especially for me.

so.... i am a counselor at EFY, which is a church program for youth. 

to put it simply, it is a bunch of young adults who are in charge of hundreds of youth, and they teach them about gospel principles. in other words, i have the power to influence these kids and help them draw closer to their Savior. 

it's extremely fun. 

i love my job. 

it is one of the most rewarding experiences that i have ever had in my entire life. 

i just love working with the youth and getting them excited about the gospel. 

so far, i have worked four long, exhausting weeks, but they have all taught me something that i will never forget. i have seen miracles.

my guinea pigs

my first week was full of nerves. i was brand new at this. first job (kinda embarrassing), i didn't know anyone, and i wasn't comfortable talking in front of people. i really learned to rely on the Lord because taking care of 14-18 year old kids is pretty challenging. i was constantly praying for inspiration on ways that i could help them. i had to reach out to those that i didn't know. i had to rely on people, which is tough because i am very self-reliant. i learned that anything is possible with the help of God. in the entire week, i probably got about 25 hours of sleep, and i needed to be excited and not sleep during classes or devotionals. which can be super tough. i know there was some divine help in that aspect. i gained a greater testimony that God knows each one of His children personally and knows just what to do when they are in trouble. 

flesh and bones!

my second week was super fun. i had a crazy group. i had the younger kids, and i learned that i could relax. for the most part, the youth are good kids who want to be there, and i don't need to monitor everything that goes on. i realized that the Lord plays a huge part in the program, and without Him, i would be a terrible mess. i had a girl that got pretty sick, and i had to watch over her a lot of times. it took up a lot of energy, but she ended up staying and getting better. i also realized how much i truly love this gospel. i realized that i love talking to other people about it, and helping others come unto Christ. ah, i just love EFY.

how can you NOT love these people?! 

my third week was AMAZING. holy smokes. simply amazing. i went to a totally strange place, where i have never been, and i know i was put with the roommate that i was supposed to be with. she taught me so much and helped me out. i love her. i also learned that God loves everyone. i have felt His love for the youth of the church. i learned that God sends people to help others. i learned to love my company so much. they were all amazing, young people, and they made me feel so special. which is totally what i needed. i miss my Unity of Faith. the second thing that i learned is that we can't judge people by how they look. here's a story. the second day, these two boys came late and we found out that they were in our company. they looked a little rough, but i decided to be super nice to them. they were really fascinating to me. i talked to them and found out that they had no desire to be there. i decided to just let them be, and not condemn them, but to instead be their friend. so i talked to them every chance i could. they told me how Mormons were jerks to them and judged the crap out of them. i tried to convince them otherwise, but they were obviously not convinced. they needed proof. so i hung out with them. they stared to listen to me and show more respect. i was shocked when one of them got up and bore his testimony, even though he had no idea what he was doing. i am not a crier, but i totally cried. anyways, we became pretty good friends, and told me that they thought differently about Mormons now. i learned that people can be changed by your example. what a blessing to have week #3

my awesome co-counselor

this last week was tough. i don't think that i could have made it without my co-counselor. he was great. we became pretty close, and i think we worked well together. our company was fine, but they were a bit rowdy- at least the boys were. i learned something from them though. i learned that people can be changed and touched, even when they don't seem to be paying attention. i learned that sometimes, you just have to sit back and laugh at the situation, even though it may not be in the lesson plan. i also learned the value of prayer. one of my girls told me that she didn't know God's love for her. so i earnestly prayed that she could feel it, and i know that she prayed as well. i sat next to her during a fireside, and all of the sudden, she started bawling and started writing really fast. she took notes in her journal. later that night, she shared how she knew of His love, and that she now had a testimony. 

i know that God has a hand in the programs of the church. i know that EFY is an inspired program. i am so blessed to be associated with these young ones, and that i am able to learn so much from them.i know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true gospel, and that it is one thing that can guarantee people's happiness. i just love everything about it. 

i hope your summer is going as fantastic as mine. i have a feeling that mine will only get better. i can't even wait for the upcoming events in my life, which include more sessions of EFY. 

peace and love, 

raela