So its just a regular Wednesday night and I'm reading the blogs of a few of my new friends and I am realizing FACEBOOK doesn't cut it for me. I miss you blogspot...
So what going on in our world.....everything.
We moved to Ohio and I had very little on my plate and by our third month here I was sooo bored. No motivation to clean cause I had no reason to not to it tomorrow. So, I decided to join the YMCA, put the boys in a preschool, teach music at the preschool once a week for a discount in tuition and for resume/experience. All this crept up at the same time as I got a call from our newly called Bishop in our new ward to come in to meet him.
We were the first ones he called to meet with after him being called and since his wife was the Primary President...well you know. I thought that would be on his mind to replace her. Somehow it didn't make sense though. Well, he just wanted to ask us about our situation and to meet us and come next Sunday we were in his office again and I was extended a call to serve as the Lorain Ward Relief Society President. My jaw dropped and my eye's bugged out. I wasn't at all expecting it. But immediately I knew it made sense. Many challenges of the last year fell into perspective and everything was making sense. It just hadn't occurred to me that the RS President would be released. Shes my friend and I felt she was doing an excellent job.
So, I went to living life at 5 MPH to now moving 65 MPH in a matter of a few weeks. Or so it feels like.
My days are filled with gym, preschool, homework, housework, food, bedtime, weeknight meetings, Sunday morning meetings, placing food orders, being the mom and the wife, and the neighbor, all while I feel like I'm adjusting to a new home and church congregation with such a different cultural feel than I've known and I'm not even in my comfort zone that a home ward brings. Somehow.....I don't know how....my life just got crazy. Oh and a sister past away 3 days after our presidency was sustained. (Baptism by fire.) There have been days I just want to call my mom and talk...or my girlfriends. But I don't know where to fit it in and be able to enjoy it, too.
I feel the Lord is stretching me out.
Well, as all these things fell into place one thing did change. I used to walk Jabren down the street to the bus stop every morning and get him every afternoon. We enjoyed the walk and the conversation with the families on our street. It was about the only highlight of my day. I was grateful to get to know the people around me.
Being that one of these neighbors is the pastor of the church on our street, you can imagine how often religion came up. This pastor is a whole post on his own, but long story short: he'd make sarcastic comments and I'd respond back sarcastically. I'd tell my mom about the dialog I'd have walking back from the bus stop with him and she'd kind of reprimand me "Debbie, you shouldn't talk to him that way...he's a pastor!" But my reply would always be "But Mom, he acts just like my brothers; I can't help it." And in truth, combine multiple traits from each of my brothers and thats the pastor.
So, eventually this pastor finds out through geneological research he's like related to a great great step uncle who was asked by Brigham Young (the prophet who lead mormons west) to help prepare the way for the journey west. Thus he has hundreds of distant relatives in Utah.
This was absolutely so exciting to me. Seriously! Why the heck did we move to Ohio...I have yet to understand fully...maybe there's something to this being led here.
But thats not it. He told me his ancestors name; I passed it off to my mom and within a day or so the research had been done and ah hah! The pastor is my 12th cousin! Now I know thats like too far back to even be considered, but if you open the first book of the new testament of the Holy Bible its all lineage...and its covering generations! Whats funny...from the beginning I'd tell him he reminded me of my brother Curtis...or was it Gary....or Doug...? (Not David or Robert so much.)
So he's related to a Rebecca Briggs born in 1600. The only reason my mom found it is because this Rebecca caught her eye because they share the maiden name Briggs and it just happened to be his distant grandmother. (Not to mention this line is traced back that far due to much effort.)
Between the pastor and my neighbor Marie, we had some good conversations that totally brightened my day and filled me with vigor. I didn't even have to work at talking about things that are so important to me...namely religion and family. Then it all came to a screeching halt because winter was upon us and between dark mornings, freezing temperatures, and no sidewalks, my neighbor convinced them to pick kids up at each house.
Though I was sad to see the conversations come to an end with the end of the bus stop, it is its own blessing. My life immediately got way busy; but also my one neighbor Marie and her husband started reading anti mormon stuff (I assume because they were once kind and then very cold) and told me they're praying for our family for the rest of their lives and that they're goal is to help me see the error in my religion. Oh, Brother!
Tender mercies...I don't need this in my life. This all sums up to a few paragraphs but these things transpired over months and have caused me much deep thought, prayer, ponderings, scripture studying, self examination, extreme joy and excitement, and the most discouragement I've felt at exposing my self and my religion with others. I understand why I'm so protective of my church. I love my religion deeply. Its not something I do just because I was born in to it. I definitely know that now.
How this neighbor went from telling me regularly that I was "such a mature Christian" to telling me I don't know or worship the Savior..its beyond me.
I know I'm in Ohio for a reason...the Lord brought us here. Its been hard to be here. I don't even know why...actually I do. But for the Lord...I'll be here. If this is where He wants me...sign me up.
Well the pastor I don't know that we've talked in months. I see his wife once in a blue moon and she reminds me so much of my sister in law Charmenia (from Brazil) that I feel instantly close to her like she's my family who knows me in and out but she doesn't and we're not close. Its confusing maybe. She's a gooood woman.
So the day my neighbor sent me a letter basically expressing her desire to save me and bring me back to Jesus...well that day I had some tender mercies come my way.
We had had a snow day so I had all my boys home so there were no demands on our day. I somehow had the song "Song of Testimony" by Janice Kapp Perry in my head and I had been singing it all morning. I don't think I had even realized it. This isn't normal behavior - me singing randomly. So we headed to Giant Eagle for groceries. Its a location I hadn't shopped at before, but as I walked into the store with my three little guys Jamesen insisted I hold his hand, so I took it and relished his little hand. We weren't even in the store and I could feel a woman contemplating what she was watching...the four of us. She immediately tries to make convesation with us as we put oranges in our respective bags. She seemed to really want to engage me in convesation and kept saying what a good mom I was. Over and over she said "You're such a good mom. And look at your boys; they're soo beautiful." It was if she were observing me and not talking with me. I assured I have my days that I'm not a good mom and told her a bit about myself. Short story shorter....she asked if I was a Christian, and before I had fully said, "Yes, I defintely am." She had reached her arms up to my shoulders and embraced me in a hug." She told me she knew it!
Hours later my neighbors letter came. My heart raced, my head spinned and I was in literal shock. I couldn't breath. I had never had my faith attacked before. Oh, Marie didn't even think she was attacking me, she was trying to save me.
But God knew what was going to happen that day, how it would make me feel and he gave me a tender reassurance.
As the verse of the song by J.Perry goes "I Know God lives, I know he loves me. I know he hears me and he answers when I pray. I know Gods Son, is my Redeemer and that He died for me that I might live eternally one day. I daily drink of Living waters, for he has promised those who drink shall thirst no more."
All this in the thick of my life. I'm grateful to be living and experiencing.
