Thursday, January 26, 2012

25 Jan 2012

     Hey everyone!  It is getting colder but we are managing just fine.  We senior folks don't get out in it that much and we bundle up really well. It has been around -10 thru -20 at night.  We have a porch outside the office and keep some extra food items in there and a few things have been freezing.  We try to keep a watch on the liquids and keep them some place else.
Jerry has been a companion to one of the elders here in the city because his companion went home.  He actually went home a few days over his two year committment but not in sinc with the rest of the transfers. We thought that there was a young man from another city who would come and be with him but that didn't work out.  He is staying here with us for two days while one of the young elders here travels to another city to work.  The other elder here is traveling to Ukraine for his visa renewal.  After his visa renewal he will travel back here with his own new companion and a new one for our elder here.
     This past week we have had our english club and did a demo about time using the jar with large rocks, gravel, and sand in it.  We then observed that at last it could hold some water.  We talked about how it would be impossibe to fit the largest things in unless we fit them in first.  We can't be successful unless we do the most important things first, then fit in between those the good but not vital things and then do the other things and so forth.  All the people seemed to like the message and one asked us to please let him have a copy of the message. We have been asked to speak at another english club meeting here in the city in February about Valentines day and traditions in the USA.
     Some other activities during the past couple of weeks include, helping out a couple who are here from Florida to adopt two small children with special needs, attending the games night with the youth and family home evening. 
We visited a young woman who is not currently attending church, hoping that she will start up again. She has lost contact with the missionary who baptized her back in 1994, and we hope to help her.  Her information was on a cell phone that was lost or stolen and she is now moved and has a new phone number.  I went to a meeting with some of the sisters and we decorated envelopes and paper to be used for invitations for a celebration of women that is pretty important in Russia. Linda's artistic endeavors were pretty sad, but not that much different from everyone else's.  Jerry continues to help with the apartment remodel with Jenya, on occassion as time allows. 
     Linda was asked to speak on Sunday for about 10 minutes.  That is a talk of about 5 minutes length for me and 5 minutes for the translater.  I find it more difficult to do a good 5 minute talk than one that is longer.  You really need to come to the point and then make it and close. The talk was on charity, who better to talk about that subject than Sister Foutz!  She did a great job.  The young women in the branch that Linda had the sisters over to tie a quilt for had her baby monday and is doing well, as is the baby.  She loves the quilt. 
     Jerry was asked by the Mission President to get the leadership of the two branches together for a meeting to discuss the statistics and see how we can improve.  In 2011 the average Sacrament meeting attendance percentage was almost half what it was in 1999.  It was an eye opener for the priesthood leaders.  The purpose of the meeting was to make them aware and get them committed to a plan of action to move the work forward.  They committed to do that and I think we will see some improvement.  One of the problems is that the membership records are in bad shape.  There are many that are still on the rolls but not here any longer or have died.
     We are doing well and thank the Lord for His patience with us and this opportunity.  

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