Finally an EFY moment! (LONG POST)

So many of you know that I was able to attend Efy this Past summer, as a youth it was not possible for me to attend. 2 years ago I got hired to work but unfortunately I got real sick about 3 weeks before, so I had to resign from that summer. I was so bummed! 2007 came and I was so busy with work that it wasn't even a possibility for me to attend, this year presented many opportunities and the choice was mine to make. I thought about it for months should I stay or should I go? Things just happened to fall into place and I felt that it was right. I honestly feel that if I attended in 2006 I would have not been prepared enough, The Lord knew that I needed some time to prepare, I have always loved the Youth of the church but this was going to be a tough decision I had to make. as of now I was a counselor to 47 young men this was sometimes tough, but I learned something from each and every one of them.


When I was first hired I was to go and accept my contracts with EFY and as I did so I noticed that EFY 7a was accommodated for ASL (American Sign Language) I immediately contacted EFY and informed them that I do not sign and that there has been a mistake, they reassured me that there will be 16 ASL youth but you will have hearing youth. Every Sunday night before the session started the counselors got to hear a message prepared from the Session director, this gave us a preview to the upcoming week what he was going to focus on and to pump us up. I had an amazing opportunity to be there that week. as that ended all the counselors got together for a snack and to meet your co-counselor. I was looking at the list on the window and I saw that I was in a company of 3 other counselors, Lacy, Stefanie, and Nick. I remember Jill one of the coordinators say that a girl named Stefanie flew out of Texas on the spur of the moment to attend and that she speaks ASL, and also Nick was Deaf. that night I was extremely nervous not knowing what to do I did take courage in know that the boys assigned to me were hearing and that I would have them. but still that knowledge of not know in our big meeting together the ASL would understand me, This weighed heavily on me that night. I prayed and went to bed. The next morning came and things were great, I did my duties, and at 1:30 I met my boys, how intimidating you have a room full of 6 boys looking at you in my mind kinda thinking who are you? as the time went on I started for feel a little comfort, but then Dru came and threw a wrench in that! turns out 4 boys were assigned to Nick that were not deaf so they got assigned to me. So now instead of 6 boys I went to 10, so 20 eyes looking at you can intimidate you right????

Well as time went on Las Vegas 1 was right around the corner, I learned so much from my first week in areas of: Listening, Providing, and just to relax a bit more, yall's that know me know I can get pretty uptight about things, being late and just not having the thing you need. I was blessed to work with Becca Power House I tell ya. that week i was also blessed with 9 funny and rowdy but teachable boys that week, well about 8 hours into the first day one boy went home, he didn't want to be there, of course due to him leaving it sparked many questions from the youth and myself, Why did he go home? was the constant question from them and from myself. I didn't have a clear answer to give them so I just told the youth it wasn't due to anything they did, but stressed the point that I wish the best for him and asked the youth to pray for him that he might have a experience that he could and would have a similar experience that they might have. I truly was saddened but his choice but I learned so much for that experience. Provo 10 and 11 were next, this was probably the week that I needed Heavenly help for, but time on my knees were given I loved each and everyone of the boys but they really gave me a run for my money at times.... It was awesome to see at the end of both weeks the changes that occured in their lives. as those weeks ended, I was reassured that they took home very valuable knowledge that was taught by my amazing Co Counselors, Stephanie, Jill, And Josh, and the second week was Mindy, Lindsay, and Nate. I finished those weeks have a greater and deeper testimony of the hand of the Lord is within my Life and the lives of others. It was truly a blessing working this summer I thought.

I finished on a Saturday, I went to my buddies house to catch up on sleep and do laundry, but I quite didn't make it to those chores, Mike invited me to go to Provo Canyon and go tubing. it was crazy cold! but so much fun. Sunday came around and I went to Mike's ward and he then went to dinner so I decided that I would do some laundry and get ready to head back to Vegas, but as I finished my laundry, *note I only packed enough laundry for a week, so I didn't have that much,* I was sitting on his couch and started to think about the final session that was starting the next day I was sitting there and I had a thought you need to go and see if they could use you next week, but I had said that I was tired and the Olympics have started, but it came again so I started to call and figure things out. I went and was the first one there, and sat in for the . session director fireside, after the fireside I was told that I was hired due to another counselor couldn't make it. This week was great I had 10, 16 year old's YES, 10 of them. my co was Nicki. she was so fun with the youth, the youth were so great thought this whole summer, I couldn't have asked for a better summer. The Lord truly knew what I needed and blessed me one hundred fold. Many of my boys started out the week with the wall being build and just was there for the girls, but I want to thank all the youth of EFY 2008 for a tremendous opportunity that you have made with me. but to the companies, Waves of the Sea, Lie and Wait, Keys of the Kingdom, Made alive and Terrified and Affrighted, To you I leave my love and my testimony that Jesus Christ lives and he will come again, that you are choice Spirit sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father, that Loves you for who you are, Remember who you are and what you stand for, you are known and you are Steady, I will always remember you and the blessing it is to have met you, LLLLOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE you, always.