Neighborhood Chair:
Back in early spring, Jonathon attended a neighborhood meeting where they were choosing a new neighborhood chair to represent our neighborhood with the city. Our previous neighborhood chair hadn't really done anything for the last three years and was moving out of the area. In the city of Provo, neighborhood chair is an elected position that works directly with the city council, so there has to be an official election and vote. Only six people from the entire neighborhood showed up, and most of them said that they didn't have the time to do it. When it became apparent that nobody really wanted to do it, Jonathon finally volunteered. Obviously, he was unanimously voted in, and we figured it wouldn't be that big of a job.
Boy, were we wrong! Not two months after he was elected, a developer proposed a new development right by our home. The developer wanted to put in 140 townhomes and 50 detached homes on only 23 acres. This was way over the average density for the area and raised several red flags. Jonathon suddenly found himself smack dab in the middle of a huge fight between the developers and the neighbors. We were shocked that they would even propose such a development that was so completely out of character for our area. We sided 100% with the rest of the neighborhood and had to organize meetings, flyers, reports etc. Jonathon spent many hours attending planning committees and city council meetings, while Hyrum and I delivered hundreds of flyers to inform people of meetings.
The first development plan finally got changed, and a second (still undesirable) plan was submitted. We had to go through the entire process again. The neighborhood was still unanimously opposed to the development, so Jonathon had to write up another report and speak before the planning commission. This time they listened and acknowledged the problems with the plan. They told the developers that they needed to go back to the drawing board. We know that we are nowhere near finished with this, but at least it has been delayed for a while.
Although we were blindsided by the amount of time this was going to take, I am so thankful that Jonathon is willing to fight for what we want. He is a great speaker and is able to formulate arguments that others understand and respect. If the neighborhood had not elected another chair, this development may have gone through without any opposition, and it would have drastically changed the character of our whole area. Jonathon cares about the neighborhood and wants to keep it at a lower density. We moved out to west Provo specifically for the rural feel and open space. We know development is coming, but we are working hard to make sure that it is smart development. There is no one I trust more than Jonathon in this matter.
Teaching:
This semester is the first one that Jonathon has had to teach two sections of Cell Biology. New faculty members usually only have to teach one class for the first three years so that they can get their lab running smoothly, get external funding through grants, and spend the necessary time learning how to navigate being a faculty member. Unfortunately, the other Cell Biology teacher took a new job and left the university, so Jonathon was asked to cover his class this semester. Suddenly, he was teaching 225 students. Not only did that mean more time devoted to lectures and grading, but he spends large portions of his day answering questions from students and helping those that are struggling. He enjoys working with students, but having so many has been a bit overwhelming. He finds it hard to accomplish anything else during the day and always feels a little bit behind in his work. The blessing in the situation is that his second section is a night class, so he actually gets paid extra for teaching it. That has been a nice little boost to our finances to make up for the added stress.
Grants:
Getting funding through government and private grants is a huge part of Jonathon's job. If he wants to get tenure, he needs to be able to show that his research is good enough to bring in money for his lab and the university. Grants are very difficult to get right now because of the spending cuts. Only about 10% of the grant applications are actually funded. This means that they have to be exceptional in order to be considered. Jonathon has put hours and hours into two grant applications this semester. They are both due November 15, and he has been pushing so hard to get them done. Each grant requires tons of paperwork, as well as really solid preliminary data. He has yet to have one of his own grants funded, but he is working hard, and I have no doubt that sooner or later he will get one.
New Calling:
As if all of this wasn't enough, at the end of September, Jonathon was given a new calling at church. We knew that our Bishopric was going to be released, so we weren't too surprised when we were called in for an interview. All of the leaders in all of the auxiliaries were called in for interviews, so we weren't overly concerned. The interview was fine, and we didn't hear anything for several weeks. Then, out of the blue, we were asked to come in for a second interview. Immediately, we started to panic a little. We were scared that perhaps Jonathon was going to be asked to be Bishop. That thought was scary because of how busy we already were and how little experience he had in a Bishopric. We wrestled with the idea for several days as we waited for the interview to approach. We both knew that we would do whatever we were asked to do, but there was definitely a feeling of being overwhelmed and wondering if we could actually handle all of this.
When we found out that Jonathon had been asked to be second counselor in the Bishopric, we were slightly relieved, but still a little worried about the time commitment that it would require. We said yes to the calling, and Jonathon was set apart and sustained on September 24, 2017. Jonathon's dad got to ordain him to be a high priest, which was very special. Throughout all of the various blessings, we were assured that Jonathon would be able to find balance in his life and his calling and that our family would be blessed for his service. We are going forward with faith that as we devote ourselves to Heavenly Father's work, our needs will be met and our family will be blessed.
Since I am still the first counselor in the Primary Presidency, our Sundays are extremely busy. Jonathon puts in a full 8 hours at church every Sunday, but Bishop Skeen has been very careful about taking extra time away from family. He has really done a good job of keeping the meetings to a minimum and trying to help all of the Bishopric have the proper balance.
As strange as it sounds, I feel like I have really grown up over the last few months. I have learned that I can do hard things on my own and be okay. I don't have to rely on Jonathon to help get the kids ready in the morning or have his help during Sacrament meeting, etc. I'm not saying it is how I would want it, but since I know that it has to be done, I have found the strength to just do it without complaining and feeling sorry for myself. I know that Jonathon will grow so much from this calling, and I look forward to seeing how it will change our family for the better.
Those are the things that have been keeping Jonathon busy, but I have been plenty busy too...
Primary Program:
Each year I am in charge of the Primary Program during Sacrament Meeting. I not only write the whole program, but I am responsible for passing out parts and running all of the practices. It is a lot of work. For about three weeks of the year, I feel like I eat, sleep, and breathe Primary Program. The program went together pretty quickly this year. I have written four programs now, so I feel like I am getting the hang of it. This year the topic was "Choose The Right." I had several of the children talk about personal experiences where they were able to choose the right. I like having them tell these personal stories because I feel like they teach the audience and the children so much more.
Everything went smoothly until the Saturday practice right before the program. The kids were rowdy, half of them didn't show up, and the program just felt rough from start to finish. I came home feeling tired and dejected. Those Saturday practices are always tough, so I constantly have to remind myself that everything will work out just fine.
And it did! They next day, the children did a magnificent job! They sang loud, everyone remembered their order and said their parts well, and best of all... the spirit was present. All the planning in the world cannot ensure that, so I was very grateful. Even though I wrote it and watched it 3-4 times previously during practices, I was surprised that I got emotional during parts of it. One of the most special parts was when the eight-year-olds sang "When I am Baptized." Their sweet, angelic voices and pure spirits really touched everyone in attendance. Andrew was part of this group, and I was reminded the power that children have to invite the Spirit.
Halloween Party:
Two weeks after the Primary Program was our Ward Halloween Party that the Primary was also in charge of. It was just too much, too close together. We got everything planned and put together, but by the time it was all over, we were running on fumes. We spent the afternoon of the party decorating, and then ran home to get everyone dressed in their costumes. For the Halloween Party, we did a chili cook-off, a pumpkin carving contest, and trunk-or-treating. We were worried about having enough food, so all of the presidency members made chili, cornbread, and cookies. It was such a busy day, but everything worked out and the party was very fun!
The Bishopric and some of the other leaders got to be the chili judges. Jonathon loved getting to try all of the chilis. I think everyone had fun, but I told our Primary President that next year we probably shouldn't try to do the Primary Program and a ward party in the same month. She was nice enough to sign up for the Easter Party next year. Yay!
The Fearless Chili Judges
Mississippi Miracle: The Ogborn Family Conversion Story
I enjoyed writing my book of childhood memories, "Farmyard Vignettes," a few years ago, so when my mom approached me about working on another book, I agreed. This one was to be a children's book about the conversion story of my Grandpa Ogborn's family. It is a really remarkable story, and really needed to be recorded for future generations. My mom asked me to read through a bunch of different written histories about the story and then write it in a simple way that children would appreciate. She asked my sister, Hannah, to illustrate the book. We were excited to work together on the project. My part of the project took several hours to compile, but nowhere near the amount of time that Hannah put in. She painted the most beautiful watercolor pictures to go along with the writing. When she was done with all the paintings, I put them together into a book and had them printed for my mom, grandparents, and all my siblings. I was so proud of how everything turned out, and I hope it will be a treasure for my kids and grandkids.
You can use this link to view our book online.
https://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/interests/mississippi-miracle-16532976?vk=759PD8gn7A
In the last month, I also wrote another small book about our family's recent temple experiences for my Grandpa Merlon's 100th birthday celebration. It was such an incredible event, and I was so touched by all of the ordinances, experiences, and pictures that were recorded and collected from hundreds of family members. Information about that amazing event is in a previous post.
So, there you have it! We are busy, but we are blessed! We have been given health and strength to be able to accomplish what needs to be done, and we are grateful that we can be involved in so many worthwhile pursuits. We are also grateful that there is a time and a season for everything. Hopefully the next few months can be a season for a little more rest and relaxation. But if not, we will continue to do the very
best we can.
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