Dos Rios Branch

A couple weeks ago Mark got a call from a member of the Stake Presidency from a different stake then we currently belonged to. All of this was in the midst of uncertainty about boundary changes within our local church. He wanted to meet with both of us.

I wish I could say that I handled this better than I did – but I did not. When Mark called me and told me, I immediately went outside and started pacing on our front porch. And pretty much stayed that way for over an hour.

From this we knew we were going to be in a different stake which we were really sad about it. And we also knew, based on the timing, that whatever calling they were going to extend was going to be a bigger one. I was overwhelmed. I have felt like our family has been at a crossroads for several months and this felt like something I didn’t want for our family.

I jokingly (or maybe not so jokingly) asked Mark whose house I needed to toilet paper to get us out of this!

The next night we met with a member of the Stake Presidency. When we came into the office, he immediately started speaking in Spanish and I knew that wasn’t a good sign. And it didn’t take much chit chat before he asked Mark if he would serve as the first counselor in the Spanish branch in their stake.

I am forever grateful for Mark’s faith. He trusts the Lord and His plans and immediately accepted the call.

As the conversation continued, we did ask about our children and what this would look like for them. He said that the hope was that our whole family would attend the branch.

When we left that evening, ice cream definitely needed to be had, so we went down and got some and our whole conversation was centered around the kids. While this calling would be overwhelming any time, we were really concerned about what this would mean for our children. They are in really important times in their lives – times when their testimonies are being formed and developed and when feeling like they belong at church and creating those positive associations are really important. We knew on the one hand that this could be a really positive, impactful opportunity. A time where they could be stretched out of their comfort zones, have amazing missionary experiences, and lead. But we also knew that the opposite could potentionally happen as well – that they could struggle and feel lost. We were concerned.

We already knew that the changes in the boundaries was going to be really difficult for them. And now it felt like our ward was not only going to get sliced and diced – but that we were going to be taken completely out of it and put somewhere very different from what we were used to.

It was a lot to take in. And like I said, I wish my inital reaction had been more of faith, but it was a lot.

Every time I came to church after that I would cry. I was so sad to leave everyone behind. I tried to focus on the new relationships that this would bring into my life but I did not feel ready to leave behind my current relationships.

The Lord did a lot of work on me in those weeks leading up to this change. My heart softened. I was reminded that the Lord knows my situation. He knows our children and I do not speak any Spanish. He knows my children and the specific needs that they have. And He knows the unique situation that our family has and the challenges that come with it.

The day finally came for the changes. It was an incredibly long day. We had six different meetings or gatherings to attend that day. I cried through the whole morning as we said goodbye to so many that we love. And then our family attended the Dos Rios Branch for the first time.

The people are absolutely wonderful. I was really touched with how many people came up to me afterwards, and despite our combined language barrier, they communicated to me how grateful they were that we were here to help them. I loved singing the hymns in Spanish – and it helped me really focus on the words more than I normally do. I have had a couple experiences now that make me think music is really going to help me in this new phase that we are entering.

There is a lot of work to be done. And we still don’t exactly know how this phase looks like for our family. But we know the Lord is in it. And He will help us as we try our best to serve Him and His children.