EFY 2016
A peek into the best of the week of my life. (((;
It turns out that I am The Biggest Procrastinator On The Face Of The Planet & forgot to write about my exceptionally amazing experience this past July at EFY (Church youth camp). When rereading my many pages of journal dedicated to my week in Bowling-green, I knew, even if it WAS five months late and I'm listening to Christmas music, that I simply HAVE to write about this. It would be a sin not to.
It surpassed all of my expectations; it was a million times better than my first year (if you scroll down pretty far in my blog you'll find the article I wrote about EFY *2015). And even though I raved lovingly about my first year, it was nothing compared to EFY 2016.
To give some sort of insight to the way I felt while attending, I wrote in my journal on July 22nd; "It's the most peculiar bliss; to be surrounded by this overwhelming amounts of love towards God, new friends, & excellent people." That is the most honest description of EFY. It's insanely spiritual while simultaneously being exciting & social.
It was like someone decided to recruit all of the best people on the Earth and throw them all inside one camp. My childhood best friends (S/O to Audrey, Emma, Caris, Linden, and ben;) were all present. & on top of that, I met so many incredible new people who taught me way more in a week than some of my closest friends back home. I grew so close to the people in my company. So close that I actually locked myself in the bathroom and cried for a solid twenty minutes the last night because I knew I'd never see some of these people ever again. On the excruciating car ride home from this unreal week, I sobbed again for a solid four-ish hours. & it takes A LOT for me to cry. It was THAT good.
And although I'd love to write a sonnet or five-hundred about each of the lovely young women & young men that I met there, I primarily try to keep this blog inspiration-based. So, on that note, here are some of the *spiritual lessons I learned while attending EFY in Bowling Green, Kentucky July 18-23:
1. Satan's weapon of mass destruction is mass distraction. This definitely stuck with me. I'm not exactly dealing drugs under a bridge or signing up for a starring role on Teen Mom, but I most certainly am not immune to tiny distractions that are placed in front of me. How much time do we waste on super trivial stuff? The adversary knows exactly how to slowly chip away at your potential, where you could actually be curing terminal diseases and NOT watching Gilmore Girls and planning your wedding with Jess/Logan (okay, I'm totally team Jess but Logan is FIRE so I go back and forth). He (the adversary, not Logan) definitely knows how to distract you until you find yourself in a place you never anticipated.
2. The things you do for others will remain as your legacy. I just love this so much. I feel like I personally get wrapped up in the possible success of my career, or my status, or how good my eyebrows look, but none of that truly lasts in the long-run. Our kindness and service will be what people genuinely remember about us, and that's what matters at the end of the day.
3. I've never seen Christ's hand but I've seen his hand a thousand times. Everything in our lives is orchestrated by a higher power. The air we breathe was created specifically for us to breathe. There have been so many "coincidences" in my life that prove to me that Heavenly Father really does answers my prayers & the pleadings of my heart. He is in complete control of our lives, and is seriously just waiting to bless us.
4. We may believe God should be first but we may not always live that. The truth of this statement is insane. It may seem blatantly obvious, but for me this was just so true. If someone were to ask me if God should be first, I'd say yes without even thinking about it. But what does it mean to put that into action? It means to always keep in mind your true identity and apply Heavenly Father to every single part of your life, not just for a couple of hours on Sundays and Wednesdays. EFY proved to me that staying close to God is the key to true happiness.
Why was it the best week of my life??? People speak so highly of church youth camps, but what makes throwing a ton of sweaty teens in a room and preaching to them so dang influential and life changing? For one thing, I was disconnected from my phone/media for a solid week. I checked my text messages every once in a while, but we were so busy that I just didn't have the time to look at Instagram. We also were learning about God & His Plan for us through every single activity that we did. This may sound boring, but the speakers they hire at EFY are extraordinary. And even at game night or at dances, there was this feeling of security and unity to know that you're surrounded by people who share your beliefs. It's a very rare & authentic feeling.
I encourage everyone to try EFY. l If I hadn't signed up my first year, I seriously do not where I'd be right now. Going to this camp, both in 2015 & 2016, was one of the best decisions I've ever made and probably will ever make. I've met some of the most spectacular people through this program & have really gotten to know myself. You don't have to be mormon to enjoy the camp. A belief, or a desire to believe in Christ is enough.
love you guys.
(text me if you're team Jess, Logan, or Dean...I have a compelling argument for each boy but I'd like to hear other opinions on Rory's destiny.)
okay seriously, love you guys.
Skylar (-: