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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