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
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