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by Krista L. Karony

Moving to another place, whether it’s across town or across the globe, can be a trying experience. But it can also be an adventure. Remember that many of the early members of the Church moved from New York to Ohio to Illinois, then to the Salt Lake Valley, only to move again to any one of over 300 different settlements including Canada and Mexico. Here are some ways to help your family get that pioneering spirit if you move.

Before you go:

• Acknowledge that you’re moving. Moving can be a shock, especially if you’ve never done it before. If you feel bad about it, talk about your feelings or write them down in your journal. You may be surprised to see how your feelings change over time.

• Find out about your new home. Read about it in the library or ask someone else you know who has lived there what it’s like. If you’re moving to a foreign country, get a phrase book and learn a little of the language. Learn about the history of the Church in your new area.

• Ask your friends to keep in touch. Even though a move can be exciting, it’s always nice to see some familiar handwriting and get news from home. Tell your friends how much you would appreciate their support.

• Be helpful to your family. Pack boxes, help clean the house, or entertain a younger brother or sister so that things run smoothly.

• Have a good attitude. It’s okay to be nervous about a move, but try to remember that other members of the family might be having a tough time too. Be as kind and cheerful as you can.

• Look at the move as an adventure. Think of all the new people you’ll meet, the new places you’ll see!

After you arrive:

• Don’t complain. Everything associated with a move won’t be perfect, but a cheerful smile and a kind word go a long way to keep your family from getting discouraged.

• Be open-minded. Things may seem strange in your new home, but withhold judgment while you give new people and places a fair chance. Don’t assume that the new place is inferior just because it is different from what you are used to.

• Explore your new surroundings. Find out where shops, schools, parks, and your church building are located. Knowing where a few key landmarks are will help you feel at home.

• Get involved. Church is a great place to get started, and you have an automatic group of people who share common beliefs. Your bishop can help you find your new ward or branch if you don’t know where it is.

• Share traditions from your old home when appropriate. Don’t be afraid to share ideas for activities that you enjoyed before you moved with new acquaintances in your new home. They just might like them! Also, be willing to try their traditions and activities as long as they do not conflict with gospel principles.

• Be yourself and enjoy your new home. No matter where you go, you’ll always be a child of God. Remember that, and you can be happy no matter where you live.

LDS teens are anxiously engaged in lots of good causes. Each and every day, youth around the world are using their talents to entertain, uplift, and share the gospel with friends, neighbors, and classmates. Here’s a sampling:

• During his junior year in high school, Jacob Reynolds, of Lugoff, South Carolina, was the undefeated state champion of his wrestling class. Jacob overcame a difficult recovery from a back injury and other setbacks before achieving his undefeated status.

• For her personal progress project, Laurel Macy Malmstrom, of Price, Utah, got members of both her immediate and extended family to translate the Young Women values to the language they spoke on their missions. She then made a quilt with blocks representing each country and listing the values in 12 different languages.

• Brad Page, of La Verne, California, recently participated in an international soccer tournament in Haarlem, Holland. He was one of only 18 U.S. players selected to participate.

• Jamie Lockhart, of Hebron, Indiana, hasn’t let the fact that she is the only member of the Church at her high school intimidate her. Jamie is a cheerleader, a student council officer, a member of the track and swim teams, and an honors student. She was recently selected to represent Lake County at the Indiana Junior Miss competition.

• Students at Woodinville High School in Woodinville, Washington, are doing a double take. The student body elected both Rachel and Brigham Tomco to be student body officers. The campaign slogan “Vote Tomco Twice” won enough votes to get Rachel the position of student body president and Brigham the position of activities promoter.

Youth in Longview, Texas, had a blast last summer painting their community rodeo arena and corral—and each other! More than 250 young people from the Longview Stake and the Gilmer Texas Stake got the job done in just about four hours, to the amazement of city officials.

“When we got there it was really trashed. I couldn’t believe it. We never thought we could get it done, but it only took four hours. The people from the city were amazed,” says Amber Davis, a Laurel from the Longview Second Ward.

The job included painting a Texas flag on the north bleachers and an American flag on the south bleachers.

“The fun part was that there was a lot of team work, so if you weren’t finished with your project, other people came and helped you,” says Amber.

City officials were so pleased with the job the youth did that they mailed each of them a thank-you note with a picture of the newly painted arena.

Eric Ault, Ryan Warner, and Jeff Olsen, of Highland, Utah, have been laying down a lot lately—a lot of sod, that is.

When Eric and Ryan’s grandfather, Howard Ault, who is also Jeff’s uncle, decided he wanted to donate more than seven acres of sod from his sod farm to be used at the new Mount Timpanogos Temple, he decided to get his family involved. Eric, Ryan, and Jeff decided that helping to lay the sod was a perfect opportunity to participate in a family project and complete their Eagle Scout projects at the same time.

“Doing this project meant a lot of commitment. I spent lots of time calling people and getting things organized,” says 13-year-old Eric.

After laying more than 10,000 squares of sod for only one section of the temple grounds, all the boys agree that they have developed a special feeling for the temple.

“I think that everybody who came and helped—we had volunteers from all over the place come lay sod with us—will feel like a little piece of the temple is theirs,” says 17-year-old Jeff.

Melissa Simpson was a queen for a day.

She and the other Laurels in the Blackfoot Idaho East Stake used their talents to write and perform short monologues about the lives of women in the Bible. Melissa played Esther in the presentation. Other girls presented short histories about Eve, Rachel, Leah, Ruth, and Jael.

The girls say they were able to find character traits in each woman that they would like to emulate, and that finding out more about these women strengthened their testimonies of the scriptures.

Peter Ross Morris of the Darwin Second Branch, in the Northern Territory of Australia, was recently named the “Cadet of the Year” in his St. John Ambulance, Cadet Band Division, Northern Territory District. The honor, which is the highest award presented at the cadets’ annual inspection, represents Peter’s dedication to public duties and cadet activities.

Peter has earned his Duke of Edinburgh award (something like an American Eagle Scout award). He is also very close to earning his Grand Prior’s award.