Faith From Afar

This week, I've been thinking a lot about people who have faith--people who have faith in themselves, faith in God, and faith in a perfect plan of happiness. It's amazing to witness faith in action. To see how it changes people, fills difficult times with more peace and hope, and helps provide a joyful perspective when the faithless would only see sorrow.

I've been attending my ward for a year now. It has been a great blessing in my life and has been an instrument in helping to build my own faith--a faith that isn't yet perfect, but is increasing one little drip drop at a time. The past few months, I've watched a young family in our ward face a difficult and life-changing trial. I've watched from afar. I've been amazed from afar. I've prayed for them from afar. And my faith has grown. That's a great gift to offer someone--to help them increase their faith through your example--unknowingly. And so, today, I offer my thanks from afar.

To read their story (prepared with a tissue and ready for some new drip drops of faith) click HERE.

To vote for Tiffany to win a bit of much deserved pampering, click here.

What Happened Today?

My sweet friend, Janice, from the Grandview 1st just wrote this on my Facebook Wall:

"What just happened today? Where did that come from? I am so excited for my kids, but a little bummed out for me."

Well, I suppose my feelings today are very similar to those of Janice. They are a mix of sheer excitement, fear, humility, and uncertainty. I have a new calling as our ward Primary President. The last few days have been a whirlwind. I found out the night before I left for L.A. and was in a state of complete shock (I still am). I'm not primary material. I have Enrichment written all over me. I don't have kids. I don't know the 6 new verses of Book of Mormon Stories. I seriously think the last time I went to primary I was probably an 11 year old. For those of you who are counting (you really need to find something better to do), this is my 3rd calling since I moved into the ward just over 6 months ago. My service on the Enrichment Committee was such fun & I was thoroughly enjoying myself...seriously. We have such a talented and willing committee. It was like a RS dream. I should know by now that just when you get comfortable, the Lord likes to give you a challenge. I'm now certain He has a sense of humor.

So, for those of you who have advice, please send it my way.

For those of you who are wondering what will happen to the Grandview First Ward Enrichment Blog--I'm not certain, but will keep it going until I hear otherwise.

For those of you who are looking forward to the comic relief which is sure to accompany this calling, that makes two of us.

For those of you with faith, pray for me.

The truth is that as little as I know about the administrative ins and outs of primary, I have a great sense of peace and joy. Now, that peace could very well fly out the window next week at about 11am when my 60 new little friends arrive for our first week of primary together, but I'm still optimistic & pleasantly enjoying my rose colored glasses. I have some wonderful counselors who I am excited to get to know & rows of little ones whose lives can be touched forever by the knowledge that they are the Children of God. . .a principle that touches my life daily.

Eternally Enriching

I think I've mentioned that I'm the new Enrichment Leader in my ward. Just by association of what I do for a living, this could be my eternal calling. LMSorenson will always be involved in music, GRoberts is destined to be in scouting, and MVirtue will be enriching lives until her demise. The good news is that I'm really excited about the potential for Enrichment & looking forward to doing some really fun & exciting things with/for the sisters of our ward. I love Relief Society & the sisters in our ward are darling!

Our ward is a good mix of young, old, and in between. Mix is good until you have to create activities and groups intended to please, pacify, and meet the wide variety of sisters' needs. One of the first bits of feedback I received from sisters was that the groups we had going were for the older women in the ward. So, in order to help the younger (single, newly married, and young moms) feel more involved, I decided to set up an Enrichment blog for our ward. It's just new and in the first phases of growth, but I think it has the potential to be a great forum. We will post cleaning tips, activities to do with kids, local events, recipes, RS announcements, etc. Check it out! We're all sisters, right?

Anyway, we have lots of great ideas & a meeting planned for our committee tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes.

If you have any great enrichment ideas, experiences, desires, or bits of brilliance, please let me know. I'm determined to give each of the sisters in our ward an opportunity to develop friendships, learn, and grow with one another. With a little help from my sweet friends & family--oh, and a lot of help from the heavens, we can do anything we set out to do. It's just a matter of getting on & pedaling your heart out.