We Got This!

I know that I shared a bit of this story during stake conference today, but I wanted to write it down for posterity. So here it is:

We had a historic stake conference this weekend where our stake was split and a new stake was created. For those who are unfamiliar with how our church is organized, here's a little explanation. Each congregation of our church is organized into a ward or a smaller branch. A group of these congregations is collected together into a stake which is presided over by a stake president and two counselors. When they reach a certain size they are split into small units to facilitate growth. That's the basics. So this weekend our stake became two stakes, an event that will make the Church even more responsive and convenient to the members all over the area. A great thing!

Well, yesterday we had two general authorities visiting the area to help reorganize the stake presidencies, Elder Shayne Bowen of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy, and Elder Michael Southward, our Area Authority.

Elder Southward

Elder Bowen

These two men interviewed several leaders within the stake to see who the Lord desired to have as the president. Herman interviewed early in Lebanon and then came back to Waynesville for the rest of the morning. The interview only took about ten to fifteen minutes. No big deal.

The leadership session of conference didn't begin until 4 pm, but Herman and I decided that we would head back to Lebanon early to go out for lunch and then maybe do a bit of shopping in the great metropolis there. As soon as we arrived in town, President Nigliazzo, the current stake president, called Herman and asked him to come meet with the two general authorities. I expected that they would want for him to meet in the Lebanon ward building, but after a few minutes it became apparent that they would prefer to meet us in our home in Waynesville. Herman looked over at me and mouthed, "They want to come to our house."

Well, at that moment I thought of my house not as it could be, but as it truly was. At any one moment it is entirely possible that it would look as if a small tornado might have gone through it. I have one child in particular (who will not be named) who really believes that clothing is optional and it currently in an underwear only phase when at home. The breakfast dishes were probably still on the table. I couldn't remember if I had recently cleaned the main bathroom, and even if I had, there were no guarantees as to what it would look like after a morning of little child bathroom runs. In short ... I panicked!!

While Herman was on the phone with President Nigliazzo I grabbed my phone and quietly called our house. Laney is home for Thanksgiving break, and she answered the phone. I whispered ...

"Laney, some General Authorities are on the way to our house. I need you to clean the bathrooms."

Luckily we live thirty minutes from Lebanon, so we had a bit of time to work with. Still, even with that thirty minute head start I wasn't entirely certain that there would be enough time to get our house in presentable form. But Laney was so sweet. She just heard the dilemma and said ...

"Don't worry, Mom. We got this. Oh ... I'll make cookies too!"

And right away my anxiety melted off. All was well. It turned out that they didn't end up making the drive to Waynesville. Since we were already in Lebanon they just met us at the church building there. All my worries were not needed. And (bonus!!), the house was clean and there were fresh cookies for us when we got home.

I got to thinking about that idea of "we got this" that Laney promoted when meeting my crisis of the moment, and I thought that those words really do capture what we have attempted to do as a family as we serve the Lord. In the course of this service things aren't always easy or convenient, but "we got this" because we know that the work we are doing serves a higher purpose. It matters, and when things matter it is worth a little harship in order to get the job done. I know that we don't always practice this principle to perfection. Sometimes we don't quite "get it." But we try, and when we fail we get up and try again. And isn't that part of the great blessing of this life? We get the opportunity to wake up each day and begin again, trying to do better today than we did the day before.

This is a new adventure for us as a family as Herman gets the opportunity to serve as the new stake president of the St. Robert Stake. We've already gotten pretty used to some of the sacrifices that this calling asks of us ... sitting without him each Sunday as he travels around the stake, lots and lots of broken conversations as Herman takes phone calls from those who are in need, late night meetings, etc. I don't anticipate this being much different. But whatever we are needed for, we'll do it. We'll do it because we truly do love this gospel. It is an essential part of the makeup of our family. It is my anchor in an ever shifting world. So when we are called upon ... no worries. We got this!