When I was elected to be an alternate delegate to General/Jurisdictional Conference in 2019, I had no idea I was about to become a district superintendent the following year. I had no idea that COVID was coming. I had no idea that six years later, I would still be a member of the delegation. I had no idea how the future would unfold for me or for my beloved United Methodist Church.

In all of those years, I missed two delegation meetings, one for a time-sensitive situation on the Valley Ridge District I needed to address that night, and the other was so Tracy and I could celebrate our silver wedding anniversary together.

If all of those meetings, if all of that time spent reading legislation, if all that time in the car driving back and forth to meetings did nothing else for me but get me in the room when Helen Ryde said the words quoted below from the floor of the General Conference, it was more than worth it, all of it.