Skip to content
  • Adventures
    • Olivia
    • Calvin
    • Everett
    • Andrew
    • Nathaniel
    • Andrea
      • Tales for Tuesdays
      • Things That I Think About
      • The Women
    • Wyatt
  • Archives
  • History of Us
  • Olivia’s Mission
  • Artsy
  • Photography
  • Adventures
    • Olivia
    • Calvin
    • Everett
    • Andrew
    • Nathaniel
    • Andrea
      • Tales for Tuesdays
      • Things That I Think About
      • The Women
    • Wyatt
  • Archives
  • History of Us
  • Taking Off My Shoes
  • Olivia’s Mission
  • Artsy
  • Photography
In Which I Am Called to Be A Primary President
Adventures

In Which I Am Called to Be A Primary President

January 21, 2019October 29, 2022 Leave a comment

In November I received a call from the ward Executive Secretary. Bishop wanted to meet with us – Wyatt and I.

I didn’t think much about it – I’ve been called into these types of meetings before. Clearly Wyatt was up for a new calling.

As we sat down in the Bishops office the next day I joked, “What did Wyatt do now?”

And the Bishop laughed and then said – “Actually, it has nothing to do with Wyatt. It’s you we want to talk to.”

He then started in on how they needed a new Primary Presidency . . . honestly I kinda zoned out for half a second because I was trying to figure out what all that had to do with me – was he calling me to be a counselor? If so, who was the president? Why wasn’t Bishop telling me who the president was? I was confused.

Finally I interrupted him: “Wait, are you wanting me to be the president?”

He said yes. And I burst into tears.

“But I don’t know how to be a president. I’ve never even been in a presidency. I don’t know how any of this is supposed to go.”

Reassurance from the Bishop, promises to be patient, encouragement and direction in finding counselors.

And that was it.



I thought about who should be my counselors – there were lots of very capable women that each took a turn in my mind. In the end I settled on Sally Linford, a sister in the ward that I’ve only admired from afar. She was the primary chorister with her husband, David. She seemed to love music and the primary and had been in the ward long enough to know all the history and personalities. She would help me not break any ward culture rules that I might not know about.


Also, Sarah Johnson. Sarah had had her 4th baby just two weeks before this (yes, I did it anyway). But she was my first and best friend in the ward. She’d moved in only a month before me two years ago, and she has been my go-to person over these past couple years when I’ve needed someone to help me with anything. I felt like I needed her to have my back in this too. And I figured she could take the first four or five months off with her new born and then I could utilize her for the remaining couple years of the calling! 😀


The last person was someone I had never even had a conversation with – Laurie Michell. Wyatt was (is) friends with her husband, Ben, and her father (Ric Tanner) had been our home teacher since we moved in, but I’d never interacted with her at all. But as I prayed and went to the temple to think about these callings, hers was the one where I had a clear testimony borne by the Holy Ghost that she was to be in that calling. After that I even had a moment where I thought of changing my mind, but I remembered the testimony I had been given, and followed through with having her called to be the secretary. She has been an absolute blessing too! She is so organized and on top of it, and has been fantastic in helping me with so much! I’m really impressed and grateful for her.


The 11 turning 12 year olds at the Temple and Priesthood Preparation activity that we had.

We were sustained and set apart on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Right away we were off to the races. We had to get all the classes organized and ready for the following year. We had to be trained on the new curriculum and administrative aspect of the new 2 hour block. We also had to have the primary ready for Christmas (singing in sacrament meeting, Christmas gifts for the children, etc.) Lets just say our first few presidency meetings were long.

And then as a final twist to the new year, about two weeks before the end of the year, the church announced that they would be advancing all of the 11 turning 12 year olds out of primary. This meant finishing up Faith In God requirements for those that wanted to do so, getting interviews with the Bishop, rearranging some classes and making some adjustments to activity days and scouts.

So we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off for a couple weeks (oh ya, also during this time, it was Christmas, with all the family obligations going on there!). But now a few weeks into January things have settled into an easier pace and we are feeling like we’ve got our feet beneath us!


The thing that has been most interesting to me this past month or two is how much more I feel the spirit. I feel like I have always lived close to the spirit, and feel confident and comfortable in saying that I know how and when the Lord communicates with me. But the past six weeks I have had many moments of testimony and help from the Spirit that have surprised me a caught me off guard at times. I’ve started a journal just to keep these things in my heart.

callingsprimaryserviceThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Related Posts

President Nelson
President Nelson
Olivia’s First Package from Home
Olivia’s First Package from Home
Farewell to Adam
Farewell to Adam
The First Letter to Olivia
The First Letter to Olivia

Post navigation

2018 – The Year that wouldn’t Quit
That time we went Surfing

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me

About Me

Andrea Christensen

Welcome to my blog! Here you'll find stories about our adventures and misadventures, musings about the gospel, journal entries about our travels, and shameless humble-brags about my five favorite people on the planet.

Stories from the Archive

Art Projects ➤ June 23, 2011

Old Man with A Lemon

This illustration . . . well, it makes me giggle. I remember I drew it on Andi’s floor, with her chalks, which I always admired, and was extremely jealous of (for some reason it never...

Read The Rest of the Story
Andrea ➤ May 26, 2014

The Books We Read

I thought I should start a list of all the books I’ve read to the kids over the years (chapter books) – but then I realized I couldn’t remember them all. But I’m going to...

Read The Rest of the Story
Things That I Think About ➤ September 18, 2013

The Widow’s Mite and the Mother’s Might

There is the parable of the widows mite – in my mind a tale of the importance of generosity, of humility, of sacrifice. Of financial effort to build the kingdom of God. A testimony of...

Read The Rest of the Story
Adventures ➤ March 26, 2011

New Rooms

With me feeling better more and more each day, my thoughts have turned to the impending living arrangements. I have ideas. But I’m not going to be OCD about this! (Remember, self, remember!). The best...

Read The Rest of the Story

Be happy. It drives people crazy.

Anonymous
4th of july 10 year 24th of july acrylic activity days adam aiden airborne alea alex allison titus alpine loop american fork amphitheater american fork high school amusement parks anderw andi andrew angkor wat anna anna nash anne of green gables anniversary anticipation april fools aquarium arches argentina arizona art articles of faith art in the park art project art projects asher ashley winegar aspen grove autumn avery award winning babies baby baby announcement baby firsts baby kate backpacking back to school back to school dinner backyard bahamas balloons bangkok baptism baptisms for the dead barbeque barf baseball basketball bathroom beach because of him bell canyon ben bennett olson best friend beth bibs bicycle bike bike park bird birthday birthday bird birthday cake birthday party birth story bishopric black and white photography blanket fort blessing blog blood lake boating bob the pheasant book of mormon book of mormong books bottle rockets boy scouts braces braydon reimann brazil brenda sim bride brielle reimann brighton mackey brock family cabin trip bronson evans brothers bruce springsteen bryan stewart brynn sjoblom brynn stewart bugs bunnies burp rags bush gardens butl butler 4th ward butlerville days butterfly byu cabin cabin projects cabin quilt california callings calvin calvin and hobbes cambodia camera campaign camping cancun candace canoeing canyonlands capitol reef caribbean carl bloch carousel carrie charcoal charity cheesecake cheese factory chicken chicken tikka masala childhood children childrens museum china chloe mcglincey choir chore chart chores christensen extended family christianity christmas christmas card christmas eve dinner christmas Movies christmas traditions christmas windows at the grand christy reimann citrus classic skating cleaning clouds club college colorado colored pencil comedy concert conference weekend consequences construction cookies corn chowder corner canyon corona virus costume cottonwood heights cousin cousin andrew cousins covid cowabunga bay cowboy crater lake creative writing crib cruise cs lewis cub scouts culture d6 ward daisy dallas dance dance pictures danny dark sunshine darlene herzog dating david linford deacon deacon ball dead horse point death deck declan denver digital art digital collage dillon roberts disneyland dj sim dog doll dolphin dragon dragonfly wings drake fletcher draper draper 6th ward draper 8th ward draper amphitheater draper days draper elementary draper library draper park draper rec draper temple drawing dress dr larsen earings earthquake easter easter egg hunt eating out of the garden eatingoutofthegarden eclipse elder holland elder packer election elementary school eliza elliott westwood elm tree emily dowland emily elmer emily heisler emma shaw emmett ferguson emmett parker engaged estonia europe everett exercise fairies fairy house faith fall fall break fall color family family home evening family photography family pictures family scripture study family vacation farewell field trip fireworks first day first day of kindergarten first day of school first word fish fisher neil fishing fletchers florida flowers football for the strength of youth four wheelers france freebie free design friends frogs frost date fsy funeral funny face funny stories gabe williams garden gardiner village garrett bell gay marriage general conference germany gerry trelease gingerbread houses goldendoodle gospel analogies graduation grand canyon grandma's salsa grandma brock grandma farmer grandpa brock grandpa herzog grand turk grapefruit gratitude great dane greendale growing children growingchildren gutenberg hailey hale center theater halloween hamilton hannah harry harry and lois harvey fletcher hawaii hawk hewett heaven heber hee haws heidi heidi christensen hello dolly heritage hidden lake high council high mountain cafe high school high school dance hiking history history of us hobbies holiday home home coming homemade gifts homemade holiday homemade ice cream home movies home video home videos honesty hope horse back riding horses hospital hot chocolate hot dogs house projects ice cream ichabod crane idaho ifa illustration infant isla fletcher israel ivy city jace reimann james james christensen jamie kirkham jared jason jaws beach jaxon engh jazz jdawgs jeff jena jena and lance jerusalem Jesus Christ jewel jill fletcher jimmy nelson jjazz jj pratt john engh john hall joseph smith joshua tree tour journey joy jumping off the bridge kai jacobsen kambria kasbah kathe hollingshaus kaya kellie engh kennedy reimann kennedy space center kids activities kiera engh kimberley kindergarten kira kira scott kirstin smith kirtland engh kylie smith l labor day lake tahoe lance landscapes larry las vegas lds doctrine leadership legacy legend of sleepy hollow legoland lemonade lemon galleon leslee letters and postcards lexi lgbtq+ library life with boys lincoln hewett lion house little america little texas lizzy gordon logan engh lois lonestar loss love love notes luke pinnock maceys macro photography main dish make it work making things mallory reiman manti march 28 marjorie hinckley marriage marsha smith maternity maverick max roberts meadow downs medford melinda mesa verde mexico micah michael jackson middle school midway ministering of angels miracles miranda mission missionary miss sheri Mo moab modesty mommy daughter monkey bars montage video monument valley morgen mormon battalion museum morocco mother daughter motherhood mountain biking mountains mountview park movies moving Mrs Asay mrs king mrs page mrs sheri mtb mt rushmore mud muir woods museum of natural curiosity music natalie natalie lawson nate nathan sim nativity nauvoo temple navajo indian reservation neighborhood neighbors newborn newborn photography new england newport beach newport beach mission new roof new years eve nicole ferguson ninja normandy norman rockwell nursery oakland oaklee oakley oakley rodeo Oil painting olivia Olivias mission open house orange ordinance ordination oregon oreos orthodontist owen jorgensen owen jorgenson padres game pagent painting paper mache parker party paul braithwaite paxton woods payson temple pet photography phuket piano piano recital pillowcase dress pinewood derby pinterest pioneer day pioneer stories planning guide plants play player piano playground poetry polar king polaroid polaroid lift pool popcorn pop up book portfolio portugal potty training pregnancy preschool preschool graduation priesthood primary proclamation on the family proc week projects prom provo temple public transportation puerto rico pugh cabin puppy quail quilt rabbits race racoon rain storm reading real estate rec center recipe recital reed jorgenson reese tillman remodel repentance ressurection reunion rick smith ridgecrest ridgecrest elementary riding ritual road trip rodeo rodeo queen rodep rollerskates rollerskating romance rosario russia ryan kirkham ryan reimann sacrafice sacrament meeting talk salad salsa salsa contest salt flats salt lake salt lake city salt lake county salt lake temple san diego san francisco san francisco bridge santa scales and tales scavenger hunt school school parade school play scott sparks scout scout camp scriptures selfies self portraits seminary service sewing sharing time sharon duke sheriff fluff fluff shmidts shop shopping short story shower sick sick babies side dish silver lake sisters six ski skiing sledding sledding at the cabin sly snakes snow Snow day snowflake snowman soccer soccor softball solar eclipse somerdowns somerdowns remodel south dakota spain spiritual insights spring break spring breal sprinklers st. george star student award state capital st george st thomas summer summer cd summer dress summer nights summer wilding summerwilding sunflowers sunny sunset superbowl surfing suspension bridge suzy doom sweethearts swimming table rock tacos taco stand taekwondo talent show tavel tee ball teeball temecula temple temple dedication temple photography temple square tender mercy tennis ten years testimony texas thailand thanksgiving thanksgiving point theater the book of mormon the bridge The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the covenant path the eel river the enghs the family dog the fergs the hendersons the herzog cabin the herzogs the hiding place the holy land the jorgensens the kiersts the lake the lakers the last day of school the minivan the ocean the pandemic the pool the redwoods the reimanns the river the rollers the romeros the shop the smiths the sorensens the sparks the spruces the stewarts the suburban the yellow house things we find in houses this is it this is the place park thomas thomas judds tiffiny reimann tiger time lapse timpanogos timp cave tinker bell tooth fairy traditions train trampoline trampoline park travel tree triathalon True Grit trunk-or-treat truth turkey tyler pierson u2 uintahs ultrasound uncle uncle bob unicorn mountain urumqi utah utah jazz uyghur vacation vail lake valentines vegitables virgin islands walking warburtons ward party washington waterfall waterford weber canyon wedding wedding anniversary wedding photography wedding vows weston wheeler farm whisperings of the spirit white elephant willa cather wind rivers winnemuca winnie the pooh winter wood carving wordpress worms writing wynn wynn & heidi wynn and heidi wyoming yard yard projects year in review yellowstone yosef yosemite Young Womens youth Conference youtube zip line zoo
  • Get in Touch
  • Archives
  • Five Things
  • History of Us
  • My Favorite Things
  • Tales For Tuesdays
    • Tales for Tuesdays
  • The Women
  • Adventures
  • Recipes
  • Things That I Think About
  • Cabin
  • Art Projects
  • Cooking
  • Menus
  • Home Improvement
  • Photography
  • Uncategorized
  • Yard and Garden
© 2025 | All images on this website were taken and copyrighted by Andrea, unless otherwise noted.
 

Loading Comments...