"Immediate necessity makes many things convenient, which if continued would grow into oppressions. Expedience and right are different things."--Jefferson

Friday, February 24, 2012

Vanguard Mission Statement--How to!

The mission of this group is to empower the youth with a sense of personal mission and enable them to move forward with that mission by:


(1)  Encouraging faith in God as their ultimate mentor and source of truth through the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ:
I believe that a person must have a sense of obligation to a purpose or person higher than themselves to truly fulfill a meaningful mission.

I also believe that gaining intelligence is not gaining IQ, but that intelligence is, rather, "the application of what we know for righteousness" or truth. (Quote from David Bednar) I believe that the pathway to true intelligence involves the acquiring and applying/understanding truth and then using that truth to impact the world around us.


I believe that the Holy Ghost is the testator to all truth and will not only confirm truth in a person, but will enable and expand the mind of the earnest seeker of truth to gain more truth.


(2) Helping them find value in their own unique mission and introduce them to various communication styles so that they may communicate that mission to the world:
There are different stages in coming to a sense of mission, that can be assisted or facilitated through the right environment.
This time of a youth's life is also golden for developing tools with which they can express that mission.

Tools to help expand concept of mission
Great "kid's" books--I find I am never too old for a book with a good message...these are great for devotionals or just perspective grabbers:
 "The Treasure" by Uri Shulevitz --trusting inspiration and personalized direction
"The Happy Dromedary"--finding the tools you need, despite what other's may think
"The Apple-Pip Princess"--doing what you can with what you have, with miraculous results
"Leo the Late Bloomer" By Robert Kraus--everyone blooms in their own good time :)
"Just the way you are" by Max Lucado--sometimes what God needs for us to accomplish our mission may look different from what we think we need.

THE OUTCAST
By Adam Hall

A man walked into a room, and all who were there fell completely silent. He wore no crown of gold and bore no rank, but all who knew him knew him as their leader.

He had power of sight and sound; through fire, water, and air he learned. The first two very different from each other, but the last one feeds and destroys them both, working together to find knowledge of truth, and of evil.

He was raised by evil but chose to do good.

He was told vicious lies but chose to find truth.

He deserted the evil and entered the good.

He entered a quest to find only truth but gained much more. He gained friendships only imagined before, and gained knowledge and skills that were dreamed of by all.

This man was an outcast at first, hated by everyone who knew or saw him.

He was labeled as a trouble maker, a member of the evil.

Until one man saw in him free will, free will to do good, not evil. This man helped him on his way, became his first true friend as some might say. He guided him through trials and tasks, helping him choose but not making the choice.

Until the day when finally, the outcast had to go on alone, to find for himself the truth of all his questions. When everything had ended, he knew much more than he had already known.

And when he walked once more across the land, he was known no more as an outcast, but as a leader - strong, bold, and truthful. A leader but for good and not for ill.

A man walked into a room, and all who were there fell deadly silent. He wore no crown of gold and bore no rank, but at the end of the day, all who looked upon him wept.

A man who was evil had decided to find good and became an outcast, then ended his quest by becoming a leader. He had been chosen.

That had been his mission, and he had done it well.

--Adam the Bowhunter

Scriptural references/People:
Moses (Bible and Book of Mormon)
Nephi (1 Ne. 3:7--Book of Mormon)
Abinadi: "It matters not what man can do" Abinadi vs. Army :)
(Mosiah 13:1-7, Moses-like)
Doctrine and Covenants 88:76-80 (LDS Scripture)

(3) Helping them come face-to-face with greatness as they study the world, history, people, and science, to prepare them to become future leaders in society: Hence, the class structure and lenses.

(4)  Creating an environment of respect, decency, trust and confidence:
Creating an environment of respect, decency, trust and confidence is essential to enabling a youth to share what they have learned throughout the week and vocally participate enough to create a truly synergistic environment.

(5) Teaching service-oriented leadership
Service Oriented Leadership is an essential aspect of preparing a youth to use their mission to serve... which is truly the only way to completely fulfill a mission--by putting it into practice!  The missions we are given are never wholly for ourselves, and the youth need to know that.  Try to bring in relevance of personal missions to service opportunities as much as possible.


Young adulthood can be a very selfish time, which is constricting to their self-esteem and confidence. When they are engaged in meaningful service, youth find value in others and learn to appreciate diversity, find strength in themselves as they do things that aren't for immediate gratification, and realize what they have to be grateful for.

The service project opportunities, service in leadership positions within the group, and teaching moments are all great ways to re-inforce this concept.





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