We took the sacrament out to Brother White last Sunday after church because out of all the people that he has brought to church for so many weeks, none of them would help him load his wheelchair into his own car so he could come to church. His doctors told him he should stay in the wheelchair for a while until he builds up his strength. He decided he was coming to church and asked two or three men in the apartment complex, in advance, if they would help him Sunday morning with the chair so he could go to church. After saying they would help, Sunday morning none of then answered their door when he knocked. This week he got commitments again for help and again no one was around to help him. So he loaded the chair in his car by himself and drove 30 minutes to church by himself. He was late and everyone was in the meeting when he arrived so he got the chair out of the car by himself and sat in it and came into the meeting. Everyone was really excited to see him come in the door of the chapel. He has missed six weeks of church since his surgery and was so happy to be there again. Since he was late we took him into the Branch President's office after Sacrament meeting and administered the sacrament to him. It was a special day today, having Brother White back and a couple that the sisters have been meeting with came to church for the first time. Her best friend is a member of the church and she came to the weekday Relief Society meeting last month and enjoyed meeting the sisters in the branch. They have been in Tuscaloosa for about six weeks with his brother who had open heart surgery. Her husband is the one that wanted Brother Smith and I to come and give him a blessing several weeks ago when the sisters first started meeting with them. He has never participated much and claimed he wasn't interested. He said he learned a lot about the church when he was younger and doesn't really agree with their teachings. They stayed for the whole block today and he participated in our discussion in Priesthood meeting. He told us he enjoyed being their and we invited him back. They were both positive in their response. The sisters went out to help them fix supper this evening. They will probably start meeting with them again now that they are back home.
We were a little surprised when a couple from the branch came in to Sacrament Meeting. They didn't stay for the rest of the block. It was a couple that we tried for several weeks after we arrived here to see, but were never able to catch them home. They only live here during the winter and then go to Paris, Idaho to spend the summer. I talked to him for a while on the phone after they returned to Paris and got his address to forward his record. He was a little surprised that I wanted to do that. He said they never really did that before. I told him since they moved there we would go ahead and forward their records. The records showed up in the branch a couple weeks ago and we finally caught them at home Monday of this week. We had a very lengthy visit with them and a tour of their antebellum home (built before the civil war). It was packed full of antiques and old furniture and carpet and items that came across the plains with the pioneers. He had several furnishings that they bought when other antebellum mansions were remodeled. He took us through room after room that were each so full of memorabilia that we barely had room to walk through the room. China cupboards that were stuffed full of different styles of china. They had a very impressive silver tea set on displayed in their formal dining room. They said people are usually quite surprised when they ask where they got it and they tell them Kmart. They attended a grand opening where they had the high end silver set on sale and they picked it up a couple weeks later when the price was drastically reduced. He is descended from one of the original twelve apostles after the restoration and informed us that they have held about every calling in the church and they are retired now and they don't really have time to hold any callings. They are very involved in the community and travel to see their children and grandchildren. He told us the Stake President came last year and "begged" him to be the Branch President but he told him he just couldn't because they are only here part of the year. He told us they are just "back row members" now when they have time to come, and don't really participate. It really makes me worry how a person comes to the point where they think that is an acceptable way to live the gospel after being so involved throughout their life.
Sister Owens had the weekday Relief Society meeting this Wednesday for this month. It turned out to be a bit of a logistics nightmare. Brother White and I both had doctor appointments in Tuscaloosa and mine was so early that we couldn't do the extra runs to Greensboro to transport ladies to the RS meeting like we did last month. One thing that really has a negative effect on this branch is to have one of the five available vehicles unavailable. We think everyone that wanted to be there got there and it turned out to be a good meeting. There were about eleven sisters there this time. Brother White needs an eight week follow up visit, but we were smart enough to schedule it on a Monday instead of Wednesday. When I got home and checked, I saw that we scheduled his appointment for exactly the same day and time as my next appointment. So that one will be a challenge. At least this time mine was in the morning and his was in the afternoon.
I got my second professional haircut this week. The barber is a sweet old black lady. It was almost eight weeks since I was there for the first time. When I sat in the chair she said, "Same as last time?" Sister Owens was quite surprised and asked her if she remembered. She said, "Sure." I told her to do it the same as last time, but I think she wised up and made it about half an inch longer everywhere so I will probably need to go back again in about a month. I really can't complain when it is only five dollars for the haircut. And she does do a great job.
Friday the sisters made lemonade and set up a lemonade stand at the church (on the main highway through town). They didn't charge for the lemonade but gave everyone a card with a scripture on it with the cup of lemonade. They were open for three hours and only gave a lemonade to a sister in the branch. I guess it wasn't really a great success as far as finding goes. After that they went with the youth from the branch to a roller skating rink in Linden that everyone was supposed to invite their non-member friends to. I guess that was a little more successful. The Kirks were there with their girls. So that was good for them to get to know the youth in the branch a little better. Sister Owens made a batch of peanut butter popcorn and asked the sisters if they wanted to take it with them to the roller skating activity, which they did. We heard at church today that it was quite a big hit. She is giving me some real competition now with my cookies.
Finding addresses where there are no houses or houses where the people we are looking for haven't lived for two or three years is still keeping us busy when we can devote time to looking. And the people we do find are still telling us just what we want to hear but never actually do what they say they will do. But that seems to be life here in the south. We have to keep looking though, that is exactly what we were doing when we found Tasha Kirk. She was baptized in 2004 and was only active for a few months before she moved. The address on her record was incorrect but we were able to find her. Now her husband has been baptized, the sisters are teaching her children, and we are taking them to the temple this Friday to do baptisms for the dead. The gospel is true and it blesses people's lives when they are willing to live it.
Two weeks until conference. We are so excited.
Keep the commandments and read your Book of Mormon
And Listen to the Prophets at conference.
We Love y'all,
Elder and Sister Owens
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