Can You Feel the Love Tonight

I was concerned that after my last week at EFY, I wouldn't really be able to handle another week unless I had the best cos on the entire face of the planet and had great kids. I was not disappointed this week. Andrew was hilarious and Nicole was just the sweetest thing. While we got off to a bit of a rough start, all ended very well.

Again, I got to work with 14 year olds, which was such a blessing. None of my 8 girls came together. I had personalities that almost ran the entire spectrum. And they loved one another. I don't know how I got so lucky. The rest of the boys and girls were pretty much the same. Day one, one of my boys started acting up a bit and wanted little to do with what was happening. A day or so later we ended up figuring out what was going on and he ended up staying with us. I am so grateful. I love this kid like a little brother. There were a couple other girls who really wanted to go home. One did, but my girl who was so severely homesick she was crying herself to sleep at night ended up holding out through the week and making some friends. I was grateful for my girls who took her under their wings. She clung to me like I've never had anyone do before. I didn't know what to do about it. Things worked out well in the end and she really wants to come back again next year. When her father came to pick her up, he wanted my phone number so his wife could call me later about their daughter. It was odd for sure, but what the heck, I gave it to them. We'll see if they ever call.

My old institute teacher from Salem was our session director, and it was the ASL session, which means I got to use a lot of my ASL. I'm surprised at how comfortable I was approaching the deaf youth. I loved them though. It was a blast!

I think this may have been one of the best weeks ever. Not just because of the kids or my cos, but because it was the first week I felt completely guided by the Spirit. One of my girls ended up wanting to go to seminary. One of my girls gained a better understanding about dating and the appearance of dating. One of my girls became more independent. Over all, everyone seemed to have grown this week. Including me. There's not much more I can say about this week.

Friday, no one wanted to go home the next morning. I consider it a success. My favorite part of this week was that on Thursday, no one bore their testimony about their counselors. That was the greatest compliment of all. Their testimonies were based on the Spirit and true doctrine.