I Learned it From You

Have you ever had a moment that changed you forever? One where you felt so loved, so happy, so full of joy? One you will never forget and never let go of? One that will always be important to you?

I’m going to tell you about one of those moments for me.

One from almost three years ago, the summer of 2023.

It was my sixth week of FSY that summer, and I was in Ephraim, Utah.

It was a week of miracles, and I’m extremely grateful for all I experienced and learned that week.

I worked really hard to follow promptings and be in tune with the spirit.

As I listened, promptings would come to me, one line at a time.

For example, after testimony meeting, James (my co), and I began walking our youth to the dorms when I asked him if we could stop.

He of course agreed, and we stood with our youth on a small patch of grass.

All I knew was that we weren’t supposed to go back to the dorms yet, but I didn’t know why.

I stood by James, and we whispered back and forth conspiratorially.

I don’t remember specifics, but I think he asked me, “So what are we doing?”

And I think I said something like, “I don’t know, but can we just stand here for a second?”

One of our young men said, “you can’t whisper in front of us and not tell us!”

I really wish I remembered what I said to him, but I know we probably smiled at him.

After less than a couple minutes, I whispered to James, “Would you be willing to sing A Child’s Prayer with me?”

“Like, right now?”

“Yeah, like right now.”

“I mean, okay. Yeah!”

We led our youth to sit down on the pavement, out of the way from walkways and other companies.

I told them that we were going to sing a song for them.

And we did.

I want to briefly backtrack and tell you that this particular week in Ephraim, I was extremely sick Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On Wednesday night, I asked for a priesthood blessing. When I woke up on Thursday, I was physically and miraculously healed.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I could barely talk. I even asked the youth to sit close during gospel study so they could still hear my voice. It was genuinely painful to talk, and I couldn’t talk loudly even when I tried.

But somehow, on Thursday night, not only could I talk, I could sing.

It was simply a miracle.

After we finished the song, we separated and went back to the dorms.

One of my girls later told me that our singing A Child’s Prayer was an answer to her prayer from the night before.

She had kneeled down, and she had asked God if the church was “true true.” Because she knew it was true, but she wanted to make sure it was “true true.”

After her prayer, the lyrics of a certain song came to mind.

The same song that her two counselors sang the next night.

And she knew that was her answer from God.

I imagine through that song He said to her, “Yes, my daughter. Be of good comfort. My church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is true. It is true true.”

I’m grateful she told me about that because it reinforces that I was indeed following a prompting! Even if it came to me one line at a time, starting with, “Don’t go back to the dorms yet.”

Other promptings led to other miracles, and once again, I am so blessed and grateful.

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One effect of being a counselor that I often forgot is that your youth watch you. They observe, they follow your example, they learn from you.

So being a good counselor for your youth is more than what you say and how you say it. It’s about what you do and how you do it.

On Friday night, we have the last activity of the week, and it’s actually one of my favorites. It’s called, “Company Taking it Home.”

This is the chance for the youth to make goals for when they get home. How they will be different after the week at FSY where they were changed.

After they get about 2-5 minutes to write some goals down, you give them an opportunity to share with everyone else if they’d like.

I’ve always loved hearing my youths’ goals. They can be pretty tender, and it is especially meaningful when you have seen the change in them and know that they really do have a desire to “keep the change.”

One of my young men (the same one that told us we couldn’t whisper in front of everyone and not tell them what we were saying) shared that when he got home, he wanted to be better at following promptings. He realized that he got promptings, and his goal was to actually follow them and have more courage to do things that were outside his comfort zone.

It made me smile and tear up a little. I told him I loved that goal and thanked him for sharing.

Later, as we were saying our goodbyes, this young man came up to me.

Already emotional, he said, “you know that *sob* goal I shared earlier?”

“Of course,” I replied.

He paused, barely able to get a word out, tears streaming down his face.

“I learned it from you.”

And then he broke down completely and hugged me so tightly.

It was a moment I’ll never forget and always treasure.

I imagine when we reunite with Christ, we will break down and hug Him so tightly.

He will say that He knows. He knows how hard our life was. He knows how hard we tried. He knows we did our best to follow Him.

And He’s proud of the person we became.

I know I’ll tell Him, “Jesus, I couldn’t have done it without you. I love you. Thank you.”

And with tears in my eyes, I’ll express, “I know I made mistakes, and I messed up a lot. But I want You to know … all the good things I ever did? The person I strived to become?

I learned it from You.”

I’m trying to be like Jesus;
I’m following in his ways.
I’m trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say.
At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice,
But I try to listen as the still small voice whispers,
“Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.”

Listen to a beautiful rendition of this song here!