A come from behind victory by the underdog!

People come to play on Sundays. I'm not talking about the Little League World Series going on right now, the Super Bowl, or even the final round of the latest PGA event. I'm talking about going to church here at the BYU singles wards. Both the males and the females agree that Sunday is your day to shine: wear your new suave tie, show off your new hair-do, etc. On any given Sunday, any given sister and any given brother can make it happen. When the Spirit is strong, miraculous things come to pass. This is the kind of hope that inspires the exhausted college student to be fueled with energy for early morning church. Needless to say, that energy is multiplied when it is the first Sunday of a new semester. All the girls wear their favorite dresses and all the boys wear their favorite ties. The first Sunday is when first impressions are made, so you can't afford to not show-up (and showing up entails more than just coming, if you are picking up what I'm putting down).

Today was just that--the first Sunday of the new semester. Having only a few days to recover from the natural disaster of having our EQP hesitate when asked about the pool of ladies in the ward, we were unsure of what to expect when 9:00 am came our way. As we arrived at our seats a little bit early, we were blessed to watch probably 3/4 of the ward walk-in as we gathered for a joint EQ/RS meeting. To our surprise, attractive girls seemed to be in abundance! Could this really be happening? We thought it might be too good to true. Maybe we were only seeing what we wanted to see, and as a result, our eyes were fooling us. Although there were numerous sisters in our sunday school hour as well, we sat in the front row and didn't have an adequate opportunity to reassess the situation. Yet, as we all came together for the final hour that would be our sacrament meeting, it was reminiscent of the first hour: attractive girl after attractive girl came walking in. Renewed with hope and ambition, we sang the hymns with vigor like never before. As if to confirm to us that yes, we were being blessed, the Spirit was strong thoughout the meeting. Our prayers had been answered.

Welcome the ward gentlemen. It's going to be a good semester!

So . . . how are the . . . uh . . . the ladies?

Having just moved in, there we sat Thursday night gathered around the TV. We each had our various plans for the evening, from a ninja-pirate party to a Target run. Yet, there we sat together, the four of us. Innocent as the evening began, the mood of the room was united in a silent acknowledgement of the task before us: a new school year with new dating opportunities. Whether through the ward, our jobs, referrals, or chance happening, we each understood the endless possibilities supplied by the social scene at BYU. With hope in abundance and expectations high, the mood of our apartment was one of anticipation and excitement. However, like the unknowing bass who bites at a worm only to end up on a dinner table hours later, our lives changed in an instant.

It all began when the Elder's Quorum President walked in. After the necessary introductions of sorts, the following conversation ensued:

Alex: "I don't want to be known as that guy, but you've lived here now for a year and probably know the ward pretty well, so . . . how are the . . . uh . . . the ladies?"

EQP: "Well . . . um . . . you know . . . um . . ."

(silence)

EQP: "You know, I'm hopeful. It seems like there might be a few cuties moving into the ward. Yeah--I'm hopeful."

Wow. What a wonderfully reassuring response. The hesitation and trepidation in his answer was more than enough. As if our prize stallion had just been laid to rest, the room was still and silent; no one turned off the lights, but it felt darker.

And with that, we had our first impression of the new ward. As he left our apartment, the EQP turned back to us and said "Well guys, welcome--glad you're here."

Expressionless, we robotically responded: "It's good to be here."