Only a year behind!

It is now the beginning of February, 2013 and I am about to post about what happened at the end of  last January, 2012,  which means I am only a year behind on the old family blog!  But I guess it doesn't matter too much since I'm pretty sure our family is the only ones that reads this blog, and I am doing this only as a journal type record for our family, so as long as important events get recorded sometime....that is all that matters right!?

Last January, we learned that Elder David A. Bednar would be coming to our little town of St. Johns to re-organize our stake presidency.  Our whole town was so excited!  It's not often that we get important church leaders in town and one of the12!  That was practically unheard of.  We were especially excited that it was going to be Elder Bednar.  He is one of our favorites...(if you can have a favorite apostle).  I love all of his talks and books and always look forward to hearing him in General Conference.  So ...to say the least we were all very excited.  Ed had served in the previous stake presidency with President Broadbent and President Lee for 8 years and had loved it.  We were kinda sad that this stake presidency would be dissolved and a new one called.  Lots of wonderful memories and good experiences.  We had a wonderful dinner at President Broadbent's home with all of us before they were going to be released.and it was a fun time to be together one last time and express love for one another.  Ed loved serving with these wonderful men and learned so much.  Here is a picture of the entire Stake Presidency and Stake High Council before they were released..

 

 Stake conference was being held the 28th and 29th of January and they began interviewing members of the high council early saturday morning, to find the new stake president.  Ed was interviewed along with everyone else and then came home.  He went with me back to the stake center to help me set up tables and chairs and set the table for the stake presidency dinner that evening, the dinner that we always have on saturday night in between priesthood meeting and the adult meeting.  We then left the stake center and went to the car wash on the way home and were washing the car when his cell phone rang.  He handed me the sprayer and walked around the corner to take the call.  When he came back, he did not look good at all.  His face and eyes were bright red and I thought, "Oh no, we're in trouble."  He said, "They want us down at the stake center right away."  So we ran home, changed our clothes and headed back to the stake center.  

They talked to Ed first and then to me.  It was really a wonderful experience meeting Elder Bednar and Elder Pickerd who was the other authority who came with Elder Bednar.  They were kind, and funny and down to earth and I was not even nervous talking with them.  They are wonderful men of God and it was a privilege to meet them.

Anyway I guess Ed passed the test, so to speak and they called him to be the next President of the St. Johns Arizona Stake of Zion. We were awestruck and still are a year later.  Ed's counselors are Ferrin Crosby and Kevin Lee.  His clerks are Larry Von Stradling and Spencer Wilhelm.  We were privileged for all  of us to meet with them, early the next morning before Stake conference in the High Council room, where they taught us many things and gave some training to the new stake presidency.  We wives were included in this and it was a wonderful experience.  We then went in to the general session of stake conference.  It was very neat.  We all stood as Elder Bednar and Elder Pickard and the old stake presidency came in and took their seats.  We had been taught the night before at the adult meeting by Elder Bednar and it was very enlightening and this meeting was no different.  They conducted the business of the meeting first and put in Ed as the stake president and his counselors who all spoke.  I also bore my testimony  and President Broadbent and Lee.  I was so nervous and had worried past mid-night about what to say.  We all survived somehow though.  We had not told our kids, but they had all planned all coming anyway, because they wanted to hear Elder Bednar speak at their old hometown, so everyone was here except Emily who lives to far away to come.  But we told them all that evening and it was so great to have them all here for it.

     It was wonderful to hear Elder Bednar speak.  He spoke for about an hour just off the cuff...no notes or anything, and it was powerful and wonderful..  He spoke very candidly about the process of selecting a new stake president and how it all works, and made the point that when they come to a stake to choose a new stake president, they don't come to choose a stake president themselves, they come to find the man that the Lord had already chosen.  He had explained that to us the day before when he called Ed, and said to me, and Sister Burgoyne, your husband is that man."  (that the Lord has chosen.)  I believe that and support and sustain Ed wholeheartedly.  We love the Lord and are grateful for the opportunity to serve Him.  It has a been a wonderful year.  

After the sunday stake conference we all met back in the High Council room and Ed and his counselors were set apart.  Elder Bednar set apart Ed, and Elder Pickard set apart Bro. Kevin Lee and then they had Ed set apart Bro. Ferrin Crosby.  Talk about pressure.  Was a remarkable experience.  The whole thing was amazing.  How grateful we are.  Then they were kind enough to allow us to take a million pictures with them.  That was fun.  Below are a couple of pictures from that morning.

Elder Bednar, Kevin Lee 1st counselor;  Ed Burgoyne, President; Ferrin Crosby, 2nd counselor and Elder Pickard.

Our whole family (minus Emily and Daniel) with Elder Pickard and Elder Bednar.