Almost all callings in the Church are temporary. When we are called we know that we will eventually receive a release. It is just part of the process. So when Herman got called to be Bishop of the St. Robert Missouri Ward four years ago we knew that he would be serving in this capacity for around five years, give or take. When Herman got called to be a counselor in the stake presidency last month we knew that his release as a bishop would occur sooner than we expected. It was only a matter of the new stake presidency submitting a name for a new bishop and getting approval from Church headquarters before Herman would be released. Well, today the day came when Herman was released. It is almost surreal to think about it. I shared this in my testimony this afternoon, but I'll say it again. When Herman was first called I was pretty nervous about the whole thing. My first thoughts were that I would never, ever see him again because he would have to be pulled in a million different directions, keeping him away from home often. I was also concerned because I just knew that there was no way that I was going to be able to keep a perfect bishop sort of house, whatever that was. I was never going to be able to keep my front room clean enough to meet visitors who could pop up at a moment's notice, needing to see Herman for bishop type things. Then I was also worried because I once heard a woman complain about a bishop's wife once when the man was called. She thought the woman was too snooty and unfriendly. I could just imagine people saying the same sort of things about my social phobia infused self. And then there was Herman. To me he just seemed so not bishop-like. I mean I know that he is absolutely amazing in every way. He has always impressed me with his spirituality and ability to seek out the will of the Lord in all of his actions. But he just seemed like he had too much enthusiasm for being a bishop. I know. It probably sounds wrong and weird to say that. Those were just my thoughts as he was called.
Well, I have found through these four years that the Lord really does qualify those he calls. He took an already amazing guy and made him exactly what was needed for our ward at this time. I have always admired his ability to inspire others to really be more than they thought that they could be. It has been amazing to see how so many people have grown in their service while they have worked with Herman. Our ward grew and grew and grew until it was split into two units last fall. Our new ward has been steadily growing since then. There has always seemed to be an enthusiasm in the ward that made coming to church a very exciting and vibrant thing to do each week.
This calling has really been a family calling as we have had to support and sustain Herman through his many duties. There have been a few times when we have had to sacrifice some Dad time as he has headed off to meet some need that showed up with a church member. Most of the time this has not really caused any problem. Instead, I have found that we have been blessed for our sacrifice as a family. I feel as if the children have gained stronger testimonies as they have seen their daddy sacrifice because of his willingness to serve. We have been blessed as we have seen Herman grow through his calling. It is really interesting to see just how much the weight of the ward was on his shoulders. He would often mention to me that he felt as if he needed to see a member of the ward because he just felt as if they were in need, and he needed to see what was going on. So many times I would hear people talk about how they were struggling, but unwilling to really seek out help, and then they would open their door and see Herman standing outside. I don't think I will ever forget one night about six months ago when Herman woke me up at four in the morning to tell me that he felt as if he was getting a strong impression that he needed to go visit a family right then. I looked at him like he was completely nuts. After all, it was four in the morning! What family was going to be ready to see people show up at four in the morning? He asked me what he should do, and I told him to go if he felt like he was supposed to. So, at four in the morning he headed out across town to see this family. It ended up being a really neat experience in the end, although he didn't end up seeing the family that morning. That was just an example of the times where Herman listened to the Spirit whisper to him when there was a family in need. I'm sure he wasn't perfect in this, but I know that he truly did his best to help those in his care.
It has been difficult seeing Herman in many situations that came up because of his bishop duties. The hardest thing is to see him in the middle of emotionally wrenching circumstances. I could see that he was feeling down because of things that he was dealing with, and most of the time these were things that he couldn't share with me because of confidentiality issues. So all I could do was to give him a big hug and tell him that I supported him. It seemed like a pitiful kind of support to offer, but I think that he appreciated it. But luckily these events only occurred rarely.
So today our time as a bishops family officially ended. There really is a bittersweet quality to the day. Part of me thinks that it will be a relief to lighten the load a bit. But part of me feels like there will be a bit of a hole in our life when Herman in no longer a bishop. It has been such a huge part of the last four years and in many ways has driven our family to do better. It will be strange not to have that any more. Like I explained earlier today, this is not a calling that I would ever seek out as a family, but it is not an experience that I would give up for the world. It has been an absolutely choice experience for our family. I mentioned that I saw tremendous growth in Herman during his tenure as bishop, but I also saw the same sort of growth in the kids. We have grown as a family because of this time. I feel closer to Herman than I ever have. It's hard to explain exactly what I mean here. I just know that the blessings we have received through this calling have greatly outweighed the sacrifices. So today ended one era in the Blau family life, but I have total confidence that more blessings and adventures are in store for us as we support Herman in his newest calling in the stake presidency. The lessons we have learned in these past few years will last us a lifetime and beyond.
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