New Avenues, Revisited

So when Bishop Hodson came over last Thursday night and asked to speak with BOTH of us, I knew it wasn't just a social call. Meeting with both of us meant one of two things in my mind. One, that Tom was receiving a stake calling, or two, that I was getting called to be president of Relief Society or something similar. It never occurred to me that we'd be asked to serve as co-directors of the Activities Committee. My husband, ever the obedient and faithful servant, agreed readily with a hearty "sure" and then glanced at me expectantly. The bishop then looked over to me and I froze. Not good. Then I said to Tom, "Sure, YOU can say sure. When was the last time you talked to Debbi [Estrada] (former Activities Chair)?" (I never heard her complain, and she always seemed to be on top of things, but this past year, the committee operated off an uncertain-at-best to non-existent budget and were expected to perform feats previously unattempted by any ward before.) But I accepted the call and we were set apart on Sunday. I would like to tell you that I had an epiphany that changed my heart. But alas, after being set apart and basically hearing that we would be responsible for bringing less-actives back into activity, and that we were expected to plan, organize, and host an activity each and every month, I am still pretty much mortified. Confession: We don't even plan our dates; we just go and see where the wind blows us, and it usually blows us into a restaurant of some sort.

Now, though this call seems new and foreign to me, I did serve as Activities Chair in our ward in Kansas a few years back. Still, it feels like a whole different calling to me, and I'll tell you why. Our Dodge City Ward had only 95-110 active members and I had a lot of freedom to plan and do whatever I wanted. For example, our ward Christmas party (see picture) was held at a predecorated senior center that we rented, served ham, and did I mention, didn't have to decorate or undecorate? Beauty. I was also the Primary Pres., so I had a nativity play that the children acted out, and a deep-voiced gentleman read from Luke. It was delicious, reverent, and still low-key.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm a little nervous. I love this ward. I don't want to let anyone down, from leaders to committee members to ward members. I want the activities to be great, and I also know that there is an outstanding committee already in place, which gives me confidence. So for my final plea, just please feel free to come talk to me or Tom, or email us about activities you would like to do, because we would love to hear about them. When Emily heard about this calling and saw how scared I was, she approached me chidingly, she said, "Mom, I don't see why you're not more excited about this. This is the best calling in the ward--you get to plan and do all the fun activities you want!" Thank you, Emily. What happened to my courage to try? I will try to think of it that way from now on.