Fathers & Sons Camp

 I work for BYU Sports Camps.

Part of my job is helping with the camps here [the majority of my job is the office work behind the camps]. 

Anyways, the very first camp that we had of the year was our Fathers and Sons. The camp itself runs Friday-Monday.

The week that the camp started was spent with endless hours of preparations. There was even a night that I worked until 11:00 getting all of the packets ready for the campers. 

After countless phone calls, emails, shopping trips, and hours spent preparing for the camp, it was about to start. Sports Camps were about to kick off!!

The hour came for it to start, and I got to help with check-ins. I got assigned to help with the jerseys, so I got to see all the campers come in! As I heard their names, it was funny because I had been dealing with the names for quite a while, but now, I could put a face to both the name and the voice.

The camp itself was super fun to do, even if it was really busy. I worked until about 10 or 11 every night. 

However, the best part of the entire camp happened on Sunday. 

For part of the camp, we all attended Music and the Spoken Word. 

Now, remember, we had roughly 1,000 participants [boys and their dads] here for this camp. 

After Music and the Spoken Word, we all headed over to the assembly hall for Sacrament Meeting. 

I had been asked to lead the music for the sacrament meeting and for the fireside we would be having that night.

I had also been asked to wear a longer skirt or something that ensured I would be modest because I would be standing in front of everyone. 

Well, when I arrived, I realized that they weren't kidding. I was literally 15 feet above everyone else. 

OH DANG.

Now, I know how to lead, but I have never done it in front of a crowd, nor had I even practiced for this. I mean, who needs to practice to lead?

Well, apparently I did. I was looking through the songs, and the first one was Ye Elders of Israel or something. I hadn't ever heard it before! Nor did I know how to lead it!

I sat next to the organist, and I asked him how to lead it. He explained that I just wave my hand up and down. 

You guys. 

It came time to sing the opening song, so I walked up to the stand, only to discover it barely reached my fingertips, and it was stuck. I couldn't move it any closer to my face. 

Try to picture this. 

I am standing in front of everyone, unable to see the words, unable to lead. I was waving my arm up and down, not to any rhythm or anything. My face was looking straight at the book, too. 

I am pretty sure I looked ridiculous. Inside, I was laughing so hard! Hahaha it took every ounce of me to not burst into laughter in front of everyone. I could feel the heat starting at my toes and move up to my head as my skin turned bright red.

The song seemed to last forever, but finally it ended, and I walked back to my seat anticipating the comments from the organists, but he simply smiled and told me I did a good job. 

In my head, I knew that I didn't do a good job. I did horribly!

The next song wasn't that bad, except when it was almost over, I realized I had been leading it a 3/4 instead of a 4/4. By the end of the sacrament meeting, I finally got the song right. 

Trust me, this story is only beginning. 

People starting commenting like crazy. I had become some famous person at camp, not only because I was one of maybe five girls at this camp with 1000 boys.

I had comments like, "Wow, you look like you really struggled with that first song," or "You had never heard that song before, huh?"

At lunch, all the people by me would whisper, "Hey, that's the girl that led the music!"

Some people told me I did a good job!

I even had someone tell me, "You really struggled with leading. I can't believe they didn't ask me to lead. I even took a class on it at BYU."

Oh heavens.

Even at dinner that night, the comments kept coming. By this point in time, I literally thought it was about the funniest thing that had ever happened. 

Then, that night, we had a fireside, and once again, I led the music. 

This time, I actually did a great job. I knew the songs, and I knew how to lead them. 

As soon as that was over, more people told me good job. 

Seriously, though. 

What a humbling experience!

I still run through it in my head when I need a good laugh. 

"You looked like you were really struggling up there."