In this church, this church I go to, this church I'm a member of, this church called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we have callings.
A calling is an job/assignment, if you will, that you are responsible for fulfilling. You do it to serve the members of your ward and you do it the the best of your ability.
I've had a bunch of callings in my adulthood. Primary teacher, Primary secretary, Primary 1st counselor, Primary 2nd counselor, Primary president, Young Women's leader, Young Women's counselor, Compassionate Service Coordinator, Sunday School Teacher for the youth, and that's all I can remember at the moment.
But right now, I'm not in any of these callings.
I'm in 2 different callings that I've never had before and I'm so thankful for them both at this stage in my life.
1st - Relief Society Activities Planning Committee
If you couldn't tell from all of my previous calls, I've never really got to spend a lot of time with women. I've worked a lot with youth, and I've loved every second. Well... almost every second. But now, I get to spend my Sundays sitting in Sunday School next to my Sugar and in Relief Society being enriched and focus on the testimonies of some amazing women, that help strengthen mine.
My calling is not a demanding calling on Sundays and I love that.
But what I love most, is getting to help plan activities for these women. Activities where we can gather together as sisters enjoying each others company, ministering to one another, building them up in whatever way they need, be it spiritual or emotional, and eating a cookie or two while doing it.
For example:
"Seasons of Motherhood"
We invited sisters from our ward to share a message of their personal "Season of Motherhood" - where they are currently in their life as a mother.
We heard from a brand new mother, a mother of teenage boys and young boys, an aunt, a grandmother, a great grandmother, a foster mother, and a great-great grandmother. We heard from a sweet sister who has not yet had any children but shared a loving song to honor her kind mother that made me tear up. She was accompanied by a 95 year old great grandmother who I want to be when I grow up. No joke. She's awesome.
Each of these ladies shared such uplifting and heart felt messages, causing me to feel so close to each of them personally, as well as the family members they spoke of. I missed my own mommy and mother-in-law who weren't there, but could reflect on the love they both have for me and my Sugar. Most importantly, their messages helped me feel the love my Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother have for me. Such a wonderful plan He had for us to come to this Earth and have these blessings we call families.
I loved each of these ladies so much before, but am now just continually inspired by them even more so.
Fresh flowers from the gardens of these sweet sisters decorated our tables
Homemade cookies from our mothers recipe collections
2nd - Activity Days Leader
This calling means I get to work with young girls, ages 8-11 build their testimonies of the Savior, the love for scriptures, and enrich their lives with important skills that will benefit them all of their lives.
And the best part is, I get to be in their with my big girl.
To be honest, I was nervous when I was extended the call because I thought my girl enjoyed her time away from me, even if it was only for an hour every 2 weeks.
But surprisingly enough when I told that I'd be helping out in there, she was so thrilled. She even gave me a big hug and smiled. She asks me every Wednesday if we have Activity Days and what fun we are going to do.
How could I not love this calling? The girls are sweet, quirky, and fun. The lessons we have are uplifting, encouraging, and personalized to their needs. And I get to be a part of their lives in a positive way.
So in this church, this church I go to, this church I'm a member of, this church called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we have callings. And I currently have 2 awesome ones.
