Today was totally awesome! And also kind of sad. We had our ward Christmas program, and it was pretty good. I could tell they all put a lot of thought and hard work into it. I was blown away by some of the performances, and some of the testimonies.
But it was also Sister Bishop's last Sunday on her mission. She goes home Wednesday. I could feel myself trying to avoid her as soon as I pulled in to the church parking lot. It's kind of a habit of mine; I distance myself from people whom I know are leaving (or I'll leave), and I'm going to miss. I guess in my mind, I justify this with the thought I won't miss them as much, but that is seldom the case. I miss people pretty bad regardless.
After the sacrament meeting, we had desserts as a ward. And, no surprise here, Bishop Patton asked us all to sing Hymn 152, "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again." At this point, we had better just memorize the song because it has become quite evident that we will be singing it to anyone he gets attached to in the ward. Haha. He's a great Bishop. But I could barely make it through the song. My eyes started tearing up. Sometimes I don't realize how much of an impact someone has had on me until the very last moment. I'm gonna miss her.
And the Yangs. Brother Yang just got called to be the Bishop of the Tarzana family ward! So, we sang Hymn 152 not only to Sister Bishop, but to them as well. Sister Yang is one of my favorite people, and I know I'll see her around every now and then, but I'm going to miss her still. Brother Yang, well, I don't know him very well. He's a quite man, but when he does talk, he's a funny guy. I wish I had gotten to know him a little better.
Anyway, I went home for about an hour.
Then I went to the Spanish stake center in Van Nuys. Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve was there to give a fireside to the youth of the Church. Us, YSA, were later invited to come. It was good. I learned a lot from him. But I was excited to see another side of him. I've only ever seen him during conference talks, and I felt like I didn't know much about him. Bu through the firseide, I was able to do that, and now I see him for what he is: a man, with imperfections and flaws like the rest of us, but a man called of God, a man who is a living witness of Christ. A man who has been called to lead and edify us, and I can testify that he did just that. My outlook on the man has changed immensely. I'm grateful for the opportunity we were given there. I'm grateful that we were invited, and that I was able to learn from and of him, and that I got to shake his hand! What a sweet man he is, and his wife is, as well.
After that fireside, Gilbert and I, in separate cars, went to the Granada Hills stake center for the Stake sing along. We got there at the same time, and it had just started. There was a pretty good turn-out. Both pairs of the Northridge 1st missionaries were there, as was Elder Burgess, the guy who baptized my younger sister. I sat next to Sister Raty, and when Gilbert went to the bathroom, she asked me if we were together. Awkward! But she told me the only reason she thought that was because we had been together the week before as well when we came to the Christmas devotional. Haha. But I set her straight. We're just friends who just happened to spend the majority of two Sundays in a row together. He's like a brother, or a cousin, to me. I could never see him like that. But her comment made me laugh. Anyway, this program was my favorite thing! I'm usually not a fan of singing, but after the first non-sing-along performance, the whole congregation started clapping. I was so confused. Mormons usually don't clap at Church things. But this time, it was allowed! If I hadn't already met Elder Anderson, this probably would've made my week! I am a big fan of clapping when I approve of/like something! Sometimes, it is so hard to hold myself back at Church. But, for once, it was allowed. So, because I was so overjoyed about the clapping, I actually sang almost every sing-along song off the top of my lungs! It was a joyous occasion for me!
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