by Phillip
Recently a group of about ten members of the church, all
in their twenties gathered together to discuss the meaning and manifestations
of Christ-like service, after which they enjoyed a movie. The day before, some
of them gathered as a part of a slightly larger group to enjoy a dinner
together and view a worldwide broadcast from the Hawaii campus of Brigham Young
University where they were taught principles for improving their personal discipleship.
A few days prior to that about twenty-five of this same set of peers attended a
class as a part of weekly religious instruction. Here they discussed sources of eternal truth.
The next weekend several of them travel four hours away to Göteborg, Sweden to
participate in a three-day conference designed to enrich the lives of members
their age throughout Scandinavia. In weekly meetings, leaders among these
dedicated youth coordinate these activities including providing a similar
weekend conference here in Southern Sweden.
Although this week was busier than usual for them, they
were glad to make time to participate despite the demands of their studies,
employment, as well as church and family responsibilities.
During this same time period Kim and I were kept busy as
well. Most of our duties revolve around,
the Young Single Adult Institute center. The Center is very close to the center
of Lund. It is a suite of four rooms and a kitchen on the fifth floor of a
building used for businesses and apartments. From the institute windows we can
see the twin steeples of the Lund Cathedral which is close to 1000 years old.
The Lund Cathedral towers are directly above Kim's head.
The center houses a small library of religious books,
music and films, a couple of computers with internet access, a ping pong table
and a fuss ball table, a piano and an electric keyboard. Nearly everyone we work with has considerable
musical abilities.
This is the building that houses the center. The young people are such shining examples of
Christ-like living that you can tell from the street when any of them are on
the elevator.
Although, if I am not mistaken, that’s Kim shining out in this
picture.
This picture was taken on a particularly sunny day in
Lund. Most days here are foggy or rain
swept. Although the January snows melted
away some weeks ago, we would be silly to pack up the mackintoshes and galoshes
just yet.
From those of you who are unfamiliar with these Items I
have provided images below.
Macintosh
Galosh
But let me get back to what we do. The letter issuing the
call for us to serve in Sweden outlined our service in these words, “Your
primary assignment is to labor in the stake young single adult program.” Young
Single Adults are defined as unmarried members of the church and their friends
between the ages of 19 and 30. The title is often abbreviated to ‘YSA.” In
Swedish the term is translated as “Unga Ensamståenda Vuxna” or UEV.
A standard week has us, meeting with the UEV a couple of
nights a week. On Mondays those whose families
are not local gather for Family Home Evening.
They always begin with a spiritual discussion featuring questions such
as ‘How can you know whether you are under the influence of the Holy Ghost or
just your own emotions.?’ Or “What does God’s creation of the world teach us
about our attempts to create?’ They
often have a choral number they are practicing for some meeting or another, and
they usually end with a game of some sort. We are there to provide shadow
mentoring and usually a snack, or ‘fica,’ as they call it.
Typical Family Home Evening (FHE) crowd
On Thursdays they assemble for college level religious
instruction provided by the church’s Institute program. This semester they are studying “Foundations
of the Restored Gospel.” Because so many arrive for the lessons coming direct
from classes and/or work, we prepare a simple meal for them; usually a soup or
stew.
Following the lesson, we join a meeting including a group
of leaders from the of Young Single Adults, to plan for future activities. Coming up in April is a YSA/UEV conference that
we will be hosting, very similar the one we attended in February. We are expecting attendance to be somewhere
between 100 to 150. Our position, again, is as shadow mentors. We let them use and hone their leadership
skills while we offer suggestions or point out details they might not be aware
of.
Elder Robert D. Hales
Recently, talking to and about the Young Single Adults in
the church, Elder Robert D. Hales, of the Quorum the Twelve apostles said, "You are living through a critical period of your life.
The choices you make—mission, education, marriage, career, and service in the
Church—will shape your eternal destiny. This means you will always be looking ahead—looking
to the future.
Wait upon the Lord. I testify that the
Lord knows your desires and loves you for your faithful devotion to Him. He has
a plan for you, whether it be in this life or the next. Listen to His Spirit.
“Seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand.” In this life or the next, His promises
will be fulfilled. “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” (Elder Robert D.
Hales, Meeting the Challenges of the World, Ensign, Nov. 2015, page 44.)
This is counsel that Kim and I take to
heart as we work with these shining Young Adults.
New photo of Amaryllis.
