Upcoming Activities
Teachers Quorum activities are now visible on the ward calendar. See below for our activity highlights as they occur.
2023 Activity Highlights
Campout at Parker Canyon Lake
On Friday, June 2, 2023, the Teachers quorum invited families and friends to a campout at Parker Canyon Lake. Brother Walker had assembled fishing kits for us, and we tried our luck fishing from the shore. We also had several kayaks and spent some time out on the water. It was a fun and relaxing kickoff of our summer break.
2022 Activity Highlights
YM and YW teams vie for gingerbread house awards
For more on this December 2022 activity, go to https://www.mtfagan.org/priests.html
Teachers and YW2 class go rappelling
On Saturday, December 17, members of the Teacher's quorum and YW2 class met at Windy Point on Mount Lemmon to rappel off of a 170-foot cliff and overhang. Although dressed for the cold, the day turned out to be fantastic with minimal wind and a strong sun.
The presence of snow made for a fun diversion when not engaged on the cliff. In addition to traditional rappelling, a few participants successfully ascended up the cliff equipped with frogger-style ascenders. We got our workout and had a lot of fun.
The presence of snow made for a fun diversion when not engaged on the cliff. In addition to traditional rappelling, a few participants successfully ascended up the cliff equipped with frogger-style ascenders. We got our workout and had a lot of fun.
Teachers Explore Lake Patagonia in July
On July 15, five members of the Teachers quorum and their leaders took a speedboat down to Lake Patagonia to try their hands at tubing, wakeboarding, and kayaking. The group met early in the morning and arrived in time to practice on the glassy water before any other big boats got out.
The morning was spent wakeboarding, skiing, and tubing until one of the leaders couldn't handle the motion anymore. At lunchtime, they pulled out three kayaks, explored a cove, and played "king of the lily pad" for a couple hours. This gave the quorum an opportunity to really enjoy the peaceful area, watch the birds, and appreciate the beauty of nature. After lunch, they spent a couple more hours on the speedboat and skis and tubes before heading back home. |
High Adventure brings learning, testimony, bonds
On June 2-4, seven youth and five adults participated in the Teachers Quorum High Adventure to start off the summer. We arranged to stay on Jesse and Bethany Bell's ranch north of Benson. The Bell ranch is nestled up on the eastern side of the Little Rincon Mountains. The Bells are a horse family, and our goal over the three days was to learn how to ride horses in the desert country while simultaneously learning to appreciate God's country and strengthening our testimonies of Him.
Our preparation for the trip started many weeks earlier as we learned some basic leatherworking skills and sewed together saddlebags from canvas that would be used to carry our lunches each day. Special thanks to Sister Davis and the Giffords for helping make that happen.
We rose early each day of our trip with the goal to be at the Bells' horse pens by 6 a.m. The Bell family, from 5-year-old Marshall to mother Bethany, helped us saddle up the horses. It was quite humbling to have a 5 year old teach us how to bridle a horse! After trotting around the pens long enough to ensure that the tack was stable and ready, we were led out into the desert and mountains with a different Bell family member leading each day. On Thursday, 14-year-old Pardner took us through washes, up ridges, and out to explore some vacant properties. On Friday, father Jesse took us up the side of the mountain into the rocks where we were able to explore and play on massive boulders. Twelve-year-old Preston led Saturday's cattle drive and subsequent 2,000-foot climb to the top of a ridge where we were able to enjoy the peace and contemplate the beauty of the area and the activities of the week.
Confidence grew each day as we became more comfortable climbing and descending steep hills. We got to the point where we were no longer riding head-to-tail but allowed the horses to find their own paths and directed them off path to cut off a stray cow during the cattle drive.
Our ranching experience wasn't limited to horseback. On Friday night, we invited the Bell family down to our camp for dinner, and they reciprocated by having us come back up to the pens for some evening ranch activities. They had two calves that were ready to be branded. The young men were taught how to flip and hold the calves as each calf was tagged and branded. After the work was done, we had our own little rodeo and each of the young men had the opportunity to ride a bucking steer.
On the spiritual side, the adults shared their experiences and testimonies with the young men on Thursday evening, and the young men reciprocated on Friday night. Everybody was encouraged to take some time to find a quiet location in the evening to read their scriptures and pray for a testimony of the restored gospel. Various experiences were shared and respected.
Throughout the week, the young men and adults alike formed bonds with their horses. This led to some surprisingly difficult goodbyes as humans shared nuzzles and hugs with their new equine friends.
Our preparation for the trip started many weeks earlier as we learned some basic leatherworking skills and sewed together saddlebags from canvas that would be used to carry our lunches each day. Special thanks to Sister Davis and the Giffords for helping make that happen.
We rose early each day of our trip with the goal to be at the Bells' horse pens by 6 a.m. The Bell family, from 5-year-old Marshall to mother Bethany, helped us saddle up the horses. It was quite humbling to have a 5 year old teach us how to bridle a horse! After trotting around the pens long enough to ensure that the tack was stable and ready, we were led out into the desert and mountains with a different Bell family member leading each day. On Thursday, 14-year-old Pardner took us through washes, up ridges, and out to explore some vacant properties. On Friday, father Jesse took us up the side of the mountain into the rocks where we were able to explore and play on massive boulders. Twelve-year-old Preston led Saturday's cattle drive and subsequent 2,000-foot climb to the top of a ridge where we were able to enjoy the peace and contemplate the beauty of the area and the activities of the week.
Confidence grew each day as we became more comfortable climbing and descending steep hills. We got to the point where we were no longer riding head-to-tail but allowed the horses to find their own paths and directed them off path to cut off a stray cow during the cattle drive.
Our ranching experience wasn't limited to horseback. On Friday night, we invited the Bell family down to our camp for dinner, and they reciprocated by having us come back up to the pens for some evening ranch activities. They had two calves that were ready to be branded. The young men were taught how to flip and hold the calves as each calf was tagged and branded. After the work was done, we had our own little rodeo and each of the young men had the opportunity to ride a bucking steer.
On the spiritual side, the adults shared their experiences and testimonies with the young men on Thursday evening, and the young men reciprocated on Friday night. Everybody was encouraged to take some time to find a quiet location in the evening to read their scriptures and pray for a testimony of the restored gospel. Various experiences were shared and respected.
Throughout the week, the young men and adults alike formed bonds with their horses. This led to some surprisingly difficult goodbyes as humans shared nuzzles and hugs with their new equine friends.
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1st Quarter Campout -- Picacho PeakMarch 4-5, 2022
We started our first campout at the Goodmans' property. We spent the first hour learning how to drive quads and motorcycles on a track before taking a test run down the road. After that, we all loaded in to the side-by-side and took a sunset tour along Cienega Creek. We saw deer, cattle, and had a close encounter with a hawk. While out and about, we scoped a good spot for our campsite and returned with our tents for an overnight activity. The next day started with some pistol shooting before heading up to Picacho Peak for an exhilarating hike. |
March 2, 2022 - Battleship
We had a joint activity with the YW2 class. They planned a game of battleship. Tarps were draped over the volleyball net in the cultural hall, and each of the youth took up one of three positions (gunboat, destroyer, aircraft carrier). "Missiles" were tossed blindly over the nets until one of the navies was completely destroyed. Thanks to the YW2 class for planning a great activity. |
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February 23, 2022 -- Scared Straight
It was prison day! Well, actually, county jail. We heard directly from somebody who spent 3 months in jail: how he ended up in there, what the booking process was like, and lessons learned from being locked up. We also got a little look at what life after lockup looks like. Takeaway? Be respectful of others, especially law enforcement, and keep your life clean. Thanks to those who planned this last minute in response to the rainy weather; rocket launch is postponed for a few weeks. |
January 12, 2022 -- How to Skin Animals
Our Teachers Quorum advisor brought a couple different small game animals from his recent hunting trip. Our quorum members got to try their hand at skinning, cutting, and preparing meat as well as preserving the animal hides. During the activity, we were able to cook up the meat we just prepared as well as some other kinds prepared from previous hunting trips. An unofficial poll puts rabbit as the favorite of the meats tried. Javelina was the meat with the least love -- too tough the way we were preparing it. |
January 5, 2022 -- Pizza and Planning
For our first activity of the year, our quorum sat around some pizza and planned activities to take us through the middle of the year. Here are some of the planned activities:
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