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“Reject!” we sigh, and a big red “R” is printed across the envelope containing an article with photos of Laurels in skimpy bathing suits, picking up garbage on the beach. It’s a nice idea for a service project, but you know the New Era is not going to run photos of bikini-clad girls, and we can’t help but wonder why people are dressed like that at Church activities anyway.

Actually, there are a few no-nos that we run across every now and then, so to make life easier for all of us, we’ve printed a list of things not to wear if you want your picture in the New Era. And even if a New Era photo is not an option, your advisers would probably breathe a lot easier if you steered clear of these things at Church activities:

• Skin-tight pants or bicycle shorts.

• Jeans with holes or slashes ripped in strategic places. (Hint: we’re not talking knees.)

• Short shorts or short skirts.

• Bathing suits that are cut too low on top or too high on the bottom.

• Underwear worn on the outside of other clothes or peeking out from underneath.

• T-shirts, hats, or other items with logos that advertise things we don’t advocate, like beer, gambling casinos, or rock groups and entertainers whose standards are noticeably different from ours.

• Strapless or low-cut prom dresses.

• Skimpy or too-tight tops.

• Extreme makeup, like white base with black eyes and lips, or 15 bright colors of eyeshadow (unless it’s part of a costume).

• Extreme hairstyles—ones that leave your gender in doubt, obstruct your passage through doorways, or have weird symbols shaved into them.

We realize that just because you might have been seen in one of the above, you are not necessarily on the way down the road to ruin. And we hope you realize that this is not an all-encompassing list. You probably have a pretty accurate idea already of what’s appropriate and what isn’t, so exercise your own good judgment, and always wear a smile.

It’s not unusual for Young Men and Young Women to paint a house as part of a ward service project, but the teachers quorum and Mia Maid class from the Boise 19th Ward, Boise Idaho North Stake, did it as part of a community-wide “Paint the Town Day.” They combined with 154 other teams made up of 4,200 volunteers to paint houses all over the community, with materials donated by local merchants. When they were through, they all met in a local park for a community party.

They had such a good time, in fact, that the rest of the youth from the ward decided to do a painting project the very next Saturday.

This one involved being ferried across a reservoir to camp, then painting the log picnic shelters and tables the next day. “This is a pretty place, and I like being part of keeping it nice,” said Melissa West, surveying her ward’s work. The event resulted in some sore muscles and sunburned noses, but everyone agreed they were worth the friendship and sense of service they came away with.

Sondra Wicks of the Roseburg Ward, Roseburg Oregon Stake, didn’t want to miss her youth standards night, so she told her varsity basketball coach that she wouldn’t be able to play in a very important game scheduled the same evening. To everyone’s surprise, the coach rescheduled the game.

But that’s not all. Sondra has given up many a lunch hour for basketball practices, since she had to miss the early-morning practices that conflicted with her seminary schedule.

Sondra also sings, plays the piano, and plays in the marching and symphonic bands at her school. She gets good grades, as you can tell by her three-year stint on the high honor roll. But, she says, one of her favorite activities is doing work with the sister missionaries. A mission is definitely in her future plans.

Keeping the Sabbath day holy is important to Melynne Murdock, 14, a former Miss Hawaii National Preteen who helped change the statewide pageant because of her commitment.

When Melynne was informed that the 1989 pageant in which she was to turn over her crown was scheduled for a Sunday, she asked the director if it could be changed. The director explained that a suitable location for a Friday-Saturday event could not be found on the busy island of Oahu. But he agreed to a change if Melynne could find a place and work out the details. She did.

BYU—Hawaii hosted the 1989 pageant, and the director was so impressed that next year’s pageant has also been scheduled there.

Melynne, 14, has since moved with her family, which includes seven brothers, to Lake Arrowhead, California.

LDS students make good ambassadors, or so it seems, since two more participated in the People to People Youth Ambassador Program.

Chanel Larson, of the Studio City Second Ward, North Hollywood Stake, visited seven European countries, including the Soviet Union, as a delegate on a 28-day trip.

Joe Threet, 16, of the Flint Ward, Grand Blanc Michigan Stake, visited five northern European countries, including Russia, on a 31-day trip.

Delegates for the trips were selected by a screening committee which considered academic achievements as well as extracurricular activities.

Chanel has been captain for her high school’s championship swim team, and was voted most valuable team member. She has been on student council since seventh grade and works in a peer counseling group. She is also secretary of her Laurel class.

Joe is a member of Outstanding High School Students of America, is an Eagle Scout, and a member of the Order of the Arrow. He loves early-morning seminary, and is second assistant in his priests quorum.

Nolan Scott Packard of the Colby Branch, Colorado Denver Mission, knows all about teamwork. He started as the quarterback of the Oakley High football team, was part of a winning 3,200-meter relay team in the 3-A Kansas State championships, and plays on the varsity basketball team.

He’s also involved in group work in his school choir, on the student council, and as Young Men president in his branch. He is the only LDS student at his high school.

Nolan has an interesting favorite hobby for someone who lives in the Midwest. He loves scuba diving and wants to take up underwater welding as a profession.

Benjamin Hayes, currently living in England but a former resident of Oxnard, California, won first place in the biochemistry category of the California State Science Fair. His project, entitled “Enzyme Catalyzed Reactions,” also won first place at his school and at the Ventura County Science Fair.

With such a complicated project, you might expect to find Ben in the lab all the time, but not so. He’s a straight-A student, serves as president of his deacons quorum, and is a starter on the school basketball team.

It was a big day for the Smith family, and a big day for the entire Salina Kansas Stake, when, for the first time in the stake’s history, a brother and sister received their Eagle Scout Award and Young Womanhood Recognition on the same day.

Cari and Jesse Smith, of the Manhattan Second Ward, were the honorees. Cari is active in cross-country running and mass media activities. Jesse has been involved in student council and a variety of sports. Both are active in seminary.

Karl Bielefeldt, 14, of the Aqua Fria Ward, West Maricopa Stake, Arizona, doesn’t just study history—he lives it. He and a few friends spent half a year studying the Holocaust, then wrote and produced a ten-minute play about an individual in Italy who was responsible for saving many lives during that time.

The play won a number of competitions, giving Karl and his team a chance to compete in National History Day in Washington, D.C., where they placed eighth out of seventy-three entrants in their category.

Karl has also won awards for spelling and knowledge of science. He plays trombone in a jazz and an all-state band, and loves to work with computers. He still finds plenty of time to serve as a leader in his Scout troop and priesthood quorum.

Fun. The Bakersfield California Stake wanted to come up with an activity so fun that non-LDS and less-active youth wouldn’t be able to stay away. And that’s just what happened when they threw a stake youth “Almost Anything Goes Olympics.”

Each ward made up a team and chose a country to represent. They all met at a park by a local lake and let the fun, and water balloons, fly. Along with traditional activities like tug-of-war and egg tosses, they had events like a mattress race, where six of the strongest ward members transported the smallest perched on a mattress, and the Holey Trash Can Fill, where some team members rushed to fill a punctured trash can with lake water, while their teammates tried to plug the holes with fingers, toes, knees, and even heads.

The best-loved event was the canoe race. A barbecue and dance finished off the day.

Each ward was a winner in one category or another and received a plaque. But the youth felt that the real winners were the 15 less-active and 10 non-LDS young people who shared in the fun. Many have returned to other Church activities.

North Carolina seminary students take their scripture chases seriously, especially those in the Rock Hill Second Ward, Charlotte North Carolina South Stake, which has won the team competition three years in a row.

This year’s winning team consisted of Ron Black, Travis Bolinger, Jamie Cape, Ricky Robinson, and Aimee Whitesell. Jamie was a non-LDS member of the all-star team. Travis also went on to win first place in the Individual Speed round and earn the Scripture Scholar award. All the team members are highly involved in extracurricular activities as well as seminary but still manage to find time to excel in scripture study.