Some Things are Beginning to Happen

Mike and I have both had colds this week so we've been running at about half-speed but we are moving forward with some things. 

This is the Fern Creek Service Center where we spend a some hours of Monday through Thursday.  The building is only two years old and the Senior Citizen's Center in this glass front area and the back has the food pantry.  They got a federal grant to build it and ONLY seniors can be served in the Senior Citizen area.  They have a Meals-on-Wheels type of lunch program on M-W-F that is gov't run and a large group of regulars come and play bingo for a few hours and then either have the lunch there or take it home with them.  It is fun to see the food being passed out in cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream and other cartons that they bring back and are washed and used again.  The meals on wheels program delivers those same lunches. 

In order to qualify for the grant meals have to be served 5 days a week so volunteers prepare a lunch that is sold for $3.50 on Tuesday and Thursday.  Most of the "takers" are a group of ladies that stay after and play train dominoes.  They are cute little ladies. 

I've been wearing my dress outfits and feeling a bit out of place since everyone else in the building is in slacks.  I wrote to the Mission Pres for guidelines and he said that for seniors whatever is worn for the activity is fine as long as we wear the badge.  Off with Mike's suit and tie and my long skirts while we play with the old people and needy. 

I did have a cute one the other day.  I had on a bold stripped black and white top with a black long skirt and we got chatting with three ladies.  Someone said something about me being "Sister" and one started laughing and said that she was Catholic and wondered what order I was with that wore such up-to-date habits. 

In another part of the same building, in the back there is a food pantry.  We help there quite a few hours on Monday and Wednesday.  In order to get the grant on the building they had to serve all ages in the building and the food pantry gives food for families with children of all ages so that area of the grant was met.  It is really quite an amazing project.  It reminds you of a Bishop's Storehouse but is full of different things each time we go.  Things that are being pulled from grocery shelves, overstocked items, etc are donated and then given to people who apply and qualify.  I believe they can get 16 "shopping trips" a year and we determine the amount of food that they receive by the number in their family.  Where the seniors lunch is happy to have us they don't really need us.  The food pantry is really grateful for our help.  Mike helps stock shelves and I help the patrons get their orders. 

Another thing that this community does is provide boxes of food for families that sign up for them at the pantry and other places.  There are food collections done all over the community from the post men, the scouts, the basketball team, church groups, bakeries, stores and other places.  The food is collected all week and then there is a drive-thru pick up for four straight hours on Saturday.  I guess that there are hundreds of boxes--each has a turkey and a variety of other things. 

Until two years ago there was an empty store front by the grocery store that they used to collect the food so when they went looking for a place our Bishop volunteered the use of our chapel.  They put tarps down in the gym and people file in and out with donations all week and then put the boxes together on Friday and pass them out on Saturday.  The Bishop has asked us to stay in the building all week to help things to run smoothly although there is a woman who has run the project for years that will be in and out and apparently does a marvelous job. 

We were asked weeks ago by the Bishop to visit a number of people and invite them to the Ward Christmas party.  We would go and they wouldn't be home and it would be raining so we couldn't just leave an invitation.  Mike got the idea to put them in sandwich bags and staple a rubber band on each one so that we could hang them on doorknobs.  We left quite a few that way but we were able to find a few home.  We spent quite a while talking to one young father who used to be active and hasn't been for a while.  His wife had to work but I told him that if he would come and bring the two children I would tend the baby for him.  He came and I tended.  We were so happy to see him there.

Just before Thanksgiving we drove down to see a family who is about 9 miles south of town.  She was such a darling girl, told us that her father is a Branch President and had a picture of the temple hanging above her piano.  She was very friendly and invited us to come back but was very busy.  The other day I woke up feeling that I needed to send her a note with some thoughts and a video clip about making room for the Savior and an invitation to the Ward Christmas party.  I told her that she reminded me of my daughters who are about the same age with long dark hair and asked her to please come to the party.  She came and brought her daughter.  The Bishop told us this morning that this was the first time in over a year that she has been there.  That made us very happy!

We were asked by the ward mission leader to visit every active family in the ward and leave a message.  He was not specific as to what he wanted covered.  We have been praying about it and feel strongly that I calling for this six-weeks it to help the members to learn to be member missionaries.  We went to a couple tonight for our first of those visits and I think it went well.  We showed a video of Gifford Nielsen on Hastening the Work and challenged them to think of a date and then to pray for opportunities to find someone to teach by that date. It was a positive experience.

A branch fell from a Christmas tree on a side road we were walking on so it is taped to the wall of our apartment as our token Christmas tree.