Back in the fall of 2018, John and I were asked to be "Moroni's Quest Co-ordinators."
Moroni's Quest is a four-day camp event in which the youth and leaders immerse themselves in a thematic review of the Book of Mormon. Over those four days, they watch reenactments of scripture stories, participate in battles (Lamanites vs Nephites), eat amazing food, bond as wards, bear testimony, and feel the love of their Savior in a way they never have before. For twenty years, this has been a most beloved Stake Youth Conference that families and stake members look forward to.
John and I have attended Quests in years past in various capacities (Tribe Leaders, actor, photographer, etc) but this role of being in charge of it, was a challenge I never expected to have, and frankly, it has been my greatest struggle these past four years.
In 2018, we were called. Together, we studied the Book of Mormon, chose a theme, and tweaked/prepared the script that would be used for reenactments.
In the fall of 2019, we began preparations with the stake. We divided assignments out to High Councillors, called Tribe Leaders, started to choose actors, and introduced a year-long Stake Scripture Reading Challenge in anticipation of this Quest experience.
In early 2020, everything was shut down because of COVID. Everything.
In 2021, we once again made efforts to resume our preparations, but on the eve before our Stake prep was to resume, we once again, made the decision to postpone Moroni's Quest. There were still too many covid restrictions for us to feel confident proceeding that year. My heart sank when we had to cancel a second time. It was incredibly hard to lead (or to act as a leader) during this time. I wanted to wash my hands of Quest and let someone else be in charge. I felt inadequate and unequipped to carry on with this.
Still, though, our Stake Leaders assured us that they felt we were the couple for the job and asked us to stay on one more year. By January of this year, we all felt fairly certain that Quest would be allowed to happen and so began our final efforts to prepare our youth and stake for this event.
Quest was held on a very special property (owned by a member of our Stake) less than a mile from the US border. Chief Mountain looms over the site in a most majestic way!
On the night before Quest began, John and I drove out to make some last-minute changes to some things. I remember feeling so afraid, yet so calm. We knelt down in the field area and said a prayer that this event would be led and directed by God, that it would unfold and happen exactly as it should, and that the youth of our Stake would grow from the experience.
I looked over the flat, and glanced below at the Tribe Leader tents and felt an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude for my Savior, as well as a desire to serve him with my whole heart over the course of those four days. It was a rare moment in my life where I truly turned everything over to God.
The fear subsided.
Our Quest adventure started when 240 youth gathered at the Stake Center. We "left Jeruselam, " got on buses and continued making our way to the promised land. Our hike took about 4.5 hours and looped all around Wolff's property. It was a breathtaking trail (some of which John helped create.)
Along the trail, youth watched many of Nephi's experiences unfold. They had to "return for the record," build a ship and live out Lehi's dream. The Tree of Life reenactment was one of my favorite. Even now, I find myself thinking about the beauty of this tree.
We reached camp around 2:30 that afternoon and the rest of our time was spent there.
It was such fun to connect with people. It was SO amazing to have my family with me. (And one of my ys leaders, Nicole;)
John loved when it was "battle" time. He really enjoyed leading out on the drums. haha.
I loved seeing how these youth were turned to the Book of Mormon. Every young man and young woman was placed in a "Tribe" that consisted of 9 youth and a Tribe Leader couple.
My kids each had awesome Tribes!
One thing I really felt a deep appreciation for were the impromptu moments that came from the youth as a result of something that they heard, saw, or felt. At one point, after a particularly rousing battle, we had the youth gather together to sing "As Sisters in Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth." It was amazing to watch as one youth raised his sword and everyone else followed. They sang with arms raised, for the entire length of the song.
A moment of conviction.
It was a real challenge to try to step into this role of leader. I think I felt like a fraud the entire time. However, by the end of those days at Quest, I had truly developed a deep love for our Stake Presidency, the High Council, and all of the leaders who had worked so hard to make it happen.
Early on Saturday morning, we met with the Stake Presidency to discuss the forecast. Rain was on the way and we wondered if we would be able to finish out Quest the way that we felt we needed to. It was a scary and prayerful time, but the decision was made to bump up our key reenactments so that the "Saviors Visit" could happen on Saturday night, instead of Sunday.
At 8:00 pm, the youth gathered for our pinnacle experience together. Thick storm clouds rolled in and over us, but it didn't rain. Instead, those clouds acted as a blanket that enveloped u, calmed the air around us, and kept us totally and completely warm until 10:30 that night. It was a perfect evening!
A highlight for me was watching our Stake President, dressed as the Savior, love my kids.
How I had hoped and prayed that this experience would be a meaningful one for them.
For two hours youth, leaders, and families hugged each other and rejoiced together in the love of Christ. We all felt it in a most harmonious way.
My heart was full.
I felt as though His purpose had been seen.
I was convinced that God had stayed the weather so we all could feel that way together.
As we finished that night we all retired to our wards for a quick snack and ward time before bed.
No sooner had the youth all returned to their tents than the sky released a deluge of rain. It rained all night and would continue to rain the entire next day.
We knew we couldn't stay.
As youth and leaders rushed to pack up camp in the rain, and evacuate safely, my heart sank, for just a brief moment. The regret I had that our time out here was cut short was instantly replaced with a feeling of peaceful satisfaction that God was in charge and everything was working out, exactly as it was supposed to. These youth had come to feel what they were supposed to feel, of that, I felt certain!
The youth were all home (they were soaked through to the bone, but they were home) by 10 am. At 1:00 we met back at the West Stake Center, in our Sunday best. We finished watching all of the reenactments together, enjoyed an incredible roast beef dinner, and had a three-hour-long sacrament/testimony meeting.
My heart was buoyed up when the seats behind the pulpit were filled with youth who had filed up, desirous to bear their testimonies. I am so thankful that these youth were able to feel something meaningful over those few days. It was not the ending or outcome that I had wanted, in fact, it was the very opposite of what I had prayed about for years, BUT it was meaningful, just the same.
I believe that some of these youth walked away with a better understanding of who they are and whose they are. I know I did.
I will forever be grateful for the miracles that I was able to witness throughout the four years leading up to this event. I am grateful for the challenges that this event presented in my life. I am grateful for the support from others I received along the way. Most of all, I am grateful for the increased conviction I have that God is aware of all of us and He is in the details, for the good of us all!
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