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The Real Teacher Alicia Garcia

This article was written as an extra credit assignment and was later

submitted to the New Era magazine.

It was my seventh week as an EFY counselor. I was mentally,

spiritually, emotionally and physically exhausted, but I was grateful forevery moment. I didnt expect to learn from those I was supposed to be

teaching. During my last week of EFY, I learned my greatest lesson from a

seventeen year-old girl.

The first day I met my girls I began the spiel about the rules for EFY,

including the dress code and what was expected of them. At the end of my

spiel, I ask the girls to share why they are at EFY. The ten new girls gave a

variety of answers, but the answer that worried me the most came from

Jenny, I am here for games night. This is my fifth year and my group

always wins Spunity (Spirit/Unity). We are going to win this year. As a

counselor this attitude worried me because I feared she might not get the

full spiritual experience.

Through the rest of Monday and Tuesday, Jenny was hard at work

motivating the group to win Spunity. Wednesday morning I went to my

girls apartment and the feeling in the room was somber. I figured it was

seven a.m.; it was a bit early. Before morning devotional, Jenny tells myself

and rest of the girls what happened last night. Jenny had taken a challenge I

had given them during devotional. The challenge was to pray and not endthe prayer until you got an answer. Jenny took the challenge and the result

was calling her long time boyfriend, who was a nonmember and breaking up

with him. In one night she made a life changing decision and had gained a

slightly new perspective and goals in life.

After that morning, something seemed to change within her. I

watched as she listened to speakers and devotionals that she was taking the

gospel in and processing it. Her perspective was changing and she knew

what she needed to do but she also knew how hard it would be once she

went home.

During the banquet on Friday, after they announced the Spunity

award (we didnt win), Jenny turned to me and said, This is the first year I

havent won Spunity and I dont care. This has been my best week of EFY.

As a counselor you get many opportunities to witness kids come to EFY and

embrace the gospel and you can see them change everyday and everyday

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you pray that they keep even a portion that spirit and perspective once they

return home.

I realized that EFY is an inspired program and that the session

directors and EFY staff are all inspired as to what they needed to teach, but

the Spirit is the real teacher. As teachers, leaders and counselors in thegospel of Jesus Christ, we are merely cheerleaders and instruments in the

hands of the Lord.