I need another me....

It always happens this way-- a handful of activities pile up all at the same time and nearly kill me off. First the Boy Scout 10 mile hike and Court of Honor. After filling out piles of paperwork for merit badges, and organizing awards and rank advancements, I was looking forward to the hike and green space but I couldn't be in two places at the same time. Steve was good to hike through the mud and rain with this crew so I could be at home and make gingerbread and sugar cookies and finger food for the Combined Relief Society, YW and Primary Super Duper Saturday (This was the easy part of the hike and hence the only two pictures. Brendan: back row, left )

The annual Christmas Bazaar was also in the mix, and I had to dig out the children's tree and decorate it. The tree has seen better days--limbs are missing, needles are sparse and I was having to prop it against the wall to keep it from falling on me again. This year I didn't have to mess with a tangled mass of jumbled lights, and the box of ornaments was missing; so, I counted my blessings and did simple decorations: red bows and candy canes

Also hung lots of fake brick and a fireplace for Santa to sit next to when he passed out treats to the children.

This greenery I strung on the balcony brightened my day.

My decorating high deflated when I took all the crafts and supplies I had been preparing and cutting out for two weeks to the church for the children's activities for the Super Duper Day. I had these clear glass bulbs and had this nice picture of the Savior for the kids to put inside the bulb. Well for the first two minutes the 10 Italian boys were impressed and happy to make these gifts for their moms until one little boy, overcome with temptation I guess, snatched another boy's bulb and threw it on the ground... shattering it. Within 5 minutes the floor was covered in glass as they just started throwing and dropping them. I was hotter than a hornet. No words would come to me in Italian or English. I sent them all outside and just had the remaining 15 girls make these reindeer candy cane ornaments, tissue paper wreaths and decorate cookies. I looked over at what the YW were doing and they were all calm and sitting there nicely making these cute fabric hearts. (I have always served in YW and enjoy it. So I was fussing in my mind at this point as to why I had to be the Primary President to rowdy boys when I only speak broken Italian)

After I got the mess cleaned up, I headed home and put the finishing touches on the 100 photo slide Power Point presentation for the Primary program that I had compiled, made their "I am a child of God" badges, strung fishing line through the three backdrop posters I created (as you can't hang anything on the chapel walls and they don't have easels so I devised a way to hand the posters from the ceiling) and finally, finished the program handout with all the children's names and parts.

Sunday morning I prayed hard----really hard. One, that the congregation would understand my talk in Italian and two, that the primary children would be reverent. This photo (below) I took the week before and as you can see I had my work cut out for me. Steve got my Power Point presentation up and going on the screen in the chapel, while I strung up the posters. I realized a handful of children did not show up to give their parts so I was scrambling to get kids to cover their parts and then one primary leader got really upset with me in Italian as her picture was not in the slide show (she was gone the week I was taking photos), and I had made one too few primary program badges and she didn't get one and she was going to let me know her displeasure. Again I had no words in Italian or English. I was beginning to wonder what crazy dream I was in and when would I wake up. I felt like bolting. In desperation I said another prayer...one of those ones where you plead silently for divine intervention.

All I know that this prayer was answered p.d.q. and Heavenly Father must have sent angels to assist and sit next to the children to calm them. When they started singing "I am a child of God" in Italian, English and Spanish they were reverent and smiling and my heart was incredulous and full. It was such a beautiful program! This one boy who gives me grief every week, got up and bore the sweetest testimony and melted my heart. He hugged his little sister instead of teasing her when she said her part. And another section where we had assigned 5 children to get up and say how they felt at their baptisms, an extra 5 children got up with them impromptu and shared how they felt. There was just a tender spirit throughout. (Funny thing tho' Italian parents stand up and take pictures of their kids DURING the program. Steve said with all the flashes going off during the program it was like these kids were super stars or something). We ended on time (making the Bishopric incredulous). If you could get a standing ovations in sacrament meeting, I think these wonderful children would have received one. It is true that this is the Lord's work and when we put our shoulder to the wheel and pray for help in our labors and callings, He will sanctify and magnify our works and make them better than we could hope for. Their were some proud parents at the end. Their kind praise and thanks was a boost to my exhausted soul.

But all good things come to an end.... and I'm off and running again to make 8 pies for our Italian friends that are coming over tomorrow for Thanksgiving.