Today, a chapter closed in my life. A little over 4 years ago, I was called into the Bishop's office and asked to be the Primary President of our ward. Little did I know how this would change my life forever. The President before me, Amy, counseled me and said all you need to do is love the kids, but that is easy. And she was right! Loving those kids becomes easy when you are with those special spirits. I was released from this calling today, and I am changed for the good for the rest of my life. I feel so honored and blessed to have been the President while working with other amazing women and men as we all lead these kiddos.
These last 4 years, the church and the primary organization have gone through so many changes. At times it was hard to keep it straight! Two hours of Primary to a whirlwind of only one, manuals to no manuals, implemented Come Follow Me, Sunday worship halted, Bringing back from the dead Wednesday Primary, Restoring Primary on Sunday's. I don't know how we did it, but we kept the primary going through the process. I feel so honored that Heavenly Father knew what was in store, and he put all of us in place to help these kids feel loved.
Many people have asked me what I will miss the most about my calling when I am released. Of course, it is the children, but besides that, it is the constant revelation from Heavenly Father in how he wanted me to bless and serve his children. Revelation is real, and I was able to experience it in so many ways. I can testify that Heavenly Father loves all of his children, and He is leading His church.
I remember when church shut down? It happened so abruptly! The spirit spoke to me and said, "You can do a video for the kids." I entertained the idea for a minute and then thought, "Well, if I start, then I can't stop. I might be doing it for a month or two!" So I put it on the shelf and decided not to do a video. BUT… Heavenly Father had something else in store for me. Sunday morning came, the first Sunday we would be missing. At 6:00 A.M., the spirit woke me up from my sleep and said," Go Do The Video!!!" So I jumped out of bed and got to work. I didn't know what I was doing or what I would say. I opened up the Primary, Come Follow Me, and taught that week's lesson. By 10:00 a.m. I filmed and published a video for all the primary kids in the ward. As a presidency, along with the chorister and pianist, we worked every week to create a message for the children. The spirit kept prompting me in what I needed to teach and how to incorporate each of the kids. We had children, teachers, bishopric, and the missionaries participate. I published the videos to our ward Facebook site, but I also created a landing page so those who didn't have access to the Facebook page could enjoy the videos. I had moms, grandparents, church leaders, and missionaries who were teaching families reach out to me and ask for the link to the videos to share it with the kids. We ended up producing 47 videos! These videos not only blessed the kids in our ward but so many more. As of today, over 3,000 people have watched the videos. I feel so blessed that Heavenly Father used our talents to bless so many, and I often wonder what would have happened if I didn't follow the prompting that first Sunday morning.
All I can say is Thank You! Thank you to each of the kids for loving me and teaching me what a simple testimony is. Thank you to my presidency for always working so hard alongside me. Your commitment to the gospel and these children gave our primary so much strength. Thank you to the chorister! She had the hardest calling and always gave it her all while teaching the children essential truths about the gospel. Thank you to the teachers for always being there and loving these kids; you are the backbone of the primary. Thank you to all of you who had the courage and strength to say YES to your callings. Thank you to my family; I couldn't have done this calling without all of the sacrifices you had to make so I could do this calling to the fullest. And thank you, Heavenly Father, what an honor it has been to serve your children.
To all of the kiddos in our ward, you may not see me in front of you on Sunday, but remember, I will never forget our time together. I will always love you! Remember the importance of the spirit and how this spirit can always guide you. Take moments to put your hand on your heart and feel Heavenly Father's love for you. Most importantly, always remember that you are a child of God!