Once in a Lifetime

President Thomas S. Monson

In honor of the rededication of the Atlanta Temple, my children had the rare opportunity of participating in the Atlanta Temple Youth Cultural Celebration "Southern Lights" at the Atlanta Civic Center. The theme was, "Ye are all the children of  light." Jesus Christ is the light of the world. As Southerners, we strive to follow His perfect example by letting our lights shine.  The program celebrated Georgia's rich history through music and dance and honored the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in our area. The youth choir performed special music such as, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" and a special song written just for our celebration titled, "Ye Are All Children of Light."

About 2,500 youth in our temple district were involved, and they practiced for months. Some came in spite of great difficulty due to the recent outbreak of tornadoes in their area.  Many left homes that were destroyed.  Each ward had a dance, song, and costume specialist. Hundreds of hours were spent in preparation for the celebration. There were times the task seemed daunting, but our youth and leaders were able to rise to the occasion with much dedication and hard work.  Truly, this was a labor of love. 

There were about 26 dances performed, all depicting the history of Georgia. Some of our favorites were the Charleston, swing, a Singing in the Rain medley, and country line dancing. The crowd went wild as the boys from the Sugar Hill stake performed a spectacular rendition of The Stomp. Our ward was part of a group that celebrated Georgia's love for football. We had a drum line, the color guard, cheerleaders, and football players, and the marching band represented through dance. Kayleigh and Everett were part of the marching band and performed to 76 Trombones. It was a synchronized dance, and the 300 youth on stage were a sight to behold.

I asked my children what the cultural celebration meant to them.

Kayleigh said, "This has been meaningful to our family, because my mom was in the 8th grade when the temple was first dedicated, and  I am in the 8th grade now and have loved being a part of the re-dedication of the temple. Having the temple closed for two years has given me perspective and an understanding of the reality of so many youth around the world. They have to travel for days and sometimes under very difficult circumstances to get to the temple. I will try to never take for granted having a temple so close."   

Everett answered by saying, " At first I did not think that I was going to be able to participate in the celebration, because I was only 11 when the announcement was made. But then I learned I could be a part of it, because I turned 12 before April 30. I was really excited about that. I play baseball and this is a pretty hard sport, but learning this dance for the celebration was even harder! At first, I did not think I could do it, but I tried my hardest and wanted to do my best for the prophet." 

This has been a once in a lifetime experience for our family. Kayleigh and Everett will draw upon this for years to come. They have created memories that will last forever. Their testimonies have grown and their resolve to do good has been strengthened. This has been life changing for them.

The best part for me and Brad was the surprise of having seats so close to the stage. Nikki works with our stake in public affairs. She called me on my cell phone and said, "I have two seats waiting for you. Hurry up!"  She explained where she was sitting, and as we walked into the auditorium, I thought I must be mistaken as we inched our way closer and closer and closer to the stage. We were about seven rows from the orchestra pit. I had a perfect view of President Monson.

We were told that he was really getting into the performances.

There are no words to express the wonderful spirit of the evening. We watched our youth with complete joy and with an understanding that they are truly doing their best to shine their light unto all the world.


 

Kayleigh and Everett after the show.

It's nice having a V.I.P. in the family!

This was a backdrop on stage during the finale. The choir was singing as the youth filled the auditorium.  The room was dark as each youth shined a tiny flash light. It was an awesome sight.