Australia YSA Conference
Young Single Adults from Around Australia Gather for Conference in Perth© 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Western Australia had the honour of welcoming other young people from across the country for a week of connection and inspiration in January 2023.
The University of Western Australia’s Crawley Campus welcomed the participants with a night at the "Regent’s Ball," featuring a string quartet, a ballet performance, and a delightful spread of the finest catering provided by local church members from the Rockingham area.
Late-night socializing didn’t stop these young people from partaking of the sacrament the next morning during their worship service.
Sione, 25, from Adelaide felt that he needed to be here, at the sacrifice of being with his family in Sydney to welcome in the New Year. He desired to be in an environment with like-minded young adults who share similar values, faith and beliefs, an "appealing place for his soul."
Speaking of how being in tune with God's Spirit helps him, he said, "The Spirit helps me to not be afraid of who I am, and I'm ready to face the new year with confidence."
With dancing, scavenger-hunting, river-cruising, day-tripping to Rottnest Island, movie-going, service-rendering, and temple-attending, it’s clear this Church-run convention would provide loads of fun and the connection of meeting new people, but these youth also came because they believe.
Yasmine, 25, from Sydney, has felt "an emptiness" during the past three years as she has not been actively participating in worship and other church activities.
Perth-YSA-2
Two Young Single Adults Overlooking Harbour in Perth© 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Having thought about coming back to church activity, she sees her sister’s invitation to "come and see" as a sign that her loving Heavenly Father is willing to reconnect with her. Being at the convention enabled her to feel the good of having the Spirit in her life, she says, and to realise its importance.
She says that "there is always hope of returning to the covenant path and of having faith to realign priorities with God’s plan. Put the Lord first in your life, and everything will work out.”
In the Sunday workshops some participants expressed their feelings of loneliness, insecurities, and not living up to Church standards. These young people, while physically exhausted, were spiritually hungry and thirsting for righteousness.
Convention committee coordinators, Holly Olde, 22, and Robb Williams, 22, both of Rockingham, made it their priority to ensure that convention activities were special and memorable.