IT'S HERE!!!

It's been a crazy week. The organ arrived on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. Hubby and I had to meet the semi-truck at the edge of town and escort him to the church. The truck driver merely gets the organ onto the trucks elevator, then it's up to us to take it from there. Two men from church, the mover we hired and my mentor came to help,

he's the one second from the left with gray hair. My mentor was so obviously impressed and pleased at just the way the organ looked; meaning, it was obvious it had been taken care of. We opened up the desk and tried the key action - it felt brand new.

The pedals are barely worn. It was so great that he was there to see it with me for the first time.

We had to put it in they gym entrance until the moving crew could return with the proper equipment at 5:00 p.m. The Lord continued to bless by keeping the rain away - though it threatened all day - and by providing willing hands. Meet Pastor T, he's leaning on the rail giving me a "look" LOL.

At 5:00 we had a new crew on hand and one man that was there in the morning as well. My mentor couldn't make it back, unfortunately. The interested grad student I told you about came to the 5:00 moving and stayed long after the others left and helped Hubby put the post back in at the back door and carry the speakers, bench and pedalboard upstairs. He's the young dark-haired fellow wearing the plaid shirt; t was really nice to see him get involved. It's so cool how God brought this young man to the church at this point in time. Just his presence and his desire is proof to those who doubted me that if we had a good instrument, there would be others to follow me that would be interested in learning. Just another confirmation that this is good and right.

The organ came back out onto the street where it was walked along the side of the building and up the front steps. The climb up the steps was the scary part for me...my job was to hold open the door. 

After the business meeting Wednesday night everyone made a trip upstairs to see it. "Big" seemed to be the comment of the day. Everyone kept asking me to let them hear me play it even after we told them the speakers have to be wired in and that the key was missing. We emailed the company and discovered it was accidently left on a desk under some papers and was placed in the mail immediately with huge apologies. I'm hoping it will arrive today.

The organ looks amazing in it's new home! It was fun taking a few shots of it on Thursday with the morning light streaming in. I wasn't aware at the time how the windows were being reflected in the music rack but I think it's looks cool. 

I had a meeting with Pastor T on Thursday regarding the Thanksgiving worship service he wants to plan. It sounds like it's going to be well done, with no preaching, just some readings, congregational singing, special music, etc. I told him I will do my best to be a part of it if the installation, etc. allows. He said he understood if I didn't feel ready and that he wanted me to feel confident before I play it publicly for the first time. I have to admit though, I am feeling very overwhelmed. Also, Pastor T is excited for our recital/hymn sing that my Mentor and I are planning, but is afraid with other plans going on at the church it might have to wait until after Christmas, which might be best. He wants to do it right and even have a reception after. I was surprised to have one of our church members ask if I was planning a recital and requested to have my mentor join me.  The mover also made it clear he wants an invitation once it's planned and another member after all his complaining about buying a new organ told Hubby that he will be on hand to help run wire and install speakers. 

It's just amazing to me how God made this come together - even the road construction that I was afraid would cause trouble for the truck was finished just the day before!

Last night Hubby and I went over to assess the speaker situation and we took the back off the organ and had a look around. Hubby found the power cord and figured out how to run it out of the console. I had to caution him about climbing too high on the ladder when looking at speaker placement. I'm sure that had I not been there he would have kept going and he had nothing to hold on to. Why is it men take such risks?? He's over there again this morning and I warned him to behave himself. I hope someone else shows up to help him. He's hoping to get it wired today and if the keys arrive I can try it out tonight. The speakers won't be in place yet, but we'll have sound and I can start to practice.

Yesterday I had my annual Dr. visit and mammo. I also went to Walmart for printer ink and to the Co-op for some pantry staples. Winter is coming...we're supposed to get rain/snow mix beginning tomorrow.

This afternoon I'm having a "piano party" at the church for my students. It's a chance for them to get comfortable playing in front of others in a less threatening environment. We'll play an ice-breaker game, play our pieces, have a treat and be dismissed. I'm hoping we'll only be there an hour and a half. A few of my new students told me they can't make it which is disappointing since it's mostly for them.

Well I need to get the house straightened and cleaned and do a small alteration on a blouse for my daughter. 

Thank you for your prayers for the safe arrival of the organ. Please continue to pray for it's installation and that both it and it's organist will be a blessing to our little congregation and the community. God is good!

No Conception

The organ was removed from our church on Friday and I found myself not quite knowing how to act in church without my usual routine. I tried to listen - to the singing, to the music as a whole without the use of an organ and to the people. 

Many people at church are excited for the new organ and while that's good, I'm finding as I filter comments that they have no conception as to what I will have to go through before I'm prepared to play it publically. I knew this would be the case but I wasn't prepared for the degree. I wasn't prepared for the stress of their anticipation. 

My mentor and I have been somewhat planning a dedicatory service/recital/hymn sing that would be a time of praise to God for His provision of the organ and a chance to worship

and get to know what the new instrument can do. I've been thinking about the hymns I'd like to have sung, about the solos we would play etc and getting a little excited - after all, I've been anticipating this day for 22 years! So today during church we sang A Mighty Fortress - good hymn...no problem. After we finished singing, Pastor steps to the pulpit and says "Julie, you need to practice that hymn because when we get the new organ in, I want to rock out to that hymn, it's one of my favorites". I smile...his choice of words annoys me a bit, but ok. Then he says "I'm planning a worship and praise service for the Sunday morning before Thanksgiving, hopefully we'll have the organ installed and ready to go by then and we'll have a time of praise and thank God for all He has done". WHAT??? This is the first I have heard of it!! The organ could be 2-3 weeks before delivery, then it has to be installed, voiced, registrations set up etc. and THEN I have to spend HOURS getting to know it, how to use it, where things are, much less registering each and every piece I want to play. Sorry folks...you just don't move it in, plug in it and BOOM...DONE! How can all this possibly be prepared by Thanksgiving? My Mentor and I were thinking MAYBE by mid December if all goes well and I wanted him to be able to join us and he has responsibilities on Sunday mornings. While I appreciate Pastors excitement and what he is trying to do, I don't know how to make him see that I have hours and hours of work ahead of me before this can happen and I still have a teaching job and a household to run. I am also disappointed that he is planning all this and not even consulting me all the while I have in my own mind how I wanted it to be, what would be sung, what Scriptures would be read, etc. I feel as though

someone just popped my balloon!! I feel as though I have no say as to anything that goes on in that church musically. I majored in church music in Bible college and I don't get to use my education, I'm just told do this, play that and play it this way. While I am beyond grateful for the new organ, who wants a new toy only if you have to play with it the way someone else tells you. And...maybe I am being childish? 

I do know this, I have a long list of things I need to do and yet all I can think about is what he said...it keeps ringing in my ears like an annoying song and everytime it plays out again, I feel my heart rate quicken and I can't breathe. I'm so upset and so annoyed and I don't want to dwell on it because I'm afraid it will cause me to snap at the wrong person at the wrong time. I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with this when the time comes, but there are a few people in that church that need an education. It just seems to me whenever I open my mouth to try to enlighten in love, I'm brushed aside like I'm the one without a clue. 

Well, there it is...my rant for this afternoon. If you have read this far, I thank you for listening, now back to your regularly scheduled programming...