Bishop David G. Moss

It is official . . .

he was sustained (by all the Bloomfield ward) . . .

ordained (to office of High Priest, by his father) . . .

and set apart (by Stake President Wayne Taylor).

The new bishop of the Bloomfield Ward, Hartford, Connecticut Stake is . . .

my husband!
We were called into the Stake President's office and asked a month ago, so we've had time to process it a bit--though I have mostly seen it in its humorous irony up until today when he went up on the stand and didn't come back down.

My kids were priceless in their shock and surprise. The Stake Presidency commented on their gasps and exclamations, saying they were proof that David Moss could keep confidences.

Eli, Adam, and Gabe weren't quiet as they looked to me to confirm, "Dad is bishop?! Our Dad?! Bishop?!"

Isaac decided to be super challenging, just to make sure I really knew what I was getting into when I sustained my husband into this position.

It really has been nice to have David sitting with us this last year and a half, but I am glad that I already had the experience of sitting without him, under more challenging circumstances--Lone-Sunday-bench-parenting is not the part I really dread in this new calling.

The hardest part is having his mind and heart so full, of so many.

That is the reality.

Though I know that we are very high up on that list of persons, . . .still we must share and allow ourselves to come after others at times--that is why the wife is asked with the husband, eh?

I must say that, when we were called into the Stake Presidents office, I knew that he would be asked to be a counselor in the Bishopric (He says he really believed that it was going to be a Stake calling for me)--that seemed logical, and wouldn't interfere with the fact that we were hoping to move in the next year. I was surprised when he was asked to be bishop, but never really shocked.

I was blessed with an incredible calm and peace--no burning confirmation, but a stillness. In a way, it just seemed to make sense (though I pondered our thoughts of moving and waited for David to let the Stake President know about them).

David was much more shocked and humbled--sometimes I wonder if he really can't see the obivousness of these kinds of things in his life. He was overcome with the idea of the task at hand and his own adequacey, considering our great ward with many good and "more experienced" (older) men.

I have been struggling with many aspects of my life--health, kids, homeschool, house--though things are going okay. But when the Stake Pres asked me about those things, I really couldn't think of the challenges nearly as well as I saw all the blessings. I saw my good boys and a home we have been improving on, I saw the beauty in being able to homeschool.

I believe that HF was giving me the gift of gratitude in that moment--a glimpse at His hand and blessings in my life. Maybe he was trying to remind me that He has, and will continue to, help me as I listen and follow.

I know that my husband is amazing. I got in trouble for telling everyone that he is "practically perfect in every way" (he hates it when I say that--he got a bit of grief for it, since I said it in my testimony at church). I can see that he is the greatest blessing I have, and I get to have him for eternity!

I know that I must share him, . . . and willingly!

I know he will be a great bishop. He will do all in his power to follow the spirit. He loves his Heavenly Father and Savior. He will give this calling his best effort.

I was thinking this morning about him, and the thought that came to mind was:

There may be many as great, but there certainly can't be many better!

He will roll his eyes at that, but this is my blog, and that is how I feel.

The out-pouring of love and joyful acceptance from ward-members at church demonstrated that I'm not alone in my thoughts about my great husband.

*By-the-way, David never mentioned the possibility of us moving during that interview. When I asked him about it in the car, afterward, he became concerned and said that he hadn't even thought of it. He asked if I thought he should run back in and tell him. But his response had been the answer.

It isn't the time for us to think of moving. The Lord has made His choice, and we will stay until something tells us differently--A reminder for Rebekah that we do all things in the Lord's timing. Even if it seems confusing at times, we will trust Him. Afterall, He knows better than we do.

At church, right after he was sustained, Eli looked up at David and said, "Dad, Once and bishop, always a bishop!"

David called the boys to dinner today and Gabe replied, "Okay, Bishop Moss!" then he giggled at his little joke.

My mom called and asked, "Is Bishop Moss there?" Then she laughed and reminded me that I would be hearing that often enough.

And so it begins.

*If you've thought about a trip to the Northeast, we'd love to have ya. We'll be here a while yet,. . . And we really do love it here!!