especially for youth: week two.

What a great week.

This past week at EFY was a little different than my first week. It was a Stay-at-Home session. So instead of the youth coming and staying in the dorms overnight at a college campus, they go home each night. And the entire week is held at a high school. Hundreds of youth came from within five hundred miles of Snowflake, Arizona. If youth weren't from here then the members in Snowflake had arranged to be host families for them. It was very well organized and very crisp. All planned to perfection. Counselors, as myself, got to stay with host families as well. Mine are so nice, the Pond family, and I am so grateful for their kindness and hospitality.

The youth this week were fantastic. I had so many great experiences teaching them and growing with them. I had 17 boys in my group, and 16 girls. My co-counselor, in charge of the girls, this week was Tori and she.was.awesome! I was a little nervous at the beginning because it was much larger than my first week, but it went great. These youth really got to know each other and became such good friends, just in five days. And of course, as is inevitable in all EFY sessions, they didn't want to leave each other at the end of the week.

Just a few things that impressed me this week:

There was a teenage girl at EFY this week who has to walk with a walker. She wasn't in my group but on Monday (the first day) you could tell she was struggling because she didn't want to hold up lines anymore because it took her a little longer to get places. On Tuesday someone asked her counselor if she was at EFY that day because they didn't see her. The counselor responded that she was there, but each boy in her group had made a goal for the rest of the week to carry her on his back from location to location.

On a similar note there was a boy in a wheelchair at EFY this week. I was told later that his group made a goal to never let him push himself so that he could keep up, and to include him in game night (which is epic), dances, and the group skit. I never saw him once without a smile on his face.

At the two dances, I saw countless boys ask the girl who was standing all alone on the edges. You can tell this made each girl's day.

At the testimony meeting every single youth mentioned Jesus Christ.

I'm so excited for this summer job! It's been an awesome experience so far and it's still just the beginning. I hope the kids are getting as much out of it as I am. The next two weeks I'll be in Flagstaff. But not until I head to Phoenix first to see my nephew Donovan (and Scott and Kiana!).

Our group flag designed by the youth. Our team name was Team E.T.T.E.: Endure to the End.

My youth practicing their skit. I'm still a little bitter that they didn't place top 3 because I personally thought it was hysterical. But the judges I guess just weren't ready for their vision...

Game night! (a personal favorite and voice killer!)

Ready Set Go...!

Service project.

Preston, Clayton, and Everett.

Bryce, Braccin, Doug, Brock, Alex (faceless...), Everett, Clayton, Ryan, Preston, Me, Brenneck, Kristopher, Illyas, Zach

Below: Cole

The whole group this week.

Our last night together after the final dance (it was a sock hop).

Oh,...and this little beauty:

Oops!...my bad.

June 6: Sited as going 40 in a 30.

Location: Blanding, Utah

Population: 6

Think Spreckels, California. Only smaller.