Graduation

Emily graduated from Seminary a week ago but she still has 80 days left to attend.  The Peru school year is from March to December so it was not very timely for them either.  One graduate was already on his mission and his Dad collected his diploma.

Sunday morning at church the bishop asked Emily to give a talk that very evening at Seminary Graduation.  In Spanish.  She was concerned but not like she was facing the firing squad.  At the MTC each week four missionaries are called out of the audience to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting.  They are supposed to have prepared the talk during the week on a particular subject.  Yesterday's speakers looked like death by firing squad was the preferable option.

Emily was the only graduating senior asked to give a prepared talk for some reason.  She was the only American graduating so already she was singled out.  She did great on her talk.  Emily tells people she isn't fluent in Spanish but she communicates without hesitation.  Lonny says her accent is impressive.  Last year when we traveled to Colombia, we obviously looked like tourists.  Emily was talking to a guy and he asked her why she had such good Spanish (because she doesn't look like she should).  She said she lived in Peru which made sense to him.

The Stake President was the concluding speaker for graduation.  In his talk he said how he had met Emily 2 or 3 years ago when she was directing the dance for the flash mob they performed at the mall during youth conference.  He mentioned how she could not speak Spanish then but tonight when she gave her talk he could understand every word.  He said he thought her Seminary attendance had been a blessing and contributed to her success in her school subjects and her understanding of Spanish.  It was really nice of him to say.

I remember when Justin began Seminary I thought I would never be able to continue to get up that early to take my kids to Seminary for the coming years.  Emily was not even born then but to think she and us are almost done with Seminary it is unbelievable that nobody died of exhaustion.  Of course, I am not getting up to take her to Seminary lately, I have to get up to teach her and her 13 classmates here at the house.

School and Seminary started last Tuesday.  Not everyone looks happy to be up in the middle of the night.