Between the glut of carnivals, fairs, showers, book clubs, and barbecues that flooded my life at the end of April, I spent most of the following week decompressing--and talking to as few people as possible. However, the first weekend in May brought a new development, which may keep us busy for a while.
Nathan received a new church calling! For the last couple of years, Nathan has been one of our ward's Gospel Doctrine teachers. I've had several people come up to me during that time and tell me how much they love his lessons, and what a great teacher he is. I myself have never heard one of his lessons; being in Primary doesn't leave time for that, unfortunately. However, I know Nathan is an awesome public speaker and a great teacher, so I believed everyone when they raved about him.
As it turns out, I probably won't hear Nathan teach a Gospel Doctrine lesson any time soon. Last Sunday, he was released from his calling and given a new one--Ward Mission Leader. It will be his job to work closely with our assigned full-time missionaries, teach the Gospel Essentials class (for investigators of the church and new members), support new members and investigators in learning the gospel, and encourage the whole ward to participate in the work of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. As someone who loved his full-time mission very much (and as someone who has served as a ward missionary before), this is a good fit for Nathan's talents.
He is definitely a little nervous about being Ward Mission Leader, though...he is replacing a guy (a friend of ours, named Shane) who magnified that calling more than I'd ever seen anyone do before. And besides that, he'd held that calling for four years, an amazing amount of time! On Shane's watch, several strong converts have joined the congregation, and he has been a close friend and willing helper/advisor to each one (along with his lovely wife--and fellow ward missionary--Kylee). He seemed almost tireless (and unflappable) in his efforts to be a good missionary. Shane has indeed left some big shoes to fill.
Nathan is not as outgoing as Shane, and I'm sure his style of missionary work will be very different than Shane's. However, that doesn't mean he can't be just as successful and serve the Lord just as faithfully. A ward missionary is an interesting calling, because serving as a missionary can be accomplished in many different ways. Each person investigating the church has a different learning/conversion experience, and there are many different ways for ward missionaries to interact with these investigators.
The most important factor, of course, is the missionary's own testimony, and his willingness to share it with others and serve them as fellow children of God. In this regard, I have every confidence in my beloved Nathan and in his ability to share the truth with those who are seeking after it. Go get 'em, dear! I love you!!
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