Surrounded by 128 young men and women, Cincinnati Ohio East Stake Young Women President Alissa Brown looked out over an empty field — the site of the future Cincinnati Ohio Temple — her heart brimming with love for the youth.
“These kids are the hope of Israel,” she thought. “They are the future leaders of the Church.”
During a three-day youth conference June 19-21, the youth of the Cincinnati Ohio East Stake saw temples of the past, present and future as they visited the Kirtland, Columbus and Cincinnati temples.
“This youth conference helped me recognize that from the beginning to now and to the future, the gathering of Israel has been put in place by God to be our number one job on this earth,” said Sophia Brown, 15.
Bradley Ringhand, 13, was hesitant to attend the conference, because it meant missing out on a family trip. Now, he said he has no regrets.
“It helped me grow closer to my Heavenly Father and strengthened my relationships with my friends and Church leaders,” he said. “I’m grateful for the experience and the growth it brought.”
The group’s first stop was at the Columbus Ohio Temple, where they performed baptisms for the dead.
They spent the next day learning about early members of the Church at the Kirtland Temple, ending with a devotional from Elder Nathan L. Johnson, an Area Seventy, at the John Johnson farm.
Sophia said she felt connected to the early Saints as she entered their homes and the temple.
“I could feel their new faith and their courage as they tried to understand their role in a brand new church,” she said. “This youth conference made me want to be like those humble Saints.”
Aaron Peña, 18, said the experience encouraged him as he prepares to serve in the California Ventura Mission, speaking Spanish.
“By hearing the stories of the early Saints and the struggles they went through, I know that as I go in faith to serve the Lord, I will receive guidance and blessings,” he said. “If the early Saints could build a temple from scratch, I can learn another language.”
Likewise, Cora Goldie, 14, was also inspired by the examples of the Saints in Kirtland.
“I learned that even though the early Saints did not have the skills to build a temple, they did their best, and the Lord accepted their sacrifice and effort,” she said. “It inspired me to start putting in my best effort, even if it’s not perfect.”
Many tender mercies occurred during the planning and execution of the conference. Alissa Brown related the story of Blake Anderson, a counselor in the stake Young Men presidency.
During the planning stages of the conference, Brown and other stake members learned Anderson had liver cancer. He passed away April 5.
“Blake’s final act of church service was to help us with the schedule and logistics for our youth conference,” Brown said.
Brown said he worked especially hard to organize their day in Kirtland.
“We all felt him close that day and later wondered at the smooth and efficient way our day went,” she said. “It was evident that our friend Blake was helping us from the other side of the veil.”
The conference ended with a trip to the site of the future Cincinnati Ohio Temple — which will be within 30 minutes of many of the youth’s homes.
Stake Young Men President Chris Decker experienced a lot of self-doubt while helping plan the conference, but as he stood at the site of the Cincinnati temple, he could see how everything had come together perfectly.
“What a gift it was to plan this conference and to give (the youth) a chance to feel God’s love,” Decker said. “There was definitely a measure of relief at the end of our conference, but it was nothing compared to the gratitude I felt in being able to help make this experience happen for them.”
