CHT: The Ending

Our last day of CHT started with our Sunday services in an upper room of the hotel, right across from the pool windows. It is so neat to be able to go to church with all your friends. And its even cooler when you get to hear all of their testimonies. We did another testimony meeting and it was really cool. We finished there, had breakfast, and started on our 16 hour journey home... long day ahead. I sat by Parker Poulson, Weston Prisbrey, and Preston Manwill during the various legs home. The day was full of sleeping, movies, and rest stops. It was sad to see all my friends go, especially the ones from Arizona because those will be the hardest to ever see again. They said they are four hours from Blanding, which is 5 or 6 hours from Richfield or 3 hours from St. George, which is still 3 hours from Richfield. They were really cool, and I am going to miss them dearly. We said good-bye to them in Denver, and we also lost our bus drivers, who needed to switch drivers to not over due the driving. I was on bus 1 (surprise, surprise) and the driver on it is Phil, who also helped with the confirmations during the baptisms for the dead. Even though I never really got to know him, he really loves all of us that were on the trip. We drove head-long into the Rocky Mountains, and to break from the routine of film and rest, the Henrys pulled out a trivia game called Mental Floss. I came in second, and it was kinda fun. After a few more rest stops and bus changes, we rolled into the tabernacle parking lot. I said my final farewells to a few of my friends, loaded up my car, and took off. Alan asked for a ride home, so after dropping him off, I hit the highway and shot to Sigurd. I got home about 3 in the morning, and after I brought my things in from my car, I set up a bed on the floor (because my bed wasn't made) and went to bed. I really loved CHT, and waking up the next day with out a schedule to fulfill or roommates to wake up was kinda weird; it made the past few weeks seem like a dream. It hit me yesterday during church that I probably won't see many of these people, my friends, ever again, even some of my own class mates. A scripture that Lauren Bytheway shared in seminary crept to mind and gave me comfort. D&C 130:2 talks about how the same sociality which exists on this earth will exist in the next life, except it will be coupled with eternal glory. It assures me that I will be able to see these people, my friends, again, if not in this life, but the next, and in the next life, I will be able to have so much more time to see them again and not have to worry about travel time or gas money. It kinda seems superficial, but friendships rock. Now its back to the normal life and the official start of summer!