Second Helping of Upheaval

Today was our Very Special fast & testimony meeting wherein new ward boundaries were announced, finally quieting months of rumbling and rampant speculation.

There are two new English speaking wards. We stayed in McAllen 1st ward and we have a new bishop and counselors. But damn near everyone I was close to or hung out with outside of church--gone. Including my friend, Minerva (mom of the wasp-stung Stephanie) and my former employer, Mary. :(

In addition, every auxiliary lost key people--the RS president, members of the Primary, YW, YM, EQ and SS presidencies. We also lost all our competent pianists and organists.

And, to be honest, there are some people I'm not sad to see go: the hardass RS teacher whose lesson on chastity last week began with us reading the catalogue of sexual sins in the manual--and her asking us to DEFINE EACH ONE. It left me feeling dirty.

Nor am I especially sad that the blowhard/always right SS president, an authority-focused stake leader and the least imaginative/manual only gospel doctrine teacher are gone, too.

Mike called me via Skype (he's in Japan) and I filled him in on all the changes. As I mentioned the gospel doctrine vacancy, I had a sinking feeling that I would be the replacement. Is the still, small voice accompanied by nausea and fear?

The SP was adamant that the old ward boundaries are history and need to be forgotten. On one hand, that doesn't seem realistic. Unless this would get us out of cleaning the meetinghouse in October. (What cleaning assignment? That guy isn't our bishop anymore). I can feel the selective amnesia settling in already...