Every time Windows decides to change the format of something, it causes havoc with my brain because I am thrown out of the usual and into an area where there is not enough familiarity to wrap my brain around things. I have just spent the better part of two hours figuring this whole thing out so I could send a message. Up to that point, we didn't have time to spend and so no messages went out to everyone.
We have been very busy meeting with the Saints and taking care of the needs of those who are far from the chapel and have no means of keeping in regular contact. It is great to serve those who need the help because of age or sickness. It gives real meaning to the Savior's words,"When you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me."
I am very pleased to have a counselor now because he is very competent and has a desire to do the work and he is French. It is tough to know all the words and the slight differences in meanings, but to have someone by your side who does makes all the difference in the world. Patrick Humblot is the exact meaning of inspiration.
We are getting ready for our genealogy activity at the branch today and it will be great to introduce the members to the wealth of help that comes with the new program of the church in genealogy. I have worked with New Family Search, and the added new information that is already in the data base is amazing. As you merge duplicates, it adds the new information of others to your line and expands your genealogy family tree most of the time. Since this situation has happened, I have been in contact with others who now see the connections to us and our family.
The members here are excited to have the library back on line. After six months of working, it is exciting for me also. We are now opening up the genealogy library on Thursday afternoon and evening. Joanne and I will take the afternoon session and Patrick will handle the evening session. He has the genealogy bug the way I do. We will use this Internet connection and advertise the genealogy sessions to the people in the city to see what contacts we can make. The Elders have made contact with a single woman from Ethiopia and she is planning to be baptized within a week or two. It is hard to get the final interview process done since we are the furthest city from anywhere. Almost makes you feel you are in Cokeville. Our stake president is 5 hours away and so is the mission home. We are felling like we are out in the frontier.
Joanne and I are still meeting with the Corga family and they are fighting so many problems. No job, having to go back to Portugal to have money sent here, dealing with situations that are foreign to them and not having their own home, makes life pretty tough. We can empathize with them 100%. They are working hard on their stop smoking program, but with others smoking where they live makes it extra hard on them. They are a neat young family that wants the best for their children and they want to be part of the Gospel plan as they see it an advantage to their lives and the lives of their two children.
We are getting ready for stake conference at the end of the month and we will rent a mini-bus to get everyone there for the Sunday session. It will be great for everyone to be there together and to come back having attended as a whole branch, instead of just those who could drive their own cars. We will come back more unified for the experience. The conference will be held in an assembly hall in Bordeaux so there will be enough seats for everyone. The stake center in Bordeaux is not large enough to accommodate this large and spread out stake.
We hope and pray for all of you back home. We are planning many activities for the Christmas holidays here. It seems strange to realize that this will be our second Christmas away from all of you.
Take care and know that we love you all very much.
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