On January 28, 2017, it will be 1 year to the date from when I was called to teach Youth Sunday School. And today, at day 358, I was released from that calling.
I knew about it a week ago, last Sunday to be exact. The Bishop caught me in the hallway as I was getting ready to go home and let me know he was going to call/sustain the new teachers, and asked me the question that would ring in my ears for the next 7 days: Are you ready to be released ?
In that moment I said yes, but when I got to my car, I sat and cried.
In the Church, callings change all the time and you get used to moving around, having new opportunities. On occasion, I've had it happened that the calling was a particularly good fit for me.
I've grown to love these youth, so making this switch is bittersweet.
I spent much of this past week thinking about the last year. I read my notes and journal entries on this group. I re-read the moments I thought were successful, and reflected on the classes where I felt like I could have done better. There were Sundays when our class felt the Spirit, and others where just keeping order in the class was a challenge. They have been such a blessing to me. I studied my scriptures more because of them. I lived my life more aligned to what my Heaven Father would have me do, because in my mind, I can't teach them about the Gospel if I am not living it. And my mantra from day 1 was plant your roots in the Gospel, and don't let go of the Iron Rod.
As a tribute to each of them, I'd like to share with you something special I have learned about each of my students. I won't use their names, but I will use their initials, since some of them read this blog.
EL: Thank you for your diligence every single week in blessing the Sacrament. You have endured a lot this past year, and I have watched you handle some very challenging moments. You are learning about yourself and growing into a man. Thank you for all your support this year. I look forward to seeing you in the Adult Sunday School class.
AD: I love your laugh! You find humor in the little things and your quiet reserved nature provided reverence in our class. I look forward to seeing you bless the Sacrament soon. Thank you for being part of our class.
DS: I am grateful you are " STILL HERE"! I am proud of you for finishing the Book of Mormon. Your quit wit and curious nature will be helpful to you as you grow. Thank you for making me laugh
and for all your participation.
EL: It has been such a delight to watch you grow over the last year. I know it has been challenging at times having your brother in the same class, but you both have grown in different ways. I've seen you take on new responsibilities, assist the other young men with their Sacrament duties, and become more reflective about your faith. Thank you for adding your light to our class.
MP: The first Sunday you joined our class, you wanted to give one of the prayers. It is a blessing to be able to serve, and your enthusiasm to help has made me smile on many occasions. Thanks for doing your best to listen, and for providing me opportunities to think deeply about my own testimony. Our class wouldn't be the same without you.
IM: You've grown so much in the past year! I remember when you wouldn't read and you listened more than you spoke. Oh how that has changed! :) You are a leader who loves to serve. Thank you for setting up a countless amount of chairs and always asking if you could help. And I seriously think you have a future as a lawyer or a referee ( given your disputes with my rulings in Jeopardy). :) I have enjoyed having you in our class.
SC: 13 years old going on 17, you are mature beyond your years. I love your laughter, your jokes, your love for the other young women and your love for games in Sunday School. Thank you for taking the challenge of reading the Book of Mormon to heart. You were the first in our class to complete it. I hope you will read it again and again. And continue to take long walks on the beach.
NF: You may be the only member in your family who is active, but you are a powerhouse of faith! I have seen the Spirit work through you as you share your experiences and testimony with the youth. And how proud I am of you that you received your Patriarchal Blessing today, and that you completed the Book of Mormon in our class. So proud of the young woman you are! Thank you for sharing your special spirit with all of us. :)
CD: I made a similar choice to return to the Church, but I waited until I was 20. So happy to see you growing and having your faith strengthened. You are a kind, thoughtful young woman and blessing to have in our class. I'm so very glad I was able to get to know you even for a little while. And your comments in Sacrament meeting today really touched me. I never know when you guys are listening!
BC: I have so enjoyed watching you grow over the last year. You are loving, playful, chatty, happy and enjoy the company of good friends. Thank you for your example in our class, your willingness to pray whenever I asked you and for your diligence. And thank you for sharing your story of how you stayed connected to the Gospel through your classes for your HS exam. I was really touched by your comments.
LM: You are an amazing scriptorian! I watched your teammates rely on you for knowing the Gospel stories in our Jeopardy game. You are diligent about reading your scriptures and it touches my heart to know you are so dedicated to finishing the Book of Mormon. I would love to hear about it when you do! So sorry I missed you today.
Moments I will keep with me forever:
- Learning to read the word "yea" - how many times did that word come up ? I swear it was 10!
- D being asked how he knows God loves him and his reply was ," I'm still here ! " LOL
- I trying on somebody's heels. They simply don't work with sport socks. But it was sure amusing!
- The day RS learned what " yoke " meant when he was holding all those books, and JH came behind him and supported him....just like the Savior does with all of us.
- The conversation we had about Mary, the mother of Jesus. And how all of the girls were blown away that she was 14 when she gave birth. Yeah, that still amazes me too.
-Watching our young men being ordained to the Priesthood and how diligently they serve. Thank you for honoring that sacred calling.
- Hold to the rod
-Plant your roots deep in the Gospel so that when trials come you will still be standing tall.
-Your Savior and Heavenly Father love you and they always will.
I am so proud of the young men and women you are. I will be watching to see you grow, change and become even more amazing! Thank you for the last 358 days. I love you and I will miss seeing you weekly. It has been one heck of a ride!
Love to all of you,
Sister Campbell
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Saturday, January 7, 2017
It's Game Day - January 1, 2017!
It's been a while since I wrote an update on what's happening with the youth.
I still maintain it is clearly one of the best callings I have ever had, and at times
one of the most challenging. I feel like the Lord's hand has been with me for the last 11 months. On January 28th it will be one year. Hard to believe time has flown by so quickly!
Due to work travel and Christmas falling on Sunday, I was away for a few weeks. As I thought about how I wanted to start the year, I could hear one of my young women ask, " Are we playing Jeopardy ? " She would play a game at every lesson if given the option, and she's good at them too! So with her specific request in mind, I decided to create version 2 of our Jeopardy game.
Now you have to know that the young women felt completely gypped at the end of our last game. They were clearly ahead, and in the spirit of the actual game,
I decided to make the last question of a point value where the young men could come back and win by 1 point if they got it right, which they did, fairly and squarely. However, they have never let me forget it - or the young men! So
in their minds, this game was going to have the ending they should have had the first time.
I did a review of what we talked about in 2016 and came up with categories that were both easy and challenging. And for the first time ever, there were as many young men as young women, an even 5/5. Usually our class is heavy with young men, but this week worked out beautifully and included 2 guests from Utah visiting family. You would never have known these kids were visitors. They blended beautifully with our teens.
I leave it up to them to create team names, and this time the battle was going to be between " Championship Alpacas" and " Apple Pie, Bow-ties and French Fries". The latter was a compilation of what the young men liked and included input from each of them. I thought it was pretty clever. I'll have to ask how the young women decided on that name. More than anything, I knew Champions were how they saw themselves, long before the game started. :)
The categories were Scripture Chase, Fill-in-the-blanks, Storyteller, Covenants and Commandments and It's a Numbers Game. I felt this time that the teams were pretty evenly divided, both in knowledge and ages and personally, I was excited to see who would win.
As I watched the game, I was struck by the things that have changed in the last 11 months. Finding scriptures comes easier to them, they offer more thoughtful responses, some are remembering the stories in the scriptures, some have even completed reading the Book of Mormon. I've watched our youth mature, taking on new callings as leaders. I feel the Spirit as they answer questions with pure faith, and ask questions that require reflection.
I've seen them grow taller, smarter, and choosing to deepen their roots in their faith. Words can't adequately describe the love I have for this class. I consider it both an honor and a privilege to have this calling. It has grounded me in my faith through regular scripture study and earnest prayer as I strive to know what lessons are best to share with them. I am blessed beyond measure for this experience at this time in my life.
And in case you are wondering, the Championship Alpacas did indeed win without question this time around. It came down to the last question and ended
exactly the way they envisioned. The score is now 1-1. I see another game in our future.
For me, however, they are all winners. Every Sunday they choose to get out of bed, regardless of how much sleep they have had, they arrive and participate. Early or late, scriptures or not, they could be 100 other places and they are here in our class. And for me, that is a winning recipe for developing a testimony of Jesus Christ, and a love for the scriptures and their faith.
Thanks for reading and feel free to comment below!
- Rachel xoxo
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