Devoted scouters,
We are ramping up for a wonderful ON TARGET event on Saturday, July 20. I just received word that Brother Winn Egan, a member of the Young Men General Board, will be participating in our event. He will be with us at the Mount Timpanogos Temple, and he will deliver a "training item" to all the Young Men and scouters on the peak via ham radio and telephone bridge. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our boys and leaders to hear from a great brother serving in the leading councils of the church.
As you are probably aware, the year 2013 will mark the 100-year anniversary of the close affiliation between the Boys Scouts of America and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We want to commemorate this wonderful centennial event by having a special "Temple To Peak" On Target activity. We plan to have an enthusiastic group of scouts and dignitaries at as many temples as possible in the western United States, along with excited scout units on the mountains surrounding these temples. We are encouraging leaders and scouts to pick a peak from which they can see at least one temple, and then to dedicate ample time to make a great mirror contact and ham radio contact with the group (or groups) at the temple site (or sites). I live in Provo, and Utah County is going to be my focus. I am hoping that John Blackham will take charge of the Salt Lake valley temple sites, and that other leaders will volunteer to supervise activity in Ogden, Brigham City, St. George, Las Vegas, Arizona, and the southern California area. I will be happy to register units on our website at www.ldsfacts.net/ontarget.h
Now, some specifics concerning our Utah Valley event. I am in the process of recruiting some wonderful church leaders to coordinate events at the four temple sites in Utah County -- Provo Temple, Mt. Timpanogos Temple, the Provo City Center Temple construction site, and the Payson Temple construction site. We will have experienced On Target leaders and hams at each of the four sites to receive and send signals. We hope to have church and scouting dignitaries at each site. We know from past experience that it is not permissible for us to be located on the actual temple grounds, so we will set up our signaling stations "near" the temples. For example, there is a huge soccer field immediately west of the Provo Temple, and that will be a wonderful site for our signaling. There is a stake center just north of the Mount Timpanogos temple with an attached pavilion, and that will make a great site as well.
What great conversation will be possible concerning the link between scouting and the church, the symbolism of reflecting light into the lives of others, the thrill of climbing mountains and achieving great goals, the "spiritual light" that emanates from our temples, and many other topics. I personally am going to climb a mountain that looks down on both Utah County and Salt Lake County, maximizing the number of temple sites that our scouts can signal.
Thus far, we have ham radio operators assigned to Mount Timpanogos Temple, Provo Temple, and the Provo City Center Temple. I need a great ham to volunteer to help at the Payson Temple site. I have a scout unit signed up for the Provo City Center site, but still need three units to volunteer for Provo, Mt. Timpanogos, and Payson. The unit at the Mt. Timpanogos site will get to meet Brother Winn Egan, and also Andy Gibbons, the UNPC Varsity Scout Chairman. If this sounds exciting to you, please contact me at mdtaylormd@gmail.com. First come, first served.
We have units that have signed up for Potato Hill and West Mountain. Make your plans now and get signed up for your peak at www.ldsfacts.net/ontarget.htm.
Put Saturday, July 20, 2013 on your scouting calendars now, and come join us for a Centennial Celebration second-to-none!
Thank you for your service,
Michael Taylor
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Email address: mdtaylormd@gmail.com
Cell phone: 801-404-2323
LDS website: www.ldsfacts.net
BSA website: www.ldsfacts.net/onta
Ham callsign: K7BYU
