Mormon youth between the ages of 12 and 18 usually enjoy a three- to four-day retreat during the summer break with activities centered on a gospel theme.
For youth in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the retreat’s theme was “Seeking the Sacred: A Journey to the Tabernacle of Moses.” Latter-day Saint teens were taught to seek sacred activities and teachings in their life wherever their goals and plans take them.
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The 105 youth and their 30 adult leaders participated in an interactive experience featuring a life-size replica of the tabernacle of Moses, where youth served as guides at the displays as well as parking attendants. While in period clothing, they interacted with members of the community who attended and provided commentary on their characters.
Dr. Donald Parry, a professor of Hebrew Bible and Dead Sea Scrolls at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, met with the youth inside the tabernacle replica and spoke about sacred space. He taught about the portable temple built by Moses and compared it to modern Latter-day Saint temples. Youth were also encouraged to seek out and create their own sacred spaces so they can feel peace from the noise of the world at any time.
Dr. Parry noted that each of the 156 modern Latter-day Saint temples features an inscription on an east-facing wall, “Holiness to the Lord,” in the language of where the temple is located. He counseled them, “Always seek for holiness.”
The youth also completed three community-based service projects, including mulching around a local library and nearby playground as well as doing maintenance work at an elementary school and setting up for the Saline Celtic Festival at Mill Pond Park.