OGDEN -- Last week's Arise and Shine Forth Spectacular performances weren't all about singing and dancing -- the 3,500 youth were given special messages before the July 13 dress rehearsal and both performances on Friday and Saturday evening at firesides held just before the performances.
The youth crowded into the Stromberg Complex indoor track and weight area at Weber State University and sat on the floor to listen to three different speakers on each night. Carl Cook, an area Seventy, spoke on July 13; Donald Keyes, the area Seventy who got the ball rolling for the spectacular, addressed the youth on July 16; and Bruce C. Hafen, a member of the presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy and his wife Marie, addressed the youth before the July 17 performance.
All the speakers gave the youth strong words of encouragement and complimented them for their accomplishments.
Throughout the process of the practices and performances, the youth were encouraged to make a commitment to live the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to commit to living the principles taught in the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet. The pamphlet serves as a guide for the youth, outlining different areas such as morality and the Word of Wisdom and how to live up to those standards.
The youth were given bags that they carried during the finale number with a copy of the Book of Mormon and "For the Strength of Youth" so they could remember to live by the standards taught in both of the books. Cook encouraged the youth to give their Books of Mormon away to someone as a missionary tool.
Keyes spoke to the youth about how proud he was of their commitment to the Spectacular. He talked of how a friend had told him that there was no way that over 3,000 youth would stick with the practices and show up to perform at WSU. Keyes said the friend said he would be lucky if 1,000 youth showed up.
"I told him he didn't know my kids," Keyes said. "And it wasn't just 3,000 kids that showed up, it is over 3,500," Keyes said.
At that, the youth yelled and cheered.
On Saturday night, the excitement was thick in the air because it was the last performance, but many of the kids sat quietly and respectfully as Bruce Hafen and his wife addressed the group. Hafen spoke about passion. He spoke of how in the world passion is often portrayed as a bad thing associated with casual sex and having momentary fun.
"Passion is actually good, it is really good," Hafen said. He told the youth that they should have passion when it comes to loving the Lord and doing the things that are right and that it is something they have been given bodies for -- to feel passion.
But he told the youth they must learn to bridle their passions and discussed it in detail, showing clips from the movie, "The Man From Snowy River," about using bridles and having open lines of communications in relationships. He talked of staying away from pornography and controlling passions with electronic media.
The youth began and ended each fireside with a Primary song and prayer and quickly assembled to make way to the stadium.
Spectacular director Jerry Nelson said the idea for the firesides was to help solidify the experience for the youth and to help them focus on the things that are important in the long run.
Members of the General Young Men and Young Women presidencies and boards were also in attendance Saturday night as well as member of the Seventy and General Church Historian Marlin Jensen.
Jensen was thrilled to be at the performance and was there to watch one of his own grandchildren perform.
"This is a throwback to the things we did as youth," Jensen said. He loved watching the youth working together in "spirit and unity."
"This is a little bit of a pushback from the information age that is needed. The prophet sensed this and that is why he is encouraging these things," Jensen said.
Many of the youth said they planned to give their Books of Mormon to non-LDS friends and that hearing some of the thoughts encouraged them to live more closely to the principles they had been taught.
"It has definitely just been all so cool," 18-year-old Orion Hunter said of the whole experience.
"It has been spiritually enlightening and strengthened my testimony," Kristina Nygaard said.
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