Facebook

I am finally slowly resuming my duties in YW. I feel like I have so much catching up to do. I didn't really get to start my new calling before my surgery so it makes it a bit harder. I have pretty much been every calling in yw now. I was the Camp Director, Personal Progress leader, and Sports Director and then I got released from all 3 of those to just be the Laurel Advisor. That calling lasted for 2 months until the 1st counselor got snagged by the stake yw, so.... calling change again to now the 1st counselor in yw. I guess I technically haven't had a calling to work specifically with the beehives yet (thank goodness). Both other times I have been in yw in WA and in our other ward in Albq I was the Mia Maid advisor. I must say that working with the Mia Maids is my favorite in yw with Laurels being a close 2nd. The Laurels tend to be a little more closed off especially their senior year, but they are the most mature which leads to some awesome spiritual growth experiences. The beehives are by far the least mature and trying to bring the spirit in is neigh unto impossible sometimes and they don't really get the whole service thing and they are just plain wild! It is that horrible awkward transition time when they are trying to find their "style" and deciding that bathing everyday is necessary, they are figuring out that they might like boys but don't know what that means and they haven't quite figured out what being a friend means yet........the list goes on and on. One word pretty much sums up the beehives, drama! This is not to say that I don't love them dearly, I'm simply stating the facts that make being their leader a bit more challenging. Now the Mai Maids are a bit transitional as well. They can now go to stake dances and being old enough to legally date is within reach. I have found that the Mai Maids tend to really love their leaders and are still open to coming to activities and looking for those spiritual experiences while also knowing how and when to have fun. This age is also the most susceptible to getting obsessed with boys so you usually have about half obsessed and the other half on their way to being obsessed. All in all, I love all of the yw as if they were my own girls. There is something about service that really helps you see people the way our Heavenly Father sees them. I think that yw in general, no matter what position, is the best calling in the church. I have an absolute ball and there is just something different about say a primary age child running excited to see Sister Ivey and giving me a big hug and one of my yw running down the hall to give Sister Ivey a hug. I guess it is because primary kids are still pretty unconditional and with the yw they are more sceptical of you caring about them.

Anyway, my YW pres informed me that she just learned from the girls that most of them are on a site called Facebook, much like myspace. Facebook is supposed to be less frightening than myspace as far as the crap that is out there. So, I set up my account so we could communicate to the girls in this new age of computers for everything. Hopefully knowing that their leaders will be checking out their pages to see what they are up to will help them think about what they and their friends are using the sites for while also being able to post little notes of encouragement on their "walls." They think that it is totally cool as of right now, but most our girls are so good that they wouldn't dream of being annoyed that their leaders were saying "hi" on their sites where their non member friends also would see.

So, first I got sucked into the whole blog thing and now I have an account on Facebook. I am also totally addicted to my Ipod and I enjoy text messaging. It takes a lot to keep up with kids these days and stay informed and be able to talk their language. Speaking of talking their language my girls started laughing at me on Tues night because I said that one of their cell phones was mack daddy. So I have to take some lessons in proper verbiage. Apparently I was supposed to say something like "who has the down phone?" "Down" is better than "mack daddy" apparently. Two years ago I was trying to incorporate "shiz" for awesome. Basically I look ridiculous no matter what I say. :) I am definately in an awsome training course for when my own children actually become teenagers! Heaven help me!