New Beginnings 2019

Picture of our presidency.  Debbie Tanner (2nd counselor) she did the food, me (1st counselor decor) Jeanette Cox (president did the program) and Monica is our secretary.  It has been so fun getting to know these women better.  Debbie is a new member of our ward of about six months.  I really like her!

This shows what it looked like after the girls planted their flags.  This is Eden, Miamaid, and Avery and Lucy Beehives.  I adore them!

Last evening we had our New Beginnings.  I was in charge of decorating.  Rick made the mountains for me and I had the standards from the strength of youth on flags attached to dowels which they planted on the mountain once they talked about it.  The mountains had holes drilled along the tops that fit the dowels.  There are 18 standards and they talked about ten of them.  I forgot to get a picture of the mountains with the flags but it looked great.  Debbie did the food, she made cupcakes with marshmallow icing to look like smores since our decor was camping/climbing theme. My favorite part was Rick's comments at the end.  He talked about two experienced climbers who had been climbing their whole lives recently died in a climb on Mount Capitan.  Witnesses report that they were going quickly and were not anchoring in along the way but they were attached to each other so when the one lost his grip and fell, he took the other with him.  He talked about how the standards are our anchors and they allow us to climb as high as we want safely but that taking shortcuts and ignoring the standards can lead to our falling and having to go through some pain to start the climb again.  He said in the climbing world there is a person that is below that lets out the slack so you can continue to climb and he ensures you do not fall.  That person is called the belay.  Rick said the top climber will say Belay on to the guy below and if that person is ready will say on belay which means "I've got you".  He told the girls to picture the Savior in the climb where they say Belay on and he will always say on Belay.   Anyway, Rick did it so much better than I am recording it, but it was powerful.