April 19, 2011

the end of the beginning

another semester has come and gone.
with finals coming to a close, it's been really interesting to look back on everything that has happened over the past few months.
since january i've lost twenty pounds,
turned twenty,
got my lowest grade in my college history,
made new friends,
starting crafting my very own original recipe (it's still in the works!),
and have found that a little support and motivation is all it takes to succeed sometimes when you don't think you can.
it's been a good few months.
we've learned a lot.

perhaps our biggest change has been Chin's calling.
for those of you who aren't mormon and don't know what a "calling" is:
a calling is a responsibility given to a church member to fulfill certain duties.
for instance, you might be "called" to be a sunday school teacher or be in the relief society presidency (the Relief Society is the group of women in a ward (region)). 

anyways,
in december Christian got called to be in the Bishopric of a BYU singles ward.
we were surprised as ever to get the calling, we had just left the singles wards only a few months earlier! and now we were going back? Plus, they usually call young couples who usually aren't as young as us... i'm seriously younger than about half the ward (maybe 3/4...)!
there were a lot of thoughts going through our heads.
not only was this going to be Christian's hardest semester of his college career, but we had no idea what to expect.
what if the kids in the ward didn't like us?
what if our married ward forgets about us?
"what if what if what if?" was a common occurrence in our household for a couple weeks.

even though we were filled with uncertainty, this calling has been one of the biggest blessings we have experienced in our marriage so far.
the ward. is. incredible.
every single person in the ward has been so incredible to us, and has made us feel so welcome this semester.
the kids are so down to earth and friendly, and they all seem so united.
we love our ward, and we love the experiences we have had there so far.
now that it's ending our first semester in this ward, i'm sad to see most of the members leaving and going home for the summer, or getting married.
it's the end of the beginning and i can't wait to meet the newcomers of the ward for spring and summer!

3 comments:

Mallory Hanna said...

It wasn't long ago that my husband and I were in the exact same situation, the beginning of a new semester was always the most stressful, but so fun to see all the new faces. Good luck with everything!

Noel Dickens said...

I'm really glad that it's been such a good experience for you and Christian. We are so proud of you two and realize the sacrifices associated w/ serving in the church. We did get quite a laugh out of your referral to the singles as "kids"! Don't worry, we have a tendency to call married people w/o children "single". LOL Love you guys.

Shelby Clark said...

Okay, so somehow over the loooooud karaoke music at Gurus I missed that Chin is in a bishopric?! What the?! I would probably have a panic attack like every Sunday if Thane were in a bishopric! Oh my lands! Elder's Quorum presidency freaked me out enough. You guys are so awesome! We sure loved seeing you guys! And I love you and your precious blog. I know I tell you that all the time. But, I think you're as awesome as chocolate cake. Probably more awesome. And sweeter too. Have a happy day!