and I wasn't prepared for it!
I'll give you a little background. Hubby and I have been investigating the church on and off for the past eight years. We were always involved in another church at the time and really wouldn't consider changing. But now we are without a church home (we were raised protestant and have been faithful in attendence and service all our married life) now and no churches are at all appealing to me except the LDS. I feel very comfortable at the church. So, I've started attending RS meetings with my friend, and I've been trying to get hubby to go to church on sundays as often as i can. it's been working out to about once a month, though i can usually get there a second sunday because he is out of town at drill.
SO, tonight my friend picks me up for RS. She told me that she had no idea what they were doing tonight because she was out of town. They had gone to see a new grandson blessed and a 12 yo grandson ordained. During our conversation it came up that Christmas is on a Sunday and she likes it when that happens because then they open their presents on Friday night so that on Sunday it's all about the special service. I told her that several years ago I was really convicted about how caught up my son was about the gifts (which is natural for a child) and i wanted to do something that would help put the focus back on Christ on Christmas, so we started opening our gifts on the 23rd every year so we could do a special thing on Christmas eve -- such as reading the christmas story and talking about what we can give back to Jesus this year and then Christmas day is about family. She thought that was really neat.
SO, we walk in the church and a lady walks up to her. She is very active with RS. I don't know who she is but I suspect she is first counselor. She starts talking to my friend asking where's she's been and if she's okay because she had called and left a message... blah, blah, blah. So my friend explains why she didn't get the message and asks what she needed and the lady tells her, well i really needed to talk to her -- and turns to ME! I'm thinking, what on earth does she need to talk to me about? I mean, really, I'm not even a member.... Anyway, she asked if I would mind sharing a family tradition with the group and my friend pipes up as says, She has a great family tradition and tells her what i shared in the van on the way over. The lady says, that's great you have to share that. I didn't have too much problem with that, but when the other ladies got up to share it was obvious they had been asked way in advance and had a whole little presentation, etc. to share (some with handouts) and I had nothing. I was a bit uncomfortable. All I could do was get up, introduce myself, explain I was an investigator and share my little blurb about why we open gifts on the 23rd every year and sat down.
Whew.
The RS president (at least i'm assuming she the president, she's always introducing people and moving things along) wanted my contact information. I shudder to think what this might mean....
But on the flip side, after hearing from some of you about how unwelcomed you have felt in your wards, even as members, I am very glad that I have a ward where the women are so friendly, welcoming, and evidently have adopted me even though I haven't joined yet. i feel like part of the group already, and it feels wonderful. i really enjoy RS and church, it is so uplifting. it's nice to enjoy going to church again
