Of Young Men and Missionaries

Okay, so it's been almost a month since the last post. I think it's time for an update.

I have been called to be the Quorum Mission Leader for my ward's Priest Quorum. With this title comes a lot of work and responsibility. Every week I have to ensure that each boy in my quorum has the opportunity to serve a minimum of six hours with the Elders serving in our ward. Also, mainly because I tend to be the most organized of my quorum, the Bishop asks me to help plan a variety of things.

The boys seem to really not like to do things out of their comfort zones. It is hard to spend 6 hours with 2 19-21 year-old boys that you don't even know, yet the boys in my quorum are not even trying to make an effort to go out with the Elders. Most of them just make excuses and chicken-out the last minute so then I have to call the Elders to tell them that the boy just canceled on me and there isn't another boy to go with them. That makes me angry, I don't want to be the one to tell the Elders that another boy didn't follow through, maybe I'll just have the boys call the Elders and tell them themselves.

Anywho, I have a great time whenever I go out with the Elders. Over the past month I have probably gone out a total of 31 hours. It would be closer to 45 or 50 if my family didn't get upset when I have the car for hours on end! Although it may be a lot of work, this calling is fun. The Elders that come to our ward (no matter where they were before) are always funny, fun to be around, and very spiritual. It never ceases to surprise me that whenever I'm with them, I feel the Spirit in abundance. I now just want to go on mission right now, although it's not possible. I love going out with the missionaries because I feel the Spirit so strongly when I'm with them. But alas, I have 2 more years left to wait!!!

I went to Youth Conference on the 10-12 of this month. It was so much fun! There were definitely some low-lights to the trip but the good outweighed the bad in this situation. The first night was bad, I was only able to get 4.5 hours of sleep and that, in the words of my sister, was no bueno. Then I attempted to sleep on the bus, but obnoxious s sitting behind me would not stop talking and laughing for 10 minutes so that I could fall asleep. The Pageant was great, but nothing has changed in like 3 years so it was the same. The night of the 11th the stake youth went to Keuka College (a tiny, dingy, weird college in Boringsville upstate New York). I got about 5.5 hours of sleep that night and had fun climbing on the roof of the dorms where I was staying (and sneaking over at 6:30 am to awaken my brother and scare the snot out of him). Then we went to the Sacred Grove. It was a lot of fun, except for an annoying from my ward who kept telling people that we are not supposed to talk (at ALL!!!) because the place was so sacred we shouldn't even whisper. Gosh, some people's children! After the testimony meeting, we loaded-up on the buses and started going home. I wasn't able to get very much sleep for 2 reasons: 1. Every time I would fall asleep, someone would kick something around me and I would wake up, and 2. I am on the SYC (Stake Youth Council) and the old SYC members wouldn't do anything that the leaders would want them to do, instead they would tell the leaders that we (the new SYC) needed to take charge and do what they wanted. So what did that mean with 4 other new SYC members on the bus??? It meant that I did all the work! Sure, it wasn't a lot, but it didn't help that any time I would try to get the group's attention, the last ones to stop talking were those very people.

That's been my life for the pat month! It really isn't as boring as it sounds. I just can't wait till I go out to Utah (and Vegas!) to see my sister! Also, school starts in just over a month, that is weird. Senior Year, the final frontier (of high school that is).