Asia North Youth Ride Korean Wave into Seoul

Recently, Koreans strolling through the lush green landscape of Olympic Park in Seoul, South Korea were intrigued by the presence of a large group of English-speaking young people playing games, cheering, and generally having a great time. What these local Koreans were seeing was “game night” at the For the Strength of Youth (FSY) conference being held at Olympic Park.

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On June 20^th English speaking youth from Korea, Japan, and Mongolia enthusiastically rode the Korean Wave into Seoul and then enjoyed a week of gospel instruction, outdoor games, talent shows, dancing and general camaraderie with other English-speaking youth. The obvious ingredient which made the conference a resounding success was the participants’ mutual and deep-seated love of the Savior and His gospel – that Christlike spirit of love and acceptance permeated every aspect of the conference.

Life for young English-speaking Latter-day Saints living in East Asia is wonderful, unique and filled with opportunity. Chances to associate with other Latter-day Saint youth, however, are limited. The Seoul FSY conference helped fill that need.

FSY is an inspired program sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As the title indicates, its central purpose is to help young members of the church strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ. The FSY theme for 2022 is “Trust in the Lord” (Proverbs 3: 5,6).

At FSY conferences throughout the globe, Latter-day Saints between the ages of 14 and 18 gather and under the guidance of faithful counselors and leaders, participate in activities to help deepen their appreciation of the principles of the gospel. All this is done in an environment that balances fun with introspective gospel study and personal goal setting. Youth of other faiths and traditions also are invited to participate.

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As participants arrived at the Seoul conference, they were divided into “companies” of about 20 individuals each and introduced to their respective young adult counselor leaders. Unique, colorful banners with inspirational phrases from the scriptures were created for each company to rally around each morning. Sister Sloan Guisinger, Session Director for the conference, complimented the groups on how well they succeeded in “creating safe spaces” within these groups in which all could learn and grow.

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Elder James Rasband, General Authority Seventy, helped set the tone for the conference early in the week. Using the Carl Bloch painting of The Man at the Pool of Bethesda as his guide, he centered his remarks on the importance of looking outward and not inward. He emphasized the value of looking around us for those in need and taking steps to help others instead of focusing on ourselves.

The youth at Seoul FSY took Elder Rasband’s counsel to heart and ran with it . . .

Every morning the companies started the day with a devotional where they would pray, read scriptures, share insights, and conclude with individual scripture and meditation time. Hyrum Hallsted, one of the company counselors, stated that these scripture-centered devotionals were a highlight for the students, and he was pleasantly surprised that students were asking for more devotional time.

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The same good spirit of love and friendship that was present in the morning devotionals and classes followed the participants as they moved on to the other activities such as game night, dances, and variety shows. An otherwise rainy weather forecast conveniently provided a break so that a spirited “game night” could be held outside in a beautiful green meadow within Olympic Park. Games played included  In’n’Out and Dragon.

A variety show was held which featured professional-level piano solos, dance solos, vocals, yo-yo tricks, poetry reading, stand-up comedy, dramatic monologue, a Taekwondo demonstration, and an incredible display of book balancing on the head.

Chad and Sloan Guisinger, who served as Session Directors for the conference, pointed out that the secret to having a successful FSY event was to set up a structure, prayerfully select the right leaders, and then simply let those young leaders and youth participants lead out. The palpable spirit of Christlike love and joy that was present throughout the conference truly displayed that the youth of Zion are more than capable of leading and succeeding in pulling off a successful FSY conference.

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The conference was also highlighted with talks by Area Authority Seventy Elder William H.K. Davis, and his wife Wanda Davis, as well as General Authority Seventy Elder John A. McCune and his wife Debbra.

Sister Davis emphasized the need for action in one’s faith when she counseled everyone, “Now go do some good!”  Elder Davis illustrated how Christ, as testified to in the Book of Mormon, is the keystone of our religion and how important it is to not allow the world to remove the name of Jesus Christ from any descriptions of who we are. He also promised that God will always hear and answer our prayers.

Elder and Sister McCune spoke together, emphasizing the need to “trust in the Lord” and “lean not unto thine own understanding.” In a down-to-earth, relatable manner, they shared in detail some of their personal struggles, and how ultimately, they were able to understand the many ways that the Lord had blessed their family.

As FSY participants said their goodbyes and left Seoul to return to their homes on Saturday, they took with them renewed commitments to follow the Savior. This commitment will undoubtedly be reinforced through memories of this wonderful gathering of fellow disciples of Christ in the Land of the Morning Calm.