sharing september stories part 2 (i know it's october)

bishops' retreat.

first off: what is a bishop? a bishop is the priesthood leader of a ward in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormons). our church is completely staffed by the members, so we don't have a paid pastor or priest. the bishop is chosen by God and gets to lead and guide the ward in whatever spiritual needs they may have, and he still keeps his day job. :) it's very rewarding, but kind of stressful.

secondly: what is a ward? it's what we call our congregation of fellow worshipers.

january of 2010, kelly was called to be the bishop of our ward. my sister-in-law wanted me to take a picture of his hair at the beginning of his calling so we could compare how it looked at the end. ethan thinks he's already gotten more grey almost two years into the calling (a bishop is typically a 5 year calling), and being the bishop's barber, i have to agree with e. this is a picture from the day after he was set apart as the bishop. bits of grey, but those started showing up in grad school, which was a long time ago. today i would say the side burns are about 50% grey now. lots to worry about these days.

because he has lots to worry about, our stake (a number of wards put together make a stake, it covers the northern denver area) gets all the bishops together every year. it's a chance to share ideas that have worked to help their ward, and just basically gather strength knowing they aren't alone in this job.

the wives get to come along as well. as the wife of a bishop, you're in a new position. you were used to having him around a lot, but now he gets a phone call and might have to leave to counsel a family at 11:00 at night. and he's gone for 3 hours. or he has to go visit a member that's been in the hospital. or he's at a stake training meeting. it's a definite sacrifice, but to say it's awful would be an untruth. we've had to give up time with kelly, but we've been very blessed as a family. it somehow equals out. it's a sweet thing to see how we've grown closer as a family despite the demands on his time.

anyway, we stay in condos in breckenridge. it's a nice chance to get away as a couple and while the men are working and learning, the women get to do activities as well. last year we made fleece blankets for a childrens' hospital. this year, i was asked to teach everyone how to make something crafty. after much thought and fretting, kelly suggested i teach them how to put together a few cards. so i prepped 20 of each card and we had a lovely time. i wanted something that wouldn't intimidate a non-crafter, but that wouldn't be too easy for others who knew what they were doing. i think everyone had fun and i learned that i really like to do things like this.

these are the cards we made in this order, it was a good order, each card got more difficult technique-wise, but the first card looks hardest, which helps build confidence:

technique: punched stars and using their negative space.

techniques: hand cutting sun and clouds, making a 3D banner, misting, and stamping

techniques: making a rolled flower, stamping

some of the gals had so much fun, they kept making more. others were fine with the three. but everyone finished the three and i was very impressed at the results. 

after lunch on saturday, we headed back home. a quick weekend away, but a precious bit of time with my sweetie. i'll take that whenever i can :)