New Callings - For Both of Us

The last Sunday in April was Ward Conference. Todd was busy helping the Bishop get everything ready for the conference and he thought all was in order. Then, the day before Ward Conference, we get a call from the Stake Executive Secretary. President Erickson, 1st Counselor in the Stake Presidency, was requesting to meet with us the next morning. We agreed and then the speculating started. Todd had served less than 3 years in the bishopric (1st counselor) so by deduction we decided it was a stake calling for me. Whatever....I am fine with almost any calling (there is only 1 that I will hands-down decline.)

So the next morning we dutifully report to the meeting house to see President Erickson. He calls me in first to tell me that Todd is being released from the bishopric. Yippee!!! I thought. I get to have my husband sit with me in church again. I have been riding solo since before Hailey was born. But the next breath brought the news of the new calling. High Counsel. WHAT?!?! Now not only will Todd not be sitting on our bench during Sacrament meeting.....he will be in a completely different ward....in a different building....in a different town, for Pete's sake. Pres. Erickson asked if I could and would support Todd in this calling (of course there is only one answer to that question, right?) Then he called Todd in to give him the news and ask if he would serve in this capacity. So now it's been several months with Todd leaving before dawn to travel to Apopka on Sundays. Soon after Todd attended his 1st High Counsel meeting with the Stake, Brother Carroll, the High Counselor assigned to our ward, approached me after Sacrament meeting and said, "I just recently put together that you and Bro. Todd Johnson are husband and wife. All these Sundays I've watched you sit in the meetings with your two girls thinking you had a husband that was a non-member or inactive. But instead he was sitting on the stand with me!!!!" I wonder how many more people are going to think this now that Todd doesn't even come to church with me anymore!!

Now onto my new calling. It's not as drastic as Todd's but it is a change nonetheless. About a month after Todd's new assignment, I was called out of Sunday School by a member of the bishopric. I had recently been assigned to teach Relief Society (4th Sunday, Teaching for our Times...which I loved! Super easy calling, anyway) so I thought this might just be a little "add-on" calling like Relief Socity board or something. Well, it wasn't. I was called to be the Gospel Doctrine instructer. UGH! We are studying the Old Testament! Why couldn't this have come when we were in the middle of the Book of Mormon or something easier the Isaiah!!! The last person to have this calling served for over 4 years and he had to move to get released! (I must say....he was an excellent teacher so I was glad to have him all those years!) So, there you have it. I think Todd and I are both in for the long haul.