I never thought I would survive three weeks of EFY in a row. The closer it got, the more terrified I became about how I was going to have the energy to make it through three whole weeks. And now that I've returned home, all I can think about is how much I wish I was back there! I felt so blessed to have been a part of that experience with those kids. To see them grow and change in just five days was amazing, and I also realized that I was changing drastically right along with them! I felt more confident as a teacher and as a counselor. I felt more secure as I answered their questions. I felt like I could better balance being their counselor and their friend. There were experiences that definitely helped me to grow. There were kids who changed me and had severe influences on who I am now compared to who I was three weeks ago.
And I was also able to make some amazing friends while I was there. Just a few weeks ago, I was sharing with my mom how I felt like my college years have been nowhere close to the best years of my life. I felt like I wasn't meeting lifelong friends. I felt like I wasn't growing and having experiences like everyone around me was. EFY did for me in four weeks this summer what three years of college hasn't been able to do. I made several friends who I hope I can keep in touch with for the rest of our lives. EFY is an experience that you bond over that people on the outside can't really understand.
I finally feel the fulfillment I've been waiting to feel since I graduated high school.
So, the song I've chosen to accompany this sappy blog post is obviously a song from the EFY CD this year. I could choose the theme song, but it quite frankly wasn't my favorite on there. I really learned what it means to be a daughter of God this summer, so the song I've chosen is "I am His Daughter."
