Simple, Yet Profound, Tender Mercies

I have a ridiculous amount of things to catch up on (blogging about Summer included), but many will have to wait...at least until I can get this one down.

Yesterday (Sunday) was quite a tender mercy.  First of all, being able to serve in Young Womens is a blessing in and of itself.  I learn so much and am so humbled by those little teenage turds that I sit in awe of them often!

Yesterday I was to teach a lesson on The Importance of Life and Procreation.  Slightly daunting, but not that big of a deal.  When it came time for YW to begin, my great friend Nicole (who was to teach the Mia Maids) approached me with the thought to combine the Laurels and Mia Maids (there was only 1 MM there that day, and though she's the youngest one, she's also more mature than most of the Laurels) and to team-teach.

Sounded good to me!

The gravity of the lesson started to exhibit itself shortly afterward.  Nicole is one of those people who you can't help but love.  She's fabulous at EVERYTHING.  She's beautiful, talented, super-spiritual, nice to everyone, funny, lets me be ridiculous and immature, and a fantastic mother.  Problem is, she's never been blessed with the ability to carry a child.  She currently has a darling three-year-old whom they were able to adopt, but since, have been unlucky in the adoption world, though hoping desperately to add more to their family asap.

So here I am, nearly eight months pregnant, about to teach a bunch of teenage girls that one of their most divine roles in life is to bring children into the world.  With someone who had never done so.

The Spirit was incredibly strong as we were able to share our different, yet so very similar, stories about the importance of motherhood and how these girls are Heavenly Father's greatest creation.  We all cried at some point, but I am certain that those precious daughters of Heavenly Father will not soon forget the lesson that they learned that day.

I hope to not forget.

Hence the post.

On a related note, Nicole and her husband were selected a few hours later by a birth family to adopt a sweet baby girl in just three short weeks.

I am still in awe.

I'm Putting the Bishop on Speed Dial!

We LOVE our new ward. People are super-friendly and nice, and have been so very welcoming to us. One problem....there's three of us, and several hundred of them. When it comes to learning names, we're on the disadvantage for sure.

Rewind to last Thursday. I get a phone call from the ward executive secretary, Brother Shumway. I remember his name, because anyone who has the gumption to have twelve children (yes, I said twelve) suddenly makes themselves memorable enough for me to log that name for good. So, yes, Brother Shumway. He asks if we have time to meet with the bishop that evening, and we agree.

Being a member of this particular church, I knew we were in for more than Temple Recommend interviews. I was surely right. However, I was not expecting to be called into the Young Womens' Presidency! I am officially the 1st Counselor in the Young Women's presidency in our ward. I feel....well, I feel a lot of things, but "prepared for this calling" sure is not one of them.

My favorite part of the interview was when Bishop mentioned to me that this particular set of girls was "in need of someone like me."

Those words seemed hauntingly familiar. Maybe EXACTLY like what President Simmons would say to me in nearly every interview I had with my dear mission president? Maybe....

Fast forward to today. I have been aware of this calling for approximately two whole days, and still no closer to knowing anyone's names than I had been the week prior. We get sustained (Robbie was sustained as the 1st Counselor in the Sunday School Presidency. Oh, and he barely makes it to sacrament meeting with his work schedule. Figure that one out.), and after Dax interrupts Sunday School and I wander the halls a bit, I head to Young Women's.

Trying to get my bearings and notice the sea of faces smeared with chocolate chip cookies from their classes, I take a seat and begin to get settled. I sometimes make small talk with the woman to my right while trying to tactfully tell her I have no idea who in the world she is. Class starts.

I learn that we are having an "all-girl" lesson because the YW President skipped town to go hunting with her husband and forgot to tell people (P.S. ...STILL no idea who she is), and the lesson is short-lived because the new class presidencies need to be sustained and set apart.

So now, class is over ten minutes early, and most of the girls jet.

The prior 1st Counselor approaches me, hands me a stack of books and manuals, and after explaining that she loves these girls but can't invest the time anymore with her health suffering (she just had a major surgery), tells me that many of the girls are from terrible family lives and "need lots and lots of love." No problem, right?? Except that that's all she told me before she left. I think her name is Diana???

Skip to this evening. Robbie had to work a bit late, so I took Dax with me to a Bishop's fireside that was at the Shumway's home. No problem that I haven't been there, right? I can totally mapquest it!

Mapquest has no knowledge of the Shumways.

I remember some of the girls describing how to get there, so I jump in the car, and try to make it. Never found it, didn't have the Shumway's number to call, and STILL know no one's names.

I call Robbie to tell him that I won't actually be making it to the fireside.

My car runs out of gas.

Sweet Love. Counting my blessings, I was in our neighborhood and could easily walk the rest of the way home.

Mind is racing. Instead of mutual this week, they are going to the BYU game on Saturday. Still no idea if I am going. Don't know if there is a ticket for me, or what I have to do. Plus, I'll have Dax with me. Awesome. Still don't know the YW President's name or who she is.

I'm putting the Bishop on Speed-Dial!!