Firm in the Faith
So, I guess my intended schedule of posting hasn't really worked out. I can't provide a great excuse, since mostly I'm just lazy. But in the past few weeks I actually have been doing some pretty great things that I think are worthy of detracting from my writing.
This past week was probably the best week of my life.
In January, I decided that it would be a great idea to go to EFY this summer. Especially for Youth (EFY) is a week long camp held all over the country for Mormon teens to strengthen their commitment to God and the Gospel, while also having fun and meeting new people. It's a pretty awesome program. But, upon deciding EFY would be a fun thing to do for the summer, I discovered early registration had ended and getting a spot would be difficult. When I first checked for open slots during regular registration, everything in this session was booked. But somehow, we logged on at a later time when a slot had opened up. We quickly signed up for EFY Provo session 7A.
I was kind of nervous on Monday morning. After all I was about to spend a week on the BYU campus with 1500 other kids, and I didn't know a single one of them (turns out I did find one kind from home that I knew). I checked in and got to my dorm, and just started making my bed and unpacking. Other kids came in and out of the rooms in my hall and I introduced myself to a few, hoping to break the ice. I gathered with my "company" of other kids and we met each other and took care of some business regarding rules and such. The awesomeness really began when we gathered at the Wilkinson Center to hear the first lesson from our session director, Brother Martin. His incredible messaged regarding pray and the need to be "firm in the faith" really set the tone for the week.
As the week continued, we had more lessons and lots of other fun activities. I've become genuinely close to many of the 19 other kids in my company. We helped each other grow spiritually and socially in many ways. Somehow in just a week, I've become so close with a bunch of kids who live all over the country, and I really miss being with them everyday.
I think the major thing I learned this week is how close God really is to each of us. He is only one prayer away at all times. We often think of prophets in the Bible and the Book of Mormon who seem so perfect and so different from us. But many, like Nephi, were not as far from our situation as we think. Nephi had his heart "softened [by the Lord]" only after he knelt in prayer (1 Nephi 2:16). His initial reaction to God's command to enter the wilderness was probably not full of rejoicing. We often dislike the things we are commanded to do, seeing them as hard and not worth our time. But Nephi knelt in prayer and discovered God's will for himself, then continually prayed to and heeded God. We must follow that same pattern. God is right there just waiting for us to sincerely pray and ask Him. Rely on the Lord in prayer and He will direct thy paths.
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go to EFY this week and I know it's not a coincidence that I got into this session and was paired with the 19 other kids that I was paired with. It was an incredible week, and I hope we can all remain "firm in the faith" from the things we learned.
This past week was probably the best week of my life.
In January, I decided that it would be a great idea to go to EFY this summer. Especially for Youth (EFY) is a week long camp held all over the country for Mormon teens to strengthen their commitment to God and the Gospel, while also having fun and meeting new people. It's a pretty awesome program. But, upon deciding EFY would be a fun thing to do for the summer, I discovered early registration had ended and getting a spot would be difficult. When I first checked for open slots during regular registration, everything in this session was booked. But somehow, we logged on at a later time when a slot had opened up. We quickly signed up for EFY Provo session 7A.
I was kind of nervous on Monday morning. After all I was about to spend a week on the BYU campus with 1500 other kids, and I didn't know a single one of them (turns out I did find one kind from home that I knew). I checked in and got to my dorm, and just started making my bed and unpacking. Other kids came in and out of the rooms in my hall and I introduced myself to a few, hoping to break the ice. I gathered with my "company" of other kids and we met each other and took care of some business regarding rules and such. The awesomeness really began when we gathered at the Wilkinson Center to hear the first lesson from our session director, Brother Martin. His incredible messaged regarding pray and the need to be "firm in the faith" really set the tone for the week.
As the week continued, we had more lessons and lots of other fun activities. I've become genuinely close to many of the 19 other kids in my company. We helped each other grow spiritually and socially in many ways. Somehow in just a week, I've become so close with a bunch of kids who live all over the country, and I really miss being with them everyday.
I think the major thing I learned this week is how close God really is to each of us. He is only one prayer away at all times. We often think of prophets in the Bible and the Book of Mormon who seem so perfect and so different from us. But many, like Nephi, were not as far from our situation as we think. Nephi had his heart "softened [by the Lord]" only after he knelt in prayer (1 Nephi 2:16). His initial reaction to God's command to enter the wilderness was probably not full of rejoicing. We often dislike the things we are commanded to do, seeing them as hard and not worth our time. But Nephi knelt in prayer and discovered God's will for himself, then continually prayed to and heeded God. We must follow that same pattern. God is right there just waiting for us to sincerely pray and ask Him. Rely on the Lord in prayer and He will direct thy paths.
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go to EFY this week and I know it's not a coincidence that I got into this session and was paired with the 19 other kids that I was paired with. It was an incredible week, and I hope we can all remain "firm in the faith" from the things we learned.
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