Wow. This year is just full of surprises!! It really is turning out to be a pretty incredible year. As many of you may already know Jason and I have taught primary in our ward for over a year now. We have absolutely loved our calling. At the beginning of this year we started to teach the 6 and 7 year old's and we have had the best time. They are the sweetest little people and they have taught us so much more than we have taught them. We have fallen in love with those kids and have found an all new love for our gospel because of them.
Well. Two Saturday's ago Jason had a voice mail on his phone from a random number, so we listened to it. It went something like this...
" Hello, Brother Cooper, my name is Brother Mott calling from the BYU YSA 2nd Stake. Your stake president gave our stake president your name and we would like to meet with you and your wife. Please call me back when you get a chance"
So, of course, Jason called him back and set up an interview for the following Tuesday. We had no clue what we were meeting for but we were quite anxious over the next few days to find out what was going on. When the time came on Tuesday we headed off to the Wilkinson Center in Provo to meet with the stake presidency. They had us come in, sit down, and began to ask us all sorts of 'get to know you' questions. After about ten to fifteen minutes of talking ( still no clue why we are here ) they asked us to go in the hall and sit on the couch for a few minutes and fill out a paper with membership information. About five minutes later they called us back in.
"Now, Sister Cooper, we are going to ask you first, are you willing to support your husband in any calling the Lord has for him?"
Of course I said yes! I will always stand by my husband in anything he does.
"Alright then, now that we have the go ahead from your wife, the Lord would like to extend a calling to you to serve as 2nd counselor in the BYU YSA 21st ward bishopric, Brother Cooper. Do you accept this calling?"
Jason said Yes and I started crying! We were definitely not expecting this! It felt a little surreal, but exciting at the same time. Honestly, I have always seen Jason being called to a position like this, I did not see it happening this young, so I was caught off guard by that, but I wasn't surprised that the Lord would want him for this type of calling.
Jason had been feeling really nervous and overwhelmed all week after our interview. He felt that he had a lot more on his plate than he could handle. I was extremely excited and proud ( but at the same time sad to be leaving our amazing primary children ) so I tried to comfort him as much as I could all week. We then went to our first meeting with our new ward this past Sunday. It was AMAZING.
Jason and I were asked to share our testimonies in sacrament meeting. It was such a cool feeling. Both Jason and I felt peace and comfort. We knew this is where we are supposed to be. The ward was so awesome too. So many people shared their testimonies ( since it was fast and testimony meeting ) and it just helped us feel even better, knowing we were among some incredible people.
I am SO PROUD of you Jason!! You are going to be such a wonderful leader to these people and I know that they will come to love you and see you for the great person you are the way that I do. You were meant for this calling and I know you will fulfill it with all of your heart, might, and mind. You are a man among men my love. God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called. He will continue to qualify you and you will become an even better man than you already are. Thank you for the example you are to me. I love you so much!
