Six Hours of Primary

Yesterday started out normal enough. It was fast sunday and since we are in ward conference season it is a prime day to visit some ward primaries prior to the upcoming ward conferences. We have three wards that meet in our stake center and the first primary starts at 10:15 and the last primary ends at four. There are children, teachers and leaders revolving through the room for six straight hours. I am completely exhausted, physically and emotionally, after that much church but I seem to have some very profound experiences and great memories that occur during our ward conference season.

Yesterday was no exception. I am blessed to have an amazing presidency. I am so spoiled. We all get along and truly admire and respect each other. A few years ago I visited one of the wards in our stake and observed the Sunbeam class. The teacher's name was Maddy and I knew a little about her since she grew up here and I knew her parents. She and her husband had recently moved back to our stake after being away at law school. I was instantly impressed by Maddy and her ability to engage these new Sunbeams. It's always comforting to find teachers who magnify their calling and truly love the kids they teach. Later I was called to be the Stake Primary President and I called a presidency. One of my counselors needed to be released shortly after being called. Time went on and I struggled to come up with a name. One day Jason and I went out to eat and as we arrived at the restaurant Maddy and her husband were leaving. I immediately knew she was my new counselor. She was shortly called and quickly became the glue that held us all together. Everyone loves Maddy. She has the best sense of humor of anyone I know and kept us all laughing all the time.

But the thing that impressed me most about Maddy was how she instantly got her calling. Her only primary experience was teaching the Sunbeams but she understood the primary as if she had been a president for years. She honestly blew me away with her talent and vision. There are certain people that you connect to and in my presidency that person was Maddy. There were so many times when we'd be sitting in a ward primary and one of us would comment on something and the other would be thinking the same thing. I grew to depend on Maddy's input because I knew if we were both feeling it we should run with it.

Maddy has an awesome husband and for months my worst fear has been that he would be called to do something that would make it impossible for Maddy to continue to have a stake calling. Yesterday as I sat in the primary room waiting for primary to start this fear was confirmed. One of the teachers came in to set up and I asked her why sacrament meeting was taking so long. She proceeded to tell me that they just got a new bishop. I asked her who it was and she told me it was Maddy's husband.

I begged the stake presidency to let me keep her even in a small capacity and they wouldn't go for it. What touched me yesterday, as I sat through six hours of primary, was the outpouring of love for Maddy. The news spread like fire and everyone knew about the new bishop. So many people asked if Maddy could continue in her calling and everyone was SO disappointed to hear she couldn't. All of these primary presidencies just love her.

As I write this it doesn't sound like that big of a deal. Callings change all the time in the church but it doesn't make it easy to lose such a vital part of a presidency.