YSA Conference with Elder and Sister Meurs

November 2017

On the 4^thof November the Long Bien Branch hosted a Hanoi area Young Single Adult conference. We were very fortunate to have Elder Meurs, from the Southeast Asia Area Presidency and Quorum of the Seventy, and his sweet wife, Sister Meurs, join us and interact with our youth. (pic 9040)

Many of the youth that were interested in coming were investigators. We encouraged and directed our member youth and new converts to put an all-day conference together. It was a great learning experience for all.  We had about 40 youth come and join us for the day. We presented workshops, ate together, enjoyed a fireside and had a dance. President and Sister Meurs participated in a powerful face to face session at one of the workshops that answered questions that the youth might have about life and what the Gospel has to offer them. It was excellent.

Another workshop was about family history. In the Vietnamese culture the family books or histories are kept in the home of the first-born son. There is a wealth of information about the family in these books, names, dates and stories. The youth were encouraged to find out more about their own family history by asking relatives about the information in their own family books. It is especially important right now because the government is changing the way they count and record information about the people and are starting to issue individual ID cards. The family records will not be kept in such detail as they once were. The youth were encouraged to write down ancestor stories as well as their own personal stories.

A couple of weeks before the conference Elder Thomason and I decided to have the YSA do a service project at the conference. With winter coming on, we came up with the idea of making fleece blankets to give to the wheelchair patients at Bach Mai Hospital.  Finding and getting the fleece from the wholesale market on the other side of Hanoi was a challenge.  Having a hundred pounds of fleece delivered on a motor scooter was another challenge and quite a sight.  Measuring, cutting and prepping the fabric kept me busy for a week. The youth had so much fun completing the 69 blankets at the conference. These wonderful young adults gave the blankets to the rehabilitation patients at the hospital. 

For the fireside, Elder Meurs brought the group together by playing “Waltzing Matilda”.  A song that is near and dear to his heart because of his Australia homeland. The Meurs gave a wonderful, spiritual fireside sharing stories about them and their family. They bore testimony of the importance of family, not only here on earth but in the eternities. After ending the fireside, we completed the evening with a dance.

The conference was enjoyed by all and a great leadership learning experience for our new convert youth.  To be in the presence of a General Authority for the duration of the conference was a highlight for the YSA and for us.