Summer Youth Activities

Kyle works with the young men in our ward (boys, age 12-18), and really enjoys it.  They have had some wonderful activities this summer.  One was a young men versus young women survival competition.  They had six different smaller competitions, for which they earned points.  Whichever group had more points at the end, won.  The prize: the other group had to make dinner and provide entertainment for the winning group.  The different competitions were rope tying, making fire, an obstacle course, dutch oven cooking contest, putting up a tent the fastest, and an orientation/compass course.  They had scriptures that went with each competition to relate it to their own life and orienting themselves safely through the challenges of life.  It was so well done and the kids had a great time.  They spent several activities prior to the actual competition day preparing and practicing.  The girls lost by only six points!  It was so close.  They ended up taking the boys on a water skiing/boating activity and providing them dinner. 

Another great activity Kyle was able to participate in this summer was the Scouting High Adventure.  It was a survival training camp on the Air Force SERE Training Ground a couple hours north of us.  (SERE is the military's acronym for Survive, Evade, Resist, Escape.)  Having the Fairchild Air Force Base in our ward gives us lots of exposure to different Air Force/Military opportunities. (They been able to go into the flight simulator and weapons simulators on base, for example.)  We have a few SERE Trainers in our ward, two of whom serve in the young men, so they were able to get access to the property where all Air Force members do this training.  Kyle had a blast on this four day, three night survival experience.  They ate only what they could find off the land, except for a few potatoes, three live rabbits and eight live chickens which they skinned and and boiled in a stew for a royal feast!  Kyle ate berries, ants, ant larvae, leaves, etc.  The young men got to enjoy the rabbit eye balls, and one young man swallowed a six inch fish whole just after they caught it.  (Ask Kyle about that story; it's gross!)  They made their own shelter and had only the clothes on their back.  Kyle said the first night was the second coldest and longest night of his life.  (The first being his night on a cliff on Honopue in Hawaii.)  The last night they gave them sleeping bags to sleep in.  The boys had an awesome time, their testimonies of Christ were strengthened, and they learned important life skills.  They hope to make it an annual tradition.

Kyle texted me the large picture of himself below while he was on the High Adventure; I barely recognized him and wasn't sure what they had done with my husband!