On August 9
th-11
th,
hundreds of young single adults (ages 18-31) gathered for a conference at the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in
Orlando. They came to participate in several
enlightening devotionals and workshops to inspire them to improve themselves
and the lives of those around them.
The
conference covered the southeast region which includes 10 states and 1000 LDS
congregations. Simultaneous conferences were held in
Nashville,
Atlanta,
Charlotte,
and
Hattiesburg.
The conference is the biggest in the history of the North America Southeast
Area of the Church.
The event was organized by George
Menden, under the direction of Elder Rulon D. Munns of the Seventy of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In May, June, and July leading up to the
conference, young single adults were asked to participate in a reach and rescue
plan, service activities, and to attend LDS Temples. The reach and rescue plan was to invite
less-active and non-member friends to participate in the summer events and
conference. They also participated in service activities in their communities which
locally included removing invasive plants called air potatoes at Peghorn Nature
Park and Trail in St Cloud.
On Friday night, the conference
kicked off with a dance, ping pong tournament, karaoke
and more. Saturday morning the
young single adults were addressed by Sheri Dew, president and CEO of Deseret
Book Company, and Brad Wilcox, professor in the Department of Teacher Education
at Brigham Young University. A blood drive was held during the conference
for OneBlood, the third largest blood bank in the US
that services 80% of Florida's
population. OneBlood had two buses which
were filled to capacity the entire time volunteers could donate blood. Rick
Walsh, the volunteer chairman for OneBlood, came to thank the over 800 young
single adults that attended the conference, at the Orlando South Stake Center,
for donating blood as part of their humanitarian service opportunities.
After seeing the overwhelming response of the participants to donate, Mr.
Walsh regretted that they had only brought two donation buses and noted how
they could have filled at least four.
Participants then attended a
variety of workshops with subjects ranged from avoiding the
downward spiral of debt to studying the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The day’s events closed with dinner and entertainment,
provided by Wantilan Luau Show, followed by a dance and more games. The
following day was Sunday morning worship services which featured concluding speaker,
Elder David A. Bednar, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Something that
stood out to me was during Sheri Dew's talk. She gave a story of how one of her
friends was having issues and simply how she helped, just doing simple things
that we can do. . . There's so much we can do out there that's very easy for
us, but it can have a huge positive impact on somebody else. Whether it is by
service or just being a friend, we should work on strengthening each other and
in the process we can also become stronger.”
Carlos Guzman, 20, St. Cloud,
FL
“My favorite
workshops had to do with finances, surprisingly enough! I really enjoy how it
helps prepare us for things that we are going to face very soon.” Georgette Gomez, 20, Kissimmee, FL
“I enjoyed a
class titled "Avoiding the Downward Spiral of Debt" because
especially in this age of independence and freedom we have the responsibility
over our wealth. It also helps because we are college students, times are
getting tough!” Marizette Munoz, 20, Kissimmee,
FL
“This is the first
time in history that the Church has sponsored an area wide conference in the
Southeast for the Young Single Adults. Never before have thousands of Young
Single Adults worked together, served together and rejoiced together as they
have in the activities leading up to the conference and the conference
itself. The Young Single Adults of the Southeast are vibrant, energetic
and committed and it has been a joy working with them to make this conference
happen.” says Elder Rulon D.Munns, a member of the Church’s Quorum of the
Seventy from
Orlando.
George Menden, a member of the Conference Organizing Committee, said this of
the young single adults that helped to organize and accomplish the conference.
“The Latter-day Saint Young Single Adult community is exceptionally talented –
they have made this event happen. The leadership group of more than 225
Young Single Adults has planned, promoted, and executed all of the events of this
conference. The creativity and energy that has shaped this conference has been
inspiring.”
For more information about the conference in general, visit
http://www.southeastysa.com/.
