Serving in the church

I decided that I had to post something of my kids because they are some of my most prized possessions and I don't mention them too much. This summer we've been trying to do FHE, and it is so much fun and fulfilling with them. To anyone who reads this and is currently not holding FHE, I challenge you to do it. We've been working on having family prayer also. It's awesome. There is such a strong feeling of love when we come together as a family to pray.

With time the challenges of serving in the church change. The summer has been a period of reflection. In May, we seriously contemplated moving, but the answer to our prayers seemed to be to stay. I rationalized in my mind that the purpose of staying was to train the younger guys in the Young Men's Presidency even though the spirit clearly said the purpose was for me stay to help certain boys. Looking back, I find that interesting because no matter what I did to try to motivate my fellow leaders, the best experiences of the summer were times when I worked with the boys. Scout Camp was a great success. My other leaders that came were not even in the presidency. One was a guy trying to decide between a mission and college, and the other guy was the Scoutmaster from the other ward. We rapelled, hiked a lot, camped underneath the stars on a hill, and talked a lot at the campsite while the boys were in class.

After scout camp, I worked closely with the Senior Patrol Leader and the Patrol Leader. That was a lot of fun. I had to guide them a little bit, but they worked well on what they needed to plan for the upcoming months.

Last Sunday, I got to teach the Deacon's Quorum. As I prepared for the lesson, I noticed how the spirit prompted me with the direction of the lesson. I wondered why I was feeling the specific direction, but in class it was exactly what the boys naturally needed. Their comments took the lesson exactly where the spirit had prompted me it would go. It was really cool. I think I learned (was reminded) more about the power of prayer than in any other lesson.

The summer ends with me recharged to serve the boys and leave the other leaders to the wind to blow about aimlessly. My only nagging worry is that at some point I have to move. We want to have more children and need more room. The housing market is so over-priced that there is no way we can afford houses in our ward boundaries. (The ward is almost entirely made up of apartment dwellers here for schooling and a couple of rich folk that are doctors.) I want to do my best to ensure that the leaders know what they are supposed to be doing, but I have a feeling that if I want to simply enjoy my time serving here I just need to focus on the boys.