Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Number 3

#3. Each and every year there are special events that inspire. Most of the events on this list are special. I usually give them a fun twist for laughs. Relating so many fun-twist kind of events makes it a little tricky to write humbly and sincerely about the inspiring events. You might think, is he being funny? Is he setting up something just to be silly? Not this time. This is a cool event and I am honored Sean is letting me share it here. This year I hope we get a little motivation from Sean Brown. For the past 7 years, Sean Brown has been silently influencing over a hundred youth in Colorado. The first 4 years of those years Sean taught the sophomore seminary class. We’ve all attended seminary. It’s a crazy concept. 6:30 am. Church before high school. Memorizing scriptures. We all experienced that. But, we’ve never experienced the other side. Well Sean did. And he did all he could to have a positive influence on the “kids”. Since that time, Sean has attended over 30 missionary farewells of former youth in his classes. He received a dozen wedding announcements from girls in his classes. And sadly, he attended one funeral of a girl killed in an auto accident. From EFY to incoming UVSC freshman girls, Sean has always had a special bond with the youth. Bad joke. But seriously. Sean is talented beyond belief making connections with and influencing the youth. And he is putting it to good use.

Many of us saw it firsthand at the reunion in 2003. Several of Sean’s former seminary students flocked to Dave’s house and didn’t leave Sean’s side until he left. They followed him to dinner, bowling, etc. They shared stories of hanging out at Sean’s house in Colorado, playing games, listening to stories. I can’t think of a better place for the youth to be with all the temptations going on in high school years. They idolize Sean.

So why does Sean get the number three spot this year? What does all this have to do with 2005? I’ll tell you. In Sean’s last year teaching Seminary, he made it an extra point to reach out an invite the less active to attend seminary. For one kid named Marshall, Sean devised a plan. A plan only the mind of Sean could invent. “I had had all the cute girls in his class call him up and invite him to seminary. Each week a new girl would call him up and talk him into coming. He was the luckiest guy in the class always sitting next to a cute girl”, said Sean. Genius. Only Sean Brown. He went on to say, “He’d only come like once or twice a week, but for a guy who never came to church, it was better than nothing.” Well Sean lost track of Marshall after that seminary year -- until earlier this year, when Sean ran in to him. And guess what? Marshall told Sean about his getting his mission call and thanked him for his help in getting him back into the church. So this year’s #3 goes to Sean Brown for being Sean Brown.

Just so you know, the past couple years Sean has been involved with teaching institute at the University of Colorado at Boulder. And about that he said, “its more rewarding than seminary, you get paid $20 an hour.”

2 comments:

Litos said...

strong work, MC, strong work... definitely not suprised. probably even more stories like that of Marshall's to come in the future.
and thank goodness you married A.E.-- or else the story would have been how Marshall came up to you and said, "hey, how's it going 'Tiger'?!"

Cameron Hulse said...

Sean, That is very impressive. You are a natural with the youth. You have deifinitely have a gift. Nice work.