Week 75: A Day in the big city; and a marathon meeting for the sisters

Dear Family and Friends,

After getting home at 8:30 Sunday night from Stake Priesthood meeting we had to get up Monday and go to Greensboro to pick up Brother White to take him to Birmingham to see a spine surgeon. His surgeon in Tuscaloosa made the appointment for him and wrote the time and address on the back of a card for us.  The time was 2:30 PM.  We didn't know what traffic problems we would run into and how easy it would be to find the office so we left plenty early.  The trip went pretty well and we arrived at the office at 2:00.  We went to check in and they said our appointment was at 3:00.  So we sat in the waiting room with the eighty other patients (according to Sister Owens' count—she quite counting at eighty).  They took him back for a cat scan and mentioned that they were running a little behind.  At 4:00 they called him back and I went back with him.  After quite a wait in the exam room we talked to the surgeon for less than ten minutes.  He told us he definitely had a problem and he wasn't sure what they needed to do without an MRI and he would have to get established with a general physician and get his diabetes, high blood pressure and other health conditions under control before they could consider surgery. He said they would make some calls and line up a family doctor for him and schedule the MRI.  He told us to wait because they had some paperwork to fill out.  We waited for at least 30 minute and then the surgeon opened the door and was surprised to see us.  He said, "Oh, you are still here.  Yah, wait just a minute and we will be right with you."  And backed out and closed the door.  After another fifteen minutes Brother White opened the door and said, "I think they're all gone home."  I stepped out into the hallway and startled a young nurse that was standing there packing her purse to leave.  She was surprised to see me and asked why we were there.  I told her they were supposed to be getting some paperwork for us.  She didn't know anything about it and went down the hall to the surgeon's office where he was shooting the breeze with three other colleagues and asked him.  He said to her, "Oh yah, we need to get them a general physician and schedule an MRI."  She came out of the office and said to me, "You don't have to wait for that, we can call you.  You can leave."  So at 6:00 we went back out to the waiting room to see if Sister Owens was still there.  She was, and the other seventy-nine chairs were empty (they were closed).  If I hadn't stepped out when I did that nurse would have been gone within 30 seconds.  The next person we would have seen would probably be the custodian (I love Alabama).  Needless to say we got home a little late to try to get last week's email out that night.

Tuesday was District Council (just a short jaunt to Tuscaloosa).  Training was supposed to be a discussion on the characteristic of patience.  We took so long with the other portions of the meeting that we didn't get to have the discussion.  That tried Sister Owens' patience.  We met with Otis and the sisters in the evening.  He was so excited after Stake Priesthood meeting.  He told the sisters he wanted to get ready and be baptized.  They set a date for him for the end of September.  Then he told us about the time he got baptized three times in one day.  And he got a ring and a watch for it from the pastor.  The sisters have a lot to teach him in the next month.

Wednesday we kind of took a breather from all the traveling we had been doing.  We had coordination meeting with Brother Smith and the sisters.  We are all pretty excited about Otis. And there is another young girl with a baby son that the sisters have been meeting with quite a few times.  After the meeting we went to the drug store to pick up Sister Owens' prescription for "fossil-max" (according to her text to our daughter).  The doctor was not really pleased with the results of her bone density test.  Sister Owens spent the evening trying to follow up with the sisters that said they wanted to go to the Women's Conference on Saturday.

Thursday we were off to Tuscaloosa again for Sister Owens to get an ultra-sound of her liver.  They noticed a cyst on it when they did the cat scan of her lungs.  The technician told her she just had a small cyst about the size of her litter finger tip.  She doesn't have to worry about it (in her professional opinion, I'm sure).  We got a call from the pulmonologist after she saw it and were told to call her family doctor and see him right away.  Sister Owens is getting a little tired of seeing all the doctors lately and has decided her appointment in November is plenty soon enough to see him.  You know, she's so patient and all.  We got back to Greensboro in time to visit with Sister McCleskey for a few minutes before Book of Mormon class.  She shared with us the experience she had in the hospital a week ago that prompted her attendance at Sacrament meeting last week. She woke up a few times during the night and each time there was an older lady with white hair sitting on the stool next to the computer in the room just looking at her but not saying anything.  The last time it was an older gentleman with white hair instead of the lady.  That was when she decided to get up and go out and stay in the waiting room the rest of the night.  She related the experience to the nurse on the floor and was told not to tell anyone in the hospital about it or they would be checking her into the Psych ward.  Anyway, she didn't really know what to think of it but decided it was time to get caught up on her tithing and start coming to church.  She said she would be at Sacrament meeting again this week. 

Friday we did laundry and prepared our talks for Sacrament meeting this Sunday.  We had an appointment with Otis in the morning but he called the sisters and said he was called in to work and couldn't meet with us.

Saturday Sister Owens had to be at the church at 7:30 in the morning so the sisters could get to the Stake Center in Bessemer by 10:00 for their Women's Conference which lasted until 2:00 and then they made the two hour trip back home.  The sisters called us in the evening and said they called Otis to see if he would need a ride to church.  They asked us if we could call him.  They thought maybe he blocked their number by mistake.  I called him and our number was blocked as well.  It was a real downer.  We spent the evening wondering what had happened.  Then we got a group text from President James that said, "I won't be in church Sunday.  Take care of things"  I started to wonder if our Branch President was apostatizing, now.  Sister Owens called Sister James to see if something serious had happened with her mother or something.  Their son answered the phone and explained that they were on a business trip and were delayed getting home (whew).  We were just feeling bad all night for the sisters.  They have been working so hard and it was looking like Otis was going to actually be baptized.

Sunday morning we got to the building an hour early.  Branch Council was scheduled and nobody said we weren't having it even though President James wouldn't be there, but apparently we weren't because nobody came (it would only be Brother and Sister Smith anyway).  The sisters were the first ones there after us and they came in smiling and happy and Sister Owens complimented them on how they just always stay positive, no matter what.  Then they told us they went by to see Otis before they came to the church and he said he has to go to Walmart and get minutes put on his card so his phone will work again (I was puzzled, because he has a land line and not a cell phone and I didn't know you have to get minutes on a card for a land line).  Anyway, he can't come to church because he has to help his mother today and he is looking forward to our next lesson on Monday night (Oh, we of little faith).  I guess everything is just fine.  We did feel a little bad that the fellow we met at the pharmacy last week who told us he was coming to church didn't come.  But that is really not that uncommon here.  Sister McCleskey was there again this week, though.  We are hopeful for her.  She told us Thursday that it is really hard to be motivated to come when it is thirty minutes away.  It used to be right down the street from her when they had the branch in Greensboro.

Keep the commandments and read your Book of Mormon every day.

We love y'all,

Elder and Sister Owens

Week 74: Elder Owens has to repent: there really are miracles

Dear Family and Friends,

Sorry this is late.  Things kind of piled up on Sunday and we were both just too tired to get this out Sunday night.  Monday we spent the day in Tuscaloosa and Bessemer for Sister Owens to have some tests to figure out why her cough isn’t clearing up.  She had a cat scan on her lungs to follow up after the one she had in May when she came down with the bronchitis.  After her scan we checked to see if she could go ahead and have her bone density test which was actually scheduled for Wednesday.  They did the test so it saved us a trip on Wednesday.  Then she had to see the pulmonologist and have another breathing test.  Then the doctor couldn’t compare the two scans because her office didn’t have a copy of the original scan.  It was sent to them last month and then they gave the disc to Sister Owens (???).  Then they told her she would have to bring the disc in sometime so they could compare the two (I do love Alabama).  By the time we were done with the tests and the doctor Sister Owens was pretty disgusted with the medical profession here and thought they are all just trying to make as much money as they can and don’t really care about the people at all.  It kind of ruined her whole day and she ended up pretty negative about everything.  We stopped at the mission office to pick up a package that they received for us from the Silver Sage Young Women.  It was “just what the doctor ordered.”  It had ten gifts for each of us and ten quotes from President Hinckley about what he hoped every missionary would take home with them from their mission.  It totally changed her attitude and saved the day.  Thank you to the Young Women for thinking of us.

Tuesday was District Council.  They sent out an agenda on FB Messenger.  Sister Owens’ facebook account is the only one attached to the group and she has no idea what her password is and hasn’t even opened it since we set it up.  So we were totally unaware of the agenda and the assignment for the training.  It was good training on Faith.  They said they would text the one for the next week to us so we would have it.  Then we took the sisters to lunch and drove to Bessemer for interviews with the President.  We had a great visit with him.  He told us he has been really impressed that Alabama is about to blossom.  He thinks the government is passing laws that agree with the gospel and the people are prepared and the work is really going to move forward.  I really tried to agree with him but find it a little hard.  I’m sure nobody has noticed my attitude degrading over the past few weeks.  I have just about decided we are just biding our time here until its time to go home.  I haven’t felt like we have been able to do much of anything to move the work forward here.  Our Stake Presidency as well as President Allred has asked us to pray for miracles for Demopolis.  I have found that to be really hard to do.  It has seemed to me that they just aren’t going to happen.  Nothing has changed here since we have been here and President Sainsbury told us months ago that regardless of who he sends to Demopolis, it always stays the same and never changes.

Wednesday we went to coordination meeting and the sisters told us about all the people they are teaching from their tracting and they don’t seem to remain interested much past a couple of meetings.  Then we went to the hospital here in Demopolis to see a member of the branch that has dementia.  She was very tired.  The staff said she hardly slept at all the night before.  She was actually sleeping when we came and we didn’t want to wake her but they said they had to wake her and take her to the restroom anyway and then we could visit her.  We went in and said hi and read one scripture and she was totally asleep.  Short visit.  But it was good she could finally sleep.

Thursday we met with Otis who called us last week to take him to church.  We read from the Book of Mormon with him.  He declined to read when asked but said he will study over it when we are gone.  It is hard to know yet whether he can actually read or not.  He hasn’t opened up to us enough to let us know.  He is very positive about the message but he is very positive about everything.  Its hard to know if he really is accepting the message or just being agreeable like so many others here.  Then we went to Book of Mormon class in Greensboro.  Deborah wasn’t there again.  They told us she is still in the hospital in Tuscaloosa.  It was a good class.  We read from Romans 7 and then a chapter from the Book of Mormon.  The managers wanted us to try to keep it short because the tenants go outside while we are there and wait for us to leave and it was quite warm Thursday.  We always tell them they are welcome to come in while we are there but nobody ever does.

Friday we got a call from Human Resources advising that they were going to court to have Deborah placed in a nursing home and they needed a sponsor for her to help her apply for Medicaid.  They asked us if we would be willing to do it and we said yes.  They said they would call us back bur we haven’t heard from them yet.  We went to Tuscaloosa again so Sister Owens could give the doctor another blood sample and copies of all her records from the fun time she had at all the doctors here in Demopolis back in May.  We stopped at the hospital to see Deborah.  She looked better than she ever has since we have known her.  She was so alert and happy.  It is amazing the difference it makes when someone is properly cared for.

Saturday we did our P-day chores and had another meeting with Otis and the Sisters.  We read chapter 31 of Second Nephi about the Saviors baptism and why we need to be baptized.  He was very agreeable again but we still weren’t sure why.  He was planning on coming to church again Sunday.

Sunday morning I was with President James in Branch Presidency meeting and I got a text from the sisters and a phone call from Otis.  The sisters were telling me that I didn’t have to pick up Otis because he was driving himself and he was going to call me and tell me.  I missed the call form Otis but he left a message saying he was driving himself to church.  He borrowed his mother’s car.  They told us about Stake Priesthood meeting last week and Otis was there.  We told him he was welcome to come if he would like to come with us.  I figured he would end up opting not to go since it would be a two hour drive to get there and then a two hour drive home after the meeting.  So this Sunday I asked him if he still wanted to come to Priesthood meeting and he said yes.  As we were sitting waiting for Sacrament meeting to start Sister McCleskey walked in and sat on the front row just as the meeting was starting.  We had tried several times to see her a year ago and she would not come to her door.  She finally let us in one time and then stopped responding again.  She was the Relief Society President when the Greensboro branch was still in existence.  She hasn’t been to church as long as we have been here. We greeted her and she was very happy to see us and told Sister Owens she was in the hospital for a couple of days and was not on any medication and had an experience that she knew was real and she is convinced it is time for a change.  She invited us over to her house this next week so she can tell us about it.   So after church we had time for a bite of lunch and had the sisters over to eat with us along with Timothy so he wouldn’t have to go home to Forkland and have to be picked up for Priesthood meeting. Sister Owens had the three Smith girls stay at our house while we went to Priesthood meeting because Sister Smith is out of town this week.  Then Brother Smith drove his Suburban and eight of us went to Priesthood meeting and met President James and his son, Terrell, there.  Brother Smith said that was the most people from the branch that has ever gone to Bessemer for Priesthood meeting.  They talked about Priesthood responsibilities, Keys, and Family History work.  I figured Otis would have plenty of questions on the way home, but he didn’t ask any when I invited him to do so.  After we dropped everyone off in Greensboro and just had him in the car going to Demopolis we had a little discussion going and learned that his Dad was killed in an auto accident 20 years ago and we told him how he could be baptized for his dad in the temple after he is baptized.  We found out later, talking to the sisters, that he called them after we dropped him off and said he wanted them to help him so he can get baptized.  He is really excited to be baptized for his dad.  It made him feel so happy that he went over to his mother’s house and told her that he would be able to do that.  He said that made her happy too.

The miracles are continuing this week but we will tell you about that next week.

Keep the commandments and read your Book of Mormon every day.

We love y’all,

Elder and Sister Owens

Week 73: Brother White has a new ride and Sister Owens has green hair(?)

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday we got to minister to President and Sister James.  They were out of town for two weeks.  They went to California to see their son and then when they came back their nephew (age 45) passed away unexpectedly.  His mother was too upset to do anything so Sister James had to plan the funeral and take care of the family meals after being gone for a week.  She is also the caretaker for her invalid mother.  Linda was impressed Sunday that we should take some meals in to them and just called her Sunday night and told her we were bringing them Monday.  We fixed chicken tacos with beans and rice and jello and some cheesecake for desert, and fixed a pot of beans for them to have for another meal.  When we took the food to them Sister James was so grateful.  Both she and President James had had about four hours of sleep in the last twenty-four before church Sunday.  She said on Sunday she was thinking she just did not want to have to cook on Monday.  We were so glad we got to do something to help them.  They always do so much for the members of this branch.  That evening we went over to Ollie's to help her fill her pill box with all her prescription medications.  Her son usually does it for her but he was unable to do it this week.  She has so many pills she has to take Sister Owens was wondering how she makes room for food.  Ollie said she wonders if there are any calories in her pills.  It was quite confusing since she said she takes the ones in the PM side in the morning and the ones in the AM side in the evening.  We asked her why she does that and she said she isn't supposed to take her water pill at night and she doesn't know which one is the water pill.  We checked the prescriptions and identified the water pill for her and she said not to change it because she didn't want to get mixed up (I love Alabama).

Tuesday we had District Council.  We had to take the sisters with us to the doctor's office because Sister Owens had an early appointment.  It wasn't supposed to interfere with District Council because we had changed the council meetings to Friday and then after we had the appointment scheduled they changed the meeting back to Tuesday.  The sisters said they could do their study in the waiting room as easily as they could in their apartment so they could come with us early.  The appointment was at 9:15, we arrived at 9:00 and she got in to see the doctor at 10:00.  At 10:55 she was still in with the doctor so I had to take the sisters to the meeting and come back and get Sister Owens.  A nice older Pentecostal woman was talking to a patient. As soon as the patient was called in to see the doctor the lady immediately began talking to me.

She was telling me about all the wonderful experiences she has had over the last twenty-eight years with God in her life and all the gospel singing she has been able to do to influence so many people.  When Sister Owens came out from seeing the doctor and stood by us the lady looked up and said, "Oh, is this your wife?  Just let me finish telling him this story."  Then she went on with about three more stories before we could get an word in to tell her we were late for a meeting and had to leave (I love Alabama).

We had coordination meeting Wednesday.  The sisters are so busy.  But all the teaching they are doing is coming from their tracting.  They don't really get any help from the members here with finding.  Sister McCreath says they witness so many miracles.  She says she sees it like the tide on the ocean.  Teaching opportunities just come rolling in so fast they can hardly keep up with them.  Then they all just roll back out after a couple discussions and the people just no longer have much interest when they find out there is more expected than just coming to church for an hour on Sunday to listen to a sermon.  They are really staying positive though, and she is doing a great job training Sister Allen.  Sister Borden called us Wednesday night to say she wouldn't be to Book of Mormon class because her husband was taking her to the doctor in Tuscaloosa and she would have to stay overnight for observation in case she developed an infection.  She didn't know if she would be back in time for Relief Society Friday or not.

Thursday morning Sister Borden called again to let us know we could pick her up for Book of Mormon class.  The doctor rescheduled her appointment.  Deborah (Sister Bolden) didn't come to class and there was no answer at her door.  Nobody seemed to know anything about her.  We had a good class.  We read from the Sunday School assignment for the week in Romans as well as a couple chapters from the Book of Mormon.  After class Brother White started talking to me.  He talks so quietly and between that and his southern accent and my loss of hearing I hardly ever understand anything he says.  I only ask him to repeat it once or twice and then just let it go because I still don't understand most of what he says.  He kept talking and was driving his chair toward the door so I followed along.  Then I understood something about how he missed sacrament meeting last week (Brother Borden had gout and couldn't drive) and he just hated not being able to go where he needed to go.  He said something about seeing something in somebody's back yard and then told me he spent his entire disability check and bought himself a car and pointed to in in the parking lot.  My heart sank a bit wondering when he would wreck this one and if he would be as lucky as last time.  All the while trying to be happy for him and encouraging him to be very careful if he had to drive it.  He said he would be to church this week no matter what.  After class we went to the church to set up for Relief Society on Friday (all three six foot tables).

Friday it turned out we only needed two tables instead of three.  Only eight sisters showed up.  We were so excited that we might not have to take the trip to Greensboro because of Sister Borden's doctor appointment, but it canceled so we got to go after all.  Sister Nixon came anyway, even though her leg was bothering her.  Sister Owens gave a good message on ministering and then they had a game day and all the sisters played games for the rest of the meeting.  Sister Owens was at one table and taught them how to play nines with rook cards and I was at the other table keeping score while the sisters learned to play Farkle.  Then Sister Borden and Sister Nixon (they are sisters) played dominos.   Everyone brought their favorite snack to share except for the Greensboro ladies (we have to work on that).  It seems they just come to partake but never seem to contribute.  Sister Owens says I am the best Relief Society councilor she has ever had.  I told her she is the best Relief Society President I have ever been councilor to.  She also wants you to know that we took tuna with smoked almonds on cucumber slices to the game day.  She thought that was quite elegant. We found our from Sister Nixon that Deborah was taken by ambulance to Tuscaloosa and is in intensive care with blood sugar issues.  That was why she was not at Book of Mormon class.  Sister Owens says it seems they just let people get to the brink of death here and then get them to the hospital and get them better and start over again (I love Alabama).

We felt so bad giving away the cilantro lime chicken taco fixings to the James without getting any ourselves, we decided we better make it again and have the sisters over Saturday for lunch.  Of course we had to make another cheese cake too.  Just our luck, Sister Allen doesn't care for cheesecake.  They both really love street tacos, though, so it went pretty well.  In the afternoon a fellow named Otis Collier called us and said he got our number from a couple of young ladies who told him we would pick him up and take him to church.  I told him we would be happy to do that.  He hasn't met with them yet.  He just met them on the street but he would like to come to church.  I told him we would pick him up at 9:45.  Then we got a text from Brother Smith telling us that his son had to meet with President Lewis to be interviewed to be ordained an elder so he can't pick up Timothy and asked if we could go get him.  Things always seem to turn upside down between Saturday and Sunday here.

Sunday morning at 7:30 Otis called and asked what time I said we would pick him up for church.  I told him 9:45 and he said, "Alright, I'm getting ready right now."  Then we left ten minutes early to get Timothy so I could stop at the church and make some copies for the priesthood lesson.  We had gotten a text from Timothy saying he would be ready at 8:00 and we responded that 8:30 would be plenty early and we would be there then.  We ended up getting there twenty minutes early.  Just as we arrived we got a text from him saying good morning.  We asked if he was ready yet and that we were just driving up.  He came out the front door and we got back to the church by 8:30.  We hadn't planned to be there until 9:00 for Branch Council.  We walked in and saw that the chapel hadn't been set up for Sacrament meeting and had plenty of time to get it ready before Branch council.  Then I left early from Branch Council to pick up Otis.  He was there for meetings and a young mother and baby the sisters have started teaching were there as well, so it was a good day. After church Clarisa (Smiths 11 year old) asked Sister Owens why her hair was green.  Sister Owens didn't know why it looked green but she said, "Green is fashionable these days and maybe green is better than grey."  Sister Smith looked at Sister Owens and said, "I still need to work with her a little bit."   Timothy was interviewed for his patriarchal blessing recommend and will be getting his blessing next Sunday and Elias Smith was ordained an elder today.  He will be getting ready to go to the temple and on his mission soon.  It was a very good day.

Keep the commandments and read your Book of Mormon every day.

We love y'all,

Elder and Sister Owens

Week 72: A great zone conference and Cole Slaw ad infinitum

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday we went to the church and did clerk work and Relief Society work.  The taste of the south we got from Sister Morgan the night before proved to be more than Sister Owens could handle.  She learned for herself that she can't eat more than four fresh figs in one sitting.  We didn't wander too far from the restroom Monday.  The sisters came and told us the schedule for Zone Conferences this transfer.  They and we had arranged our schedule for District Council on Tuesday (we didn't have one last week because it was transfers).  The schedule for conferences had ours first and it was this Wednesday (two days notice).  We always seem to be first, I think because we are the Bessemer zone and that is at the front of the alphabet.  Anyway, suddenly we had nothing planned for Tuesday because we don't have district council on the week we have zone conference and we all had to free up Wednesday for our all day trip to Birmingham for zone conference.

Sister Borden called us and said the Book of Mormon class was going to have fish (catfish) for everybody this Thursday and so we needed to make "whatever that is that [we] make and bring it."  So Tuesday we made cole slaw to have with the fish and tried a recipe for double lemon cheesecake bars (attachment #1) to take for a treat.  We had offered last week to chip in to buy the fish and they insisted that the missionaries not help this time.  It was their treat to us.  Sister Owens had RS presidency meeting in the afternoon.  She still gets tired pretty easily because of the persistent coughing that she still is experiencing.

Wednesday started pretty early.  We were up at 5:30 so we could get ready and pick up the sisters and get to Birmingham by 8:45 for Zone conference.  It was a great conference (attachment #2).  The Sister Training Leaders provided training on developing Christlike attributes.  The Zone Leaders gave excellent training on the language of the spirit and the pattern of prayer and how to receive and recognize personal revelation. I am amazed at the maturity and ability of the young missionaries we have today.  A few weeks ago our zone leader told us how he really didn't do anything in the church before his mission.  His family is not active.  He started thinking about whether or not he should go on a mission and felt he should go so he got his life in order and came out.  It was am.azing to hear him teach in conference.  President Allred shared a few experiences he had in his youth when he received answers to prayers and was guided by the Lord.  Sister Owens was really excited when they stayed on schedule and were only thirty minutes late ending the meeting at 2:30.  It was nice leaving earlier than 4:30 or 5:00 like we used to.  We got to Costco by 3:00 and the tire rotation was finished by 4:30.  Sister Owens had to get some frozen yogurt for her and one of the sisters and her card didn't work again because she forgot her PIN.  She came to get my card and when she got back to the register it was a different cashier.  She filled a yogurt cup and Sister Owens noticed that the sisters were holding two already.  The cashier said they should just take that one because they would have to throw it away anyway.  Sister Owens tried to give it to the nice little man behind her but he declined and was grinning and chuckling about the whole ordeal.  She was a bit upset with him for laughing at her.  We seem to have a pretty good thing going.  That was the third time we have gotten free food because Sister Owens couldn't make her card work.

Thursday we filled the cooler with cole slaw, tortillas, onions, cilantro, and salsa for anyone that wanted to make tacos with the fish, and cheesecake bars for desert, and when we got to Borden's Sister Borden came out and said we are going to have fish next week (I love Alabama).  She called to tell us they were having it so we need to bring our stuff but then when they decided they weren't having it they didn't bother to let us know that.  So we just left everything in the car and now we have been eating cole slaw and refried beans everyday since (the cole slaw bowl still seems full every day we open it☹).

We spent the afternoon Friday working with Ollie on her budget and paying bills.  We checked with the home nursing providers this week and got some bad news.  She applied several months ago and they came to the home to evaluate her needs and felt it would be unsafe in the home for their workers so they did not accept her as a client.  One of the employees knows Ollie personally and knows how much she needs help and hoped they could do something for her.  They considered her application and said they still feel the home is unsafe for their workers and they feel she needs so much assistance that she needs to be in a nursing home.  Ollie wants to stay in her home as long as possible but that is only going to be until March of next year if not sooner.  She will have no money left to pay all the people that are helping her now.

Saturday we helped one of the sisters in the branch clean the church and decorated the bulletin board.  Then we took some of the lemon cheesecake bars out to Greensboro to Deborah (the non-member that attends our Book of Mormon class)  It was her birthday.  She didn't answer her door.  We don't know if she was home or not.  We left the bars with her next door neighbor.  She said she would get them to her if she sees her.  Otherwise she will probably just eat them, like the dinner we took for her a few weeks ago.  We saw Brother White while we were there.  We thought he would be asleep since he had his dialysis treatment that day.  He is now having to pay fifteen to twenty dollars each way to get someone to take him to dialysis three times each week.  The manager at the apartment complex we are trying to get him into in Demopolis has stopped communicating with us.  It is getting quite frustrating, like so many things here.  Sister Borden called us on Saturday asking if we could pick her up for church.  Her husband (the only driver in Greensboro since Brother White wrecked his truck)  had a swollen foot and couldn't put his shoe on.  We had to tell her we couldn't because I had an appointment with the Stake Auditor for the quarterly financial audit an hour before church.  So the four members that usually come from Greensboro (including Brother White) couldn't come to church this week.

In Fast and Testimony meeting today Sister Owens was compelled by the spirit to stand and testify to the four non-member primary children that always sit on the front row how important an opportunity they have at this time to learn about the Savior as they attend primary and that it is important that they listen as Sister Smith teaches them each week.  Because it will make such a difference for all of them when they get older and they can remember the things they learned while they were here.  When she sat down she wondered if she should have done that or not and she said she couldn't remember anything she said.  I told her that is how it works.

Keep the commandments and read your Book of Mormon every day.

We love y'all,

Elder and Sister Owens