the counsel of the prophet has helped my family endure difficult family situations with peace, uncertainty surrounding medical diagnoses with hope, and excruciating loss with joy. 

The increased ability to cope with all of these things comes from Jesus Christ. As President Nelson said in 2023, “The Answer is always Jesus Christ.” 

Brothers and Sisters, I feel the power and truth of the words that NOW is the time to prepare for the Second Coming of the Savior. Now is the time for us to make our discipleship our highest priority. “It is neither too early nor too late for you to become a devout disciple of Jesus Christ.” 

No matter what “dizzying distractions” we have, if our focus is on the Savior - even small efforts will continue to bring us closer to him. 

I share my testimony of the power of holding an active temple recommend, even when you have different struggles in your life or are navigating difficult questions in your faith journey. In the house of the Lord, we focus on Jesus Christ. We learn of Him. We make covenants to follow Him. We come to know Him.

If now is the time to prepare ourselves, Brothers and Sisters, let us prepare. Let us rededicate our lives to Jesus Chrsit. Let us follow the call of our prophet to help gather scattered Israel and prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Savior. Let us talk of Christ, testify of Christ, have faith in Christ, and rejoice in Christ! By so doing, he will continue to bless us and not only will we witness the majesty of this time we live in, but we will be an active part of it. 

He loves us, he will be with us. He will bring us peace in turmoil, strength in weakness, and joy in sorrow. 

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Stake Primary Day Camp: Power of the Book of Mormon

Purpose: Primary Activity Children in the Thanksgiving Stake will gain a sense of belonging as they see that they are part of a gospel family that is bigger than themselves. They will make connections with those around them and strengthen their own spiritual foundations. This activity will draw them closer to Jesus Christ as they learn about the Book of Mormon and feel the power that is contained there. Our theme is "Power of the Book of Mormon".

I'll be honest and say that I thought last year's Temple Celebration Day Camp would be our last one as a Stake Primary presidency and I was a little surprised when once again we were planning a stake day camp. This was our 3rd Day Camp, and 5th Summer. 

2020/2021 - No day camp/Covid

2022 - Step Right Up - Carnival Theme

2023 - Saratoga Temple Celebration

2024 - Power of the Book of Mormon

We are definitely learning and adjusting each year. This year we had a large committee and even so I was worried that it wouldn't all come together. But it did and it was beautiful. I'm in awe of the incredibly talented people who worked so hard to make this so special. This was not a calling for them, we just asked for their help and they did something amazing. I'm so grateful for them and for my presidency who supports me and helps things like this actually happen! 

In Come Follow Me this year, we are studying the Book of Mormon and I loved that our day camp theme was "Power of the Book of Mormon". It was so neat to emphasize the power that created (wrote/translated) it, the power that it testifies of (the power of Christ), and the power that we receive from it.

The gym was decorated to look like Old Jerusalem. We gathered donations from people on the committee, people in the stake, and even had a connection with the event department at UVU's Institute who let us borrow a bunch of things. 

We started by talking about Lehi and Nephi following the Lord and leaving Jerusalem and how, from the very beginning, it is a story of faith and the hand of the Lord.

The kids then rotated through three stations:

-Craft: Kids will made mini- golden plates, learned about how difficult it was to write on the plates, and how Joseph Smith used the power of God to translate the plates.

-Physical Activity: Book of Mormon Stories. There were three different activities planned, each centered around a different Book of Mormon story. (We rented large party games and did this outside.)

One was a large circle that they had to walk on to get from one place to another. This will be tied to "Nephi building a body and crossing the sea". Another was a giant twister game - "enduring to the end" and "keeping the commandments". The last was a giant tug of war game and a white shirt with "Holy Ghost" was given to an adult who helped that team to win. 

 It ended with a testimony that the stories matter because they show that the Lord was there for those people and we can have confidence that he will be there for us. 

-Spiritual: Tree of Life Walk. The kids learned about the story of the tree of life and then completed a simulation of the tree of life story (set up in the font room). Fruit snacks were hanging on the tree at the end. The committee members testified that the Love of God is available to all who seek it.

The closing was held back in the gym which had been "transformed" into the city of Zarahemla (instead of Jerusalem). We had video projector set up in an awesome archway, representing the Temple in Zarahemla, and had moved all. of the plants onto the stage to create a lush focal point. We talked about the focus of the Book of Mormon and then played the Church video of the Savior appearing to the Nephites. We testified that the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ and bore witness of the love Jesus has for them. It was beautiful. 

I asked one of the committee members to take on the responsibility of feeding the committee volunteers lunch between the morning and afternoon session and it was another example of how delegating to other people instead of trying to do it all myself just ends up so much better. 

This was a special day camp and I am grateful that I have had so many opportunities to bear testimony of the Savior, His love and the love of our Heavenly Parents. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon and hope that the primary children of our stake were strengthened and supported in their understanding of how the Book of Mormon can bless their lives. 

 

Relief Society Activity + Hike

Our stake does a really neat women's activity each fall where all women 8+ are invited to a weekend in the mountains. There are faith-based classes, fun activities, and lots of yummy food. There is a big stake devotional and also smaller ward-centered times. Last year I taught a class at this event and Lydia was asked to speak at the evening stake devotional. This year, at the combined meeting, I had the opportunity to bear my testimony of the love that God has for each person there, but was free to enjoy the rest of the event with Lydia without the responsibility of teaching a class. It was a lovely weekend! 

Lydia and I woke up to go on the 5 am sunrise hike and I was so proud of this Lydia girl. I've been hiking all summer, but it was a 3 mile hike at a fairly fast pace and Lydia did awesome. We reached the crest right as the sun started peeking over the mountain. There is something really neat about starting a hike in the dark under a blanket of stars and watching as the sky gradually lightens until at last the sun breaks over the ridge. I loved hiking this, especially with the Stake RS President, Suzette Peterson who loves the outdoors and whom I love and admire very much. 

An activity like this takes a massive amount of planning and effort and I am grateful for all those who worked so hard to make this weekend happen.