2008...Steady and Sure

I'm not sure why, but I didn't really feel like I was done. And I'm not sure why it looks like I have gas in this picture...But while I felt like I still had some EFY in me, I didn't really know where to go or what to do. Sure, I said in 2007 that was it, but I really wasn’t done…and I knew it. After doing double BC/counselor duty, I realized that I had gotten to a point where it was tough for me to be a counselor; I was tired of being nailed down to a specific schedule, the duties were getting old, and I felt like I was going through the motions. While I was still anxious every Monday morning for that first meeting with my youth, I was getting to the point where a lot of the excitement and magic was gone. I felt the youth deserved someone who was fresh and energized and even a little nervous and awkward. Of course, I usually don’t have a problem with the awkwardness...

I wasn't thrilled to come back as a BC either...I never really grasped at the power for good a BC has and how much he or she can improve, yea even build, the program, the counselors, and the youth. This is something I have seen my little brother, Richie, just really excel at; the ability to build his counselors and thereby building everyone. Not me, I was too busy pouting...lamenting the fact I didn't have any participants of my own to take pictures with on Friday evening. I never realized that a BC’s efforts truly does has a direct correlation on how good a week the counselors have. And as I've mentioned, I always looked to the youth as pillars of strength, conviction, and awesomeness, but I glossed over the counselors. Maybe I just expected or assumed my peers to be set and good to go. But just because I never really struggled with the demands of being a counselor doesn't mean it didn't happen with everyone else. So I decided I wasn't going to apply, but if Clayton and Judith wanted me to come back in whatever capacity they needed me, I would.
October 16, 2007 on my way to do some food shopping at my trusty Kroger store, I get a call from an 801 area code. Even though I knew it was someone from Utah, unless it's in my ID I hardly ever pick up, so I let it go to voice mail. Enter Todd Willey into my life. I called him back and he was curious as to why I wasn't in the system and I said I wasn't planning on working that summer. I knew what was coming next, he was going to say 'well we were wondering if you could come back and be a BC for us again' and so I was prepared as soon as he finished talking to say, 'sure, I think I can squeeze out one more summer.' Instead, he said 'well your name has been bounced around here in the office, and we were wondering if you could come back and be a coordinator' Screech...Ex-squeeze me?

Being a coordinator honestly never entered my mind. I always saw it as yet another step further removed from the youth, and did I really think I could fill the shoes of my sister or Jeff or Julia?? When Clayton talked about applying for the job, I always knew he would've been good, so why would I consider being anything other than part of his team? This call from Todd completely threw me for a loop. I told him I would think about it, but I already knew I was going to say yes.

I mean, was I ready to be responsible for the sucess of EFY for thousands of youth? Well, let me take that back. If EFY is a sucess it's mostly due the participant's participation and the counselor's level of engagement. But if it's a failure....yep...blame it on the coordinators. And what if a huge water main busts outside the dorm, some HB brings fireworks, a kid smokes pot, or, heaven forbid, the counselors realize I'm super lame and don't listen/respect me?

There were such good memories and experiences with our completely green team. By 'green' I am referring to our complete lack of experience, not the fact we were environmentally concious or even the UNT 'Mean Green' spirit which we so embraced. Judith and I were both brand-spanking new at coordinating...never worked a solution's table at check, never really dealt with the EFY Office in Provo, or really been involved too much with major discipline issues that resulted in calling parents and arranging early departure. Our BC team was put together with six BCs who had ZERO weeks of BC experience and Mark Bishop only had one counselor week under his belt.

The craziest thing happened...the entire program didn't fall apart. Even during the chaos that was SA 2 with 1/2 the session from a completely different culture and on scholarship and the sponsor stakes totally switched up housing and stuff without telling us, things kept moving forward. That session seemed to have everything stacked against us and yet we survived thanks in large part to my visiting partner, Hermana Depew.

This was the summer of the Adventures of Melvin, the Monkey to be continued in 2009 by Lil' G.

This was the summer the 'Lactinator' made her riotous entrance into our lives.

This was the summer constant cereal feasting in the site office.

This was the summer of Brother Tanner's unannounced visit.

This was the summer of Kyle Sessoms nearly drowning in the Nile River.

This was the summer of a near-fatal elbow accident in the shower.

This was the summer of a nearly bald man winning 'Crazy Hair Night'

This was the summer of rendezvous with badgers and guarding the participants from demon-possessed cats.

Something else amazing happened that summer. Not only did I realize that I not only liked coordinating, I loved it. I loved working with my partner, Judith, who was so good and being reunited with Lori from year's past. I loved being empowered to make choices I was confident made the session a better session. I loved working so closely with the session directors...especially when you have such amazing ones like the Hadleys and Palmers. I loved training the counselors at the beginning of each week. I loved working with the campus contacts, ensuring they were happy with us. I loved being in front of all the youth at once, feeling their collective spirit and power. And I grew to love the counselors in a way I never knew I could. I remember praying every night, just thanking my Father so much for the incredible staff of counselors, for the examples they were, for the fun they had with the youth, for their level of teaching skills, and how they truly make the each session special for each participant.

As I mentioned before, it wasn't really until I became a coordinator that I truly appreciated the role of building counselor and that I realized how much better I could have done. So I tried to make up for that in my position as coordinator. Even though Judith and I were both learning the ropes as we went along, I tried so hard to get to know the counselors, feel their love and excitement for the youth, and let them know how much I truly respected and loved them for the individuals they were and the lives they lead. If only I could have had this same vision when I had my own group of 3-15 counselors! Oh well, just I hope that in some small way Coordinator Harvey was able to redeem BC Harvey's shortcomings.

My heart was full and, after another tribute to HSM, I was ready to move on...

After the SA 2 Friday night dance, all the BCs were busy taking care of head count, and lights out and such, and I remember just sitting in the Slide Office and had a moment, reflecting over much of the things I wrote about here. All the moments that made me laugh and cry and cringe, which of course caused me to laugh and cry and cringe all over again.

The next morning after the breakfast business meeting, a small and gracious tribute to your's truly, dropping off Lori at the airport and then the master keys at the Holt Conference Center, I drove back to the Site Office to pick up the last couple of boxes to ship back to Utah. Pulling into the Heidi Circle, me thought my mind's eye saw teenagers in white participant shirts as far as I could see playing FHE games, running around laughing and squealing and then the vision changed to beautiful youth sitting quietly, spread out on the lawn in the church clothes studying their scriptures. I just sat in the van and shed many a tear that this was it. Next summer there would new youth and counselors to bask in the excitement, drama, and spirituality that was EFY. After all this way, I was passing on into a new life.

Thus endeth the fifth summer and reign of Harvey Uminski.