Philly Youth Rock!

This past week my good friends were in town. The youth from my Philadelphia ward were here to attend EFY and tour church historical sites. (I was a youth leader when I lived in Philly so I know most of them pretty well.) These guys are AMAZING. Most of them come from inner-city, single-parent, low-income families. They've seen things and been in situations that most of us can't even fathom, but they have overcome these challenges and are stronger and more faithful than ever. Words cannot express how much I love them!!!

From L to R: Freddie, Alexia, me, Wonder, Munah, Crystal
I asked the youth if there were any other black people at EFY and they said, "Yah, like 2 or 3." When I asked them how they liked that they assured me "it was cool." Actually, I imagine that they quite enjoyed all the attention they got. They had CES camera crews following them around, documenting their experience, and they won the dance contest on the first night there. They were the celebrities of the week!

Cheeko and Kilief stayed at our home after EFY. My kids LOVED them!

Will with his new best bud "Cheeeeeeeeko"

This is Crystal. Yes, Crystal! The girl that was so shy 3 years ago she would barely look you in the eye. And now....she's on stage (by herself!) singing her heart out. Wow- it was so fun to see how these guys have blossomed over the years. (Actually "fun" probably isn't the right word considering that I was crying that ugly, convulsing, blubbery cry...I was completely overcome.)

Alexia
Gerald swing dancing with Kelly (a leader). Yep, Gerald is the same old Gerald.
Kilief, Cheeko and Rome rapping. These guys are AWESOME!! They are total street rappers, but their lyrics are all about how much they love the church. So cool!
Wonder- she'll be famous one day...no question
Meet the fearless leaders- Isaac and Sara- the most stellar couple ever!!!! They organized this entire thing. They helped raise thousands of dollars to be able to provide this opportunity for these youth. Isaac and Sara- you guys are my heroes.

Also, the youth did a combined service project with the youth in my current ward at the Food Bank. But of course I forgot my camera and therefore have no pictures of this event. So irritating!

Well, it was a great time for everyone and now they are back in Philly and hopefully catching up on some Z's.

I can't wait for next year. (So please please please come back!!)