Support

The missionaries and I put together a ward fireside for our church. A fireside is a special gathering of the  members, a little more casual than a regular sacrament program on Sundays.  It's usually held in the evening.  We were all excited about it.  They came to me before I went on vacation in May to put together a musical fireside, and I gave them the go-ahead to do it.  When I left, they were not able to get the program together, so they cancelled it.  When I got back they proposed it again, and my first thought was, "There isn't enough time to have everyone prepare for the songs."  My second thought was, "Forget about the first thought, we can get it done!"  So, as I said earlier, we became excited.

 We hashed out a simple program of songs with speakers in between.  We picked out simple songs that were found in the hymn books.  I e-mailed most everyone with an e-mail address to let them know about it.  The missionaries tasked some of the members to speak. We announced at Church several times.  It was going to be great.  We reminded each of the groups in church to practice their songs.  The missionaries were so excited that they invited another ward.  It was set for 6:30 pm. When I got there at 6:10, it seemed that the other ward members were the only ones in attendance.  What happened to my ward members?  6:25: still barely any of my ward members.  6:35: a few start to trickle in.  Two of my speakers are missing in action.  My ears started to get warm.  I felt like they were turning red from embarrassment.  6:40: my missing first speaker walks in.  6:45:  more of my ward members show up.  Wow, I thought, it's a good time for a talk on timeliness.  We found out early in the program that my closing speaker had car problems.  Someone went to pick her up.

Finally, more and more ward members show up, and we can begin.  The missionaries started out with a song.  They sang beautifully.  We heard the speakers.  They did well. We had more singing. It was great!  It was all worth it.  Although we didn't have the turn out that I expected, it was an event that was wonderful.  I expressed my gratitude for the members who did make it.  I really did feel grateful for their support.  It is always a humbling feeling to know that you have the support of good people.