We kept busy this week going back and forth to Greensboro and met some very nice very interesting people. At Sister Nixon’s trailer we were prayed for and blessed by a nice middle aged inebriated black man who gave us hugs all around. He called himself a blessed child. It was very difficult to understand anything he was saying because of his deep southern drawl and his “slightly” slurred speech. He was telling us about the time his life was changed because God spanked him and he was in a coma for 6 days.
The degree of poverty here is overwhelming. Sister Nixon had a thin sheet of plastic (like from the cleaners) over the lower half of the doorway to her trailer to keep the rain out (no door). We had quite a downpour that day. After our visit with her we went to a Book of Mormon study class taught by the Sisters (Sister Humphreys and Sister Bond). There were seven people there besides us and the sisters. The only one that could actually read above a third grade level was a non-member whose daughter won’t allow her to be baptized. A couple of them didn’t even try to read. We were reading I Nephi 5 about when Nephi and his brothers returned with the plates. It was a real eye opener that they didn’t even understand the story about getting the plates without having to have it explained to them. There is so much work to do with these people it is just overwhelming.
Sister Humphreys wanted to play a game while we were waiting for everyone to arrive. She wanted us each to tell something about themselves that nobody else knew about. The first person said he used to be a clean up man. Sister Humphreys said, “Oh, did you do custodial work?” He said, “No.” She said, ”Were you a groundskeeper?” He chuckled and told her no. After three or four more guesses from Sister Humphreys he explained that he used have a gun and a big knife as he gestured with his hands indicating the size of the knife (about 18 inches). Then we all understood what he meant. He did say he never killed anybody. Sister Humphreys said. “Well, you’ve come a long way since then.” He is really a very sweet old black gentleman. I mentioned to Linda that we are surrounded by Uncle Remus here.
We went to check on a referral with the sisters after study class. Her sister was baptized in Selma a couple months ago. She said she talks about the church with her sister just about every time they are on the phone. They want to have the sisters come back and teach them about the church. They are a really good family. She has three children. A sixteen year old boy and two girls eight and three years old. She has a really nice husband. I kept repeating his name as he would try to tell me what it was. He corrected me about three times. I finally quite trying. Sister Humphreys said to him later, “ And your name is Johnny?” He said, “yes.” I think when he was telling me his name he was saying Johnny, y’all. I thought it was all part of his name. I still need to learn the language.
Conference was exciting and renewing. We and the sisters were the only ones at the Saturday sessions. The BYU channel is part of both the satellite packages here so the really active members (Branch presidency and Branch mission leader} watch at home. I got to the church for the Priesthood session and nobody was there. Since I don’t have a key I got my laptop out and started the session in the parking lot. After the opening prayer started President James and his son drove up and went to the door and started pressing the service button. I got out of the car and walked up and told them there wasn’t anyone in the building. He asked me if I had a key and I told him I was going to get one from him. He said, “Lord, I left mine home!” (about 30 minutes away). He was going to drive over to his councilor’s home (in Demopolis) and get his. Then he came back from his car before he left and said, “I found mine!” and the three of us went in and watched the Priesthood session.
We took Ollie to the Sunday morning session and the Sisters were there with a girl they have started to teach. President and Sister James were there with their son and the Relief Society president and one other sister was there. In the afternoon it was just the two of us and the sisters again, even though a few of the members we talked to last week told us they would be coming. President James informed me at the Priesthood session that most people here will tell you what they think you want to hear but it really doesn’t mean anything. We feel so bad that there are so many here that could benefit so much from hearing the brethren but they just don’t come.
Our work is definitely cut out for us.
We love you all,
Elder and Sister Owens
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