On a crisp, bright Saturday morning Youth from the Dublin, Cork and Belfast Stakes gathered together for the first ‘All Ireland Regional Day’ of 2011 at the Stake Centre in Belfast. The theme for the day was ‘Endure all Things’ and it commenced with a pancake breakfast for over one hundred youth followed by a devotional. The Mission President, Pres Griffiths and his wife spoke about the parable of the sower using it to explain the various states of receptiveness people have for the word of God. They also reminded everyone in attendance of President Thomas S Monson’s call for missionaries to help the Church fulfil the Saviour’s admonition to teach the gospel to all nations.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
The youth were then given the opportunity to make a difference as they headed to Glencraig Camphill Community on the outskirts of Belfast. Glencraig is an organisation which provides lifelong residential and educational care for those with special needs. The community’s motto “reaching out to meet the need” is one the youth easily related to and helped energise their service as they cleared the grounds of branches and weeds and the aftermath of a harsh winter. The Stake Young Women’s President from the Belfast Stake, Sister Emily Curran, said: “The youth felt invigorated knowing they were helping others.”
The theme of endurance was carried through to the activities in the afternoon as the fortitude of the youth was tested through a variety of games. They especially enjoyed the dreaded ‘bleep test’ which gave them a practical demonstration of ‘opposition in all things’ as they measured their running capacity against progressively challenging time targets.
A welcome and appetising dinner was provided by Brother and Sister Noble, the Belfast Stake Institute couple and Brother and Sister Holt the YSA Outreach missionary couple, accompanied by some young single adults. Then the eagerly anticipated disco and devotional concluded the activities. After a day that strengthened friendships, testimonies and saw the gospel in action in the wider community, the youth bid their farewells looking forward enthusiastically to their next gathering in April.