The End

I realized I still haven't written about my last week of EFY.

My last week.

I will say it was completely bittersweet.

I had another group of 16 & 17 year old girls. This time we had two groups of boys. So that was super fun... and frustrating in its own way. But I still loved them, as I always do.

I had two girls that struggled with anxiety. I was able to bond with one of them really well because of it. But this was no small anxiety. Her anxiety attacks, standard, were the same and the worst one I ever had. (I think, in a way, my anxiety attack a while back was a blessing to help prepare me for this girl. Everything has a purpose.) This girl, her life is hard. She's the only member in her immediate family, one of her parents is an alcoholic, she's the only youth in her ward, and the only member in her high school. Granted, I was never as physically isolated as a member, but I sure felt a lot of social isolation. We were pretty much best friends by the end of the week. At least I felt that way.

I felt like I wasn't really able to sit back and enjoy my last week partially because of the anxiety issues. But at the same time, it also allowed me to relax and see it from a different point of view... and let the boys take over.

I can't really remember most of what went down that week. I remember being really frustrated at one of my cos because he was a goof-off and I felt like he was more there to entertain and be given attention than teach.

By the end of the week, I was so grateful that I took the time that I did have with my youth to share my testimony with them. Most of them actually left me notes of gratitude, sharing what they learned and sharing their testimonies with me. It was awesome.

I even had a non-member in my group, which I had never had before.

I had the step-sister of the session director's wife in my group.

I had a girl whose dad was dying from some nerve disease that was causing his brain to decay.

I got to teach about families again. :)

It was an amazing week that strengthened my testimony that everything we experience can be for our good and the good of others. It strengthened my testimony of eternal families.

I just love EFY, and I can't believe I'll never work as an EFY counselor ever again. But I have been blessed. No doubt about that.