As you know I have been a Member since 1952 and in the years since joining there have been a great many changes. The Church has grown and some of the things that were possible when the Church was smaller, and not World Wide, have had to go by the wayside. One of those things is the Dance Festivals. Now I know when they have their big productions when the Temples are ready to be Dedicated, have some of the same things, but not like when they were Church Wide.
When I was first in the Church, our children were small, the Church had Dance Festivals. In fact, Joe Sly and his wife Bernice (Cousins) were part of the committee that worked up the dances, and decided on the costuming. What a show those were. The one I worked on first was held at the Rose Bowl. We had to see the Young Men and Young Women were paired up into couples, and learned all the dances. Then their mothers were given the pattern and material for the dresses, and the Young Men were told what their outfits would be like. I only worked on the Young Womens outfits, so I am not sure just how the Young Men were taken care of. I remember that particular year the dresses were of yellow, orange and light green taffeta. They
had the layered petty coats to make the circular skirts stand out. When they were practicing in the Ward Building, it was colorful, but nothing like it was when the floor of the Rose Bowl was filled with all the Young People decked out in their colorful outfits dancing. It was like a kaleidoscope. Each group that was to dance had to wait their turn to go out on the field. There was a lot of nerves, and excitement, but nothing like the thrill of being in such a large group all doing the same steps to the same music. All the hours of practice and sore feet paid off and there was not one of the Youth who felt their time had been wasted. Oh, there were a number of dances, but our Stake was responsible for only about two. With Stakes working on the same program it was something to see it all come together with just a little practice together. The main job was to get the placement on the field so that the effect was something to behold.
Now the Church is so large, such things are limited to Special Programs, and then I know those who are fortunate enough to participate find the hard work and time spent well worth all they put into it.
I remember when I was asked to serve with the Mutual Program that was being started with the Senior Members of the Church, we went to the BYU Campus and saw the Youth in Utah put on a Dance Festival. I was so tired from the trip up I had difficulty staying awake, but when the Dancers came out on the field with their bright costumes and the Music started, I couldn't help but stir and marvel at the magic that was happening. I guess you would have to have been there to realize just how great it was. That was when I learned "Shall the Youth of Zion Faulter" I don't think I will ever be able to sing that song without recalling that experience.
It was way back then when they had General Conference in June also. That is when Primary was the feature. Oh what a thrill it was to set in the Tabernacle with all those Primary Workers and hear from the General Authorities. The one experience I don't think I will ever forget was
when the group was gathering in the Tabernacle before one of the General Sessions. Everyone was standing up in the narrow ilses of seats talking and gauking to see if they knew anyone in the close area. It was during this time the slides that would go with the talks were being tested for color, etc. So while we were are blabbing, laughing and enjoying the spirit of the occasion, one particular slide came up on the screen, now mind you, no one was really paying attention to that. It had been going on for a number of minutes. However when this one slide came up on those screens in the Tabernacle, every person shut up, sat down, and not another word was spoken. I am sure you have guessed what the slide was. Yes, it was of Christ. From the moment that image came on the screen, the spirit was so thick it caught everyones breath away and the tears flowed from every eye. I shall never forget that moment. I believe that is the way it is when you set in Conference and without really knowing it, you sence the Prophet has come into the building. Everyone immediately comes to attention. It is just automatic. I do believe it is proper, but when we see Christ our immediate reaction will be to fall on our knees, not just set down.
There were Stake Preparation Meetings back then too. Oh, what a help they were. Every teacher had a Stake Leader who went through all the lessons for the next month and had all the pictures and suggestions for preparations. I was working with the boys in Primary at the time, and it was so helpful to have the assistance of someone who had been teaching for years and knew just how to make the program work. They had these Meetings for all the Auxilaries. When the Church grew so big, and travel became more difficult, they decided to stop them. That was when the Manuals became larger, with more helps included. Amazing how we got spoiled with them. Now we are back to the smaller versions, with fewer helps, and the opportunity to dig down and find things on our own. The questions at the end of the lessons is to help lead us into some research on our own. The only problem with that is if we haven't been use to study and research, we can miss out on what is to be learned. As we all know, it is the teacher that gets the most out of any lesson. Many an opportunity is lost when a teacher doesn't pick up on the challenge that teaching bring their way. As President Harold B. Lee said: "you cannot lift another any higher than you are yourself" (not an exact quote, but near enough). A teacher has the opportunity to become so caught up with the lesson, they cannot give 1/10 of what they learn to the class, but they can inspire them to dig deeper for themsleves. I guess that is what the Brethern mean when they ask us to Ponder and Pray when we study. Wonderful how far that can take you if you pick up on the invitation.
It was back then a Temple trip ment planning a week-end with a drive to St George. There were no Temples in California until 1955 when the Los Angeles Temple was Dedicated. I recall how wonderful it was when we were able to go, to be able to drive the short distance to West Wood to attend the Temple.
It was then Temple Garments were available at the local J C Penny Store, or in some Stakes they had a Stake Garment Specialist who kept supplies in their home. Now you have to order them from Salt Lake, or have a Temple close with a Center to purchase. Yes, life is a series of changes. Each for the purpose of getting us closer to being self reliant. I am not sure just how well we are doing, but it is interesting to look back over the years and see just how much the programs have been moved toward taking the responsibility to do for ourselves. With the new technology that is available, there is always a lot of information at our fingertips if we just turn on the computer and know what buttons to push. Even our Genealogy is becoming "home bound". Little excuse for any of us to say we can't do it. The LORD only calls us to what HE knows we can do. If it seems beyond us, that only shows how much faith HE has in us. It is about time we found more in ourselves. Well, just a thought!
Written this 11 day of September 2009
by: Eileen Rosenberg
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