INDONESIA LDS YOUTH CONFERENCE 2011

SRIWEDARI RESORT
KARANGPANDAN-TAWANGMANGU
CENTRAL JAVA, Jun 29–Jul 01, 2011

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

SUB THEME:  Adolescence is a time of great physical, social and emotional strength. This strength that you hold, my young friends, is still very pure and clean; make sure that strength stays pure, do not desecrate it!

We place our greatest hopes on you. You live in a time that holds both opportunities and challenges. Knowing what the last days would hold, the Lord declared, “And again, I will give unto you a pattern in all things, that ye may not be deceived; for Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth deceiving the nations” (D&C 52:14). The Lord gives us a PATTERN through the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the prophets. On this opportunity I would like to communicate the PATTERN given by President Thomas S. Monson that will help us to gain a successful and glorious life:  

        1. THINK BIG

Possess ambitions and endeavor to reach those ambitions. President Thomas S. Monson continued his message, “This is not the time of narrow goals, mediocre achievement or shallow thinking” (Be your Best Self-Thomas S. Monson, pg. 120)  

       2. PREPARE WELL

Good preparation for both physical and spiritual things is a continual process. Preparation is not like a water faucet that is only opened when needed. “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing…” (D&C 88:119).  

       3. LEARN WISDOM

In the Indonesian Dictionary, ‘bijaksana’ (wisdom) means always using your common sense, wise, thinking sharp, clever and careful, pensive, thorough. Alma, who understood the importance of wisdom, counseled his son Helaman, “Oh, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth…” (Alma 37:35).  

     4. WORK HARD

President James E. Faust said “I have learned that for us who hold the priesthood (and the young women), the best recipe for success is “Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Success will not come immediately because it requires hard work. Surely there is no short-cut to success”.  

          5. LIVE RIGHT

The leaders of the Church counsel us all to not just be active in the Church, but even more active in the Gospel.  

        6. SERVE WITH LOVE

The savior reminded us, “For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them” (Luke 6:32). The savior wants us to reach out to those that are shy, alone and of low self-esteem. .

I testify that Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ live. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and Thomas S. Monson is his prophet that lives in this day and age. Through the prophets, the Lord gives us his pattern so that we can achieve that which is glorious and successful, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Messages from President and Sister Groberg that attended the closing ceremonies on the 1^st of July 2011

Sister Groberg shares her experience:

Over 30 years of being married we have faced many challenges. But what helps us to overcome those challenges is the Gospel which represents the foundation in the family. Without the Gospel, things wouldn’t be like they are now. Each time we face a challenge we should always ask for God’s help. Sister Groberg gave a piece of advice from President Gordon B. Hinckley: “Where is the strength of the Church? Not in its buildings or the Tabernacle, but in the heart of each of us; in the testimony and in the life of each of us.”

Following Sister Groberg’s remarks, President Groberg gave his warm welcome:

You are a beautiful sight. Even though there are only a few of you in a couple of branches, as with the case of Magelang who has only 6 youth, in America there are many youth of the Church. So don’t feel alone or small.

At this moment there are two Presidents that were raised in Indonesia, that is President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and President Barrack Obama. In America at this very point the campaigns for the new 2012 elections have begun. Two of President Obama’s future opponents are members of our church, Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and John Huntsman, former governor of Utah and the ambassador to China representing Republican Party. This is interesting because there are other members of our Church serving in important positions in the American government, such as Harry Reid, from the Democratic Party, who is now serving as a senator. Harry Reid is a very famous person, even though there are many that don’t agree with him, nevertheless he is very honored because he is honest, true, chaste, benevolent, and virtuous. (Articles of Faith 13).These members are known for these traits because they make a commitment. What is their commitment? It is to show their true selves. Because of that we too must make the same commitment. Without commitments, we will not reach our goals. With will be tossed about to and fro. And if we make the wrong commitment, we will fail. 

Commitments that you should make:

1. 1. Love God
2. 2. Love your fellow man
3. 3. Serve as a missionary

You also should make a commitment in your family, which is to love your parents and your ancestors. You can start by making your personal family history.

In the Personal Progress Evaluation, the Jakarta Indonesia District reported 99% achievement. The Surakarta District reported that there were 2 people that completed Personal Progress.

3 goals were set for the Indonesia LDS Youth Conference set for three years in the future during the closing ceremonies.

• Read the new edition of the Book of Mormon at least two times in 3 years.
• Visit and activate the inactive youth in the branch at least once a month
• Hold a service project at least twice in a year.

Such were the pearls of great price that we gained during the Indonesia LDS Youth Conference.

Goals:

Evaluation and Setting of Goals

The evaluation and setting of goals session was held on the third day of the conference, upon the closing ceremony, which took place the 1^st of July of 2011.

Evaluation from the Indonesia LDS Youth Conference goals held three years ago in Ciloto. Achievement over three years:

1. Go Fellowshipping with the Missionaries

2. Attend and graduate seminary

3. Finish Duty to God for Young Men (YM) and Personal Progress for Young Women (YW)

The first and second goals were achieved successfully. The Young Women of the Jakarta Stake succeeded in achieving 99% for the third goal and the Surakarta District succeeded in graduating two people.

Establishment of Goals to be achieved in three years:

1. Read the new edition of the Book of Mormon, at least 2 times in 3 years
2. Activate and visit the inactive youth in the ward or branch, minimal once a month
3. Service project at least 2 times a year

It is expected that the goals above will inspire the presidencies of the Young Men and Young Women in the ward, stake or branch and district, to make their goals aim towards the goals created in the Indonesia LDS Youth Conference as stated above.

This year’s Youth Conference which was attended by the youth of the Church throughout all of Indonesia was held in a place called Karangpandan, a mountain resort on the slopes of Gunung Lawu, a mountain just east of the city of Solo. Around 250 participants attended the Youth Conference, including 8 youth from the Medan Branch. Unfortunately there were no participants representing the Manado or Bali branches.

The location of the conference offered a unique setting for a Youth Conference due to its beautiful views high up in the mountains. Surrounding the resort were various streams and creeks, waterfalls, beautiful vistas of the mountains surrounding them and the cool air was a fresh change from the normal heat of the urban cities of Indonesia. The location was beautiful and was almost like a shelter away from the world, all kept within the protective standards of the Church.

  The first day of the conference was filled with various classes for the Youth, primarily My Duty to God classes for the Young Men,  and Personal Progress classes for the Young Women. There were also classes touching on the subject of dating and self-reliance.

The second day was spent playing various games. The youth were transported by truck through winding roads and over hills to a beautiful lake tucked away in a valley surrounded by the looming green hills of mount Lawu. There the youth spent the day participating in various races. One such race involved transporting a flour and water using a funnel filled with holes to a jar by passing it over ones head to the person behind you. Others included a hide-and-seek type game where the youth were blind folded and tried to find their leaders who made animal noises. The youth really enjoyed the games.  The youth had a blast playing the games with each other and reported having their testimonies strengthened and learning new things about what it means to share, have respect for others, make new friends and work together.

That night the youth were given the opportunity to show their stuff in a talent show. Each ward or branch was able to present something unique from their own church units. Following the talent show the youth were given the opportunity to wind down at a bonfire put on by their leaders. The activities board provided delicious snacks such as steamed peanuts and bananas.

The next morning the Youth had the unique experience of learning the value of spiritual and physical balance. They were given time to exercise in the morning and also all came together to perform a service project. They youth cleaned the facilities they had previously used for their activities learning the value of what it means to be part of a community.

The third day came to an end with the closing ceremonies attended by the mission president couple, President and Sister Groberg. Prizes were awarded to different categories of winners such as most favorite group, most closely knit group etc. It truly was an incredible experience for the youth attending the conference.

Before saying goodbye the youth were given the opportunity to express their testimonies. During the testimony meetings the youth expressed ideas such as:

• They were thankful for being born into the church and being taught by good parents that encouraged them to attend seminary. They said that church programs such as Youth Conference and seminary help them to stay unspotted from the world.  They were strengthened in their faith in the First Presidency, and they knew that they would help them when times got rough
• They were thankful for the lessons they learned in the Youth Conference that help them to prepare to go to the temple.
• They were thankful they could learn to work together, serve one another and do good, strengthen one another and endure to the end.
• They were thankful for being able to help each other grow in the community and gain more self-confidence.
• The young women expressed their gratitude for the Youth Conference and how it prepared them to become better daughters of God and one day become good mothers and wives.
• They were strengthened in their testimony of the standard works.
• They felt motivated to live high standards, do good and not be selfish.
• They were thankful to learn how to live with spiritual and physical balance.
• They gained a greater faith in the eternal family.
• They felt more motivated to serve a mission.
• Upon returning home to their own wards and branches, they youth were able to bare their testimonies again to their peers, sharing the experiences they had gained that they will most likely never forget.

What were the parent’s reactions when their kids came home?

Upon their children’s return, any parents expressed gratitude for what their children were taught during the Youth Conference. They were happy that their kids were given an opportunity to make new friends that believed as they did, enabling them to compare what kind of friends they should look for at home, in school and in the community. Some of the Youth have reported that to this day they are still keeping in contact with the new friends they made during the Youth Conference.