Youth Conference - Vanuatu Style

      It seems very strange to be having a youth conference in December.  However, you must remember that in the southern hemisphere it is summer.  Now is when the students are out of school.  The plan was for two very full days.  They had workshops and activities. The first night they had what was called "Island Night".  It was really great fun.  Each branch represented a different island.  They danced and sang.  Many of them had tried to come up with some native costumes.

 It was like an old fashioned roadshow event.  The transitions from one branch to the next were

not very clean.  There were lapses of time, but the kids were having great fun.  Island Night was held on the big lawn at Blacksands Branch.  And - each group also had food from their island.  After the presentation, the refreshments were the island foods.  They took group pictures of each of the YM/YW groups from the various branches.  The kids in the yellow t-shirts are all from Blacksands Branch.  They have a great Young Mens President that had the shirts hand painted.

 

      As usual, more girls participated in the dancing than the boys.  And - the older women were glad to dance.  The costuming was just somewhat symbolic.  They really got into it.  They sang loud and clear.  It was fun to watch and listen.

      As the evening progressed, it turned into everyone dancing and singing.  The children and all of those that were there watching were on the lawn participating.  Raiza got me up dancing too.  Clyde took the picture after we had stopped dancing.

 

      The second day they had a testimony meeting on the beach.  That evening they had a Choir Night.  All of the young sang together.  The entire youth conference was very interesting.  We were mainly observers.  However, in many ways it taught us so much more about these good people.  They are islanders;  they are natives.  And - they love their Heavenly Father!!!