Kickin' & Screamin' to the ARK!

It's been about 7 months now, since the day I fell into utter SHOCK while standing by the toy chest in the nursery of our church!

I will never forget the conversation!

I'll never forget the Primary President telling me the feeling she'd had, the feeling I was suppose to be doing something different in our LDS Primary.

I will never forget our phone conversation a few days later as I CRIED while explaining to her that I didn't know HOW to do the thing she'd felt inspired about.

I'll never forget her saying she knew I could do it and the Lord would show me the way.

I hung up that day and continued, for weeks, to SOB!

When I was finally able to dry my eyes, I found a pen, and put this quote on my mirror.  I read it over and over for the next month (and still do every day), always focusing on the words,

"Whom the Lord calls the Lord qualifies!"

I absolutely needed him to qualify me to be the

Primary Chorister! 

You see, I'm the girl who doesn't know how to lead music, doesn't read music, can't hold a tune and certainly can't teach a song!!

You think I'm joking but I'm not!!

I confidentially shared with a couple close friends what was coming next for me in my service to the Lord and you know what happened?

They laughed. out. loud.

And then continued to laugh for a long, long time.

They know me well.

I could blog about the month leading up to me starting my new endeavor, both funny and miraculous things happened, but that's not why I am here today.

I'm here because yesterday a catchy little tune

changed my heart!

You see, 7 months ago I made A PACT with myself!  The pact went something like this... the children in the Grantsville 5th Ward would indeed learn the song

"In The Leafy Treetops"

Remember that gem you sang as a little tyke in your Sunday best?

"In the leafy tree tops the birds sing good morning ... they're first to see the sun, they must tell everyone ... "

Oh good times ... back there in the 70's!!

On January 3, 2016

the chaos began, with "Sis. Hutchins" standing before 40 sets of tiny eyes, as they anxiously wondered what she would do ... and as she anxiously wondered what she would do too!!

It was then I excitedly asked,

"Do you think Sis. Hutchins can sing well?"

Their eager eyes stared at me as they shook their head vigorously, meaning their answer was... 

"YES!!"

OH!! You should have seen those same eyes when I then announced...

"NO!!!"

"Sis. Hutchins is a really, really bad singer!!"

Such confusion!!

Those friendly little eyes didn't quite know what to do with that honest information. 

The next question out of my mouth was ...

"Do you think it would be a good idea for you to sing super well so you can't hear Sis. Hutchins sing?"

Oh!!  They liked that idea and so it began, as did my habit of talking in 3rd person ... odd but I can't seem to stop!

For 5 months "Sis. Hutchins" has had those tiny kids singing about "being kind to everyone ... for that is right you see!"

We've sung about Sunbeams, wind blowing and popcorn!!

I've been happy to see that "POPCORN" is still a crowd favorite!!

Of course we've sung about the most important thing ... JESUS.

I painstakingly went through the song book, ear-marking those old favorites from my childhood and making another pact with myself that we would learn those old gems!!

We've tried, but I won't lie ... it's been hard to make time to learn those, with all the "new stuff" we must learn for the program.  

Hence why I am here today...

For some reason, the idea of "new stuff" has caused me to build a big, huge, enormous, gigantic

WALL.

It's come brick by brick as these new songs have been received by the masses with such excitement ... excitement, NOT had by ME!

Don't get me wrong, some songs I've thoroughly fallen in love with but still, each time I would see another new song, I would grab another brick and say to myself, 

"I WILL NOT TEACH THIS !!"

(Well, unless it's on the list for the year.)

Then yesterday happened.

Oh!! I love yesterday.

There is this one song that sits in the front of the "new song book", the book I was forced to make ... the book with all the "new songs"  ... the songs that aren't in the original song book ... the song book printed only a mere ... 27 years ago. 

In the front of my "new song book", staring at me every week is a song called ...

"Build An Ark"

WHAT??  WHY?

I don't want to "Build An Ark"!

Seeing that very title provided me with several hundred bricks for my wall every Sunday, although I'd never really listened to the song.

Well, yesterday the still small voice had me typing "Build An Ark" into Google.  Within a matter of seconds I had tears leaking out of my eyes as I heard the words ... 

"I will build my Ark before it starts to rain ... so when the rain falls on me, I'll be ready for that day."

Then that same still small voice whispered in my ear ...

 "Leafy Treetops aren't singing 'good morning' to those little eyes that stare at you every Sunday."

That still small voice reminded me how those 40 sets of tiny eyes live in a different world than I did.

That still small voice kind of SCREAMED at me, like a message speaking right to my soul, as only a still small voice can ... 

"Those tiny eyes you are teaching, need to build an ARK!!"

Did I mention the tears rolling down my cheeks?

For the next 24 hours that song played over and over and over in my home.  As it did, the wall I had so carefully built came 

crashing down

CRASHING!!

Another song we sing says,

"Rain is falling all around ... on the rooftops on the ground.  Rain is falling on my nose, on my head and hands and toes"

That's a favorite during "wiggle time."  We usually only sing it after a rainy week but you know what?  We could sing it every week because "Rain" 

is falling all around these children in 2016!

"Rain"

is falling all the time as they navigate a world that is very different from the one "little girl Sis. Hutchins" grew up in.

But do you want to know the best part ... the AWESOME PART?

Those little eyes, that stare at me...

they can withstand the water!!

Their

"ARK'S"

WERE MADE

FOR IT!!

They have been prepared for today's

RAIN...

They've been prepared for today's

SHARKS...

They've been prepared for whatever comes their way!!

They hold

umbrella's...

baseball bats...

and POWER...

my generation didn't have and because of that,

they are READY FOR THIS DAY!

Will Sis. Hutchins remind them to 

"Build An Ark before it starts to rain"?

You bet you lucky stars I will

and I'll also teach them whatever else is in my "new song book" ... I will because I know those songs have been inspired for the world today.  That book is no longer my enemy.

Shattered walls aren't always a bad thing!

The bishop of my LDS ward (a.k.a. the Lifeguard), he knew about the wall I had been building.  He heard me play that song, "Build an Ark", as he got ready for the day this morning.  After he tied shoes he said,

"You didn't like that song?"

My humble reply was,

"I do now ... now that my wall fell down."

He said, 

"You know, it's message is true!"

Listen to Build An Ark.

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