Pay Day Came Twice This Week!

Boy, I have been really bad about writing!  But, I have to talk about my amazing experience this past week here at EFY!  For those of you that don't know, EFY stands for "Especially For Youth".  It is a religious camp that brings youth together from all over the world for a week.  During that week they participate in games, group activities, dances, a variety show, as well as morning sides, musical firesides, and testimony meetings.  The objective of EFY is to "strengthen youth in their commitment to live the gospel of Jesus Christ by providing inspiring, edifying learning opportunities and wholesome social experiences."  The ages of the participants range from 13-18 years of age.  The participants come in on Monday and then leave early (7:30am) on Saturday.  So, I get to spend my summer bringing youth to Christ!

This last week was my first week as a counselor (last week I was being trained).  I was in the biggest section for this week!  We had about 1,100 participants just in our section!  There were two other sections and I'm not sure how big they were.  In my company we had four counselors (total) and about forty participants; the three other counselors and I both did our training last week.  However, we all got along incredibly well and had a blast this last week.

I have to say, this week started really rough.  I was feeling a lot of stress because I had a job interview, this was my first week as a counselor, being offered the job I had just had an interview for, I was (and am) tired, and I wasn't sure if I was going to bring these participants closer to God or not.  By the second day (Tuesday) I was so completely overwhelmed because I had so much on my mind and plate that I was having a hard time feeling the spirit.  Not only that, but I felt like I wasn't clicking with everybody in my company.  When I imagined myself as an EFY counselor, I always saw myself connecting with EVERYBODY in my company.  I learned this week that that won't always be the case the first few days.  But, by the end of the week, they will love you and appreciate the things you did for them.

I ended up accepting the job and am now planning on moving to Nampa, Idaho after EFY is finished.  However, the stress continues to build as I try to find an apartment and get everything together for work.  But whatever comes this summer, I know the Lord is in the details.

EFY Games Night--Provo 2A with Mogapi (mo-ha-pi)

EFY Games Night--Provo 2A with Mogapi

Mogapi is I believe Swahili for "conquer" 

Mogapi Provo 2A

Me with my girls!

Pizza Night! I am pretty sure that I am not going to like pizza by the end of this summer!

Pizza Night!

Stairwell Selfie (it's an EFY thing)! :)

Draper Temple Trip

My mind is so scatter-brained about this whole experience, so I'm having a hard time putting into words what has happened! So, if this post seems scattered . . . it is because it is! :)

I had the beautiful opportunity today to go through the Draper temple and receive my endowments. I wish I could share with you everything that happened because of the power and spirit that I felt. However, due to the sacredness of this experience (and my lack of memory, there was a lot of stuff) I can only share some things.

One of the things that I want to share is actually an experience I had that confirmed my knowledge of God's awareness of me. Yesterday morning I was subbing for a class that was really hard for me! I couldn't believe the stress and frustration I felt after I came out of that classroom. I was legitimately angry (and that very rarely happens)! As I walked out of the school I started saying a prayer in my heart asking God to help me feel happy again (I don't like being mad or frustrated). I waited a moment before a laugh burst from my mouth! Nothing had happened, nobody had done or said anything funny, I just started laughing. I'm sure if anybody was around me they would have thought that I was a complete psychopath. I laughed all the way to my car; I'll tell you what, laughing usually makes things better! This story is important to the experience I had in the temple.

I had the opportunity at one point to wait in the Bride's Room. There were some scriptures on the table, so I grabbed them and decided to let them fall open and I would just start reading. The scriptures fell open to Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-8. It reads: 

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;  And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." 

I chuckled to myself and showed my Mom the scripture. She laughed with me because she knew how I was feeling about that class and the experience I had had with them. The part in the scriptures that stood out to me the most was "...if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high ..." I knew that God was blessing me for enduring that small trial well. It was a sweet tender mercy!

Another sweet moment was just having the opportunity to go through and have my Mom be my escort (so she was with me whole time and helping guide me to what I was supposed to do) and then my Dad there with me too! During part of the session we watch a movie that talks about the creation. Dad was saying that he loved watching me during the movie because I would react to whatever was happening on screen. I'm probably really hilarious to watch during movies!

I want to express how I felt as I came out of the temple that day. There was a whirlwind of things that happened when I was in there (for me, who had never gone through before it felt like a lot). And yet through it all the Spirit was there! I felt so incredible when I came out! The first few words that came to my mind were: pure, peaceful, complete, clean, and blessed. I absolutely love the temple and for the opportunity I had to make those sacred covenants with God. I am grateful for His love and His hand in my life! He truly does love all of His children. I am grateful that I do not have to be perfect in life, because Heaven knows I am so not perfect! But God allows me to repent and have my sins washed away! I love Him and am grateful for the sacrifice of His Son, my brother, Jesus Christ! I love Him with all of my heart.

I am sorry that this post doesn't even touch a lot of my experiences in the temple. I am afraid I am not very good at putting experiences like this into words. It is easier for me to verbalize it than write it (but it would still be all over the place).

Eating at Water Moon before going to the Temple

Mine and Mom's Fortunes! :)

Pre-Session

Post-Session

This picture makes me laugh, because we were all laughing!

The Ultimate Conductor

I have a . . . unique mind.  My mind connects so many odd--and seemingly--unrelated topics together.  Today was no different, but I wanted to share my thoughts with you because it added a different perspective of my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In Sunday school today we were in Chapter 8 of the Joseph Fielding Smith manual.  There was one particular quote that got my mind going!  This is what it says: "[God] chooses men and call them to be instruments in his hands to accomplish his purposes, and he guides and directs them in their labors."  My mind immediately tuned out the rest of what was being said as this following thought formed in my mind: "God is the ultimate conductor!"

Yes, I mean a choir/orchestra/band conductor!  A few of you are probably laughing or saying things like, "You would!" To that, I laugh right along with you and say: "Yes, I would and I did!"  But let me explain how cool this is!

To do this, however, I must introduce the "cast" and what their role is:

• Conductor: God and Jesus Christ
• A music conductor teaches the musicians about the piece. They guide the rehearsals and the young musicians to how they should sing/play. They put in countless hours coming up with ways to help their ensemble grow and become the best they can be!  A conductor is also a musician, just like those he/she is directing. In fact, the conductor was once sitting where the young musicians currently are. However after experience, growth, and particular choices they have become the conductor of the ensemble.
• Section Leaders: Prophets, Apostles, Stake Presidents, and Bishops
• A section leader is somebody whom the conductor usually picks within a section (flute, trumpet, soprano, tenor, violin, etc.) to be a leader within that section. They listen for particular problems within the section and then address it to the conductor, who then gives direction on how to fix the problem. They are the eyes and ears amongst the young musicians for the conductor. If there is a problem within the section, the section leader takes it to the conductor and asks what they can do to help solve the issue. And vice versa; if the conductor hears an issue amongst a section he/she will take it to the section leader and give guidance on how to fix the issue.
• The Young Musicians: Everybody
• This group is made up on all sorts of people!  There are people who attend church regularly, there are people who do drugs, there are people who suffer from depression, there are people who are living paycheck to paycheck, there are people who are perfectly happy where they are, there are those who want to be there, and there are those who are being forced by their parents to be there. However,  every individual is important.  Each has a unique gift to offer that helps magnify the group. These musicians must practice, listen, and be willing to learn and try new things in order to progress to become the best they can be.

Now, a little lesson about instruments, they cannot fulfill their purpose without an outside force.  Sure they could make a great paperweight or be a beautiful decoration, but that is not the instruments function.  If I had a trombone and I wanted it to make music I couldn't just sit it on the chair and say "Play something for me!"  Well, I guess I could, but nothing would happen.  I would have to sit down and blow into it to make just a noise come out.  That is where the conductor comes in once again!  The conductor teaches me how to play, where to play, and then lets me experiment and practice.  He teaches me my role within the ensemble and then I go to work and the growth begins.

When we are called by God it is because He sees our potential and our gifts.  He knows that our talents, personalities, and even experiences can help build people around us.  So, He puts us in situations where we can share those strengths with others.  Sometimes God puts us in places where we are so uncomfortable and are not sure what we are doing.  That is when He sends others--with their talents and abilities--to us.  They help teach us, uplift us, and edify us.

We all have the same goal, to become like God.  How do we do that?  The conductor gives us the recipe in every rehearsal!  We pull out the piece(s) of music we are performing and He teaches us what He knows about being a musician.  It ranges from breath support to dynamics.  During the rehearsal we are taught what it takes to be where He is.  After the rehearsal it is up to us to practice what He has taught us.  Are we going to sing with inflection or are we going to sound like Daleks (Doctor Who reference for ya)?  Are we going to follow what He has guided us to do or are we going to do our own thing?  The choice is completely up to us!  Sometimes we forget, and that is okay.  Our wonderful conductor has given us section leaders to help remind us what we should be doing.

If we practice we will improve and can become more like our conductor.  The same is true in our lives; if we practice living like God, we can (and will) become like Him.  We are able to change mistakes, we are made for a wise and glorious purpose!  With God, we can know what the purpose is and how we can achieve it.  He has place people in our lives that can help us repent and come back to Him.  When we are living the way we should be, to go back to this analogy, we are able to perform the lovely and beautiful piece(s) we have practiced for so long.  When we are living the way we should be, we are able to become more like Heavenly Father.

I have had several conversations with people the last few days, and I want to close this post with this thought: YOU are special!  I want to use the ensemble to illustrate this.  Can you imagine Handel's "Messiah" without the string section?  What about the Sopranos?  Tenors?  It is hard to imagine.  But if you take just one section out of this beautiful work, you loose a beautiful color, timbre, that helps create the piece.

You are no different!

You are a child of God who has gone through some pretty rough times to get where you are.  You are a child of God who has strengths that uplift and build those around you.  You are a child of God who is important and valued.

I had an amazing choir director at BYU-Idaho by the name of Brother Kempton who taught me this lesson.  The first thing he taught me in that ensemble was that I had value!  I will be the first to admit that I am not the best singer in the world (I'm not a bad singer, but I know that I have a lot of growing to do).  When I became part of the Collegiate Singer's I did not believe that I had anything to offer the group.  My voice was quiet and underdeveloped, but Brother Kempton saw my potential.  He saw things in myself that I did not think helped the choir, but it did.  I later ended up becoming a section leader and then an assistant conductor.  We have that same opportunity in our lives!

You are important!  God loves you!  He is "conducting" you and sending people into your life that can help you become more like Him.  He wants you to succeed; He doesn't give you trials to discourage you.  He gives you the trials because He knows that after you trudge through it, you will be a better person.  Through those trials, you will become like Him.

SHS Choir Tour

So, on Thursday (March 27) I had the great opportunity to meet up with one of my friends from BYU-Idaho!  Her name is Moom and she is currently student teaching at the same high school I was student teaching (Skyview High School).  We met up for Frozen Yogurt in Provo and had a fun conversation.  Toward the end of our little get together Moom told me that one of the chaperones for the choir tour trip had dropped out.  I told her that I was sure they would find somebody else!  She smiled at me and suggested that I go with them.

Now, I'm not going to lie, I totally wanted to go!  When she said that I felt my heart rise into my throat with excitement!  I could go see my Skyview kids again and watch them perform!  I could go see Joie and Nick!  Everything sounded like it would be an awesome trip!  But, despite all of those things running through my head I told her that I couldn't go.  I was crushed by my own words, but it was true!  I had been booked for that entire week (which was April 2-6; the following week from when we had this conversation).  Moom continued to try and persuade me . . . but I was staying firm with where I was.  After about thirty minutes of talking about it I finally caved and told her that if Joie said yes and if they were driving down through Utah then I would go.  Moom excitedly exclaimed that she would be talking to Joie that night.  After I took Moom home I didn't really think anything of it (honestly, because I didn't believe Joie would say yes).

The next afternoon I receive a text from Joie saying: "Sarah! Moom just called me, you need to come on tour with us!!" I could feel my stomach start to tickle with excitement, she said yes!  We text back and forth for a few minutes about how Nick could potentially pick me up in Utah.  I told her that I would continue to think about it and get back to her.  Joie told me that she told Nick that he needed to talk to me and we left it at that.

A little while later Nick and I had a conversation.  He was trying to persuade me to go and we were trying to figure things out.  I, again, told him that I wasn't 100% sure if I was going to go or not.  It was only $200 (instead of the $600 due to fundraising from the other chaperone) and there were a lot of educational opportunities.  Then, an added bonus, I got to see some of my favorite people in the world! However, I was going to have to cancel two days of work (two full days of work)!  I honestly didn't know what to do!  I was praying about it, pondering on it, and I just couldn't decide!

That night I went and saw BYU's production of Pride and Prejudice (which was brilliant) and I ran into an old friend, Seth.  As we were talking the topic came up about this tour and how I was debating on whether or not to go.  He insisted that I go!  "Never give up an opportunity to have an adventure!"  I'm not sure why, but that hit me really hard!  I continued to think about what Seth said.  By the end of the show I had made up my mind to go!  I text Joie, Moom, and Nick before I could change my mind!  They told me not to tell the kids so that I could surprise them!

Things started falling into place!  One of the jobs that I had booked and was going to have to cancel fell through, so instead of missing two days of full work I was only missing one!  I received a little bit of a bonus from Kelly (my work) and I'm still not quite sure why!  We arranged to meet up in Nevada and everything worked beautifully!

The day we left was excellent!  I couldn't be more excited!!  I could hardly contain my excitement, which made for a really interesting sub job!  My drive to Nevada was quite hilarious too!  The entire time I kept singing to myself about how excited I was to go on tour!  There was this fantastic plan that Joie, Nick, and Moom had come up with to get me on the bus.  The kids got off of the bus to go to the bathroom, get snacks and what-not.  I was to wait in my car until Nick and Moom came and got me.  Then I hid in the bathroom on the bus. Joie started reading names off of lanyards for the students and chaperones.  There were three Sarah's there and I was the last one!  When my name was read, I came out of the bathroom.  The screams that echoed in that bus left my ears ringing all night long, but it was so worth it!

I am so grateful for the chance I had to go on this trip and for the wonderful achievements my students got to experience!  Skyview participated in the Heritage Festival and took silver in their region!  I'm so proud of them!  You guys are the best!  Here are some pics from the tour!

After I surprised the kids on the bus!
L to R: Moom, Nick, Joie, and I

Singing at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral

Gnomie at Disneyland

Joie's Posse
L to R: Casey, Moom, Joie, Me, Alli, and Nick

SHS Tour Choir at Disneyland

Moom and Gnomie on Star Tours

Chillin' at UCLA

Singing at the Lady of our Angels Mausoleum

We were singing along to the 'Frozen' soundtrack in one of the Disneyland stores and one of the workers gave us pins!

Days of Happiness--Day 3

Oh my goodness, today has been such an excellent day! I started off at the temple! It was so nice to go and feel the peace and serenity there! There were several people there, but I didn't mind! A couple of cool/funny things happened whilst I was at the temple this morning!

The first story was happening during confirmations. I was listening to the names and imagining what their story was. As I listened I heard the name Ana Christoff! It took all I had to not laugh! The only thing I could think of was that we were converting Disney one movie at a time! (*Note: For those of you who are confused as to what the big deal is with that name, it is the name of two of the leads in the new Disney movie Frozen).
I also had the chance to meet and very nice young woman who is getting ready to serve her mission in Argentina! It was so cool talking to her and hearing her testimony!

The beautiful Provo temple!! I love this place!

After I went to the temple I had a nice conversation with my Dad about getting a new cell phone. I decided that it was time that I had my own plan/phone. I ended up joining Verizon and getting an iPhone 4s! Man, I was geeking out about it all afternoon! As I was driving down to get it I kept saying to myself "I am an adult!!". It was quite comical!


Almost immediately after I got my phone I went to Family Home Evening (FHE). We watched the Joseph Smith movie! I love that movie! There is such a powerful spirit that is felt whenever I watch it! It was absolutely wonderful!

Julie, Heather, and I at FHE. This was taken with my new phone and using the app Instagram!! :)

Day of Happiness--Day2

Day 2--I have the greatest Ward choir! Today I brought in my Hoberman Sphere and they loved it! I used it to teach them about dynamics and how to grow gradually.  Not only that, but we played a little bit with where people were standing.  Oh my word, it was so wonderful!  I'm so grateful for a choir that is willing to try some crazy things with me and let me geek-out about random things! I love it and am so grateful for them!

A couple of the songs we are doing ("Take Time to Be Holy" and "The Love of God")
and my Hoberman Sphere)

Days of Happiness--Day 1

Day 1--Tonight was my final night performing "Into the Woods" with some of the greatest people I know! These people have truly touched my life and changed it for the better! Ms. T (the director) gave us these beautiful treasure boxes. Inside was some candy, a donut, a personalized letter, and a compass pocket charm. With the pocket charm there was a poem, it said:

"Each day is a journey

We take one step at a time

With friends to support us

One each challenge as we climb.

Whatever direction we go

And no matter what comes our way

May our journey through life

Bring us happiness each day."

I'm so grateful for this amazing cast and crew that I got to work with! I love them with all of my heart! Now it is time for me to take another journey! So, into the woods I go again! :)