PAYSON, Ariz. — More than 1,300 young men and leaders gathered here on March 15-17 for one of the largest Mountain Man Rendezvous.
Nearly 800 Varsity Scouts from throughout Arizona participated in the three-day encampment. Elder Robert K. Dellenbach of the Seventy and general Young Men president spoke to the entire group on Friday night and warned about temptations surrounding the youth. "Don't do anything that would invite Satan into your life," he said.
He told about an experience he had with a group of people fishing at Kodiak Island in Alaska and the rules they had to follow to avoid attracting bears into their camp.
He compared the rules with those they should follow to keep Satan out of their lives. He urged young men to keep their minds clean, know how to defend themselves against Satan, and know where to go for help
He also told them, "When someone tries to tempt you, you can be in control and put them on the defensive by using this power word: Never! If you have given in to the temptation before, you can recover control with these power words: Never again!"
Kolby Fackrell, 14, of the Kimball Arizona East Stake, said Elder Dellenbach's talk inspired him to better follow the rules. "He told us what we should do to protect ourselves in these latter days," he said. "We have to keep our minds clean if we don't want to be vulnerable to Satan."
Participants, some dressed in mountain man regalia, also chose from 60 rotation activities held at R Bar C Ranch. Those included rappelling, roping, mountain man-style cooking, branding and shooting black powder rifles. There were also more than 500 hours of service given in the camp by ward "crews."
Dave Gardner of the Mesa Arizona Central Stake and chairman for the rendezvous, said the event is held every two years during spring break. "It was a great event," he said. "After it was over we felt like we had made a difference in the lives of these young men."