SALEM — According to an ancient Japanese belief, folding 1,000 paper cranes can make wishes come true.
Saturday morning, that number of origami birds hung on the wall of an LDS Church where hundreds attended a memorial service for still-missing 12-year-old Garrett Bardsley.
The young Boy Scout disappeared in August while on a trip with his troop in the Uinta Mountains. Garrett left his father's side one afternoon to walk the 100-yard distance back to camp to change his wet socks and was never seen again.
"We've cried, we've anguished, we've searched the mountains, we've wept; all for one boy," said speaker Dean Egbert, close family friend and president of the Salem Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "We would do it again and again if it were needed. It's remarkable how willing thousands have been to help. What a remarkable thing that one boy could bring all of this about."
The Salem stake center was filled to capacity with friends and family who came to honor the boy, including some prominent members of the LDS Church. Elder Charles W. Dahlquist, general president of the Young Men's organization of the church, and Elder Richard H. Winkel of the Second Quorum of the Seventy spoke to the audience as part of the program.
Elder Dahlquist first met the family when he visited the search site in the mountains shortly after Garrett's disappearance was reported. The rescue mission had just been changed to a recovery mission, and Elder Dahlquist went to counsel the family.
Elder Winkel, a family friend, presented the Bardsleys with a letter from the First Presidency of the LDS Church that expressed support and comfort to the family.
"As parents and grandparents, we understand the sorrow that you feel," Elder Winkel quoted from the letter.
Although the mood in the chapel was somber and emotional, a theme of positivity prevailed throughout the service. Though everyone acknowledged their loss, not even family members wore black. And Kevin Bardsley, Garrett's father, expressed gratitude for the lessons he has learned throughout the ordeal.
"Never in my life have I realized how blessed I am to be a husband and a father," Bardsley said. "But also, never in my life have I felt so helpless. Fathers make it better, but sometimes fathers can't make it better. And husbands don't like to see their wives in pain, but sometimes they can't just take the pain away. Never will I take my stewardship for granted. Never will I look at my children with the same eyes."
Bardsley also expressed thanks to the thousands of people who gave time, supplies and energy to the grueling search that ensued after Garrett's disappearance. Though volunteer searches have been called off until the snow melts, search and rescue teams continue to search the area through periodic training exercises.
Bardsley and his wife, Heidi, continue to hope and pray that their wishes to find their son will someday come true.
"I believe that God loves Heidi and Kevin, and that he wouldn't do anything to hurt them," Egbert said. "One day, we will know the answers, and I have no doubt that at that time, we will see the hand of a loving Heavenly Father intimately involved in this from the very beginning."
E-mail: achoate@desnews.com