Sun.
WHEW!! I survived the day! Things went well in Relief Society and our Sunday School class was much better. The bishop came in and sent the 18 year olds and the 16 year olds to other classes and we were left with only the 17 year olds. There are 20 of them but that is a big step back from 38! They were much more responsive today but I am afraid that I scared a couple of the boys to death. I asked VERY SIMPLE questions about the Plan of Salvation and I knew they knew the answers, but after they answered them they got up and left. I guess they just do that. One came back but the other one didn’t. The other boys said that he will be back and not to worry about it, but I am --- a little. Somehow we have got to get them to express themselves but finding our way around these cultural traditions is tricky. The girls on the other hand were great. They aren’t afraid to talk now and they know the answers. Slowly but surely we will try to come together on common ground.
Sacrament Meeting went well too. All four of us in the Relief Society Presidency talked so we didn’t have to take to much time. I told a powerful story about missionary work and that seemed to go over well. We have several YSA ready to leave on missions and then all those 18 and 17 year olds preparing. I hope that is it for me talking for a good long time!
We went to the Service Center to get on the internet but we are having a hard time getting our I-pad to work over there. We will ask someone to help us tomorrow. We get better reception on face time than we do on Skype but we couldn’t get anything to work today. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Tonight there was an Area Presidency Leadership Training meeting for all of the ward leaders. WOW was it ever powerful! I don’t know if they are speaking that plainly back in the states now too, but here they really tell it like it is. They told the leaders what needs to be done to follow the council of the prophet as far a going to the rescue is concerned. Then they told them exactly what to do. They want missionary work done every Tuesday night, by every leader in the ward. They are to go out and visit the ward members, especially the less active, and help them all to gain a testimony of the temple and eternal families. The goal is to help everyone to return to the fold and become temple worthy. Then on Wednesday night the priesthood leaders are to hold interviews, especially with the youth on their birthdays and 6 months later. The focus is to keep the youth and YSA strong in the church and prepare them to serve missions. It is the responsibility of the organizations of the church to pick up on them when they come back from missions and not let them get lost. The primary was also given guidelines on how to prepare every child for baptism and then make sure they move on into YM and YW when they turn 12. It was very plain and straight forward, not much room for misunderstanding what they were saying. There will be reports sent in monthly to show what is being done. It will be interesting to watch this process unfold. They put out some great ideas. I wonder if this will be a church wide program. It was all about hastening the work in preparation for the Second Coming. This program, plus all the new missionaries flooding the earth, really is a testimony of the winding up of the last days. It is humbling to be a part of it!
