This year, 2010, I was asked to help with the Temple Youth Celebration by becoming the Scene Management Coordinator (aka Props) and get a team together to help create, gather and build all the props needed for all 11 scenes in the cultural celebration that Shelley Murley had been assigned to create by Elder Christiansen for the Temple. She had told Niki, Kerra and I about this while we were all working on Festival of Nativities and said that they were still looking for help and we said, we want to help. So, she called me up soon after New Year's, I think it was the 2nd and asked me if I would like this assignment and I said Yes! Unsure of what I was getting into but I knew that if she had faith in me, then I could do it. I instantly had to call people to my team and let her know in a couple of days, who those people would be. Wow, this was a little different than being an Activities Chair because I had all 3 stakes I could ask for help, to which I did. Thankfully, my years in the YSA and being on the Stake Activities Committee helped me greatly because some people knew me when I called them. There were a few cold calls and we had never met before but thankfully, everyone was willing to serve. My first call was to Jenn S. because I knew I would need connections in Bellingham and she is super resourceful and helpful. Even during her bedrest, she was always able to ask her ward/stake and get things accomplished. My team, is absolutely amazing. We were asked to use as little money as possible and try to be resourceful if possible and we were very blessed by wonderful ward members that helped us find and build amazng things for really cheap or for free :)
In all four months, I met once with four people on my team for 10 minutes, and Gab and I went to Home Depot with another. I had two teams: a find it, create it and/or buy it team - the Scene Management Discovery Team and then I had another team, the Scene Management Carpentry team. Both teams were amazing! We did most of our correspondence, by emails, text and phone calls. Then, I had other sub-committees like Bellingham stake. They wanted to help a lot and so I asked for their help in making the Dogwood Flower hats that Melissa U. made using 4 wire coat hangers, white trash bags, orange fabric and paper plates. They had to make 105 of those originally but then we found out a week before the event that there were now 117 primary kids. We were not going to ask Bellingham to make more than the original because that would be asking too much and it was so last minute. Yet, Karen P. the Dance Liason in Bellingham, who was in charge of this project, had already gotten wind of the added number and had her crew make the extra without me knowing. Again, amazing!
Railroads, Oil Drums, Sacred Grove, choir risers and benches...oh my! My Carpentry Team and their friends, they really ensured that some big key pieces were there for the event - even while working their regular jobs. I was always told, Barb, don't worry everything will be there. I wasn't worried at all until I had realised I was too trusting and some things still weren't created by my April 9th deadline. Then as I had made some phone calls, I was reassured that all will work out. Two weeks before the event, I had some stressful moments to tell you the truth because I found out that one of my carpentry guys had taken too much on and he had some major pieces yet once we rearranged and reassigned some tasks, all was well again. The Railroad, was a huge piece to create and there was a lot of time and effort put into it. yet, the absolute final result was seamless. It looked absolutely fantastic and I am so glad that it all worked out in the end.
Miracles - Oil Drums, Benches, Sacred Grove, Nets and Pews. How often are we blessed? Very often and it is up to us to recognise it and be thankful as often as we can.
I can talk about my team and what we made, how it came together and who I came to rely on during this but what it came down to, which hit home on Thursday, Friday & Sat at the Event Centre - was the Youth. We were all doing this for all of the Youth in the Temple district and it was easy to lose sight of this when I was just spending a lot of time crossing items off of my list. Thursday when the youth showed up and we had our first "cold turkey" rehearsal, it gave me chills and I was a little emotional because it was so beautiful. Watching them sing, dance and perform, especially when I was hearing some of the songs for the first time, I can safely say now, that it was the Spirit. Those youth, they were ready and they were there for a purpose - to perform for the Prophet and their parents, leaders, friends and family.
Saturday, May 2, was the day the Prophet came and we had our Dress rehearsal and the Show!
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