Paradise Ward Young Men

Hello everyone! I thought I would post a summary of camp now that we have survived heat, rain, hail, overnight camping, and my cooking.

We had a really good camp this year. Even being broken up on the 4 days, I think we were able to have fun, learn a few things about life and the outdoors, and keep the spirit of the Savior. I particularly enjoyed the boys bringing a favorite scripture each day. It was interesting to hear the “why” of why they picked certain scriptures, and we had scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

I’m sure you have heard a bunch from the boys by now and looked at their books they brought home, but I would like to summarize some of the things we did.

In addition to the Aaronic Priesthood Theme and Pledge of Alegiance each day, I provided one of my favorite scriptures to start off. Then we ate. Hot dogs one day, hamburgers in the rain and hail another, stew and biscuits at camp, pancakes and bacon for breakfast, and an assortment of Young Men provided meals on Thursday. We had plenty of fruit and snacks.

We had instructional time over the week, where we learned about several outdoor and other safety concerns. We learned how to be good stewards of the environment and make camping pleasant for everyone in the outdoors with Leave no Trace and the Outdoor Code. We learned basic first aid including a rudimentary understanding of CPR. We talked about the Declaration of Independence, a bit about the Constitution and focused on the Bill of Rights. We talked about using camp stoves vs using fires. We talked about weather safety. We learned a couple of knots. We talked about fire safety and building, but there was a lack of a firepit at camp so we didn’t get to practice. There were hot dogs and marshmellos over the charcoal lighter however.

We talked about how to use a map and compass, and being safe on a hike. Brother Lofthouse took the boys on an adventure walk.

We set up 2000 popsicle sticks at the stake center to get a good visual on what 2000 Stripling warriors looked like. Bishop Layton then talked about the Stripling Warriors and why they were so significant. You should have heard the complaints in putting out 2000 sticks in the sun. Cleanup was much more fun!

We had devotionals about blessings that need to be shared to multiply. We shared many scriptures, and wrote some in our journals each day. I put in a thinking page for each day that was a writing prompt. They had to come up with one thing each day for the following: With Christ, through Christ, or because of Christ, today I….. I stole that idea from FSY and I really liked thinking of what that meant to me each day, that I accomplished “X” because of the Savior.

All in all it went really well. No injuries to speak of, not much contention, a lot of laughter and fun. It really turned out to be what I wanted Young Mens camp to be, fun, educational, and spiritual.

Pictures are posted on the “Adventure Pictures” link above, with a 2023 link on that page. Some look the same, but the boys are hamming it up differently in each picture.

Thank you for sharing your boys with us this week, I already have some thoughts for next year!

-Justin

Well we have 2 days of camp down! Last night was fun to get rained, and hailed, upon.

Tonight we will meet at the Stake Center Pavilion at 5:00. Remember the boys will be cooking their own dinner, please bring the food! I will have the means to prepare it.

Tomorrow we head out for the mountains. Meet at my house by 5. Please remember to bring a jacket, even in summer it can get cool in the mountains. Refer to the packing lists, everything should be good on there. We will be going hiking on Saturday morning so sturdy shoes are again required.

I have some pictures that I will be posting shortly.

We will see everyone tonight!

-Justin

Hello all! We are finally here at Young Men’s Camp week! This post is full of information so please read to the end.

This is the roster I am going with for planning the rest of the camp. Please let me know of any changes either through the email link or on the group text chat. I have marked on here who I still need a permission slip from:

*Need permission slip* Taylor- Wednesday and Thursday

*Need permission slip*Max- all days

Gabriel- all days

Tristan- all days

*Need permission slip*Wyatt- all days

*Need permission slip if under 18* Anthony- all days

*Need permission slip if under 18* Jakob- Friday and Saturday

*Need permission slip*Marcus- Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

I need these on Tuesday or I can’t let your boy stay at camp.

The schedule: I will be posting something each day this week for the next day. Tuesday we will meet at Germania Park. There is a map to Germania further down in the posts. It is close. We will meet at 5:00 pm and get started. We will be finished by 9:00 pm for pickup. We will be having dinner at the first of the night. Everyone needs to bring a plate and a cup at least. We will be washing our dishes.

It is going to be HOT! No, we are not going to cancel camp. I have shade, and we are not going to be doing a bunch of physical stuff, however, water bottles are a must! I will have water jugs to refill bottles with. I will have a few Gatorade’s but water is better in the heat. I will not have any bottled water, we will use our reuseable bottles going along with leave no trace. It would be wise to drink a bunch over the day before coming to camp as well.

Please refer to the packing lists above I did fix the typo and made it a 2023 list.

Don’t forget to have a favorite scripture to share for each day!

A reminder, the boys will be cooking their own meal on Thursday. I like to have this as an actual cooking session. Yes I will help them. My old Scout requirements were anything that is not: heat and eat, out of a can, hot dogs, mac and cheese, or any other add water and stir. There is a place for all of those, but I would like the boys to learn a bit more of a skill. Please be thinking of what they can make, and please send any questions my way.

If anything else comes up be sure to let us know in the group chat.

Have a great Pioneer day and we will see you on Tuesday!

-Justin

Hello again everyone. Well we are just over a week away from camp. This post is similar to the others, but please read to the end.

Again, please have 5 favorite scriptures for the camp. We will all share one of these a day during camp.

Please look at the packing lists on the tab above. I have 2 lists, one for the daily camps at the park and one for the overnighter.

Another part of that list is dishes. It doesn’t need to be a mess kit or anything, but a plastic plate and silverware that can be washed. I will have wash water and we will do our best to be good stewards of the environment by not creating a bunch of garbage. We will practice Leave No Trace. I will not have paper plates or plastic cups available. Bring a cup or a water bottle. I will have water to refill them with.

Permission slips to be turned into either myself or Jackson by this Wednesday, the 19th. They can be accessed through the “Forms” link above.

This is the roster I am going with for planning the rest of the camp. Please let me know of any changes either through the email link or on the group text chat.

Taylor- Wednesday and Thursday

Max- all days

Gabriel- all days

Tristan- all days

Wyatt- all days

Anthony- all days

Jakob- Friday and Saturday

Marcus- Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

And finally, the boys will be cooking their own meal on Thursday. I like to have this as an actual cooking session. Yes I will help them. My old Scout requirements were anything that is not: heat and eat, out of a can, hot dogs, mac and cheese, or any other add water and stir. There is a place for all of those, but I would like the boys to learn a bit more of a skill. Please be thinking of what they can make, and please send any questions my way.

Along with this, we will be deciding on what to eat for the overnight camp and making a plan. Have them think of something they would like for the campout. Otherwise, I am making stew and biscuits. I will have a couple of choices as well, based on what the Young Women had left over from their camp. I like to utilize everything I can.

For the Schedule, we will meet at Germainia park on Tuesday and Wednesday promptly at 5pm. I have a bunch planned for the 4 hours we are at the park. We will finish up at 9:00 and be ready for pickup.

On Thursday, we will be at the Stake Center and will start at 5 again. If the boys want to be there a bit earlier they can be, I will be there about 4:30. Again we will be finished by 9.

On Friday, everyone can meet at my house again, at 5 pm. I am at 5073 smiley Drive, right next to the Lortons. We will pack up and leave from there for the overnighter. We will return on Saturday afternoon about 3:00. I do need another adult leader to go on Friday night, that can take 3 boys. I believe general guidelines are that they need to be 21 or over. Please let me know who can come with us on Friday to Saturday.

That is about all for today, there will be more to come next week. Please feel free to ask me any questions.

-Justin

Hello again. This is our weekly update for Young Mens camp!

We have just over 2 weeks to go, so a few reminders.

Please have 5 favorite scriptures for the camp. We will all share one of these a day during camp.

Please look at the packing lists on the tab above. One of the big things on there is closed toed shoes. At the park we will be running around on the edges and there are a lot of weeds and such. Flip Flops are not great for this, I have seen it before.

Another part of that list is dishes. It doesn’t need to be a mess kit or anything, but a plastic plate and silverware that can be washed. I will have wash water and we will do our best to be good stewards of the environment by not creating a bunch of garbage. We will practice Leave No Trace. I will not have paper plates or plastic cups available. Bring a cup or a water bottle. I will have water to refill them with.

I still need the permission slips to be turned into either myself or Jackson by Wednesday the 19th.

I have the following boys attending:

Taylor- Wednesday and Thursday

Max- all days

Gabriel- all days

Tristan- all days

Wyatt- all days

Anthony- all days

Jakob- Friday and Saturday

Marcus- Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

If there is a change please let me know.

And finally, the boys will be cooking their own meal on Thursday. I like to have this as an actual cooking session. Yes I will help them. My old Scout requirements were anything that is not: heat and eat, out of a can, hot dogs, mac and cheese, or any other add water and stir. There is a place for all of those, but I would like the boys to learn a bit more of a skill. Please be thinking of what they can make, and please send any questions my way.

Along with this, we will be deciding on what to eat for the overnight camp and making a plan. Have them think of something they would like for the campout. Otherwise, I am making stew and biscuits.

That is about all for today, there will be more to come next week. Please feel free to ask me any questions.

-Justin

Hello all. We are just over 3 weeks away from Ym Camp! I hope everyone is looking forward to it.

Some quick reminders, Gather 5 scriptures to share; one for each day of camp

I am posting a packing list for the Tuesday through Thursday portion of the camp, as well as one for the overnighter on Friday. They are on the packing lists tab above. These are not all inclusive, but a general guide to packing for each day. Always use our best judgement. My old rule, you can bring anything you want to, you just have to carry it!

Also on the forms tab above, there is a downloadable and fillable permission slip. I will need one of these for every boy going. If there are additional dietary, allergen, or medication things that I need to know, please attach a page to the permission slip. I would like everything like that written down so we have less f a chance to miss something. I need all of the permission slips in either my hand or Jackson’s hand by July 19th at our regular youth night. If I do not have a permission slip I cannot take the Young Man. This is church policy on outings.

Finally, please keep me informed of who is and who is not going to be at camp so that I can shift plans if needed. so far I have the following:

Taylor- Wednesday and Thursday

Max- all days

Gabriel- all days

Tristan- all days

Wyatt- all days

Anthony- all days

Jakob- Friday and Saturday

if there is anyone else (besides leaders) please let me know.

Thanks to all, more information will be coming!

-Justin

Hello everyone. Can you believe that we are a month away from Young Mens Camp? Well, we are.

As we go through this busy next month, I would like all of the boys (and the leaders!) to do a few things.

One, think about how a camp like this can build and strengthen relationships with each other, as well as with Our Savior.

Two, make a list of at least 5 favorite scriptures to bring and share at camp.

Three, start thinking of yummy things to eat for the overnighter, as well as an activity on Thursday. I want the group to plan the menu for the campout (I do have ideas myself, we will explore every option) as well as something that the boys will cook for themselves on Thursday. More will come on this in the near future, but start thinking about it. My usual requirements are no heat and eat (ie hot dogs), no instant (ie ramen or mac and cheese), but something that has to actually be cooked. Like I said, we will talk about this more.

That is all for now, I will update this site with information for everyone several times over the next month.

Thanks!

-Justin

Hello everyone. Slight update to the calendar that I sent out yesterday. On Thursday the 27th, we will meet at the Stake Center at 5 instead of the park. All other info will be the same.

Thanks!

Hello everyone. It is time for our Young Men’s summer camp for 2023!

It will be a bit different this year. It will be held on July 25th to July 29th.

Tuesday the 25th, Wednesday the 26th, and Thursday the 27th will all be held over at Germania park. The map there is below, it is close. There are even directions to get there starting at the Church building.

We will meet those days at 5pm sharp and get started. We will be finished at 9pm so the boys can be picked up.

On Friday the 28th, we will meet at the Church and head to camp. We will meet at 5pm again. We will return before 3pm on Saturday the 29th.

The place we will be camping is Camp Everett: Moose Hollow, up 4 miles west of Wanship. The map is below the Germania Map.