... that I needed a miracle?

I have been the Young Women's President in our ward for about four months now.  And it has been mostly two things: fun and stressful.  We have a very small group of girls (only 6) which reminds me of my own experience in Young Womens.  They are really great girls, they still think I'm kind of cool, and they have been so nice to me through this huge learning experience.  Heavenly Father has blessed me in so many ways, and I know that it is because he loves me and each of these girls.

A few months after I was called, my 1st counselor moved to Wisconsin and my Girl's Camp director said that she wouldn't be able to come to camp anymore.  Oh, and did I mention that some wonderfully brilliant person planned Youth Conference and Girls Camp on back to back weekends?  AND those two weekends just happened to be the very weekends that my parents were getting set apart and then flying out to Taiwan???  Let's just say that for the months of April and June, I was pretty much a nervous wreck.  I was trying to plan Youth Conference and Girl's Camp, call a new camp director, call a new counselor, teach the girls every Sunday, work full time, and also spend as much time with my family as possible before they left.  And it was almost all a disaster.  The more I tried to plan and fix and organize, the more problems arose and I was almost at my wits end.  Then miraculously, 2 weeks before Girl's Camp, all of my prayers were answered.  The mother of one of my girls accepted the call to be my new counselor AND she was able to go to both Youth Conference and Girl's Camp.  This meant that I could miss Youth Conference to be with my parents when they got set apart and spend the entire weekend with them before they went into the MTC, and that I would have another counselor with me at Girl's Camp and I wouldn't be alone.  Words cannot describe my relief!  Just a small testament that Heavenly Father has a plan, and that He will help us when we need it most.

Since my parents were flying out to Taiwan while I was supposed to be at Girl's Camp, I wasn't able to take them to the airport.  So Matt and I did the next best thing and visited them at the MTC.

They brought us milk and cookies and we just sat in the lobby for about an hour and talked.  I kept constantly scanning the hallway for a glimpse of Cait, but she was not to be seen.  I even asked dad how inappropriate it would be for him to ask the receptionist to call her up to the lobby just so I could get a quick hug, but he just gave me the same look that he gave me when I asked him if I could have a handicapped parking pass:

What good is having a doctor for a dad if he can't get you a handicapped parking pass when your friends tell you that 4'10" is "legally a midget?"  Just kidding, plenty of good.  Like the time he sewed up my ankle when I shattered a jar of apple sauce on the kitchen floor and we all thought I was going to bleed to death.  Thanks again, Dad, that was awesome.

It was so good to spend just a little bit more time with them.  I admire them so much for their courage and faith.  It will be hard to miss them for three years, but I know our whole family will be blessed for it.  And I have already facetimed with both of them and they FINALLY have international texting, so really we are basically back to normal.  Except now they are 7500 miles away instead of 750.  It's okay.  I will survive.  Ohhh as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive.........  Sorry.  Jazz Girlz fo life.

I love my parents and miracles!