Asia North Youth are Disciples of Christ 

Youth and leaders coming from areas in Japan, Korea, Mongolia, America, and even Saudi Arabia gathered at the Chiba Kimitsu Kameyana Youth Facility during the week of June 17-22. One special guest leader was Operations Manager, Emily Farris, a Church employee who has attended more than 80 EFY (Especially For Youth) and FSY events all over America and across the world. 

The directors for this session were Steve and Tiffany Browne from the Yokota Military Ward. Brother Browne serves as the J5 Director for Policy and Plans at the Headquarters, U.S. Forces Japan at Yokota Air Base. The Brownes received the assignment to lead the youth event nearly a year ago. They worked diligently throughout the past year to prepare for the week-long conference. “It was wonderful to see it all come together,” Sister Browne shared, “With all the prayers we said in preparing for this week, we knew that we would see miracles, but we were surprised to recognize how quickly (on the first day) great things began to happen.” 

Trigg and Kathryn Randall (also from Yokota) were the Logistical Administrators for the event. They, along with their committee, arranged for travel, publicity, registration, staffing, finances, materials, housing, menus, and much more. Throughout the week, Sister Randall could be seen running from one end of the facility to the other, making sure that all was in order. Of the experience, she said, "This is by far the most difficult, most challenging, yet most rewarding calling we have ever been asked to do. We are grateful we had an opportunity to bring this stellar group of youth together to feel the love our Heavenly Father has for them and to provide an atmosphere for increasing their testimonies in our Savior, Jesus Christ."

In a Family Home Evening gathering on the first night, Brother Browne encouraged the youth to record the things they felt prompted to DO (more than the things that they heard) as they attended classes and devotionals throughout the week. He also invited them to make note of the Christlike attributes they noticed in their roommates, counselors, and company. 

The theme for the 2024 FSY sessions comes from 3 Nephi 5:13, “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.” This supports the objective of FSY, which is, “To strengthen faith in Jesus Christ and His restored gospel, feel an increased sense of belonging, and be empowered to continue having spiritual experiences at home.” Brother Garth Reed (Director of Temporal Affairs for the Asia North Area) added, “These gatherings provide the setting for participants to have a change of heart as they consider important decisions about missions and marriage and whether they will follow Jesus Christ.” 

Classes and devotionals were planned to align with these goals. The Tuesday morning devotional was presented by President and Sister Deshler from the Tokyo North Mission, joined by Elders Hutchinson and Spangenberg, from Virginia and Utah, and Sisters Bingham and Riddle from Utah and Australia. The youth were invited to ask questions. Some of which included: 

~ What made you decide to serve a mission? 

~ Can you share what it is like to invite someone to receive the gospel? 

~ How do you overcome your fear of sharing the gospel? 

The answers from the missionaries were varied and insightful. To overcome fear, one Elder shared, “Look down at your nametag; you’ve got Jesus Christ right there with you.” 

President and Sister Hill, from Korea taught a class about finding answers to gospel questions. Quoting Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf they shared, “Asking questions isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a precursor of growth.” Also, from Elder Uchtdorf, “Inquiry is the birthplace of testimony.” They taught three steps to receiving answers: 

~ Have a sincere desire to know/believe. 

~ Ask in faith. 

~ Exercise patience. 

Amicay, who attended the class, said, “I really liked what President Hill said about not needing to have all the answers right away; one missing piece does not ruin the whole puzzle. I think that in the future, my prayers will be more meaningful as I bring my questions to the Lord.” 

Brother Sam Lloyd, who titled his class, “War Stories,” compared wearing combat gear to protect your body, to living the gospel to protect your spirit. Both may seem like a burden at times, but when the bullets start flying or the fiery darts of the adversary attack, the protection is worth the sacrifice. Ellen, from Okinawa said, “I liked the way that Brother Lloyd related the scriptures to us. His object lessons helped me to apply it to my own life.” 

Sister Corrine Vance taught that speaking with the “tongue of angels” can be accomplished by seeking to speak how the Lord wants you to. Ask, “Is it kind? Is it true? Is it necessary?” Our words should build others up. Zac, a young man from Okinawa said, “I liked that Sister Vance taught principles which apply to my life today. Sometimes I am sharp in what I say. I can work to say things in a kinder way.” 

As the week continued, counselors Ryan and Kelly Doss saw the youth begin to make more friends. They hoped to see the youth in their company strengthen and share their testimonies. In a special group activity focusing on Jesus Christ, a few of the girls shared their thoughts: 

“Jesus is more than my Savior, He’s my everything.” (Kassie) 

“I love to know that Heavenly Father is always there for me. He will always love me.” (Emma) 

“We are all children of God; we each choose if we will be children of the Covenant.” (Juliet) 

“We miss seeing someone’s worth when we only look at their outward appearance.” (Mirrii) 

“Coming to FSY has helped me to remember that God has a specific purpose for me – for each of us. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is the most important thing I can do.” (Hannah) 

Along with classes and devotionals, there were dances, game nights, a variety show, a musical program, and lots of great meals and snacks. Many different talents were showcased in the variety show, including comedy, magic, singing, piano, guitar, poetry, violin, cracking a bull whip, and solving three Rubix Cubes in less than one minute. All received a standing ovation. 

All great events come to an end. The last day began with a morning devotional from Elder and Sister Wada, from the Asia North Area presidency. Sister Wada began by telling the youth, “The most important thing for you to know is that God loves you.” Referencing John 17:3, Elder Wada said, “The greatest gift we can receive is eternal life. Before we can receive that, we must become disciples of Christ. When Sister Wada asked about their experience at FSY, she received these responses: 

~ I learned a lot about myself. 

~ My faith and testimony grew at an exponential rate. 

~ I have never been closer to my Heavenly Father and my Savior in my whole life. 

~ It has been the best week of my life. 

Elder Wada explained, “We are all God’s sons and daughters – brothers and sisters. You have all grown to love each other here at FSY. This helps you to understand in a small way how much God loves each one of you.” 

As the week-long event came to a close, a few of the counselors reflected on their experiences: 

“On the first day, some of the youth were not sure they wanted to come. By the third day, they were loving it! Most of them shared their testimonies.” (Aurora) 

“I was not always sure what I should be doing, so I had to rely heavily on the Spirit to guide me, like Nephi (1 Nephi 4:6). All I knew was that I wanted the youth to grow closer to the Savior. When each of them shared their testimonies, I could feel that they had.” (Kevin) 

“It was so great to see how much the youth grew this week – both spiritually, and in other ways.” (Alyce) 

To support the objective to “continue having spiritual experiences at home,” the youth met with their companies to set some personal goals. Chase, from Yokosuka, said, “FSY has motivated me to want to be more Christlike with people that I meet. I want to keep that momentum as I return home.” 

Brother Browne said, “I have a real heart for the FSY program. We have seen so many miracles happen here this week.” 

And in the simple words of Ethan, from Yokota, “It’s all been good!” 

Although the youth came from throughout the Asia North Area, one thing many of them shared in common is that they were coming from a U.S. military base. Of the 235 youth who attended the event, 170 came from military bases in Mainland Japan (Yokota Air Base, Yokosuka Naval Base, Misawa Air Base, Camp Zama, Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station, and U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo), Okinawa (Kadena Air Base, Camp Foster, Torii Station, and Camp Hansen), and Korea (Camp Humphreys, Osan Air Base, and Camp Walker).