Big Changes

Of course as soon as we send our Christmas update letter out we have big changes in the Christensen household! We knew about the change before Christmas, but couldn't say anything. On January 6th Michael became our ward's new bishop!

Overwhelmed much? 

Yeah.

We are still transitioning and figuring out how to balance church, family, school, sports, piano, scouts...you know the drill! 

When Michael and I were visiting with the stake presidency and being extended Michael's new calling, I had no doubt he would be a great, understanding, energetic, fun, inspiring bishop. But I was having my doubts about his other half running things at home and church on her own. We received assurances then and in Michael's setting apart blessing that the kids and I would be "compensated" by the Lord for the times he would need to be gone. I have thought of that so much lately! I have thought about just how much I need that compensation, and especially the compensation that the Atonement promises us as we repent and try to be a new better person each day. 

Newsflash...I am not a perfect mother. Not even close. I am feeling especially lacking lately (not to have a pity party) and it gives me so much comfort to know that us sacrificing to have Michael be at the church so often will bless my children. I need those extra blessings as a mother right now, so it's pretty much perfectly timed!

I also feel like the other blessings we have been given, like Michael's job change last year, moving into our new home and finding good renters for our old home were all advanced blessings getting us ready for this challenge. When we were stewing for 6 days  about why we needed to meet with the stake president (Seriously, meetings with the stake president should be scheduled the day of to avoid stress! :) ) we were thinking of all the things it could be and since our bishop had been serving 6 1/2 years we knew bishop was a possibility. I wasn't super stressed about it. Maybe it was just the spirit helping me, but it was also the thought that we had been so richly blessed that nothing the Lord asked us to do now would be too much. 

So, here we go into this new adventure. I had an "I'm old" epiphany attending a youth fireside with Michael on Sunday. It literally feel like 5 minutes since I was going to those firesides as a youth, and now I am here as an adult...married to the bishop. Shiver. I have taken pictures of Michael so I can compare the amount of gray in his hair now to 5 year from now (hehe). My role in this whole thing so far seems to be making other families feel good about themselves at church because my kids have been insanely crazy every Sunday of 2013. So now everyone can look at me and say, "Wow, if Dana is still coming to church and dealing with that I can never give up!" :)