PREPARATION
Every family should prepare 5 family names per youth to take to the Nauvoo Temple.
Parents, please help your child find and prepare at least FIVE family names to take to the Nauvoo Temple. Ask ward or stake Family History Consultants for help. We need all submissions turned in before we leave on the trip. Youth should give their submissions to their local YM/YW leaders.
As you are researching, if you have ancestors who lived in or around Nauvoo please learn as much as you can about them. Be prepared to share a story about your ancestor on our trip. Learning about your own family's experience will enrich your own.
FIND AN ANCESTOR
STEP 1 - Login to Family Search
1. If you already have an "LDS Account", you're good to go! Login to Family Search now.
2. If you need to create an account, visit this site: Create an Account
Note: Make sure to register as 'LDS'....you will need your membership # from your ward/branch clerk.
STEP 2 - Find an Ancestor
1. Find an ancestor who needs their temple work done!
2. This is where our wonderful family history 'experts' in our wards and branches are critical! (Your YM/YW leader will help coordinate a time to meet with them).
3. For those of you who are fearless and want to try this family history stuff on your own....go for it! Check out these great tutorials....
-
5 Minute Geneology - there are 21 "5-Minute" episodes to choose from
STEP 3 - Prepare a Name for the Temple
This is super easy once you have an ancestor's name. Have your ward consultant show you how!
STEP 4 - Print Out the Name Card
Print out the temple card. Make sure you bring it with you to the temple! When you print the temple card, it will have the individual cards with the ordinance work that needs doing and they have the image of a male, female, or couple on each card. Cut the cards out and bring them to the temple.
Note: If you don't have printing capability from your home, you can pull up www.familysearch.org from any location (public library, work, Family History Center, friend's house, etc.), sign in and print.
Family history
Before going to Nauvoo, you need to read and agree to follow the Honor Code. This form can be downloaded by clicking below.
This form will need to be signed by you, your parents or guardians, and your bishop and returned to your ward Young Men or Young Women leaders by Wednesday, March 20, 2017.
Honor code
How can I spiritually prepare for this event?
Your desire to attend and spiritual preparation will allow you to have an experience at Nauvoo that will further prepare you to receive the blessings of a loving Father in Heaven. Adhering to the following guidelines will assist you in preparing spiritually for our Nauvoo experience so that you can better come to know Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, and he sacrifices of the early men and women of the church. They will also help strengthen your testimony of the Restoration, and prepare you to enter the temple of the Lord.
These guidelines focus on four simple activities that you can diligently work on between now and July to spiritually prepare for our trip.
Power Hour
Family history
Monthly Nauvoo themes
Personal Worship (Prayer & daily scriptures)
Power Hour
You can do most of your Family History and Duty to God or Personal Progress by dedicating just one hour each week. We call this hour “Power Hour” because the power of heaven will be poured out on you as you faithfully work on these things:
Family History
Duty to God or Personal Progress
Scripture mastery applications
Just think how much you will grow spiritually and how powerful the spirit will be in your homes now and in Nauvoo if every youth in our stake diligently sets aside a Power Hour each Sunday.
Family History
We challenge every young man and young woman to work with their families and bring the names of five ancestors with them to Nauvoo for whom they can perform proxy baptisms in the Nauvoo Temple. We promise that if you do this you will feel the spirit of Elijah in the temple and that this will be one of the highlights of the Nauvoo trip for you. Your ward or branch will provide family history consultants to help you learn how to use “Family Search” and prepare the names. Please accept this challenge.
Duty to God or Personal Progress
One great way to spiritually prepare for Nauvoo is to increase your commitment to completing your Duty to God or Personal Progress. As you work between now and July, we encourage you to incorporate church history and the attributes of faith, obedience, sacrifice and service into your completion of these programs.
Monthly Nauvoo Themes
Through your ward youth leaders, each month we will provide you with spiritual and historical tools to help you prepare for the Nauvoo experience. As you make Nauvoo part of your mutual activities, your family home evenings, and your personal study you will arrive in Nauvoo ready to partake of the wonderful spirit of learning and testimony which will attend us.
Personal Worship
There is no substitution; personal prayer and daily scripture study are fundamental to a spiritual journey. There are times when you need to Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R).
Coming to Know
Coming to Know (CTK) is a series of monthly topics related to Nauvoo and the early years of the Church. The series culminate in June with Joseph in Carthage. The associated PDF files can be downloaded by clicking on the appropriate link below.
March Nauvoo: City
April Nauvoo: Temple
May Nauvoo: Trek
June Joseph in Carthage
Message from the Stake Presidency
February 2017
Our 2017 youth conference theme - “Fire of the Covenant” - comes from President Brigham Young who was with the lead group of pioneers at Winter Quarters, Nebraska in September 1846 when he heard about the desperate condition of the saints who had just been expelled from their homes in Nauvoo. According to Elder M. Russell Ballard, “After explaining the situation [to the saints in Winter Quarters] and reminding them of the covenant made in the Nauvoo Temple that no one who wanted to come, no matter how poor, would be left behind, he gave them this remarkable challenge: ‘Now is the time for labor,’ he said. ‘Let the fire of the covenant which you made in the House of the Lord, burn in your hearts, like flame unquenchable.’ Within a few days, in spite of near-destitute conditions at Winter Quarters, many wagons were rolling eastward to rescue the Saints in the poor camps along the Mississippi River” (See M. Russell Ballard, Like a Flame Unquenchable, April 1999 General Conference).
Between November 1845 and February 1846 (when the first group of saints headed West), 5615 endowment ordinances were performed in the Nauvoo Temple. The saints focused on the temple during that time knowing that the power and blessing of their temple covenants would strengthen them through the many difficult times that lay ahead. We would like to invite all members of the stake to share in our Nauvoo Youth Conference by helping us match or exceed the 5615 ordinances performed by the early saints with family history and temple related activities and participation before July 2017.
Accordingly, we challenge every young man and young woman to work with their families to prepare the names of five ancestors for whom they can perform proxy baptisms in the Nauvoo Temple. We promise that if they do this, the youth will feel the spirit of Elijah in the temple and that this will be one of the highlights of the Nauvoo trip for them. Ward and branch family history consultants, High Priest Group leaders, as well as our stake family history directors can assist in this effort.
We also challenge every adult, youth, and child to participate in temple and family history activities. These include Family Home Evenings about the temple or family history, signing youth up for Family Search and beginning to find relatives and loved ones, speaking with grandparents and other family members about their lives, indexing names, Primary temple activities, youth temple trips, and, of course, temple ordinances. In this way, we believe that every member of our stake, young and old, can be a part of our youth conference to a degree.
Please report these temple or family history activities on the link below. To reach this ambitious goal of 5615 by July 2017, we would count every name indexed, every family home evening on genealogy, every story found on FamilySearch, every ordinance completed, etc. Basically, everything that had something to do with the temple or family history can be counted. The counter is anonymous and the number of clicks is strictly on the honor system.
We believe this can be a great way to draw our stake closer together around a single goal, get all of our members involved in family history and temple work, and reap those accompanying blessings throughout our stake. Thank you for all that you do. We very much look forward to both our youth going to Nauvoo and our stake turning to the temple.
Love,
President Steven P. Brown President Jeffrey R. Fraser President Scott A. Ketring
Columbus Georgia Stake Presidency
Spiritual Preparation
How do I register and what is the deadline?
Click on the Register button at the bottom of the page, fill out the document and submit. The registration is due Sunday, March 20th, 2017. If you register after this date you will not be guaranteed a spot and will be put on the waiting list.
In addition to the registration form, you need to turn in an Honor Code form. These forms may be downloaded and printed from the Preparation page and should be turned in to your Ward Young Men or Young Women leaders by Sunday, March 20th, 2017. The registration process is not complete until these required, signed forms are turned in.
If you miss the registration deadline and would like to be put on the waiting list, please email 2017youthconference@gmail.com.
If you do not have internet access, please speak with your ward Young Women or Young Men leaders and they will ensure that you have access to the required forms.
Who can attend?
The Nauvoo Trip is for youth in the Young Men’s or Young Women’s programs of the Columbus Georgia Stake who will be 14 or older. Youth who graduate from high school in 2017 may attend.
How were adult and youth leaders selected?
All adult leaders were prayerfully selected and invited to come under the direction of the Stake Presidency after receiving recommendations from Bishops.
Can I bring non-member or a friend from another stake?
Due to the logistics and expense associated with the Nauvoo trip, participants who are not members of the Columbus Georgia Stake will be placed on a waiting list. If space becomes available, they may be able to attend. After all the Columbus Georgia Stake youth have registered and a head count is acquired, remaining available spots may be made available for friends and extended family members of Columbus Georgia Stake youth.
Can parents or other family members attend?
Should your family choose to come to Nauvoo while we are there, they should not expect to participate in activities planned for you, tag along on the planned itinerary, or keep you from these events. Family attendance may distract you from the full life changing, spiritual experience that the Nauvoo Youth Trip will provide. Please plan your family vacations at a different time.
Can I meet up with my family at the end of the Nauvoo Trip to leave on our family vacation?
Activities during the travel to and from Nauvoo are part of the trip, and we encourage you to participate. However, it would be possible to meet up with your family before the group leaves Nauvoo. Advance arrangements with stake leaders will be necessary.
If I have a conflict, can I come for just part of the time in Nauvoo?
We would ask you to commit to attending the entire Nauvoo Trip due to the complexity of making arrangements, providing accommodations, and ensuring for the safety of over 150 youth. Also, great activities are planned for each day, which you won’t want to miss!
What is the cost for the trip?
The cost of the trip will be covered by the Stake budget.
Do I need to bring money?
You may bring some spending money for souvenirs. You will not need any for food or other necessities.
Will there be bathrooms on the buses?
Yes and we will stop occasionally for bathroom breaks.
Will the cabins be air conditioned?
Yes!
Can we bring snacks on the bus?
You may bring WATER and snacks without peanuts.
Can I bring electronic devices?
Cell phones are permitted as long as they are used in an appropriate manner and at appropriate times.
F A Q
CONTACT US
For other questions and comments email 2017YouthConference@gmail.com