SunBEAM!

Cory and I have been in our new ward for a little less than a month. (PS, it's our 1-month anniversary today - which only newlyweds and teenagers celebrate, I know, and not even them sometimes.) Our first week, we met some really great people and even made friends with a family that lives in our building. I can only tell you that this is a miracle since, from the day I moved in more than 2 months ago, I have never seen people interact with each other at this building. And by never, I mean never. Those we have seen, or by chance made eye-contact with, have quickly passed by, often without a word. There is this one guy who lives next door to us who, when we see him and are on the verge of speaking kind, friendly words, lowers his eyes and bids us a good night. THAT'S ALL! I don't get it. But on the plus side, 80% of our neighbors attend the married student ward, while we attend the family ward, so we never see them anyway. And now we have our friends that have 2 of the cutest kids and are super nice. So we don't care.

Anywho... Our first week we met the bishop, a few people in the ward, and we just happy to be going to church together. Week 2, we get called to sub the CTR6s (which fell through because they accidentally booked 2 couples to teach), and called to meet with a member of the bishopric. When we got to our appointment the following Sunday, we were called to teach the Sunbeams! We were sustained that very day. The 1st counselor called me Kyla. Which, I promptly corrected... to my husband.

The following Sunday, we were sustained AGAIN, and once again, the ward will know me as Kyla. Ugh. Really, Kayla is NOT that hard to figure out as far as pronunciation goes. Just call us Bro. & Sis. Scott. If you can't pronounce my first name, the Church makes it REALLY easy to get around it. And we have a SUPER easy last name.

We also got to start teaching on Sunday #3.

What's really funny about teaching Sunbeams is that the primary president sat down with us beforehand and gave us the down-low on our kids. The girls are pleasant but the boys have problems. That was the gist of it. She was telling us over and over again about one boy who likes to hit... etc, and looks like he's on the verge of baptism. Well, our first week teaching, the one boy she seemed really concerned about wasn't even there. However, our other boys were and one of them was ALL OVER THE PLACE! Climbing on the chairs, tearing (no really, tearing) things off the chalkboard, and playing with the flag in the corner... all in primary. In the class, he wasn't too much different, except the constant cry for the restroom. Might I also note that there are 2 couples called to assist in our classroom when needed. We were 4 adults to 3 kids. After church the primary president comes up to us to tell us that this boy was quite manageable today. And this wasn't even the kid she was warning us about!!!

This past Sunday, week 2, amazingly, was about a million times better! I say amazingly because we had all 6 of our kids, including the one who "likes to get physical" (hitting, kicking, etc). I'm not sure what it was, but while the boys (and girls) had their moments of difficulty, all in all, it really was exponentially better. And these two boys that are considered "trouble" are just so sweet sometimes. Both of them took turns sitting on my lap, and the whole time they were there, they were 90% calm. Mind you they weren't on my lap the whole time. But still. It was such a blessing to see their calm, sweet sides. We were also only 3 adults to 6 kids (7 during primary but one left early because his mom was having a baby). They were concerned about the two boys sitting next to each other, but it wasn't really bad. These kids just need to know that they are safe and loved... especially when mom and dad aren't there to tell them.

Primary and Sunday school are the one place these kids are left without their parents that isn't in their own home. No wonder they get nervous or act out. This doesn't normally happen for kids until they're about ready to start school.

Can I also say that I think it is ridiculous to have jr. primary first? They are supposed to sit in Sacrament meeting for just over an hour quietly. Hard. Then they go to primary where they are expected, again, to be reverent. Granted, they interact and get to be off their chairs for about 3 minutes, but still... even harder. THEN they go to Sunday school where they are taught in smaller groups, but they're contained so we can play a little more, stay out of our chairs, color, etc. When they've been sitting for more than 2 hours, it's no wonder they are ready to jump out the window (which there have now been 2 attempts in our classroom, 1 almost successful). I understand that the reverence is a huge factor in it all. And they would probably be harder to contain and manage in primary if it were after Sunday school. But when you're 3, you really do not have any desire to sit still for more than a minute and pay attention to anything. And there's not a whole lot that we teachers can do about it...

What makes primary really hard for the Sunbeams is that they're brand new to primary. They don't know any of the songs/games/etc. So singing is not fun to them. Scriptures are not fun to them. It's all foreign territory... at least en masse it is.

I should also say that giving a newlywed couple a calling in the Sunbeams, logically, is not the best idea. If you want a couple to not have kids for a long, long time, put them in Sunbeams. Fortunately, Cory and I know callings are from Heavenly Father and we are supposed to learn and grow from this experience. So we're trying to do just that. Without being afraid of children. And, unless by some serious fluke in biology, we will not end up with 6 or 7 children all at once. Hallelujah!

All in all, while I have dreaded the thought of teaching Sunbeams... I do love these children very much. I know their Heavenly Father loves them. And I pray that they can get everything they can out of us. I know we will learn from them. I hope we are in a place such that the Lord can use us as instruments in teaching His children His love for them. After all, what could be more important than knowing who you are and that you are loved?