Jesus Wants ME for a Sunbeam . . .

teacher that is.

I’ve taught all different ages in primary but never, ever the sunbeams.  The calling came my way weeks earlier but no one seemed to want me to teach.  The presidency kept getting subs.  Maybe I should have spoken up . ..

I was terrified by a group of 3 and 4 year olds that I didn’t know..  I knew I had to be on my toes so I prepared and prepared and maybe prepared too much!

I checked out the room ahead of time so I would know what to expect.  I was glad to see there was a long table and little chairs.  But I had no need for the chalkboard (they can’t read, duh!) or the intriguing door that was always locked.

I even broke down and went to the craft store (that I said I never would) so I could be fully equipped with “fun” stuff.

I made props for singing, made drawstring bags to hid parts of the lesson in, and anything else I could think of so we could seamlessly switch from one thing to another.

I spent a lot of time coloring and cutting things out.

I was blessed with a lively group of kids that had no clue what it meant to sit down to listen much less understand what I was saying.  I sure wasn’t used to THIS age group.  It’s been a super long time since my kids were that little!

I felt overwhelmed and inadequate.  But I would keep on giving it my all.  Expect updates!

Hearing the Good Word

I love General Conference, but I haven’t always. 
Truthfully, it much harder with little kids.  It is a challenge to pay attention and when the kids were little, it seemed futile. It was hard to have to go to the church building to sit on hard benches and watch.
But our season is different now.  We can watch at home . . . .

The puppy is much quieter than the kids ever were . . .

I always try out a few new recipes to enjoy while we are feasting on the word. . .

We don’t have to dress up . . . .

I can work on a puzzle while listening . . .
and I always arm myself with a few questions that I always hear the answer to. 
How cool is it to have the prophet in MY home!

We love General Conference

Out With the Old, In With the New

It was a different sort of Sunday.  We only had sacrament meeting and then we waited an hour . . . for another meeting with all three wards in the valley.

EVERYONE was released except for two bishops and people with stake callings (or most of those people.)

AND our ward ceased to exist.

The boundaries were redrawn and the names were changed.  (to protect the innocent?) 

Now many of my friends are no longer in my ward.  They won’t even attend church in the same building as me.  But that just means that if we are really friends, we will make the effort to stay in each other’s lives.

And the gospel is still true.  No matter where we go to worship or who we worship with, the principles remain the same.

My hubby is still the bishop of my ward. 
He still has the same office.  He did not gain a single family but lost many.  And he has his work cut out for him.  To go from the largest ward to the smallest isn’t a bad thing . . . but there are a whole slate of callings to be filled.  (Let the rumors commence flying. . . ugh!)


And we will still meet in the same building.  The halls just won’t be so crowded and we won’t have to open the curtain week after week.  I might even meet all my fellow ward members!

So I can safely say that I went to church married to the bishop of one ward and came home married to the bishop of a different ward.

Just when you think things are calming down. . .

The day after we arrived home from our adventure to Canada, we got a phone call that made us very uncomfortable. . . some of us more than others.
The stake presidency wanted to meet with us the following Sunday.  That could NOT be a good thing.
Late that afternoon, Paul was extended a calling as bishop of our ward.  He was excited; I was distraught.  I knew that I would have to give up my calling as Relief Society president.  I felt like I had not accomplished the things I was supposed to while serving in that position. 
As week went by, Heavenly Father answered my prayers and helped me understand that it is His will and not mine that is important.  Paul is the one who is supposed to serve in this capacity at this time.
He was sustained and set apart on August 3, 2010.

We wonder how much he will change by the time he is released. .  how much grey hair, or how little hair might remain . . . will he still look like the stake president-proclaimed baby-faced bishop?