Dude, I feel your pain.

That was my comment to Jared when I texted him with news that I had just been called into my ward's Bishopric. It was the same weekend as the ice storm that did so much damage around New England and while we were spared from most of that trauma, I had no idea what awaited me. Jared has been in his ward's bishopric for 4+ years and I know that he had required sacrifice on his and Tara's part. Things were going to be similar for me and Michelle...

After getting our generator hooked up the power came back on Friday night. Despite the damage and the fact that many were still without power we decided to go ahead with a previously scheduled activity with the young men to take them flying. That turned out to be a lot of fun as we flew about 30 minutes to an airport west of were we lived, landed, ate lunch at the airport cafe, and then returned.

As I walked in the door, Michelle said, "Well I guess that you aren't quite the heathen you thought you were! President Durham called and wants to meet with us tomorrow morning." I immediately knew what was going to happen. Even though I tried to convince myself otherwise I knew that there was a vacancy in the Bishopric and my Sundays were going to change.

A month into being in the Bishopric and so far so good. I really enjoy working with Bishop Gentile and the other members of the bishopric and it has been a good experience for me personally as well as my family.

As I was spreading the news to family and friends I was touched by the response I got. Jared was very practical and gave me advice and how to be a good counselor. My dad was moved to tears and while I am sure he was disappointed that he wasn't around to ordain me a High Priest, he was extremely happy that I had received this calling. He told me that it would be an incredible learning experience and humbling as he pointed out one of my shortcomings and said I would need to work on overcoming that challenge.

Of course, I have many shortcomings and need help with many things. And while I can indeed say, "dude, I feel your pain" to all those bishopric members out there, I am also beginning to see the blessings of service to those around me.