#19 A Friend and Leader

     When I was in the Young Men Program in my branch in Marshfield, Wisconsin, I had an awesome leader. His name is Steve Taylor. He was a powerful influence in my life and really made me think about life's decisions. Still to this day, he is a good friend and role model for me.
     We have always had a love of basketball in common and I think it is why we are such great friends to this day. For one young men's activity, we planned a temple trip to the St. Paul Temple. As an important factor in this trip, we went to a NBA Basketball the night before we would attend the temple. We spent the night in a hotel and had a "guys night." As a result of this experience, I feel that we all become closer and got to know each other a bit more. It was a great experience to have fun and spend quality time with guys my age with powerful leaders. We enjoyed the game, goofing around at the hotel, and the temple the next day. In fact, even young men who weren't worthy to attend the temple came. It showed me the powerful influence that I could one day have in the lives of young men.    
     One Sunday, he told me, "You need to ask 'why?' in the gospel. You need to question, seek, and obtain answers for yourself." This has always stuck with me and I don't think I'll ever forget it. It was a powerful lesson to me about the importance of seeking divine guidance to my questions. This has helped me receive personal revelation throughout my life about important decisions I've had to make.