Leavitt Primary Scripture Quest

Our Primary presidency planned a Scripture Quest. There were stations that represented stories from the Book of Mormon.  Then they followed Helaman and the Stripling Warriors to the park where they had a battle and then the Savior came.  Austin was the Savior. He just walked around and shook each child's hand.  It was awesome.  

Bishop Austin Nunn - represented the Savior

1st Counselor Logan Zemp - Moroni

2nd Counselor  Ryan Olsen - Joseph Smith

The weather was a miracle that day. It had been cold, rainy and windy all week.  The weather was beautiful all morning.  After the activity ended, there was a thunderstorm and it poured rain.  The next day it was super windy.  

I hope each child felt the love of the Savior.

A Message from Josh Burton

Moroni's Quest is always an amazing spiritual experience. On Sunday, it is a spiritually intense day of the reenactment of the Savior visiting the Nephites.  Then we walk to a meadow and partake of the Sacrament.  And it is on Fast Sunday, so we are fasting through the emotional day.

At the end of the day, we meet as wards for testimony meeting around a campfire.  The Spirit was there as we listened to testimonies.  I stood up and said that one of my favorite scriptures was that angels will be round about us to bear us up.  Our family has had some specific, clear experiences with angels bearing us up.  Usually when we think of our angels, we think of our loved ones who have died and our own ancestors.  But this week at Moroni's Quest, I had the thought that Nephites could also be our angels round about us.  The veil can be very thin at Moroni's Quest.

Then Austin stood up at the end, and said that he had a message from Josh Burton to his parents, Allan and Heather Burton, who were the Moroni's Quest coordinators this year and spent a million hours preparing.  Josh died on his mission to Guatemala a couple years ago.  Josh wanted to tell his parents that he loved them and thanks for teaching him the gospel in their home. He also had a message for Charity Burton and Benson Burton that their brother loves them. Then Bishop Nunn told the Burtons that their sacrifice for organizing Moroni's Quest was accepted by the Savior.

Charity had told Austin earlier that she hadn't ever really felt Josh's presence, but she did today while the Savior was there.

Be Still, My Soul

Aubrey Zemp just returned from her mission to Anaheim, California.  She gave an excellent homecoming talk and bore a powerful testimony.  At the end of the Sacrament Meeting, Austin said that instead of singing the planned closing hymn (Called to Serve), he had asked Aubrey if she would sing her favorite hymn.  He asked her after the Sacrament before she gave her talk if she would sing and what her favorite song was.  She chose to sing, "Be Still, My Soul" which was her favorite hymn. She has a beautiful, powerful voice.  It was very touching.

Right after Sacrament Meeting, Carolyn Leavitt came up to Austin and said she needed to talk to him right now in his office.  She told him that she had a rough week - it was the anniversary of the death of her husband (he had been killed by a chain/tractor accident) and the birthday of her little boy who had died in a snowmobile accident.  She was also struggling with her health.  And she is in charge of all of the food for Moroni's Quest the next week.  She was praying one night and she had the feeling to leave it to Heavenly Father, it would all work out.  Sunday morning as she was praying, the song "Be Still, My Soul" came to her mind and she thought how cool it would be if we sang it at church that day.  When Aubrey stood up to sing, she felt the overwhelming love of God and that was a special message just to her.

Austin was thankful to have followed the promptings of the Spirit.