What Would I Do Without...

Mom!  Augh. This week was so tough. Mom was in Utah and I just can't keep up without her. She has skills and I can't keep up with what she can do. I really did try hard. I made breakfast some of the day, but one I just couldn't idea it up, so we had the backup cereal. But of course it was mom who had that plan. And she did the menu we followed almost every day. I did go above and beyond and invited the elders over Friday but Kieren basically did all of it as I ran to get Lys from skate world where Gabby and Chandler had their parties. I had totally forgotten. But so had Lys!  

I had a good week at work. We had many key meetings that we have had many days and months of prep for. Each of them actually went very well and we had great progress for work things. It was actually very nice to get to those points in work and begin to move forward anew. It is fun to carpool with Kieren. We talk lots, she sleeps lots:) and generally it's a nice change for me. 

I still am smiling at Jeff's mocking me for being a bachelor and eating toast for dinner and watching HGTV. That was soon after mom left. I admit it, I'm lame when it comes to making my own food. 

This week has been quite unique. I have always known that it takes the whole ward to accomplish His work. I have tried to do my part and know that we all pull together. But I am beginning to see the other side of the coin. I have seen so clearly how much each does that supports the work and how it lifts the load of the bishop. Perhaps because I now have the keys to see all that needs to be done, feel the weight, and see so clearly how the effort of each takes so much off the load. And how each, operating in faith in their callings receive revelation for their callings and when acting upon that, works in perfect harmony with what He has shown to me needs to happen. But we independently come to the same thing. It has been overwhelming this week to see that happen over and over. I am so grateful for the sustaining influence of the spirit that makes it possible to keep going in all the work. 

Gavin asked why children of age are baptized and confirmed the same day, but new members are baptized one day, then confirmed at the next sacrament meeting. I certainly don't k ow all the reasons, but in the handbook of instructions it clearly outlines that it should be done this way. In order to more fully support the new member the confirmation is done in sacrament meeting, in front of all those who will now accept and support them. It is also known that children are recognized as being baptized, but not presented and sustained. The new member is different, they are presented to the ward and the membership is given the opportunity to accept the new member and to welcome them in their new journey. 

This becomes a handoff of sorts. The new member is under the keys of the mission president while they are being taught and prepared. As they are baptized they still are under the keys of the mission president. Then things begin to change. They are now part of the ward where the bishop and his keys now regulate the ordinance. So in a way this handoff moves the member from the mission keys to the Ward keys. 

Gavin also discovered my comments I have been making for years about giving full proof. Indeed it does come from 2 Timothy. I have tried to teach that for a long time, and when we do give full proof, we will find remarkable success and remarkable peace at having done all, being ready to stand at the throne of God with confidence. I have long liked the scripture I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. It's wonderful. But then a number of years ago I read and studied the scriptures around that one. The I discovered give full proof of thy ministry. To me it means to give it your all, to leave no room for doubt. To have such evidence that if in a court of law conviction would be easy, because full proof would be evident. 

I love you forever. 

Dad

3 John 1:4

Great Pleasure

if I had to sum up this week, it would be that there are so many who take great pleasure in seeing me, saying "hi bishop" and then in some form or another smiling, cracking up, wryly smirking or such. They are finding it a great treat to take pleasure in saying that. It's been funny. In text, email, calls, or in person. I have found it amusing. 

I had a great week in Natchitoches Louisiana for my final week of lean champions training. All about making business better arranged, taking out wasted time of what we do, and making everything more effective. It was actually very good and I learned a great deal for the past few months. I still have some work on my project that we had to do. And then after that I have to do another major project that will take 3-4 months and then I can be crowned a true lean champion. It is great for my learning, and should help my career also. They talk about the 8 deadly wastes, defects, over production, waiting, not using employee talents, transportation, inventory, motion, and excess processing. And everyone kept ribbing me this week because they said I added a 9th. Sleeping!  Just because I drifted off one day (OK 2 days) for a few minutes during class. I was so wasted after getting 4 hrs of sleep the first night from delayed flights and crazy AM conference calls, and the next day the same calls (5:30 AM) and I woke up 6 times in the night. So I had no sleep.  But it was all good and I gained so much. They talk about "learning to see" the waste. And I used a quote from Brother Partlow of the seminaries that everyone really liked. "The more you imagine the ideal circumstance, the more ideal the circumstance becomes."

Skjelse and Jeff came by last night. It was great. Jeff made great fun of me as they came over as I was watching HGTV and eating toast. Everyone else had gone places and I was home alone. Jeff pinned me on being a lame bachelor as I was alone and how pathetic it was since mom had only been gone one day. Guilty as charged!  But I was hungry, I needed something and the rest entailed so much work. What was I to do?

Today really was great. We had a broadcast conference that was awesome and in the afternoon I went to Spencer's with Ty (yup Gavin, they gave us ice cream on the way out, it was a vanilla/chocolate mixed ice cream sandwich, yum, yum) and then had our first bishopric meeting. It was great, they are all such good people. Then I got to do temple recommend interviews for a new convert for their first time, and for a young adult that is doing so well. It was a pleasure to be a part of that. It's a great blessing to go to the temple and to help others just doubles it up. 

Yesterday Nathan Zimmerman got baptized. It made me reminisce that I am now bishop for their youngest, and for our youngest (Lys) it was bishop Zimmerman. He was so smiley and happy. Like Lys was that day. 

All of this made me think back to my first area in Norway. Aalesund was a great place, so many memories. I was companions with the elder that was branch president. I remember each week we would go to a members home and have seminary with the youth there. So we were seminary teachers, sacrament speakers, set up, tear down, Sunday school teachers, the whole works. It was neat to remember meeting upstairs in a building downtown, and how small it felt the first week, but getting to love it as I served there. The first time I spoke was so hard as it was only my 2nd or 3rd week in the country. But I tried, did my best, and was grateful to get it behind me!  That is the town where I learned all about kicks (the sled type transportation I have told you about), that kids went to school on cross country skis, and that God really knew me and wanted me to have the best. 

That is also where I got more drenched Than I have ever been in my life. It was a dark and stormy night, 2 elders at at a bus stop. Tell me a story said one, ......whoops, it was a dark and stormy night though!  I recall having my umbrella directly sideways behind me trying to stop the rain that was just horizontal. It did not seem like it was coming down at all, just over. When we finally got off the last bus stop (which was nice that is was so close to our house) we were so wet, it was just gross. I had on a full overcoat, suit, shirt etc. and it as all just like I had been in a pool. That is where I lived the movie experience and actually took off my shoes, turned them up, and water poured out as they were just full of water. And I had avoided all the puddles. It was a wonderful time I will never forget. Miserable if all you had was earthly mindset, but given what I was there for, it is a cherished memory that was so fun to me. I felt like I was really experiencing Norway like a Norwegian. 

I also had my first experience of having a members name come clear and direct to me, saying you need to meet with so and so, get it arranged now.  It was a deep impression that I needed to do that and get with them. Heavenly Father knows all of us, and He will take care of us if we let Him. I just have to be sure I listen, follow, and stay out of His way as He does His work. 

Thank you for bringing me so much joy. It is a pleasure to be a father. 

Love you forever,

Dad

3 John 1:4

Bishop Smith

So as a follow up to my letter a couple weeks back, I wanted to share some additional revelation that I was blessed to receive. As you can guess the prior story was trying to know who He wanted as my councilors. It was a miracle to witness His work as He gave me the answers in His timing. 

But this precedes the issuing of the call by about two weeks. We have known for a while that the Molgards are moving. We will miss them and they have been very good to us. With that knowledge we knew that we would get a new bishop. I began to conjecture who it could be and saw dozens of good men that would make wonderful bishops. I realized at that time I could be considered but quickly shrugged that off knowing how many good men there were to call. That was about two months ago. 

Then about two weeks ago I made my trip to China. It was a long and exhausting trip and to top it off I had an experience that made it very difficult for work. While I was there I had my mind wander to the departing bishop and knowing a new one would be called. I had clear impressions that I was going to be called as the bishop. The best I can describe it is a feeling of utter despair. Not worldly despair, not even spiritual despair, but the despair of feeling completely incapable and overwhelmed. It is a trust I never imagined I would undertake from Him. This crushing weight pushed upon me for 2-3 days during this trip. I was really bothered by this and tried to explain in my mind that it couldn't be me and used every justification to rid it from my mind. But it kept coming back. This continued as I made my way to the Hong Kong temple. As I sat outside in the courtyard I pondered on this a great deal. I figured if it was to be, I might as well start working on my councilors. So I reviewed the ward list and began to scan for those to prayerfully consider. As I did so I had such a stupor of thought. I did not understand. So I began to justify again that since I could get no help, it must not be me after all. After some added time I began to lose that despair and the burden was lifted. By the time I left the session at the temple I felt great and was full of joy. 

While I was in China I got a text also from Pres.  Valencia asking if we were going to be around during conference weekend. This only served to fuel the fire I described earlier. 

Forward a few days and I had heard nothing, so I really felt I had just thought wrong and the strong impressions must have been my own doing. 

But then Thursday near the end of my work day I get a text. "Are you and Val available this evening even though I cancelled PEC?"  It was from Pres.  Valencia. Not from the executive secretary but personally from him. Now I am not in despair, but all the feeling and knowledge returns and I know what is coming. Even though he was calling another counselor in the stake presidency I knew what it was. But because I have been wrong so many times in my life I was hesitant to acknowledge or say anything. 

I should mention Pres. Valencia had called me a few weeks back, again personally and not through the executive secretary. He just wanted to meet. That was my first inclination what was happening, but I convinced myself it was just a PPI for my high council calling. We met during the Centerville third hour since that was the only time he had and I was willing to flex to his needs. It was a nice chat but I knew he was just working to get revelation to confirm a choice that he would recommend to the first presidency. 

During the meeting with him (nearly two hours that went by soooo fast) he asked a few direct questions, then when affirmative he called in Val and asked if I had had any feeling as of late. I told him I had some strong impressions. He asked me what they were but I was hesitant to acknowledge what they were. So he went on, shared the letter of authorization from the first presidency he had received that day (hence the text to meet that night since he had to wait for the letter of authorization). After extending the calling, and our acceptance (which we will always do, we know the truth of this work and will never doubt it) he asked if that matched the feelings I had had. With tears forming all I could do was nod and let out a quiet "yes."  A perfect match. I am overwhelmed at the way he prepared me and allowed me to work through the "despair" prior to the call so I would be more ready to move forward in faith. I have a very bright future because my faith is bright. I know it is His work, and with Him at the helm, I can do His work. I am still humbled but I know He is guiding it. Especially and again after the experience selecting counsellors to be requested. 

I had a wonderful day and am pleased to be ordained a bishop. I hope I can do all He asks me to do. 

LOVE you all so much. Please keep me in your prayers. 

Dad

3 John 1:4