24th of July / Helaman's 2000 Stripling Warriors

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Aaron and I went to help save spots for the parade.

We were there on main street with Kara, Kristina, and Caroline all night long.

Kara, Aaron and I slept in camping chairs for some of the night, but Kristina and Caroline made a deal with each other that they were going to stay awake all night. So they watched movies in my car.

In this photo, they were playing cards with Aaron.

 We got to watch the sun rise.

 

 It was beautiful.

This is what Aaron was doing while I was taking photos of the sunrise.

I love the sleep lines on his face.

Tawnie and John John came in the morning to bring more chairs to help save spots.

Aaron is on the right side still sleeping in the chair.

Caroline and Kristina waited until they saw the sun, then they laid down under their pink blankets on the edge of the curb.

Cute Henry.

The kids standing with their hands over their hearts and honoring the flag as it is marched down the street.

At the parade this year, there was an entry that was to be over 2000 young men and boys who were to represent Helaman's 2000 stripling warriors. They carried staffs as they marched down the street and a few times down the parade route, they would pause, hit their staffs on the road, then chant 'we did not doubt'.

But behold, here is one thing in which we may have great joy. For behold, in the twenty and sixth year, I, Helaman, did march at the head of these two thousand young men to the city of Judea, to assist Antipus...

 And I did join my two thousand sons, (for they are worthy to be called sons) to the army of Antipus, in which strength Antipus did rejoice exceedingly; for behold, his army had been reduced by the Lamanites because their forces had slain a vast number of our men, for which cause we have to mourn.

And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.

For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

 And now it came to pass that when they had surrendered themselves up unto us, behold, I numbered those young men who had fought with me, fearing lest there were many of them slain.

But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war.

~ Alma 56: 9, 10, 45, 46, 47, 48, 55, 56 

To read the whole account, click HERE.

I didn't get to see the chant up close, but I did get a photo of them chanting it from afar.

I found THIS video on Youtube of the chant. It is about 50 seconds into the video that they begin their chant stuff.

In a couple of these photos above, I got photos that had some of my nephews in them.

I wish I could have gotten photos of all of my nephews who marched in it, but I didn't know where they all were and some passed and I saw them when it was too late to get a photo.

In the photos that have nephews in them, I put a white arrow pointing to those nephews in those photos.

I wish I could say that I was in a great enough position to get a photo like this, but I found this being passed around on Facebook that weekend. It is such a neat photo and it was a neat sight to see so many young men and boys marching and representing the 2000 stripling warriors. So neat.

Here are a few short video clips of one of the best fireworks show I have ever seen.

Our city knows who to do it right! Thanks for saving spots Tawnie!

Happy Pioneer Day!

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