Happy New Year, friends.
To kick off this year, I just wanted to share this drawing with you.
The back-story is that there is a young man in our ward who is on the spectrum. Since we moved here, I have watched as he constantly reaches out in friendship to others.
Whenever new young men move in or up into his quorum, he welcomes them by drawing a new version of this "quorum picture".
I was in church last Sunday. It was so peaceful. Both my husband and I just sat there after it ended not wanting to leave. I just thought, "I want to sit here and be among my people a little longer."
Well, as we sat there, this young man approached my older daughter. She asked him how his Christmas was and he said, "Oh, it was good, but do you know what I'm really excited for? The New Year. I'm excited for the New Year, because Guy will be a Priest."
Hearing him say that made me catch my breath.
Guy wasn't in church that Sunday, because more and more he doesn't want to be in church or doing anything we're doing as a family.
He just turned 15 in November, so, of course, I wasn't thinking about him becoming a priest so soon!
It touched my heart that this young man was being such a shepherd to my son...and that he's been shepherding lots of kids like mine over the last four years.
When I came home from church, I saw that he had posted this updated "priest quorum" drawing on Facebook, listing each young man's name. I am grateful for this young shepherd who is carrying out his priesthood duty with such love and commitment. I hope that in the next 6 months (before this young man graduates) he can have an influence on my son.
Forgive my ignorance, but what does "on the spectrum" mean exactly? The spectrum of what?
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this post and hope. May we all be shepherds in 2021 and beyond.
ReplyDeleteHugs for you my sweet friend. I feel what you are going through. And I hope I can be a shepherd this year also!
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