Escondido Mormons

Escondido, CA, May 8, 2010 –  Over 300 members of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints turned out for a community service project to help beautify Escondido area parks this morning.  A wide variety of projects were completed at Kit Carson Park by 177 members and a 130 helped at Dixon Lake. Almost 1000 hours of volunteer labor was donated. For the last several months, local leaders of the Church and city officials worked on identifying and prioritizing various projects for the day.

According to park officials, who were surprised at the amount of work accomplished, the members finished projects at Kit Carson Park that involved (see photos):

*  Painting 4 bridges similar to the one shown in the photo
*  Clearing brush from both sides of a 200 foot fence
*  Trimming numerous trees and shrubs in the park
*  Cleaning up debris
*  Painting the concrete snake
*  Spreading 50 cubic yards of bark mulch in the park’s orange grove.

At Dixon Lake projects involved trimming and clearing 100’s of yards of walking paths and trails that were overgrown with brush.

Escondido, CA – April 15, 2010. Students honored their most influential teachers at the 12^th Annual Crystal Apple Awards sponsored by the Escondido area members of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints. The tribute, open to the public, was held at the church building located on 2255 Felicita Road, Escondido. Although this event is held at the LDS church building, it was not a religious event.

Over 100 young men and women who attend local high schools and are members of the Church nominated 60 different teachers. Selection criteria was based on identifying the one teacher who influenced their life the most—the one who they think they will never forget, the one who has taught them lessons of great importance, the one who has set an important example, the one whose class was always interesting to attend.

“It was difficult to identify the nine finalists” said Jane Thurston, who managed this phase of the program, “there were so many outstanding candidates”. One was selected from each of the following local Escondido, Valley Center and San Marcos high schools. This year’s recipients were (left to right in the photo):

• Rob Pence – Escondido Adventist Academy
• Bill Alvillar – Mission Hills High School
• Nubie Porter – Dehesa High School
• Katy Nelson – San Marcos High School
• Joe Gelormini – Escondido High School
• Christine Turrentine – Orange Glen High School
• Justin Panlasigui – Escondido Charter High School
• Brian Lund – San Pasqual High School
• Thomas Buck – Valley Center High School (not available for photo)

In its twelfth consecutive year of showing gratitude and appreciation for the significant contribution made by their teachers, Students presented the award and explained why they nominated their teacher. A few musical numbers were also performed by the youth choir.

President Allen Haynie of the Escondido California South Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints said, “We take education very seriously in our church because it affects so many aspects of our lives, both today and in the future. There is no greater call than to teach youth. It takes courage and carries tremendous responsibility. We enjoy hosting this event, which offers our youth an opportunity to express appreciation to their most influential teachers.”

A number of civic and education leaders were also in attendance: Dick Daniels and Sam Abed, both members of the Escondido City Council; Jim Desmond, mayor of San Marcos; Ed Nelson, Escondido Union High School District Superintendent and others.

If you have ever heard the adage “There’s never enough time in the day,” you would know that this phrase is foreign to Mackynzie Parry, the winner of the 2010 Miss Teen San Marcos pageant.  After applying for this pageant and in addition to her already full school, church and community involvement, Mackynzie spent several weeks preparing with the other contestants—from rehearsals, to a field trip and day spent assisting with a city event for young girls.  At a formal tea the morning of the actual event, each participant went through the nerve-racking experience of being interviewed by a panel of judges and asked to give speeches about themselves.  Of this entire process, Mackynzie said, “Participating in the pageant was one of the best decisions I have made. I have been able to meet so many great people and get involved in activities I didn’t even know existed in San Marcos. It is pretty awesome to be recognized and looked up to by the community as well.”

The pageant and this grueling process concluded the evening of February 27, 2010, with sportswear and formal competitions.  Personality, community service history and extra-curricular activities were among the criteria used in awarding Mackynzie as the 2010 Miss Teen San Marcos.

One would have little difficulty seeing how Mackynzie perfectly fits each of this criteria-not just on a short-term basis to prepare for this pageant, but throughout her life.

Currently a junior at San Marcos High School, Mackynzie has above a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the National Honors Society.   Over the past three years, she has been involved in an International Service Club and serves as an officer this year.  In this role, she has been active in helping raise funds for Haiti relief. Mackynzie has also been a three-year member of the Girls Varsity Basketball Team, and she has run cross-country.

A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mackynzie has a deep-seeded love of God, love of family, personal growth and service of others.   As an active participant in the church’s young women’s program, Mackynzie received her Young Womanhood Recognition Award at the young age of 14.  This award is very involved and akin to an Eagle Scout Award in Boy Scouts.  The goals and requirements of this program allowed Mackynzie to work with her parents and young woman leaders to set and accomplish goals based on the following Young Woman values: faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, integrity and virtue.  She had to complete six specific requirements and a separate service project for each of these values.  Not an easy task for the faint of heart or uncommitted.

The many good things that Mackynzie does at home, church, school and in the community helped fulfill these requirements.  So, one can see that Mackynzie has been raised to activity love and serve God, her family and the community throughout her life.

Is it any wonder, then, that Mackynzie Parry is the 2010 Miss Teen San Marcos?

Image by .imelda via Flickr

What do “Mormons” believe?  It’s a fair question.  Yet too many in the LDS community find it hard to articulate why they love, cherish, and adhere to the faith.  On the other side of the coin, some others spout curious ideas about the LDS faith.  Sometimes their ideas are down right dis-information designed to isolate and degrade.

With this in mind, I can hardly blame folks who really don’t know what I and 12 million others around the globe claim as our faith.  There are differences between our faith and the others, (else what would be the point?) but I’d like to start with concentrating on similarities. This basic video is the essence of what LDS or “Mormon” belief is.

Video

The bottom line is that Latter Day Saints of the Church of Jesus Christ are ordinary people who have promised God to stand up for what is right, be accountable to the Lord’s commandments, and be accepting of the love and Grace promised by the master, Jesus.

Welcome to Escondido Mormons where you can learn how we live, love and laugh!